Hampton Region Round 1 Recap

#9 Nashville 29 #8 Miami 24

The eight-nine game provided the most drama in the Hampton region, as two 3.0 favorites staged an engaging battle that featured the most eye-opening comeback of the tournament. Eight seed, Miami, had a comfortable lead for most of the contest, but the final five minutes saw Nashville go on a run out of nowhere and overtake the ’09 standout, capturing the contest by 5 votes. Miami—stunned—hung its head as it packed its bag, but heading back to South Beach will sure bolster its spirit.

#11 New Haven 95 34 #6 MSG 12/30/16 19

In an upset that many prognosticators saw coming, the compact shredder from New Haven defeated the more dynamic version from Madison Square Garden. When the bracket came out, there was rampant questioning of New Haven’s seemingly-low seed, but the committee cited the version’s one-dimensional nature for its placement. The voters saw otherwise, however, as the Fall 95 version jumped out to a big lead and never looked back. Voters have shown an unbreakable love for Fall 95, as each version from the tour has advanced thus far.

#7 Austin 98 33 #10 Chicago, IL 19

The late-’90s groove monster from Austin, Texas, wasted no time devouring the multi-sectioned standout from Fall 2018. Chicago was predicted to put up more of a fight in this one, but it was no competition for one of the chunkiest and smoothest rhythmic exchanges of all-time.

#5 Hampton 13 42 #12 Red Rocks 09 11

In another battle of 3.0 versions, the revered rendition from the Mothership out-dueled the stellar Red Rocks version from five years earlier. Though Red Rocks, pound for pound, is as tough as any version in the field, the length and psychedelia of Hampton suffocated the ’09 version, and the host Tweezer of the Hampton region marched on.

#4 Bangor 33 #13 MSG 1/2/16 20

The stone cold classic from Bangor ’94, featured on A Live One, put the beat down on the uplifting MSG 16 version in a wire-to-wire domination. Bangor is one of the favorites in this bracket, and could be looking at a regional final if things fall their way.

#3 Denver 97 47 #14 Baker’s 8

This match-up was over before it started, as the well-loved opener from McNichols 97 proved far to powerful and infectious for the Baker’s Dozen opening night outing. Denver’s quintessential Fall ’97 groove factory started quick and never relented in a match-up between wildly divergent versions, easily advancing to the round of 32.

#2 Mud Island 41 #15 Minneapolis 10

The 50-minute colossus from Memphis in the Summer 95 had a strong argument for a top seed in this tournament, and when it was slotted as a two, it felt like it had something to prove. The longest Tweezer ever came out with a chip on its shoulder in the first round, drubbing the Target Center version from ’99 in a game that likened the Globetrotters versus the Washington Generals. Mud Island has its sights set on the final four, but will have to make its way through some top-shelf versions to make its dream a reality.

#1 Raleigh 99 55 #15 Shoreline 00 4

Continuing the tournament trend of top seed domination, Raleigh bludgeoned the Shoreline version from the final night of 1.0, in a contest that was as lopsided as the score suggests. Raleigh treated this game as a warm-up for its real competition which will start in round two.

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Thanks to everyone who voted in the Hampton Region! Below is the Worcetser Region—the final first round games. The polls will be live for 72 hours and then we will be moving on to spicier matchups in the round of 32. Enjoy!

Gorge Region Round 1 Recap

The first round play in the Gorge region was dominated by blowouts, though two games were as close as possible. Let’s recap each game, starting with the most exciting.

#9 Vegas 98 27 #8 Hartford 97 26

The eight-nine match-up came through with drama once again, as Vegas 98 edged Hartford 97 by only one vote. This one was neck and neck the whole way through, as neither squad created any real separation throughout the game. The teams exchanged buckets down the stretch and the score was tied as the clock moved under five seconds. Vegas called a timeout and set up a final play. On the inbounds, they executed a perfect back pick off the ball, the Hartford defense did’t rotate, and Vegas hit an open layup as time expired! This game illustrated what Tweezer Madness is all about!

