Beck Covers the Velvet Underground

Thanks to the Joker for finding this gem... Beck covering the Velvet Underground and Nico (download via mediafire.com)

And here's a video of Beck performing Sunday Morning...

Wilson!

This always gives me goosebumps...


We really thought that would be the last time the boys played New York City. Man, oh man.

This Week On Lot: No w00ks Allowed

I am excited today to find out about This Week On Lot, a humorous web site/blog that seems to be devoted to the discussion of h33ty stories and the jam scene. I always say that the music is the reason I go to shows, but sometimes the real action takes place at the circus before and after the show. They are doing a podcast, and you can subscribe on itunes.

Free Music - Hartford Soundcheck

LivePhish.com is giving away a free MP3 recorded during the soundcheck at Hartford, CT. Trey is playing bass and Fishman is on drums.

Go here to get it.

Click here to read my recap of that epic show...Hartford Psychotic Second Set .

Secret Phish Album: Party Time

If you order the Joy Box, one of the extra things you'll get is a second album called Party Time that features the title track that Phish debut at Merriweather along with Trey's Let Me Lie and Alaska.

Here's the track listing...

Party Time

Party Time (2:43)
Alaska (7:16)
Windy City (5:20)
In A Misty Glade (2:51)
Gone (4:10)
Only A Dream (4:10)
The Birdwatcher (2:16)
Let Me Lie (3:57)
If I Told You (3:53)
Splinters Of Hail (3:33)
Can't Come Back (4:38)
Shrine (1:54)
Liquid Time (4:23)

Click here to buy the limited edition Joy Box.

And here's a video of Windy City that was shot by Eric during the Chicago show.

Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band Video: "Don't Be Scared" (w/ new MoBoogie Theme Song)

Yeah, these guys rock...

Mike Gordon Andelman's Yardsale

Check out all the demos and process Mike went through to write and record Andelman's Yard. Its awesome.

2 Live Crew Cover of the Day: Face Down Ass Up

I stumbled across this gem... an acoustic version of 2 Live Crew's Face Down, Ass Up. There's no video, just audio. But it's hysterical audio.

Hartford 09: Catupult>Icculus

I'm fascinated by the live stream phenomenon. One person in a field holding electronics can live stream an entire show free of hassle. It ain't gonna be long until capitalist interests find a way to permanently sell this service, so I've been really enjoying the streams while they last.

On my birthday this year, the boys had a message: put down the electronics and pick up a fucking book. Their words provided an interesting counter-point to my recent live-stream obsession. Their call is well captured by another dedicated HD, audio synctaper, mkdevo.



Read books, live stream phish shows.

The John Locke Rap

For the L O S T phans

Around Coventry: Mixes, Doc Film, First Show, Live Joy and SPAC Videos

If you have a nasty case of the Mondays, then here's a link dump for you featuring some of the things you might have missed on Coventry over the last week or so...

SPAC Review: The Golden Ticket
SPAC Videos: Harpua and Cavern
Best of Summer Tour Mix: Page Wet Phishy Chick Mix
Best of Summer Tour Mix: Fishman Mix
Stuff I Picked Up on Tour: Part 1 & Part 2
Live versions of new album song: We Can Still Have Joy
New Phish documentary: We Enjoy Yourself
Weed News: Pot Smoking Is Common on Phish Tour

Summer Tour: Best of Fishman Mix

"The band is named after Fish for a reason. The band really operates through him as much as Trey is the frontman and loves to steal the show." - Dr. Paul McGuire

Here is a mix of classic Fishman moments from summer tour. Included are a few epic jams that Fishman was a driving force in, as well as the silly moments that he is known for. Enjoy!

1. A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing (Noblesville, IN 6.19.09)
2. Undermind 7:18 (6.10.09 Knoxville, TN)
3. Ghost 10:45 (8.14.09 Hartford, CT)
4. Psycho Killer (4:59 8.14.09 Hartford, CT)
5. Dog Faced Boy 3:50 (6.7.09 Asheville, NC)
6. Gumbo 5:22 6.7.09 (Asheville, NC)
7. Tube 6:16 6.7.09 (Asheville, NC)
8. Lengthwise 1:52 6.7.09 (Asheville, NC)
9. Run Like An Antelope 11:50 (8.13.09 Darien, NY)
10. Suzy Greenberg 5:53 (8.13.09 Darien, NY)
11. Harpua 6:27 (8.16.09 Saratoga Springs, NY)
12. I Kissed A Girl 2:00 (8.16.09 Saratoga Springs, NY)
13. Harpua 7:56 (8.16.09 Saratoga Springs, NY)
14. Hold Your Head Up 2:07 (6.18.09 Burgettstown, PA)
15. Bike 3:24 (6.18.09 Burgettstown, PA)
16. Hold Your Head Up 1:19 (6.18.09 Burgettstown, PA)
17. Drums 2:23 (8.2.09 Morrison, CO)
18. Piper 9:56 (8.8.09 George, WA)
19. Good Times, Bad Times 5:50 (8.8.09 George, WA)
20. Ha Ha Ha 1:58 (8.15.09 Merriweather Post Pav-Columbia, MD)
21. Party Time 7:56 (8.15.09 Merriweather Post Pav-Columbia, MD)

1.8 Hours (134.5 MB)

DOWNLOAD

Phish Documentary Film: We Enjoy Yourself

Chris Pepino recently completed a sixty minute documentary about Phish and his journey up to Coventry, which at the time would be the final Phish shows.

Here's some background info...

The film is set to premiere on September 4th and 5th, headlining opening weekend at the NJ Film Festival (Rutgers University). The documentary is entirely soundtracked with live Phish music from the last five shows of 2004.

“We Enjoy Yourself”, part pilgrimage and part happening, is a cinéma vérité documentary about Phish’s swansong tour through New England in 2004. Filled with emotionally candid interviews, the film is a testament to Phish fans’ unwavering dedication to and absolute love for the band and their music. After sitting in up to 50 hours of traffic, thousands chose to abandon their cars on the interstate and defiantly walked to the final concert. The film’s soundtrack was drafted from the last shows of the tour, capturing the raw excitement and intensity of five days of nearly non-stop music.

For info on the film festival including program: www.njfilmfest.com/screening.html
Production Company Website: www.trueformpictures.com

Here's the trailer...

SPAC 09: Harpua et al

Runme69 is at it again, this time providing the elusive Harpua>I kissed a girl>HYHU>Harpua from Saratoga. As many of you know, Dr. Pauly and Irongirl01 were in attendance and each wrote reviews of what went down. Trey's shout out to his buddies and Fishman's performance provide some memorable phish theater.

A reflection of his personality, all of runme69's videos are tediously synced with soundboard audio. This forces him to go frame by frame sometimes to ensure everything flows. Lots of drugs and dedication, a common denominator we all seem to share.





all videos by runme69

We Can Still Have... JOY

Thanks to Greg for www.wecanstillhavejoy.com. He plucked versions of the new songs from different shows since the boys reunited in Hampton. Here's how he explains it...

