MR. MINER'S PHISH THOUGHTS

Phish Summer 2011

Phish brought a shaft of light in the heart of winter yesterday, dropping 18 dates that comprise the opening leg of Summer Tour 2011. Beginning at Bethel Woods in Bethel, New York and concluding at nTelos Pavilion in Portsmouth, Virginia, Phish will remain tight to the eastern seaboard this June, making only a short, three-show trip to the midwest. With “additional summer announcements” to come” and “no further touring plans” for the rest of the year, these dates are only the beginning of what will be a significant season of for the Phish from Vermont.

Bethel Woods – Bethel, NY

June will blast off with a three-night run in the band’s first trip to Bethel Woods, a spanking new venue opened in 2006 on the grounds of the original Woodstock Festival. One of four multi-night stands of the month, this Memorial Day three-pack in upstate New York will certainly be “destination shows” for fans nationwide. Moving from one stand to another, Phish will return to PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey for the first time since 2000. Formerly known as The Garden State Arts Center, this central Jersey shed was a popular venue throughout the ’90s, and this year’s show marks a homecoming Trey who hails from from the nearby area.

After the opening five shows, the band will shift their scene to the midwest for a three-show weekend in Detroit, Cleveland and Cincinnati. The Clarktson, Michigan venue formerly known as Pine Knob—a classic summertime amphitheatre opened in 1972—will host Phish for the first time ever, marking the band’s first summer gig in the Motor City area in quite some time. From there, Phish will return to Blossom Music Center for the second straight year before heading to Cleveland’s interstate rival, Cincinnati, for the the band’s first performance at Riverbend Music Center since the Fall 2000.

DTE Music Center – Clarkston, MI

After Cincy’s Sunday night show, Phish will hop directly back to the Northeast and will play a string of venues drenched in Phish history. Midweek stops at Great Woods and Darien Lake will be followed by a weekend showcase at Camden and Merriweather Post Pavilion—the only stop of the four that will host two performances. The band will subsequently fly south for their final multi-night stop of June, a midweek twin bill at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Alpharetta, Georgia. Following a string of cookie-cutter venues, Alpharetta’s over-sized GA floor will provide much needed dance space relief after the cozy confines of Merriweather.

To close out June, Phish will play a weekend run at three venues they played just last year—Verizon Wireless in Charlotte, Walnut Creek in Raleigh, and nTelos Pavilion in Portsmouth. The former sheds two hold far more historical weight—though far as far less mobility—than the latter, a fully GA venue on the water of southeastern Virgina. June’s end-of-tour bash will be an intimate affair as nTelos Pavilion’s 6,500 person tent is the smallest venue on the tour by far.

nTelos – 6.15.10 (B.Riley)

A strong opening leg leaves some questions hanging about the rest of the summer. Will Watkins Glen still take place on July 4th weekend as expected, and will it be a stand-alone event? Despite a saturation of northeast shows, many sources say the festival is still a go—we shall see. Will the second leg of summer finally give the west coast some proper lovin’ before the band takes the fall season off from touring? These answers will likely unfold after tickets are sold for June, so don’t hold your breath. But summer’s opening docket is quite an encouraging beginning to Phish 2011. (Now we are really starting to sound futuristic!)

In an interesting ticketing twist, Phish has reduced the price of lawn tickets to a $45 face value, while keeping pavilions at $60, making their first foray into tiered-priced ticketing. Oddly, however, they have not provided “Lawn Only” or “Pavilion Only” options on their Tickets By Mail request form, essentially creating the scenario of “It Costs Less to Get Screwed” if one gets shafted with unwanted lawn tickets. So we got that going for us, which is good. The ticket request window is now open for a ten-day period until March 4th at 11:59 pm Eastern. Best of luck in the lottery, and see you on the road!

5/27 – 29 Bethel Woods, Bethel, NY
5/31 – 6/1 PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ
6/3 DTE Energy Center, Clarkston, MI
6/4 Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
6/5 Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
6/7 Comcast Center, Mansfield, MA
6/8 Darien Lake Amphitheatre, Darien Center, NY
6/10 Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ
6/11-12 Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD
6/14-15 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Alpharetta, GA
6/17 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Charlotte, NC
6/18 Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion, Raleigh, NC
6/19 nTtelos Pavilion at Harbor Center, Portsmouth, VA

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Jam of the Day:

Gumbo” 8.3.98 II

With summertime on the mind, here is a supreme example of the summer funk of ’98.

