Popular Late-Night host Jimmy Fallon has finalized the guests for his week recognizing the legendary Rolling Stones album Exile on Main Street. For every day of the week of May 10th, different artists will perform different songs off of the album to celebrate its deluxe reissue on May 18th. Here's the schedule of guests and predictions as to what I think they'll perform- feel free to disagree:
Monday, May 10: Green Day (Thinking "Rocks Off" or "Happy") Tuesday, May 11: Keith Urban ("Sweet Virginia") Wedensday, May 12: Sheryl Crow ("Tumbling Dice" or "Shine a Light") Thursday, May 13: Phish (Most likely "Loving Cup," but possibly "Torn and Frayed") Friday, May 14: Debut of Stones in Exile, a new documentary on the making of Exile
This will be a cool week for late night television, be sure to check these performances out.
If Spring wasn't in the air already, Phish summer tour dates will certainly do the trick. The band just announced their two-legged summer tour which will bring them to both US coasts over 29 dates. The tour includes a 3 night stand at the Greek and the big Telluride dates that have been rumored for the past month or so. See on tour!
Phish Summer 2010 Tour: 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
Next Tuesday, February 9th will be the official announcement of the Bonnaroo 2010 line-up, however some artists have already blown their cover and others have garnered much speculation. The Flaming Lips will perform a late-night set this year in which they will cover Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety as they did for their New Year's Eve show this past year. Also, LiveDaily reports, Paul Simon will be one of the headliners at this years Bonnaroo. As for the other headliners, many suspect that Paul McCartney will fill one void, while the other is a bit of a tossup (Pavement? Furthur? Jay-Z?). Many jam fans are banking on a solid lineup for Bonnaroo this year due to the cancellations of Rothbury and 10,000 Lakes Festival. I have a voice in the back of my head telling me not to hold out for the 'Roo though. My phavorite Vermont band will be announcing their summer tour in the next week or so, and I wouldn't be surprised if they will be doing a New England festival like they traditionally do. So Bonnaroo, you may have some competition this summer because Phish has the history of attracting mammoth sized crowds to their New England festivals. Just thought I'd give you a heads up!
With Trey off doing his own TAB tour and what appears to be no Phish until summer tour (although there have been rumors of a Haiti benefit), Mike Gordon will keep himself occupied with a couple of projects. First off, Mike will do a series of dates in March with his solo band that includes Max Creek's Scott Murawski (one of the most underrated guitarists at the moment) along with Craig Myers, Tom Cleary, and Todd Isler. The tour is brief, but will cover much of the northeast. Mike is also involved with a project where he is teaming up with his mother Marjorie Minkin and tech guru Jamie Robertson for a display in the Boston Children's museum. The project, titled "Another Side of In" combines Minkin's painted plastic sculptures with loops from Gordon's 2003 album Inside In. The exhibit will be on display until March 31st.
March 5 – Troy, NY Revolution Hall, March 6 – New Haven, CT Toad’s Place March 7 – Stroudsburg, PA Sherman Theatre March 9 – Baltimore, MD Rams Head Live! March 11 – Charlottesville, VA Jefferson Theatre March 12 – Philadelphia, PA Theatre of the Living Arts March 13 – Northampton, MA Pearl Street March 14 – Lebanon, NH Lebanon Opera House mike-gordon.com
I have finally caught up on enough sleep to put into words some of what took place this past week in Miami, Florida. One of seven in my wolfpack, I'm sure all of my buddies would agree, it was a unique and memorable experience. By day, downtown Miami is hustling and bustling with workers of various kinds going in and out of shops that may or may not be drug fronts. One of my buddies came to the conclusion that it looked like a European tourist destination circa the 1980's- lots of really outdated stores selling outdated appliances, but nonetheless making a living. Nightfall is when Miami seems to thrive. The skyline is gorgeous and the temperature is warm enough to lie on a grassy knoll at any time and watch the harbor for hours on end. This weekend, however, was not an average one for the already energetic city. Come 12:30 AM, hoards of Phans began flooding the streets, guided by the hissing sounds of the nearest nitrous tank or navigating the nearest arepa vendor to qualm their post-show munchies. The Miami police seemed lost and confused by this population of folks and really had no clue where to start. But alls well that ends well, and the music outweighed any form of crazy lot activity that ravaged the surrounding areas of the American Airlines Arena.
