The End of Phish 2.0 and the Coventry Disaster

Where do you start with this one? Well, several months after I gradated from Michigan, a group of my friends took a journey to New Zealand and Australia. I knew it was important to them to see the Phish before they retired, so I made a point to get them tickets to Great Woods and to Coventry. Phish then added a night at Hampton on August 9th, 2004, so we decided to add another show to the trip.

JH had been home from New Zealand for a few days, and made it downstate to my side of town. That first morning, we must have been up at 5am. We scooped up CC and PS, then drove to Ann Arbor to pick up TM who had only been home from New Zealand for a matter of hours. 5 six-foot dudes packed into my 4runner and started off on our long journey to southwest Virginia to make the show that evening.

Our drive was going just fine until we hit a traffic wall midday in D.C. I-95 was a huge mess, and we ended up on some back roads to get to Hampton. We made it to the venue and into the show at the end of the first song. Now Hampton is a cool venue (and I look forward to seeing it in a few weeks), and we hung out on the floor, but musically, the show wasn’t that great. We got up pretty close for the second set which made things a bit better. Here is the setlist for the surprise Hampton show in 2004.

Monday, August 9, 2004
Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA
Set I: Chalkdust Torture, Bathtub Gin -> Runaway Jim, Walls of the Cave, Loving Cup
Set II: All of These Dreams, Limb x Limb, Lifeboy, Crowd Control, Seven Below > Stash ->
NICU, Bug, Contact > Character Zero
Encore: David Bowie

After the show, I took to the wheel and we started heading up the east coast, on our way to Boston to get to the shows the next night. We dropped off PS and CC at the Baltimore airport for a one-way flight home (PS would come to Coventry, but had some commitments to take care of in between). I remember hitting a wall at some point in New Jersey, and had to have TM take over driving. I should have told TM to take the Merit parkway instead of I-95, but I wasn’t thinking. I woke up sometime in Connecticut. We made our way into Boston to crash on the floor of KW’s place for a few hours before heading out to Great Woods.

One side story, on our way to Great Woods either that night or the next, we saw a small car trying to squeeze by on the shoulder past a semi truck. The semi truck ended up pulling to the side and hit the small car. A fight then ensued which we missed, but it was a huge case of road rage. Wicked.

I have to say that the Great Woods shows were pretty good. I saw the Hood milk blimp for the first time as well. JH was especially happy with the song selection, and I’m pretty sure I called the AC/DC Bag opener on the 10th. We had pavilion for both nights, so it was a good time for sure.

Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Tweeter Center Boston, Mansfield, MA
Set I: AC/DC Bag, Heavy Things, Punch You in the Eye, Wolfman's Brother, Theme from the Bottom, Birds of a
Feather
Set II: Mike's Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing -> Piper
-> Makisupa Policeman, Dog Faced Boy, Friday, Harry Hood
Encore: Possum

After the first show, we headed back to Boston for a full night of sleep. I remember eating at a really good Jewish deli as well the next day, not as good as Zingerman’s, but definitely good. Then we headed back to Great Woods for the second night.

08/11/04 Tweeter Center Boston, Mansfield, MA
Set I: The Divided Sky1, Suzy Greenberg> Down With Disease> Prince Caspian> Scent of a Mule> Tears of a Clown> Scent of a Mule, Mexican Cousin
Set II: Run Like An Antelope> Also Sprach Zarathustra, Golgi Apparatus, Waves, Tweezer> HYHU2> Terrapin, HYHU, Timber (Jerry the Mule)3, Sample in a Jar
Encore: Bouncing Around the Room, Tweezer Reprise

The show on the 11th was pretty fun too except I was pissed that they didn’t finish the Antelope.

The 2001 really stands out for me as the moment I realized Phish was done and this would be the last time I would hear this in concert. There was something epic and sad about the way Trey played it…something that said to me it had been a great ride but now it was time to go home. And that’s where I think my youth sorta faded away as well – it was time for me to grow up, stop following a band around all summer, and cut my hair. The start/stop jam in 2001 is really neat, and I still get goosebumps listening to this version.

We again headed back to Boston after the show to crash at KW’s place. We took JH to the airport the next morning as he had to get back to Traverse City for the wedding of his buddy Nick and his wife Tera.

There were a lot of reasons why we didn’t go to the Camden show the next night, the biggest being that it meant heading south again before going back up to Vermont. And that turned out to be a smart move given the chaos of Coventry. So TM and I started on a rainy ride through the quiet remoteness of Vermont, headed toward Burlington to see some of the places where Phish had begun. We visited Nectar’s, ate gravy fries, walked around town, then settled into a hotel on the outskirts of town. I recall TM being taken back by the amount of reality TV that had emerged during his year away in New Zealand. America, f*ck yeah.

The next morning, it was still raining, and we knew from the radio that Coventry, Phish’s last festival and final 2 night stand, was supposed to be really wet. It behooved us to buy more tarps and rain gear at the local Home Depot (should have bought some really huge boots). In any case, after shopping, we headed on our journey east back to Coventry. We reached the end of the line to get into the festival at around 5pm under gray rainy skies and uncertainty about when we would get in to set up camp.

The line wouldn’t move much at all that night, and as the daylight faded away, all we could see was a glow in the sky ahead where the concert grounds lay. That night was long but fun. We made friends with people with others in line, and I even ended up running into a girl who I had sold a ticket to at Alpine a few months before. We made the most of it. At some point around 3 or 4am, I had to crash, and fell asleep in the car. As morning dawned, I woke up and it was TM’s turn to crash for a few hours.

At some point, Mike Gordon made the announcement that they were going to have to begin turning away cars because the concert and camping grounds were a swamp, unable to accommodate the traffic coming into the show. We stayed in our cars, hoping that we were ahead of the cut off point. We relayed the message to our friends coming from Michigan through Canada and advised them to take a back way into the area. We were lucky not to be one of those fans who came up I-95, or others who actually chose to turn around (one of NB’s turned all the way around after driving from Minnesota).

When we finally set up camp at around 1 or 2pm, we had been in line for close to 20 hours. As it turned out, PS, JC, BE and others who had come from Michigan after leaving the night before made into the grounds before us. They had to walk in from some point, but not the several miles that people on I-95 had to deal with. NB and his friend Curtis made it in about the same time as well, so we were all camped relatively close to one another.

So not long after setting up camp, we headed into the show. The concert area was a mud pit, everywhere. Someone in JCT and CG’s crew brought a tarp, but it did little as we all sank into the mud for 2 consecutive nights.

08/14/04 Newport State Airport, Coventry, VT
Coventry
Set I: Walls of the Cave> Runaway Jim> Gotta Jibboo, You Enjoy Myself1, Sample in a Jar, Axilla, Poor Heart, Run Like An Antelope2, Fire
Set II: AC/DC Bag> 46 Days, Halley's Comet> Ya Mar, David Bowie, Character Zero
Set III: Twist> The Wedge, Stash> Free, Guyute, Drowned> Jam, Friday
Encore: Harry Hood

08/15/04 Newport State Airport, Coventry, VT
Coventry
Set I: Mike's Song1> I am Hydrogen> Weekapaug Groove, Anything But Me, Reba, Carini, Chalkdust Torture> Possum, Wolfman's Brother> Jam2, Taste
Set II: Down With Disease, Wading in the Velvet Sea, Glide, Split Open and Melt> Ghost
Set III: Fast Enough For You, Seven Below, Simple, Piper> Bruno3> Dickie Scotland3, Wilson, Slave to the Traffic Light
Encore: The Curtain With

The music at Coventry was awful, especially the 2nd night. I remember after Trey had butchered some tunes he decided to play Guyute, one of Phish’s most complicated pieces, which he butchered as well. I looked at JCT and we just laughed at how awful the playing was.
The best part of the festival was when they played Fast Enough for You to open the final set, my favorite Phish ballad. It was perfectly timed, and I got a bit emotional. Other highlights include the collective “awwwwww” as people walked through the mud and lost shoes. Another funny moment was seeing some kid sitting in a camping chair in the concert area, passed out and covered in toilet paper and trash. I got a photo of PS with him.

Ironically, as we left the concert grounds to head home, I was laughing. Although the camping and the music was an absolute disaster, I was with all the people I had spent so many years with seeing Phish, and that made up for everything. My legs may have been covered in mud up to my knees, my sandals ruined and lost in the fields of Vermont, and that one puddle I don’t think was filled with water, but I was laughing at the debacle and was at peace with Phish’s retirement.

TM and I and a friend of TM got into my car, headed out of Coventry, across the border into Canada, and home to Michigan. Apparently I drove until almost 1pm the next day, but to be honest, I don’t remember any of it. We stopped for food somewhere just past Toronto, I fell asleep, and even though it was 3 hours, it felt like 15 minutes and we were at the border at Detroit. I got home to my house around 5pm, and slept until 7am the next morning without waking up once.

