Confirmed: Super Ball IX At Watkin's Glen

Phish.com announces Super Ball IX- Click here to visit site

Download: Space Antelope Live 12/7/1982

artwork by RyanGetz

Whoa, talk about a blast from the past! Trey's pre-Phish band, Space Antelope, played from 1982–1983, featuring Trey, The Dude of Life, Doug Parsons, Dudley Taft, and others. The band performed originals as well as covers from Rush, The Velvet Underground, and others.

Setlist: Lifespace, All Along the Watchtower*, Franklin’s Tower, Goin Down the Road**, Hemispheres***, Wild Child^, Fluff’s Travels, Walk on the Wild Side^

Notes: circulated initially as “unknown 82/83?”, but date later updated; * Dylan cover, ** w/ Dude of Life (vocals); not GDTRFB, *** Rush cover, ^Lou Reed cover

The Space Antelope lineup:
Steve Pollack (The Dude of Life) - vocals
Trey Anastasio - guitar and vocals
Rob "Flash" Gordon - guitar and vocals
Dud Taft - bass
Doug Parsons - drums

Watkin's Glen Facebook Page Teases Phish Announcement

Today on the Watkin's Glen International Facebook page, there were to Phish references. The first being a graphic with lyrics to Contact and the 2nd being a nod to the phans. check below.

screengrab taken at 10am MST on 3/25

Watkin's Glen Shows To Be Billed As 'Super Ball 9'?

This whole Watkin's Glen/Phish Festival thing is driving the fanbase crazy!! So crazy in fact that a few web sleuths decided to do some searching around for domain names that might have been registered lately that would help point things out about the festival. Well, countless hours  and a few phony website fees later, it looks like they might have stumbled upon something. Someone using a phish.com email address has registered 4 domain names for the phrase 'SuperBall9'. The locked in the .com/net/org and us extensions. The mailing address tied to the accounts is in Burlington and the phone number provided rings to Panino & Sons. Who is Panino & Sons? Well a quick Google search on them leads you to a LinkedIn profile for Ben Collette who claims to be an archivist and engineer for Phish and Trey Anastasio. Interesting stuff huh?

Well, below is the full domain name info pulled from GoDaddy.com & the notable items have been made bold for you.

Ok so we have the name of the event. Or at least a fake name used to thwart uber phan geeks. Either way, something is surely brewing!!! Now- ANNOUNCE ALREADY!

domain name information:

superball9.com
superball9.net
superball9.org
superball9.us

...Domain Name: SUPERBALL9.US
Domain ID: D32215924-US
Sponsoring Registrar: GODADDY.COM, INC.
Sponsoring Registrar IANA ID: 146
Registrar URL (registration services): whois.godaddy. com
Domain Status: clientDeletePr ohibited
Domain Status: clientRenewPro hibited
Domain Status: clientTransfer Prohibited
Domain Status: clientUpdatePr ohibited
Registrant ID: CR78281040
Registrant Name: Chicken Cud
Registrant Address1: 103 North
Registrant City: Burlington
Registrant State/Province: Vermont
Registrant Postal Code: 05401
Registrant Country: United States
Registrant Country Code: US
Registrant Phone Number: +1.8026510977
Registrant Email: domains@phish.com
Registrant Application Purpose: P3
Registrant Nexus Category: C11
Administrative Contact ID: CR78281042
Administrative Contact Name: Chicken Cud
Administrative Contact Address1: 103 North
Administrative Contact City: Burlington
Administrative Contact State/Province: Vermont
Administrative Contact Postal Code: 05401
Administrative Contact Country: United States
Administrative Contact Country Code: US
Administrative Contact Phone Number: +1.8026510977
Administrative Contact Email: domains@phish.com
Administrative Application Purpose: P3
Administrative Nexus Category: C11
Billing Contact ID: CR78281043
Billing Contact Name: Chicken Cud
Billing Contact Address1: 103 North
Billing Contact City: Burlington
Billing Contact State/Province: Vermont
Billing Contact Postal Code: 05401
Billing Contact Country: United States
Billing Contact Country Code: US
Billing Contact Phone Number: +1.8026510977
Billing Contact Email: domains@phish.com
Billing Application Purpose: P3
Billing Nexus Category: C11
Technical Contact ID: CR78281041
Technical Contact Name: Chicken Cud
Technical Contact Address1: 103 North
Technical Contact City: Burlington
Technical Contact State/Province: Vermont
Technical Contact Postal Code: 05401
Technical Contact Country: United States
Technical Contact Country Code: US
Technical Contact Phone Number: +1.8026510977
Technical Contact Email: domains@phish.com
Technical Application Purpose: P3
Technical Nexus Category: C11
Name Server: NS69.DOMAINCON TROL.COM
Name Server: NS70.DOMAINCON TROL.COM
Created by Registrar: GODADDY.COM, INC.
Last Updated by Registrar: GODADDY.COM, INC.
Domain Registration Date: Sat Mar 19 02:36:17 GMT 2011
Domain Expiration Date: Sun Mar 18 23:59:59 GMT 2012

