Off the Shelves in 2012
Jones Beach 2012 (Shelly Siegel)
Bustouts—some live for em, others are apathetic, but they always make for entertaining talking points in the fan community. Here are my top bustouts of the year that just past.
6) “Buried Alive” 6/7, Worcester, MA— More significant than the fact that Phish played “Buried Alive” for the first time in a year was the fashion in which they played it. By opening Worceter’s first show—and the entire year—with the old-school instrumental, the band gave an implicit message to fasten our seat belts for the oncoming ride. Not only was the show that followed one of the year’s best, but 2012 was the most impressive year of the modern era. Evoking the days of old school musical antics, the guys wrapped this show’s smoking second set with a “Buried Alive” reprise out of “Cavern,” the perfect finale to the opening night of 2012.
[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/1.01-Buried-Alive.mp3,http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/2.08-Cavern.mp3,http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/2.09-Buried-Alive.mp3]***
Loaded
***
4) “Shaggy Dog” 6/22, Cincinnati, OH—Riverbend’s 2012 installment featured the most impressive first set of Leg One, including the bustout of “Shaggy Dog” for the first time since Fall ’95 (574 shows) and the second time since since 1988! A relic of Phish’s earliest era, this was a song most of us first heard on the Ian’s Farm tape of 8/21/87 and certainly a piece that most in attendance in Cincinnati had never heard live. This bustout was an early sign that this would be an awesome night by the Ohio River.
[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/1.04-Shaggy-Dog.mp3]***
The White Album
3) “Happiness is A Warm Gun” 7/3, Wantagh, NY—In the middle of Jones Beach’s first set of the weekend, the band plucked this Beatles classic out of thin air. Having performed the song only once during “The White Album” set on Halloween ’94, the gap between versions clocked in at 658 shows! Needless to say, this was a first for most of the crowd on Long Island that night. I’ve always loved this song, making this bustout especially meaningful for yours truly. You gotta’ love the Phab Four playing the Fab Four in any format.
[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/1.05-Happiness-is-a-Warm-Gun.mp3]***
2) “Roses Are Free Jam” 6/8, Worcester, MA—If I was being shamefully subjective, I’d put this moment at number one. After April 3, 1998 in Nassau I jonesed for another “Roses” jam very badly. Salvation finally came in the swamps of Florida as Phish dropped a monumental version to bring up the sun of the new millennium, but since that timeless passage brought the darkness into light, the band had strictly used the Ween cover as a straight forward cover sans improvisation despite the launch pad it presented. Pretty much every time it dropped over the next decade, friends and I would exchange looks of sarcastic anticipation in jest of the routinely ignored possibility. Needless to say, when the band didn’t stop the song and swam into open waters during the first set of Worcseter’s second show, my head nearly exploded. This was the moment for which I’d been waiting for so many years, and the subsequent jam was one of my favorite parts Leg One.
[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/1.04-Roses-are-Free.mp3]***
Little Feat
1) “Skin it Back” 7/3 Wantagh, NY—I remember looking at old-school setlists in The Pharmer’s Almanac back in the day and seeing a song called “Skin It Back.” Upon looking it up, I learned it was a Little Feat song. Hmm, Little Feat, that band of “Waiting For Columbus,” that album my buddy rocked so often in high school. That’s about as far as I ever got with the song until this summer. As Phish began the song to kick off the Jones Beach stand last summer, I and many others were sure we were finally getting the return of “Spanish Moon” for the first time since Halloween 2010, but the band was digging much deeper. Within a verse or so, it was clear what was going on, Phish had exhumed that song I read about so many years ago—”Skin it Back!” This performance represented the biggest bustout of all time—literally—with a gap lof 1,417 shows between appearances, and when the band jammed out the song to commemorate its return they left little doubt that it would be an occasion that every fan would remember.
[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/1.02-Skin-It-Back.mp3] Tags: 2012, Songs
Hola BB!
2012 had some great bustouts for sure with JB gettin some love. Good thing cause we may not get back there this year thanks to Sandy.
Been sick for a bit and haven’t had much time to read-up on comments……any new/interesting 2013 rumors surface over the weekend?
La Grange…
@chonz- that is cool to hear almost dead sounds good. tommy hamilton from brother’s past is part of that lineup. bp used to play at a house i lived in during the mid/late ’90’s. they would sometimes play a third late night grateful dead set during those parties. hamilton’s grateful dead chops were very good. the music never stops.