It allows you to pick a version of each track from this summers' tour and then listen to them in the order that they will appear on the album. Everything I've heard has been AUD recordings, so it should be Kosher. I think it's a great idea. I just wish you could do it with Junta or Story of the Ghost!

Check it out...

SPAC 09: Cavern

Embedded heads with electronics empower us. Since the summer run ended, video artists have been diligently compiling reams of digital tape, in an effort to produce an unprecedented release of guerrilla Phish video.

runme69 is a recent acquaintance and quasi-neighbor; he also practices in capturing sweet, continuous images. Runme69 and his cronies made the rounds this summer, and speak of vids synced up and ready to go. Be assured I'll siphon them here, if they're up to snuff. A taste:



video by runme69

Best of Page: The Wet Phishy Chick Mix

Photo courtesy of Phishfromtheroad
I love it when Page sings. So do thousands of Phishy chicks who get wet when he croons the audience. Here's a few selections (lots of covers) from the second leg of summer tour which makes up the Best of Page: The Wet Phishy Chick Mix...

1. I Been Around - 8/16/09 SPAC
2. Strange Design - 8/15/09 Merriweather
3. Oh Sweet Nuthin - 8/15/09 Merriweather
4. Beauty of a Broken Heart - 8/2/09 Red Rocks
5. Lawn Boy - 8/14/09 Hartford
6. Rock and Roll - 8/16/09 SPAC
7. A Day in the Life - 7/31/09 Red Rocks
8. Loving Cup - 8/11/09 Chicago
9. Bold As Love - 8/5/09 Shoreline

Click here to download

Stuff I Picked Up on Tour Pt 2

This is a screen print on wood and is done by Uncle Ebeenezer, I met him at The Gorge.

This crystal wrap I got at Jones Beach. Rich Evano is the artist. www.metalworkers.com/Richman

Cities shirt I got this at Red Rocks but I saw this guy a lot on 2nd leg.

Ive had the Trey Languedoc Magnet for a while, but the Wook Out! Cards and "Got A Blank Space Where My Mind Should Be" are new editions. The Wook Out! stickers were given out by some kids I saw at Red Rocks and the Gorge; the Blank Space magnet was created by Uncle Ebeenezer.

Weed News: Pot Smoking Is Common on Phish Tour

Wow. I love Fox News. Check out this article called Phish Concert Nets 31 Arrests from a report about Merriweather. The last line is priceless.

Stuff I Picked Up On Tour Pt 1

I got a lot of cool stuff this summer, check it out...

Bonnaroo Poster- I got the Phish Leg 1 tickets framed (Great Woods, Camden, and Asheville Phish Tickets) because it was all 1 trip for me.

I am very happy with the way my Bonnaroo, Gorge Pollock and Red Rocks Night 2 Burlesque Print were framed. Corey at Furthur Frames in Denver does all of my framing.

I have not gotten this Page 3000 print framed yet, but I really dig it. My friend Bruce Horan gave it to me at The Gorge. Thanks Bruce!

I passed the test!!! I got an acid test diploma and original blotter paper art from the merry pranksters at The Gorge. Ken Kesey's son signed my diploma.

PHISH SPAC 8/17/09 - The Golden Ticket

Wow, last night was like a musical ice cream sundae complete with gooey chocolate sauce, nuts, whipped cream and a big cherry. It got better with each bite. It's really hard to put into words what I heard last night. I wanted to give my report as a PHISH live show noob. And, Wow what a show to pop a cherry too.

First I'm by no means a trained musician. Secondly I can only name a handful of Phish tunes, and if you guessed Bouncing Round the Room is one you're a winner. I don't know the abbreviations except for those I've figured out. It was only today I realized what this YEM is all about. I had no idea it was the trampoline song even though i saw the Saturday night simulcast of Coventry and remembered them giving away the trampolines.

When, I landed lawn seats for Phish I was excited for a couple of reasons. First of all I was going to be able to catch up with Dr Pauly who I had never been to any kind of a show with and who I hadn't seen since the last time I was in Las Vegas ( June 2007). Short of California Rob & Toni who I took in Coventry with I don't know of anyone more Phishy. Who better to guide me to the mothership. Second, it was a concert in my own backyard. Third, most artists generally dig Saratoga and play their asses off here. And of course BFF Kim was also going to experience her first Phish show and we've been to tons of shows together over the years.

I met up with Pauly and his buddy Bruce and they in turn met Kim about 5 PM or so. I knew a surprise was in store for me based on a text the good Dr had sent me from Merriweather. So when he handed me a golden ticket for the pavillion lower level which upgraded me from the lawn (steerage class) I was tickled and grateful. Thanks 100x Pauly you are the best. I even offered to take his balcony seat so he could see them from the lower level but he was insistent I take in my first show as close as I could get. Thanks to a girl we ran into in the lot, Pauly had traded an extra Merriweather for the SPAC. Lindsay was sweet and gave me a hug and told me I was cool as most deadheads scorn her. Yes, I guess some of my Deadhead brothers and sisters look down on phans and can be a bit snooty, heck I've heard hardcore Max Creek fans diss both Phish and the Grateful Dead over on our message board there. Which is weird since Scott plays with Mike Gordon in his band, and Bill Kreutzmann in BK3. But the convo of warring musical factions can wait for another discussion.

We wandered around Shakedown Street which was actually in the West lot off Rte 50 across from the Main Lot and where my SUV was actually parked. As we headed into the show the skies opened up. Kim and I had run into a brief rain shower crossing the twin bridges after I met her and her hubby at the half way point between our houses. She was going to ride back home with her son/my nephew Zack who spent the night up in the lower Adirondacks with friends before heading to Phish. I miscalculated that that would be the last rain shower, but with humidity 90% I should have expected it. I figured it would be no more then a 3-5 minute rain shower ala Colorado on a summer afternoon. Nope, it rained solidly for 15-20 minutes and I was wet to the bone. My golden ticket was now in two pieces as the driest place I could think of was my bra. Not sure why i didn't put it back in my purse. Yup, I went to Phish with a pocketbook and Coach Sunglasses (they are prescription trifocals for what its worth). I just decided to roll with it. I mean when it rains jump in the mud and splash in the puddles.

Kim was already in as she left us on Shakedown to catch-up with Zack, and went in early. She was under cover in the bathroom and didn't get wet at all. I took Bruce's cell phone so it didn't get ruined. Pauly and Bruce went up, I went down and we agreed to meet up at set break.

I didn't listen to ton's of Phish prior to the show to immerse/familiarize myself and I haven't read Mr Miner's review or any reviews other then Pauly's . I wanted to experience each song without any outside influences that could sway me . And it was kind of cool being alone because I could just get into it. I didn't even ask anyone what the songs name's were. Although I figured out Possum and Ocelot. I had fairly cool people around me although I had to boot someone from my seat when I first got there. Young dude was like, "I figured this would happen". Another dude was in the right row wrong seat. I wound up with a big tall dude in front of me as usual but he moved to the other side of a girl eventually, the better to feel her up, I think. I had two blonde, PYT's directly behind me who sat together and for most of the show they looked bored and like they took a wrong way heading to a Jonas Brothers concert. Not sure why they were there as they were definitely out of place and taking the seat of someone who really wanted to be there.

