As everyone heads home for a three-day Labor Day weekend, it is a time for relaxation, end-of-summer barbeques, and friends. Marking the end of the fourth, and in all probability, the last Phish-less summer for a while; it is a time to kick back and take in the season’s traditional finale. We may now have less than a year left without the powers of the Phish- and that my friends, is quite exhilarating.
With a Trey tour on the brink of announcement, Mike’s tour raging hard, and Fish and Page about to sit in with other bands, things are good in the land of the Phish. People seem healthy and happy to be playing music, and heading on a crash-course for the same stage. This is a time to relax and let things come as they may- and as everyone is bound to be relaxing in one way or another at some point during this three-day weekend, I’ve compiled some selections to provide a soundtrack for your barbeques, drives, sessions, and beyond.
2,3,4. Disease > Have Mercy > Disease 11.12.94 Kent St, OH
5. Slave to the Traffic Light 10.31.94 Glens Falls, NY
6. Reba 6.13.94 Kansas City, MO
7. Antelope 3.20.92 Binghamton, NY
8. Harry Hood4.18.92 Stanford, CA
9. If I Could12.29.94
10,11. Mike’s > Breathe (instr.)10.25.95 St. Paul, MN
12. Tweezer7.6.94 Montreal, CAN
13. Simple 11.18.96 Memphis, TN
14. Weekapaug 7.2.1994 Garden St. Arts Cntr, NJ
15. Slave to the Traffic Light 10.6.1995 Vancouver, BC
16. Harry Hood 8.10.96 Alpine Valley, WI
17. Tweezer 11.23.94 St. Louis, MO
18. Bathtub Gin 9.29.00 Las Vegas, NV
19. Down With Disease12.30.03 Miami, FL
20. Fluffhead 4.13.92 Tempe, AZ
21. YEM 11.18.95 No. Charleston, SC
As everyone heads home for a three-day Labor Day weekend, it is a time for relaxation, end-of-summer barbeques, and friends. Marking the end of the fourth, and in all probability, the last Phish-less summer for a while; it is a time to kick back and take in the season’s traditional finale. We may now have …
It was late one winter night, past midnight in fact, when The Moma Dance first joined the world. It’s older and rougher sister Katy, had stomped around all fall- making particularly boisterous appearances in Hampton, Cleveland and Winston-Salem. But tonight, a baby would be born. It was December 30th, 1997, and Phish had just finished playing a marathon, Harpua-laced, second set with an long and twisting AC/DC opener, a phenomenal Hood and a smoking Guyute to close the set; and with all that enthusiasm, the Phish had accidentally played way past the MSG curfew of 11pm. It was a quarter to twelve, but instead of killing the hyped crowd without an encore, Trey announced they would “just keep playing until New Years Eve,” since the fine had already been levied. And so the band played on, and that’s when our story begins.
It only seemed proper that on such an occasion, the encore would match the crazy and unique situation. A show which had unleashed the first Sneakin’ Sally since 1989 , and was crystallized by Harpua and the udder-ball, deserved a special encore. You got the feeling this would be more than a Bouncin, Rocky Top. As the band took their spots, the anticipation rose after Trey’s curfew explanation- a hush fell over the crowd. A hush that would be powerfully crushed by the opening metal chords of America’s first-ever “Carini.” Having debuted the song in Amsterdam, back on 2.17 under the name of “Lucy,” and played it only five times in Europe that winter, it was only fitting that Phish would drop this monstrous song in such a monstrous venue. It was huge- the place literally blew up as they sat into the song’s long-sought darkness. They even brought Carini (Fish’s Drum Tech) out on stage after they slowly ripped through the sinister verses; the vibe was infectious in there, everyone in the building was having the time of their lives- band included.
Yet, as the chorus ended, and Trey would normally rip into a seething solo, the band just dropped into the most ridiculously dirty segment of music. It’s the crunchy and metallic dinosaur residue of Carini mixed with the deepest, slowest, most ’97est funk. It is the greatest. It’s only about thirty seconds before they gradually reach a change, and began playing Black Eyed Katy- slowly- really slowly. So slowly that after the show, many fans hadn’t even realized that they had played Katy at all.