Night One was still a traveling day for many, so the energy of the crowd wasn't ideal, but it didn't detract from the most important thing: the music. Kicking the run off with a blistering "Sample In a Jar," the first set was fun and adventurous. The first highlight for me was "Roggae" which is one of my favorite songs and one which I among others have been waiting to hear considering they were yet to play it since their hiatus. It wasn't the best or tightest version I have heard, but the mere fact that they played it gave me overwhelming joy. A mid-set "Stash" was the highlight of the night for most folks. Personally, I thought they wandered a bit in the middle, but when they collected themselves towards the end of the jam, Trey's crescendos and build-up were as energetic as I've ever heard and they really blew the crowd away. A set ending "Possum" was very focused and well-played- the best version of the tune I've heard thus far. Set 2 kicked off with a "Mike's Song">"Light">"I Am Hydrogen">"Weekapaug Groove" that was absolutely face-melting. Many have criticized "Light" as it is a new tune and the band is still getting their footing when playing it live, but this version was exploratory and dynamic, shedding a whole new light (no pun intended) on the song. "Harry Hood" is a personal favorite, but the version on this particular night did not come together like others I have experienced. I enjoyed the version, but it took a while to envelope and when it eventually did, it was not as explosive as it could have been. "Character Zero" ended the set with the great energy that has come to be expected of the song, but stacked up short next to the booming encore of "First Tube." One of Phish's only instrumental tunes, Trey Anastasio was hopping and dancing on stage has he made his way up and down the neck while Mike Gordon's bass practically shook the floor of the entire arena. It was a great way to cap off a splendid first night that would basically act as a warm up to the next three.
By the looks of it on paper, night 2 looked like nothing special. A lot of later material and not of early bust-outs may look disappointing on a setlist, but the best thing about this band is that they can make magic out of anything. The first set had some obscure rarities such as Undermind's "The Connection" and "Access Me" which were fun to hear and were interesting breathers stacked up next to heavy hitters like "Maze" and "The Divided Sky." My favorite tune of the first set was the fan-favorite "Reba." A song that I have always enjoyed but never worshiped the way many phans do, this particular version blew me away and shed a whole new light on the song for me. Set 2 is when the show really launched. After an opener of "Kill Devil Falls," the band plunged into a melange of non-stop funk and rock. An always groovy "Tweezer" segued right into the fist pounding "Prince Caspian." The jams didn't stop there as they transitioned into a "Gotta Jibboo">"Wilson">"Gotta Jibboo" sandwich which may have been the best part of the night. Still continuing, the band was a bit rougher in their segue into "Heavy Things," but it produced one of the best jams of the weekend. This tune is normally written off by many fans because of its poppy sound, but they really stretched out on it and gave the song a whole new meaning for me. Not stopping yet again, the band followed up with "2001" which is the biggest mindbender of funk in Phish's repertoire and let CK5, aka lighting designer Chris Kuroda, strut his stuff. Finally, to cap off the series of non-stop jams, Phish returned to one of their classic compositions, "Slave To The Traffic Light" as a slow-rocking set ender. As an encore, they pulled out the obscure lullably-esque "Sleeping Monkey" which displays Fishman's fine falsetto and led us to the greatest possible Phish show-ender "Tweezer Reprise." In my opinion, this was the best show of the run, but I still had 2 more ahead of me.