So that is the story of the end of Phish. We can call that the end of Phish 2.0 now that Hampton is only a few weeks away and the adventure is set to commence again. I’m not sure what to expect when Phish comes back. I know things will never be like 1999 or even 2004, but I will be there for the reunion and I will be sure to make it to a few shows here and there. There is a new generation waiting to enjoy Phish, so I will let them take the lead in enjoying it the way I once did. There will still be trips to Alpine and Las Vegas, and I’m hoping to catch them playing Tela and hope to see them play at MSG, but I’m just happy to see the guys again and have a reason to relive my youth again.

Thanks for reading, and see you at Hampton.

Deer Creek and Alpine 2004

My goal has been to finish my Phish blog consisting of Phish 1.0 and Phish 2.0 before the beginning of Phish 3.0 which is now less than 3 weeks away. I’m happy to say that NB, JCT, PS along with new friends BPF, old friend BE, Ann Arbor friend CW, and Cottage weekend friend JS will all be at Hampton as well. Special thanks to CC who has decided to give up his ticket to us. We owe you a trip to Las Vegas later this year.

The Sunday after the SPAC show in 2004, we learned that JCT had broken up with his lady, which we know left JCT a little down in the dumps. NB, CC, and PS all went to Deer Creek on Wednesday of that week to catch both shows, but because of my work, I wasn’t able to take that time off. JCT and I originally planned to go to Alpine Valley by driving through Chicago on Friday and Saturday, but I was able to convince JCT that we should leave work early on 6/24/04 and drive to Deer Creek (which is doable if you leave at 2pm or so from Detroit). I think I had scored a ticket via the internet only a few days before the show (a pavilion seat I think), but I can’t recall how JCT got his ticket. In any case, we hit a little traffic on 23 (why we didn’t drive to 69 immediately may have had to do with construction west of Ann Arbor, not to discount the Fred Funk Factor), but made it to the show in time to walk in, find NB, CC, PS, KP and others. Apparently, that crew camped under the same tree at 40 Acres yet again for the 2 night stand.

The June 24th, 2004 show at Deer Creek ranks up with one of the best shows post-hiatus. The choice of songs including classic covers like Timber Ho and Loving Cup along with a raging Tube and Run Like an Antelope made the show great from start to finish.

Thursday, June 24, 2004
Verizon Wireless Music Center, Noblesville, IN
Set I: Loving Cup, Cities -> Back On the Train, Vultures, My Mind's Got a
Mind of its Own, Down With Disease -> Rock and Roll
Set II: Tube, Run Like an Antelope, The Wedge, Timber (Jerry), Prince
Caspian -> Simple, Walls of the Cave
Encore: The Squirming Coil

After the show, we picked up NB and PS at good ole 40 acres campground and drove through the night up to Chicago where we crashed at CG in Lincoln Park. I remember playing the YEM from 12-2-99 in the car and JCT thinking it was pretty damn good. We woke up the next day as we had so many times before, and made our way up to Alpine Valley in Wisconsin. I’m pretty sure I had seats in the pavilion, and that some of us had really good seats (including AW who was attending his first show) but I don’t remember a whole lot from this show. At the time I thought the YEM > 2001 was cool, but it really wasn’t’ jammed out that long. Here is the setlist.

Friday, June 25, 2004
Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI
Set I: Julius, Roses Are Free -> AC/DC Bag, Glide, Anything But Me, David
Bowie, Wolfman's Brother, Golgi Apparatus
Set II: Seven Below -> Buffalo Bill -> Lawn Boy -> Mike's Song -> I Am
Hydrogen -> Weekapaug Groove, You Enjoy Myself -> 2001 -> You Enjoy Myself
Encore: Sample in a Jar

After the show, we returned to Chicago. I think we even stopped at the Weiner Circle before heading back to CG’s house to crash.

The next day, we went back up to Alpine. I remember KP being there with her friend EP, and of course MW was there as well and perhaps NB’s friend Curtis.

The 6/26 show was the only show I’ve ever had a seat on the lawn at Alpine, but I remember rocking out hard. The Boogie On was funky, and NB and MW were really dancing hard. For being on the lawn at Alpine, I had a great time.

Saturday, June 26, 2004
Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI
Set I: Access Me, Scents and Subtle Sounds, Stash, The Moma Dance, The
Divided Sky, Wilson -> Funky Bitch, Character Zero
Set II: Boogie On Reggae Woman -> Ghost -> Free, Friday -> Piper -> Harry
Hood
Encore: Possum

There was a lot of chaos after the show. I had trouble finding people, and we somehow ended up at the Lodge at Alpine hanging with MW and some ladies. I was left to drive NB back to O’Hare airport as the sun was rising. He was half conscious when he got out of my car, and apparently had to be woken up after landing back in Denver. I stumbled into CG’s place for a few hours of sleep before heading back to Detroit.

So as it turns out, this may not have been my final run at Deer Creek and Alpine. It was a memorable time for the lack of sleep and general chaos, and not as much for the music.

Thanks for reading!

SPAC 2004 - A Worthwhile Journey

I ordered 3 tickets to the Brooklyn Shows in New York, but couldn’t go because of work. Instead, I gave the 3 tickets to long-time buddies JCT and PS who met up with LE (99 shows) and found the fourth ticket they needed. I saw the first night on the telecast out at some theater in Walled Lake with DR and some other peeps (guess dancing is frowned upon in movie theaters). So I instead opted to go to SPAC, but I only bought one ticket and I didn’t know anyone else going. I tracked down someone on that damned message board who hailed from Brighton. Even though he didn’t have a ticket, I found a native Saratoga resident who did have one and sold it to us for face value (she was so cool that she even left the ticket in her mailbox to exchange for our money when we arrived – talk about trust!). And SPAC was a HOT ticket. Kidz were trying to break in the venue from every direction.

So BW, the kid from Brighton, arrived at my house early on Saturday morning. We had a long drive in front of us through Canada, which presents its own challenges at times (see 98 and 00 summer tours). Fortunately, we got through smoothly without any delays.

We arrived at SPAC (Saratoga Performing Arts Center) late afternoon with plenty of time to relax before the show. SPAC is a beautiful, wooden pavilion, surrounded by a state park. Beautiful area. The lawn is small at SPAC, and it was crowded with all the kidz sneaking into the venue.

I had a ticket in the pavilion, but chose to meet up with DR and hang out in the upper level for the first set. The first set was solid – a classic Reba, a solid Wolfman’s Brother. For the second set, I decided to go down to my seat in the main level alone and get a better view.

The set started with A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing, something I had not heard before, and it was jammed out for a good 15-20 minutes. You always recall the emotion of the second set opener as the sun goes down, the air cools just a bit, and you are witnessing the greatest concert anywhere in the world at that time. Then, they played Piper…..

The first 12 minutes of Piper are standard and doesn’t sound that unique. Very typical of Piper and post-hiatus jamming. At about 12:30 into the song, the band breaks it down into a light, airy beat. As you listen to the recording, you hear those whistles and screams of a crowd unaware of what they are about to experience. And the build up begins….

I basically divide the Piper into 5 phases
1. The first 12:30 minutes
2. The calm before the storm
3. The build up
4. The echoes of Phish
5. The transition into Jiboo

Even during the “build up” jam, you say to yourself, this is pretty rocking, a very impressive jam in Piper. Then they enter the phase that to me symbolizes the last truly epic jam of Phish that will echo forever. The moment was truly that amazing, making the whole journey to SPAC (and the return trip home) worth every penny and sacrifice. I listen to the SPAC Piper when I go to the gym and it still gives me goose bumps.

After the show, we were hungry. We waited awhile for some burgers, and since BW didn’t have a game plan, I decided I wanted to go back to Detroit. I drove for about 2 hours when I asked BW to take over driving. He lasted about a half hour. I woke up form my short nap and took us the rest of the way home. I don’t think we got home until 10 or 11 the next morning, but we made it home safe. It was worth the sacrifice. BW slept the whole time, but whatever (the kid still owes me for gas money).

So that’s the story of SPAC. It deserved it’s own thread. I drove 10 hours to get there, went to the show, and drove 10 hours home. Quite a reflection of my dedication to this band. I would return to Deer Creek the next Thursday to pick up the early summer tour run there and then go onto Alpine.

Thanks for reading as always.

Saturday, June 19, 2004

Saratoga Peforming Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY
Set I: Reba, Runaway Jim, NICU -> Scents and Subtle Sounds, Wolfman's
Brother, Walls of the Cave -> David Bowie
Set II: A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing, Piper -> Tweezer Reprise Jam ->
Gotta Jibboo > Limb By Limb, Cavern
Encore: Wading in the Velvet Sea
Show Notes: "Harpua" was teased toward the end of the "Piper" jam.  Trey
forgot all of the words to the third verse of "Cavern," only just pulling
it together in time for "deadly ice calm" line.  He then eked out a quite
self-referential "Purple Haze" tease before coming back in with the fourth
verse.  "Limb by Limb" may have contained some "Disease"-type jamming.

The beginning of the end of Phish

PHISH – Las Vegas, 2004 – August 15th, 16th, and 17th

This one will be short because as the saying goes, “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” And as for these shows, you almost wish they had never happened.

