Video: Phish @ The Greek - Cities JAM

Check it as Phish lays it in thick with the ooey gooey funkalicious grooves in this jam during Cities at The Greek! Mmmmmm tasty! Tasty as a Black Bean Toasty! (for those of you who have had those lovely lil morsels of heaven from the Oasis Cafe at every festival around the country for as long as one can remember)

Kick back, relax, and let the Phunk infuse you...

PHISH SUMMER TOUR 2010

The moment we have all been waiting for:

After an increasingly improving year of return in 2009, with Festival 8 at Coachella soon to come out in 3D in theaters, a blistering Fall Tour, and cementing their comeback with a 4 night NYE run in Miami which brought home some of the higher quality shows the Vermont Quartet has had to offer in quite a while.

Seldom have we seen a band so rejuvinated as this. Having opened the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony last night by playing classics from Genesis, with Trey Anastasio inducting the band into the Hall of Fame was a perfect preface for the day that Summer Tour would be announced.

We all saw the rumored dates. The rumblings of Telluride abounded, and were all but confirmed. Then came The Greek Theater at Berkley which during the Oysterhead show at the Greek in 2001, Les Claypool dubbed the venue his "favorite venue on the planet both to play and see shows at". After that was pretty much in the bag, rumors of July 4th in Atlanta were abounding. It all made sense, and fell into place. Summer Tour became a reality today.

For all those who were antsy, and waiting anxiously for validation that Phish was indeed going to embark upon a heavy and lengthy Summer Tour of satisfying proportions, here you go!

The time has come once again. Ain't it grand?

A limited number of tickets are available directly through Phish Tickets’ online ticketing system at http://phish.portals.musictoday.com/. The ticketing request period is currently underway and will end Friday, March 26th at 11:59pm Eastern Time.

Tickets go on sale to the public beginning Friday, April 2nd at 10am ET, followed by more public onsales on Saturday, April 3rd. For complete ticketing info (and there’s lots of it), check out www.phish.com.

PHISH 2010 SUMMER TOURDATES

06/11 – Toyota Park, Chicago, IL
06/12 – Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
06/13 – Hersheypark Stadium, Hershey, PA
06/15 – nTelos Pavilion, Portsmouth, VA
06/17 – Comcast Theatre, Hartford, CT
06/18 – Comcast Theatre, Hartford, CT
06/19 – Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY
06/20 – Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY
06/22 – Comcast Center, Mansfield, MA
06/24 – Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ
06/25 – Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ
06/26 – Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD
06/27 – Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD
06/29 – CMAC Performing Arts Center, Canandaigua, NY
07/01 – Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek, Raleigh, NC
07/02 – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
07/03 – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park, Alpharetta, GA
07/04 – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park, Alpharetta, GA
08/05 – The Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA
08/06 – The Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA
08/07 – The Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA
08/09 – Telluride Town Park, Telluride, CO
08/10 – Telluride Town Park, Telluride, CO
08/12 – Verizon Wireless Music Center, Noblesville, IN
08/13 – Verizon Wireless Music Center, Noblesville, IN
08/14 – Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI
08/15 – Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI
08/17 – Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre, Wantagh, NY
08/18 – Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre, Wantagh, NY

The Dead Weather: Horehound

Delicious debut from yet another project involving Jack White. He is on drums for this latest effort, of course chiming in with some of his familiar vocals. Also alongside him is his buddy Jack Lawrence on bass who collaberated with White in The Raconteurs, and is from The Greenhornes. Guitarist Dean Fertita from Queens of the Stone Age fills in as the band's guitarist, rather than White who for this go around does not touch the guitar and experiments on drums through the albums entirety. The true highlight of this album is the mystifying Vocalist Alison Mosshart from The Kills. She is channeling something incredible for this outing. Check it out and enjoy:

Horehound - The Dead Weather

Taken Away, Or Hovering For Safety??

Phish is magic. They know how to place their fans in the palm of their hands, and really force us to figure out the hidden treasures.

California is still in the picture. Of course since we all booked hotels there, Phish wants to throw us off and confuse everyone. However, if you zoom in with your browser on using CTRL ++, you will see that California is merely hovering above the Save The Date sign at the top of the country.

It seems pretty clear now that within a day or so, a natural disaster or alien attack will decimate the rest of the country, and California will be brought back down to safety by the balloons which carried it up in the sky.

Basically, California is just gettin' high for a bit. Nothing new :-)

Phish Halloween Festival: California Taken Off The Map

www.phish.com/savethedate

Thousands were stunned today as the Phish.com Save The Date page was updated today.

For weeks now, they have systematically been removing states in the most creative of ways.

First fire ants, then a ship, then Vanna White cyclops squid, then God, then Mike on a Segway, then Alaska coming in and having arrows turn into missiles and blow it up.

The thousands of us who booked hotels in the area to the point where every lodging location was booked solid for quite a while now, are in complete shock.

Indio, CA was the site. It was known throughout the Phish world. We all booked hotels. It was possibly the strongest rumor in ages, all but official. Until this outrageous curveball comes and takes California off the map.

I am not cancelling my hotel reservation until the official announcement, however.

It is all too much like Phish to screw with our heads and do this. California was removed by balloons which had up and down arrows on them. All of the other states were DESTROYED. California was lifted up with balloons above the Save the Date sign on the website.

I would not be surprised if Phish did this to SAVE the STATE and while the rest of the states are destroyed from disaster, California will come floating back down with the balloons and land in its rightful place for the announcement.

This is very possible and would not surprise me one bit with the way Phish messes with their fans. I mean, look at this map already for god's sake, what a lengthy ever exciting way to announce the location of a festival over a month plus of updates on the site.