The 30th was another special night for longtime fans and new faces alike. This particular show was one of old bust-outs, sweet covers and Phish classics. Kicking the set off with the Bob Marley party-starter "Soul Shakedown Party," I knew this was going to be a fun set. After "Runaway Jim" and ZZ Top's "Jesus Just Left Chicago," the band debuted Hank Williams' "Dixieland Cannonball" which was a fun little ditty and took all fans off guard. My favorite of the set was the bust-out of an 80's Phish regular, the bluesy "Corrina," originally made famous by Taj Mahal. I love the harmonies that Phish puts on this tune and it's the right amount of mellow and funky to fall right in the middle of the set. Continuing with the rarities, us fans were treated to "What's the Use?" and the first "Tela" since 1998. "Tela" is a Gamehenge tune that is always towards the top of the request lists of long time fans and was played to an ecstatic reception. Phish then debuted a new original, "Gone," which is off of their new side-album Party Time. The bluegrassy "Rocky Top," which I thought might have been busted out the night before during the encore, kept fans on their toes as they then ended the set with standard versions of "Chalkdust Torture" and "David Bowie." The band was relentless as they kicked off the first set with the first "Sand" since before their hiatus. "The Curtain With" is always a unique musical journey and one that they have been nailing since their trainwreck version to end Coventry in 2004. Keeping up with the spacey and cathartic jams, they followed up with a rare "Lifeboy" which was slow but by no means drained the crowd. They really got experimental for a 17 minute "Back On The Train" which went all over the place, but not in a bad way. Everyone knew some sort of goofiness was about to ensue when Trey hopped on drums for "HYHU," which meant Fishman was up to something. In the middle of "Love You," Fishman brought out his signature Electrolux vacuum, but had already told the crowd 2 nights previous that that night would be his last vacuum solo of the decade. This meant he had to find someone who "looked like him" to play the Electrolux. He pulled Rich, a lucky fan who was sporting Fishman's signature mumu, out of the crowd to honk on the vacuum and then shocked everyone by presenting Rich with the legendary Electrolux to keep. This series of events pumped everyone up and the band proceeded with a mind-splitting "Free" which is one of my favorite of Phish's standard rock songs. Mike Gordon broke out his Meatlball bass compressor for the supremely funky Stevie Wonder tune "Boogie on Reggae Woman." The set ended with the best "Run Like an Antelope" I have ever heard- one of those tunes that really varies from version to version but is always exciting. As an encore, Page McConnell broke out his giant keytar for a psychedelic take on Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein." On second thought, this may have been my favorite show of the run. It's too tough to tell when you're bombarded by such awesome music!
It was hard to believe it was already the 31st, and tonight we were all going to be treated to 3 sets by our favorite band. Before we knew it, we were grooving to Mike's chunky bass for an "AC/DC Bag" opener, which was fantastic foreplay for the celebration that the night would present. "46 Days" is a tune that never really got to see its glory when it came out earlier in the decade, but it is way funky and got everyone moving. The "Bathtub Gin" that everyone was waiting for made its way into the first set, but the follow-up "Punch You In The Eye" is one of my favorite live pump-up songs and this one didn't let me down. "The Moma Dance" is perhaps the funkiest Phish song there is and it marked the point at which I started to perspire from getting down in the dead center aisle of section 314. "Guyute" is one of my favorite compositions and the band really came alive during the heavier section in the middle of the song. I have really enjoyed seeing "Seven Below" this year and this night's version was no different because it is the perfect balance of energy and spaciness and Trey's guitar perfectly floats above the groove that the rest of the band lays down. A blistering "Julius" rounded out the first set and already I felt like I had sat through a whole show. The Velvet Underground's "Rock and Roll" initiated set number 2 and put the crowd back into gear as it always does. The jam off of the cover brought the band to a 10 minute "Piper" which was airy enough to provide the perfect opportunity to reflect on the past year and anticipate the coming one. I was pleased to hear "Simple," a feel-good tune with an infectious riff and then the bass driven "Theme From the Bottom." The highlight of the set was a very heavy "Ghost" which saw one of the water vendors in the section next to me drop his beverage bucket in order to get down with some of the ladies in the aisle. The tail end of "Ghost" even brought the band to the first "NO2" in a long time which is basically Mike Gordon whispering random sayings into the mic, but many of the more seasoned fans clutched its nostalgia factor and smiled. They capped off set 2 was "Suzy Greenberg" which is normally a burst of energy, but in my opinion has been over-played since their reunion, considering the song used to be a rare fan-favorite. The new year was just a short time away and we had a small breather to get to the ideal viewing spot. The New Year's set was finally upon us and we were as close to the floor as we could get thanks to a very kind ticket taker (side note: the employees of the American Airlines Arena were some of the kindest and most hilarious people I have seen- they really ate up the whole experience and I can't wait to see a show there again). Just before midnight, the band kicked off with the "Cars, Trucks, Buses"-esque new tune "Party Time" which included a countdown and the dropping of a disco ball. Balloons descended from everywhere and an overwhelming sense of joy occupied the whole arena as the band played "Auld Lang Syne." Apparently Trey wanted to kick off the new decade in style because the song of the week, "Down With Disease," came next. The band absolutely exploded, all the way from Mike's wet bass to begin to Trey's seemingly endless crescendos. The band and the crowd alike were in their glory. When the band wrapped it up, the removal of a curtain revealed a large cannon. In the center of the stage, the disco ball that had descended opened up and who else but Jon Fishman hopped inside. He was loaded into the cannon and "shot through the roof." Following the popular saying, the show must go on and the band looked to the crowd for a new drummer. They picked a stout woman name Sara, who claimed to have been playing for 6 months, but wanted to join the band for her favorite song, "Fluffhead." The tune started rough, thanks to the sloppiness of Sara on drums, but when the verse kicked in, she proved to be overwhelmingly good, leading us to realize that she was, in fact, Fishman in disguise. "Fluffhead," like "Suzy Greenberg," is another song that I thought was a bit overkill in 2009, but when they really get into the compositional part and then return to the chorus, there is no greater energy burst and it is hard to really get sick of. "Joy" was met by groans from some audience members, but it definitely exceeded expectations and by no means "killed the set." Page's delicate piano on "The Squirming Coil" gave way to one of the better "You Enjoy Myself"'s I have ever witnessed and set 3 came to a close. The encore started with Trey thanking all the folks involved with the weekend while Page tickled the ivories on "Blue Moon." After going through a lengthy list of names and making a crack about nitrous dealers in the lot, the band hopped on their instruments for one more. "Loving Cup," a Rolling Stones cover that really meant a lot to me when they encored with it at my first show, was the perfect way to round out a weekend of surprises, classics, and all around good music. New Years celebrations never seem to live up to their hype, but spending the New Year with my favorite band and some good friends exceeded anything I had in mind.
for photos and setlists from the weekend, as well as all things Phish, be sure to visit phish.com
Are you like me and missed one of the most epic music events of the year this past weekend in Indio, CA? Well luckily, for those of us who were not at Phish's Festival 8 this past weekend, it seems as though a 3-D concert film will be made from the event similar to the U2 3-D movie that was recently released. As reported by the Desert Sun:
"Phish is getting a wide theatrical release next year of the 3D movie they shot at Festival 8. Their advertising and publicity budget will be tiny compared to other nationally distributed films because they have such a direct relationship with their fans online."
No details about a release date have been specified, but considering the rave reviews that the U2 film got, this is definitely something for Phish fans to look forward to.
This past weekend was Phish's Festival 8 at the empire Polo Grounds in Indio, CA. For all of you east coasters like myself who couldn't make the trip, here are some setlists and photos to help give you a sense of this unbelievable weekend. The special Halloween "costume set" on Saturday was the Rolling Stones classic "Exile on Main St." and was assisted by the incredible Sharon Jones on backup vocals, as well as a horn section consisting of David Guy, Tony Jarvis, and David Smith, and backup singer Saundra Williams. Sunday also featured Phish's first ever all acoustic day set. Phishbills (a play on Playbill) were circulated throughout the Festival Grounds which not only unveiled the costume album, but just about ensured the 2009 New Years Eve run in Miami at the American Airlines Arena. Check out the setlists and photos below.
