Phish played the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio on August 2, following a night off after a fantastic run in Maryland. The Blossom Music Center is a special place, a beautiful wooden, wedge-like structure nestled in the forests of Ohio. If you are from New York, I would highly recommend you make the trip if you have not yet, it’s certainly up there with the best sheds around. This was my first time there, but it certainly won’t be my last.
The band started the night off with a nice acapella version of “Strawberry Fields Forever,” which they played for only the second time. “Crowd Control” was up next, and then a mid-set “Punch You In The Eye.” After this was a short “46 Days” before delighting the crowd with a “You Enjoy Myself.” They did a short vocal jam before dropping back into another second “YEM” jam, which the crowd ate up. Keeping the funk going, was a short “Tube” before slowing things down with a “Shade.” A gorgeous “Reba” was a perfect soundtrack to the color leaking from the sunset sky. They wrapped the set up with the staple set closer of “Cavern.”
Phish has really been feeling “Free” this summer, and they opened up the second set with a monster 25-minute version. “Esther” was next, which they unfortunately struggled through due to Trey’s guitar being out of tune. “Blaze On” followed, the jam was on the shorter side, and then Trey started off “Scents and Subtle Sounds.” As they worked their way through the composition, the sound twice completely cut out for a few seconds. The band played through it and either didn’t notice or they tried to make it up with what was probably the jam of the night. This version was heavy on the dark funk, with a gorgeous ambient outro. Maybe it was a nod to the night being the 19th anniversary of the IT music festival from 2003, which was the band at their peak in ambient jamming, but probably not. A short but sweet “2001” got the whole place dancing, before a wild and beautifully cacophonous “Split Open and Melt” had some in the crowd staring at the stage in awe.
It was amusing to see the confusion and then elation as the Page started up “Bathtub Gin” for the encore. Even though the band was a little bit short on time, they were able to cut out the fat and immediately get right to the good stuff as the jam matured into a some very opulent themes and textures before wrapping up the night.
Phish Blossom Music Center – Cuyahoga Falls , OH 8/2/22
Soundcheck: Funky Bitch, My Soul, Crowd Control (this soundcheck is possibly incomplete)
Set 1: Strawberry Fields Forever, Crowd Control, Punch You in the Eye > 46 Days > You Enjoy Myself, Tube > Shade, Reba, Cavern
Set 2: Free > Esther > Blaze On > Scents and Subtle Sounds > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Split Open and Melt
Encore: Bathtub Gin
Strawberry Fields Forever was performed for the first time since July 22, 2017 (168 shows). Fish quoted Strawberry Fields Forever in the YEM vocal jam and in the jam that followed. Trey teased Also Sprach Zarathustra at the end of Gin.
Today we celebrate the anniversary of the first Phish show ever held at New York City’s esteemed Radio City Music Hall. Fresh off the heels of a New Year’s Millennium celebration in the Everglades that made headlines worldwide, Phish was ready to take on the year 2000 with a Spring Tour of Japan on the books. But first, they would play a few gigs in New York City to dust off the cobwebs and help support their album Farmhouse which was released just days earlier. On this the first of a two-night run here, Phish would wind up playing about half of the new album’s songs while mixing in other classics in a show that certainly lived up to the anticipation surrounding it.
Phish seems to soak in the applause for a bit from a raucous Radio City Music Hall before starting the show with thunderous “First Tube” that seemed to move the ground itself. Mike Gordon’s constant, unwavering bass line dominates this one pulled from Farmhouse that continues to be a mainstay at shows to this day. A familiar first set face in “Wolfman’s Brother” gets played next, adding a veritable dose of funk to the revered music hall, with sound coming through in pristine fashion thanks to Radio City’s amazing acoustics.
An early show “Squirming Coil” then makes an appearance. The “Little Jimmy’s off to camp” line seems to get a noticeable roar of approval from the crowd, perhaps in respect to last summer’s legendary (and sweltering) Camp Oswego festival in Upstate New York. After a fairly brief Page McConnell closing piano solo, the opening to “Possum” emerge which reenergizes Radio City and then some with the floor once again seeming to have a discernable bounce to it, especially on the upper levels of the building. After a brief pause, the funk returns once more, this time courtesy of a bubbly “Moma Dance.”