Granted, it may be time to accept the fact that California was removed like all of the states preceeding it, and that the festival is not in Indio.

Where is it then? Is it in AZ at the Dateland Farm? This has also been rumored, but was supposedly fictitious. It wouldn't be shocking since an abandoned Air Force Base exists there, and mostly every major Phish Festival has taken place at abandoned Air Force Base (Loring Air Force Base in Maine for multiple festivals, and Plattsburgh Air Force Base for Clifford Ball) and the weather would be as conducive as California.

Or is it in Texas, South Carolina, Georgia? Maybe the dark horse of Big Cypress in Florida??? Rather than play New Years there again, maybe they will commemorate the grounds with a 10 year anniversary in the form of a Halloween Festival. This seems unlikely with Miami New Years Run pretty much in the bag, but then Indio was pretty much in the bag too wasn't it?

Ah, the mystery of Phish, always keeping us on our toes. What a treat this all is.

Quest For Fire: Self Titled Debut

Quest For Fire is a crackling Toronto quartet who just released a self titled debut album "Quest For Fire" which is sure to be one of the more exciting albums this year.

The album only has 6 tracks on it, but it clocks in at 43:09. It is difficult to describe this band's style of music since they cover a good amount of ground. Vocalist Chad Ross sounds like a dreamlike Kurt Cobain with his own style mixed in. The music at times has the feel of Nirvana grunge, but is much more spacey and exploratory. It is impressive to hear them mix in that type of sound with authentic psychedelic rock which spans the styles of Led Zeppelin and occasionally Pink Floyd, with mammothly brilliant spiraling solos by guitarist Adam Moszynski, and a little bit of The Doors schmoozy bluesiness, with beautiful acoustic guitar undertones at times.

Drummer Mike Maxymuik comes out pounding at the gates in the opener 'Bison Eyes' but the song still takes on a dreamy state of pleasant noise. 'Strange Waves' which is 7 minute and 35 seconds is a steady spaced out building rock gem. The centerpiece of the album 'Hawk That Hunts The Walking' is nearly 9 minutes long, and is a dark opus of psychedelia to be wreckoned with. There is a point in the 2nd half which is reminiscent of 'No Quarter' by Led Zeppelin. The song is filled with scorching guitar solos and a comfortable gloomy feeling that is great to kick back and zone out to repeatedly. The following song 'I've Been Trying To Leave' starts out right off the bat with blazing guitar notes and commanding drumming. While the vocalist is extremely reminiscent of Kurt Cobain, his singing is much more subdued and far less abrasive, and the music behind him is more beautiful and reaches much more ground.

'You Are Always Loved' is a the slowest spaciest song on the album. It has a gorgeous mix of distorted electric guitar and acoustic with a patient drum beat and a real chilled out vibe while still maintaining the dark mysterious sound this band possesses. The finale 'Next To The Fire' is simply a sonic masterpiece. They saved the best for last on this debut album without question. At over 9 minutes long, the song is sprawling with brilliant layers of firey music from all ends. It is intense and wonderful, with the name being very appropriate for its sound. The song fully brings the heat, and we all end up feeling 'Next To The Fire' closing out the album with a memorable epic of psychedelic hard rock.

Quest For Fire, one of Toronto's newest exciting quartets, has created an extremely memorable and worthy debut album. This will be repeating on many playlists in the year to come.
Feel free to listen to the album below:

Quest For Fire - Quest For Fir...

Save The Date: A 3 Day Festival

www.phish.com/savethedate

One of the most hallowed (pun intended) nights in the history of Phish is Halloween.

They have played 4 legendary Halloween concerts in their 25 year career.

Each show was comprised of 3 sets, the first and third sets being Phish sets, with the 2nd set being an entire album by another band that they chose to cover in full.

In 1994 in Glen's Falls, NY they covered the entire Beatles 'White Album' in the 2nd set.

In 1995 in Rosemont, IL they played the entire rock opera 'Quadrophenia' by The Who.

In 1996 in Atlanta, GA they played all of 'Remain in Light' by the Talking Heads.

In 1998 in Vegas, they covered 'Loaded' by The Velvet Underground.

These are all mythical shows, and the only Halloween concerts played by the band.

It is now 2009.

Phish has announced that they are playing a 3 day Festival which falls on Halloween from October 30th through November 1st.

In Phish-like fashion, they merely announced that the festival will be taking place, but not where it will be taking place. All that showed on the site when 'Save the Date' was announced was a map of the United States with Halloween colors. They have brilliantly kept us on the edge of our seats by creatively removing states little by little as time passes.

First, an army of fire ants crawled all over the map and devoured 3 states. Then, a ship came in from the Atlantic near Florida and threw fishing reels onto two more states, ripping them off the map.

For the past few days, in certainly the oddest exhibit to date, we hear and see 6 states "ding" across the map and then a creepy version of Vanna White with a cycloptic squid for a head skirts across the country flipping states over like letters on Wheel of Fortune with the same sound it makes when she flips the letters on the game show.

Now the site just changed literally a few minutes ago with the remaining states, and either God or Zeus came in from the Pacific Ocean, extended his hand, and blew a gigantic wind from his mouth with ripped 3 more states off the map!!

16 states have already been eliminated in the most bizarre fashion imaginable. Check out the map to see what is gone and what is left. It seems as though they are only eliminating 2 or 3 states at a time, so we should have much more shenanigans in store for our delight. I for one have been having a ball kicking back and watching the site updated every few days with a new wacked out method of eliminating states from the map. It's complete wonderful craziness, and as Phishy as you can get.