Friday, October 30th, 2009 Set I: Party Time, Chalkdust Torture, Moma Dance, NICU, Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan, Stash, I Didn't Know, Poor Heart, Cavern, Beauty of a Broken Heart, Ocelot, Time Turns Elastic Set II: Punch You In The Eye, Down With Disease > Prince Caspian > Wolfman's Brother > Piper > Joy, David Bowie*, Harry Hood, Golgi Apparatus Encore: Character Zero Saturday, October 31st, 2009 Set I (Afternoon): Sample In A Jar, The Divided Sky, Lawn Boy, Kill Devil Falls, Bathtub Gin, The Squirming Coil, Runaway Jim > Possum, Run Like An Antelope Set II (Night) - The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main St.: Rocks Off, Rip This Joint, Shake Your Hips, Casino Boogie, Tumbling Dice, Sweet Virginia, Torn and Frayed, Sweet Black Angel, Loving Cup, Happy, Turd On The Run, Ventilator Blues > I Just Want To See His Face, Let It Loose, All Down The Line, Stop Breaking Down, Shine A Light Soul Survivor Set III (Night): Backwards Down the Number Line > Fluffhead, Ghost, When the Circus Comes, You Enjoy MyselfEncore: Suzy Greenberg *Exile on Main St. & Suzy Greenberg featured Sharon Jones, David Guy, Tony Jarvis, David Smith & Saundra Williams
Sunday, November 1st, 2009 Set I (Afternoon Acoustic): Water In The Sky, Back On The Train, Brian And Robert, Invisible, Strange Design, Mountains in the Mist, The Curtain With, Army Of One, Sleep Again, My Sweet One, Let Me Lie, Bouncing Around The Room, Train Song, Wilson, McGrupp And The Watchful Hosemasters Encore: Driver, Talk, Secret Smile Set II (Night): AC/DC Bag, Rift, Gotta Jibboo, Heavy Things, Reba, The Wedge, Guelah Papyrus, Undermind, Sparkle, Split Open & Melt Set III (Night): Tweezer > Maze, Free, Sugar Shack, Limb By Limb, Theme From The Bottom, Mike's Song > 2001 > Light > Slave to the Traffic Light Encore: Grind, Esther, Tweezer Reprise Photos courtesy of jambase.com
As Phish nerds like myself anxiously await the arrival of Halloween, we will take any hint we can get regarding Phish's "costume set" at Halloween weekend's Festival 8. Earlier this month, Phish put 99 album covers on their website as possibilities for this Halloween cover set. Every day, albums have been killed off, but we are still a long way away from finding out that final gem. Today, livemusicblog.com posted what appears to be a layout of a festival campground featuring many Kid A themed areas and roads. Radiohead's Kid A is on the list of potential albums, so if this is a real map from a credible source, which is questionable by its appearance, then it looks like we may see a Radiohead set. Check out the map for yourself.
Despite what your "underground" friends might tell you, Bonnaroo is still leading the pack in terms of large-scale music festivals. While music snobs (including myself at times) have complained about how commercial the festival has gotten, in concordance with gigantic attendance rates and sometimes questionable lineup choices, they still get the biggest names in the music business and find ways to make their artist lineup extremely diverse. I heard nothing but excellent reviews from those who caught this past summer's festival, but it was meant to be with headliners like Phish, Bruce Springsteen, and the Beastie Boys. A DVD of Bonnaroo 2009 is set to release in December, but the track listing was recently released. You can pre-order this DVD now and be automatically entered to watch a set of your choice from the soundboard or a special viewing platform at Bonnaroo 2010.
Bonnaroo 2009 DVD Tracklisting: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band – Outlaw Pete Phish- Down With Disease Beastie Boys – Intergalactic Snoop Dogg – I Wanna Love You Elvis Costello with Jenny Lewis and Her Sound – Go Away Ben Harper and Relentless7- Fly One Time Andrew Bird- Fitz and the Dizzyspells The Decemberists- The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid Del McCoury Band – Moneyland Coheed and Cambria – Welcome Home Amadou & Mariam – Masiteladi Santigold – L.E.S. Artistes Zac Brown Band – Who Knows Passion Pit – Little Secrets Raphael Saadiq – Keep Marchin’ Cage the Elephant- Ain’t No Rest For the Wicked
Everyone's favorite Vermont jammers have announced a series of east coast dates for this fall. Coming off of a 2-leg summer tour as well as last month's release of their latest studio album Joy, fans are becoming newly acquainted with Phish's fresh material and reacquainted with the sound they had yearned for in their 5-year hiatus. The big highlight in this list of dates is Phish's 3-night stand at New York's Madison Square Garden, a venue familiar to Phish fans for their monumental New Year's Eve shows. The tour also includes multiple night stops in Albany, Philadelphia, and Cincinnati. The ticket request period is currently underway at http://phish.portals.musictoday.com/ and will end on October 16th. Tickets will go on sale to the public beginning Friday, October 23rd with additional dates going on sale Saturday, October 24th. Its certainly shaping up to be a terrific fall, but please, if you're a scalper, STAY THE HELL AWAY!
