We've Got Super Balls- Super Ball IX Review and Lot Bites Report

Super Ball IX has come to an end, and it was certainly a super ball. Eight sets of well-executed music, some great eats, epic fireworks, art, and fun. Here's a breakdown of the music by set, the setlists (thanks to Phish.net), some pictures, and a review of the food to be found throughout the festival.

7/1/2011
Set I: Possum, Peaches En Regalia > Moma Dance, Torn and Frayed > NICU > Bathtub Gin, Life on Mars?, My Friend, My Friend, Wolfman's Brother, Roses are Free > Funky Bitch, Quinn the Eskimo
Set II: Super Ball Jam > Crosseyed and Painless > Chalkdust Torture, Sand > Wedge, Mike's Song > Simple > Bug, The Horse > Silent in the Morning > Weekapaug Groove > Joy > Character Zero
Encore: Show of Life

From the second they got on stage with the obvious Possum opener, you could tell Phish was very excited to be there. The first set started off the weekend right. Setlist wise it was very cover heavy, featuring two rarer ones, Peaches en Regalia and, for the first time in 3.0, Life On Mars?. The Mike's Song through Weekapaug set-up was also different, with a beautifully played Simple and an unexpected Bug. The highlights of this night musically were Bathtub Gin, Wolfman's Brother, Super Ball Jam > Crosseyed and Painless.



7/2/2011
Set I: Tube, Kill Devil Falls, Ocelot, Lawn Boy, The Divided Sky, Boogie on Reggae Woman > Camel Walk, Cities > Poor Heart > 46 Days > Suskind Hotel, When The Circus Comes To Town, Timber > Back on the Train > Suzy Greenberg, Monkey Man
Set II: Runway Jim, McGrupp and the Watchful Horsemasters, Axilla, Birds of a Feather, Stash, Sample in a Jar, Heavy Things >Horn > It's Ice > Mango Song > Rift > Scents and Subtle Sounds > Run Like an Antelope
Set III: Golden Age > Prince Caspian > Piper > Tweezer > Julius > Backwards Down the Number Line > Twist > 2001 > Hood > Cavern > Golgi > A Day in the Life
Encore: Loving Cup, Tweezer Reprise
Set IV (Secret Set at Storage Unit): Ball Square Jam >Sleeping Monkey

The only day set of the festival brought upon some funky jams- Boogie On Reggae Woman, Camel Walk, and Cities- and two Phish debuts- Suskind Hotel and a cover of Monkey Man by the Rolling Stones. Set II opened with Runaway Jim, announcing the winners of the Runway Jim 5K, and featured some songs that had only been played once so far this summer, plus Scents and Subtle Sounds for the first time this summer. The last set played like a mix of solid versions of classics. Highlights from the day included Boogie on Reggae Woman > Camel Walk, Stash, Scents and Subtle Sounds > Run Like an Antelope, Golden Age, and my favorite of the day- Twist. Also in this set, the first time the secret language has showed itself in 3.0, when Trey teased "The Simpsons" post-Birds of a Feather, to which the crowd responded eagerly, "D'oh!"

Following the last set, race car noises emerged from around the track, and the lights set up around Ball Square began to take shape around one of the art installations, a storage shed labeled "USA Storage." Before long, some very spacey, psychedelic emerged from the speakers, and the band became visible from the shed. This jam continued for almost an hour, hitting some Pink Floyd-esque peaks before delving into a unique rendition of Sleeping Monkey. This "secret set" at Ball Square was one of the greatest highlights of the whole weekend. I have never heard Phish play quite like this, and it was a special set to have witnessed.



7/3/2011
Set I: Soul Shakedown Party, AC/DC Bag > The Curtain > Colonel Forbin's Ascent > Fly Famous Mockingbird, Destiny Unbound, Big Black Furry Creature From Mars > Wilson > Mound, A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing, Time Loves a Hero, Reba
Set II: Big Balls > Down with Disease > No Quarter > Party Time, Ghost > Gotta Jibboo > Light > Waves > What's the Use?, Meatstick Dance, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan, Star Spangled Banner
Encore: First Tube

Set I opened with a bang- Soul Shakedown Party, which had yet to be played since the 2009 New Years Run in Miami. After The Curtain, played "without" for the first time since 2000, some rare Gamehendge emerged with Colonel Forbin's > Fly Famous Mockingbird. It featured a narration, also for the first time since 2000, that told the story behind them playing in the storage unit the night before. While in their early days on tour, the band had gotten locked in a storage facility, and would play these jams in hopes of altering their reality, and that this whole event was a result of these moments. Some more great versions of seldom played songs made the list with Destiny Unbound, Mound, A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing, and Time Loves A Hero, and the Reba had the whistling ending, which was not up to par, but is so rare these days it was nice to hear. Highlights from the first set were Colonel Forbin's > Flying Famous Mocking Bird, A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing, and Time Loves a Hero.