April 2004 was my first trip to Las Vegas. I flew in on Spirit Airlines as I recall, and waited in a taxi line for about half hour to get from the airport to the strip. Thanks to NB, I would be living up this first trip to Vegas in style, well, kinda. NB got us a room at theHotel at Manadalay Bay which had only been open a few months as I recall. For those of you who have never stayed at theHotel, well, you’re missing out. Flat screen in the sitting room, flat screen in the bedroom, and tvs in the bathroom. The only word to describe theHotel is sexy. The only thing unstylish was having to share the room with 6 or 7 other people. Fortunately, some of those people really didn’t take advantage of the room and instead chose to party the entire time we were there. I slept on the floor for the most part except for one night after a show when the dryness of the desert and partying really got to my head.

As I recall, the shows were on a Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The shows in Vegas, musically, were pretty bad. The first night was probably the biggest joke of all, so things could only get better after that, which they did. The second night wasn’t awful, nor was the third night, but I think the cheesiness of the Meatstick Reprise symbolized how much of a joke the music was the previous 2 days. Still, we were in Vegas, so how bad could it be?

After the first night’s show, I decided to lounge by the pool with the future Mrs. NB and take it easy. In fact, I don’t feel that I ever really ventured the strip until my 3rd visit to Vegas. The first two visits were limited to theHotel and Mandalay Bay, which isn’t a bad situation to be in.

Relaxation was key to having a good time that 2nd night. The show improved, but I remember that our seats were bad all 3 nights. We had a pretty raucous crowd which helped make up for how bad the music was.

I recall eating at the House of Blues, hanging out in the sportsbook, and doing a little bit of gambling. Actually, I recall the last day playing blackjack for 8 hours straight on the same $100, never going up and never cashing out. I don’t consider myself a big gambler, unlike some people I know who seem to be on sports a lot. I just had nothing to do until my red eye flight that night.

The other big highlight of the weekend was Champagne Brunch @ Mandalay Bay. If you’ve never gone, I highly recommend it.

So the best part of the weekend was the awesome hotel. I think we saw Keyshaun Johnson at one point (just throw the man the damn ball) in theHotel lobby. My biggest regret was that I didn’t bet on the Pistons at 18-1 to win the NBA finals.

A few weeks after the Vegas shows, Phish announced that their summer tour would be the end of the band. When was announced, I made sure to gobble up tickets and work out my schedule to see as much of the band as I could. After Vegas, you had to question whether the music would get any better, especially given that Miami was a great 4 night run. But I knew this last run would be it, and I wasn’t ready to let go of my youth right away.

Thanks to MW, JK, NB, Mrs. NB, and everyone else who I shared floor space with. And thanks to whomever gave me the bed to sleep off my massive headache the 3rd night.

04/15/04 Thomas & Mack Center - Las Vegas, NV

1 (1:16): Buried Alive > AC/DC Bag, Limb by Limb, The Moma Dance, The Old Home Place, Roggae, Water in the Sky, All of These Dreams, Stash -> Timber Ho

2: 46 Days, Drowned > 2001 > Down With Disease > Free > Scent of a Mule, Girls Girls Girls -> Scent of a Mule, Secret Smile, Crowd Control, Slave to the Traffic Light

E: Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley > "Coconut" Vocal Jam -> "Sonic Dress" Rap -> Vocal Jam

Notes: Fenton Williams (Dave Matthews Band crew) was at the light board in place of Chris Kuroda. "Girls" is a Jay-Z cover (first time played); with Jen Hartswick assisting on vocals. "Secret Smile" featured a wholly new arrangement (about 7 minutes long). "Sally" led loosely into a vocal jam akin to the kind found in 1980s versions, then a vocal jam around the song "Coconut" (Harry Nilsson song, from his 1971 album "Nilsson Schmilsson"), then into a rap by Trey about Fish's sonic dress (which was not played), and then into a free-form vocal jam.

Thanks to JDG, Erik Swain, ZZYZX, and Phish.com.

04/16/04 Thomas & Mack Center - Las Vegas, NV

1: Seven Below, Rock and Roll, Boogie On Reggae Woman, Back on the Train -> Possum, Strange Design, Gumbo, Brian and Robert, Taste

2: Gotta Jibboo, Twist, Camel Walk > Wilson, HYHU > Love You > HYHU, Waves > Lifeboy, The Horse > Silent in the Morning, Loving Cup

E: Harry Hood

Notes: Fenton Williams (Dave Matthews Band crew) was at the light board in place of Chris Kuroda. Toward the end of "Wilson," Trey teased "Little Drummer Boy." "Love You" featured the debut of Fish's Sonic Dress. The fabric of the dress is woven from audiotape taken from Fish's own collection, and Jon uses special tape-head gloves to "play" it. (Some said it sounded much like Fish playing a washboard under his dress.) For more information, see artist-creator Alyce Santoro's website.

Thanks to Erik Swain and Phish.com.

04/17/04 Thomas & Mack Center - Las Vegas, NV

1: Soul Shakedown Party, Halley's Comet > Tweezer, Ginseng Sullivan, Horn, Sample in a Jar, Piper -> Frankenstein, David Bowie

2: Meatstick, Pebbles and Marbles > Prince Caspian -> Simple > Friday, Ghost, You Enjoy Myself -> Tweezer Reprise

E: Wolfman's Brother, The Squirming Coil

Notes: Fenton Williams (Dave Matthews Band crew) was at the light board in place of Chris Kuroda. "Meatstick" included Trey and Mike removing their instruments to do the full dance as usual, and the Japanese lyrics were sung. This "YEM" might better be called "You Enjoy My Meatstick": After the trampolines segment, Trey took off his guitar to do the Meatsick Dance while Fish played a drum solo. The crowd erupted in the Meatstick chant. Trey then did the Dance two more times (first while Mike soloed on the bass, and then Page on the keys). There was no standard vocal jam. "Wolfman's" had teases of "Sneakin' Sally," "Possum, and "Meatstick." The "Tweezer Reprise" lyrics were replaced by alternate "Meatstick" lines ("time for the Meatstick"; "won't you step into the Meatstick").

Thanks to Erik Swain and 'anonymous.'

The rest of the story is to come

So there are a few chapters left in this saga. Life is busy, but perhaps I can make the last few posts exceptional and more inspired. With the rumor about Phish perhaps making a comeback this July in of all places, Michigan, we may have more stories to make.

I removed the politics from this blog, which is a good thing. I will be starting a separate blog called "Build Detroit" (builddetroit.blogspot.com) which will contain reflections on the city of Detroit, the State of Michigan, and other ideas for people to consider. If we were to concentrate on the politics in Detroit and our differences, we miss the opportunity to unite ourselves and create a better future for our city and region. If we fail to present new ideas to do this institutionally, we place ourselves at a disadvantage in the national and global economy. That's the theme, so we'll see what happens.

Look for the Phish Vegas 2004 post soon, SPAC, the summer shows, and the joyous disaster that was Coventry. Thanks for reading.

New Years 2003 - Phish in Miami

What else can be said about the New Years 2003 Miami run other than it was an anomaly in terms of post hiatus shows. The Miami run lives with me everyday actually, so I want to take this moment to acknowledge slight hearing loss in my right ear from the late night Particle show. Miami was a great adventure, with PS, JCT, and yours truly making up the core of the group, and JCT’s “lady A” and “Cowbell King” BE meeting up with us later in the run. We took a nice early morning flight on Spirit Airlines on the 28th to Ft. Lauderdale from frigid Detroit. We took a pricy cab from the airport to North Miami Beach where our hotel was located. I don’t recall exactly what shitty chain hotel we stayed in, but it was pricy for the shithole that it was, granted it was approaching New Years. We did find cockroaches in our hotel, but because it was a franchised national chain, we really had no power to ask for any break. The hotel was located on the beach about 1.5 miles north of South Beach. We would make the half hour walk in the sand down to South Beach a few times while in Miami which was a pretty cool experience. This was my fourth trip to South Florida in a four year span, and I have not returned since writing this piece. I hope for the day that the Phish returns to Miami to rock out the town, but that’s a long shot. Besides, this Miami tour serves an exception to the post Phish era because of the quality of music and the sustained energy from start to finish.
We relaxed when we got to Miami. I think the 28th was a Sunday, and it was slow in the neighborhood. We found a pizza joint open and got a bite.
One of the bigger expenses in Miami was not having a car (none of us were 25 yet so a rental was out of the question), so cab rides cost us every time we went to American Airlines Arena. The drive was always around $15 to $20 bucks as I recall. We headed down to the area around the venue early. There is nothing better than seeing Phish in warm places, especially considering the gray, northern winters my peeps are so accustomed to.
The lot scene was rocking, kinda like Albany. Lots of kids slinging goods, all crammed in a small parking lot, and the trash piled up fast. There seemed to be a lot of extra tickets going around for the first 3 nights. Coronas were hot in the lot.
American Airlines arena is specifically built for basketball, so the shape of the arena is more circular than arenas that host hockey games. There are 3 levels, so there is a good view from everywhere you are. The floor is small in comparison to venues like the Palace. Unfortunately, I didn’t have floor tickets any of the nights, but the quality of the music more than made up for that. In fact, 3 of the 4 nights, we sat on Page’s side, about halfway up in the lower bowl, and we never had problems where we sat. The other night, JCT and PS had 2nd or 3rd row, and I watched them rock out from behind the stage.
Here is the setlist from the first night.