Inside information points to the festival being at the Polo Fields in Indio, CA where the Coachella Festival takes place. To be on the safe side, I have already gone and booked a room at the Marriott Desert Springs Villas Resort for an incredible price per night, only 10 minutes from the site. I apparently was not the only one who jumped on this, as it is a known fact that every single hotel/motel within the vicinity of the location is completely booked solid for that weekend.

While I am pretty confident that the festival and first Halloween concert by Phish in 11 years will take place in Indio, I am still enjoying the hell out of the creative ways that they are incrementally eliminating states leading up to the announcement of the official location and details of the event.

This is one of the endless reasons why I love Phish, and I plan on being in attendance with bells on.

Phish Summer Tour: First Leg

Truthfully, it is difficult to decide where to begin when attempting to encapsulate the first leg of the first Summer Tour Phish has played in 5 years. After hearing the first two shows, I was able to see 4 consecutive shows early in the tour and then kick back and listen as the rest of it all unfolded. The part of this tour which differed from all preceding it was the new phenomenon of the ability to stream the shows live on the internet via an Iphone with an external microphone plugged in, allowing the sound to come through in quality fashion. If you weren't able to make it to the shows, you had a good chance of catching each one in the comfort of your own home while it was occurring, aside from the few nights there was little to no service where the show was being played.

Phish opened up their Summer with a bang at Fenway Park, walking up to the pitcher's mound all wearing Red Sox jerseys and singing the National Anthem before proceeding to take the stage for what was probably as exciting a moment for them as it was for all of the fans in the audience. This was the first real stadium show of their career, and in the oldest most historical Baseball park in the country which has been standing since 1912. Mike Gordon was born and raised in Boston, so this must have been a dream for him.

The show was solid, and had some fully unexpected bustouts such as Destiny Unbound and The Ballad of Curtis Loew. It may have been one of the worst shows of the tour musically, but that does not detract from the enormity of the actual event that took place.

Next, Phish was headed to take over Jones Beach Amphitheater in Wantaugh, NY for 3 shows. They started out on a Tuesday night and really came out to play, sounding much better than they did at the previous show at Fenway. Songs such as 'Cities', 'Timber', 'Reba' and 'Harry Hood' were played with brilliance, and everyone there was treated to a sleeper show on a Tuesday night.

The next show at Jones Beach was my first Phish show since New Years '03 in Miami. Needless to say I was ecstatic. The seats we had were right up front, and with the way the venue is set up as a steep high reaching amphitheater, the incredible feeling of being down in those seats was one I will never forget. The sound was crystal clear, and before I knew it I was immersed in my first thrilling ride in 5 years at the grandest musical theater on earth, a Phish concert.

After an acapella opener of the song 'Grind' in which each member states how many days they have been alive (which was appropriate since it was Mike Gordon's birthday the previous day) they went right into the first 'Divided Sky' of the Summer, and it was a clear statement that they were not messing around and were back and here to stay. The jam in 'Divided Sky' was so nostalgically gorgeous and yet so refreshingly exciting that I was beyond elated to be back sharing in the groove. They then played a new song called 'Ocelot' which was played quite a bit during the tour, and is an extremely uplifting glorious song with beautifully placed guitar notes from Trey. The highlight of the show and one of the highlights of the entire tour was the 'Ghost' that was played in the first set. Trey was using this incredible whale call sound effect on his guitar and took the jam from dark funky territory into blissful zenlike waterfalls of soaring melodies. After that mindblowing expedition, they gave us not a second to rest as they blew right into 'Run Like An Antelope', a raucous high energy marathon of excitement. Trey yelled out the lyrics "Set the gearshift for the high gear of your soul!!! You've got to run like an antelope, out of control!!" with such fervor and energy that we all were instantly running in place as fast as possible as the band closed out the song and the first set with an emphatic sense of return.

The second set also had its brilliant moments. Opening with the slow shmoozy version of 'Water in the Sky' as everyone trickled back into their seats was a great lead in to a rocking 'Birds of a Feather' followed by one of their most exciting covers, 'Drowned' from the rock opera 'Quadrophenia' by "The Who". It was very fitting being right on the ocean at Jones Beach to hear the lyrics "Let me get back to the ocean, let me get back to the sea ... let me be part of the tide that set me free". This jam opened up new channels that blew everyone away. They then played the first 'Meatstick' since '00 and included the Japanese lyrics. I haven't seen them have so much fun in ages like I did during that portion of the show. It was gooey discoey funk and we were all getting down. With a little lull in the middle of the 2nd set, they came back strong with a powerhouse version of the song 'You Enjoy Myself' playing the composed sections beautifully, and raging the jam taking the peaks higher and higher. All in all this was one of my favorite shows that I have seen, and it will always be etched in my memory as the show where everything was in synch and nearly perfect.

The following night at Jones Beach leading up to the show was a complete mess. It was cold and raining, and there was a wierd energy compared to the night before. They played a decent first set with some rarities like 'Buried Alive', 'AC/DC Bag', and 'Yamar' but nothing was played exceptionally well. It was the 2nd set of this show which has now in retrospect become my favorite set of the 4 shows I saw, and maybe one of my favorite sets of the first leg of the tour.

Opening with a version of 'Down With Disease' which was so rollicking and explosive that we could hardly catch our breath, they came back for a 2nd set of non-stop insanity. 'Disease' was stellar, and went right into 'Twist' in which Santana's 'Oye Como Va' played with firey intensity encompassed the entire jam. Without stopping from the start of 'Disease' through 'Twist' they went right into 'Piper' which rocked us all immensely. This 3 song wallop to open the 2nd set was what has always drawn me to Phish for as long as I can remember. When the song 'Free' began, I began glowing, as it is one of my favorite songs. Hearing the lyric "I feel the feeling I forgot" brought a gigantic smile to my face as my eyes were closed and everyone cheered. It was at that moment that I really felt back in the beautiful world of Phish after a grueling period of over 5 years without it being in existence. 'Free' entered dark delicious territory with oozing bass notes from Mike and had everyone dancing dirty style.