For the record- the best pre/post set music goes to setbreak on 7/3, as every song had an American theme.

The song choices and execution of Set II from this day will go down, at least for me, as possibly one of the better sets I have ever witnessed. It began with a fitting and raging Phish debut of AC/DC's Big Balls before transitioning into a rousing Down with Disease. Leaving DwD unfinished, the band transitioned into its second playing of Led Zeppelin's "No Quarter," which they have clearly practiced since its debut. Party Time kept the energy going, before playing a spacey version of Ghost. Light was one of the best versions played since it debuted, and the rare Waves and even more rare What's The Use continued on this epic set. A whimsical Meatstick Dance and an awkwardly placed but raging Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan, followed by a heartwarming a cappella version of the Star Spangled Banner. As they came on for the encore, the band thanked the many people in their crew and at Watkin's Glen for helping them out, and as the First Tube encore played on, a fantastic display of fireworks appeared in the sky and continued well past the music. This whole set was a highlight for me for the entire weekend. Maybe it was just my song taste (What's The Use is one of my favorite songs, and I'm a sucker for Down with Disease, especially a great version) and my jamming taste, but I will never forget that set.

Can you believe that was just the music? The music, however, blew the food away at Super Ball IX. While there was certainly some variety and some of it was tasty, the officially vended offerings were subpar at best. The veggie quesedillas and enchilladas were good, the smoothie was ok, and the various Spicy Pie pizzas set-up were inconsistent; I had the perfect slice of it inside the venue, but it was cold and soggy when I got a slice in the campground vending. As the weekend went on, many independent vendors began to set-up in small shakedowns throughout the campsite, including my favorite veggie burrito of summer tour (adding fresh corn now to its mix of black beans, fresh spinach, tomatoes, garlic, garlic, and cheese) and the infamous Billy's Pulled Pork sandwich. I found and tried another pulled pork sandwich that was sans the slaw, and not only was the pork not as good, but you really need that slaw to bring the whole thing together. I was very pleased to see, however, that there were many smaller vendors set up that were using a lot of fresh ingredients; I watched a very nice neighbor making breakfast sandwiches, complete with your choice of two different cheddar cheeses, fresh onion, peppers, and eggs.




(h3ddy breakfast sandwich)


I was especially disappointed in the farmer's market this year. New York state is famous for its farm, and summer produce is nearly at its peak. So why was their so little fresh produce? Besides some decent plums, cherries, and scapes, the produce was lacking. Most of the market featured grains, granola, and other all-natural food and beauty products. This was especially angering considering the market(s!) at Festival 8 were bigger and had much better offerings.



(farmer's market)



A month off before Phish goes back on tour, and given what I saw this weekend, I have very high expectations for leg II. I hope to see some of you out west, and if not, definitely at UIC! Until then, a farmer's market report, some gym mix tapes, and some more live music reviews as I see them will be coming your way.

Live Music Update/Super Ball IX Preview

I saw two more last week, Yellowbirds on 6/23 and White Denim on 6/25, that I wanted to mention simply because I thought both shows were great and because I got some cool pictures to share.





So now that I mentioned those shows and you saw my pictures- Super Ball IX is only 2 days away, and I know you, just as I, are more excited for that. The official map is up, and the names of the campgrounds are all states Phish hasn't played in. Pretty funny stuff. The Bunny has begun broadcasting. The Phish SuperBall IX official twitter has become more active with amusing tidbits and previews of things to come. Basically, it's all happening, and it's about time.

Lot Bites will be tweeting all weekend about h3ddy eats and where to find the best bites of the festy all weekend. Expect a huge report about all the food, lots of pictures and some interviews taboot. If you taste something at SuperBall you need to share, be sure to send it to Lot Bites! Either send us a tweet or you can always e-mail us at lotbites@gmail.com.

See you there!

Stashing the Gumbo: Phish Tour Closers and Southern Eats

So there we have it. Phish ended the first part of their summer tour down South with two very special nights in Raleigh on 6/18 and Portsmouth on 6/19. As the last two shows before Super Ball IX, phans I spoke to seemed on edge about how these shows turned out. If these shows are going to set the tone for Super Ball and the rest of the summer, I think we're in for a real treat.