At set break Pauly asked me what I thought. I of course loved Possum and I was like, I loved the funky second song. Now I know its MOMA dance. I named some lyrics from another one that followed Ocelot and Pauly said Antelope. As Mountain Laura would say we had an Oce-lope. I asked, what about the song after Moma Dance with the lights? : Guyute. That one blew me away because the musicianship there was incredible to me. The song seemed to have four layers that swirled and spun and melded into a kaleidescopic jamgasm. Plus there were those weird off notes or chords like a signature lick. No idea if that even makes sense to the reader, and I was stone cold sober. The only slow 5 minutes was the Trey ballad. It didn't really belong in the mix, it being the only real slow number they played all night. I likened it to Jerry launching into Stella Blue after a rip stopping Scarlet/Fire/Estimated/Eyes of the World. We then went in search of bathrooms and water to drink. I said goodbye to Pauly and Bruce as I had to leave right after the show for a long 9.5 hour day of work in the AM. UGH.

Second set, I was still making my way into the shed because the line for food and water was ridiculous and long, and I headed to the bathroom during set-opener Backwards down the Number Line. One of the other songs I can name without asking. I got back to my seat and situated and was all ready when they launched into one of my favorite songs Haley's Comet. I love the harmonization in that song and its fun lyrics. Thought it was hysterical when a middle aged man in a dress ran around the stage high-fiving the front row, kicking his heels up with Katy Perry's I Kissed a Girl (and he liked it). Clearly the band was enjoying itself. I'm pretty sure it was during the lights of Harpua that I saw sunflowers and the phish logo ala a bumper sticker along with the circles on fishman's dress. And of course I now know YEM is the trampoline song and an abbreviation!! And how can I forget the cover of Lou Reed & the Velvet Underground's Rock and Roll. I often quote his lyrics from Great American Whale:

Don't believe half of what you see, and none of what you hear!


I like Grind. I love the harmonies. that isn't easy and I'd like to see any other current day band sing in key like that without instruments. Plus I figured out the numbers must change each time they do it and its the number of days they have been living. Highway to Hell was a scorcher closer and I left wanting more. I didn't get my Ya Mar or First Tube but I got my Haley's.

I can honestly say I was on my feet the entire time except once to take off my wet Birkenstocks. I earned three blisters and my feet were throbbing so hard this morning, that next time I think i have to wear my sneakers and orthotics. I wanted to chop them off at the ankles this morning when I got out of bed. Plus I have a case of wook foot. I also have a sore neck from flailing around and space dancing, jumping and jiving and I'm still hearing tunes in my head. Those two sets flew by at warp speed. Kim loved it too, although she said she wouldn't go out on tour to follow them like we did in our hardcore Grateful Dead days. She would see them up to a handful of times a year.

I''ll have a cross post up over on Irongirl blog in the next day or two which will have some preshow stuff, the lot scene and my rant on how you cant get of SPAC easily after a concert and they should have used some money to add a few exits when they renovated!! Plus look for a delayed Gathering of the Vibes day trip report (held off for phishing season) here. And guess what?? I have tickets to see The Mike Gordon Band play in Woodstock on 09/11/09 at the 250 seat Bearsville Theater so stay tuned to Get Bassed!!

Show Recap: Soggy SPAC Closer

Phish is back. And we're not talking about a weak batch of new tunes and oxy-induced Trey jams that the band passed off as live music from 2003-04. I caught several amazing shows this summer that restored my faith in the band. I have zero expectations going into Hampton and expected the band to be a little rusty. Once summer tour began in June, I wondered if they could maintain a certain level of consistency while keeping the fans sedated with crowd pleasers, classics, and bustouts... and at the same time, satisfying their own artistic and creative urges with new songs and material.

And the Phish party/lot/traveling circus scene? The dark side reared its ugly head on many a night, but that was to be expected. Some of the same problems that plagued the scene in the late 1990s and during the 2.0 era are evident. At least this time around, the music has been overwhelming positive and full of high energy that the brightness overwhelms the darkness.

My first show this summer was second night at Jones Beach (I only missed three shows since then... St. Louis, Chicago, and Darien Lake) and if you were at the Jones Beach shows you know about the rain. I also endured the lightning storm at Deer Creek that was followed up by monsoon like conditions. It even rained one night at Red Rocks. Yeah, it was fitting that the rain would factor into the tour closer at SPAC.

I had my rain gear and left it in the car because I had a balcony seat. It never occurred to me that the skies would open up as I made my way into the venue. Inside of a 15-20 minute period, I was as soaked as I was at Deer Creek. The only two items that were not soaked? My ganja and my cellphone. My ticket was soaked through and the old lady at the gate didn't even bother scanning it. My notebook with all of my tournotes and setlists from the second leg of summer tour was destroyed. My lighter? Kaput. Even my half of a Vicodin in my pocket was quickly washed out leaving only a sticky paste and goo in my shorts. But I didn't care about any of that. I was simply happy to get to see Phish one last time before they stopped touring this summer.

I was exhausted before the show even started. I made a roundtrip journey from NYC to Merriweather the night before and drove solo both ways. With traffic and construction, the total time was 11 hours invested just to see one Phish show. I got a couple of hours of sleep before I picked up my buddy Bruce. We left NYC at 1pm and arrived at the lots sometimes around 5pm. We had to park along the sixth fairway of the golf course.

I found IronGirl and we wandered around Shakedown. She was on the verge of seeing her first Phish show. There was no way I was going to let her sit up on the lawn for her first encounter. I had a floor seat somewhere around 30th row and made sure she took that ticket, while Bruce and I hung up in the fourth row of the balcony.

IronGirl swapped me her lawn ticket which I was looking to sell. There were thousands of people looking for extras but no one with Adderall. I got offered plenty of molly. One guy even offered me shark tranquilizers, which I considered snorting for a few seconds, before I turned him down.

I found one Phishy chick wandering around with a party hat on her head. I asked her if it was her birthday and she said it was her 2-year old daughter's birthday. Her husband and her friends scored tickets but she was the only one in her group who was left out. She looked totally bummed out and on the verge of giving up. I inquired about a trade for pharmies but she had nothing of interest. In her right hand, she tightly clutched three $20 bills. Her right arm and index finger was raised in the air and she sighed as she said, "I only have $60."

"I guess I can do my extra lawn for $60."

Before I could finish the sentence, she burst out in tears. Tears of joy trickled down her cheeks.

"$60? Seriously? These scumbag brokers want $150 and $200. You will do it for face?"

I handed her the ticket and she swallowed me up with one of the hardest hugs I have ever gotten. She kissed me on the cheek four times very quickly. She wiped away the tears and turned to the crowd and shouted, "This guy is the fuckin' shit!"

She ran through the crowd jumping up and down and screaming and crying at the same time. I knew right away that I sold my extra ticket to the right person. And that's when it started to rain. IronGirl, Bruce, and I quickly made our way inside but go caught up int he clusterfuck security line. They did their best to get is through quickly. I didn't even get a pat down, but luckily wrapped up my ganja with a tight seal because it escaped the downpour.

