Returning From The Desert
Festival 8 (A.Lansing)
I just got out of the festival where I was relying on a communal, camp wireless card the entire weekend. Gotta deal with the RV and drive up north tomorrow, and I should be getting back to regular posting by later this week. And boy is there a lot to say! Sunday’s night’s show easily vaulted to the top shelf of 3.0 offerings with a second set chock-full of chunky dance grooves and a whole lot more. We will be looking at Phish’s eighth festival from all sorts of angles…when I get home!
haha Mr C….. get your wook down!
just wanted to say thanks to everyone for posting the pictures. the site looks beautiful. i was trying to picture everything that i was reading about throughout the weekend.
saw some phans today around town and everyone was like, “Oh my God did you listen last night!?”
eventhough i couldnt make it to indio im so happy it happened.
I just got back to South Carolina an hour ago. 8 exceeded my expectations on every level. It was, simply, a euphoric, transcendent experience. I agree that Page was on fire all eight sets, but for me the props have to go to Trey, who seems to have recaptured a degree of technical virtuosity and precision he lost after ’98. Finally, Maze is the blisteringly fast exploration of the upper neck it was initially conceived of back in the day, rather than a flabby wake for a beached whale. (Full disclosure: I am one of those people for whom Trey cannot play “too many notes,” as Gordo put it). The musical progression of the band since Hampton has been exponential, but what happened during Ghost was a quantum leap into the future. Just my $.02 🙂
finally back to the normal page numbers on phish thoughts
ooohh im pumped for miners reviews
“We will be looking at Phish’s eighth festival from all sorts of angles… when I get home!”
nice, Nabby. I was definitely thinking of all the fans of the shred during that Maze. Pretty great.
haha yeah it was awesome to see the page numbers 123 and 124
Listening to Exile set again. Man, it is simply amazing this band can cover an entire album such as this, with so much material, with such ease. I have listened to the White Album and the Loaded sets. I was at the Remain in Light and Quadrophinia shows. The Remain set changed my life, blew me away, etc, etc. One of the best things I’ve ever experienced. White and Quad were amazing because of how much material there was and how well they were played. Loaded was great because they really put their own stamp on it, sort of. This Exile is just damn good soulfull rock n roll. Kick you in the pants and get you shakin in some parts, bring a tear to your eye in others. I guess I would say it contains a combination of the best things of the previous 4.
@halcyon. Im listening to the 10/30 “from the archives” what show is this from?
@MrC and CJ. Huge lost fan here as well. Those t-shirts were hilarious. The Bathtub Jin one had me rolling.
they really do need to truly nail a Bowie though.
I’m all on board with the glass 99.9% full view so don’t get me wrong. But I think every one of the other big workhorse tunes with a composed section has been nailed at least once – I mean a super tight composed part and a jam that’s at least interesting. Has there been one yet in 09? Not that I remember.
I mean if you can nail Fluff you should be able to get Bowie.
I don’t know why the fuck you would name your blog after Coventry, but those dudes nailed the Lost shirts for sure
punkmug … those were the from the archives show from this past weekend
I’m all on board with the glass 99.9% full view so don’t get me wrong. But I think every one of the other big workhorse tunes with a composed section has been nailed at least once – I mean a super tight composed part and a jam that’s at least interesting. Has there been one yet in 09? Not that I remember.
Bowie and YEM tend to be by-the-numbers jams since, well, 1997 or so. They seem to be drawing new life from Mike’s Song but I wasn’t bummed that Weekapaug didn’t show up last night either – it’s just…Weekapaug, you know?
Is there a tracked FM copy of the Archives show around? Haven’t seen any links about…
wow…listening to set eight. that was a GREAT tweezer and a very smooth transition into maze. well done phish.
Wax .. I think the links I posted were tracked … then again maybe not .. anyways here is what was played
Phish “From the Archives” #14 Part 1 with Kevin Shapiro
Live from Festival 8
Indio, CA
10/29/2009
Party Time (album version)
Possum 12/31/91 (dedicated to Shapiro’s friend Spinner)
Split Open and Melt > Catapult 12/31/99
Bathtub Gin 11/23/97
Lifeboy 10/29/95
Also Sprach Zarathustra > Suzy Greenberg -> Jam 11/13/96
The Squirming Coil 5/8/93
Phish “From the Archives” #14 (Part 2) with Kevin Shapiro
Live from Festival 8
Indio, CA
2PM PST 10/30/2009
Wilson 8/3/91 (Amy’s Farm)
Divided Sky 11/19/92
McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters 8/21/87
Stash 10/10/99
Makisupa Policeman > Piggies > Makisupa Policeman 11/19/85 (Kevin said it may possibly be 11/14/85)
Tweezer 12/2/95
Ghost 7/2/98
Phish “From the Archives” #14 (Part 3) with Kevin Shapiro
Live from Festival 8
Indio, CA
11/01/2009
Daniel (IT)
DwD > Carini > Taste > DwD Reprise 2/17/97
Earl’s Breakdown > Swing Low, Sweet Chariot 11/16/94
Light 8/7/09
Cities 7/31/98
On Your Way Down 8/3/88
Fluffhead 2/23/97
Quinn The Eskimo 12/29/99 (soundcheck)
Darien Lake Bowie 09 can compete.
Mr. Miner I’ve been reading your post faithfully for over a year now. Absolutely enjoy them. Got into Phish a couple of years ago, thanks to my snowboard teacher in Vermont and you have been a great guide for me. Thanks, Nancy. Lets go Yankees!
They need to nail a Bowie and they need to do it at Cobo>Cinci so my girl will STFU about not getting a live Bowie yet.
I am most def. ready for some football.
Just now getting to listen to the last set (fell asleep last night during setbreak 🙁 )…the Tweezer>Maze segue is slick, nice work Fish!
@Mr. C and Cow…enjoyed your chakra discussion, wifey even read it and we continued your discussion here…good stuff
@In Flagrante Delicto
Whoa, I was your neighbor Colin. Who knew we frequented the same website. It’s crazy seeing these shots of the campgrounds, I forgot a camera. Thanks for taking the pictures good luck at work.
10-5-00 Bowie was pretty good. I thought several of the 03′ Bowies went pretty far out there (2-28 for instance). But I agree, nothing too out of the ordinary in 09′.
I’ve decided to give up analyzing Phish and will just “be happy” that Phish exists and is doing something no one else can do. Indio may have been laid back but there was nothing “casual” about festival 8 (PHI8H). It was A Monster!!!
Good meeting you Marshall!
It’s gonna be interesting to see if Exile does have any lasting stylistic effects on the guys’ playing this fall…this Free really rocks AND there’s one point near the end where Trey’s licks actually border on dare I say bluesy (they at least have a lot more swing or soul than normal)…hmmm