Following 'Free' was a debut of a new song on the upcoming album "Joy" which is being released on July 28th right before Phish kicks off their 2nd leg of the Summer with a 4 night stand at Red Rocks, their first appearance there since being banned from the venue 15 years ago. The name of this debut was 'Twenty Years Later'. At the time, I enjoyed it and thought it had some great lyrics, but I sat during it in order to catch a breather since it was rather slow. Now, I simply cannot get enough of it. After 'Twenty Years Later' came the gravy of the set, 2001>Slave to the Traffic Light. This was one of those segments that provide spiritual clarity. The funky dance party of '2001' with the blissful resonating classical notes of Mozart as the lights of Chris Kuroda mezmerized us all, which went right into an utterly sublime version of 'Slave' closed out the set on such a wonderful note. They encored with "A Day In The Life" by 'The Beatles' which they have played throughout their career, but I have never had the pleasure of seeing. The 2nd set of this show will be one that I listen to continuously for a long time to come.

The next show was at Great Woods in Mansfield, MA. The driving from NY to MA, and then back down to Camden, NJ the next day was rather hectic, but it was worth it to be at that beautiful venue enveloped in nature. The vibe of this show was different altogether. It was far from a rocking rager, but it was filled with positivity and happiness. Songs like 'Golgi Apparatus' and 'Sparkle' brought beaming smiles to all of our faces in the first set. The 2nd set opened up with the only appearance of the song 'Seven Below' on the entire leg. It was a fun and hypnotic version. Following this was the gem I had been waiting to see for my entire time loving Phish. This gem was the song 'Fluffhead', one of the band's oldest songs, and a song they did not play once when they were back post-hiatus in 03-04. They opened up their first show back at Hampton Coliseum with the song, which surprised everybody in the greatest of ways, but it wasn't played nearly as tight as it could be. This version was on point, and I feel privileged to have been there to experience it. The 'Fluffhead' alone was worth the trip to Mansfield.

We drove down to Camden, NJ the following day for what would be my 4th show in 4 days, and my last show which I would see of the first leg of tour. What went down in Dirty Jersey was an onslaught of energy that will never be forgotten. The first set was good, but we chose to be on the lawn for the first half of it even though we had seats, thinking it would be a nice change from having seats the 3 previous nights. The sound was awful and the vibe was weak on the lawn. Once moving into the pavillion it was like entering a portal into another dimension. The sound was unbelievable, the lights were hypnotically mindblowing, and the energy was oozing throughout the entire covered pavillion. Songs like 'The Wedge', 'The Lizards', 'Tube', and 'First Tube' sounded incredible as opposed to the first half which was hard to even decipher. Moving to the seating area was the best move imaginable.

The 2nd set was one for the books. They opened up with the only 'Sand' played on the tour, and it lasted 22 minutes. They truly reached liftoff with this jam, and explored horizons which they had yet to arrive at up till that point. The rest of the set was good, with the energy continuing, but it wasn't until the song 'Character Zero' ended and 'Tweezer' began that the place truly exploded. 'Character Zero' is nearly always a set closer, so everyone was certain that it was the end of the 2nd set, when out of the depths of the song came the epic funk rock anthem 'Tweezer', which had been played to close the 2nd set only one time before in the band's history. They blew the roof off with the jam in this 'Tweezer'. It took us all by storm and there was not one person in the entire place that wasn't breaking it down emphatically. This was classic Phish, climbing and catapulting higher and higher, taking it up until it seems impossible to reach another level of intensity, and then exploding into another heightened platform of musical bliss.

After 'Tweezer' ended, we all knew what hit us, and it felt unbelievable. They came back out for an Encore, and Trey asked us if we were in a rush to go anywhere and that they thoroughly enjoyed the Northeast run that they're completing and want to stick around and play a couple more songs for us. They proceeded to play a FOUR song encore!! They began the encore with the debut of the title track from their upcoming album "Joy". It is an absolutely beautiful and moving song written by Trey during his sister's bout with cancer prior to her death. The chorus where the band harmonizes "We want you to be happy, don't live inside the gloom, we want you to be happy, come step outside your room, we want you to be happy, coz' this is your song too." are healing lyrics that will most likely sooth many individuals who feel unhappy or unimportant. After 'Joy' they played 'Bouncing Round The Room' an old staple which even the least knowledgeable of Phish fans know. We were sure that this was the end of the encore, and then they began 'Run Like An Antelope' which was fully unexpected and caused the crowd to break into an all out dance party as the rollicking ride of 'Antelope' made us feel fully satisfied and showered with love from the band. They were giving us more than the norm. 'Antelope' went right into a rocking 'Tweezer Reprise' to close the encore in which everyone was pumping their fists in the air, rejoicing together over the brilliant madness they just experienced.

This was the last stop of tour for me. The rest was all experienced through friends who went, watching the streams, reading the message boards & reviews, and listening to the soundboards of the shows.

