Medeski Martin and Wood Residency at the Whitney
John Medeski, Billy Martin, and Chris Wood, a trio referred to as Medeski Martin and Wood, or MMW, are wonderful musicians who integrate jazz and improvisational rock to invent a sometimes unusual but always creative and interesting sound.
Every Friday in August, MMW will be performing at the Whitney Museum’s bar and restaurant right on the first floor of the museum and visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows for those standing on line. And trust me, there will be a line around the block, so get there plenty early for this free event.
These three musicians- Medeski on keys, Martin on percussion, and Wood on bass- formed first as friends in DUMBO, Brooklyn, around 1991 and hit the scene hard from then on. Setting their sights on historical New York City venues, and staying true to their unique sound, MMW released two albums in two years and had toured the whole east cost by 1993.
In 1995, they were touring worldwide and had become leading innovators in fusion/improvisational jazz. They were seamlessly absorbed into the rock and jam band scene and soon, a staple in music festivals across the country. While they were once on a major jazz recording label, they now produce their own material on their label, Indirecto Records, which allows them the musical creativity they want and need.
This kind of independence also frees them up to collaborate with whomever they chose and it is not unlike MMW to do just that. More often than not, they feature amazing special guests and musicians to perform or record with them, one of their favorites being John Scofield, who they’ve released a full-length CD with called Out Louder.
Scofield was the first major guest to appear during Medeski Martin and Wood’s residency at the Whitney Museum in New York on the opening night of this series, August 5th. He came on after MMW played with a world music ensemble, really delving into their improvisational technique and warming up for their old pal. Sco, as fans affectionately call him, came out to great applause and did not hesitate in busting out his signature, exploratory riffs.
The four-some have a records worth of songs together but seem to always go off on musical tangents, which was fine with the rest of us. It was inspiring to see such practiced and creative musicians exploring a new musical realm in such an intimate setting. I felt like the hundred to so people that were on the ground floor were in a studio with them, all crammed together and trying to get the best view.
They blended seamlessly and played a 2-hour dance crazy set. With no lyrics or singing, listeners can focus exclusively on the musical journey the artists set forth, and are discovering for themselves. Medeski was playing with extreme passion, sweating bullets as he ran his fingers across his giant piano/organ/keys rig with lighting precision, but that’s not to undermine the skill level at which Martin and Wood were playing. I’ve never seen someone play drums like Martin does, and there is nothing standard or typical about it. And lucky for us, Wood gave us a few critical bass solos that rounded out the evening perfectly. They delivered an encore that almost brought people to tears, with an inspired rendition of Amazing Grace lasting nearly ten minutes.
The whole event was over before you could blink an eye. Thankfully, Medeski, Martin, Wood, and Scofield were happy to shake hands and take pictures afterword, but kids who may have been used to retiring to their tents or going to see another late-night set were released onto the streets of NYC, only to beg for more music. Good thing this is a residency, be sure to catch one of the next two of these special, free performances coming up during the remainder of August.
September 6, 2011
Writer’s Update: I went to all of these performances, the first and last easily being the best. On the last Friday in August, MMW performed with their long-time collaborator DJ Logic. They each did an instrumental jam with Logic before combining their efforts and jamming for over an hour. It was moving, interesting, riveting, and I can’t wait to see them this fall!
Don’t forget to check out their fall your dates here: http://www.mmw.net/events.jsp including a special Halloween show at Terminal 5!
September 6, 2011
August 8, 2011
All Good Music Festival and Campout Review
This July 14th to 18th celebrated the 15th anniversary of the All Good Music Festival and Campout held on Marvin's Mountaintop in Masontown, West Virginia. Yes, that is in the middle of nowhere and does mean hiking up and down a mountain. Not a hill, but a mountain. After that weekend I felt fitter, more musically fulfilled, and with a much larger group of friends than I have all summer.
Once I got to the festival, the artists on stage kept referring to what a beautiful family we were, how the love was just resonating out from the crowds. To their credit, the feeling on Marvin's Mountaintop was something to be remembered. As with most music festivals, the people are very friendly, and after All Good's somewhat troubled history (problems with drugs, illegal vending, some deaths), to have a year as bright and bubbly as this one was a true joy.
Thursday Night
While it's my opinion that Hot Buttered Rum got a little shafted with playing the first set of the festival, they still managed to get the small crowd dancing early in the day. Sound Tribe Sector 9 blew the late night crowd away with the kind of well-played set that STS9 fans haven't been treated to in a while. Highlights included a "Circus" set opener, a really ragin' "Grizzly" and the encore, a delicious "The Unquestionable Supremacy of Nature"/"Inspire Strikes Back" sandwich. The Thursday line-up was short and sweet, allowing people to get in, get settled, and check out the show.
Friday Morning and Afternoon
Friday was when the real festivities began, kicking off early with two bands on the campground stage, aptly called The Grassroots Stage. Dangermuffin came on second, bringing their bluegrass heat in a way that definitely drew people out of their tents, perhaps more so than the hot weather. Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad opened the main stage, followed by stellar sets from The Infamous Stringdusters, Galactic, and Keller Williams.
Beside Toubab Krewe and Big Gigantic, who are both festival staples, the Friday night highlight on the smaller Crane Stage was a new artist called That 1 Guy, who plays songs with a homemade, upright instrument - what he calls his magic pipe. It's amazing to watch sounds emanate from this seven-foot-tall steel pipe that's been rigged with low note strings that had different effects. He takes bass-driven music to parts unknown, sounding like a hybrid between Frank Zappa and a dance party.
Friday Night
Furthur, featuring Phil Lesh and Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead was the headliner Friday night and with the exception of a flat, new Bobby tune ("Spin the Wheel"), they played a well-thought out set both with energy and integrity. The way they cover Dead songs is sometimes questionable but always moving and nostalgic, providing Dead fans both young and old with as close an experience to the real thing as they're going to get. They also treated the audience to a full "Terrapin Station Suite," a saga rarely played when Jerry Garcia was alive which has become even more infrequent since his death.
Other Friday appearances that I unfortunately missed included Warren Haynes (of The Allman Brothers Band), Dana Fuchs (from the Beatles movie Across The Universe and the off-Broadway play Love, Janis, where she played Janis Joplin), the Everyone Orchestra (featuring Hot Buttered Rum, That 1 Guy, and others) and an all-star jam on the Grassroots Stage with Keller Williams, members of Toubab and members of Umphrey's McGee, who played the late night set after Furthur.
Saturday Day
Saturday was all about posting up at the concert field, which had turned into a basin for vendors and music. An energetic and groovy Zach Deputy opened the larger Dragon Stage, drawing a pretty sizeable crowd for the first act of the day. His set was calm but danceable - a perfect way to start the day. Then again, the last time I saw Zach, he was raging a 1 am set for 4 straight hours, so I guess he's good any time of day.