Once “Moma” comes to a rolling stop, the opening chords to “Limb By Limb” ring out, a fellow Story Of The Ghost selection. “Limb” elicits one of the finer jams of the first set, one that slowly increases in fervor and intensity, with McConnell and Trey Anastasio on guitar musically sparring back and forth, before it closes with Jon Fishman alone on drums. “Character Zero” then wraps a bow around the much anticipated first Phish set at Radio City, a spirited and well-played one with fairly standard selection of songs for 2000.
The second set stays very much in that same vein, beginning with a “Gotta Jibboo” that produces the next standout moment of the evening. The band is instantly locked in on a blissful jam that takes off right away, aided by Anastasio’s signature digital delay loop running underneath it the entire time. This momentum carries squarely into the “Down With Disease” that comes next. The band rips through the composed section and jumps immediately into an aggressive high-octane jam that starts strong and never really lets up, with Fishman pushing both the tempo and the limits in a masterclass of drumming. Eventually, Trey reintroduces the digital delay loop with Page adding in some harrowing organ fills as the band takes their time crafting this one. It all adds up to a 20-minute “Disease” that’s the highlight of the show and one of the better ones ever played to date.
In a true case of juxtaposition, Phish lets the crowd catch their breath a little and trots out the introspective “Dirt,” yet another Farmhouse selection. This would actually begin a three-song run from the new album (and four of five including “Jibboo”) in the second set as “Twist” follows and brings with it a mellow, groove-infused jam that turns into near ambience.
This lays the foundation for “Piper” and its customary (at the time) slow build introduction. “Piper” goes from slow to lightening quick in a hurry, with Anastasio shredding out the main chords in rapid fashion with Fishman, once again, doing some otherworldly business on the drums. Instead of stretching “Piper” out further, it comes to a rather abrupt stop and Phish pivots to “Harry Hood,” much to the delight of the Radio City crowd.
Phish doesn’t mess around with “Hood” and delivers a splendidly euphoric version of one their signature songs, a slow build of emotion before cresting perfectly. A second set full of music and memorable jams could have easily ended right there with few complaints. But from the ashes of “Hood,” McConnell emerges alone on piano and begins “Wading In The Velvet Sea” to add another emotion-provoking song to the list. Afterwards, both he and Trey expressed their appreciation for being able to play at Radio Music Hall, where they had both been able to see the great Stevie Wonder perform, with Trey making some especially poignant and heartfelt remarks about the current state of Phish and the scene it has created.
With that said and done, the resurrected “Guyute” then closes out the second set in grand fashion. The “I hope this happens once again line” at its completion gets another extra round of applause from the crowd. For an encore, Phish trots out one last Farmhouse selection with the acoustic “The Inlaw Josie Wales” before “Loving Cup,” the lone cover song of the night, sends the Radio City crowd home glowing, eagerly anticipating what’s to follow in round two tomorrow.
Take a listen to the whole show below or song by song at PhishTracks.
Phish Radio City Music Hall – New York, NY 5/21/00
Set 1: First Tube, Wolfman’s Brother, The Squirming Coil, Possum, The Moma Dance > Limb By Limb > Character Zero
Set 2: Gotta Jibboo, Down With Disease > Dirt, Twist > Piper, Harry Hood > Wading In The Velvet Sea, Guyute
As the early 1990s progressed, Phish would continue to make their mark in and throughout the Northeast. A major hub for this was obviously New York City. After years of playing The Wetlands, Phish had finally progressed to the Roseland Ballroom, starting with a gig there in March of 1992. The tour that began 1993 would add two more shows here and today marks the anniversary of the second one. Amazingly, this would somehow be their only shows in the city this year as tours began to stretch nationwide. They certainly made the most of their stay though, ending their brief Roseland residency with a show that features a healthy helping of new songs, classic favorites, and a remarkable pair of special guests to help them close it out.
An enthusiastic Roseland crowd seems to recognize “Golgi Apparatus” right away and the show is off and running with the venerable Phish classic. This is followed up with “Foam,” another hit off the band’s seminal Junta release. Despite some brief feedback issues, it’s a quick yet crisp version with a seemingly extra peppy bass line provided by Mike Gordon.
“Wilson” then has a bit of an extended intro with a different feel, with only the band singing the name of the fictional Gamehendge ruler as this pre-dates the now customary crowd chants. In an extended break before the “blap boom” ending portion, Trey Anastasio throws in both “Simpsons” and “Random Note” guitar signals that a good portion of the crowd seems to recognize. Then Phish steers into “My Friend, My Friend,” a track from their album Rift that was officially released just days earlier. As soon as “Friend” finishes, Phish wastes no time in doubling down on first set Rift tunes with Jon Fishman starting up the iconic drum intro to “Maze.” A rousing McConnell organ solo is supplanted with one from Anastasio and the first set at Roseland this evening is officially firing on all cylinders now.