Raleigh 6/18 opened with a bang a of rare ones, Car Trucks Buses and Peaches in Regalia, but fizzled a little bit towards the end with some of the more popular repeats this tour. Though the versions were on point more or less, especially AC/DC Bag , there were some noticeable flubs. But the band got right back into it after set break, opening with Twist, busting out Esther, and playing some great versions of classics. The spacey jam in Split Open and Melt is well worth a listen. Also brought back after 298 shows, an interesting rendition of Jane's Addiction "Been Caught Stealing."

If the openers spoke volumes about the Raleigh show, then the openers at Portsmouth will blow your eardrums. Phish opened with Harpua after Trey spotted a Harpua sign in honor of someone's 31st birthday, and the band member's fathers helped them out with the story after a barely present narration from Trey. The fathers stayed on the stage for Phish's 3rd annual Father's Day rendition of Brother, joined by the rest of member's families. As always, an enjoyable tribute to Phishy and not so Phishy fathers everywhere. The rest of the first seemed to feed off of the father's energy with well played versions of Down with Disease and a perfectly placed Alaska, and other standards. The highlight of the first set, however, was Thunder Road, a tribute to recently deceased member of the E Street Band, Clarence Clemons.

The second set had a funky energy that stayed put throughout. The set began with Crosseyed and Painless, not as a good of a version as Merriweather but still better than earlier versions this tour. Then continued on with a personal favorite rare one- Walls of the Cave, and while the setlist continued on with less rare songs like Slave to the Traffic Light, Fluffhead, and the omnipresent Backwards Down the Number Line, they were some of the strongest examples of these songs this summer. Sand stuck out as true gem, complete with a start-stop jam.

Looking forward to Super Ball IX- we're in for a treat.

As for the lot bites of the South, I've had reports of many different kinds of gumbo on the lot on top of the standard veggie burrito fare. So curious about this, as pretty much everywhere you go down South they have a million different recipes for gumbo depending on season and locale. If you were on the lots down South and sampled some gumbo, please tell me all about it.

Going to a whole bunch of shows this week and next before Super Ball, so be sure to come back and visit. I'll let you know what shows I'll be at on the twitter. Also, I've been asked by a lot of people about my gym playlist and what's in season. Those posts will be coming soon.

Go see live music already!

Phish Alpharetta/ Charlotte: Couch Tore

Phish fans finally got some official couch tour action last night when the band webcast their sold-out shows in Alpharetta, GA on June 15th and 16th. Despite some minor technical hiccups and a nasty thunderstorm that interrupted Mound on 6/16, the webcast itself was a truly special way to see Phish. The webcast was $24.99, but seeing a close-up of Trey and Fishman's faces during a particularly crunchy jam, Mike's bass bombs, and watching Page's fingers glide along the keys are truly priceless.

If only the two Alpharetta shows could match the quality of the stream. First off, both setlists were full of repeats of recent shows. The only unique songs of the tour to be played at these two shows were Dinner and A Movie, Ginseng Sullivan, Light Up and Leave Me Alone, Army of One, Birdwatcher>Kung, and Water in the Sky. The two second sets were disjointed and confusing, especially on the second night, which was just one set closer after another. Birdwatcher > Kung a capella was fun, but musically harmful to the ears.

It looks like Phish may have seen the disappointment of phans after these two shows, because last nights show in Charlotte featured one of the best set lists in awhile. The Mike's Song > Hydrogen > Weekapaug started off a little sloppy, but soon after the band founds it groove and played cohesively. As the first set played on, it seemed that the set list would carry on in a predictable fashion- until they busted out Colonel Forbin's Ascent > Fly Famous Mockingbird for the first time this summer. Also making appearances in the first set- Axilla I, which had not been seen since PNC 6/1- and Scent of A Mule, which was only seen for the first time this summer a week prior in Camden on 6/10.

With Phish's recent track record of great first sets and underwhelming second sets, there were no expectations for the second set. Opening with Backwards Down the Number Line and going into Rock and Roll, it at first seemed like this show was going in that direction. Until Phish finally- FINALLY!!!!!- played Ghost for the first time this summer, with high energy. The rest of the set kept that energy, and in the spirit of the bustouts came Icculus. Another great thing about this set- the reemergence of Fishman antics, which, except for the occasional "WHAT?" or goofy utterance, had been pretty tame this tour. Hold Your Head Up > Bike + vacuum solo > Hold Your Head Up was a welcome and hilarious divulgence that restored the faith for second sets. Finishing up with an amped up Chalkdust Torture and a slightly darker You Enjoy Myself, and a Wilson > Loving Cup encore, this Gamehendge friendly show reminded us that, yes, Phish still has "it"- "it" just needs to be found sometimes.