Domain Last Updated Date: Sat Mar 19 02:36:19 GMT 2011

New Release: JAPAN RELIEF 7/31/99

Immediately following their 1999 U.S. summer tour, Phish traveled abroad for their first ever shows in Japan. Fuji Rock Festival took place on multiple stages and the festival had specially designed the "Field Of Heaven" stage for Phish to play three consecutive nights of complete, two-set headline shows.

In response to the recent earthquake and tsunami that the northeastern part of this country has endured, we're releasing Japan Relief at LivePhish.com and Phish Dry Goods to benefit Peace Winds America. 100% of the funds they collect for disaster relief will go to support operations through their sister organization, Peace Winds Japan. Relief operations began March 15th and are currently underway in Miuyagi Prefecture, where Peace Winds is on the ground providing food, clothing, medicines and temporary shelter to survivors of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.

Japan Relief features Phish's entire show from July 31, 1999 - the middle, Saturday night as well as "What's The Use?" from their soundcheck on July 29th. The July 31st show crackled with energy, intermingling classic and new material with an exploratory vibe that meshed with the atmosphere of respect and beauty.

Set one had many high points including standout performances of "My Friend, My Friend", "Back On The Train", "Limb By Limb" and "Character Zero". Set two started in the stratosphere with a "2001" > "David Bowie" opener that proved the most experimental music played at Fuji Rock transposed against the gentle beauty of "Wading In The Velvet Sea". Set two also featured one of the all-time great renditions of "Prince Caspian". The encore provided a chance for friend and fellow musician Nawang Khechog to address the crowd about Tibetan human rights and perform with Fish on vacuum for a meditative jam with Fish and with the whole band on flute for a special "Brian And Robert". Japan proved a perfect host for Phish, the Field Of Heaven has survived ever since as part of Fuji Rock Festival and Phish has maintained a strong connection with Japan, weaving Japanese lyrics into "The Meatstick" as recently as New Year's Eve 2010-2011. Japan Relief was recorded by Paul Languedoc and mastered by Fred Kevorkian.

In the past, charitable downloads at Live Phish have raised over $100,000 for four non-profits: the Harbor House of New Jersey (The Headphones Jam), the New Orleans Musician's Clinic, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Fund (Katrina Relief) and the American Red Cross (Haiti Relief). Additionally, the Mockingbird Foundation receives funding on an on-going basis from the proceeds at Live Phish.

This show will be released on April 15 at LivePhish.com, and hard CDs will be released May 10. Please spread the word about this release and its beneficiaries, who are busy right now providing much needed relief and support in Japan.

JAPAN RELIEF - 7/31/99 Tracklisting

DISC ONE:
1. My Friend, My Friend >
2. Golgi Apparatus
3. Back On The Train
4. Limb By Limb
5. Free >
6. Roggae >
7. Sparkle >
8. Character Zero

DISC TWO:
1. 2001 >
2. David Bowie
3. Wading In The Velvet Sea >
4. Prince Caspian

DISC THREE:
1. Fluffhead >
2. The Squirming Coil
3. Nawang Khechog Human Rights Speech >
4. Tibetan Universal Horn/Vacuum Jam w/ Fish >
5. Brian And Robert
6. Simple
Filler:
7. What's The Use? (from 7/29/99 Soundcheck)

Watkin's Glen Announcement Delayed

Months and months have gone by with the whirlwind of a Watkin's Glen festival style Phish show being announced. The rumormill has been churning out some big speculations and therefore the hotels and campsites in and around Watkins Glen International (one of the premier road racing tracks in the United States) in western New York state, have swelled to capacity already with no official word of these shows.

With today's technology of course, official word always seems to come long after all the other phans are in the know. In this case its pretty crazy how the announcement is so far behind the knowledge and planning of the fanbase. None-the-less, a few tweets and blog posts had us all prepared to hear (officially) today- that we could spend $250 of a multi-day concert at The Glen this 4th of July weekend.

