Phish Band • Page 22

9 shows in 12 days...at long last, I can rest. I think this is the top 5:

MSG 6
MSG 4
Mann 2
MSG 7
MSG 1

 

Didn't do the Mann but went right to a campground in Jersey to see Dogs on Sunday lol. Not even gonna try to rank beyond saying N6 was definitely the best of the run and definitely a top 5 Phish show I've seen...it might be number 5 after all of Vegas 21 but it's still top 5.

 

I thought MSG was going to crumble during the Crosseyed. Place was BOUNCING in a way it hasn’t since 12/29/18 Tweezer.

My wife and I didn’t realize that the bottom our friend’s mushroom tea bottle he brews is where it’s the most heavily concentrated if you don’t shake it and well…we were definitely on the razor’s edge for a lot of MSG6. But all good because DAMN, what a show to go deep for haha.

 

There was a twitter clip of the stage during Crosseyed, EVERYTHING rattling and shaking. Unbelievable venue.

 

Got a text Wednesday about a hotel room with floor space and a $60 two day lawn for SPAC and well...cya tonight

 

I scored PAVs on the aisle for SPAC but sold them by choice.

I did nine shows in 12 days (Philly + MSG) and then immediately had to do, over the next 8 days, Chicago -> New Paltz -> Denver for a mix of work and pleasure. I'm still so thoroughly exhausted from those three weeks, I really need to stay home and hit the beach.

Have a blast though dude!

 

Yeah, I felt similarly last week lol. But I haven't been travelling like that. Honestly am usually very averse to making plans like this on such short notice but it all worked out so well. Also Saturday is a birthday show for me

 

I guess New Year's Eve was okay.

 

I was at Dogs. I don't regret but it hurts a little, not as much as my friends I was there with who missed their first NYE since 2012....but that's life. And truly would do it again honestly but it does hurt

 

They started as a country band of UHart students in 72 and then they saw the Grateful Dead in 74 and were like holy shit let's do that. Then by the early 80s they had sort of fairly been labeled a Dead cover band but that's just because they would play 6 hours a night 5 days a week and had to play SOMETHING. But they always had a decent original catalogue, and by the mid 80s they were avoiding playing Dead songs on anything like a regular basis. They've found a happy medium by now.

In 78 my Dad started seeing them and has seen them ~1000 times since (not joking, it averages out to only like 22 shows a year which is very plausible) and I grew up being family friends with some of the children of the members of the band so that's where my obsession comes in.

They have played probably 95%+ of their all-time shows in Connecticut, Mass, Rhode Island, or NY, and have been a staple on any small-mid jam festival in those areas. They've played on fests or gigs with pretty much any jam band you - or I - could name, excluding the Dead themselves I guess, but probably all of the post-Jerry pre-Mayer bands.

They used to play every Wednesday night at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel in Providence and when they had another gig it was Phish who would replace them, and sometimes even open for them. Phish's bass player Gordon loved the Creek guitar player Murawski since before Phish, Murawski now plays in Gordon's side project. There's a classic story of Gordon tricking the rest of Phish into learning a Max Creek song and playing it live, and then bringing the band to see Max Creek and hearing them play it. Phish didn't play the Creek song again after that lol. Murawski also plays in a trio with the Dead drummer once in a while. Dead & Co bass player credits Murawski for him ending up in Dead & Co. Lot of deep lore tying them to more popular bands.

In an alternate world, they might be on something like a Widespread Panic level of popularity. They got offered a spot on the first HORDE tour in 92 with Panic and Phish etc but couldn't leave their day jobs and insurance to do it, they'd already been a band a lot longer than the rest and had families and shit. Also, one of them was deathly scared of getting John Fogerty'd by a record label, which was and is very silly for them to be scared about lol. But that's also why my dad was able to afford seeing them 1000 times so, kinda worked out for us

 

Last night's visuals...good lord.

 

Huge step up from N1 to the point that I was surprised N1 was that mid in hindsight. But i’m still not clear on the theme (earth’s bio/litho/hydro/atmosphere? elements?) so who knows

 

What just happened with Pillow Jets...I mean...