We had a fun section. Bruce befriended a couple of Canadian heads and the guy next to me from Boston loaned me his lighter so I can smoke up. Thanks for saving my show!

8/16/09 Phish at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY

Set 1: Llama, MoMA Dance, Guyute, Anything But Me, Cars Trucks Buses, Chalkdust Torture, Golgi Apparatus, David Bowie, Cavern, Possum, Ocelot, Antelope

Set 2: Backwards Down The Number Line > Twenty Years Later, Halley's Comet > Rock and Roll, Harpua > I Kissed A Girl* (Katy Perry Original) > HYHU > Harpua, You Enjoy Myself

Encore: Grind, I Been Around*, Highway to Hell

I have been waiting for a Llama opener for a very long time and I was blessed to catch it right off the top. I forgot about how the balcony sways during high energy tunes, especially during Llama. I've been digging hearing MoMA Dance in the first set. Bring the funk early and often. On the drive up, Bruce called Guyute and said that in almost 12 shows, he had never seen Golgi before and hoped that they would play it. Sure enough, they played both those songs.

Anything But Me was a Top 5 Pauly's Gonna Take a Piss Song circa 2003-04. I was sung along and puffed tuff this time, but it was one of the only moments in the first set when the balcony was not swaying. It was the lowlight of the otherwise rocking set. I would have preferred a Fast Enough for You or a Brian & Robert for a slow song choice.

On the NJ turnpike, there's tons of signs that say "Cars Trucks Buses" and when I passed them late on Saturday (make that early on Sunday morning) driving back to NYC, I sort of joked to myself that Page would see the same sign and tell Trey that they had to play it at SPAC. Sure enough... they did. I loved the back-and-forth jam between Fishman and Page. Funky.

David Bowie and Chalkdust are two songs that I have seen the most in 177 shows. I used to bitch about seeing those songs, but I save my ire for Time Turns Elastic. So I just groove out to those classic songs even though I hear one of those every other show it seems.

Cavern and Possum was one helluva way to end the set.... so I thought. They through use a bone, well actually, two bones with Ocelot and Antelope to close the first set. Both song titles fit in with the animal theme of the first set. Pigs, Llamas, Antelopes, Ocelots. I really dig Ocelot and it's one of my favorite new tunes.

The second set had several high points with a few lulls. The set began with almost 30 minutes of new material with Backwards Down The Number Line > Twenty Years Later. I've seen almost every live version of Backwards and for me, it's either hit or miss with the success depending upon the jam out. For SPAC, I was digging it and Twenty Years Later has grown on me.

I would have preferred to hear 30 minutes of Halley's Comet > Rock and Roll instead. It wasn't even a complete segue. It sounded like they just cut short the jam out of Halley's and started Rock and Roll. I've been digging the exploratory jams that the Rock and Roll platform has given them. I was happy that they played Halley's because it was one of IronGirl's favorite Phish tunes.

And then we got the moment that every Phish nerd has been waiting for... Harpua. I won a lot of money at Red Rocks and the Gorge because they did not play it. Of course, the one night I was not booking action against it... Phish busted it out. I wondered if it had anything to do with the large balloon that sat on the stage in front of Trey most of the night that said HARPUA.

Little Jimmy was back and getting into new hijinks. I saw a couple of noobs furiously masturbating to their first Harpua as Fishman took center stage for a rendition of I Kissed A Girl before he took a lap around the stage and gave high-fives to everyone in the front row. No vacuum this time around.

My favorite line of Harpua is how I explain Phish to friends who don't get it... "We're coming to your town... we'll help you party down."

Trey said he'd give his left nut to play YEM every night so it did not surprise me that they ended the second set with bong-rattling version. Mike went off the deep end a few times with a few bombs. The vocal jam made me wish that I did not lose my pharmie to the rainstorm.

A friend of mine (name withheld) said that Grind was lame and a waste of time since they play it way too much. I disagreed. I understood the significance of the accapella tune because the boys like to sing how many days they have been alive.

For the second of three encore tunes, Phish debuted the only other song from their new album that they had never performed live. It was a Page tune and it was pretty good. I loved the lyric, "I threw down..."

The band closed the show and the tour with an AC/DC cover... Highway to Hell. Loud. Rocking. Everyone going nuts. Trey gave away his mic stand at the end of the song. He's a fuckin' rockstar. And that was it.

I only missed five Phish shows since they returned in Hampton. Every time the boys play, they are improving ever so slightly and at the same time, regaining their edge that made them who they are in the first place. Their level of play this summer has surpassed anything that they unleashed in the 2.0 era (including the Miami NYE run in 2003). Trey is sober. Everyone is listening to each other on stage and it shows. I dunno if they can ever recapture the magic of 1997-00, but they're definitely heading in the right direction.

Some of my favorite shows from this summer? Asheville, nights 3 & 4 at Red Rocks, second night at the Gorge, and Hartford. The first set at SPAC is up there with my favorite first sets of the summer.

I had an unbelievable time this summer chasing Phish all over the country, so much so that I don't want it to end even though I'm utterly exhausted and on the verge of checking myself into rehab. I have not had this much fun in a very long time and all of that has to do with Phish bringing together old friends and giving me a chance to make new friends along the way. I'm nothing short of excited for the fall tour and Festival 8. I'm going to be thinking about the next show every single day until it happens.

TAKE THE POLL - Phish Summer Tour MVP?

With Phish's return we have seen each member of the band step it up at different times throughout the year. Many believe that Page was the MVP of the Hampton shows. Others say that Mike is the new leading force in the band while Fishman and Trey have had a lot of catching up to do. It has even been said that Chris Kuroda is still finding his way back to lighting up the show. However, now that summer tour has come to an end, it seems as though the entire band is "hooked up" again.

In YOUR opinion, who is the summer tour MVP?

Phish Summer Tour MVP?

• Anastasio, Ernesto Giuseppe
• Gordon, Michael Cactus
• McConnell, Page Samuel
• Fishman, Jon Fish
• Kuroda, Chris CK5

View Results
Create a Blog Poll

Phish Setlist SPAC 8/16/09

8/16/09 Phish at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY

Set 1: Llama, MoMA Dance, Guyute, Anything But Me, Cars Trucks Buses, Chalkdust Torture, Golgi Apparatus, David Bowie, Cavern, Possum, Ocelot, Antelope

Set 2: Backwards Down The Number Line > Twenty Years Later, Halley's Comet > Rock and Roll, Harpua > I Kissed A Girl* (Katy Perry Original) > HYHU > Harpua, You Enjoy Myself

Encore: Grind, I Been Around*, Highway to Hell

* FTP

Show Recap: Fairweather Mairweather

Phish had an off night when you compare the Merriweather show to Hartford, second night at the Gorge and the last two nights at Red Rocks. They had several peak moments in Maryland, but for the most part, the show was not up to snuff considering they have been melting faces across the country wherever they have been playing. Hartford was such an amazing performance that they outdid themselves. No matter what, Merriweather was going to be stale compared to the magic that transpired the night before.