Sadly though, it looks as though the announcement will not be today. That is, according to a tweet by Michael Printup, the President at Watkins Glen International. Here is his word of no announcement today, but a heck of a tease at an official Phish + The Glen = There Goes My Money:

 

Phish fears in the land of peace and love

The specter of Woodstock arises

Many of the business and community leaders are welcoming the coming of Phish. The jam band is scheduled to perform three nights in a row over Memorial Day Weekend beginning on May 27 at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. Hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts and camps in the area are being flooded with reservations, according to Roberta Byron Lockwood, president of the Sullivan County Visitors Association, and the concerts might well get the summer season started with a bang.

But, at least one public official is concerned that the merry-making may get a little out of control as it did, according to some, at the three-day Woodstock Festival back in 1969, when Bethel Woods was still Max Yasgur’s farm.

Bethel lawmaker Richard Crumley expressed his concerns at the town meeting on March 10. He said, “For those of you who weren’t here in 1969, they thought nothing could happen, and guess what—it did. It was quite a fiasco. Take it from somebody who worked for the highway department at the time and spent three or four weeks picking up anything and everything that was laying around.”

Crumley said he didn’t know what to expect from what he called the “three-day event.” He said, “I understand Phish did a concert in Lake Placid, and they don’t ever want to see them back there again.”

He said the number of fans the band draws is of concern. “I understand that every room in the county and in Orange County is already taken up. This is something that we need to look into and the county should look into it, because if it’s a big mess, somebody has to pay to pick it up.”

Bethel supervisor Dan Sturm said the concerts are being planned for. He said, “Bethel Woods has reached out to us numerous times since they announced the event and before the announcement. We’re going to meet in some manner with all the appropriate agencies. I’m very happy to hear that we’re going to have a large concert here on Memorial Day Weekend, to start the summer off right.”

Council member Denise Frangipane said, “As you all know, I work at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, and I can tell you that we are working very, very hard to make sure that this is a successful event, not only for Bethel Woods and for the fans that come there for the show, but also for the entire community.”

She said, “It is not a three-day event, these are three individual concerts, you must have a ticket for each day in order to come. Bethel Woods is going to be working very closely with the town and the county and the community, the chambers, the business associations, the neighbors, everyone to make sure that together we can put our best face forward for our visitors and a have a really good experience.

“If you have questions about the Phish concert specifically, rather than speculate or panic, I recommend that you reach out to Bethel Woods," Frangipane said.

Go to www.bethelwoodscenter.org to view the Phish Guide.

Phish Rumormill Is Outsourced to India

“U.S. rumors just can’t compete financially”

(Pretty funny headline and graphic created by the folks over at TheFirstSet.net)

Interview: The Low End with Mike Gordon

The famed bassist talks about his new solo album and life as a member of Phish
By Ryan Heinsius

Ryan Heinsius: So, how are the current shows going with your band? Is it like discovering a new relationship?

Mike Gordon: It’s really been taking off; I’ve really been enjoying it. It’s almost been three years with the same band. Because it’s relatively newer there’s a lot of surprises—I guess with Phish there’s still surprises that happen—where I don’t expect some groove to feel so good or whatever it is. It’s uncharted territory.


Moss doesn’t feature a whole lot of solos opting for these kind of floaty soundscapes. Did you consciously try to take a different tack than, say, Phish might take on a record?

I have heard that comment before where sometimes there’s kind of a fade at the end and it implies there would be a big jam that we’re not getting to hear. I guess, often on albums I’m not listening to—well, it depends on what kind of music. I was going to say, I like to hear albums of songs that are made concise and that flow nicely from one to the next, whereas live, I always like to go as long as possible, if it’s feeling like a musical adventure than I would rather it went for an hour rather than three minutes. So, I just sort of have a different philosophy. A lot of times I’ve felt like that’s not necessarily what I’m looking for. I want to be able to put together a well-crafted song and have it say what it wants to say very efficiently. I don’t know, there’s just something fun about that to me and some of my favorite albums work like that. But, it’s an interesting concept too to sort of do more extended … I don’t know, I guess, and being in the jam band world too and—it’s a horrible word—where doing long improvisations is what it’s all about, and Phish has done it for 27 years, but then you know, the Grateful Dead and other groups have done it long before then. But I’m kind of feeling like, well, a lot of that’s been done—if a jam is feeling fresh then only true to the moment and it’s not something old. But still, I feel like I’d like to work on stuff that, for me, hasn’t been done as much.

Yeah, “Norwegian Wood” is only two minutes long, and it certainly gets the job done.

If you think about how many pop songs that have been—there’s been so many millions of successful ones and how many more millions of ones that never really worked out in the last few decades—it’s pretty amazing and it’s definitely not as easy as it seems to carve a message to its raw essence and get it out there.