@chonz- that is cool to hear almost dead sounds good. tommy hamilton from brother’s past is part of that lineup. bp used to play at a house i lived in during the mid/late ’90′s. they would sometimes play a third late night grateful dead set during those parties. hamilton’s grateful dead chops were very good. the music never stops.
Does anyone have mr bongo mix in there orange? Seems to be gone from the webz.
People always forget YEM -> Shaggy Dog from St. Andrews Hall in 1992. It is the “Suck It!” YEM. Miner has in the archives, I believe. Check it out.
That is all,
-Aqua-
Loved JB1. I know peeps haze that place, but I have never had an issue and the boys play durn good up in there.
Congrats BigJig!
double congrats, bigjig!
JB #line ftw!
nice, Heady. I wasn’t familiar with Tom Hamilton before listening last night, but he definitely has some good chops and his vocals were the beset of the bunch. It was cool to hear him and Scott trade leads. I’ll have to check out some old Brother’s Past shows on the archive.
Congrats bigjig.
Almost Dead SBD
http://www.glidemagazine.com/hiddentrack/photos-and-sbd-matrix-recording-joe-russos-almost-dead/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+HiddenTrack+%28Hidden+Track%29
DCU Carini > Dick’s Carini > MSG > Carini
I’m no phishy like our gracious host. he knows our shit.
but after spinning some new phish this weekend hands down nearest Carini gettin over pimped. not saying MSG Carini is bad but musically back to back pales in comparison to the DCU masterpiece.
DCU hands down the winner. so many beautiful flowing themes. very creative jam with tons of motion.
that Woosta Carini not gettin enough love
have fun kids
back to work.
and def congrats Big Jig. great news. can’t wait to see you and the rest of the new family soon.
RL, any chance you being in the room at DCU and not a MSG has any factoring in your ranking?
I am one to weigh more the versions I was in the room for over other pamped versions. ymmv.
Truth
Wasn’t there for any of them and totally agree.
the bummer about this bustout playlist is that I got through the list too fast.
all bust and no jam makes me need more music quicker
#phirstworldphorlyphe
Let It Loose, Lonesome Cowboy Bill, and Shine a Light were personal bustouts.
That is quite the review for Almost Dead!
I try not too PB
that’s why I like to go back and look at them after a couple months.
I tend to not get caught all up in the live phish thing. they are just a rock n roll band to me.
and back to back I just found the DCU version to be extremely tightly thematic and rolling. very clean almost compositional psych rock
MSG Phish finds a good beat and Trey plays a heavy riff but I still think it needed to be taking home to some kind of conclusion to really finish the jam
but since I’d probably say Gorge RnR is probably jam of return still don’t think I have much problem given hype to jams I wasn’t at
others should give the 3 Carini taste test. I’m sure some my find it similar.
Tweezer from MSG grew on me but Carini kinda faded the more I spun em.
Congrats. Jig. twins!
i was at neither DCU nor msg, and I prefer the DCU carini to the msg carini.
yo I found this crazy old hippie song trza wrote that flipped my lid back
anyone know anything about this joint??
I saw it on youtube and my girl and I want to hear this now!
yo they could jam the shit outta this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMcgxsiGPbM
I think I found the lyrics too:
If you feel your love might quit
you only need a tiny bit
of two things I can help you see
togetherness and unity
Take a tiny measure of them
to restore your flag in love
and if it still is running down
don’t concentrate and
Spread It ‘Round
Never cast it carelessly
and save a tiny bit for me
because I know there’s much to spare
and people need it everywhere
together we are all alone united
on a spinning stone
so if your love is running down
don’t concentrate and
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
so if it’s love that you have found
don’t ever trade it
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
and round and round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
and round and round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
and round and round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
and round and round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
and round and round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
and round and round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
and round and round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
and round and round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
and round and round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
and round and round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
and round and round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
and round and round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
and round and round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
Spread It ‘Round
and round and round
etc.
I was at both. Just relistened to DCU. Very good. They are both very different. It basically just comes down to taste and personal preference.
MSG is a lot longer and darker.
DCU has a more uplifting feel to it.
re. 7.99. set II of 7.15.99 is a wild, well-played journey. didn’t find any keepers in the 7.16.99 show.