The Phish Thread

[Moe_Syzlak]

Good point. Could have been later then - as you say. The good thing is, he is (so far) not another dead rock star story.

To be clear, by "later" I mean post-hiatus, not post-Phish.

 

Moe, I would really like to sit down and have a beer with you sometime. I thoroughly enjoyed this post.

Thanks. I'm always down for a beer.

 

speaking of going downhill, I assume most phans accept that the band started going downhill after '97? I am so out of the Phish loop these days, but that was my opinion at the time. Has that opinion survived? I remember those summer shows in '98 and everyone just shaking their heads... They then had their brief moments in 99 and they recaptured the magic on 12/30-31/99, but it was really never the same for me. Maybe I just changed...?

I got into Phish because of the compositions. In fact, I was playing in a band and my idea was to take Zappa-esque compositions and marry them with Grateful Dead-like improv. Then I heard Phish and realized someone was already doing that way better than I ever could. I prefer Phish from '91-'94. The more "out there" their jams got, the more disinterested I became. I absolutely abhor the "funk" that was prominent in a lot of Phish fans' favorite years circa '97. That said, they still seemed into it then and, while not my favorite direction, were still challenging themselves and reinventing themselves. Save for Big Cypress, that wasn't happening much after '98, IMO.

[RaspberryJam]

One of my top 10 concerts ever was seeing them in 95 (?) in Germany. We were living there at the time and while they were starting to play big arenas in the US, over there they were playing really small clubs. In fact, were we saw them was in the basement of the basement of the train station in Cologne. It was a tiny little space and was not crowded at all. I was right up front and had no problem going back for bathroom breaks and beers then walking right back to my spot. Their playing was incredible, the sound that came from only 4 musicians! One of those concerts that lifted you up from the first note and kept you soaring until the last. I have a recording of it and it is as good as I remember.

 

Saw them again that last tour at Saratoga Springs; the band and the crowd just seemed out there. I wasn't tapped into what was going on with the band other than the music, but I remember thinking that the kids were doing different drugs than the ones I used to do. I wondered if it was just me getting old, glad to know now that it wasn't that. The whole scene was seedy and the music just wasn't what I had remembered.

 

Darkstar, I was in college in VT in the late 80's. Where were you?

[MattZ]

In my opinion Matt the last great run was the Island Tour in April '98. I saw them later that summer and something definitely had changed. For one, all the covers that started to pop up were an indicator (to me) that the creativity and inspiration were starting to dry up. And in the jams there were many times where they just couldn't seem to turn the corner - they'd just cruise along, sometimes aimlessly. It was really sad to see.

 

Yep, you are exactly right. The Island Tour. Completely forgot about that. Although the music from the Island Tour was really more the crowning achievment of what had been started in 97. And you are right on the money with those summer '98 shows. Random covers popping up (prominently in sets) was a sign that they were running out of things to do to keep it fresh.

 

I prefer Phish from '91-'94. The more "out there" their jams got, the more disinterested I became. I absolutely abhor the "funk" that was prominent in a lot of Phish fans' favorite years circa '97. That said, they still seemed into it then and, while not my favorite direction, were still challenging themselves and reinventing themselves. Save for Big Cypress, that wasn't happening much after '98, IMO.

 

I don't know which one I prefer but there is definitely a difference between '91-94 and '95-97. Just depends what kind of a mood I am in. And I agree with you -- the band was still challenging themselves and reinventing themselves through both periods.

 

I have to admit that I am a bit bummed out that this thread is called Trey Anastasio is locked up. But, I suppose that's where we are these days. Someone should start a phish appreciation thread. If it won't start a mutiny.

[darkstar]

One of my top 10 concerts ever was seeing them in 95 (?) in Germany. We were living there at the time and while they were starting to play big arenas in the US, over there they were playing really small clubs. In fact, were we saw them was in the basement of the basement of the train station in Cologne. It was a tiny little space and was not crowded at all. I was right up front and had no problem going back for bathroom breaks and beers then walking right back to my spot. Their playing was incredible, the sound that came from only 4 musicians! One of those concerts that lifted you up from the first note and kept you soaring until the last. I have a recording of it and it is as good as I remember.