You’ve said that Moss is a more bass-rooted record. As a bassist, why is this the first album that you’ve described as bass centered?

Maybe it’s because growing up I heard a lot of albums by bass players like Stanley Clarke and Jaco (Pastorius) that were attempting or trying different ways of being bass-centric, and I was finding it to be a difficult challenge. It just doesn’t always seem to work to me, where I guess I’m very passionate about the roll of bass—and a lot of bass players are—where it’s not just standing out it’s also being functional in the way that it’s flowing and that functional way is part of the charm. That’s why this album is a compromise because it’s not the lead instrument but it’s working in interesting ways—the ways that the bass work the other stuff is forced to dance around.

Now, on the other hand, I’ve heard some albums by bass players that don’t have any interesting bass lines at all; like they 100-percent ignored that aspect. And that seems kind of like not very cool either because there’s something unique about this bass player and they’re being smushed into this standard roll. It was interesting working with Warren Haynes when I made the movie “Rising Low,” and I was with him for a year making an album with 25 famous bass players. A lot of times someone would come in—like John Entwistle came in—and they’d be warming up and they’d shoot out some of the fiery licks they’re known for, and as soon as the song came on that they had worked on it would be a very supportive roll, and it would make me think, ‘Well, s**t, this is a bass players’ album and I’m sitting here and I want to hear some good stuff!’ They were all mature musicians who had all gotten to a certain point in their life where they, I’m sure, had learned the beauty of songs. If everything is supporting the song then it’s going to be magical. And, if people are trying to steal the spotlight and rob it away from the essence of the song itself then it might not be as magical, and I guess they sort of knew that. So it ends up being a compromise. If you think about, like, the Police, there’s an example where everything that Sting does is really supportive to the groove, but the bass lines are unique and the rhythms in their music are unique. So sometimes it’s being just a little unique within a certain genre, or usually I think it’s just tweaking the genre just a little bit that’s the most groundbreaking as opposed to just going crazy—trying to go crazy. So that’s what this album is for me is I’m trying to work on my own music and have it be pared down and allow the bass to kind of forge the path but not stomp out the song either—not get in the way of the song either … Some of my favorite things to play are songs that are incredibly simple. Sometimes it’s a cover song or something, and sometimes there’s only a few bass notes. I just feel like I can sink myself so deeply into them if there’s less to think about. So even though I can handle the more intricate ones, I’ve been hungry for the simpler ones … To make simpler patterns interesting is harder but more rewarding than making intricate patterns.

With multiple projects, how does writing songs and coming up with ideas work? How do you know what idea is going to go where?

It’s tricky because sometimes it’s a matter of—I guess on occasion it’s obvious: This song should be for Phish. But usually that’s not the case with me. I mean, I know Trey (Anastasio) said that before about his stuff; that sometimes a song will be more intricate and he’ll think this’ll be good for Phish, and he ends up being right. People outside of Phish have the talent and patience to learn intricate stuff too. So it just depends. I guess what Phish does with the intricate stuff is we make it sound very natural and very organic and kind of off the cuff—make it sound more imperfect than studied if there’s a memorized part. And that might have taken years of cultivating; that kind of a mixture of planned out but carefree at the same time. Especially bands that have been together for 27 years are going to be great at doing certain things or certain kinds of things … I guess I usually imagine them for my band because I know that if I really like a song a lot I could play it 20 or 30 times with my band. With Phish, I know if I like a song I know they’ll play it, but I don’t know if they’ll play it more than a couple times. And usually it takes a whole bunch of times to learn what’s working and what’s not working.

I imagine to some degree being a member of such a well-known band as Phish can be at least a little overwhelming where so much energy goes to that specific project. What do your solo and outside projects give you that might not be a readily available in such an established band as Phish?

Well, I can be the principle songwriter, or one of them. And, that alone is the main thing I’m doing now, is further cultivating my talents as a songwriter. And Phish will definitely play my songs, but there isn’t enough time, there’s too many of them or something. Whenever I want to play one they play it, but there’s already so much other material that’s great. So, that’s probably the biggest thing, but it’s not just that. It’s getting to be in the leadership role and to make some decisions. I’ve always had sort of a planning side of me. I was planning out organizations, clubs; typing out things on typewriters before computers, when I was 5 years old even. By the time I was 10 I had a whole filing cabinet of documentation planning out projects, and clubs, that for the most part were just fantasies. One was a car that I wanted to build and it was called the Hawk sports car. There probably is a Hawk car now. Six or 7, and I had the color scheme, and it was shaped differently than normal cars, the way the engine was going to—not how it was going to work—but how it was going to sit in the car. Anyway, so all this planning is something I love to do, and eventually when I got to be a teenager, I started following through with my plans. I would plan something and I would do it and I just like seeing a project from beginning to end. And in Phish, there’s so many people planning, brainstorming and coming up with ideas on every level, that just another person’s ideas aren’t really needed, is my feeling. I could come up with some ideas, and if I spent a lot of time doing it I’m sure they’d be good ideas—this is everything from the music to the business of how we’re touring, recording and everything. Promoting and publicizing. I could come up with some good ideas but there’s already good ideas.