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DOWNLOAD OF THE DAY:

6.22.2000 AmSouth Amphitheatre, Antioch, Tennessee

FLAC Torrent (via etree), Mp3 Torrent, Megaupload < Links

6.27.10 (G.Lucas)

Keeping with today’s theme, here is the first US summer show from 2000 outside Nashville, TN. A fierce “Jibboo > 2001 > Sand” kicked off the second set in the band’s return to domestic amphitheatres after two weeks in Japanese clubs. A sublime version of “Harry Hood” followed, bringing Sam Bush, Ronnie and Robby McCroury to stage in a rare perfect guest spot.

I: First Tube, Wolfman’s Brother, Beauty of My Dreams, Golgi Apparatus, Limb By Limb, Bug, Poor Heart, Roggae, Chalk Dust Torture

II: Gotta Jibboo > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Sand, Harry Hood -> Dog Faced Boy > Harry Hood*, I’m Blue, I’m Lonesome**, Hold Whatcha Got**, Uncle Pen**, Free Bird***

E: You Enjoy Myself

*w/ Sam Bush on fiddle, Robbie McCoury on banjo, Ronnie McCoury on mandolin

** Del McCoury on guitar, Ricky Skaggs on mandolin, Mike Bub on upright double-bass, and Jason Carter on fiddle in addition to those already on stage

*** w/ all guests plus Wynnona Judd on vocals

Source: Neumann KM140 > Sonosax SX-M2 > Panasonic SV-255 (48khz)

Phish brought a shaft of light in the heart of winter yesterday, dropping 18 dates that comprise the opening leg of Summer Tour 2011. Beginning at Bethel Woods in Bethel, New York and concluding at nTelos Pavilion in Portsmouth, Virginia, Phish will remain tight to the eastern seaboard this June, making only a short, three-show …

Summer 2011 – Part I Read More »

2.25.2011 Stage AE, Pittburgh, PA

FLAC Torrent (via etree), Mp3 Torrent, Megaupload < Links

 

2.20.10 – Minneapolis (S.LaBrasca)

I: Backwards Down the Number Line, Gumbo, Farmhouse, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan, The Horse > Silent in the Morning, Talk, Driver, Theme From the Bottom, Down with Disease, Heavy Things*, Liquid Time*, Let Me Lie*, Show of Life**, Push On ‘Til the Day**

II: Night Speaks to a Woman, Valentine, Cayman Review, Alaska, Burlap Sack and Pumps, Gotta Jibboo, Goodbye Head, Mozambique, Clint Eastwood, Money, Love and Change, Magilla, Sand

E: First Tube

* w/ full band, ** w/ full band , electric

Source: Schoeps MK22 > VMS5U

Goodbye Head

Push On Til the Day

2.25.2011 Stage AE, Pittburgh, PA FLAC Torrent (via etree), Mp3 Torrent, Megaupload < Links   I: Backwards Down the Number Line, Gumbo, Farmhouse, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan, The Horse > Silent in the Morning, Talk, Driver, Theme From the Bottom, Down with Disease, Heavy Things*, Liquid Time*, Let Me Lie*, Show of Life**, …

TAB @ Pittsburgh Read More »

2.20.2011 House of Blues, Boston, Massachusetts

FLAC Torrent (via etree), Mp3 Torrent, Megaupload < Links

2.18.2011 (C.Green)

Since I am not able to attend most of Trey’s current tour, I am once again inviting people to submit reviews of his shows for potential publication on Phish Thoughts. A friend and I start this project during TAB tour last year, and it wound up working pretty well. We designated a Reader Review Page for these submissions, and a group of people had their reviews published online. If you are planning on submitting a review, please take your writing somewhat seriously and, by all means, please proofread your piece before emailing it to mrminer@phisthoughts.com. (Note: Not all submissions are guaranteed to be published.)

Today we have the inaugural 2011 reader review of Trey’s performance at Boston’s House of Blues on Sunday from BogHog2001. Below is the beginning of his take, and you can click over to the Reader Review Page for the entire piece.