 

Saw them again that last tour at Saratoga Springs; the band and the crowd just seemed out there. I wasn't tapped into what was going on with the band other than the music, but I remember thinking that the kids were doing different drugs than the ones I used to do. I wondered if it was just me getting old, glad to know now that it wasn't that. The whole scene was seedy and the music just wasn't what I had remembered.

 

Darkstar, I was in college in VT in the late 80's. Where were you?

 

 

I was one of them crazy Norwich dudes.....what about yourself?

[RaspberryJam]

I was one of them crazy Norwich dudes.....what about yourself?

 

I was your typical Castleton loser, but only for 1 year, 87-88. I skied and partied for a year, then felt bad about spending a lot of my parent's money and not getting much in the way of education, so I transferred.

[mountain bed]

I just wanted to say thanks IRDB for taking Matt's suggestion and changing the thread title.

 

It's Memorial Day weekend - kick out some of those wonderful Laguna Seca Daze shows! ('94, esp.)

[darkstar]

I was your typical Castleton loser, but only for 1 year, 87-88. I skied and partied for a year, then felt bad about spending a lot of my parent's money and not getting much in the way of education, so I transferred.

 

 

friggin' beautiful up there huh? I miss Vermont. Tennessee is a bit different

[Wendy]

I just wanted to say thanks IRDB for taking Matt's suggestion and changing the thread title.

[wilcoheaven]

So glad the title has been changed, much nicer. I was listening to a few songs from the 10/31/94 show when they did the White Album, today, as I was driving. Love it, wish I could have been there, way too young.

[mattboh]

I was one of the late-period Dead converts. My first show was Hara Arena (Dayton, OH 11-94ish), right after the "White Album" Halloween show. Obviously, I never saw them in the early days, but I saw my share of stellar shows (10-31-95 & 12-7-97 being the best examples). Maybe it's my own ignorance of what came before (I do have a pretty extensive library of pre-'94 shows), but '97-'98 was the pinnacle for me. I totally dug the summer of '98 when we got a new cover each night. I fell out of the scene right before BC and never got back in. It was a really fun ride.

[IRememberDBoon]

Nearly four years after their break-up, the four members of Phish may have some unfinished business together. In an interview with Rolling Stone last week, Trey Anastasio didn

[mountain bed]

I read something about this too. You know how it is when you deliver ultimatums - eventually you look back in hindsight and say "wtf was I thinking? did I temporarily lose my mind?"

 

I can't speak for everyone, but I'd sure love to hear another YEM someday.

[Guest Muncle Douchey]

i never got to see phish live, trey a few times, but not phish. my god, what i'd give to hear a 30+ minute Divided Sky...

[remphish1]

i never got to see phish live, trey a few times, but not phish. my god, what i'd give to hear a 30+ minute Divided Sky...

 

I didn't hear a 30 minute version of Divided Sky but I did get to hear a 30 minute version of Gotta Jiboo live

[Analogman]

What was that show where they played for 7 or 8 hours - amazing.

[MattZ]

[jc4prez]

I didn't hear a 30 minute version of Divided Sky but I did get to hear a 30 minute version of Gotta Jiboo live

 

ouch, i caught a divided sky but it was subpar.

[mfwahl]

Big Cypress - 12/31/99. Went on at 11pm or so. Played til sunrise. (And that was the 2nd set!! )

 

They arrived on a hot dog.

 

Set begins around 11:35 pm with Father Time on stage pedaling away at a stationary bike, powering a large clock, with the sound of the gears on the PA (possibly a Siket Disc track?). At approximately 11:50 pm, Father Time collapses from exhaustion and the clock stops. At this time, with appropriate sound effects, a large fan boat entered the field from halfway back, stage right. Soon the sides and top of the fan boat were blown off to reveal the band riding in the hot dog from 12-31-94. The hot dog approached the stage as the band threw leis and other goodies into the crowd. Once the hot dog reached the stage, the band disembarked carrying several meatsticks. They fed these to Father Time, reviving him to drive to clock to midnight.

[El Picador]

i never got to see phish live, trey a few times, but not phish. my god, what i'd give to hear a 30+ minute Divided Sky...

 

There was no such thing. Divided Sky is not an open ended jam song. 13-16 minutes max. Great song, though and one of their best when played right.