After a standard run through of “Horn,” another first set staple, Phish launches into a flawless “Divided Sky” that features some more wonderful interplay between McConnell and Anastasio, with the latter spitting pure “fire” by song’s end in a potential nod of what was still to come. The now raucous Roseland crowd makes their feelings known after this one before Phish slows things down a tad with McConnell taking lead crooning duties on “Lawn Boy.”
Afterwards, the band breaks out a fairly new song (at the time) with only the third “The Wedge” ever performed live, after debuting three nights prior. It’s got a real jazzy, piano-fueled intro that makes it stand out when compared to its modern day version and McConnell follows this up with a dazzling solo mid-song that seems to have Trey yelling along in approval. A fairly standard “Bouncing Around The Room” follows this before the first set comes to a screaming halt in the form of a rabid “Run Like An Antelope” that has the whole band working together as one to bring the jam to a proper peak.
Tonight’s second set picks up right where the first one left off in the form of “Chalkdust Torture.” While this classic Phish number produces its typical high octane guitar and bass riffs, it doesn’t yield much of a jam. Instead, after a quick wrap up of “Torture,” the band dives back into the Rift chest and pulls out the Mike Gordon-penned “Mound.” But exploratory-wise, the second set doesn’t really take off until the “Stash” that follows, with Anastasio throwing out probing guitar fills atop some intense rhythms generated by Gordon and Fishman.
The call is then made for some mid second-set a cappella and Phish goes with the first “Sweet Adeline” of 1993 before an especially attentive Roseland crowd. Then, after Phish’s instrumental ode to NPR with “All Things Reconsidered,” the heavy hitters come back into play, starting with a “Mike’s Song” with a fun little verse added to the intro. Gordon has a little fun with the standard lyrics as well before the song takes a turn into its typical dark and foreboding ambiance. It’s a standard “Mike’s Groove” with the bliss-filled “I Am Hydrogen” dropped in the middle before “Weekapaug Groove” whips the Roseland crowd back into a collective frenzy. After this classical trifecta, Phish brings it back to the new school with the second ever “Lifeboy” performed live.
After this insightful newcomer, Phish decides to integrate some bluegrass into the show and breaks out an extremely tight “Uncle Pen” before a “Big Ball Jam” breaks out, the short-lived Phish gag in the early ’90s where giant inflatable balls were thrown out into the crowd with each band member “playing” along to a respective ball and its bouncing trajectory. Not much of a jam ensues though so Anastasio jumps behind the drum kit and Fishman then emerges for “a sad song” called “Lengthwise,” despite being prodded by the crowd to recite “The Prison Joke” again. After urging the crowd to break out lighters for the song, he adds an extra verse about burning his finger for holding one too long.
With the Big Ball and Fishman theatrics now out of the way, the show comes to a legendary finish, starting with “Buried Alive” where none other than Blues Traveler’s John Popper emerges to sit in and adds an absolutely ferocious harmonica solo that takes this song to another level. He then stays on for a set-closing “Possum,” adding a lovely touch to the intro before leading one of the more explosive jams of the evening.
As if one special guest weren’t enough tonight, Phish once again doubles down and brings out another one for the encore. With Popper still on stage, Phish do two “fake” botched intros to Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire,” seemingly blaming Gordon for the errors. So instead, Mike moves over to keys and they nonchalantly bring out none other than Noel Redding himself, the original bassist for the Jimi Hendrix Experience, to come out and do the honors. It caps off an incredible finishing sequence to, amazingly, the last New York City show of the year for Phish.
The whole show can be streamed here at PhishTracks with many audio clips found on YouTube as well.
Phish Roseland Ballroom – New York, NY 2/6/93
Set 1: Golgi Apparatus, Foam, Wilson, My Friend My Friend, Maze, Horn, Divided Sky, Lawn Boy, The Wedge, Bouncing Around The Room > Run Like An Antelope
Set 2: Chalkdust Torture, Mound, Stash, Sweet Adeline, All Things Reconsidered, Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, Lifeboy, Uncle Pen, Big Ball Jam, Hold Your Head Up > Lengthwise > Buried Alive, Possum