He was followed by up-and-coming jam band The Werks, who did a good job advertising at the festival by posting stickers reading "Werk it!" all over the place to make their presence felt. Marco Benevento tore it up, though we did not see a guest appearance by Joe Russo (the drummer from Furthur), which I think many fans expected considering their extensive playing history together (check out the Benevento Russo Duo).
The Rex Jam was a fun tribute to the Grateful Dead featuring many different artists who were performing throughout the weekend but during that set, I couldn't contain my excitement for Yonder Mountain String Band. I've seen YMSB a few times and I knew there show was going to high energy and impressive, so the anticipation was killing me. Like Hot Buttered Rum, YMSB was slightly undercut with a 7 pm set as opposed to their amazing late night set last year, but they still brought the heat. Adam, Jeff, Ben, and Dave served up the steamiest plate of electrified bluegrass, spoon-feeding us every pulsing bass note and mandolin riff so it dripped sweetly and gently down into our souls. As they said in the All Good program, "If you don't love bluegrass before the show, you will afterward." No doubt.
Saturday Night
Then there was moe., which in my opinion was just...okay. Don't get me wrong here, moe. knows how to throw down, but this show was mediocre at best. There was a lack of excitement, a feeling that they were just pushing out the songs. I left their set early to prepare more fully for the headliner of the night, Les Claypool's highly anticipated come-back project, PRIMUS. When I came back, Claypool came on stage holding a long wooden instrument and donning a pig mask - as he is known to do - but it was a while before they started their set. Yes, much preparation was needed for this show, but once Claypool got going on his bass, I was worried the speakers were going to fall right off the rig. Drummer Jay Lane and guitarist Larry LaLonde were hardly an afterthought, supporting Claypool's funk with their own wild and crazy mud music. To close out their set, Primus had the second biggest fireworks show I've seen all summer (the first being at Phish's Superball IX). Like the two hours of music that preceded it, the fireworks were explosive, intoxicating and downright awe-inspiring. I didn't think that the festival would put on a show quite like this one.
The display continued into the beginning of Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, which was the greatest example of big band jazz that I had seen all weekend. It was so captivating that I hardly noticed the massive pyramid they were building for Pretty Lights on the Dragon Stage. Alas, a slight turn to the left and you couldn't miss it. Here's all I'll say about Pretty Lights: the cover of "West Virginia" was a nice little tribute to the land, but Pretty Lights is not Schpongle, will never be Schpongle, and should really stop trying. Especially with the rip-off Schpongletron. Still, Saturday was easily the best day of music, with PRIMUS being the unquestionable kings of the festival.
Sunday
Sunday morning was a very sad scene on the Mountaintop. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Nicole Miller --the 20-year-old was run over by a truck at 8:30 a.m. while she and two friends were sleeping in their tent. When attendees hear of these kinds of incidents, it can be hard to continue with festivities, but there is so little anyone can do. At Gathering of the Vibes in 2009, an attendee was killed with a nitrous tank and festival-goers revolted by sweeping through the campsites and dragging anyone who was selling nitrous to the cops, or worse. That was a situation where attendees could take action, but on that Sunday there was little else to do here but mourn the loss of Ms. Miller and wish her family the best.
The show went on, and because the majority of people didn't find out about the accident until the drive home Monday morning, festival-goers were still very much in party mode.
The first major act on Sunday was Toots and the Maytals. Now, I know Toots is getting old and he and the Maytals have been playing together since 1962, but he could use a little hop in his step. The show was unfortunately a flat, simple deliverance of tunes, and the whole band seemed a little uninterested in this affair. Granted, I don't think they were used to playing at a festival but it was still fun to see (somewhat of) a living legend.
Their set was followed by the supposed last show at All Good from The Bridge. This talented group has been playing for over 10 years with minimal success, so they've decided to call it quits. It certainly didn't seem like their last performance as they played with plenty of energy and spirit that made me hope this wouldn't be the last I'd be seeing of them.
Closing out the music early was Dark Star Orchestra. I guess someone has to play the day sets, but like Hot Buttered Rum and Yonder, this band should have been scheduled after sunset. At last year's event, the mountains were vibrating from the music Dark Star was making, and they simply couldn't have that effect at five in the afternoon. Like Furthur, they played mostly Grateful Dead covers, recreating them spot on, note for note, and all-in-all very successfully. It was a poignant end to a musically rich weekend.
Big thanks go out to All Good Presents, Work Exchange Team, Clean Vibes, and everyone else who made the festival possible. I'm sure you know what a gift you have given to us. See ya in 2012!
Once I got to the festival, the artists on stage kept referring to what a beautiful family we were, how the love was just resonating out from the crowds. To their credit, the feeling on Marvin's Mountaintop was something to be remembered. As with most music festivals, the people are very friendly, and after All Good's somewhat troubled history (problems with drugs, illegal vending, some deaths), to have a year as bright and bubbly as this one was a true joy.
Thursday Night
While it's my opinion that Hot Buttered Rum got a little shafted with playing the first set of the festival, they still managed to get the small crowd dancing early in the day. Sound Tribe Sector 9 blew the late night crowd away with the kind of well-played set that STS9 fans haven't been treated to in a while. Highlights included a "Circus" set opener, a really ragin' "Grizzly" and the encore, a delicious "The Unquestionable Supremacy of Nature"/"Inspire Strikes Back" sandwich. The Thursday line-up was short and sweet, allowing people to get in, get settled, and check out the show.
Friday Morning and Afternoon
Friday was when the real festivities began, kicking off early with two bands on the campground stage, aptly called The Grassroots Stage. Dangermuffin came on second, bringing their bluegrass heat in a way that definitely drew people out of their tents, perhaps more so than the hot weather. Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad opened the main stage, followed by stellar sets from The Infamous Stringdusters, Galactic, and Keller Williams.
Beside Toubab Krewe and Big Gigantic, who are both festival staples, the Friday night highlight on the smaller Crane Stage was a new artist called That 1 Guy, who plays songs with a homemade, upright instrument - what he calls his magic pipe. It's amazing to watch sounds emanate from this seven-foot-tall steel pipe that's been rigged with low note strings that had different effects. He takes bass-driven music to parts unknown, sounding like a hybrid between Frank Zappa and a dance party.
Friday Night
Furthur, featuring Phil Lesh and Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead was the headliner Friday night and with the exception of a flat, new Bobby tune ("Spin the Wheel"), they played a well-thought out set both with energy and integrity. The way they cover Dead songs is sometimes questionable but always moving and nostalgic, providing Dead fans both young and old with as close an experience to the real thing as they're going to get. They also treated the audience to a full "Terrapin Station Suite," a saga rarely played when Jerry Garcia was alive which has become even more infrequent since his death.