If you go back and listen to this section of music, you’ll realize those thirty seconds of crack represented The Moma Dance pushing through the universe’s birth canal into the lap of Madison Square Garden. What ensued was a super-thick, super-slow Black Eyed Katy; but listening years later, it’s an instrumental Moma Dance-literally. It even launches into a bit of the soon-to-be-familiar funk-rock that became the end of the song. But this night, it was back to the funk, as they remained thick as tar while smoothly moving into a slowed down Sally reprise, stamping this encore as officially “best ever,” even before the band ended with a raging Frankenstein. Given the circumstances, and the music, there can barely be an argument.
Not to be seen again until the debut of “The Moma Dance” in the dark stone surroundings of Copenhagen’s Den Gra Hal, this version in New York was truly the night the band figured out what they would do with this ridiculous funk groove. Slow it down a bunch, throw some lyrics on top, add a chorus, and- boom-everyone’s favorite song. At least for a while. But it was one of those that got every one out of their seat and amped every time. Even the non-dancers managed to get some sort of rhythmic or arrhythmic groove on to The Moma Dance, as it became a setlist staple for years to come.
The song truly became a relic of the funk era, a reminder of what Phish was doing every night during 1997. It was only fitting that it would transform with a change of the calendar, in the early moments of New Years’ Eve. Taking only the Island run off before coming back to a white hot spotlight during the summer and fall of 1998, The Moma Dance would grow, mature, and become an adult Phish song. But now you know the story of its’ birth and when it took its first thick breaths of funk on a cold winter night, a long time ago.
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Along Phish’s famed spring west coast run in 1992, with the band’s best playing to that point in their career, they stopped in Humboldt County for a show. Smack in the middle of hippie-central in Northern California, a polished and young geeky-hippie band from Vermont threw down a sick show amidst clouds of weed smoke covering the small venue. Taken from an archived Phish.net review, Trey announced before the encore, “We hope you enjoyed the show as much as we enjoyed your dope!” Ah, the old days. A raging set closing Bowie foreshadowed what was to come. The epic second set features an adventure with Colonel Forbin on a houseboat to find the evil King Wilson, a gorgeous Tweezer that still stands out today, and a fierce Mike’s Groove. Enjoy some old school greatness!
04-21-92 Redwood Acres Fairgrounds, Eureka, CA
I: Suzy Greenberg, Uncle Pen, Split Open and Melt, Rift, Guelah Papyrus, Possum, It’s Ice, Eliza, NICU, Bouncing Around the Room, David Bowie
II: Dinner and a Movie, Colonel Forbin’s Ascent > Famous Mockingbird, Tweezer, Tela, Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, Weigh, Catapult*, Lively Up Yourself, Vocal Jam, Sanity, Maze
E: Memories, Sweet Adeline, Cavern
*Mike only, a capella.
It was late one winter night, past midnight in fact, when The Moma Dance first joined the world. It’s older and rougher sister Katy, had stomped around all fall- making particularly boisterous appearances in Hampton, Cleveland and Winston-Salem. But tonight, a baby would be born. It was December 30th, 1997, and Phish had just finished …
Creeping out like a the opening of a old fable, Scents and Subtle Sounds begins. Whispered like cryptic life instructions to their audience, as we navigate an overwhelmingly complex modern age, Trey and Tom suggest a more examined life- with simplicity comes virtue. With slowed down conscious moment-to moment living, most people in this country would be baffled with what their life would be like. The pace of life today is absurd, and seldom do people stop to appreciate the fabric of it all. This song is all about the fabric- the subtleties in life that often inspire the most beauty. The unexpected often arrives when we stop trying and doing for a while, and just let things unfold– paying attention the the usually glossed over details. If we can manage to live in the ever-unfolding now” the things that we “might find” are the things we have been questing for our whole life- peace, happiness, fulfillment, inspiration, focus, positive energy, love. As “startling” as it may be to reach these places, the song suggests that “it” is ultimately possibly for us all.
Like scents you never noticed
And many subtle sounds
like colors in the landscape
And textures of the town
Running late, sipping coffee while getting off the subway, working with our head buried all day; only to race home, have a few drinks and start again. This reality we live in is fast, but that doesn’t mean our minds have to be. I’m no buddha, and certainly do not attain states of continued enlightenment- but I know that we set our own pace. We need to; because as Ferris said, “Life goes by pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” And what they are telling us in this song, is a metaphorical version of what Ferris told us over 20 years ago. If we don’t stop once and a while we’ll miss out on the fabric. The scents we never noticed and many subtle sounds. The colors and textures that are woven into the fabric that make each moment unique- it is our choice how many we are present for.