Another sober show for me. We had like 12th row Fishman side. Great sound. Not too much space to dance. By itself, Merriweather had several highlights including a few hard-rocking bustouts like Axila and The Sloth. The show also marked the debut of a new Fishman tune called Party Time which got everyone shaking their ass (compared to the emotional trainwreck and schizophrenic Time Turns Elastic where 1/3 of audience sits, 1/3 talks or checks their email, and the 1/3 heads to the bathroom or beer line). It sorta reminded me of a MMW-tune. Here's the thing... the band is named after Fish for a reason. The band really operates through him as much as Trey is the frontman and loves to steal the show. Fishman wrote Party Time, so it's something that has been festering inside him that he wanted to unleash. It's his music (not a complex Trey composition like TTE or weird Mike country tune or one of Page's ballads) so he played it with tons of passion and high energy. The rest of the band fed off that and we were treated with a gem. I hope Fishman writes more tunes in the future. I'd rather hear Party Time played three times in a row than sit through another anemic version of TTE.

Getting to the show was a royal pain in the ass. I made a rookie move and never factored in NJ Shore traffic and overall I-95 malaise. A 4-hour drive took 6 hours and I was on traffic tilt from the time I left NYC. My only solace? Lots of weed and a trip to Waffle House in the middle of nowhere, Maryland.

G-Rob and his brother flew up from the South and were in the lots just as they opened when I was still in South Jersey cussing away at all the moronic drivers. I finally arrived sometime after 5pm and had less than an hour of lot time. I found G-Rob and Andrew and we were ready to throw down for Phish's next to last show on their summer tour.

8/15/09 Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD

Set I: Crowd Control, Kill Devil Falls, The Sloth, Beauty of a Broken Heart, Axilla, Foam, Esther, Ha Ha Ha, Party Time, Tube, Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan, Strange Design, Time Turns Elastic

Set II: Tweezer > Taste, Alaska, Let Me Lie, 46 Days, Oh Sweet Nuthin', Harry Hood

Encore: Good Times Bad Times, Tweezer Reprise

Andrew would have won $20 if they opened with Kill Devil Falls. I had a feeling they were going to open with it but the band huddled for a few seconds before the start of the show and played a head-scratching Crowd Control. I told G-Rob that they should play TTE to start a show because everyone is so happy to see Phish that the first 5-10 minutes is a wank-fest anyway.

Andrew and my buddy Daddy both feel that KDF is a sibling of Chalkdust Torture. You can call it Chalkdust Lite or Chalkdust, Jr. I have been waiting for The Sloth since I last heard it at Camden in 2003. I heard Axilla at Coventry, but I refuse to listen to those shows so it's been a while since I rocked out. I think I hurt my neck because I was headbanging pretty hard.

Trey rushed Foam. He seemed disinterested and distant sort of like when I attend family dinners. Esther was a miss but Ha Ha Ha and Party Time were hits in the juicy part of the show that included a funk-induced Tube and a stellar version of Stealing Time. I really wish I had some liquid for the insanity of Ha Ha Ha. I also love it when Page sings and he gets the Phishy chicks wet with Strange Design. However, TTE killed the first set. Fizzle. Thud.

We were gambling on the songs, as per usual. I lost $20 to G-Rob when they opened the second set with Tweezer. Solid version, but the guy next to me was shitfaced on beers and molly and he tried to dance on the blue folding chairs using me as a balance. Um, yeah, that didn't work. I was very annoyed and punched him in the kidney. Luckily, his buddy told him that he was being a dick and everything settled down about five minutes into the song.

I love Page's work on Taste, but it lacked the bite that it used to have. Sort of like drinking a flat Bloody Mary. Needed more booze and more spice. Alaska was better than average but then the set lost any of it's momentum with Let Me Lie. It's the new Velvet Cheese.

When Phish broke up, I used to go apeshit when Trey Band played 46 Days. It was methadone and I needed any sort of fix. They finally broke it out this leg and this version included a strange and eerie jam that started off mellow and quiet and built to a crazy crescendo.

I was floored when I got to see/hear Oh! Sweet Nuthin at Shoreline and jizzed myself for this tighter version. I'm a huge fan of Velvet Underground and it's a nice change up from hearing Rock and Roll (although the boys jam the fuck out of R&R!). I just like to hear Page sing.

Harry Hood saved the up and down show. Yes, Hood to the rescue. I was sort of bummed that I heard Good Times Bad Times and Tweprise again. Didn't I hear that at the GORGE? Ah, I'm just being petty. I can hear those two songs every night. After several misteps during the night with some questionable song selections, Phish closed out the Merriweather show with four solid songs. Too bad two of them were covers.

Overall, it was a solid show but could not compare to Hartford or some of the shows out West. Phish had outdome themselves. I was spoiled. We were spoiled. I had tons of fun and was glad to catch a show with G-Rob and Andrew. As we walked out, all four of Phish's tour buses passed us. Trey's was first and he waved.

Well, now it's just one more show to go. The Mothership picks everyone up at SPAC. See you there.

PHISH Merriweather, MD 8/15/09 Setlist

8/15/09 Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD

Set I: Crowd Control, Kill Devil Falls, The Sloth, Beauty of a Broken Heart, Axilla, Foam, Esther, Ha Ha Ha, Party Time, Tube, Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan, Strange Design, Time Turns Elastic

Set II: Tweezer > Taste, Alaska, Let Me Lie, 46 Days, Oh Sweet Nuthin', Harry Hood

Encore: Good Times Bad Times, Tweezer Reprise

Notes: The Sloth - Last Played 7/31/03; Ha Ha Ha - Last Played 7/15/03; Party Time - DEBUT

Phish | 08.14.09 | Ghost→Psycho Killer→Catapult→Icculus HD Video

Show Recap: Hartford Psychotic Second Set

If Phish plays a mediocre first set, they have been following that up with a monster second set. I've seen it happen too many times already since their return, so at this point, I'm almost expecting an average first set because I know that insanity will ensue for the second half of the evening. Hartford was a prime example where the first set had several special moments but lacked the spice and punch of previous shows. However, the second set was phenomenal because Phish smoked the shit out of Hartford Meadows.

Seriously, if you have friends who are new to Phish or on the fence about Phish, then you have to play them the second set of 8/14/09. If they don't convert to Phish by the time Pyscho Killer comes around, then you have a lost cause on your hands. If someone cannot appreciate the oodles of frenetic energy that was encapsulated in the second set at Hartford, then you need to de-friend them on Facebook immediately.

For most of the show, I was raging solo and the other bit I hung out Javier and his friends from Connecticut. I drove up from NYC and parked in one of the pay lots near the car dealerships so I could get out of dodge once the show ended and I could get back to NYC at a reasonable hour. I wandered around Shakedown while I waited for Javier to arrive. I brought three used books with me to sell in Shakedown... one for each night. It took me only ten minutes before I sold a book by Alan Watts. I didn't even have to haggle and I got $10 for it.