Other Friday appearances that I unfortunately missed included Warren Haynes (of The Allman Brothers Band), Dana Fuchs (from the Beatles movie Across The Universe and the off-Broadway play Love, Janis, where she played Janis Joplin), the Everyone Orchestra (featuring Hot Buttered Rum, That 1 Guy, and others) and an all-star jam on the Grassroots Stage with Keller Williams, members of Toubab and members of Umphrey's McGee, who played the late night set after Furthur.
Saturday Day
Saturday was all about posting up at the concert field, which had turned into a basin for vendors and music. An energetic and groovy Zach Deputy opened the larger Dragon Stage, drawing a pretty sizeable crowd for the first act of the day. His set was calm but danceable - a perfect way to start the day. Then again, the last time I saw Zach, he was raging a 1 am set for 4 straight hours, so I guess he's good any time of day.
He was followed by up-and-coming jam band The Werks, who did a good job advertising at the festival by posting stickers reading "Werk it!" all over the place to make their presence felt. Marco Benevento tore it up, though we did not see a guest appearance by Joe Russo (the drummer from Furthur), which I think many fans expected considering their extensive playing history together (check out the Benevento Russo Duo).
The Rex Jam was a fun tribute to the Grateful Dead featuring many different artists who were performing throughout the weekend but during that set, I couldn't contain my excitement for Yonder Mountain String Band. I've seen YMSB a few times and I knew there show was going to high energy and impressive, so the anticipation was killing me. Like Hot Buttered Rum, YMSB was slightly undercut with a 7 pm set as opposed to their amazing late night set last year, but they still brought the heat. Adam, Jeff, Ben, and Dave served up the steamiest plate of electrified bluegrass, spoon-feeding us every pulsing bass note and mandolin riff so it dripped sweetly and gently down into our souls. As they said in the All Good program, "If you don't love bluegrass before the show, you will afterward." No doubt.
Saturday Night
Then there was moe., which in my opinion was just...okay. Don't get me wrong here, moe. knows how to throw down, but this show was mediocre at best. There was a lack of excitement, a feeling that they were just pushing out the songs. I left their set early to prepare more fully for the headliner of the night, Les Claypool's highly anticipated come-back project, PRIMUS. When I came back, Claypool came on stage holding a long wooden instrument and donning a pig mask - as he is known to do - but it was a while before they started their set. Yes, much preparation was needed for this show, but once Claypool got going on his bass, I was worried the speakers were going to fall right off the rig. Drummer Jay Lane and guitarist Larry LaLonde were hardly an afterthought, supporting Claypool's funk with their own wild and crazy mud music. To close out their set, Primus had the second biggest fireworks show I've seen all summer (the first being at Phish's Superball IX). Like the two hours of music that preceded it, the fireworks were explosive, intoxicating and downright awe-inspiring. I didn't think that the festival would put on a show quite like this one.
The display continued into the beginning of Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, which was the greatest example of big band jazz that I had seen all weekend. It was so captivating that I hardly noticed the massive pyramid they were building for Pretty Lights on the Dragon Stage. Alas, a slight turn to the left and you couldn't miss it. Here's all I'll say about Pretty Lights: the cover of "West Virginia" was a nice little tribute to the land, but Pretty Lights is not Schpongle, will never be Schpongle, and should really stop trying. Especially with the rip-off Schpongletron. Still, Saturday was easily the best day of music, with PRIMUS being the unquestionable kings of the festival.
Sunday
Sunday morning was a very sad scene on the Mountaintop. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Nicole Miller --the 20-year-old was run over by a truck at 8:30 a.m. while she and two friends were sleeping in their tent. When attendees hear of these kinds of incidents, it can be hard to continue with festivities, but there is so little anyone can do. At Gathering of the Vibes in 2009, an attendee was killed with a nitrous tank and festival-goers revolted by sweeping through the campsites and dragging anyone who was selling nitrous to the cops, or worse. That was a situation where attendees could take action, but on that Sunday there was little else to do here but mourn the loss of Ms. Miller and wish her family the best.
The show went on, and because the majority of people didn't find out about the accident until the drive home Monday morning, festival-goers were still very much in party mode.
The first major act on Sunday was Toots and the Maytals. Now, I know Toots is getting old and he and the Maytals have been playing together since 1962, but he could use a little hop in his step. The show was unfortunately a flat, simple deliverance of tunes, and the whole band seemed a little uninterested in this affair. Granted, I don't think they were used to playing at a festival but it was still fun to see (somewhat of) a living legend.
Their set was followed by the supposed last show at All Good from The Bridge. This talented group has been playing for over 10 years with minimal success, so they've decided to call it quits. It certainly didn't seem like their last performance as they played with plenty of energy and spirit that made me hope this wouldn't be the last I'd be seeing of them.
Closing out the music early was Dark Star Orchestra. I guess someone has to play the day sets, but like Hot Buttered Rum and Yonder, this band should have been scheduled after sunset. At last year's event, the mountains were vibrating from the music Dark Star was making, and they simply couldn't have that effect at five in the afternoon. Like Furthur, they played mostly Grateful Dead covers, recreating them spot on, note for note, and all-in-all very successfully. It was a poignant end to a musically rich weekend.
Big thanks go out to All Good Presents, Work Exchange Team, Clean Vibes, and everyone else who made the festival possible. I'm sure you know what a gift you have given to us. See ya in 2012!
July 9, 2011
The Super Phest, A review
"I've got big balls," sung Phish drummer Jon Fishman, "Some balls are held for charity, and some for fancy dresses, but when they're held for pleasure, they're the balls that I like best!" While I suppose there's a slight chance he was referencing an engorged scrotum, what he was really talking about (in singing the AC/DC cover, "Big Balls") was the Biggest Ball Ever, the jam band's 9th festival since 1996.
Not only was it their biggest festival ever, but it was the best planned and executed Phish festival to date right from the start. Clearly, the organizers had done this before and had learned from their mistakes. The first Phish festival, The Clifford Ball, set the bar for the modern-day super concerts we know and love. This goes not only for Phish's festivals, but events like Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza (though the alt-rock festival was conceived 5 years before the inaugural Phish festival, it was a touring event, like Warped Tour), Austin City Limits, and many others, take a hint from the Phish organization in ways to please the crowd: art installations, cooling tents, using local resources, even car-side camping all came from the one-band festival that preceded these giant concerts. The Clifford Ball (1996), The Great Went (1997), Lemonwheel (1998), Camp Oswego (unofficial festival, 1999), Big Cypress (1999), IT (2003)--these were events that defined what a music festival had become.