****

It’s always good to hear Trey. I had a great time at the House of Blues last night. Lots of dancing space, great sound, and a good vibe in the crowd. I personally prefer the electric sets so much more than the acoustic and last night’s show was no exception. Trey’s wife, Sue, and daughter, Eliza, were at the show and Trey seemed be play to their affection with a relatively tame show full of love songs and emotion that lacked some of the explosive energy that I love from Trey. The second set seemed to move back and forth from TAB rager (Jibboo, Simple Twist Up Dave, First Tube) and swing blues tunes (Wee Wee Hours, Burn that Bridge) which never really allowed for the raging momentum to get going like many of Trey’s shows of the past. There were no long jams with hand signals queuing band members to change keys or break down to just a few members. This staple exploratory jam section of almost all of Trey’s past electric sets has become one of my favorite moments of each show. There has been a noticeable lack of these jams in the first three shows of tour perhaps alluding to the more relaxed personality of this band, the search for bliss rather than rage, or simply paralleling Phish’s move to shorter, more predictable jam development… Click here for the full review!

Acoustic Set: Sample in a Jar, Punch You In the Eye, Strange Design, AC/DC Bag, It’s Ice, Bathtub Gin, Carini, Dog Faced Boy, Shine a Light, Sleep Again, Wilson, Chalk Dust Torture, Backwards Down the Number Line, Lawn Boy*, Let Me Lie**, Hey Ya**

Electric Set: Done Done It, Valentine, In the Wee Wee Hours, Gotta Jibboo, Sweet Dreams Melinda, Burn That Bridge, Simple Twist Up Dave, Small Axe, Ooh Child, Tuesday, Ocelot, Ether Sunday, First Tube

E: Magilla, Black Dog

* w/ Russell Remington (tenor) and Tony marekelis (bass), ** w/ full band

Source: AKG 483 Hyper & 460/ck22 Split Omni Mix

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Jams of the Day: TAB – 2.20.11, Boston

Simple Twist Up Dave” II

Hey Ya” I

2.20.2011 House of Blues, Boston, Massachusetts FLAC Torrent (via etree), Mp3 Torrent, Megaupload < Links Since I am not able to attend most of Trey’s current tour, I am once again inviting people to submit reviews of his shows for potential publication on Phish Thoughts. A friend and I start this project during TAB tour …

TAB @ HOB Boston Read More »

2.18.11 C.Green)

Trey kicked off his solo tour in style over the weekend, playing three shows with a notably more diverse song selection, precise guitar shredding and some surprise covers in Portland, Albany, and Boston. Though I’ve only been listening along on tape, the band sounds well-practiced and as tight as ever. With Trey on point, the band seems to come together quite readily.

Trey’s current two-set affairs carry a different contour than ever before. Flooding his first-set solo segments with Phish songs, Trey has given favorites from “Theme From the Bottom” to “Carini” the acoustic treatment. More easily garnering momentum with pieces that fans have an attachment to, Trey has allowed his song structures to shine in a stripped down setting, and they’ve been translating to stage better than I would have imagined. Though many classics inevitably turn into mass sing-alongs, at least the show has energy from the beginning—something that wasn’t guaranteed with an acoustic opening set.

Towards the end of the first half—in his opening two shows—Trey brought up part, and then all, of his band to accompany him while still playing acoustic guitar, a rarity for Red. But some legitimate highlights have emerged from these segments, including the return of “Liquid Time” in Portland and “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” in Albany. These portions have concluded the opening sets, prepping the audience for the full-on electrical barrage.

2.18.11 C.Green)

The buzz of the first couple shows has not only come from the obvious and power-packed jams, but also from some brand new and old-school covers. The moment of tour that everyone has been talking about is TAB’s take on The Gorillaz’ “Clint Eastwood,” a lamping groove from the band’s debut album that actually fits TAB quite well. With Jen Hartswick rapping in lieu of Del tha Funky Homosapien, the band pulled off a surprisingly proficient cover of the creative hip-hop nugget. Trey has also dipped into contemporary culture during the end of his acoustic set in Portland, playing Outkast’s “Hey Ya,” a comic funk-rocker from Andre 3000’s half of the 2003 double-album “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.”

Bringing older covers like “Ooh Child,” “Sweet and Dandy” and “It Makes No Difference” back into the mix, Trey has been switching things up early in his tour, and the word from the road has been nothing but glowing. Not only spicing up setlists with creative covers, Trey has also delved into his past catalog, reviving songs such as the ska-laced “Acting the Devil” and “In the Wee Wee Hours,” both unplayed since 2002, and “Black” unplayed since 2005. He has even made a backwards conversion, adding a Phish staple, “Ocelot,” to his solo shows. Including all his heavy hitting staples from TAB history, Big Red has quite a base of songs to choose from when forming his one electric set, and, albeit early, he’s been doing a great job.