They continued on to play a really special show in Asheville, and then played an incredibly solid sleeper of a show in Knoxville, TN leading up to Bonnaroo. They took Bonnaroo by storm, playing a late night set Friday night, and rather than play two sets as usual, they blew through a 3 hour set with no break. It was a mammoth show which had a little bit of everything, and proved that they certainly still have stamina. The Sunday headlining show to close out Bonnaroo was a fun show as well. I watched it on the stream, and they played a pretty good show which was centered around the guest appearance of Bruce Springsteen who sang & played guitar with Phish for 'Mustang Sally' 'Bobby Jean' and 'Glory Days'. This was a fun segment, but took away from the cohesiveness of a Phish show. While it was a great moment, that show will not be heralded over time by any means.

After Bonnaroo, they were off to St. Louis to play at The Fabulous Fox Theatre which holds only a few thousand people, and is the most intimate venue Phish has played at in the United States in ages. Two friends of mine drove 2300 miles total just for that one show. From what I heard, the atmosphere and experience of seeing them in such a small theater was unexplainable, and worth every hardship it took to get there. Musically, the show did not live up to the hype by any means. It had some real highlights like the "Halley's Comet" which opened the 2nd set and clocked in at around 14 minutes, and the 'Possum' which built great tension, and 'Mcgrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters' being busted out in the encore. Overall though, it doesn't hold together as that special of a show on tape, and was probably truly extra special to those who were there.

The next show was at Star Lake Amphitheater in Burgettstown, PA near Pittsburgh. Everyone who I know that went to this show claimed that it was filled with energy. It translates on tape for sure. In the first set, 'Wolfman's Brother' and 'Divided Sky' were crackling with excitement, and the 'Tube' was a completely dirty funk fest. The 2nd set was a rocker opening with 'Down With Disease' followed by 'Free', 'Guyute', a rocking 'Piper', the beautiful and rare 'When The Circus Comes To Town', gorgeous versions of 'Harry Hood' and 'Squirming Coil' and closed out with a channeled 'You Enjoy Myself'. The encore was centered around acapella songs and Jon Fishman with 'Grind', 'Hello My Baby' and then 'Hold Your Head Up>Bike>Hold Your Head Up' making fun of Fishman in loving jest the entire time. After the shenanigans they finished the encore with their glorious cover of the Rolling Stones song 'Loving Cup'. Oh what a beautiful buzz indeed!!!

The tour was four fifths complete at this point. 12 out of 15 shows had been played, and they trekked back across the country to close out the first leg with a weekend that stamped Phish once again as the force to be wreckoned with that they have always been. The last weekend included a show on Friday night at Deer Creek in Noblesville, IN and two shows on Saturday and Sunday at Alpine Valley in East Troy, WI which are two of the band's most legendary venues.

It was a crazy lightning storm with pelting rain at Deer Creek. The band certainly rewarded the fans for sticking it out. The first set was well played with classics like 'Moma Dance', 'Limb By Limb', 'Split Open and Melt', 'Lawn Boy', 'The Wedge', as well as another rocking version of 'Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan' which is on their upcoming album. They didn't really open it up though until the last two songs of the first set. 'Ocelot' also on the upcoming album, was played with lovely energy and really lifted the vibe up. The set closer of the 2nd 'Fluffhead' of the tour was completely on point in the midst of a lightning storm. It was one hell of a way to close out the first set of Deer Creek, paving the way for one of the most exploratory and exciting sets played so far this summer.

The 2nd set opened with 'A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing' from their album 'Undermind' which was released in synchronization with their breakup announcement. Overlooked by many, this song is a force of its own, and really broke some ground this Summer with the psychedelic jam it produced clocking in at around 14 minutes. This went right into 'Drowned' and I can't decide which was better, this version or the one I saw at Jones Beach. I am leaning toward this version though, because it truly errupts with its placement in the set and the momentum continued with 'Twist' aftwerwards which was a nice 9 minute rock and roll party. The 'Tweezer>2001' provided meaty improvisation and high energy late in the set and the 'Possum' which closed the 2nd set finally had the intensity and power that 'Possum' should have, only comparable to the Fox Theater to the other 'Possum' versions this tour. The encore of 'Sleeping Monkey' into 'Tweezer Reprise' was classic Phish and closed out a truly special show. It was time for Alpine Valley.

The 1st night of Alpine Valley was a completely solid show throughout. Opening with a bang with the intense rocker 'Punch You In The Eye' the show was off and running with an onslaught of exciting music. To follow was 'Runaway Jim', 'Stash', 'Yamar', an incredible Summery version of 'Bathtub Gin', and another balls to the wall rocking version of the new 'Kill Devil Falls' which also is appearing on their upcoming album. Then the peaceful beauty of 'Train Song' allowed everyone to take a deep breath and feel soothed, as the band went into the happiest song in their repertoire 'Sparkle'. Closing the 1st set with 'Run Like an Antelope' made this a killer set. The 2nd set would start off a little slow, but once the first couple of songs were out of the way they tore it up. The entire segment of 'Maze', 'Makisupa Policeman', 'Ghost', 'The Lizards', 'You Enjoy Myself', 'NICU', and 'Prince Caspian' was a nonstop thrill ride. The encore of the beautiful 'Waste' into the raucous 'Fire' by Jimi Hendrix capped off the show with a bang and led brilliantly into the 2nd night at Alpine Valley, and the final night of the first leg of tour.