The Phish organization may have followed the footsteps of the Grateful Dead in their musical approach and marketing scheme, but planning and organizing these giant events was somewhat uncharted territory, especially in 1996 when all they had as an example was Woodstock (largely a failure) and day-long touring festivals. They wanted to create a completely unique fan experience, something you couldn't get at any old concert or any regular camping trip. From the beginning, The band was fully immersed in the planning process. They helped the creative director and the engineers in figuring out what should go where and how, and in their earlier days, even helped build some of the structures. Without the efforts of the Phish organization, and without the compassion for phans that Phish truly had and acted on, we may not have today's festival as know it.
Super Ball IX was held at the historic Watkins Glen International Racecourse, site of 1973's Summer Jam that featured The Allman Brothers, The Grateful Dead, and The Band. Unlike anything a Phish crowd is used to, the venue was fully prepared for the influx of jam band fanatics that started rolling in on Thursday morning. Even Wednesday night saw a line forming at the gates, and when the crowd thickened, they abided for safety purposes and started letting people in. Many had arrived early in hopes that Phish would pull a Grateful Dead-move and let the audience in for a full blown 2-hour set during sound check. (Alas, while the Thursday sound check would have been nice to hear, listeners had to stay outside the gates.)
Thursday night was a northeastern reunion, with phans finally coming together to make up for the disaster that was 2004's Coventry. Billed as the last Phish show ever, the event was poorly planned, poorly managed, and even more poorly played. We may have been able to deal with the flood, the mud and the 15-mile hike to get in if anything else had worked out, but it didn't and no phan was about to let that be their last east coast memory of Phish. So we all found ourselves back in northern New York, just an hour past Ithaca (just?!), and you could feel the excitement and joy as soon as you stepped onto the festival grounds. Well coordinated, mostly car-side camping areas were named after states Phish has never played in (North Dakota, South Dakota, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Hawaii, and a phan-designated area called Puerto Rico) and overflow parking lots surrounded the racetrack, enabling festival city to be in the center of the huge arena.
As phans came trickling in on Friday, others took time to explore the ever-developing Americana theme on the festival grounds. Not only was there a ferris wheel, bocce ball and wiffle ball courts, an air-conditioned charging tent, and a plethora of vendors giving out information and ice cream (thank you, Ben and Jerry's); there were also giant structures (a storage unit, a water mill, a factory-esq production line) to walk through and on. Each of these buildings was constantly changing, starting on Friday in a wooden, colonial style decoration. On Saturday, they were transformed to more industrial designs. Sunday's incarnations represented the future, brought in by a secret, late-night, futuristic set Phish played from the storage unit in an area called "Ball Square."
Phans were treated to balloon structures to play with, original art to look at, and the House of Live Phish, where you could download each set right after it happened, listen to and download past sets selected by archivist Kevin Shapiro. You could even single out each band member in the mix to create a totally unique listening experience.
Friday night saw the first two of seven (announced) sets, and yes, they were all Phish. Thirteen hours, 17 minutes, and 22 seconds (thanks for calculating, NY Times), all by one glorious band and gladly soaked up their loyal phans. The first sets put us at ease when we could tell that they had been practicing, were playing very well, and were feeling the vibe of this festival already. Set one saw bust-outs like Zappa's "Peaches En Regalia" and a very rarely played "Mike's Song> Simple> Bug." Saturday was the big day for all of us, featuring a fully day-time set starting at 3 pm.
A phan-organized beach ball fight was the perfect supplement to the opening "Tube," and while the next two sets of the day were both phenomenal and surprising, the real gem was the secret, unannounced set that started at 2 am Sunday morning. Spacey, wandering and barely following the melody of the "Sleeping Monkey" we know and love, the boys' 4th set of the day met very mixed reviews. While some kids were ready to keep the party going and just wanted to dance to another regular set, some of us realized that Phish finally remembered how to jam and were blown away by the improvisational rock music blaring out of that storage unit. Sunday, too, was a day filled with amazing music, happy and safe concert-goers and finally a break in the heat with a little rain in the morning. Another thing most phans are not accustomed to is the weather holding out so nicely as it did this past Independence Day weekend. Besides the blaring heat for Saturday's 3 pm set, it was easy to stay cool during the day and even got a little chilly at night. Perfect festival-ing weather, if you asked anyone there.
Overall, this was the biggest festival, the biggest ball, of them all; it was a most super ball. Even if you're not privy to the ways of Phish culture, even if you hate it and everything we stand for, it's hard to ignore the roots of the music events standing in their legacy that are becoming ever wider spread, ever more popular and widely accessible. How can you ignore it anyway? A gathering of 30,000-plus people (that being the smallest festival in Phish's history), dancing to genuine rock 'n' roll and celebrating the freedom to enjoy whatever we want, however we want? Even though in the Articles of Orientation packet they handed out at the entrance, it reminds attendees that "Independence is a theme, not a day." Phish allows us to be as free and independent as we could possibly be. In the beginning of the festival, in fact after the second song, before he could even guess that the weekend would be such a success, Trey said "Thanks for coming to our party, everyone!"
No, boys, thank you.
Originally published 7/9/11 on BreakThru Radio
February 27, 2011
Reason #16: MSG Night 3
Nothing special about this night! No certainly not, it was only the first time in Phish history that the boys treated us to a New Years Day show.... boy, was it something else. The buzz around the whole run was that this night would be the best, and surely, while it's "best of three" is debatable, they blew the roof off this round room. The crowd seemed a little worn out, to be honest. The vibe wasn't the same, the energy wasn't as high, the feeling wasn't as fresh. It was still thrilling and the happiness was infectious, but as I felt with Halloween, and I will probably feel on the third night of the Bethel run (!!!!!!!), people get tired and worn out. The boys get tired too, but they're so revved up that their sleepiness never shows through. With a lot of phans, I find this to be the case, but with most, and the general feeling I got of the crowd, was a calmer sensation, ready to really appreciate what Phish would serve up on this very special occasion.
They opened with a rowdy version of My Soul, which ignited the fire the burned through the night. Cruising into Runaway Jim, you could hear the jam building and the fire growing. Red was getting all excited and jumping about for the beginning of Jim and even as they transitioned into the weirdness of Foam, the energy was vibrant and uplifting. The set was taking off.
Guelah Papyrus was straight and to the point, and what a brilliant point it was. I love this song for it's story like qualities but also because it can be paired with pretty much any song and will take on some of the previous songs qualities. This would have been a regular ol' Guelah, if it wasn't for the Foam.
The Divided Sky became the set highlight for me. I always underestimate the power of this composition and what it stands for. And in this particularly well-played Divided Sky kind of made me tremble inside. It was just so spot on and each note felt intentional and motivated, you couldn't help but stay rooted to the ground with wonderment.