#6 Alpine 15 26 #11 Charlotte 95 26 tie

In a battle between two wildly different versions, Charlotte jumped out to a big lead, but Alpine chipped away and chipped away, tieing the game several times but never getting over the hump. And in the final minute of play, they hit a three pointer to tie the game yet again. Charlotte was set up to win, but their attempt at the buzzer wedged in between the rim and the backboard as time expired. This brought the tournament its first tie, and following the Tweezer Madness bylaws, ties are broken by the seeding committee. The committee issued this statement:

Though we love both versions, and Charlotte has the clear edge in length, we find Alpine to be a perfect Phish jam. This Tweezer jam has no extraneous notes, features laser-like focus between band members and a criminally smooth, one-minded flow. For these reasons, Alpine will be advancing.

#5 Providence 98 37 #12 MSG 17 19

This modern-day MSG version, though two-pronged and with a blissful peak just couldn’t keep up with the much-loved, late-90s grooves of the Island Run. This one was never competitive.

#4 Magnaball 42 #13 Finger Lakes 95 13

The centerpiece jam of the Magnaball weekend annihilated the super-long Fleezer of legend, lending the 3.0 era some more street cred in a tourney pitting era against era. Of the four standout Summer ’15 versions, three have now advanced to the round of 32.

#10 Lake Placid 95 28 #7 Barcelona 98 17

The final Tweezer of the band’s famed Fall 95 tour drubbed the bass-led version of Barcelona 98 in the region’s most significant upset. Barcelona, not as well known as the potentially under-seeded Lake Placid version, had a steep hill to climb in this contest, but it was thought that its delectable dance club grooves could make a run for the money. But it wasn’t to be as the guitar and piano led psychedelia of Lake Placid dominated the game from the tip.

#3 Great Went 38 #14 Dick’s 11 18

The Great Went smothered Dick’s 11 with it’s raw Summer 97 funk stylings, moving out to an early lead and expanding it throughout the match-up. Colorado’s early 3.0 highlight couldn’t generate consistent offense against Limestone’s stone cold classic, as it was plagued by turnovers and poor decision making from the jump. The Went advanced easily and could make some legitimate noise in this tournament before all is said and done.

#2 Lake Tahoe 13 44 #15 Randall’s 14 13

Fan favorite, Lake Tahoe, put the beat down on Randall Island’s version in a battle of 3.0 standouts. Randall’s never truly stood a chance against Tahoe’s 30-plus minute journey who many have pegged for a final four appearance.

#1 Alpine 98 51 #16 Eureka 92 7

Once again, the number one seed rolled as Alpine 98 dominated Eureka 92 from the outset, shutting out the 16th seed for the first 15 minutes of the game. Eureka 92, though ahead of its time and deserving of a spot in the tournament, wasn’t thought to truly compete. The pundits were right, and the oldest version in the field will head back to the redwoods, but has nothing to hang its head about.

Thanks to everyone who listened and voted in the Gorge Region! The Hampton region’s first round will run for 72 hours from the time of this posting. Enjoy the next eight matchups and continue to enjoy your time in the freezer!

MSG 1st Round Re-Cap

Though most of Madison Square Garden’s first round match-ups went as expected, there were some very close contests and one surprising upset. Let’s go to the videotape!

The region’s shocking upset came in dramatic fashion as the mid-major 11th seeded, Laguna Seca 94, made a late run and upended the heavy-hitting version of Blossom 15 by a single vote. Blossom had an open look to win it at the buzzer, but the ball rolled around the rim and fell out of cylinder. Nobody saw this one coming, and many thought Blossom was a real contender to reach the Sweet 16. But its season ended prematurely, and the strong version will pack its bag and head back to Cleveland to ponder what could have been.

The seven seed, Hartford 13, and the tenth seed, Nassau 99, engaged in a hotly-contested, see-saw battle that saw several lead changes throughout. Hartford saw a narrow lead evaporate over the final two minutes of the game, but hit a desperation three-pointer at the horn defeating the dark-horse 99 rendition in crushing fashion by only a single vote.

Jones Beach 95, the regions second seed, ran out to a large lead only to become complacent and allow number 15, Cincy 98, to stage a furious comeback that ultimately fell short. The game was even closer than the final margin of eight votes would suggest, as Jones Beach tacked on some free throws off of intentional fouls by Cincy as they looked to extend the contest.

