**********

**********

Elite Eight Recap

The four regional final games provided one instant-classic, one surprise upset, and two predictable results. Let’s take them one by one.

#2 Tahoe 38 #4 Magnaball 34 

The two-four matchup between Magnaball and Lake Tahoe pitted two modern classics against each other with a bid to Limestone, the site of the Final Four, on the line. The majority of pundits had Tahoe rolling fairly easily in this one, but the incredibly competitive contest illustrates why the games are played and the unpredictable nature of Tweezer Madness. The two versions staged, arguably, the most ferocious battle of the entire tournament, going back and forth from the opening tip. Neither version would give an inch, and the score remained within a bucket or two difference for the entirety of the game. This one came down to who would have the final possession, and that turned out to be Lake Tahoe. In a tie game, the 2013 version ran a set play and hit an improbable, three-point buzzer beater from the right wing as time expired! Magnaball aggressively closed out on the shooter, taking away its landing space and was whistled for a foul on the game-winner, accounting for the four-point margin of victory. And thus concluded one of the greatest games in the history of the tournament.

#3 Denver ’97 48 #1 Raleigh ’99 27

To put it frankly, this result was a total shocker. At no point during the tournament did the media or the selection committee expect to see the version from McNichols in the Final Four. Though the well-loved, groove clinic is comprised of straight Fall ’97 Phish crack, most thought that its one-dimensionality would keep it from advancing to the tournament’s final weekend. Raleigh—a looped-out, layered, psych-groove-quasi-shoegazing exploration—has it all, including one of the band’s most sublime peaks of all-time, but the cowfunk of Denver took an early lead and never looked back, leaving Raleigh in the dust in an incredibly surprising blowout.

#1 Auburn Hills 58 #3 Bomb Factory 18

This contest saw a stark juxtaposition of eras, pitting, arguably, the crowning achievement of Fall ’97 against the iconic Spring  ’94 version that jump-started the year in which Phish truly discovered long-form jamming. Each version has a place in the pantheon of Tweezers, but when stepping back to compare the music and level of improvisation between the two, there is really no contest. The final score of this game reflected this dichotomy, as The Palace trounced the Bomb Factory, advancing to Limestone by the colossal margin of 40 votes.

#1 Nassau 50 #2 Lakewood 00 23

Nassau has been a force to be reckoned with in Tweezer Madness, dominating its competition from the opening  tip of it’s first round matchup. The Long Island epic has demolished any version that has stepped in its path, with an unrelenting fury, seeking vengeance for the undeserved shade that has befallen the 2.0 era throughout much of the Phish community. It has looked every bit the monster of its legend, and rolls into the Final Four casually disposing of an incredibly strong version from Lakewood 2000. Nassau’s wide margin of victory came as a bit of a surprise against one of the elite versions of all-time. Its victory sets up an intriguing semi-final against Denver ’97 in which its dominance may be challenged for the first time.

**********

The tournament has reached its peak! The four regional champions will make the haul up to Limestone to settle the score. The Final Four vote will be live for 72 hours. Thanks to all who have participated along the way.

**********

**********

Sweet Sixteen Recap

Well…the Sweet Sixteen round didn’t provide the the type of high drama that was expected between such standout versions. In fact, only two matchups were even close. The one-four contest between Alpine ’98 and Magnaball provided the only real intrigue of the round, as the modern favorite jumped atop the score from the get go, looking as if it was going to blow out the top-seeded classic from Alpine Valley. Magnaball got complacent with its lead, however, letting up on defense and allowing Alpine back in the game. Magna played with a single digit lead for much of the second half, but Alpine was never able to draw even, falling to the 2015 standout by the final tally of 50-37. Alpine ’98 is the first number one seed to topple in the tournament, as Magnaball’s Tweezer advances on the strength of two separate, standout jam segments sandwiched around Prince Caspian.

The other close game came in second-seeded Lake Tahoe’s 13-vote victory over the third-seeded version from the Great Went. Though Tahoe had the higher seed due to its iconic status in modern Phish, the Great Went boasted supremely locked-in, one-minded playing, and grooves that are among the band’s best ever. This one could have gone either way and the result wouldn’t have been surprising. Tahoe, however, took an early lead, and despite a legitimate effort from the Went to make it competitive, coasted to an easy 51-38 victory.

All the other Sweet Sixteen matchups turned out to be blowouts. The most notable upset came in Hampton’s two-three game as Denver ’97’s groove clinic toppled the longest version of all-time in Mud Island by the score of 57-25. Many saw the hallmark Summer ’95 version as a final four contender, but its run ended in the round of sixteen as McNichols will now battle Raleigh ’99 in a marquee regional final.

Jones Beach’s magic finally ran out as the Summer ’95 beast fell to 1994’s first long-form Tweezer from the Bomb Factory. Jones Beach had gone on a late-season tear, winning its conference tournament and vaulting to a two-seed in Tweezer Madness, but the Bomb Factory ended its quest for glory in dominating fashion by the score of 58-24.