They followed this epic tune with Round Room, the first since July 13, 2003, in honor of Madison Square Garden, I'd like to think. It was great because I had been listening to the album and kind of itching to hear the title song played live. It's not such a winner for me that I would have made a sign, but it's nice to hear. Then, the short-awaited Walk Away, we were all wondering when they were gonna bust it out and they pretty much blew out of the water, like they normally do. The boys took it into a wild and fun Gotta Jibboo, then a fairly average, but still great, Reba, followed by a semi-rare Walls of the Cave. It's quirky and poignant begining was one I had never heard live, though I always kind of thought I would. As the first set closer for the last night of the run, I felt it was a particularly special rendition.
The opener for the second set set the whole tone for the next hour and a half. A great Crosseyed and Painless shed light on just how warmed up they were, and a Twisteca, tribute to the epic night before (see my next post YEMteca), followed by a personal favorite, Simple, jump started the last set of the run and kicked it into high gear (pardon the unintentional Antelope reference). Sneakin' Sally brought the house down, but the Makisupa Policeman was easily the set highlight for me. I'm very lyrically and energetically driven if you haven't noticed. Of course I pay attention to and appreciate the music and the jams, but what really gets me is the performance the boys put on, together and individually. Anyway, in this Makisupa, Trey changed the lyrics to "I went home late last night, after doing the New Years stunt. Laid back on my couch and rolled myself a blunt." How could you say no to that? The only disappointing part was Fish's kick drum solo, in which he didn't really do anything. The set closed with a really well played, focused, driven, high energy David Bowie, and I don't think we could have asked for anything more from the last set of the run.
In a classic move, the boys chose Fee and Frankenstein to close our the whole run. Page was on keytar for Frank and they really killed it, like the last nail in the last board of a cozy little house you've been building. Throughout winter, I've been sitting in my little house, waiting, and waiting, for the Summer 2011 Tour Announcement which came like a blessing just the other day....
They opened with a rowdy version of My Soul, which ignited the fire the burned through the night. Cruising into Runaway Jim, you could hear the jam building and the fire growing. Red was getting all excited and jumping about for the beginning of Jim and even as they transitioned into the weirdness of Foam, the energy was vibrant and uplifting. The set was taking off.
Guelah Papyrus was straight and to the point, and what a brilliant point it was. I love this song for it's story like qualities but also because it can be paired with pretty much any song and will take on some of the previous songs qualities. This would have been a regular ol' Guelah, if it wasn't for the Foam.
The Divided Sky became the set highlight for me. I always underestimate the power of this composition and what it stands for. And in this particularly well-played Divided Sky kind of made me tremble inside. It was just so spot on and each note felt intentional and motivated, you couldn't help but stay rooted to the ground with wonderment.
They followed this epic tune with Round Room, the first since July 13, 2003, in honor of Madison Square Garden, I'd like to think. It was great because I had been listening to the album and kind of itching to hear the title song played live. It's not such a winner for me that I would have made a sign, but it's nice to hear. Then, the short-awaited Walk Away, we were all wondering when they were gonna bust it out and they pretty much blew out of the water, like they normally do. The boys took it into a wild and fun Gotta Jibboo, then a fairly average, but still great, Reba, followed by a semi-rare Walls of the Cave. It's quirky and poignant begining was one I had never heard live, though I always kind of thought I would. As the first set closer for the last night of the run, I felt it was a particularly special rendition.
The opener for the second set set the whole tone for the next hour and a half. A great Crosseyed and Painless shed light on just how warmed up they were, and a Twisteca, tribute to the epic night before (see my next post YEMteca), followed by a personal favorite, Simple, jump started the last set of the run and kicked it into high gear (pardon the unintentional Antelope reference). Sneakin' Sally brought the house down, but the Makisupa Policeman was easily the set highlight for me. I'm very lyrically and energetically driven if you haven't noticed. Of course I pay attention to and appreciate the music and the jams, but what really gets me is the performance the boys put on, together and individually. Anyway, in this Makisupa, Trey changed the lyrics to "I went home late last night, after doing the New Years stunt. Laid back on my couch and rolled myself a blunt." How could you say no to that? The only disappointing part was Fish's kick drum solo, in which he didn't really do anything. The set closed with a really well played, focused, driven, high energy David Bowie, and I don't think we could have asked for anything more from the last set of the run.
In a classic move, the boys chose Fee and Frankenstein to close our the whole run. Page was on keytar for Frank and they really killed it, like the last nail in the last board of a cozy little house you've been building. Throughout winter, I've been sitting in my little house, waiting, and waiting, for the Summer 2011 Tour Announcement which came like a blessing just the other day....
February 7, 2011
Reason #15: MSG Night 2
The second night of the New Years Run was, as you know, the night of the stunt, so expectations and energy was high. Costumes were crazier than usual, glowsticks were rampant, and the band was ready to melt our faces. I don;t have too much to sya on it, since it was so long ago now and I've already touched on the core spects of New Years Eve, but let's go over the set never the less.
A Punch You in the Eye opener set the upbeat and tight tone of the first set right off the bat. AC/DC Bag>Moma Dance (particularly funky)> Scent of a Mule kept that energy alive and supported, but the set came to a BDtNL- halt when the boys debuted "Burn That Bridge." It was a decent song in itself, but I didn't think it was time for a debut or a song like that. We werent familiar with it, and unfortunately it became the bathroom break of set 1. Hopefully you made it back for an incredible, and my first, Weigh>Ocelot, Beauty of my Dreams which felt more right in the moment that Burn That Bridge, Gone, and a classic Rock 'n' Roll closer.
The pretty-spot-on Wilson that opened the second set was sort of canceled out by the most unfortunate choice of 46 Days. While it was played fairly well, I was simply not in the mood for the selection, nor was the rest of the crowd. Sand, NICU> Down with Disease is when the set really got going; people were feeling the intensity rise, we knew something wonderful was on the horizon. That's when they dropped a thick and heavy dose of Ghost on us all. As we soaked up the goodness and intricate waves of song through the jam, a YEM buzz started. People knew it was coming. We didn't want Ghost to end, but we couldn't wait for YEM to begin. When it finally did, the room ignited, lighting a fire of excitment and passion for the band's classic composition. In what seemed like moments, YEM became YEMteca, and I finally got what I was always looking for: a Manteca. Crab in my shoemouth!! Crab in my crab in my... okay sorry, just getting excited. Not only me, but the whole phan bansed seemed to be waiting for this moment, especially the kids who brought the sheet sign to every show. And before we know it, we were back in YEM, just hearing the trickling, fading teases of a song that hadn't been played since 1998. Hope it doesn't have time to collect that kind of dust again...