I used some of the proceeds to buy a bag of blah weed. The guy told me it was G-13 but I lived in Amsterdam for a short period and my girlfriend had a medicinal marijuana card in L.A., so I had access to the most primo stuff on the planet. That was not G-13 he was slinging, but I didn't argue on semantics in the middle of Shakedown. I told him that $40 was too much and I'd pay $30. We settled on $35. That's when I heard the kid whispering "Pharmies!" I'm always in search of Adderrall but that kid only had morphine pills. I declined him for two reasons...

1. The pill was worth no more than $15.
2. The last thing I need is a morphine addiction.

I turned him down along with the spun out old guy who looked like Bill Kruetzman who tried to sell me doses and Klonapin. I politely declined. I failed in a quest to secure Adderrall. The back of the free parking lot included a decent Shakedown with a few vans with tanks of nitrous. Balloons were going for $10 a pop. One guy refused to give discounts until one of Javier's friends pulled a fast one on the nitrous dealers.

"They never look at the bills," explained one of Javier's friends. "That's because they make so much money and have to worry about frozen tanks and cops busting them that they grab your money and put in their pockets without verifying."

He paid $6 instead of $30. He showed the guy a $10 and a $20 and gave him a $5 and a $1 as a bait and switch. I admired the balls on Javier's friend as he blatantly robbed a nitrous dealer.

One wookette took off her shirt and wandered around topless. At first I thought her boobs were painted over, but just her stomach had paint on it and she was exposing her breasts. She was screaming, "Cash or trade for your extra."

8/14.09 Phish Hartford, CT
Set I: PYITE, AC/DC Bag, NICU, Col. Forbin's Ascent > Fly Famous Mockingbird, Birds of a Feather, Lawnboy, Stash, I Didn't Know, Middle Of The Road, Character Zero

Set II: Down With Disease > Wilson > Slave To The Traffic Light > Piper > Water In The Sky > Ghost > Psycho Killer > Catapult > Icculus > You Enjoy Myself

E: While My Guitar Gently Weeps

The boys didn't take the stage until 8:43pm so everyone on the lawn was nice and juiced up by the time the show started. I was Fishman side on the packed lawn. It looked like they oversold the place by 5,000 people. The sound was blah where I was standing and decided to sneak into the pavilion for the second set.

Col. Forbins > Mockingbird was historically significant and I respected the bustout, although musically speaking, it was average at best. Mike was the MVP on those songs though as all of the Gamehendge-freaks collectively jizzed their pants. I was more excited about hearing Birds for the first time since Hampton. Page dedicated Lawn Boy to the huddled masses on the lawn. Stash was sort of strange but had several dark moments and I always dig a Fishman vac solo on I Didn't Know. Javier thought those hijinks kill the momentum of the set. I strongly disagreed. That's why we go see Phish... to see a fat guy in a dress play a vacuum.

The first set was just an appetizer for the second set feast. I found a much better spot after sneaking up close. The only lowlight was Catapult only because it was just too weird for me and I was stone cold sober. This was a sober show for me (compared to the mind melts in Colorado and the Gorge) so I was a little impatient with Trey's spastic dance during Catapult.

Now, Icculus was a fuckin' sincere treat. I caught one at Oswego many moons ago. Trey scolded the spacekids and told them to "put down their iPhones and read a fuckin' book." The personal significance was uncanny. I'm in the final stages of my finishing my first published book Lost Vegas and both my brother and the Joker were reading copies of the final draft at their respective homes during the show! Plus, I brought used books with me to sell in the lot. It was all coming together.

Highlights of the second set? Ghost and Piper jams along with a curveball cover of Psycho Killer. The crowd wet berserk and it was one of the most amazing moments I had ever seen at a Phish show when the entire crowd was singing along to the chorus. It was one of those "you had to be there moments" that will not translate onto a recording. Mind blown.

And any time Phish plays my favorite song, Slave, I'm a very happy man. It's as if they played it personally for me. Shit, I drove from Seattle to LA then flew to NYC and drove to Hartford to see Phish... sober. That's how much I love the band and it's like they rewarded my difficult journey with my favorite tune.

WMGGW was the cherry on top of the sundae. I knew it wouldn't/couldn't top Pyscho Killer, but I'm a sucker for Beatles covers. I wandered out of the show with a shit-eating grin on my face and ready to snag a grilled cheese before I made the trek back to New York City so I can crash for a few hours and make the journey to Maryland so I can repeat this process.

Phish Kids Perform Mahna Mahna

Before we went to see Phish at The Gorge, we stopped by the EMP in Seattle and the Muppet Exhibit. Joey- Keys. Wildo- Guitar. The Joker - Guitar. DiscoSis1- Drumz.

PHiSH Hartford 8/14/09 Setlist

Phish, Comcast Theatre, Hartford CT, August 14, 2009

Set I: Punch You In The Eye, AC/DC Bag, NICU, Colonel Forbin's Ascent -> Fly Famous Mockingbird, Birds Of A Feather, Lawnboy, Stash, I Didn't Know, Middle Of The Road, Character Zer0

Set II: Down With Disease > Wilson > Slave To The Traffic Light > Piper > Water In The Sky > Ghost > Psycho Killer > Catapult > Icculus> You Enjoy Myself

E: While My Guitar Gently Weeps

last "Forbin's -> Mockingbird" - 9/30/00
last "Psycho Killer" - 12/7/97
last "Icculus" - 7/18/99

TAKE THE POLL - Favorite new Phish song?

On September 8th, Phish will release Joy, their 11th studio album. Over the summer we have heard the band play almost every song from the new album, but like everything Phish does, there seems to be a lot of criticism over these new songs. Phans either love them, or hate them. It’s time to set the record straight and let the numbers do the talking.

What is YOUR favorite new Phish song?

What is your favorite new Phish song?

• Backwards Down The Number Line
• Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan
• Joy
• Sugar Shack
• Ocelot
• Kill Devil Falls
• Light
• Time Turns Elastic
• Twenty Years Later
• None, they all suck.

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RIP Les Paul

Last night at Darien Lake our heroes played a short tribute to one of their heroes, Les Paul. Les Paul passed away yesterday at age 94. Whats the big deal? Well Les Paul created a solid body electric guitar which led the way for heavy rock- without Les we would not have bands with guitar sounds like Led Zepplein and The Who. Les also pioneered studio overdubbing, reverb, and many other sound effects that are now standard in popular music.

Check out the (short) Phish version of How High The Moon.

SPAC: Navigating the entrances and August Traffic

Welcome to my home venue in my backyard. I've been attending concerts at SPAC (Saratoga Performing Arts Center) for 30 years now. Some of you readers probably weren't even born yet. My second Grateful Dead show ever (6/27/85) was also the largest official crowd at SPAC at 40,231. I will fondly remember that show because I swear I lost my color vision and was attending the Mad Hatter's Tea Party after consuming too many grams of mushrooms. I was also present at the last Grateful Dead show at SPAC on 6/28/1988 when the skies opened up and the fences were torn down and the boyz were forever banned from SPAC. Please honor the motto of leave no trace and pick up after yourselves in the lots and park so Mr's Fishman, Anastasio, Gordon & McConnell can be welcomed back with open arms.