Then the winds will would lift you up
Into the sky above
And you’d be treated to a view
Of everything you love
If we live in the moment- every moment- recognizing what it provides for us, we are bound to succeed. Good or bad, foolish or smart, each moment is there to live to the fullest, teaching us, bringing us up into the sky above. If we are true to ourselves, true to the moment, true to our souls; we will be always surrounded by love. The winds of inspiration will blow eternal for us if we live focused for only the present, because in reality, there is nothing else. Just as Garth once commanded Wayne, “Live in the now!”
And if the moment passes
You should try it once again
For if you do it right
You’ll find that moment never ends
We all make mistakes. We can’t always be present, and that awareness of being in the moment is often fleeting. All we can do is try our best. But if we lose our path, or the moment passes- we should always remain determined. If successful in blazing our path in life, happiness springs eternal. That blissful moment, at the peak of your favorite Phish jam, is eternity- its possible. I am sure of it. Don’t ask me how- but I am sure of it. I’ll be sure to post about it if I figure it out.
If you would stop and notice that we number every day
But allow the many moments left uncounted slip away.
We, as a mass culture, are missing it. Ripping pages off the calendar, stretching for the weekend, but allowing the fabric to go unnoticed. There is beauty in all moments, and we often choose to ignore it. We must try to appreciate each experience for the value it has, and move from one focused experience to the next. We need to pay more attention.
You don’t have to count them, just enjoy them one by one
Then things would take a different hue and sparkle in the sun
The wind would lift you up into the sky
Just live. Don’t count experiences. Don’t count shows. Don’t worry about how much of one thing or another you have- just enjoy. Just be. Rage every moment of every Phish show- rage every moment of every day. Rage our showers, and our dreams; rage our classes and our families. Rage life unconditionally. If we can just live for the sake of living, moment by unfolding moment, things might look a little different and “sparkle in the sun.” And here are those winds again.
The winds would lift you up into the sky above
Where you would see a trail of treasured memories you love
A rainbow record of the thoughts and moments you’ve enjoyed
Arcs behind the earth as spectral colors in the void
The void- nothingness, everything, the universe, eternity. Lyrical poetry that barely needs interpretation. Valuing the now will lead to rainbow trails in eternity. Spectral memories of moments you enjoyed; you didn’t lose track. You did it. You never lost sight of the big picture for too long, and never lost sight of the fabric- the invisible art that paints our daily moments and inner galaxies- colors in the void.
At least that’s what I think the song is about.
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A year before shocking the Phish world by dropping “Dark Side” in this venue, Phish played an incredibly adventurous two sets that truly set the tone for Fall ’97.Boasting the first “four song second set” of Fall 1997 in Wolfman’s > Piper, Twist > Slave, this show was a huge foreshadowing of the type of playing would emerge on the now legendary tour.With a first set featuring a quality Runaway Jim, Gumbo opener, a funkadelic 2001>Funky Bitch, and a hot Antelope to close; this show smokes from start to finish.Download and listen to the show that really got Fall ’97 kicked off after a solid warm up in Vegas the night before.The second set is a can’t miss gem.
ALSO, Miner’s Picks: Summer ’99 have been updated to Mediafire.
11/14/97 E Centre, Salt Lake City, UT Set I: Runaway Jim, Gumbo, Maze, Fast Enough For You, Gumbo, Also Sprach Zarathustra >Funky Bitch, Guyute, Run Like An Antelope Set II: Wolfman’s Brother > Piper> Twist > Slave to the Traffic Light E: Bold As Love
If you would only start to live One moment at a time You, would I think, be startled by the things that you would find Creeping out like a the opening of a old fable, Scents and Subtle Sounds begins. Whispered like cryptic life instructions to their audience, as we navigate an overwhelmingly complex modern …
What happens when you contain the forces of Phish with an intimate stone barn in Scandinavia? Throw in the fact that the barn is located in the center Freetown Christiania, Copenhagen- an old semi-autonomous hippie community from the early ’70s. Marijuana, hash, and mushrooms are peddled openly at stands in the town’s center square, a few hundred yards from the door to the venue- which could only fit a couple thousand people at most. The whole town wasn’t more than a few city blocks in area, and the only posted rule in the village was “no hard drugs.” These volatile ingredients were the recipe for outstanding Phish jams and a lot of excitement. This was Den Gra Hal- a former horse stable turned music venue- which Phish blew apart as the beginning of their Summer tour in 1998.