12/28/03 American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL
Set I: David Bowie, Sample in a Jar, Tweezer, Bouncing Around the Room, AC/DC Bag, Frankie Says, Llama, HYHU> Love You> HYHU, Tweezer Reprise
Set II: Gotta Jibboo, Suzy Greenberg> Theme from the Bottom, Water in the Sky, Friday, Harry Hood
Encore: Sleeping Monkey, Loving Cup

The intensity of the entire run was established with the first song. The anticipation and the heat of Miami simmered in the intro to David Bowie. This would be the beginning of one of the best sets of Phish I witnessed (other notable sets include 12/6/97 set II and 8/16/98 set III). I am particularly fond of the Frankie Sez jam. It is one of the darker Phish jams I have heard. Fishman running around the stage for HYHU was classic, and this may be the only first set Tweezer Reprise I ever saw.

The second set was solid, and Friday provided a great time to use the bathroom. When I went out into the lobby, I discovered a lemonade vender who I would solicit throughout the run. The rest of the show was overshadowed by the fantastic first set, but it was still great from start to finish. Not bad for the first night of a 4-night run.
I can’t recall what we did after the show except crashed after a long day of travel and music. The next night we would be even longer as we would also take in Particle at an after show.
During the day on the 29th, we would walk down Miami beach a half hour or more to get to south beach where we ate this diner with a bunch of pictures of celebrities on the wall. This was my 3rd visit to South Beach in almost as many years since I had gone to Florida for Spring Break a few times. We hung out around South Beach and took in the scenery before heading back to the hotel and getting ready for the show.
Like the night before, the scene in the lot was in full force. More Coronas, more stinky hippies…classic lot scene. For some reason, there seemed to be a lot of extra tickets floating around in Miami for the first 3 nights although the shows certainly sold out. Here is the setlist for night 2.

12/29/03 American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL
Set I: Piper, Foam, Anything But Me, Limb By Limb, Wolfman's Brother, Poor Heart, Cavern
Set II: Rock and Roll> Twist> Boogie On Reggae Woman> Ghost> Free, The Divided Sky, Good Times Bad Times
Encore: Waste, The Squirming Coil1

I really have not listened to the first set in awhile so I can’t say too much about it. People sometimes rave about the Piper, an interesting choice for an opener to a show. What I do recall as being amazing was the 2nd set. This was some rocking, funky, solid Phish. The best part is at the 6 minute mark of Boogie On where Trey goes from playing a major cord to a minor and the jam gets darker into Ghost. Then came the FREE. Free was rockin funky and featured some dueling between Trey and Mike. The rest of the show was fitting and included close to a double encore as the band left stage between Waste and Coil.
After the show, we walked through some ghetto parts of Miami (bums sleeping on the street) to a warehouse known as the Ice Palace where Particle would draw a moderately sized crowd for their set of Pink Floyd covers. Knowing how late Particle can go, we didn’t stay for the whole show, leaving at around 3:30am. Yet the first set of music was intense, as were the lights, and the sound was loud. I think we all stood a little too close to the right speaker and hurt our ears in the process, but I danced pretty hard. I liked the setting for the show although things seemed a little sketchy there in Miami’s poor area.
We made our way back to Miami beach and crashed hard.
I believe we ventured down to Miami beach the next day and had a different kind of meal at a restaurant more directly on South Beach. I recall drinking Presidente, a beer from the Dominican Republic that JCT raves about. It is better than a Corona, in fact it’s a pretty damn good beer. I haven’t had one since and I’ve asked at numerous places including Sam’s in Chicago. Someday I will have a Presidente again, and hopefully it will be the same day that Phish returns for another run in Miami.
We made our way back to the hotel and took a quick dip in the hotel pool. The hotel also had an outdoor bar but we hardly utilized it. The hotel was kinda dead, filled with randoms including the most high strung, NASCAR-loving redneck I have ever met (this story later).
I can’t recall if it was this day or the next that Lady A and Cowbell King BE arrived. They were both there for New Years and I think Lady A, JCT’s lady, might have been there earlier. We made our way to American Airlines Arena for the show. Here is the setlist from the 3rd night.
12/30/03 American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL
Set I: Wilson> Sand> Shafty> NICU, Weigh, Cities, Strange Design, Scent of a Mule, Bathtub Gin> Also Sprach Zarathustra1
Set II: Tube> L.A. Woman2> Birds of a Feather> L.A. Woman> Makisupa Policeman> Booty Ain't Nothing But a Butt Rap2 3> Give Up the Funk(Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)> P. Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up), Makisupa Policeman4, Down With Disease
Encore: Contact, While My Guitar Gently Weeps
First set……wow. Another great set with some great segues. I love the version of Sand, I dig the vocals on Cities, the Mule and the Gin are both great, and the 2001 set the tone for the rest of the show. The 2001 started out conventional until Trey started to tease “Play that Funky P-funk, so I can get funked up” a classic funk line from Pass the Peas, a song covered by Bump my 2nd favorite band and hometown favorite. That jam was worthy of a live feed to the Bump kids back in the cold. Parliament Funkadelic was scheduled to play in Miami that night after the Phish show. It turns out that they decided to show up for the 2nd set and rock out with Phish for a few songs. Honestly, it sounded horrible, but it was still cool to see famous guests come rock it out with the boys. Just to think of all the amazing musicians Phish has played with over the years – Santana, Bela Fleck, Kid Rock, BB King, Son Seals, John Popper, Dave Matthews, Les Claypool – you feel like you caught a moment in time when you are lucky enough to see Phish with a special guest.

The rest of the show was fun, including the Doors teases throughout the 2nd set. Musically, the first set was stronger, but the show was another memorable time of my life. Awe, wasn’t that a happy comment. I feel like Forrest Gump.
I don’t’ recall if we did much after the show that night. Most of us wanted to save up for New Years and long day and night that would be ahead of us. We booked our flights out of Ft. Lauderdale in the early morning on New Years Day.
I didn’t make it down to Miami beach on 12/31/03, instead opting to lay back and chill. In attempting to withdraw money from ATMs in Miami, I came to the realization that someone had charged a huge amount on my credit card, something like $300, to some cable company. I had to take out cash on another credit card just to get through the day. I was refunded (thank BankOne), but this is the only time I believe that I have gotten charges on my bill that I did not authorize.
We made it down to the venue, all 5 of us now, and we got our groove on for New Years. I believe I wore a Wings jersey that night, and got a funny picture with a cut out of George W. Bush. Suspecting that there were going to be posters sold at the show, we got to the venue early and got in line. We sprinted half-way around the venue to get the poster which was pretty cool. I framed the poster, but then traded it for tickets during the summer 2004 tour, specifically for my friends who would come home from New Zealand just in time to see the end of Phish.
I had a great time on New Years, but there were some things (that will remain untold) that sorta pissed me off about the night. Let’s just say I’m not a fan of wooks or drunks at Phish shows.
Here is the setlist:

12/31/03 American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL
Set I: Wilson1, Mike's Song> I am Hydrogen> Weekapaug Groove2, The Moma Dance, Guyute, You Enjoy Myself2, First Tube> Tube1
Set II: Stash, Seven Below, Lawn Boy, Chalkdust Torture2> Slave to the Traffic Light> Chalkdust Torture
Set III: Jungle Boogie3 4> Auld Lang Syne> Iron Man3, Runaway Jim, Simple, Reba, I Didn't Know, Feel Feel Feel The Heat3> HYHU, Run Like An Antelope
Encore: Frankenstein