Phish Fall Tour 2009: 11/18 Cobo Arena, Detroit, MI 11/20 U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, OH 11/21 U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, OH 11/22 War Memorial at Oncenter, Syracuse, NY 11/24 Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA 11/25 Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA 11/27 Times Union Center, Albany, NY 11/28 Times Union Center, Albany, NY 11/29 Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, ME 12/02 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY 12/03 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY 12/04 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY 12/05 John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, VA
Just posted today on Phish's website is a gallery of album covers which could possibly act to narrow down which album will be covered on Halloween. For those who are unfamiliar with Phish's Halloween tradition, every Halloween Phish performs a "costume" set where they cover an entire album by an artist or band whom they are inspired by. While many have speculated as to which album they will play during their costume set at Halloween weekend's Festival 8, there have been no hints given by the band until now. Among the numerous albums displayed on their website are some that could've been predicted such as Thriller (in memory of Michael Jackson), Exile on Main St. (Phish frequently covers "Loving Cup" from this Stones classic), and Fear of Music (they also commonly pull out a funky cover of "Cities" from this Talking Heads album), but the plethora of covers also shows some that come as a complete surprise like MGMT's Oracular Spectacular, Beastie Boys' Hello Nasty, and the White Stripes' Get Behind Me Satan. Seeing as how the website says Phish will play the "last record left alive," I'm sure they will sporadically take albums away leaving one in the end for all Phishheads to enjoy. Take a peek at the gallery for yourself at phish.com. Phish will perform this costume set at Festival 8 which will take place 10/30-11/1 at the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, CA.
Since their announcement of Festival 8 in August, Phish have given few details and hints towards the upcoming Halloween weekend Festival in Indio, CA. Fans of Phish know that Halloween is a special time where Phish dedicates an entire set as a "Costume Set," where they cover an entire album of another artist or band whom they are inspired by. While the band has not revealed yet what album they are costuming, they did announce today that they will be playing their first ever all acoustic set. Throughout the 3-day festival, they will be be playing 8 sets and this special acoustic set will lie at the crack of noon on the last day (Sunday 11/1). For all those folks who plan to party hard at the festival on Halloween night, you may have a tough wakeup the next morning, but it will all be worth it to hear this special set. Phish have also included that "coffee and donuts will be served."
When was the last time you put on patchouli oil and patchwork for a night out with the New York Philharmonic? Hopefully your answer to this question is never, but this past Saturday evening, boundaries were broken as a diverse crowd packed Carnegie Hall to hear Phish frontman Trey Anastasio play two sets of original compositions with the New York Philharmonic. While I was unfortunately not in attendance, the reviews of this show were phenomenal across the board. Included in the set were Phish classics such as "You Enjoy Myself," "Guyute," and "The Divided Sky," and also new tunes like "Let Me Lie," and the 23-minute multi-movement "Time Turns Elastic." The experience was said to be amazing by many in the crowd and by the look on Trey's face (see video below), it was clear he was overwhelmed with joy. Click here to read the New York Times review of the show. Below is a video snippet of "You Enjoy Myself." The video quality is mediocre, but the crowd's reaction when Trey hits the high notes (see about 4:35) gives you a good sense of what it was like.
Trey Anastasio and the New York Philharmonic: 9/12/09 Set I: First Tube, The Inlaw Josie Wales, Brian and Robert, The Divided Sky, Water In The Sky, Pebbles and Marbles, Guyute Set II: Time Turns Elastic, Let Me Lie, You Enjoy Myself Encore: If I Could
On another, more negative note, it was reported by many sources that the amount of nitrous gas dealers camped outside the venue was both very heavy and very clear. Any who have gone to a number of shows or festivals in the past few years are probably aware that these nitrous dealers have become more and more common at music gatherings as of recent. While many enjoy using this substance despite its numerous health hazards, most would agree that these vendors are detrimental to the live music experience and the community of fans as a whole. The sale of this gas is causing police officers to teem concert parking lots and many believe (although nothing is confirmed), that a murder at this summer's Gathering of the Vibes festival was a result of foul play over nitrous. Personally, to hear about these dealers running nitrous operations outside of Carnegie Hall, one of the most beautiful, historic, and respected venues in the world, while Trey Anastasio is inside trying to crush stereotypes by performing to a diverse crowd of people is one of those moments that makes me question, "What has the world come to?" Thats just my two cents, but I'd be interested to hear yours.