Then the Midnight set began with the longest Meatstick ever and the crazy stunt that they pulled (for a complete review of the stunt, see two posts ago). At the turn of the year, in classic Phish style, they serenaded us with Aug Lang Syne, and after midnight they played After Midnight. I was becoming more and more complete as the show went on, hearing critical song after critical song. The show took a BDtNL plummet here when they actually played BDtNL and what served as the second bathroom break from the boys. I should thank them really, but I'd rather just not go to the bathroom frankly (which means not playing BDtNL in case you didn't get it). Piper>Free was great, but fairly standard in length and exploration in the jams. Waste> Slave to the Traffic Light, and Grind as the closing trio was not a bad selection, but it could have been better.... although Grind was another highlight for me.
The amazing First Tube encore took me back to Fall '09 at MSG, one of my first Phish shows, and the first time I heard First Tube. The floors were boudning, the walls were shaking, the dome felt like it might collapse- and I wasn't even on drugs! Literally the creepy-crawly, bass thumping hotness of that sound turned the floor into waves. It was an incredible night, without a doubt, and the New Years Eve show was more than I expected it to be. More tomorrow on what I think the night of the run was- 1.11.11.
A Punch You in the Eye opener set the upbeat and tight tone of the first set right off the bat. AC/DC Bag>Moma Dance (particularly funky)> Scent of a Mule kept that energy alive and supported, but the set came to a BDtNL- halt when the boys debuted "Burn That Bridge." It was a decent song in itself, but I didn't think it was time for a debut or a song like that. We werent familiar with it, and unfortunately it became the bathroom break of set 1. Hopefully you made it back for an incredible, and my first, Weigh>Ocelot, Beauty of my Dreams which felt more right in the moment that Burn That Bridge, Gone, and a classic Rock 'n' Roll closer.
The pretty-spot-on Wilson that opened the second set was sort of canceled out by the most unfortunate choice of 46 Days. While it was played fairly well, I was simply not in the mood for the selection, nor was the rest of the crowd. Sand, NICU> Down with Disease is when the set really got going; people were feeling the intensity rise, we knew something wonderful was on the horizon. That's when they dropped a thick and heavy dose of Ghost on us all. As we soaked up the goodness and intricate waves of song through the jam, a YEM buzz started. People knew it was coming. We didn't want Ghost to end, but we couldn't wait for YEM to begin. When it finally did, the room ignited, lighting a fire of excitment and passion for the band's classic composition. In what seemed like moments, YEM became YEMteca, and I finally got what I was always looking for: a Manteca. Crab in my shoemouth!! Crab in my crab in my... okay sorry, just getting excited. Not only me, but the whole phan bansed seemed to be waiting for this moment, especially the kids who brought the sheet sign to every show. And before we know it, we were back in YEM, just hearing the trickling, fading teases of a song that hadn't been played since 1998. Hope it doesn't have time to collect that kind of dust again...
Then the Midnight set began with the longest Meatstick ever and the crazy stunt that they pulled (for a complete review of the stunt, see two posts ago). At the turn of the year, in classic Phish style, they serenaded us with Aug Lang Syne, and after midnight they played After Midnight. I was becoming more and more complete as the show went on, hearing critical song after critical song. The show took a BDtNL plummet here when they actually played BDtNL and what served as the second bathroom break from the boys. I should thank them really, but I'd rather just not go to the bathroom frankly (which means not playing BDtNL in case you didn't get it). Piper>Free was great, but fairly standard in length and exploration in the jams. Waste> Slave to the Traffic Light, and Grind as the closing trio was not a bad selection, but it could have been better.... although Grind was another highlight for me.
The amazing First Tube encore took me back to Fall '09 at MSG, one of my first Phish shows, and the first time I heard First Tube. The floors were boudning, the walls were shaking, the dome felt like it might collapse- and I wasn't even on drugs! Literally the creepy-crawly, bass thumping hotness of that sound turned the floor into waves. It was an incredible night, without a doubt, and the New Years Eve show was more than I expected it to be. More tomorrow on what I think the night of the run was- 1.11.11.
January 31, 2011
Reason #14: MSG Night 1
The first night at Madison Square Garden was most phenomenal opener to a killer three day New Years celebration. December 30th came on the heels of two great shows up in Worcestor, MA. A chilly crowd rallied up in Massachusettes, and were thanked with two great nights featuring bust-outs like Mound, Roggae, The Wedge, She Caught the Katy, and Frankie Says, and favorites like Mike's Song, Cavern, Wolfman's Brother, and Limb By Limb, among many other well-played and well-loved songs. Alas, I was not able to witness such shows as these, and caught up with tour in New York City.
Night One was a rager. Everyone was pumped and ready to see Phish again, whether it had been a day, two months, or even 10 years. All the excitment had built back up; that pleasent anticipation that we all thrive on was rising; though we had no special lot of our own, we made a scene out of 34th street and somehow all managed to meet up with our phamilies to go to the show. The excitment made the whole room vibrate, and the opening songs did a lot to maintain that. But up until about halfway through the first set, they were blowing through hits as if to get them out of the way. The "Cities" opener was classic for NYC and they definitly rocked it out, but it was sort of pulled to a halt, quickly to be replaced with a standard "Chalkdust Torture." Don't get me wrong- I love CDT (see November 15th, 2010 for my thoughts on this song), but I think I had over played it and just couldn't get into the feel of it. "Gumbo>Quinn" was excellent, but again, too short. No complaints about "Halleys," but "Camel Walk" brought what I thought was the first stunt of the run- the PA system cut out, as has happened previously at MSG, and none of the boys could tell except Page. They remedied the problem quick enough but it still left me scratching my head. My one friend yelled out "Whatever you're doing, I don't like it!" I agreed.
The set seemed to pick up with "Maze," but while "Driver" is a great song, it wasn't right for the time. This was followed by my set highlight, "Bathtub Gin" cleaverly paired with Little Feat's "Fat Man in the Bathtub," a selection from the cover on Halloween I wouldn't have guessed they would keep. "Timber" is one of my favorite songs and they ripped it apart as we got closer to the end of the set, but like the begining, each song was punctuated prematurely. "Golgi," "Character Zero," wham, bam, thank you phans. And that was the entrance through which our magical weekend begun. I give it a B+.
The "Tweezer" opening for the second set was pretty outrageous, but the transition into "Light" I felt wasn't all there. Not everyone was moving at the same point, although props to Page becuase he seemed to be most on it... though isn't he always! (Page Side Rage Side? All Day.) Then came the low point of the evening- a totally messed up from the begining and abandoned "Theme from the Bottom." Not even all thr way through the first chorus, Trey pretty much gave up on the song and rushed through to the end. "My Friend, My Friend> Axilla, Fluffhead, Boogie" were pretty spot on a really held the night together for me. No major bummers and four excellent choices to have back to back. But then we get to this bogus "2001" that was not that accurate and less than 7 minutes long. Who has ever heard of such a short "2001????" Not me. And I hope not to hear it again. That song needs time and attention and nurturing. You cant just throw it in with all the others. Sigh, if only Phish read my blog...