Phish finished Wilson from the night before. The whole show was great and there were a bunch of people from a local marching band on stage at midnight. Good times all around. Musically, I preferred the other nights, but this was still a great experience.
After the show, we slowly made our way back to the hotel to relax a few hours before our flight. We hung out on the beach, listened to the waves, and kicked back. Everybody else tried to get a short sleep in before we left for the airport, but I chose to stay up since 2 hours of sleep wasn’t going to do much for me. I ended up in the hotel lobby talking to a middle aged, fat and balding, truck driver, in Miami with his family including his 18 year old daughter who had mysteriously disappeared with some dude in Miami and not kept her parents informed. This guy was waiting for her to come back so that they could leave and drive straight through back to Toledo, OH (22 hours away at least). He was pissed off, pissed about his hotel reservation, pissed about what he paid, pissed about another hotel shutting him out. He started to go into a rant about hotel problems he had with NASCAR when I brought up my story about sleeping in a Wal-Mart parking lot after Columbus in 1998. He wasn’t a happy camper, and acted like a know it all, but his anger kinda amused me in the early morning hours, especially after some of the bullshit I had dealt with that night. What a night filled with highs and lows, and it wasn’t over yet.
I went upstairs to the hotel room to wake up PS and JCT to go to the airport. It was kinda difficult to get a cab down there, and the cab drivers were a bunch of Carribean, non-english speaking assholes. Not to knock on folks from islands, or wherever this dude was from. So we finally were able to get a cab to come by and pick us up.
Recall that the cab ride from Ft. Lauderdale airport to Miami on the way in was a flat rate of $40. Since this was New Years, we figured to pay a little bit more to the driver or pay a fatter tip. The first offer he came up with was $60. We told him about the flat rate we had got, but finally we agreed to pay him $60 to get to the airport. PS rode in front while JCT and I sat in back.
About 3/4s of the way to the airport, the driver says something to the effect of “you are going to pay $80.” Of course he didn’t run the meter on the cab, so there wasn’t any way to cite it as a way to shut him up. I responded politely but firmly, “No, you agreed to take us there for $60. We’ll pay you $60.” We went on, and we thought that all was well. A few minutes later, he started getting pissed off again, driving erratically, and threatening to get off the highway if he didn’t pay him $80. He kept messing with stuff in his car as his anger grew. Finally, he reached under PS and it looked as if he was going to pull out a gun from under the seats to threaten us. He never pulled a gun, but we were not going to let this dude take us on some crazy detour when all we wanted to do was get to the airport. So somewhere within there, I told him that we would pay him $70 to shut him up and get him moving. I think JCT and PS were a little more nervous that I was. By that point in the night, I wasn’t going to let some piece of shit cab driver tell me what the f*ck was up. Had he not wanted to take us to the airport, he shouldn’t have agreed to it for the price that he did.
We dozed a bit in the airport and then got on our luxurious Spirit Airlines Flight back to Detroit. We got in and I immediately went to bed, knowing that in just a few hours, my good buddy CC would be waking my ass up to watch the New Years Day bowls, including my alma matter Michigan. Sure enough, after sleeping for about 3 hours, he came a knockin and the game was on.
Phish in Miami was electrifying. The run was one of the best ever in Phish’s history, certainly the best run of the post-hiatus era, and the best jamming since hiatus. Miami was a high point, and a great party overall. Most of the Phish community agrees that Miami was off the hook, not to be matched, and certainly better than the shows in Vegas in April. I want to thank my crew who was there – good people – you guys make these memories, remember that.
Until next time………

PHISH'S 20th Aniversary Run

I’m very grateful that I was able to see Phish in some of the most legendary venues they had played in during the final year of touring. It would lead me to Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, the Spectrum in Philly, the Pepsi Arena in Albany (formerly the Knickerbocker or “the Knick” I believe), Saratoga Performing Arts Center just up the road from Albany, the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, and of course, Hampton Coliseum. (On a side note, a big regret was not seeing Phish at Madison Square Garden). I think traveling to new places gives a person such piece of mind, and I always see myself in a future career that allows me to go new places and reflect back on what I see. At some point, I’m going to buy a huge road map and highlight the terrain I have covered in this great country of ours.

In any case, I was unemployed and bored out of my mind in the Fall of 2003. Thank God you have good friends like NB there calling you Colorado, motivating you to get to these shows. I have to give a special shout out to him in this thread because he helped me score my NYE ticket to Miami while we were up north at his cottage. Also, in going to these shows, we missed our 5 year high school reunion. BOO f'ing HOO!!!

So we (NB, PS, and myself) took off the night of November 27^th, driving just into Pennsylvania before crashing at some hotel in Amish country. The next morning, I nearly killed us getting on the on ramp of the highway because I was an idiot trying to change the music. We did a 180 in the 4runner and ended up off road, but I got us out and moving toward Long Island. I was really thrilled for NB to see New York City (which I had really only ventured alone in for the first time that year) and I thought that we would get a nice shot of the west side of Manhattan going across the George Washington Bridge. Well, it was so foggy you couldn’t see anything, not even the Trump apartments directly on the other side. So he would only see the city from a distance on our way to Philly the next day.

We stayed at a hotel just a few miles from the venue. It was pretty cold at Nassau, and our seats were not that good, but I was really excited to see the boys that night. Here is the setlist.

11/28/03 Nassau Coliseum - Uniondale, NY

1: Bouncin' Round the Room*, Runaway Jim, Ghost -> Jam -> What's the Use, AC/DC Bag, First Tube, Frankie Says, Bathtub Gin -> Jam, Free

2: Waves, Sample in a Jar, Down with Disease -> Jam!, Walls of the Cave, Two Versions of Me, Crowd Control**, Mike's Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove

E: Crimes of the Mind***

Notes: * - with Julius teases;** - new song, with sociopolitical messages ("time has come for changes, do something or else I will");*** - with the Dude of Life on vocals ("Here's to 20 years and for 20 more, ladies and gentleman, Phish!") .

The show was pretty solid. I loved THE DUDE appearance with Crimes of the Mind. Listening to Trey rock that song out is just epic sounding. Too bad the dude jinxed the band when he said he was looking forward to 20 more years of Phish. The show was good overall.

After the show, we got a pizza from Dominoes and crashed.

In the narrow streets of Philly, NB had some employment connections and got us a nice room at a hotel downtown. The hotel was located directly above a mall too. Kinda weird. We met up with his friend DR there and took the subway over to the Spectrum. When we got of the train, I was caught a little off guard to see that all of Philly’s venues are built in the same area; the Spectrum, the First Union Center, the old football stadium, the new football stadium, the old baseball field and the new one. Weird.

Philly was also cold, but a few beers kept us warm in the lot. Our seats were not that good again, and I wasn’t a huge fan of the show. Here’s the setlist.

11/29/03 Wachovia Spectrum - Philadelphia, PA

1: Wilson, Cars Trucks Buses, Limb By Limb, Dirt, Seven Below, The Divided Sky, Fast Enough For You, Julius

2: Twist > Simple, Taste, Makisupa Policeman*, Buffalo Bill**, David Bowie, Strange Design, Character Zero

E: Friday

Notes: * - Trey says this is the official first Phish song (debuted 10/23/84, the only song known to have been performed at the first show where the band appeared as "Phish");** - With Tom Marshall (who co-wrote Makisupa Policeman, Buffalo Bill, and many others) on vocals; tenth performance of this song (debuted 11/21/92)

The next morning before taking off for Albany, we had to indulge in a famous Philly Cheese Steak sub…mmmmm. We then started the long drive north to Albany which would take us through the always crowded New Jersey Turnpike and the NY Thruway. Having traveled along the Pike that summer, I knew that it was going to be bad. Once we got to the thruway, things opened up. What was ridiculously striking to me was the traffic from upstate New York heading back toward New York City which was literally a traffic jam for what must have been over a hundred miles north of the city. Granted this was the end of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I was still taken back by how the line of cars went forever and feeling bad for those folks.

We got into Albany and got a room at some generic hotel where we had a huge meal at some steakhouse, had some beers, watched some football, and crashed.

The next day after dining at the extravagant Denny’s down the road, we headed into downtown Albany to the venue. The lot scene was crazy and compact, and it felt considerably different than the other shows in terms of how many hipsters were just hanging out, slinging goods. Here is the setlist from the show:

12/01/03 Pepsi Arena - Albany, NY

1: Chalkdust Torture, Stash, Guyute, Thunderhead, Sparkle, Wolfman's Brother, Good Times Bad Times

2: Tweezer -> 2001 -> You Enjoy Myself, Camel Walk*, Possum*, Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress**, Run Like an Antelope#

E: Fire^

Notes: * - with Jeff Holdsworth on guitar and vocals, singing tunes he wrote.;** - with Jeff on guitar and vocals, first song Phish ever played, "for old times' sake";# - with Jeff on guitar and vocals; also with Tom Marshall on vocals and bell; keyword was "spleef";^ - with Jeff Holdsworth on guitar

Our seats at Albany were pretty bad again, but I didn’t mind. I thought the show was going well until Jeff Holdsworth came on stage to reunite with Phish and pretended that he knew how to play guitar, or sing, or perform to a live audience. It was pretty pathetic, and I’m glad Trey drowned his sorry ass out.

After the show, we made our way back to the hotel in Albany. The next morning we picked up NB’s friend DR (the dude from the Philly story) which required a bit of running around Albany to find the right hotel.

When we got into Boston, we checked into our hotel which was literally a couple hundred feet from the Fleet Center. We met up JCT and NB’s good friend “Cwook” with the rolling eyeballs. Our hotel room was the size of a closet, and was supposed to house the 4 of us with others roaming in and out. This would make things interesting when we were going to crash later.

It was cold in Boston. I waited outside with NB to meet up with his other eccentric friend while PS and JCT went in and grabbed 20^th anniversary posters. (I later ended up purchasing a poster). The fleet center was huge, and people were pumped for this show. Here is the setlist.