The 2nd night of Alpine Valley turned out to the be THE show that I was waiting for. Phish pulled out all the stops at this show in comparison to any other show on the tour. Opening the 1st set with one of their biggest rarities 'Brother' caught many by surprise, and segueing into 'Wolfman's Brother' was a fun play on song titles and turned out as a genius move by the band. The fact that 'Funky Bitch' by Son Seals followed this, made the first set already top anything previous this Summer. It was the only version of one of my favorite covers all tour, and this was not the only time during the show that occurred. 'Divided Sky' followed these 3 songs and it was already stamped that this was one of the more special shows of tour. The rest of the first set was well played and had some fun songs, but it wasn't until they went into the ultimate rarity of 'The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday>Avenu Malkenu>The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday' that this shows leaped to the best show of the tour in my eyes. They are slick too, playing Avenu Malkenu (Our Father Our King) on Father's Day. This was the major highlight of the first set for me amongst all of the other surprise moments.

The 2nd set was one that dreams are made of. Opening with the Talking Heads 'Crosseyed and Painless' for the only time this tour, and only the 2nd time in over 9 years, they reached liftoff to the max with the ultimate funky dance party. Fishman was fantastic on the vocals, sounding more like David Byrne than ever before, and the jam that ensued was mammoth. Clocking in at 15 minutes, this blew everyone's minds as an opener to a 2nd set of a show which already had such a special 1st set. 'Crosseyed' went right into the biggest heavy hitter of the tour 'Down With Disease'. Everytime played, this anthem has been executed wonderfully, and it kept the energy flying higher than imaginable. 'Bug' was a nice break from the craziness that just ocurred, but still brought with it high energy blissful jamming. The 'Piper' that followed may have been one of the more intricate and exploratory jams of the first leg of tour, and the band was simply on fire at this point. They gave everyone a breather with the beautiful 'Wading in the Velvet Sea' and then went right into the gooey funk of Stevie Wonder's 'Boogie On Reggae Woman' which is always a dance party and a half. Closing out the set with a beautiful 'Slave to the Traffic Light' and encoring with the acapella song 'Grind' followed by the heavy rock and roll classic 'Frankenstein' by the Edgar Winter Group, closed out the tour with ferocity. This was a show of shows, closing out the first chapter in the new Era of Phish giving us all excitement, faith, and anticipation for what is to come.

Phish is back and they mean business, and we are all privileged to be a part of the magic. They reconvene touring on July 30th for a 4 night run at Red Rocks to kick off the 2nd leg of the Summer. The excitement runs wild throughout the community to be able to experience the growth of one of the greatest bands in music history as they continue to improve and find themselves uncovering new ground. We are the lucky ones.

Summer 98 Funkalicious Grooves: A Look Back Before Re-Joining The Ride

I realized that I owe a big Thank you Mr. Miner.

The man is a machine, who is easily the greatest Phish Blogger period, and we are blessed to have him. Months before Phish announced their return, he was holding it DOWN with consistent daily posts getting us all psyched for the comeback. He is infectuous with his writing caliber as well as his knowledge. His passion for Phish is one that has been felt by us all, but he is able to transcribe it daily in new forms, inventing on top of himself constantly.

The "No Spoilers" Project which he did was brilliant, and allowed all of us to experience the thrill of the ride of the comeback shows at Hampton without ruining it prior. The greatest part of a Phish show is the mystery, and the anticipation. What is next? Oh damn! Who expected that?! Wow I wonder what they are going to pull of after this!!?

We got it all. Mr. Miner was able to have each show uploaded within an hour after its completion, without one detail to the show aside for a download link to each full length set without song titles or individual song lengths. We who could not be at Hampton will never forget what you did for us Miner. You came through with flying colors then, as you did leading up to Hampton and have done so since. You are our sage through the return of Phish, and we all appreciate you for it.

While listening to the shows which made me fall in love with them and musical journeys which parallel life that only Phish can produce, I am reminded of the tension and release of true genius musicianship and risk taking exploration that has inspired me so much over the years.

Therefore, regarding the wonders and care free joys of Summer, and what Phish can do to us all during the upcoming season, I must represent Mr. Miner and post a link to his blog. One of his recent posts "The Laid Back Funk of Summer 98" was one that caught my eye, as many of his posts do.

He is dead on regarding the delicious funky grooves which Phish brought out in the Summer of 1998. They were a balanced band, breaking out into landscapes of oozing textural expeditions of molten firey funk.

Miner wrote a beautiful post illustrating what that Summer meant to him, and his words are representative of the entire Phish community, which is what is so magical about his work.

He chose to pick one monumental jam from each show on that US Summer Tour which encompassed this style and era of Phish, totalling over 7 hours of music.

Here are the songs he chose, and venues they were played at:

1-4. “Tweezer > California Love > Tweezer > Free” 7.15, Portland, OR
5. “Reba” 7.16, The Gorge, WA
6. “Gumbo” 7.17, The Gorge, WA
7. “YEM” 7.19, Shoreline, CA
8. “Bathtub Gin” 7.20, Ventura, CA
9,10. “Ghost > She Caught The Katy” 7.21, Phoenix, AZ
11,12. “Wolfman’s > 2001″ 7.24, Houston, TX
13. “Tweezer” 7.25, Austin, TX
14. “YEM” 7.26, Dallas, TX
15. “The Moma Dance” 7.28, Bonner Springs, KS
16. “Tube” 7.29, Riverport, MO
17,18. “Curtain > Free” 7.31, Columbus, OH
19. “Mike’s Song” 8.1, Alpine Valley, WI
20. “Ghost” 8.2, Deer Creek, IN
21. “Halley’s Comet” 8.3, Deer Creek, IN (Forgot the “Gumbo!”)
22. “Wolfman’s” 8.6, Atlanta, GA
23. “Ghost” 8.7, Raleigh, NC
24. “Sneakin’ Sally” 8.8, Merriweather Post, MD
25. “YEM” 8.9, Va.Beach, VA
26,27. “Wolfman’s > Time Loves a Hero” 8.11, Star Lake, PA
28. “YEM” 8.12, Vernon Downs, NY
29,30. “Gumbo > Sanity” 8.15, The Lemonwheel
31. “2001″ 8.16, The Lemonwheel

Below is a link to his blog where you may read his inspiring words and download all seven hours of his top funkalicious picks from the Summer of 98.