The few hundred Americans who stumbled upon Christiania the night before the first show show were greeted by a multi-color graffiti laden building, The Grey Hall, in which Phish would be playing the next three nights. It certainly had a unique vibe. As fans congregated outside that evening before the run, Phish played an extended two hour sound check with the back doors intentionally left open for sound, allowing everyone an auditory glimpse into the band’s new tunes. Trey popped in and out to chat with fans and when asked about the interior of Den Gra Hal, observed that he “could really see that room on a lot of acid,” and encouraged all to indulge on the following evening for the show. No joke; a resounding endorsement by Trey, himself. The surroundings were heavenly- the summertime “darkness” was more akin to four hours of deep purple skies each night in which to bask after the show. A few outdoor bars and a small lake atop a hill rounded out this ideal locale for a three day Phish stand.
Phish made good on Trey’s recommendation, playing a well-over three hour show on the first night to kick off the party featuring such highlights as the first Moma Dance, a huge Mike’s, a Stash>Cities, a reworked Ghost, a Tube, and a Wolfman’s> Frankie Sez> Antelope. There was no messing around on the first night of tour, but I have come to discuss the second night.
Sometimes you leave a show knowing that Phish just threw down the gauntlet. You know that throughout the rest of the tour, they may throw down some nasty stuff, but it wouldn’t be any nastier than that. This feeling happens from time to time, and the first of July in 1998 was certainly one of those times. Exiting the musty and dank stone room onto the lawn with heavy Phish grooves echoing through your skull, gazing up at the royal sky- you are amidst one of those life-affirming moments we quest after with such determination. Fulfillment. You just had the time of your life, were walking up the cobblestone path to grab some smokeables in the square, and turning left to grab some icy Tuborgs with your friends after witnessing Phish as good as they get. Smoking and joking, trying to figure out what superhuman powers had been bestowed on the band lately- you were amidst the seven best consecutive shows in history- the Island Run and three months later, these three in Christiania. Trying to wrap your head around the epic forty minute Tweezer > 2001 that had just gone down inside the confines of that horse stable across the way.
It was all so cohesive; progressing naturally through multiple groove segments, screaming to the inner dancer in us all. Settling in with bass and clav grooves, the music built to a place where Trey subtly joined in the texture before moving into lead melodies that perfectly accentuated the music. The band locked into a more unified pattern, gaining momentum, before they jumped into the cauldron together. Soon, Trey started tickling the crowd with his wah-rhythm grooves over a sublime musical palate led by a fine Gordeaux.
This was all happening in a tiny barn in Denmark! Yeah, this was dreamland- it had to be, this is what I’d always dreamed of. A third section of the jam was initiated by Fishman, and the band sounded like they had rehearsed these changes as they flowed effortlessly through some of the smoothest most refined music. Trey wove melodic tales in the context of the band’s framework, soon giving way to some of his more explosive soloing in the jam. As the band morphed into another place, Trey reaches up to the purple sky with his melodies. His playing gets sublime before the band melts into ambience on their way to a precise and slammin’ fifteen minute club-version of 2001.
Leaving the outer-space magnitude for the amphitheatres later in the summer, Phish ripped a notably clean 2001 with little dissonance and distortion, and lots of spot on funk. Everyone played tight lines, totally bouncing off each other; Page highlighting his Rhodes, Trey consistently improvising melodies, Mike thumping away adhesive, and Fishman carrying, while accenting, the rhythms. This faster note-heavy version of the song was perfectly suited for the size of the room where the sound did not need to travel more than several hundred feet. The room was crowded, yet had energy pockets that had been popping off since the beginning of the set, with plenty of room to move and receive the magic. This is what it was all about- losing yourself to a massive Tweezer in a tiny barn under a wooden roof and a purple star-lit sky.
Sometimes foreign Phish shows, like The Grey Hall, bring a new appreciation for the show experience altogether. With few in attendance for tangential reasons, the focus of everyone is on the band. The space between the band and crowd is all but eliminated, as club shows morphed into nightclub parties which band members often attended. Everyone had busted out their passport and trekked across oceans to get there- this wasn’t home turf- so there were no chips carried on anyone’s shoulder. No one was there to hang out in the “lot,” and often foreign Phish-goers were the most mellow of all. During that summer in Europe and, later, in Japan, I vowed never to miss another foreign Phish show. Let’s hope I can take myself up on that.