The Charlotte show has put the bar back up pretty high. I'm very interested to see what's in store for the rest of the weekend, a these are the final shows the band will be playing before Superball IX.

2011 Live Music Adventures

My 2011 concert going experience has been pretty spectacular! Since I last posted, I've gotten to see a whole bunch of live music of all sorts, and I've even gotten to see a few bands I've been meaning to see for the first time.

The first show I saw this year was 1/28, Umphrey's McGee at the Best Buy Theatre. This was my first time seeing Umphrey's and they totally exceeded my expectations. Not only did they play some of my favorites (Miss Tinkle's Overture and In The Kitchen) but their jamming was mind-blowing. This is one show I went to that I keep listening to over and over again, especially 'Wappy Sprayberry', 'Bittersweet Haj', and 'In The Kitchen'. Their jamming is just so smooth and sexy. The best way for me to describe this is show is pure baby-making music. I will be seeing them many times in the future, that's for sure. They are one of the most genre bending bands I have ever listened to or seen.

The next show I got to enjoy was Lotus at Mercury Lounge on 2/3. First off, great place to see a show. It's super small and intimate, and I was right in the front row. I wish my Blackberry survived the show, because I got some great pictures there that died along with it. This was also my first time seeing Lotus (though I got see Mike Greenfield, the drummed, play with the Disco Biscuits during their New Years run in NYC, and thought he played very well with them), and this was their tour kick-off and the first of 3 nights in New York City. I'm happy that the one show of the 3 nights I went to was this one, because I think of the 3 night run this is by far the best show. Super high energy and eclectic jamming. They've got a great electronic/jazzy/funky sound that I've never heard from any other band.


Then, I had a really crazy week. 3 shows in 4 days. On 2/22 at Terminal 5, I got see Trey Anastasio play with his band, one set acoustic, one set electric. The acoustic set reminded me of a sort of Phish campfire sing-a-long. Highlights for me included 'Camel Walk' and 'Meatstick'. The show featured some fun covers, including 'Hey Ya!' by OutKast, Clint Eastwood by 'Gorillaz,' and fun 'Sultans of Swing' (Dire Straits)/ 'Empire State of Mind' (Jay-Z and Alicia Keys) encore. Fun show. Though I must say, I'm not really a fan of Terminal 5. Don't like the set-up, don't like the acoustics. I think there are just better places to see shows in NYC, especially for an instrumentally driven artist like Trey, but it's not bad for artists like the next one.


Max Tundra, opener for Girl Talk





On stage for Girl Talk
2 days later on 2/24 I was back at Terminal 5 for Girl Talk. Of all the 3 shows I was seeing that week, I was least excited for this show. Not that I don't love me some Girl Talk, but I was seeing 2 of my favorite artists that week. I got there early to get up front and saw his two openers, Junk Culture and Max Tundra. Both were... well, interesting. Very different sounding, sort of electronic weirdness. I wish I knew the best way to explain either one of them. Google may be your friend in this situation. As for the main act... well, let's just say, yours truly got on stage and stood behind him, the whole time, while he performed. Doesn't really get more AWESOME than that. Such a fun high energy show. Short, but sweet.


Video of Skrillex, via a very nice dude on stage.

The next day, I went on an adventure to see Skrillex. The show was sold out, so I dared to brave Webster Hall by my lonesome. The last time I saw Skrillex, I went to a very full Webster Hall, and enjoyed the music but vowed never to return to the venue again. I HATE WEBSTER HALL. More than any place in the world. Seriously. This trip there only proved it to me further. But Skrillex put on such an awesome show (which I got to witness from the front row and got totally beat up in the process) that in the end, the experience was worth it. He's my favorite electronic artist, and he put an even better show than I remembered. However, I will NEVER EVER EVER go back to Webster Hall. EVER. That place is hell on earth. Only with a decent soundtrack.





