Forget “Save the Date,” we’ve got Festival 8! After much speculation, the logistics have been hammered out and Phish’s Halloween festival has been announced. As expected, we will be meeting on the outskirts of the desert at Empire Polo Fields in Indio, CA for three nights beginning on October 30th. Combining two of Phish’s most hallowed traditions, the band will play their first solo-festival of the modern era and their first Halloween show since 1998. Eight sets over three days, including a musical costume, equals the biggest bash Phish has ever thrown- even if it doesn’t have the most creative name. And tickets go on sale Monday!
It’s great to finally see confirmation of this three-night desert throwdown, and the return to the old-school Phish festival. In the list of “What Will Be Provided To Campers” things provided for campers on the festival’s site amenities, along side ATMs and cell phone charging station are “a communal sense of rapture” and” occasional deja vu.” While intended for humor, both of these “items” are completely accurate and they will engulf us as we re-enter Phish’s fantasy land once again; this time, on the west coast, and amidst psychedelic surroundings.
There will be camping, RV accommodations, as well as day parking for those staying off site. Three sunrises in the desert- we are in for something special. The festival will open at noon on the 29th and close at noon on the 3rd- this is gonna’ be fun! With a webiste strewn with humor, and a comical FAQ, things are feeling a bit more at normal with the Phish spirit back, hosting festivals, and playing Halloween shows. With Red Rocks less than a week away, everyone’s attention will be diverted for the weekend, as they think about what might become in the biggest Phish event ever! I’ll see you there!
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Jam of the Day:
“Stash” 8.15.93 L’ville, KY SBD (listen only)
Here we have a devastating “Stash” from Louisville, KY from the summer of ’93- the day after the famous Tinley Park show. Another spectacular piece of improvisation from August ’93, this one is a psychedelic masterpiece. Exploratory and cohesive simultaneously, this one steps to the edge of the abyss and looks over, before plummeting back to earth; some high-quality lunacy to kick off the weekend!
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DOWNLOAD OF THE DAY:
10.28.91 Elk Ballroom, Telluride, CO SBD < TORRENT
10.28.91 Elk Ballroom, Telluride, CO SBD < MEGAUP.
Finishing off the week with another old school soundboard, this Colorado show right before Halloween brought more than a few treats. An Fall ’91 installment contains early incarnations of ‘Tube,” Harpua,” and the covers “Whipping Post” and “Highway to Hell.” Enojy the final weekend before Red Rocks!
I: Runaway Jim, Cavern, Poor Heart, Reba, I Didn’t Know, Tube, Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > Foam, Fee > David Bowie
II: The Divided Sky, Wilson, Dinner and a Movie, Stash, Paul and Silas, Bathtub Gin, You Enjoy Myself, The Squirming Coil, Whipping Post*, Harpua, Highway to Hell
E: Horn, Rocky Top
*With Mimi Fishman (Fish’s mom) on vacuum and Fish on slide guitar