12/02/03 FleetCenter - Boston, MA

1: Harry Hood*, Cavern, Birds of a Feather, Ya Mar**, Horn > Piper, Anything but Me, Water in the Sky, Down with Disease***

Setbreak Video: Half-hour montage of Phish since 1988 or so (practicing "Fluffhead," which ends when Trey breaks a string; Fishman drumming; young Page; Oh Kee Pa video; Halloween, festivals, and NYE footage, etc.; ends with an editor credit, and "We'll be back... in fifteen minutes")

2: Rock and Roll -> Weekapaug Groove -> Tweezer Reprise# > Frankenstein -> Kung## -> Frankenstein, All of These Dreams, The Wedge, Boogie On Reggae Woman > Cities, Maze, Waste

E: Bug

Notes: * - lyrics flubbed; ** - ended with "Banana Splits" theme (presumably after noticing someone with a large banana balloon in the row immediately behind the stage); *** - screen lowered behind band; # - first line of "Mike's Song" ("Trapped in time, and I don't know what to do") sung in place of the first line of "Tweezer Reprise"; ## - mini vocal jam and delay loop; Trey drops to ground each time "stand up" is said; ### - with mini "duel" between Trey and Page during Page's organ solo;

I thought the Boston show was solid. I loved watching the video montage because it reminded everyone the very humble, dorky roots the band came from. These 4 guys who I had dedicated thousands of dollars to seeing were just a bunch of goofballs from cow country who persevered to become one of the greatest bands ever.

After the show, we celebrated with more cocktails in our hotel room the size of a butthole. People came in and out, noise was made, and people started to get tanked. I lied down on the floor around 2am to try and get some sleep. It didn’t work very well. Where I slept was quite close to the door, and I recall the door being slammed on my head a few times as some people in the room continued to rage all night. JC left on a flight early, PS hardly slept because some jackhole was having too much fun. Bright and early, after perhaps an hour or 2 of crap sleep, we had to get on the road again. NB was still awake when we headed out of Boston, but finally fell asleep, and slept in the back of my car for literally 8 straight hours, not waking up once. By the time he woke up, the sun was starting to set on Lake Erie as we made our way back home through New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.

It had been another great adventure in the Phish touring history. The music was average overall, but the experience was like no other. Seeing those shows with PS and NB meant the world to me. It felt as if we had turned the clock back 5 years to Deer Creek when the touring adventure had started. Great times.

Thanks for all your patience in me writing this entry. I know it took awhile to get back on the train. Thanks for reading.

PHISH - Summer 2003

I will be totally honest when I say that I don’t remember a whole lot about the first segment of shows at Alpine and Deer Creek in the summer of 2003. That summer was a little crazy for me personally, so I'm not surprised that I chose to block out some of it. I know that JH, TM, JB, MG, NB, AJ, JM, CW, JR, and others like PS and JCT were in the whole mix. Once again, many of crashed at AJ’ s place in Chicago (thank you Mrs. J), however instead of immediately leaving for Deer Creek, we took our time getting down there. We camped in our own compound in the middle of the field at 40 Acres, and had a good ole time. I don’t recall much musically that was great about these shows. Phish pretty much mixed a lot of their new stuff with the old stuff, but nothing spectacular like past years at Alpine and Deer Creek. And I recall that it was EASY to find a ticket at Alpine Valley. It was great to see shows with NB again since we had not seen shows together in more than 3 years. All in all, Summer 2003 would not be as crisp in mind as the Summer 2004.

Here are the setlists from all 5 of these shows:

07/18/03 - Alpine Valley Music Theatre - East Troy, Wisconsin

Set 1: Axilla, Rift, Bathtub Gin > Mango Song, Roggae, Discern, I Didn't Know^ > Dust in the Wind^*, David Bowie

Set 2: Down with Disease > Catapult, Bug, Secret Smile, Two Versions of Me, Twist, Character Zero

Encore: Harry Hood

^ w/ vacuum solo; * for Dave, who won the hotline contest

07/19/03 - Alpine Valley Music Theatre - East Troy, Wisconsin

Set 1: Sample in a Jar, Reba^, Wilson, Scents & Subtle Sounds, Maze, Driver, NICU* > Ya Mar*, Rocky Top*, Lawn Boy, Julius

Set 2: Piper > Rock and Roll > Seven Below > Prince Caspian, You Enjoy Myself

Encore: Wading in the Velvet Sea

^ no whistling at end; * all three songs consecutively contained "Play it Leo!"

07/21/03 - Verizon Wireless Music Center - Noblesville, Indiana

Set 1: Cities, Runaway Jim, Meat, Water in the Sky, Stash, My Old Home Place, Vultures, Birds of a Feather > Mike's Song > I am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove

Set 2: Suzy Greenberg > Taste > 46 Days > Tweezer > 2001 > Limb By Limb > Good Times Bad Times

Encore: Loving Cup> Tweezer Reprise

07/22/03 - Verizon Wireless Music Center - Noblesville, Indiana

Set 1: Punch You in the Eye, Beauty of my Dreams, Gumbo, Divided Sky, Boogie On Reggae Woman, Carini > Magilla*, Possum

Set 2: Split Open & Melt > Free > Friday, The Lizards, Walls of the Cave

Encore: Bouncing Around the Room > Frankenstein

* last played 7.4.00"

07/23/03 - Verizon Wireless Music Center - Noblesville, Indiana

Set 1: Scents & Subtle Sounds > Theme from the Bottom, Rift > Sample in a Jar, Sneaking Sally Through the Alley, Billy Breathes, Seven Below, Cavern

Set 2: Down With Disease, Squirming Coil, Makisupa Policeman, Buffalo Bill, Run Like An Antelope*, Thunderhead, Slave to the Traffic Light

Encore: Waste

* dedicated to Greg. Trey begins song by saying: "Don't let it get you down...""

The trip to Maine for IT was a more memorable experience because it was my first and only trip in an RV to see a Phish show. JCT brought together all his college buddies (including the legendary Murph) plus myself and PS for a trip that took us from Detroit to Cleveland to Boston and finally to Maine. In total, we were 11 or 12 deep, and I think we picked up one more for the ride home. We left on July 31^st from Detroit, stopped in Cleveland to pick up some folks, got to Boston pretty late at night as I recall, picked up someone else from the airport, which is when I took over driving for the late night/early morning shift. All the while, it was nice to chill in the RV, play cards, chat with folks, or sleep. I drove the late night shift through New Hampshire to the top of Maine. When we finally stopped the RV not far from Limestone, ME, someone ended up opening the door or moving the car when the steps to the RV were extended and ended up bending the metal on the gas pump. This was a bummer to JCT who put the RV thing together. In retrospect, while the RV was a great way to travel, the cost wasn’t worth it ($200 a piece).

In any case, we spent most of August 1^st at a standstill in traffic into the venue. Luckily, we had enough beer to sit out the day, meet people and relax. I ended up crashing in the late afternoon or early evening and waking up when the sun had set. Everyone else was beginning to crash, so I took over the wheel again for the late night shift.

There is something so surreal about that experience. I sat with a good friend of JCT (I think Phil), while everyone slept and we slowed moved towards the gates of I.T. You see lights for miles meeting at an intersection from 3 directions, filing in slowly to an abandoned air force base at the top of the United States. You feel like you are part of a little colony that has formed in the middle of nowhere. I am glad that I was awake to drive us in.

We settled in the RV area, set up our tent, wandered around for a little while, then crashed under the cool night air.

The next day, we went to explore the colony. We traveled the runways, sipped on beers, and took in the party. We made our way into the show in the afternoon. Here is the setlist from the first night:

08/02/03 - "IT" - Loring Commerce Centre - Limestone, Maine

Set 1: AC/DC Bag, Ya Mar > Runaway Jim, Reba*, Birds of a Feather, Meatstick**, Two Versions of Me, Vultures, Limb By Limb, Cavern

Set 2: Down With Disease > NICU -> Brother, Lawn Boy, Discern, Waves^, David Bowie

Set 3: Rock & Roll -> Seven Below -> Scents & Subtle Sounds^^ > Spread It Round, Bug

Encore: Dog Log, The Mango Song

"Set 4": The Tower Jam#

* with whistling; **Trey: "we'd like to honor that request" (referring to loud crowd chant for the song), and sung with Japanese lyrics; ^ with ambient jam; ^^ with Seven Below teases. #An all-improvised (and unannounced, though heavily rumored) set from the roof of the old air-traffic control tower, taking place about 2-3am, with special lighting by Chris Kuroda. Featured many teases, accompanied by dancers on rappel lines down the tower's sides. Thanks to Cody Schibi, Allan Morris, and PhantasyTour for the info.

After Phish completed the first three sets, we went back to our tent figuring that was the end to the night. I was lucky enough to stay up to witness the Tower Jam set on top of the control tower of the air base. It was quite a spectacle. I remember thinking if someone saw that from space, how crazy it would look. It was truly epic. I feel really bad for PS who fell asleep not long before the set started, and I feel worse for not waking him up. Sorry dude. At least you got a poster.

The next day, we were fortunate to walk into the venue and discover the poster line which had an image depicting the Tower Jam. PS ended up getting 2 posters and giving one to JC. This poster sits in my place in Ann Arbor as we speak. We then got into the show, getting pretty close and I snapped a few good pictures. Here is the setlist.