I know most of you tour dudes and dudettes think that the summer tour ender at SPAC is the biggest thing in town. Unfortunately, you would be mistaken. Saratoga, "The August Place to Be" is a racing town as in the four-legged variety. People with last names of Vanderbilt, Whitney, Mellon, Flay, Steinbrenner and members of the royal family of Dubai (or at least their horses) flock to the historic race track in August and traffic in and around town can be a nightmare. Add a concert the magnitude of Phish into the mix and a cluster fuck of traffic is bound to exist. It once took me an over an hour to go from Broadway in Saratoga to the Rte 50 SPAC entrance on a concert night during racing season. I think the total distance is probably no more then three miles. I mentioned to my mother who was driving, I could have run it faster. NOTE: Post time for the last race at Saratoga flat track is 6:3o PM but lots of people leave earlier. Once people start leaving Rte 9 will be gridlock. Stay away from Union Street in Saratoga and the exit 14 area if you want to make it to the show on time!!!

Since the concert is on Sunday, traffic heading north on the Northway shouldn't be too bad until you exit at route 13N onto Rte 9. From there up to the Avenue of the Pines entrance expect lots of traffic. Its a Left hand turn at a traffic light on a divided highway onto Avenue of the Pines. there is some Parking along the Avenue of the Pines on the right side if you don't mind a hike in. When you turn into the Park, the Saratoga golf course will be on your left behind a wall of tall pines. For some reason the official directions to SPAC send you this way to get to the Rte 50 (main box office entrance of the park). You wind up winding your way thru the park if you want to park in the main SPAC parking lot (see below for alternate directions from the Northway).

I am not sure how true this will hold but per the official SPAC website FAQ's:

• Gates open 1 hour prior to MOST Live Nation events.
• Parking lots open 2 hours prior to MOST Live Nation events.

My guess is the largest shakedown street area will be the main route 50 parking lot. If you want to park in this lot, my advice is to get there early. It will fill. There is also parking on the opposite side of route 50 in various impromptu lots and this can be a bit of a hike also. There is a pedestrian bridge across rte 50. USE IT. A few years back a DMB fan was killed in a hit and run walking along Rte 50 after the show. It would be a shame if some hapless phan didn't get the chance to make it to Indio.

Above I mentioned that the official directions send you up rte 9 and thru the Park to get to the main lot. If you want to bypass this Ill give you my directions to rte 50 from the Northway. Take exit 12 onto 67 West. for those of you directionally challenged that's a left hand turn. Before you consume any party favors take note that exit 12 has a series of roundabouts. I've driven this stone cold sober and the experience can be mind altering. But once you've navigated these head due west on rte 67 to rte 50. right onto rte 50 N , thru the village of Ballston Spa and the Main SPAC parking lot will be on your right. It might be about 15 minutes total but you wont have the rte 9 traffic and all the slow park traffic to navigate. (If you need provisions exit right, heading east towards Rte 9 and there is a Price Chopper in a shopping plaza on the left and a dunkin donuts on the right)

In days past I've parked on the side street where Saratoga Honda is located and taken a path I know of into the State Park to the Gideon Putnam entrance of SPAC. DO NOT!!! Park there or at Four Winds Psych Hospital people have been towed!!!!

If you happen to be in one of the little parking lots in the state park and there are a lot of them remember your bearings in daylight. Make a practice run too and from the entrance. Also remember which entrance you came in. If you need to get back to Rte 9 you need to exit out the Gideon Putnam entrance which will be to your left if you have your back to the shed and right if you are on the lawn in steerage with me . If you need to exit to rte 50, go right if your back is to the shed left if your facing it. Rte 50 isn't to hard to navigate too, but I can tell you that those tall pines, coupled with a nice August humidity mist and a sea of tripping billies make it really easy to lose your bearings if you are parked somewhere in Spa State Park. I literally ran around in circles after a DMB show trying to find my path that disappeared into the mist, and I have run races in, snowshoed, skied and space danced my way over most of the park over the years.

If you are hungry. BFF Kim and I often stop at PJ's BBQ on Rte 9 on your right heading north. Its a little pricey but its not bad and the only place east of Buffalo you can get Beef on a Weck. What the eff is a Weck?. Its a seeded, salty roll with caraway seeds. I take mine with horseradish.

If you are bypassing Merriweather and heading to Saratoga from Hartford, well you have lots to do on Saturday. You can take in the races at both the flat (day time) and Harness tracks (night time). Also present at the Harness track is a Racino which has slot machines and Video Poker (no table games). You can also hang out at the Peerless or Victoria Pools within the Park itself. There is a nominal entry fee for the pools. And you can also wander historic downtown Saratoga which has numerous, bars and restaurants and shopping.

SPAC has a curfew but I honestly don't remember if it is 11 PM or midnight. Rumor is that one or more of the band members will show up to play at The Parting Glass Pub for an after party with Jeff Strange (a 15 yr member of Irish folk band Donnybrook Fair). I have to work on Monday so unfortunately, this chica will not be attending.

Anyone with specific questions can DM me on twitter @irongirl01 or post a comment here and I'll do my best to answer them. It looks like I am going to have one and possibly two tickets available if the dude who is supposed to meet me, Kim, Zack and Nate doesn't show for his and if Dr Pauly doesn't have a buddy who needs one. They are lawn seats face value $62.50.

The State Park has various mineral springs/baths for which Saratoga is known. As Phil Lesh has called them: healing waters. Personally, the water tastes worse then Genesee Cream Ale which I liken to skunk piss. I haven't had a drink in years but the thought of it still conjures up a bad taste in my mouth. I suppose the mineral water is an acquired taste.

Most of all have fun be safe and have a great show. This will be my first live PHISH show

Phish 8/13/09 Darien Lake Setlist

Phish 8/13/09 Darien Lake, NY Setlist

Set 1: Sample In A Jar, Dinner And A Movie, Wolfman's Brother, My Friend My Friend, Possum, Farmhouse, Sugar Shack, Brian and Robert, David Bowie, Bathtub Jin, How high The Moon*, Golgi Apparatus

Set II: Drowned>Prince Caspian> Rift> The Horse > Silent In The Morning, Sparkle > Antelope> Suzy Greenberg > Fluffhead

E: Joy, First Tube

*Tribute to Les Paul who Died today at age 94. Last time played 03/08/1993 (704 shows)

UP & COMING - YAMN!

One of the best up & coming bands in the scene right now goes by the name YAMN! I have seen these guys play at least a dozen times since 2006. In the last year they have really taken off and attracted quite the following around the Mid-West and especially in their hometown here in Denver, Colorado.

The last show I caught was post Phish Red Rocks at Quixote’s True Blue. At one point, The Joker and I looked at each other in amazement with how hard YAMN was throwing down. This happens almost every time I see this band. On top of being sound musicians, they rarely charge more than a $5 cover. Paul Whitehouse is the Lighting Director and essentially the fifth member of Yamn. The light show ALONE is worth the $5 dollars.