Second-seeded Lakewood ’00 easily ousted Christiana’s Grey Hall rendition from Europe ’98 by the score of 48-32. Christiana made a nice run in the tourney, making it to the second weekend as a six seed and garnering the respect it deserves, but Lakewood proved too much for the international version to handle.

The three other top-seeded versions rolled once again. The Palace crushed Camden ’99, 62-24, Raleigh ’99 smoked Hampton ’13 by the count of 60-24, and Nassau easily disposed of Tokyo 64-19. These number one seeds all look like favorites for the final four, and will look to continue their dominance in the round of eight.

Above is the Elite Eight vote. These games will run for 72 hours. May the strong survive!

**********

Elite Eight Breakdown

By Year

1994: 1

1997: 2

1999: 1

2000: 1

2003: 1

2013: 1

2015: 1

By Season

Spring: 1

Summer: 3

Fall: 2

Winter: 2

**********

Welcome to the Sweet Sixteen! This is where things *really* get interesting. The voting has brought together sixteen absolutely incredible versions (see the previous post for the latest recap), and every matchup from here on out will, no doubt, be hotly contested. The Sweet Sixteen vote will run for 72 hours. We are now only three voting rounds away from the championship game! This is where the drama gets thick. This is Tweezer Madness.

**********

Drama, Drama, Drama! The Hampton and Worcester regions more than made up for the blowouts in the last round of voting with several down-to-the-wire contests. Let’s go to the video tape!

Hampton Region Recap

#5 Hampton 13 27 #4 Bangor 94 23

The Hampton region’s highest drama came via the four-five matchup between Bangor and Hampton. This game was nip and tuck throughout with several lead changes along the way. Neither of these juggernauts were able to build any separation in this rugged-style matchup. Hailing from completely different eras, each of these monster versions utilized their unique psychedelic prowess in an attempt to intimidate the other, but neither backed down as the game went down to the wire. A small run in the final two minutes pushed the modern classic over the gem from ’94, and Hampton became the second 3.0 Tweezer to make the Sweet Sixteen.

#2 Mud Island 95 23 #7 Austin 98 19

The most surprising contest of the Hampton region came in an incredibly competitive game between two-seed Mud Island and the upstart, seven-seed Austin 98. This matchup provided the most stark contrast of styles that we have seen in the tournament—Mud Island’s multi-sectioned, never-ending 50-minute odyssey versus the locked-in, smooth-as-can-be, chunky Summer ’98 funk grooves of Austin. Austin kept the game closer than anyone had predicted, and by the second half, the compact dance-version won over the crowd as the arena pulled hard for the improbable upset. It seemed as though the favored ’95 beast would fall in a David versus Goliath story, but Austin missed a couple gimmies in the final minute and somehow, someway, Mud Island survived.

#3 Denver 97 34 #11 New Haven 95 14

After upsetting MSG 12/30/16 in round one, New Haven ’95 had its sight set even higher on the well-loved, show-opening version from McNichols Arena from Fall ’97. But New Haven’s one dimensional, guitar-led run-and-gun attack proved no contest for the methodic and balanced cowfunk of Denver. This one was never close, and Denver—as expected—rolled into the Sweet Sixteen unchallenged.

#1 Raleigh 99 44 #9 Nashville 16 8

Nothing to see here, as number one seed, Raleigh ’99, steamrolled the dark-horse rendition from Fall Tour 2016 in Nashville. Raleigh moves into the next round with its true competition about to begin.

Worcester Region Recap

#4 Tokyo 00 25 #5 Bozeman 94 21

Tokyo ’00 and Bozeman ’94 played the third, hotly contested game in this half of the bracket’s second round. This four-five matchup—pitting a 30-plus minute, international rendition against a 40-plus minute sprawl from Fall ’94—became a contest of leapfrog, with neither version holding a lead for any period of time. Tokyo’s cohesion and intricacy eventually won out over the long-form, patchwork improv from Bozeman, giving this half of the second round its third four-vote margin of victory.

#6 Christiana 98 23 #3 Salem 94 19

This three-six matchup saw two beasts go head-to-head, with the underdog, Christiana winning out in yet another four-vote contest! Much like Tokyo-Bozeman, this game was as competitive as any in the tournament, as the two versions battled neck-and-neck the entire way. Just when one version pulled ahead, the other would come back, and the game entered the final minute tied up. In their last gasps, Christiana offered a slowed-down, psychedelic “When the Levee Breaks” tease, and Salem retorted with a “Norwegian Wood” jam out of an abstract space. The Zeppelin reference was just was the doctored ordered as the iconic European version pulled ahead of the penultimate rendition from Fall ’94, edging Salem by the slim margin of four.