08/03/03 - "IT" - Loring Commerce Centre - Limestone, Maine

Set 1: Daniel (Saw the Stone), Saw It Again, Punch You in the Eye, Army of One, Chalkdust Torture, Wilson*, Mike's Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove

Set 2: Mellow Mood, Ghost** > Mist, Pebbles and Marbles, You Enjoy Myself > Chariots of Fire^, Loving Cup

Set 3: 46 Days, Julius, Lizards, Secret Smile, Run Like an Antelope^^

Encore: Good Times Bad Times#

* - Trey said something to the effect of: "Hey, Kevin, there's a post-able version of 'Wilson.' Ladies and gentlemen, the Shortest 'Wilson' Ever! I'd like to dedicated that to our archivist, Kevin Shapiro... And now: the longest 'Bittersweet Motel' ever - I'm kidding!" Then the crowd started an enormous chant for 'Fluffhead.' After conferring with the band, Trey said, "Mike says no" - and the band launched into 'Mike's Song'; ** - with massive glowstick war; ^ - Phish played the song in the background as the winners from the '100th Running of the First Annual Runaway Jim 5K' were brought up on stage and announced by Trey with photos on the video screen (the women's second-place finisher was actually Trey's neighbor "from right down the road" and the men's winner, from nearby Presque Isle, had a time of 15min for the 5k); ^^ - after the "downshift," Trey thanks the crew and the crowd; when the band returns to the song, they skip the "Rye rye rocco/Marco/Spike" lyrics section; # - with fireworks behind the stage during the close of the song; thanks to James Dean Young, Maria Valiente, and Andrew Saskin for corrections.

I was a big fan of the Chariots of Fire jam when the honored the people who ran in the 5K race. It was one of those feel good moments. The glowstick wars were crazy (newbs love those glowsticks). The fireworks were great and the music was solid. Phish seemed to have made a solid comeback that summer, climaxing with the IT musical experience.

After the show, we immediately departed. We took Canada on the way home which saved some time. At first, we encountered the same crazy fog in Canada, but things smoothed out when we got into Quebec and stopped at a Burger King for breakfast. We got home late afternoon to Detroit, and so concluded another great road trip. Thanks to JCT for hooking up the great ride and all those people that were there. I will miss going to Maine for these festivals.

Peace out.

POST HIATUS PHISH - Winter 2003

Almost two and a half years after Phish decided to take a break, the band returned for a rare winter tour, making stops in the Midwest. Apparently I could have gone to the New Years show had I known that an extra ticket had come available sooner, but it is just as well I didn’t because I heard the show (and the subsequent shows at Hampton), were not a lot to write home about. So I would have to wait my turn until 2-20-03 at the Rosemont near O’Hare airport in Chicago where I had seen some solid shows back in 99. I hadn’t noticed it before, but airplanes landing at O’Hare fly directly over the arena, probably no more than a few hundred feet above. This seemed a bit strange to me in the post 9/11 world, but I guess if something bad were going to happen, at least I would get to see Phish in my final moments J.

In any case, CC and myself departed good ole G.P. (we were both recent unemployed graduates), made a stop to see a friend in K-Zoo, and made our way onto Chicago where we would crash with AJ. PS, JH, JMc (aka Wooderson), JB, TM, Poochie, and others would also be around for these shows and I think KP was there somewhere too (but you know how KP operates….jk). We arrived at the Rosemont quite early and it was f’in COLD! Tail gating consisted of sitting in the car and pounding beers. Here’s the setlist from 2-20-03.

Thursday, February 20, 2003
Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL

Set I: Rift > Rock and Roll, Guyute, Driver, Waves > Simple, Gotta Jibboo
Set II: Tweezer > Punch You in the Eye > Fast Enough for You, Seven Below, Pebbles and Marbles
Encore: Golgi Apparatus, Anything But Me, Tweezer Reprise

I have to be honest when I say that this show was a HUGE disappointment for me. While it may not look all that bad on paper, I thought it really blew. Since then, I have listened to the Gotta Jibboo which was actually pretty solid, but I still don’t have fond memories of this show when compared to the following two nights in Cincinnati. A friend of mine (who is much more of a noob) swears that this was a good show, but CC and I both agree that this show was pretty lame and sounded bad. And it’s not that I didn’t like the new songs (except Seven Below, man that song sucks), it’s just that Phish definitely didn’t sound as crisp after hiatus as they did before the break. The Jibboo is a good song to work out to, however.

After crashing at AJ’s house in Chicago, we departed for Cincinnati where the Phish scene would literally take over the downtown. Our crew stayed at the Crown Plaza in Cinci in rooms just across the hall from one another. The Crown Plaza was a great place to party, especially in light of the fire at the Sheraton which forced the evacuation of the hotel at 5am after the first night.

After driving to Cinci, we didn’t have a lot of time to pre-party, but that didn’t matter because the show was spectacular. Here is the setlist from 2-21-03.

Friday, February 21, 2003
U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, OH

Set I: Wilson > Frankenstein, Down with Disease, Lifeboy, Boogie On Reggae Woman, Run Like An Antelope, I Didn't Know
Set II: Mike's Song -> Free > Waste -> Also Sprach Zarathustra, Harry Hood, All of These Dreams, Possum > Cavern
Encore: Wading in the Velvet Sea
Show Notes: Lifeboy was played for the first time since November 25, 1998 (129 shows). I Didn't Know included some dancing antics from Trey, Page, and Mike, while Fishman took his vacuum solo. 2001 included teases of Stash, as well as Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring."

I sat next to a kid who was at his first show and kept nudging him the whole time about how awesome it was. I remember sitting with CC, lower bowl, dead center. I think the show peaked with the 2001; I still get goose bumps listening to this particularly when the Bach teases end and Mike turns up the base. Listening to the recording, it even sounds like someone is talking a bit during the beginning of 2001, a voice that sounds like Son Seals although it was probably Fishman. This is one of the few shows I have ordered off of www.livephish.com. The rest of the show speaks for itself except for the Wading encore, a bit of a let down even though the Wading Encore would become the classic closer to some great shows (6/19/04, 12/31/99, and others).

After the show, we took over a small bar for some drinks and food and partied into the night at the hotel. I remember we waited 2 hours for a pizza from the hotel, and played cards in the lobby. I think some airline pilots were particularly pissed with the noise the Phish fans were making in the hotel.

The next day, we scoped out parts of downtown Cinci and took our time getting ready for the show. AJ and I took so much time that we walked in after the first tune. None of us were disappointed by the show however. While the music couldn’t compare to the first night of Cinci, the concert was still solid. Here is the setlist.

Saturday, February 22, 2003
U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, OH

Set I: The Sloth, Dogs Stole Things, Piper -> Weekapaug Groove, Dirt, Scent of a Mule, Walls of the Cave, Mountains in the Mist, Sample In a Jar
Set II: Tube > Bathtub Gin, Friday -> David Bowie, Bug
Encore: Suzie Greenberg
Show Notes: For the first known time, Weekapaug was played without Mike's Song (possibly to bring closure to the Mike's Song a night earlier). Gin included a down-tempo DEG tease.

We had seats in the lower bowl, Trey side as it was then I believe. The crowd really liked the breakout of Weekapaug to complete the Mike’s Groove from the night before. The highlight of the show for me was the start/stop jamming in Tube, and the Bathtub Gin was one of many great Gins played during that tour (2/14 and 2/28 top it IMO). I have lost most of my recording of this show except for the Tube and the Bathtub Gin which became a filler on another disc.

After the show, we again made a light night out of it at the Plaza hotel. While I wasn’t there, apparently some of the U of M kids ran into a kid who went apeshit over the Suzy Greenburg, and from now on, it will be known as Thuzie Greenberg. “Are u therious?”

So this was “theriously” a great little winter run of shows, with nice accommodations and great times with friends. I will remember them fondly. It was nice to see Phish back although I thought the music was less crisp as before hiatus. Still, I would be prompted to see 15 more shows in 2003, and 29 shows post hiatus, so obviously the magic was still there.

Thanks for reading, especially JCT. Sorry you didn’t make this edition; my memory is hazy but I’m sure you were chilling with your Miami folks.

Peace.

Phish in the Year 2000

Despite the ability to see more than the 6 total shows I saw in 2000, I had become burnt out on Phish, and my priorities just were not straight in life. I ended up skipping some great shows at the beginning of the tour in Tennessee and Atlanta (that NB and PS went to) and where I had a great time the previous year, and I also skipped out on the final two shows of the tour even though I had tickets. To top things off, my car broke home on the way back from the final show I saw in Deer Creek, and after dropping the car off at a shop to get fixed, ended up having my car broken into, probably by the guy who ended up towing us. There I lost perhaps all the tour t-shirts that I had collected so far, some great CDs, my high-school lax shorts (the comfort value), and whatever other stuff that I’ve accepted by now. To top off the summer tour, I discovered that I had a tick on my body, and having been in a place called Deer Creek, I ran the risk of contracting lyme disease. So I made some dumb choices and ended up having some bad luck in 2000 with Phish, but whatever. I feel that some of the great times I had post hiatus (especially in 2004, except for Vegas) more than made up for this lull in my Phish career. This isn’t to say that I didn’t have fun because I genuinely enjoyed every moment except for the bad karma that came my way from not doing it “right.”