This Scandinavian epic is going to kick off Phish Thoughts’“DOWNLOAD OF THE DAY.” In response to multiple requests for full-show downloads, the “DOWNLOAD OF THE DAY” will be one show, in its entirety, up for download on the site each day. Along with the link, there will be a short review of what the show is all about.These will be standout shows with great audience sources- they will sound crispy.(There will be archived links, so you don’t need to download every day.)
In response to recent slow download speed, I am using Mediafire + bandwith as a temporary solution until I get my own host. Sorry about the slow Sendspace links, revision is in the works. Miner’s Picks: Summer ’95 pts. 1 and 2 are on Mediafire already, and when I wake up all of ’95 and all DJ mixes will be bumped over to Mediafire for faster access. I hope you check back every day and take advantage of this welcome addition to Phish Thoughts. The first selection, as reviewed above is:
7/01/98 The Grey Hall – Freetown Christiana, Copenhagen
I: NICU, Sample In a Jar, My Mind’s Got a Mind of Its Own, The Moma Dance, Down With Disease > Dog-Faced Boy > Piper, Waste, Chalkdust Torture Set
What happens when you contain the forces of Phish with an intimate stone barn in Scandinavia? Throw in the fact that the barn is located in the center Freetown Christiania, Copenhagen- an old semi-autonomous hippie community from the early ’70s. Marijuana, hash, and mushrooms are peddled openly at stands in the town’s center square, a …
What if you could create your favorite Phish jam? You could formulate and build one Phish jam sequence for the rest of your life. That’s all- nothing else, but it would be exactly what you wanted. Like sitting on the proverbial desert island with a boombox fully loaded with this one jam- for the rest of time; happily. If you can disregard the absurdity of the proposition, it can certainly open up an interesting conversation.
First off, I would want something of at least 40+ minutes that hits on multiple Phish realms- grooves, bliss, ambient space, evil darkness- all wrapped into one jam. It would need to be exploratory, yet cohesive; out there, yet directed. The jam would have to posses an extended session of ferocious Phish grooves, with Trey and Mike crushing it, to satiate just that part of my addiction. Page and Fish would both frame and contribute to the action as two complimentary cogs on the machine. Trey would have to then take the lead over the funk and begin playing ridiculously improvised lines and melodies- practically sounding rehearsed.
The jam would most definitely have to travel to an abstract Phishy-ambient space, with Fishman playing shimmeringbeats, bringing the music deeper. Page, Mike and Trey would be an amorphous ball of harmony and melody. This jam might seem that it was heading for a landing point, but the whole band would jump on a new idea and take the abstract jam to a much darker place. It would then build into one of those delicate and sacred places, where the band just oozes “it,” and Trey would enter his “spiritual” playing with divine phrases and licks. The band would move as one through this plane, bringing you along for the ride. Things would just become subconscious- for them, for you, for everyone- the unifying spirit; completely unique experience. Led by improvisation that you don’t see every day, and would most definitely write home about, this jam would posses at least some of the answers. Phish would then somehow creep the music, unsuspectingly, from the depth, back to where you thought it was going in the first place.
Seamlessly transitioning into a new song that they nail- just as the adventure was over, there would be a new beginning- they would start to jam out of the end of the song for the only time in the band’s career! You always knew this song could reach another level if they used the ending as a jumping off point-and they do- this is your perfect world. The improvisation would build from beauty back into even darker and heavier abstract places- stuff you’ve never really imagined. Spirits of the universe groaning awake after a slumber of a million years. They band would be channeling an extra-terrestrial energy, providing a psychedelic trampoline to face your inner-self amidst this celestial sludge- confronting your fears and realizing your dreams. This jam would build to a frightening peak in this alternate universe before trickling back down to earth. Yeah, all that would have to happen if this was gonna’ be my only jam for the rest of my life.
To me, there is really only one answer to this seemingly impossible question. I just described it. The Island Run’s Roses>Piper.
Listen and watch below.
What is your “desert island” jam? Reply in comments and start a conversation!
SOME SNIPPETS FROM THE JOURNEY:
ROSES ARE FREE Part 2
ROSES Part 3
(photos: Nassau 4.3.98, Joel Price::video: silverchair97)
What if you could create your favorite Phish jam? You could formulate and build one Phish jam sequence for the rest of your life. That’s all- nothing else, but it would be exactly what you wanted. Like sitting on the proverbial desert island with a boombox fully loaded with this one jam- for the …