#2 Lakewood 00 22 #7 Albany 18

Worcester’s two-seven matchup proved to be just as dramatic as Hampton’s two-seven, as Lakewood and Albany went at each other with aggression from the opening tip. The heavily favored version from Atlanta was plagued by turnovers out of the gate, allowing Albany to remain in the game with marksman-like three-point shooting. Albany’s long range bombing continued throughout the contest, as they remained within striking distance until the final minutes. Lakewood’s tournament life flashed before its eyes. The Fall ’97 version, however, never got over the hump, as Lakewood blocked it’s final two attempts to secure a narrow escape in an unexpected barnburner.

#1 Nassau 03 42 #9 Champaign 95 6

Nassau 03 was the fourth top seed to annihilate their second round opponent and waltz into the second round with zero trouble. Nassau has its sight set on the final four, but will have to now step up and play in order to get there.

*****

Sweet Sixteen Breakdown

By Year:

1994: 1

1995: 2

1997: 3

1998: 2

1999: 2

2000: 2

2003: 1

2013: 2

2015: 1

Tours with Multiple Versions

Summer ’95: 2

Fall ’97: 2

Summer ’98: 2

Summer ’00: 2

Seasonal Breakdown

Spring: 1

Summer: 10

Fall: 3

Winter: 2

Lookout for the Sweet Sixteen vote within the next 24 hours!

MSG Region Recap

#5 Camden 99 35 #4 Lakewood 15 29

The four-five matchup between Camden ’99 and Lakewood ’15 provided the most marquee matchup of MSG’s second round action. A battle of styles, a battle of eras, a battle of tempos—this contest provided an interesting musical juxtaposition. Camden rode in on the strength of its ’99 psych-goo, while Lakewood put forth its stunningly beautiful melodic theme. In the end, however, the molasses of Camden got the better of Lakewood, as the New Jersey rendition jumped out to a comfortable early lead and continued to score just enough to hold off several comeback attempts from the Summer ’15 highlight.

#2 Jones Beach 95 32 #7 Hartford 13 28

The two-seven matchup pitted two versions, almost two decades apart, that are as different as can possibly be—the wooly and  outlandish exploration of Jones Beach’s Summer ’95 behemoth versus the smooth, thematic playing of Hartford’s Fall ’13 standout. The two squads played each other incredibly tough, but the Long Island monster held the lead from wire to wire. Hartford pulled as close as it would come within the games final minute, but never got over the hump. The sneaky-powerful two seed rolls on with a mission to dethrone more widely known versions.

#3 Bomb Factory 51 #11 Laguna Seca 5

This three-eleven matchup saw two classic 1994 Tweezers that are household names—Bomb Factory and Laguna Seca. After pulling a huge upset over Blossom 15, Laguna Seca looked to shock the world by sending the Bomb Factory packing. But the California, multi-band-festival version couldn’t harness its first round magic and got run out of the gym by the iconic Dallas rendition. This was an outright drubbing, and the victory sets up a highly-anticipated Sweet Sixteen matchup between Bomb Factory and Jones Beach.

#1 Auburn Hills 97 62 #9 Gainesville 95 4

Speaking of a drubbing, Auburn Hills annihilated the upstart Gainesville version from Fall 95 with an eye-popping score differential. The Palace Tweezer strolls into the Sweet Sixteen without breaking a sweat over its first two matchups. The tournament starts now for one of the best Phish jams of all time.

Gorge Region Recap

#4 Magnaball 46 #5 Island Run 19

Everyone had this Magnaball-Island Run second-round matchup circled before the tournament started, but it turned out to be surprisingly non-competitive. These versions hail from two of Phish’s most revered events, but whereas the Magna version was, arguably, the highlight of the weekend, the Island version was practically an afterthought to the run’s countless other-worldly jams. Magnaball ran away the contest in the second half in a thumping that few saw coming.

#3 Great Went 34 #6 Alpine 15 21

The Great Went’s afternoon classic coasted to victory in its second round match-up, maintaining a comfortable 10-plus point lead from early in the first half. The impeccable and buttery Alpine version showed some fight in scoring more than expected against the Went’s vaunted ’97 zone defense, but the result was never truly in question. The Gorge region’s second festival version advances, and the Great Went will surely make some noise in the the next round.

#2 Lake Tahoe 49 #10 Lake Placid 13

Following the trend of the Gorge Region, this Battle of the Lakes resulted in yet another blowout as Tahoe easily dismissed Placid. The tour-ending version from Fall ’95 proved no contest for the fan favorite from Stateline, Nevada, as the third Fall ’95 version bows out of the tournament. This sets up a prime-time affair between The Great Went and Lake Tahoe next round.

#1 Alpine 98 42 #9 Vegas 98 16

This battle of 1998 versions provided little drama, as Vegas just didn’t have the mustard to get within an arm’s reach of Alpine ’98s historic outing. Alpine’s victory cemented an all-chalk second round in the Gorge region, and suffice it to say, the next round will provide more drama than this one.

Hampton & Worcester Regions: Round 2