Just when you thought it was safe to put away the dancing shoes for the season…we’ve got one more show! After capping a massive tour on Sunday, Phish announced yesterday that they will play a one-night benefit for Vermont Flood Recovery at Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction, Vermont on Wednesday, September 14. Last weekend, Hurricane Irene brought the worst flooding in nearly a century to Vermont while causing devastation to many parts of the band’s home state, and now Phish will step up to help.
A 24-hour ticket request period ends at Noon today, with options available for “Best Available” $75 GA tickets (either stands or field) and a “Friends of the Waterwheel Package” that includes preferred parking, a reserved box seat, a limited edition event poster, and access to a Vermont craft beer tent. Additionally, in an effort to assure locals get tickets, the only be general-on sale will take place this Saturday, September 10, at 10am at a location to be disclosed on Friday on Phish.com, email update, and local Vermont Radio. The Champlain Valley Expo holds 10,505 people, but with a limited-access on sale, tickets may not be as easy as they sound. Then again, on a Wednesday night directly following a 33-show tour, perhaps people won’t be chomping at the bit to make it to one more show. It will be interesting to see how tickets shake out.
This show marks only the eighth Phish show in Vermont since 1993, and the first in the band’s home state since the Coventry debacle back in 2004. A special show, without question, it certainly doesn’t suck that the band is getting another chance to play together right now—a time when they are churning out consistently great music. And a small break seems to do the aging wizards quite well. So in just one week, Phish will take the stage for a summer encore, the 34th show of the year, and an earnest goodbye until (likely) December. The show will surely be one to remember and once it sells out, something tells me there will be a webcast option as well, as this is all to bring money to a struggling state.
Before even getting a chance to post a reaction to Denver’s peak of summer or to speculate when the band will next take the stage, we’ve got one show to look forward with the Phish from Vermont. And this time, we’ll be in Vermont!
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Jam of the Day:
“Roggae” 8.5.11 I
Sublime sunset psychedelia from the Gorge’s opening night.