In 1983, four shaggy dudes from Vermont decided to form a jamband based around a series of characters from the head of their lead singer. Since then, Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon, Page McConnell, and Jon Fishman, collectively known as Phish have been the root of worship for a mass of followers. Today, Joy, Phish's eleventh studio album and their first in five years was released. While Phish has been criticized by many longtime "Phans" for becoming too poppy on their previous few albums, most rely on their marathon-like live shows to fill their Phish appetites. While many will probably claim that Joy is no different and that it is too overproduced to rank up with classics such as Junta and Rift, the fact of the matter is, in many ways, this album is extremely experimental.
Reuniting with Billy Breathes producer Steve Lillywhite, Phish's grand return to the studio has shown a tremendous maturation in their songwriting as well as a great care to detail in the instrumentation and overall sound of the record. The album starts of with Anastasio belting, "Happy, happy, oh my friend," in the single "Backwards Down the Number Line." Serving as a true declaration that they are back, this tune matches the pop appeal of the Farmhouse classic "Heavy Things," but clocks in at over five and a half minutes to provide ample space for Anastasio to give a classic "Trey" solo. It is clear that Joy spits up many of the feelings, experiences, and events that occurred in the five years the band took off. "Kill Devil Falls" shows Trey's commitment to both sobriety and his bandmates, singing "I've learned my lesson" and "This time will be different,"while the title track , "Joy" is passionately written for Anastsio's sister, who unfortunately passed away from cancer this past year. While "Joy" lacks the punch and solo-space of other tracks, its chord structure and beautiful lyrics create a bittersweet and emotional listening experience that adds a whole different angle to the album as a whole. "Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan" has a "Character Zero"-esque spark and a chorus exclaiming "Got a blank space where my mind should be," that is sure to calculate very well live while "Ocelot" has a hook that will definitely rattle around in your head until you're sick of it. Mike Gordon's songwriting contribution, "Sugar Shack" is a nice attempt, but lacks the goopy bass and zany lyrics that are expected of Gordo, sounding more like a track off of his latest solo album, The Green Sparrow. Another track that doesn't quite match the energy of the rest of the album is the final track, "Twenty Years Later." Page McConnell provides a playful interlude with "I Been Around," which takes phans back to the days of "Lawn Boy." Then there's Trey's grand composition, "Time Turns Elastic." This song lacks the immediate draw of some of the the album's earlier tracks, but ranks towards the top when given multiple listens. Lasting over 13 minutes, Trey composed this song to be performed for the first time by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. "The Divided Sky" and "You Enjoy Myself" are two other Phish songs that are often recognized as compositions, but what separates "Time Turns Elastic" from the other two is that the lyrics extend throughout the whole song. The various instrumental sections of the song are matched beautifully by their vocal counterparts, equating to thirteen minutes and thirty seconds of musical bliss.
Joy will get a mixed reception to begin with, but the album as a whole ranks up there with many of their other studio albums and is a perfect representation of where Phish is in their musical journey. The album is extremely lyrically sophisticated and shines a spotlight on Trey Anastasio, whose personal struggles can finally be laid to rest with the album's release. Trey can wear this album like a badge of honor as he and his bandmates continue in their musical travels and their reconnected friendships. As for us listeners, it is clear that Phish is back and with a new collection of tunes and experiences to share with us all.
Phish's new album, Joy, is set to release this Tuesday, September 8th. Those of you like me who cannot wait to hear these tracks are in luck because you can hear the entire album for free on Phish's myspace page. So far, my personal favorites are "Backwards Down the Number Line" and "Ocelot," but thats simply due to familiarity. Every track that I've heard thus far is great and no matter what some stuck-up Phish snobs might complain to you about, the boys are back, both live and in the studio. Joy will be officially released this Tuesday, but there is also an opportunity on Phish's website to pre-order the CD, the vinyl, or the special Joy Box which contains Joy, a whole separate album entitled Party Time, a DVD containing live footage from various dates of Phish's recent summer tour, a collection of posters, and other special features. All pre-orders from the Phish site include a download code for the album the day that it releases so that you do not have to wait for it to be shipped. 2 MORE DAYS!!!!!