We began our journey from Ann Arbor on July 6^th 2000 in KP’s Jeep Cherokee with her dude of the time N (you know, I don’t even remember the dude’s last name, so let’s call him BFW for Bagel Factory Wook), and KP’s now long term dude, my personal hero from Hotlanta, Mr. BB. Of course then all 3 of them were hooked on the patchwork, but we all have phases. Anyways, I made a dumb call in suggesting we go through Sarnia on our way to Toronto. Well, because BWF’s wallet was made out of hemp, and the anal Canuck’s sniffing dog got a crazy scent from the wallet, we were delayed more than an our at the border. (No offense to our neighbors to the north, we think you’re cool, but we just ran into a neurotic agent at the border that never found anything on us because we weren’t that stupid to go into Canada with anything bad.) So we got to Toronto a little late, but the show went on. Here is the setlist:

07-06-00 Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto, Ontario

1: Reba, Dog Stole Things, Taste, Dog Faced Boy, Heavy Things, Moma Dance, First Tube, I Didn't Know, The Inlaw Josie Wales, Prince Caspian > Golgi Apparatus, You Enjoy Myself (1:50)

2: Limb by Limb, Also Sprach Zarathustra, Bug, Piper, Driver, Harry Hood*, Loving Cup

E: The Squirming Coil

*Trey commented on how beautiful Toronto is.

The biggest thing to note about this show is the length of the first set, but also the great choice of songs throughout. I was very impressed by this show, but really have failed to listen to since then. So I can’t really comment on the quality in retrospect although I remember the YEM was a great time. I spent half the show chilling alone until I ran into 99 vets LE and finally NB who I had tickets with. Or maybe that was 99? Like I said in a previous blog, I don’t remember a whole lot about 2000.

We skipped the show at StarLake since it had been a bit of disappointment the year before although on paper the setlist looked pretty darn good. Instead after Toronto we made the long drive back to Ann Arbor and chilled a day before heading to Alpine Valley, or we might have gone to Chicago early…whatever. Let’s just say the regulars were there, CC, NB, PS, and KP. JCT, CC2, JB, and even QB were around by the time we got to Deer Creek. And AJ (shafty) came with us to Alpine and I’m pretty sure we crashed at here place. Alpine turned out to be a great show. Here is the setlist.

07-08-00 Alpine Valley, East Troy, WI

1: Punch You in the Eye, NICU, My Soul, Poor Heart, Wolfman's Brother, First Tube, Llama, Guyute, Run Like an Antelope

2: Heavy Things, Piper -> Rock and Roll, Tweezer > Walk Away, Twist, The Horse > Silent in the Morning, Possum

E: Suzie Greenberg, Tweezer Reprise

I explicitly recall calling the PYITE opener, the Antelope was great, and the whole 2^nd set was solid. After the show, we dropped AJ off in Chicago, and me, NB, and PS continued on to Deer Creek in the early dawn, claiming out campsite under the tree at 40 Acres campground from the year before. CC2 (who I recall was in neck brace from a car accident), JB, also stayed at 40 Acres while KP, Mr. BB, and BFW stayed across the way at Dead Creek. Even before the 3 night run of Phish started, we took in the Phil and Friends and Bob Dylan show at Deer Creek. Phil and Friends was brief and Bob Dylan was, you know, a Bob Dylan concert.

Deer Creek was hot as usual, but we definitely found ways to pass the time with cold Sammy Smiths, NB pawning off Red Stripes, trips to Steak and Shake, and everything else there was to enjoy in the middle of corn fields in Indiana. I remember a couple of fun nights down there when the serenity and laughter were truly surreal. The most amazing thing to happen all weekend outside of the great music was sleeping in one morning until 11am, something unheard of at Deer Creek in the middle of the summer.

Anyways, here are the setlists:

07-10-00 Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN

1: Cars Trucks Buses > Wilson > It's Ice > Bathtub Gin, Buffalo Bill, My Mind's Got a Mind of it's Own, Split Open and Melt, Sparkle > Funky Bitch, David Bowie (1:17)

2: Gotta Jibboo > Sand, Twist, Fee > What's the Use > Limb by Limb > Loving Cup (1:07)

E: Run Like an Antelope (0:11)

07-11-00 Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN

1: Ya Mar*, The Moma Dance, Uncle Pen, Drowned > Chalkdust Torture Jam** > Chalkdust Torture, Theme from the Bottom, Cavern (1:09)

2: Also Sprach Zarathustra > Down with Disease -> Moby Dick > Down with Disease > Runaway Jim -> Moby Dick, Back on the Train -> Moby Dick -> Back on the Train, Harry Hood# -> Moby Dick, Hold Your Head Up > Terrapin## > Hold Your Head Up > Moby Dick^ > Hold Your Head Up, Character Zero (1:19)

E: First Tube > Moby Dick > Chalkdust Torture Jam^^ (0:10)

*With Trey on keys. **Bizarre jam, with the words "chalkdust torture" (not the lyrics to the song of that name) sung over it; lasted about 5 minutes; previously played 12/10/94. #With "Moby Dick" teases during the intro. ##Fish introduced as "star of the film Gladiator, Russell Crowe"; with vacuum solo; Fish introduced the entire band; a small cactus was put on stage by Mike's amp; Trey introduces Chris Kuroda. ^With Trey drum solo and Jon vacuum solo. ^^Reprise of the "Chalkdust Torture Jam" from the first set; afterwards; Trey said he hoped everyone who is camping has a good time, announces that "we are the Phish from Vermont," and suggested that if people missed anything that they read the book or see the movie

07-12-00 Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN

1: My Friend My Friend* > The Curtain With > Tube > Heavy Things, Billy Breathes, Beauty of My Dreams > Free, Axilla**, The Squirming Coil (1:12)

2: Birds of a Feather, Piper, Crosseyed and Painless -> Prince Caspian > The Meatstick# (0:58)

E: Wading in the Velvet Sea (0:06)

*Unfinished; no "Mife" or laughing at the end. **With "Axilla [Part II]" ending. #Dance done by Trey and Mike; Trey thanked the crowd for this being their sixth year at Deer Creek, and dedicated the song to the fans who didn't get in.

I have listened to all of these shows at one time or another. Obviously, the second set the 2^nd night will go down as one of the zaniest live performances ever with the crazy Moby Dick jams, and Trey babbling. I was really happy to hear the Crosseyed and Painless on the 3^rd night, and the Jibboo and Sand from the first night were very smooth and spacey. The 2^nd night really overshadowed the other 2 nights. If not for the Crosseyed and Painless on the 3^rd night, I could have seen the first 2 shows and be just as happy (The Meatstick was pretty old by that point). We had seats on the lawn all 3 nights, so nothing like the set up we had for past years.

After the last night, I sold my remaining tickets for Columbus, chilled with my boys, headed to C Bus with them, and was picked up by AJ who had gone back to Ann Arbor after Alpine. She picked me up in my car at a hotel just north of Columbus which is when all the bad karma of leaving tour early set in.

Overall, Summer 2000 was great music and good times, but a bit lost otherwise in my collective memory of Phish. No worries because I have others who remember it better than I who might elaborate on the story someday.

I saw one show in the fall of 2000 at Cuyahoga Falls, just south of Cleveland Ohio. I absolutely loved this venue and ended up getting some pretty good seats close to the stage. If I recall, AJ and PS went to this show with me, and JH might have come along too. The show was pretty average, but I have always wanted to find a good excuse to go back to Blossom to see a show since then. Here is the setlist.

09-18-00 Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH

1: Carini, Sparkle, The Sloth, Maze, Guelah Papyrus, My Mind's Got a Mind of its Own, Sample in a Jar > Rift, Sleep, Prince Caspain

2: Boogie On Reggae Woman* -> Twist, McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters, Halley's Comet

E: Axilla -> Taste

*The jam into 'Twist' featured Trey on keys.

The show was good except for perhaps the encore and the fact that Trey seemed very out of sync with the rest of the band. They left him on stage wailing his guitar out during Halley’s, which while is one of my favorite songs, turned out to be messy.

I probably could have gone to the show in Cinci a few nights later and I should have made the voyage with my U of M kids to the shows in Chicago over the next weekend, but the ending of the show at Cuyahoga symbolized my burnout with the music itself. And that was fine because the band was taking a break and I was taking a break from Phish as well, so it worked out nicely. When the post hiatus shows would come around, I would get psyched up again for the whole Phish experience even though there ups and downs post hiatus as well.

Hoped you enjoyed another story in the whole Phish experience. The post hiatus shows should have a few more vivid details and some better times. When you see a band 66 times and balance life with something that you enjoy as much as seeing Phish, you are bound to learn a lot of lessons about life and your priorities.

Peace.