Third-seeded Bomb Factory easily defeated MSG in a contest of 1994 juggernauts, while Lakewood 15, the region’s four seed, drubbed Big Cypress in a match-up that was never close. Camden 99 and Gorge 97 went back and forth for much of the game before fifth seeded, Camden, strung together some late buckets and won by a comfortable margin of seven votes.

The always exciting eight versus nine game lived up to the hype, as Vancouver 99 and Gainesville 95 exchanged blows in a battle of vastly different musical eras. Vancouver jumped out to an early lead before Gainesville mucked up the game with strong grand piano chords, playing lock down defense and scoring just enough to comfortably put down the favored Canadian version by seven.

In the final MSG first round game, top seed Auburn Hill ’97 bludgeoned Dayton 95 without resistance.

Thanks to all who voted in the tournament’s first region! Please cast your vote for the Gorge region’s first round games below. I’ve decided to have regions’ first round slate to play for three days—72 hours from the time of posting—rather than four in the interest of moving the tournament along.

Get your headphones out and let’s go!

Today, on the 29-year anniversary of the debut of Tweezer and as the NCAA tournament enters the Sweet Sixteen, I welcome you to Tweezer Madness!

First things first—this is for fun. This is not intended to be a definitive ranking of Tweezer jams. In fact, ranking jams is nonsensical. One jam is not better than another. Making art compete is silly, but if taken in the vein this is intended, I think it will be a lot of fun. This tournament is a completely subjective exercise, and it is by no means an attempt at an objective referendum. Moreover, at this point in my own life, I feel that comparing jams is a fool’s errand, but I’ve considered putting this tournament together for many years, when I mentioned it to some friends a couple weeks ago, their enthusiasm for the idea motivated me to make it happen.

The Seeding Process

Seeding these Tweezer jams was an impossible task. I tried to balance my own proclivity for the fluid, groovier versions of 1997 and beyond with a heartfelt honor and my old-school love for the adventurous journeys of 1994 and 1995. I tried to mix up the eras between the higher and lower seeds to create the an engaging and interesting bracket.

In this process, it became evident that comparing Phish eras doesn’t really work. How can one weigh the ethereal, layered textures of Nassau 99 against the fuel-injected fury of New Haven 95, or the 50-minute, multi-part colossus of Mud Island 95 against the smooth, space grooves of the Island Run’s version? Opposing versions quickly become apples and oranges. In the spirit of making an all-time tournament, however, I’ve included jams across all eras.

When I re-listened to a version, I inevitably found myself trying to reshuffle the bracket in order to bump up its seed, but several days into the process, I gave up trying to get them all “right,” because there is no such thing. I could have shuffled seeds forever, but at some point I realized it really didn’t matter, a loose approximation of tiers worked fine. Time and time again, I realized that seeding jams is an imperfect science, and beyond that, purely comedic. Eventually, it felt more important to finish the bracket than to continue nitpicking over every seed. Trust me, I did enough of that. And then I did it some more.

The selection of the top seeds is a reflection of my own heart. To me, the number one seeds feature unparalleled flow, ultimate cohesion and each contain—in my opinion—some of the most timeless and divine Phish music ever played.

That said, many of my other favorite versions are scattered throughout the bracket. I truly believe that all 66 versions (including the play-in games) are awesome.  I needed to fill 66 slots, so some versions necessarily had to be seeded lower than others. In short, don’t take the seeding too seriously.

If I left out your favorite version, don’t fret, my opinion means no more than yours. But I’d like to think—and I hope—that I got everyone’s favorite version in the field.

To view the bracket, click on the image and you’ll get a full size, printable version. I will be posting matchup polls (with complete dates) on this site.  I recommend using on a computer, or the ReListen app on a phone, to access all the music.

I am posting the two play-in games today. The winners of these games will be the final two 16 seeds as reflected on the bracket. After a 48-hour voting window, I will post the first round region by region, giving four days for listening and voting. Once the first round is over, I’ll post two regions at a time, soon enough, we’ll have a tournament champion.

Without further ado, step into the freezer!