The Festival Buzz
Watkins Glen, New York
The Watkins Glen rumor mill got some strong spins this weekend from two conflicting sources. On Saturday, BandsThatJam.com, a blog based out of New York state, poured gasoline on an already-burning fire by claiming that Phish had signed contracts in place for an 8 set, 3 day Phish-only festival. This report came as a tremendous relief for Phish fans, many who had feared, based on last-week’s speculation, that the band’s festival might be encroached upon by the unwanted scene of The Dave Matthews Band. But as soon as Phish fans began celebrating and discussing summer plans, there came a retort.
Yesterday, Watkins Glen Racetrack President, Michael Printup, publicly denied these reports in the Elmira Gazette saying:
We don’t know who is putting that out. There are a bunch of erroneous sites out there. We’ve been working with a concert promoter. But we don’t even have a contract. It’s all wishful thinking. We haven’t even signed a contract with a promoter. You do that first. Then it’s up to him to see what band he gets…Watkins Glen International is looking at some kind of summer concert, but it’s too early to even start talking about bands.
But when Hidden Track.com‘s Scotty B reached out to Peter Stergion of BandsThatJam for clarification of their report, Stergion was quick to stand by his story. Stergion explained:
The WGI President has to deny the story. They can’t publicly confirm until all the loose ends have been tied up. Our source has given us credible, specific information. Our source is not a Phish fan so they wouldn’t even have the ability to make up the information which is very consistent with what Phish has done in the past.
While not getting any more specific on their, allegedly, rock solid source, Stergion went on to defended his report to Hidden Track:
We publish stories based on good information from good sources. We take a look at the circumstances of the information and decide whether or not it’s credible. In this case we believe this will happen so we published it…We never heard DMB mentioned by anyone in person or any sources from within Watkins Glen. We’re confident that Watkins Glen will be a Phish-only festival.
10.31.09 (G.Lucas)
Well, we’ve heard both sides of this hot topic, and while I am leaning towards believing the report of a Phish-only festival, who can know for sure? The Phish at Watkins Glen rumors have circulated for quite some time now, but a true scare came last week when The Dave Matthews Band, who shares a management company, announced 4 multi-day, multi-band festivals around the country this summer. The feared crossover of the Phish and Dave Matthews scenes seemed imminent, and plenty of people were quick to voice plenty of reasons why that was not a good idea. But let’s not even go there. Hopefully, that disaster has been averted. If such an atrocity ever materialized, be sure I’ll weigh with my two cents.
But for now we will wait…and wait. Phish announced their entire 2010 Summer Tour in March last year, but in 2009, they dropped their first set of dates in January and their second set in March. In short, we could hear any day between now an April. With both Trey and Mike about to kick off their own tours, one might guess that Phish wait until they are done to tell us their summer plans. But then again, who knows? Surrounding hotels (of which there are few) and RVs have already been booked around the Watkins Glen area based on buzz alone. And if I had to guess, 8 sets over 3 days sounds just right to end a tour. One can hope…
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Jam of the Day:
“Ghost” 7.23.97 II SBD
A seminal Summer ’97 version.
[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/7.23.97-Ghost-DSDB.mp3]
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DOWNLOAD OF THE DAY:
7.23.1997 Lakewood Amphitheatre, Atlanta, Georgia
FLAC Torrent (via etree), Mp3 Torrent, Megaupload < Links
The third show US Summer ‘97 capped a comic-book opening to US Summer ’97. Following Virginia Beach and Raleigh, Phish moved down to Atlanta and funked hard in their second visit to the venue. With, perhaps, the hottest “Ghost” of the summer and a smoking “YEM” the band left some legitmate jams in Atlanta, and they were off to Texas at the beginning of a revolutionary summer season. This show goes out via Twitter request to @LacobbieWan! (If you’re on Twitter, follow me @mrminer)
I: Julius, Dirt, NICU, Dogs Stole Things, Ginseng Sullivan, Water in the Sky, Limb By Limb, Split Open and Melt, Billy Breathes, Possum
II: Punch You in the Eye, Ghost > Sample in a Jar, You Enjoy Myself > Rocky Mountain Way* > Chalk Dust Torture
E: Frankenstein
Notes: *Debut, Joe Walsh cover
Source: Schoeps CMC641 > Sonasax > SBM-1 > DA-P1
Tags: 2011, Festivals, Rumors, Summer 2011
Yeah Palmer Trey goes berserk in that Ghost
I’ve only spun RCMH Ghost once, remember being floored. I know what I’m spinning tomorrow morning then 😀
i think both those ghosts have their own merits. would wanna have to choose between em.