I cannot wait until Phish Summer 09!! Enjoy!!!!

http://phishthoughts.com/2009/04/02/the-laid-back-funk-of-summer-98/

Ultra 2009 Shenanigans

There we all are, standing juxtaposed to the beautiful Miami skyline at night.

At least 40,000 people if not more attended the 11th Annual Ultra Music Festival at Bicentennial Park in Miami.

Ultra was in full swing. I was rather annoyed that those bastards jacked up ticket prices from $99 for the day to $125 for the day, which was a slight punch in the gut on the way in. Yet I knew that no matter what I was making the right decision because the things that would ensue are things that you simply cannot put a price on.

We got in at 5:30ish. Unfortunately, since it started at noon we missed some good acts like M.A.N.D.Y vs Tiefschwarz, 2020 Soundsystem (although it was just a DJ set), and The Presets. However, we arrived just in time for LA Riots to rip up a really sweet 30-40 minute set at the Bayfront Live Stage, which was the largest, most salivatory stage at Ultra aside from the Main Stage, which was larger but not quite as salivatory.

I had yet to see BOTH of LA Riots together, as all I have ever seen of them is one out of the duo. It was a good time, but I was catching my bearings having just arrived at one of the largest festivals in the world with over 50 countries representing musically. It was then time for Cut Copy.

Cut Copy, who many people think is one person, is actually a 4 piece band from Melbourne, Australia. I found this out not long prior to Ultra, and therefore when they came out with the drums, bass, guitar, and keyboards, I was stoked!

They played one hell of a set, reminding me of LCD Soundsystem and other funky disco electro dance punk rock bands out there. There was even a point at the end when Dan Whitford, the DJ who originally started Cut Copy in 2001, exclaimed that "We realize that everyone here are DJs and everything, but this is LIVE MUSIC from Melbourne, Australia!! So put your hands together and get ready for this last one! I hope to see all of you dancing!" and then they completed their set with "Lights and Music" which is possibly my favorite song of theirs. The set was refreshing as hell, and it was a pleasure getting to see the one true live band of the day.

As a matter of fact, here is Lights and Music from their Ultra Set for you to enjoy:




I forgot to mention that upon walking into the festival that the thing which put the biggest smile on my face was seeing the word LIVE next to Booka Shade. They played the Get Physical Late Night Saturday Night which has been held by Justice in 07 and Simian last year. However, they were playing a DJ set at the late night. I figured this would be the case at Ultra as well. Nope, not at all. The Booka Shade Live Set which I had heard endless things about as being one of the most revered sets in live electronic music was about to become a part of me.

We left the Bayfront Live stage to go to the Main Stage for Booka Shade's 6:30 performance. We got nice and close, but not right at the front. It was perfect. What ensued was hands down one of the most jaw dropping sets I have ever had the privilege of partaking in as an audience member by two German machines.

They were each wearing all black, and were standing upright and tall above their machinery. On the left he was throwing down on the E Drums like no one I have ever seen and dropping reverberating bass bombs which made my arm hairs shake, and on the right he was throwing down beats, melodies, and playing keyboards of different types.

Aside from Simian Mobile Disco, which I will speak about later, this set pretty much made the day worth it for me. It was full of everything I could want from live electronic music. They were consistently going places, taking our brains on an interesting rather than mundane journey, and doing it with a forceful power and confidence that I have seldom seen. Throwing in the live Electronic Drums and Keys into the mix made it that much more insane.

I am actually in this clip when the cameraman pans to the right, if you can spot me:




Mindblowing stuff isn't it? Here is a shorter clip with some more closeups so you can really see what is going on up there:




As if that was not enough, we moved back over the the Bayfront Live Stage to see what was going on, and while we thought we had missed Boyz Noize & Bloody Beetroots during Booka Shade, we were happily surprised to walk up in the middle of the Boyz Noize set and catch a little 30 minute set which delighted us all of the Bloody Beetroots.

Shaky as hell on the video tip, but showing the raw craziness of his set:




And while I spoke of The Bloody Beetroots in great detail in my post about the Dim Mak Records Party, they still blew my mind for their short set in the late afternoon on Saturday. They played a longer set at night on Friday at Ultra, but I did not attend since I was recovering from the previous day and night. Still, any Bloody Beetroots is better than none, and this was a wonderful injection of energy as the night had arrived. And it's edited, thowing some real raw energy in your face!!




Next up, on the same stage, was Crystal Castles. I don't have much to go on about them aside from their set being wonderful. It was a great tripped out sound going into MSTRKRFT. I was not too familiar with their music, but it made me smile.

Here is the song Crimewave from the set. I loved it:




Next up was MSTRKRFT. They rock, as always. I wrote quite a bit about them in my post about the pool party, but it was obviously wonderful getting to see them again in the Ultra setting. The thing I have been forgetting to leave out is how unbelievable the production value of the festival was. It was worth attending just based on the sound production, the lights, the artistic performers they had in addition to the DJs and musical acts. The vibe was also phenomenal. Everyone was wonderful, and it just felt great to be there and walk around to explore the endless unique individuals who had flocked to this great festival.

While there are many videos of them playing Ultra, I must include the one of them spinning "Da Funk". One, it's Daft Punk, and two it encompasses the craziness of the stage. Here you have it, Kraft spinnin Daft:




After seeing this go down I decided that I would head over to the main stage to see The Prodigy.