After three shows, (only two considered in this mini-armchair review), Trey seems to be off to a smoking start to his cross-country tour. Altering format and clearly having fun, the band has already thrown down some fierce jams and must-hear moments. Check out the first two shows below and some audio clips below.

*****

Jams of the Day: TAB @ Albany, NY – 2.19.2011

Clint Eastwood

Ocelot

Sand

*****

DOWNLOADS OF THE DAY:

2.18.2011 State Theatre, Portland, Maine

FLAC Torrent (via etree), Mp3 Torrent, Megaupload < Links

2.18.11 C.Green)

Acoustic Set: Theme From The Bottom, Cavern, NICU, Bug, My Friend My Friend, Horse > Silent in the Morning, Gumbo, Suzy Greenberg, Kill Devil Falls, Water in the Sky*, Spin**, Liquid Time***, Hey Ya***^

Electric Set: Cayman Review, Mozambique, Gotta Jibboo, It Makes No Difference, Acting the Devil, Alaska, All That Almost Was, Words To Wanda, Push On Til The Day, Birdwatcher, Sand, Wherever You Find It, Plasma, Tuesday

E: In The Wee Wee Hours, Dragonfly

Notes: *with Jen Hartswick and Natalie Cressman
**with Jen Hartswick, Natalie Cressman, and Ray Paczkowski
***with all of TAB
^debut. Outkast origianal

Source: MP3: (FOB) Sound Professionals SP-BMC-12 / FLAC: Schoeps MK4

****

2.19.2011 The Palace, Albany, New York

FLAC Torrent (via etree), Mp3 Torrent, Megaupload < Links

Acoustic Set: Free, The Wedge, Prince Caspian, Backwards Down The Number Line, Limb by Limb, Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan, Guelah Papyrus, Buffalo Bill, Joy, Halley’s Comet, Wading in the Velvet Sea*, Black**, Valentine***, Devil Went Down To Georgia***

Electric Set: Money Love & Change, Done Done It, Ocelot, Clint Eastwood^, Night Speaks to a Woman, Sweet & Dandy, Ooh Child, Windora Bug, Birdwatcher, Sand. Drifting, The Way I Feel, Push On Til The Day

E: Cayman Review

Notes: * w/ Jennifer Hartswick and Natalie Cressman
**  w/ Jennifer Hartswick, Natalie Cressman and Ray Paczkowski
*** w/ TAB
^Debut, Gorillaz original

Source: Busman Bsc1 (Hypers)

2.18.2011 (Chris Green)

Trey kicked off his solo tour in style over the weekend, playing three shows with a notably more diverse song selection, precise guitar shredding and some surprise covers in Portland, Albany, and Boston. Though I’ve only been listening along on tape, the band sounds well-practiced and as tight as ever. With Trey on point, the …

Trey Tour Tips Off Read More »

Jones Beach ’95

When thinking of summer Phish, one usually recounts warm summer nights and blissful musical experiences. But in the Summer of ’95 , the band explored some of the darkest and most experimental music of their career. Routinely cranking out 20 minute jams of psyche-challenging madness, Phish ripped off numbing excursions nightly during a spectacular summer. If you liked exploration, Summer ’95 was for you. Nearly impossible to choose only ten jams for Friday, this playlist represents a small selection of what this tour has to offer. For more a more complete run through the abyss of this season, check out “Miner’s Picks: Summer ’95.” Enjoy your Friday!

***

The Curtain > Stash” 6.17 II

A demonic end to the first set in Gainesville, Virginia.

***

Ha Ha Ha > David Bowie” 6.15 II

12.31.99

One of many deeply exlploratory “David Bowies” of the summer.

***

Down With Disease > Free” 6.26 II

Perhaps my favorite segment of outlansdish psychedelia of the entire summer. This one is not for the faint-hearted.

***

Runaway Jim > Makisupa” 7.2.II

7.4.2010 (W.Rogell)

A heavy and grinding, set-opening “Jim” finally gave way to smooth reggae rhythms at Sugarbush’s summer ending weekend.

***

Mike’s > Hydrogen > Weekapaug” 6.10 II

The Red Rocks “Mike’s Groove.” ‘Nuff said.

***

Tweezer” 6.14 II

Got an hour?

When thinking of summer Phish, one usually recounts warm summer nights and blissful musical experiences. But in the Summer of ’95 , the band explored some of the darkest and most experimental music of their career. Routinely cranking out 20 minute jams of psyche-challenging madness, Phish ripped off numbing excursions nightly during a spectacular summer. …

Ten Tunes For Friday: Summer ’95 Read More »

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