Unfortunately the "Suzy" closer didn't make up for it, nor did the "Antelope>Tweprise" encore, though both were pretty great.
Though this may seem like a very unfortunate review, I don't mean it like that. I loved it so much and had such a wonderful time.. I really couldn't have asked for much more considering what the boys brought to the table the next two nights. And naturally, like most of us, I think, I am being over critical of our phine phriends. They're just humans after all. Super humans, though...
Night One was a rager. Everyone was pumped and ready to see Phish again, whether it had been a day, two months, or even 10 years. All the excitment had built back up; that pleasent anticipation that we all thrive on was rising; though we had no special lot of our own, we made a scene out of 34th street and somehow all managed to meet up with our phamilies to go to the show. The excitment made the whole room vibrate, and the opening songs did a lot to maintain that. But up until about halfway through the first set, they were blowing through hits as if to get them out of the way. The "Cities" opener was classic for NYC and they definitly rocked it out, but it was sort of pulled to a halt, quickly to be replaced with a standard "Chalkdust Torture." Don't get me wrong- I love CDT (see November 15th, 2010 for my thoughts on this song), but I think I had over played it and just couldn't get into the feel of it. "Gumbo>Quinn" was excellent, but again, too short. No complaints about "Halleys," but "Camel Walk" brought what I thought was the first stunt of the run- the PA system cut out, as has happened previously at MSG, and none of the boys could tell except Page. They remedied the problem quick enough but it still left me scratching my head. My one friend yelled out "Whatever you're doing, I don't like it!" I agreed.
The set seemed to pick up with "Maze," but while "Driver" is a great song, it wasn't right for the time. This was followed by my set highlight, "Bathtub Gin" cleaverly paired with Little Feat's "Fat Man in the Bathtub," a selection from the cover on Halloween I wouldn't have guessed they would keep. "Timber" is one of my favorite songs and they ripped it apart as we got closer to the end of the set, but like the begining, each song was punctuated prematurely. "Golgi," "Character Zero," wham, bam, thank you phans. And that was the entrance through which our magical weekend begun. I give it a B+.
The "Tweezer" opening for the second set was pretty outrageous, but the transition into "Light" I felt wasn't all there. Not everyone was moving at the same point, although props to Page becuase he seemed to be most on it... though isn't he always! (Page Side Rage Side? All Day.) Then came the low point of the evening- a totally messed up from the begining and abandoned "Theme from the Bottom." Not even all thr way through the first chorus, Trey pretty much gave up on the song and rushed through to the end. "My Friend, My Friend> Axilla, Fluffhead, Boogie" were pretty spot on a really held the night together for me. No major bummers and four excellent choices to have back to back. But then we get to this bogus "2001" that was not that accurate and less than 7 minutes long. Who has ever heard of such a short "2001????" Not me. And I hope not to hear it again. That song needs time and attention and nurturing. You cant just throw it in with all the others. Sigh, if only Phish read my blog...
Unfortunately the "Suzy" closer didn't make up for it, nor did the "Antelope>Tweprise" encore, though both were pretty great.
Though this may seem like a very unfortunate review, I don't mean it like that. I loved it so much and had such a wonderful time.. I really couldn't have asked for much more considering what the boys brought to the table the next two nights. And naturally, like most of us, I think, I am being over critical of our phine phriends. They're just humans after all. Super humans, though...
Reason #13: Consistently Shocking My Brain
Happy New Year all!! I want to take time to really digest the MSG run, and hopefully I will get reviews done shortly. To sum up: seven really wonderful, inspiring sets- pretty much the perfect way to in ring in the new year. But right now, I want to cover the NYE stunt. It was a sight for any pair of eyes, and brought me my first most epic Phish moment, which was actually 4 in 1 for me.
1)The New Years Eve Vibe- Being present on major Phish holidays are essential to tour, and NYE is well known for being particularly phenomenal. Historically, they play at their very highest skill levels (12.31.95), as long as they possibly can (12.31.99), or with as many wild surprises as we all can imagine (1992 Run). Often times, we find that the nights before the holiday are two times better than the holiday show itself. This is something that is always arguable, but doubtlessly the 1996 run in Boston was part of this trend. In any case, New Years Eve has a great vibe, and the whole run is laced with genius musical moments and astonishing tricks. This 2010-2011 run was familiar to new and old phans alike. We were back in the Northeast- not that Miami wasn't a great time, but this felt right to us. I couldn't make it to the Worcestor shows, which was a major bummer because (besides missing two great shows on the run) there is absolutely no lot to be found around MSG. My loving Phish community covered in snow, and still raging? Would have be great to be a part of. But when the boys got to New York, we were all ready for them, and for three solid nights they gave us their all. Each night brought something that stood out so beautifully for me, and I'll get into all that goodness at a later date.
2) A Round Room at the End of the Day- Madison Square Garden is also a historic aspect of Phishtory. The boys have played consistently great shows there and this run was no different. I was personally very excited to see Phish in one of their favorite places, in my favorite city. I only caught one of the shows from Fall 2009 and that was before I was as obscenely infatuated as I am now. So the vibe was back, the kids (us and them) were back in their comfort zones. And MSG did not fail to deliver. The huge round space was made for Phish's eachoing, bouncing sound. The flowing walls of people begged to be covered in Koruda's lights. And the event staff gave us very little problems. Hell, they love us there- we're nice and friendly, we have a good time but care about each other, and buy tons of stuff. How could they not like us? Don't answer that, actually... in any case, having the last 2 shows of the year be at MSG, swimming in that warm, round room to ring in 2011... it was a great feelings. And to think, we had another one coming!
3)The First Ever New Years Day Show- That about says it. Two thousand eleven saw the first ever New Years Day show from Phish, and boy was it phenomenal. Whenever the guys do something new, they like to make it extra special. The buzz all around the New Years run was that Phish was going to blow it out of the water, and having not gotten a Harpua during the Halloween run, I'm not surpirsed that a lot of us expected it. But no, what we got instead was a fabulose close to the run and most exciting way to open the new year. With bust-outs like Tube, Round Room, Walls of the Cave, and Cross Eyed and Painless, everyone pretty much got what they were looking for. Trey did his classic twist of lyrics for Makisupa and made the whole stadium cheer when he said "I went home last night after doin' the New Years stunt, laid back on my couch and rolled myself a blunt." And fianlly, Page broke out the keytar for the Frankenstein closer. Every face was smiling as we left MSG that night.