[Guest Muncle Douchey]

There was no such thing. Divided Sky is not an open ended jam song. 13-16 minutes max. Great song, though and one of their best when played right.

 

sure, just shit on my dreams

[mountain bed]

The Divided Sky from 8/13/96 Deer Creek (Live Phish Vol. 12) is a near-perfect version. The best one I saw personally as well.

[Analogman]

That friend of mine was at the other festivals they put on - the one where they played music on a flatbed truck, and I forget the other one.

[MattZ]

This thread is making me feel old.

 

(never saw a divided sky??!?!)

[MattZ]

In part as a result of the fact that this thread is alive and kicking, I went back to listen to some of my old phish shows. I basically haven't listened to Phish since I hiked those 15 miles out of Coventry. The band broke up and I used that as an excuse to break away too. It was time for me to move on. I thought everything went pretty downhill after 12/31/99 (and even after the Island Tour as we were saying before) so Coventry was my last swan song.

 

Then I basically spent the next several years reconnecting with my roots (Dylan, Beatles, Stones, Costello, Lowe, ), discovering bands like Wilco, UT, Son Volt, and other "indie" type bands, and sort of laughing off what was a "phase" I went through with Phish. I picked up guitar myself and gravitated to the singer-songwriters of the world. I never got into other jambands -- never fell in love with the Dead -- and I'd go so far as to say that I actively dislike the jambands that pass for jambands these days. I'd probably even argue that Phish never was a jamband, but that's beside the point. Jamming just seemed so pretentious to me and an acoustic guitar was all I thought I'd ever need again.

 

So, like I said, I popped in a phish show the other day because of this thread. And I'll tell you what. I don't know what it is, but there's just something about Phish and their love of the music and their energy and their tight rocking joy that is infectious to me. I hadn't heard Chalkdust Torture or any Phish in probably 5 years, and I went for a taste of Chalkdust first (12/31/95). I had chills and a grin from ear to ear. In a weird way it made me happy to think that there's still something about this band that moves me in a way that no other band does. Even Wilco -- they move me in a way just as important, but just in a different way. It's nice to have that... I'm glad I didn't lose it.

 

In a weird way, I think I can, kind of, sort of, probably not even close, relate to what Trey is saying above. There are times in your life when things are just right, and maybe you need a break from them, but they are always there in you somewhere.

 

Who can unlearn all the facts that I've learned??

[remphish1]

I had to do this sorry if it is too long! My Phish stats for the 6 shows i went too..

 

First/Last Time Seen

Song Name FIRST TIME SEEN LAST TIME SEEN CURRENT GAP

Date Show # Date Show #

 

 