The last show to catch you up on- Furthur at the Best Buy Theatre 3/13. Sadly, Owsley 'Bear' Stanley, longtime Grateful Dead sound guy and creator of the infamous Dead Bear, died the same day. The band played several poignant tributes to him throughout the show, and everyone could feel the heavy emotion in them. Warren Haynes of Allman Brothers and Gov't Mule fame joined the band for the second set, and he fit seamlessly in with them. The jamming was very ethereal and spacey, and to me the whole show seemed more like a trippy old school Grateful Dead show than a Furthur show. MVP of the night is drummer Joe Russo, who played with such high energy and seemed to lead the band throughout their jamming. This was my second time seeing Furthur, and I enjoyed the show more than my first.

So that's what I've been up to. Coming up, I'll be seeing two nights of Disco Biscuits on April 14 and 15, EOTO on April 22nd, and then FINALLY, some Phish-y goodness coming up at the end of May. Also coming up- SPRING! Spring produce! I'll be heading over to the Farmer's market to let you know what's starting to pop up for the season next week.

Happy eating/musicing <3

Phish Alpine Valley DVD Announced

According to the official Phish.com website, Phish will be releasing a 2-DVD set of the Alpine Valley run from summer tour 2010. This is the first DVD release of Phish 3.0 in action! Go ahead and check out what the Phish website has to say about it here, including a list of tracks. Sounds like the audio and video quality should be top notch. Looking forward to watching it, even though I haven't yet exhausted Coral Sky.

RAGE-O-WEEN

After a pretty exciting fall tour, Phish wrapped up the October-long series of shows in a 3-night run in Atlantic City, NJ, at the Boardwalk Hall. Having been to some of the shows the previous week (Utica, Providence, and a 2-run in Amherst), I was very excited to see what Phish had in store for us. Not only were the shows well played, but the set lists were full of some great bust outs and it seemed like some antics were making their way back onto the stage.

I'm happy to report Phish delivered on most accounts. Take a look at the set lists, and then we'll discuss each show individually. (Set lists courtesy of Phishnet.

10/29/2010



Set I: Star Spangled Banner (a capella), My Soul, AC/DC Bag, Ocelot, Sample in a Jar, Light Up or Leave Me Alone, Sugar Shack, Timber > Bouncing Around the Room, Axilla > Rift, The Moma Dance >Cities > 46 Days
Set II: Punch You In the Eye > Sand > Carini >Prince Caspian, Corinna, Piper > Theme From The Bottom > Golgi Apparatus > Slave to the Traffic Light > Fluffhead
Encore: Loving Cup

While the first night had no major bust-outs, it was a pretty solid set list of standards. I was happy to see (hear?) "Carini," which seems to be appearing on more and more set lists. All in all, this show was clearly a warm-up for what was to come, but was enjoyable none the less. A few flubs here and there (will Trey ever get "Sugar Shack" though?), but nothing major.

10/30/2010


Set I: Kill Devil Falls, Cavern > Foam, Guelah Papyrus, Chalk Dust Torture > Whole Lotta Love > Chalk Dust Torture, Ha Ha Ha, Walk Away, Wolfman's Brother > Undermind >Bathtub Gin, The Squirming Coil
Set II: Tube > Possum > Tweezer > Heartbreaker > Ramble On > Thank You > Tweezer > Stairway to Heaven, Halley's Comet > 2001 > David Bowie, Show of Life, Backwards Down the Number Line > Good Times, Bad Times
Encore: Sleeping Monkey > Tweezer Reprise

No, this is not a mistake. It's not the Halloween show. While the show starts out like any Phish show would, what emerges out of it is pure awesomeness. I was happy enough grooving to "Guelah" before "Chalk Dust" raged into Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" and the escaped back into "Chalk Dust." I loved this fun addition, especially with Led Zeppelin floating around the Halloween rumor mill. I also loved the reappearance of the "Wolfman's Brother" vocal jam, which seemed a pretty popular selection for the band on fall tour.

I was not, however, expecting what happened in the second set. First, a "Tube" second set opener. Sweet! But when "Heartbreaker" made its way into "Tweezer" and launched the audience into a Phish induced Zeppelinpalooza, my mind was pretty much blown. The Led just didn't stop! At the end of "Stairway to Heaven," Trey joked, "Happy Halloween! See you next year!" The set ended with another Zeppelin classic, "Good Times, Bad Times," but we got our Phish back in the encore with "Sleeping Monkey" and as expected "Tweezer Reprise."