I had seen MSTRKRFT two days ago, and other times in the past, so I left their set early to catch The Prodigy.

Needless to say, this was a major mistake. They were supposed to come on at 9 ocklock, so I left MSTRKRFT at 8:55 to head over. I met some other friends at that stage, and stood there with them for 30 minutes waiting and waiiiiting for them to come on. It was ridiculous. After one of the Ultra promoters annoying us on the microphone, asking us if we were ready to see one of the best shows ever about 10 times over 30 minutes, they FINALLY came onstage.

The sound was AWFUL. We were at the main stage for Booka Shade, and it sounded absolutely incredible with the bass booming through our beings. During Prodigy, the sound was terrible. They were playing 'Breathe' which is one of my favorite songs by them, and barely anyone could make it out. I stood there annoyed that I had left MSTRKRFT early to wait 30 minutes for them to come on and play so terribly. After sticking around for a little to see if it improved, I realized the sound was not getting any better, and the vibe at the stage was horrible. I went from an ear to ear pasted smile on my face all day to wanting to get the hell out of there.

Therefore, I made the right decision and left the Prodigy stage to meet up with my other friends for Deadmau5. As you can see, I am not posting any videos of The Prodigy set as it was a horrible experience for me, and I do not feel it is worthy to share visually. If you feel like checking it out you may, but I must say it comes out a bit better on video than it did being there, which is a wierd thing but it is the case.

Now Deadmau5 was a completely different story! The madman who wore a huge mouse head with X's over the eyes signifying him being a dead mouse was wonderful, and the energy, lights, crowd, and music was absolutely off the chain. This was my first privilege of getting to see Deadmau5 and I could not have been more pleased. He blew my mind, and everyone who was lucky enough to be at the stage during his maniacal set. I am so glad that I came back to catch Deadmau5 after realizing that The Prodigy (who I was most excited for) completely turned out to be a major letdown.

Here is a taste from far away to catch a full scope view of the crazy lights:




Here is a little bit closer of a view to provide a more raw intensity of what it was really like being up in the thick of the crowd during Deadmau5 at Ultra:




As I'd said earlier, aside from Simian Mobile Disco, Booka Shade made the day for me.

Well, if Booka Shade made the day for me, than Simian Mobile Disco made the night.

They brought it harder than I could have ever expected in every way imaginable.

I consider myself extremely lucky, along with everyone who was there to witness the spectacle that went down during Simian Mobile Disco. Ultra brought Simian their own mobile disco to blow our minds the entire set. There were at least ten acrobatic dancers onstage, all dressed in different costumes of freakishness. This was the ultimate creepy circus all dancing to every beat and move Simian made.

It was unbelievable! Simian Mobile Disco stood at the back of the stage, the two of them facing one another, encompassed by smoke. At the front of the stage was the freakshow. There was someone dressed up as a bunny with a pink umbrella when it was beautiful out (I could not tell whether it was a guy or a girl). There was a woman on stilts with a long feathery costume, and a bondage S&M bitch all scantly leathered out with spikes and a ball & chain. There were so many different types of costumed acrobatic dancers onstage that we didn't even know what to do with ourselves. Between the unbelievable music that Simian was throwing down, the lights of utter insanity blinding our retinas, and the dance show of freakish tripped out proportions it was nearing sensory overload.



















(Above: Dancers During Simian - Photo by Ian Matz)

Then an Asian man approached the front of the stage with no shirt on, and placed a balloon over his whole head. He then proceeded to blow up the balloon with his head inside it as it grew larger and larger. Before we knew it, we had a crazy shirtless gigantic balloon headed man in front of us and he was dancing his ass off to Simian, and pulling it over his chest while moving his arms pressing outwards on the balloon as he danced his ass off to Simian, in one of the trippiest, most unique combination of artistic dancing combined with earth shattering music that could possibly exist.

Simian Mobile Disco, along with Booka Shade, made my Ultra Music Festival experience absolutely 100% worth it. Here are a few clips from the Simian Set. I am waiting for more to surface which capture the mania of the dancers on stage & how they appeared, but here's a taste:







Ohhhh this one I just found shows the dancers onstage!!! I still want closer views in order for the details to be visible, but this will do for now!!!




Closing out Ultra, Simian Mobile Disco left an imprint on me and endless others that will last for quite a while. The vibe that existed throughout the entire day was one that is unparalleled to few things in this world, aside from a Phish show. A Phish show does way more for me in an endless list of ways, however the raw excitement and energy of the vibe at Ultra with so many people from everywhere in the world all there to party their asses off and have the time of their lives is a feeling that I would not have passed up for the world.

Not to mention that my friend who was taking me home knew some kids who were staying at the Opera Suites right near the new gigantic gorgeous Opera House and Symphony Hall built this past year. They had a suite on the 45th floor! We went back there to hang out a little bit after Ultra to rest, recoop, and wait until the traffic died down. The balcony was literally a bird's eye view of the entire Bay of Miami to the right, and the entire City of Miami all lit up to the left.

The Bay was a deep vast dark abyss to look out on at night, with one sole bright light in the midst of it all. It was a beautiful sight to see. What was most impressive however, was the endless view of the bright lights encompassing the massive City of Miami at night. The entire city all the way to the horizon was lit up and moving like some unbelievable futuristic Tron 2.0 world. I grew up down here and in my entire life have never seen a view like I saw the night after Ultra on the 45th Floor of the Opera Suites. It will stick with me forever, and in its own right made the entire day and night worth it, Ultra experience aside.

There are really some things in this life that you really just can't put a price on.