A Day in the Life 12/30/95 1 12/30/95 1 6 shows

AC/DC Bag 12/30/95 1 12/30/95 1 6 shows

Albuquerque 12/28/98 3 12/28/98 3 4 shows

Also Sprach Zarathustra 12/30/95 1 6/21/04 7 0 shows

Avenu Malkenu 12/30/95 1 12/30/95 1 6 shows

Axilla 12/28/98 3 7/15/99 4 3 shows

Bathtub Gin 7/3/00 5 7/3/00 5 2 shows

Been Caught Stealin' 12/28/98 3 12/28/98 3 4 shows

Birds of a Feather 12/28/98 3 9/15/00 6 1 shows

Bittersweet Motel 7/3/00 5 9/15/00 6 1 shows

Bouncing Around the Room 7/15/99 4 7/15/99 4 3 shows

Brian and Robert 7/15/99 4 7/15/99 4 3 shows

Carini 12/28/98 3 12/28/98 3 4 shows

Cars Trucks Buses 12/29/97 2 12/29/97 2 5 shows

Cavern 12/30/95 1 12/30/95 1 6 shows

Chalk Dust Torture 7/15/99 4 6/21/04 7 0 shows

Character Zero 9/15/00 6 9/15/00 6 1 shows

Corrine Corrina 9/15/00 6 9/15/00 6 1 shows

Crossroads 12/29/97 2 12/29/97 2 5 shows

David Bowie 12/30/95 1 12/28/98 3 4 shows

Dirt 12/29/97 2 12/29/97 2 5 shows

Divided Sky 12/30/95 1 12/30/95 1 6 shows

Down With Disease 12/29/97 2 7/3/00 5 2 shows

Driver 12/28/98 3 12/28/98 3 4 shows

Farmhouse 12/28/98 3 7/15/99 4 3 shows

First Tube 9/15/00 6 9/15/00 6 1 shows

Fluffhead 12/29/97 2 7/3/00 5 2 shows

Foam 7/3/00 5 7/3/00 5 2 shows

Frankenstein 7/15/99 4 7/15/99 4 3 shows

Free 12/30/95 1 12/30/95 1 6 shows

Ghost 7/15/99 4 7/15/99 4 3 shows

Glide 7/3/00 5 7/3/00 5 2 shows

Golgi Apparatus 12/29/97 2 9/15/00 6 1 shows

Good Times Bad Times 12/29/97 2 12/28/98 3 4 shows

Gotta Jibboo 9/15/00 6 9/15/00 6 1 shows

Guelah Papyrus 7/3/00 5 7/3/00 5 2 shows

Harry Hood 12/30/95 1 12/30/95 1 6 shows

Heavy Things 7/3/00 5 7/3/00 5 2 shows

Horn 7/15/99 4 7/15/99 4 3 shows

I Didn't Know 7/15/99 4 7/15/99 4 3 shows

It's Ice 12/30/95 1 12/30/95 1 6 shows

Jam 7/15/99 4 7/15/99 4 3 shows

Kung 12/30/95 1 7/15/99 4 3 shows

Lifeboy 12/30/95 1 12/30/95 1 6 shows

Meat 7/3/00 5 7/3/00 5 2 shows

Meatstick 7/15/99 4 7/15/99 4 3 shows

My Mind's Got a Mind of its Own 7/3/00 5 7/3/00 5 2 shows

My Soul 7/3/00 5 7/3/00 5 2 shows

NICU 12/29/97 2 12/29/97 2 5 shows

Piper 9/15/00 6 9/15/00 6 1 shows

Poor Heart 7/15/99 4 7/15/99 4 3 shows

Possum 12/29/97 2 9/15/00 6 1 shows

Prince Caspian 12/30/95 1 12/30/95 1 6 shows

Punch You In The Eye 7/15/99 4 7/15/99 4 3 shows

Quinn the Eskimo 12/28/98 3 12/28/98 3 4 shows

Run Like an Antelope 12/30/95 1 9/15/00 6 1 shows

Runaway Jim 7/3/00 5 7/3/00 5 2 shows

Sample in a Jar 12/30/95 1 12/30/95 1 6 shows

Sand 7/3/00 5 7/3/00 5 2 shows

Scent of a Mule 12/30/95 1 12/30/95 1 6 shows

Scents and Subtle Sounds 6/21/04 7 6/21/04 7 0 shows

Simple 12/30/95 1 12/30/95 1 6 shows

Sleep 12/28/98 3 12/28/98 3 4 shows

Split Open and Melt 7/15/99 4 7/15/99 4 3 shows

Stash 12/28/98 3 12/28/98 3 4 shows

Suzy Greenberg 12/30/95 1 12/30/95 1 6 shows

Taste 12/28/98 3 12/28/98 3 4 shows

The Lizards 9/15/00 6 9/15/00 6 1 shows

The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday 12/30/95 1 12/30/95 1 6 shows

The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday Reprise 12/30/95 1 12/30/95 1 6 shows

The Sloth 7/15/99 4 7/15/99 4 3 shows

Theme From The Bottom 12/29/97 2 7/3/00 5 2 shows

Train Song 12/29/97 2 12/29/97 2 5 shows

Tube 12/29/97 2 9/15/00 6 1 shows

Tweezer 6/21/04 7 6/21/04 7 0 shows

Tweezer Reprise 6/21/04 7 6/21/04 7 0 shows

Waste 7/3/00 5 7/3/00 5 2 shows

When the Circus Comes 12/28/98 3 9/15/00 6 1 shows

Wilson 6/21/04 7 6/21/04 7 0 shows

Windora Bug 9/15/00 6 9/15/00 6 1 shows

Wolfman's Brother 12/28/98 3 12/28/98 3 4 shows

Ya Mar 12/30/95 1 12/30/95 1 6 shows

You Enjoy Myself 12/29/97 2 7/15/99 4 3 shows