10/31/2010



Set I: Frankenstein, Big Black Furry Creature from Mars, Ghost > Spooky > Divided Sky, Roses Are Free > Funky Bitch, Boogie On Reggae Woman, Stash, Character Zero
Set II- Halloween Set- Little Feat, "Waiting for Columbus": Fat Man in the Bathtub, All That You Dream, Oh Atlanta, Old Folks Boogie, Time Loves A Hero > Day or Night, Mercenary Territory, Spanish Moon, Dixie Chicken > Tripe Face Boogie, Rocket in my Pocket, Willin', Don't Bogart That Joint, A Apolitical Blues, Sailin' Shoes, Feats Don't Fail Me Now
Set III: Down With Disease > Back on the Train > Gotta Jibboo > Camel Walk, Suzy Greenberg, Wilson > Harry Hood > The Horse > Silent in the Morning > You Enjoy Myself
Encore: Julius

So if you take a look at the songs in Set I, you can notice a theme here- right? Frankenstein, BBFCM, Ghost, Spooky... the line "carve out a pumpkin and rely on your destiny" from "Roses are Free." Yeah. You got it now. I thought it was a great little festive start to the evening. Then, things got funky and cool, and ended with the standard "Character Zero."

Next- The (in)famous Halloween set. Let me say first that this was my second Phish Halloween. Last year, when Phish played The Rolling Stones' "Exile on Main Street," I was decidedly more familiar with that album compared to this year's choice, Little Feats' live album "Waiting for Columbus." Or, so I thought. I have a good amount of Little Feat on my iPod that I've listened to a whole bunch and enjoyed, but I didn't think I had this particular album. I realized part of the way in that whoever I download Little Feat from has their albums mislabeled, and I had in fact listened to the songs on this album several times!

I thought the Halloween set was fantastic. Phish clearly rehearsed their faces off. I really liked that they varied the vocals- MIke sang a few, Page sang a few, hell, even Fishman came out and serenaded us for "Willin'- and I think a highlight was the a capella version of "Don't Bogart That Joint," which to me showed the true spirit of the evening, Phish doing Little Feat their way. The horns and additional percussionist fit seamlessly in with the band. The set ended with the whole group marching around the gates of the floor, instruments in hand and still being played.

I have to say, familiarity the music certainly helps in keeping your interest at this kind of show, but you also need to actually like the music. That being said, I do love "Exile on Main Street," (my favorite Rolling Stones song is "Rocks Off") but a good portion of those songs I'll skip if I listen to it. "Waiting for Columbus," however, is one of those albums that I could listen to all the way through without skipping. I think if you're a Little Feat fan as well as a Phish fan, you are going to love this set, and if you don't care for Little Feat, you won't care for it. I think this makes it a little harder to compare to previous Phish Halloween sets, where the albums had slightly more universal knowledge and appeal, like The Beatles' "The White Album." I'm finding that people who already liked Little Feat really enjoyed this set compared to the rest of Halloween sets, while people who didn't seem to know them or like them could have done with out this one. Personally- I think I liked this set better than "Exile," but "Remain in Light" is probably my favorite still. I think "Waiting For Columbus" is going to the battling with "The White Album" until I give it another few (hundred) listens. No, but seriously, I haven't really stopped listening to this whole set since I got home.

As for set III, I enjoyed it. It was sort of flubby; "Down With Disease" had to be restarted because of a Fishman mess-up to which he reminded himself "This is off our album." Good job Fishman! The restart sounded decent. I thought the song selection was a little bit on the random side and the order was kind of out of wack. But I thought "Gotta JIbboo" and "Harry Hood" were the best versions of the songs here. "Wilson" rocked pretty hard too. The vocal jam on "You Enjoy Myself" was intriguingly sing songy and dreamy. One thing I didn't get- they left the equipment up to still have the horns and percussionist from "Waiting For Columbus" to play with them for another song, but the only song they played with them was the encore, "Julius." I was slightly disappointed in the lack of horns. I would've loved to maybe see them in "Suzy Greenberg," or something. But I will say, while used sparsely, I did enjoy the horn-laced rendition of "Julius" to close out the run.

All in all, this was a phine weekend of Phish, pholks. Sad to think I won't be seeing them again until New Year's. I'm working on making Trey in Princeton, and also looking to make it to the Mike Gordon show in Boston. Time (and funding) will tell.

At the end of any music related posting, I'm going to put out a reminder of the next show I'll be at (unless it's a special report). Right now, I have to update my music calendar, but I'm going to be posting it in the next article, a review of Phish' "Coral Sky" so you know whether it's worth your purchase for the holidays, and reviews of any shows I may go to.