4)Why Trey Rolled His Blunt- The fourth reason why this New Years run was so epic for me (though the list could go on and on) was the highly anticipated New Years stunt. I didn't know what to expect this year, but I don't think I expected the brilliant mix of past tricks the boys have pulled on us. Shooting Fish out of a cannon in Miami last year may have topped these stunts individually, but we got a collaboration of three historic Phish NYE moments, all rolled into one glorious explosion. In 1994, we were up in Boston to welcome '95- two monumental years for our band. But as their annual stung this year, the boys slipped away from stage to board a flying hot dog that floated across the stadium. For New Years 1997, the boys were in MSG and released a plethora of differnt colored and shaped balloons upon the crowd, creating a wild and crazy balloon party. And in 1999 in Oswego, NY, Phish and their phans attempted to break the Guiness World Record for largest group dance... to Meatstick. When that 20+ minute Meatstick started, no one knew what was coming. Alright, we knew the balloons were coming because hundreds were held to the ceiling by nets, and some of us might have been suspect of an on-coming Meatstcik from the begining because of the long red balloons. The addition stage set up was a give away of some sort, but still kept us guessing as to when (the stage was set up for the whole show) and what- most thought horns or an additional musical ensemble. But when small groups from Broadway plays started appearing on stage singing Meatstick in their respective languages, and four Orthodox Jews came dancing onto the raised platform, we knew we were in for something huge. Quickly, the staged filled up with a wide variety of costumed dancers and everyone was doing the Meatstick dance, boys included. Somewhere in the mix, we lost our favorite musicians, but moments later, they came flying in from the top right corner of the stadium on, none other than, the flying hotdog.. or meatstick. When they made their way across MSG, landed, and returned safely to the stage, all the dancers and all the phans sung Auld Lang Syne together, and the balloon were released to be bounced around during a phenomenal After Midnight.
What an insane run it was for me and so many other phans. NYE in NYC was the only way to say goodbye to 2010, and Phish certainly pulled a once-twice- three times over on us. Thanks, boys!
Check back tomorrow as I start to review the three show more in depth!
1)The New Years Eve Vibe- Being present on major Phish holidays are essential to tour, and NYE is well known for being particularly phenomenal. Historically, they play at their very highest skill levels (12.31.95), as long as they possibly can (12.31.99), or with as many wild surprises as we all can imagine (1992 Run). Often times, we find that the nights before the holiday are two times better than the holiday show itself. This is something that is always arguable, but doubtlessly the 1996 run in Boston was part of this trend. In any case, New Years Eve has a great vibe, and the whole run is laced with genius musical moments and astonishing tricks. This 2010-2011 run was familiar to new and old phans alike. We were back in the Northeast- not that Miami wasn't a great time, but this felt right to us. I couldn't make it to the Worcestor shows, which was a major bummer because (besides missing two great shows on the run) there is absolutely no lot to be found around MSG. My loving Phish community covered in snow, and still raging? Would have be great to be a part of. But when the boys got to New York, we were all ready for them, and for three solid nights they gave us their all. Each night brought something that stood out so beautifully for me, and I'll get into all that goodness at a later date.
2) A Round Room at the End of the Day- Madison Square Garden is also a historic aspect of Phishtory. The boys have played consistently great shows there and this run was no different. I was personally very excited to see Phish in one of their favorite places, in my favorite city. I only caught one of the shows from Fall 2009 and that was before I was as obscenely infatuated as I am now. So the vibe was back, the kids (us and them) were back in their comfort zones. And MSG did not fail to deliver. The huge round space was made for Phish's eachoing, bouncing sound. The flowing walls of people begged to be covered in Koruda's lights. And the event staff gave us very little problems. Hell, they love us there- we're nice and friendly, we have a good time but care about each other, and buy tons of stuff. How could they not like us? Don't answer that, actually... in any case, having the last 2 shows of the year be at MSG, swimming in that warm, round room to ring in 2011... it was a great feelings. And to think, we had another one coming!
3)The First Ever New Years Day Show- That about says it. Two thousand eleven saw the first ever New Years Day show from Phish, and boy was it phenomenal. Whenever the guys do something new, they like to make it extra special. The buzz all around the New Years run was that Phish was going to blow it out of the water, and having not gotten a Harpua during the Halloween run, I'm not surpirsed that a lot of us expected it. But no, what we got instead was a fabulose close to the run and most exciting way to open the new year. With bust-outs like Tube, Round Room, Walls of the Cave, and Cross Eyed and Painless, everyone pretty much got what they were looking for. Trey did his classic twist of lyrics for Makisupa and made the whole stadium cheer when he said "I went home last night after doin' the New Years stunt, laid back on my couch and rolled myself a blunt." And fianlly, Page broke out the keytar for the Frankenstein closer. Every face was smiling as we left MSG that night.
4)Why Trey Rolled His Blunt- The fourth reason why this New Years run was so epic for me (though the list could go on and on) was the highly anticipated New Years stunt. I didn't know what to expect this year, but I don't think I expected the brilliant mix of past tricks the boys have pulled on us. Shooting Fish out of a cannon in Miami last year may have topped these stunts individually, but we got a collaboration of three historic Phish NYE moments, all rolled into one glorious explosion. In 1994, we were up in Boston to welcome '95- two monumental years for our band. But as their annual stung this year, the boys slipped away from stage to board a flying hot dog that floated across the stadium. For New Years 1997, the boys were in MSG and released a plethora of differnt colored and shaped balloons upon the crowd, creating a wild and crazy balloon party. And in 1999 in Oswego, NY, Phish and their phans attempted to break the Guiness World Record for largest group dance... to Meatstick. When that 20+ minute Meatstick started, no one knew what was coming. Alright, we knew the balloons were coming because hundreds were held to the ceiling by nets, and some of us might have been suspect of an on-coming Meatstcik from the begining because of the long red balloons. The addition stage set up was a give away of some sort, but still kept us guessing as to when (the stage was set up for the whole show) and what- most thought horns or an additional musical ensemble. But when small groups from Broadway plays started appearing on stage singing Meatstick in their respective languages, and four Orthodox Jews came dancing onto the raised platform, we knew we were in for something huge. Quickly, the staged filled up with a wide variety of costumed dancers and everyone was doing the Meatstick dance, boys included. Somewhere in the mix, we lost our favorite musicians, but moments later, they came flying in from the top right corner of the stadium on, none other than, the flying hotdog.. or meatstick. When they made their way across MSG, landed, and returned safely to the stage, all the dancers and all the phans sung Auld Lang Syne together, and the balloon were released to be bounced around during a phenomenal After Midnight.
What an insane run it was for me and so many other phans. NYE in NYC was the only way to say goodbye to 2010, and Phish certainly pulled a once-twice- three times over on us. Thanks, boys!
Check back tomorrow as I start to review the three show more in depth!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)