If you're into Phish or other Progressive / Ambient / Rock - Check out YAMN:

http://www.yamnit.com/
myspace.com/yamnit

Gorge Videos: Pauly's Montage

Here's a montage of our hijinks at the Gorge which includes some concert footage. I love the few seconds of the Sneaking Sally jam along with the glowstick war during Wolfman's...

Introducing.... Panda

Yes, this is Panda. He's not human and we camped with him at the Gorge.

Gorge Videos: Makisupa Policeman

Trey and Mike switched instruments in the middle of Makisupa Policeman. Here's a bit...

TAKE THE POLL - Best Gorge Jam?

There was some serious jamming at The Gorge last weekend. Jamming that was so fierce it made us say "PHISH IS BACK!" In YOUR opinion, what was the best jam at the Gorge?

What was the best jam at the Gorge?

• Sneaking Sally Through The Alley
• Light
• Bathtub Gin
• Tweezer
• Rock And Roll

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jonas0tt0's GORGE Media Dump

Hey everyone! This is my first post on Coventry, so please excuse anything that needs to be excused. First, I would like to thank Pauly and The Joker for inviting me to this great Phish Blog. The Gorge was an AMAZING Phish experience for me due to having so many awesome friends like Pauly and The Joker there with us. We traveled to The Gorge and ended up at The Epcot Center! Phish melted faces and displayed a level of playing that we have not seen in the 3.0 era. Here are a bunch of pics and videos that I'm dumping:

My Mom sent us with her famous Zuchini Cake. I told her to make it with ganja butter, and we'd split the cash with her, but she refused.

No picture can do this place justice. Breathtaking.

REJOICE!

Deputy Joker was on duty Saturday night.

The Gorge did a great job keeping the portas fairly clean. Compared to most festivals, this is good.

Sneaking Sally thru the Alley!

The Doctor is in.

Viking Wildo sizes up his next victim - DISCOSIS#1!!

You cant have Bathtub Gin without The Joker

jonas0tt0 & his Love.

PT's finest.

Katie & I were proud of scaming our way into Premier Camping.

Pauly & Wildo made bets on the Setlists for the weekend. Here they are making their picks. Wildo lost his ass.

Gorge Tweezer Jam Video

Check out this excellent Tweezer Jam video shot by Jonas0tt0. There is a joker & DiscoSis1 sighting at about :50

Phish: Download Mothership

photo: mixtapemixtape

Embedded twitter heads report the existence of a well organized, easily accessible cache of phish shows. I don't want to build it up too much. I can say it's treated me better than a high end, redheaded, birthday call girl with heels. She also has a graduate degree if you're really interested.

Props to the embedded heads for pointing out the Google Spreadsheet Mothership. Enjoy it.

Phish 8/11/2009 Toyata Park, Chicago IL Setlist

Phish 8/11/2009 Toyata Park, Chicago IL

Set I: Kill Devil Falls, Sample In A Jar, Ocelot, Paul and Silas, Windy City*, The Curtain With, Gumbo, Heavy Things, Time Turns Elastic

Set II: Backwards Down The Number Line> Carini> Gotta Jibboo, Theme From The Bottom, wilSON, 2001> Chalk Dust Torture, Harry Hood, The Squirming Coil

E: Loving Cup

*first time played

The Joker's Greatest Hits: Red Rocks and The Gorge

Its taken a few days for the magnitude of what I experienced at Red Rocks and The Gorge to sink in. I truly believe that what I was a part of is something not to be taken lightly. It was special. There is so much that happened I have decided to tell you about the best. I believe Phish is about an experience more than the sum of its parts. I will attempt to fill you in about a few of the moments I will remember for the rest of my life. These are my Greatest Hits.

Red Rocks Friday-
I will never forget what it is like to wear my Fishman dress to the Red Rocks Friday Phish show. In short, it is an incredible feeling. Want everyone to welcome you? Want tarp Nazis to let you though to find your friends? Dress up. Wear a Viking Helmet. It was amazing. Everyone smiled at me and I felt so warm inside.



I will never forget the Split Open And Melt jam with the rain pouring down. I was tripping and the dissonance of the jam seemed to be played just for me. As I was just on the edge of madness, the band finished up the jam and the set. I went to find shelter from the storm under a beer tent with Jenn. What would follow was one of the more hilarious set breaks of my life. It felt like we were part of a refugee camp underneath the beer tent. I met some interesting characters and eventually Jonas, Corey and Daphne came to find me.

The rain subsided and I spent the second set with Jonas on row 13, Fishman side. I was surrounded by cool people, some I just met and some I had known for years. It had that vibe. We were all going to that place together. I finally got to witness the first of many epic Phish moments with one of my best friends, Jonas. I loved the entire second set, with the Joy being perfectly placed for me to take a piss. I felt Red Rocks move and be locked in with the band during the Fluffhead>Piper>Day In The Life. I remember every second. I get chills listening to the Piper intro and those words...those words I truly sailed upon.

Red Rocks Sunday
I will never forget the moon setting over Red Rocks during 2001 and standing with Jonas, Katie, Pauly and Change100. 2001 is one of my favorites...at that moment surrounded by my best friends, CK5 lighting up the stage and the moon in the sky, it was perfect.



Gorge Saturday
While the 4 nights at Red Rocks were incredible, I think the Gorge Saturday show was my favorite. I made the analogy that the Red Rocks shows were like having sex with a hot Hollywood starlet. But the Gorge...It was like sex with Angelina Jolie before she met Billy Bob. Wild. Crazy. Beautiful. Powerful. Tender. Blissful. Better than your wildest expectations.

On Saturday DiscoSis1 and I never left each other’s side. At one point during Wolfman’s Brother, I hugged DiscoSis1 and we looked at the beauty of the massive glow stick war together. "This is the moment I came to The Gorge to see," I said. And It was true- I thought it was THE moment of the weekend and the kind of moment I did not want to take lightly or let pass.


But it wasn’t over after that- the Character Zer0 had us yelling and jumping and the multiple orgasms of Antelope overwhelmed me. I was a little disoriented after the first set on Saturday. For a moment I thought they had just skipped the set break.

At set break DiscoSis1 and I climbed the mountain to find the Honey Buckets. Somewhere along the way I met a guy eating a Mango. He brought a Mango with him to every Phish show he attended and it was the first time since 2003 that he let himself eat it. Phish fans do a lot of crazy and nerdy things…but that struck me as one of the coolest things I saw on tour.


The second set of The Gorge Saturday had another massive glow stick war during Rock and Roll similar to the one I pointed out during Wolfman’s in the first set. The moon rose over the lawn of The Gorge. Mike and Trey traded bass and guitar mid jam during the childish fun of Makisupa Policeman.

Next, we heard Trey tease the Harry Potter theme during the YEM jam. DiscoSis1 and I jumped with excitement together during Piper. I got slapped in the face by pure rock and roll during Good Times, Bad Times > Tweeprize. And again I was with Pauly, Change100, Jonas, Katie, and of course DiscoSis1. What an amazing time. Jonas and I agreed...The Gorge = Epcot Center.

Thanks to my friends and everyone I met along the way. Thanks to Phish. 2009 - A Joyful Summer.