i told myself that i would let my kids play with my (limited) vinyl collection. i bought a turntable a little bit ago – turntable lab had a sick deal. my dad has an extremely serious doo wop 45 collection….around 5000 45s. my brother and i were never allowed to even breathe near it…the records were like his babies. i am changing that up with my kids…my vinyl isn’t pristine, and i’m happy to buy a new stylus. hopefully i’ll build up some good records along the way and we can get that happening between us. 🙂
rcmh ghost. end of discussion. 😉
radio city is still THE ghost.
how’s book coming @ Miner? Can you gives a hint as to format, style?
an anthology that is split in half — one half deals with 2009/2010 and one half deals with band history. There are some twists will make it user friendly, and easy to choose your own course through the book. It will straddle the line of coffeetable book and bathroom book, something one can pick up and put down easily.
Don’t want to give away too much now, but I will be posting about it in a little bit.
Very nice layout, artistic design, great photos….I think it should work…
Sounds great. can’t wait for my copy. Hope you make a killing on it. for real.
me too man. 🙂 Though its all about getting through the first 5000, turning a small profit, and doing a second run….that’s when the big bucks start rolling in 😉
I’m sure it would be nice to put a few stacks in the bank after doing a whole lot of writing out of pure enjoyment over the years. I’m sure it will do great.
sounds killer Miner. hope it all goes smoothly. def know what i’m getting some of my people for xmas.
love the vinyl policy, @gdad. I think I might start getting multiple copies of cheap out-of-fashion dancehall albums and giving them to the kids. I figure even if they start talking slack the kids won’t no what it means and no american adult will be able to understand it…
Tons of ‘1 riddim’ double LPs are $0.40 a piece right now at ernie b’s. Makes me really wish I loved modern dancehall.
firing up 12.2.95 set II. All this Tweezer talk got me fired up earlier. Looks like a stellar set.
Set 2: Also Sprach Zarathustra, Maze, Simple -> Faht, Tweezer > A Day in the Life, Golgi Apparatus, The Squirming Coil, Tweezer Reprise
Encore: Bold As Love
ps….@AJ – bathroom sex by general echo….nice one on your mix…i just love that riddim in general. one of my faves. have no idea what it is, just know it from a few tunes.
smothers bros. pwn’d, joe. if you had some cosby albums, maybe some classical gas… ah, yuck. my parents’ collection sucked too. Roger” Effing Whittaker. Actually, screw that. Roger Effing Whittaker jams. Go listen to Mexican Whistler and then tell me he doesn’t have an impressive instrument at his disposal. And Chet Atkins has some really beautiful lines in that version of The Last Farewell.
um…
yeah, so maybe it rubbed off on me or something. Can’t explain it otherwise.
@miner
if you wouldn’t mind moderating a link-heavy comment I just made, I’d appreciate it. just needs to be posted with a bunch in there for context. thanks!
that tweez will punch you in the face. trey was not fucking around.
@sel – ha…been running AJs mix in the background here…my son said “i don’t like this music where i dont understand the words”. he’ll get it later…
12.2.95 Tweeze is not for the faint-hearted.
Dec. ’95 Phish meant fuckin bizness! Every show was a throw down. good times.
thanks, miner.
dang. one bad link. found an even “better” one instead
found it…vanity riddim…damn….found a mix on youtube of 20 tracks using it…some of my fave tunes too! i need to study up.
Last jam of the 7.23.97 Ghost sounds 20 Years Later -ish
hahaha @gdad
makes the listening guilt free. One day those kids are gonna bring the questions, though. “Daddy what does ‘blaze the chalice mean?”
bathroom sex riddim = vanity riddim
One of those that pops up everywhere. Love the Sammy Dread/Lone Ranger version of it (Rudeboys Fire M16/M16). Just changed my avatar from that M16 album cover not too long ago. (Good catch the other day on the Kiddus I @gdad, btw. Rockers!)
slow on the draw’d
Bathroom Sex is some dirty business, love it. That one goes out to the poop tent.
request for 2011
Set I- Hood, Slave, and 2001
Set II- Gin, Jim, and Stash
lets flip around some of the monsters. Maybe breath some life into the songs. Some of these have gotten stale of late.