I need the creative outlet, the leadership outlet and the planning outlet. I would like to work on singing more and now I’m getting to because we cram so many dates into a month with my band. It’s just great practice for me. The reason it’s a tricky question is that I’m not an egomaniac. I don’t need to have my name on everything. I’d like to find a band name for the band other than my name. And I don’t want to make every decision, I don’t need to write every song at all. That’s not my personality. In fact, if I were doing all of that I think I would feel kind of lonely. I don’t really fantasize to be Sting, although I love his playing and his writing. But, for the solo career, I would rather cultivate … well, I don’t know. I’m a big admirer of Sting so I shouldn’t even say anything. He’s just one person that I see as someone I admire. I just feel like in Phish my role is sort of defined de facto. I’m sort of the quiet one at band practices. And I enjoy that. It allows me to concentrate on bass playing as my main focus and really to get deeply into the Zen of it. It’s such an amazing experience to do that. I feel like if I were more of a leader in Phish, of more of a soloer, or more of a singer, or more of a planner or all of those things, then I wouldn’t be able to as deeply get into the meditation of bass playing, and having religious experiences doing that. So that role is an excellent role for me. I have no complaints. But at the same time, as I get older I’ve needed to explore these other kinds of more intellectual, creative outlets.

Free Download: Trey Anastasio 3/2/11 - Denver, CO

Have you been curious as to how these TAB shows have been sounding? Well, now is your chance to spin the discs boot up iTunes and hear the hype for yourself! What we have here is a great selection of Phish tracks, Trey Band originals and a sprinkling of covers- all presented in high quality 320kbps MP3 format that originally came from Flac. This is an AUD recording with no pops, hisses or cuts! Right click on the image below and 'Save As'. ENJOY!

Set 1: Crowd, Sample in a Jar, Mist, The Horse > Silent In The Morning, My Friend My Friend, Runaway Jim, Carini, Wilson, Shine a Light, Banter, Wading in the Velvet Sea, Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan, Hey Ya, Push On Til the Day
Set 2: Cayman Review, Done Done It, Valentine, Money Love and Change, Drifting, Small Axe, Burn That Bridge, Mozambique, Simple Twist Up Dave, Windora Bug, Goodbye Head, Sand , Show of Life, Crowd, Birdwatcher, Black Dog

Taped and transferred by Todd R
FOB/DFC: Milab VM44-link > Lunatec V3 (24/44.1k) > Sony D50
Transfer: D50> iMac> Amadeus Pro > xACT Flac >xACT MP3

Summer Tour Will End With 3-day Festival at “Single Most Inconvenient Spot on the Face of the Earth”

Phish and their management company have announced that they will be ending summer tour with another 3-day festival with 9 sets of planned music. The rumored locations of either Oswego Airport in New York or the Polo Grounds in Coachella Valley, CA have both been debunked. Instead, Phish’s tour will conclude at the Single Most Inconvenient Spot on the Face of the Earth.

“We’re really excited that we were able to lock down this venue. It’s not the most in-demand place for bands to play at, but we think the potential for the perfect festival is definitely there” says manager Jason Colton. “Some phans have been grumbling about the lack of roads leading into the venue, but we’ve been working very closely with local law enforcement to ensure that traffic is at a minimum.”

Phish Archivist Kevin Shapiro has said that he thinks this has the makings of the best Phish festival ever. “It’s really not that difficult to get there. All you have to do is get a seat on the once-a-week flight to Gainesville that leaves out of Valdosta Airport in Georgia, and rent a red 1964 Ford Falcon (remember, it has to be red!). Drive that car 26 miles due east, turn left at the third stop light that has a broken yellow light, and park in the 8th spot in from the drive-through at the local Wendy’s. After that, it’s just a quick hop skip and jump as you take a 6-mile walk through the swamp, where you have to sneak aboard a container ship leaving the Port of St. Augustine, and spend 19 days hidden in the engine room while the ship takes you to an unmarked port in Brazil.

If you go past the yellow flag-
you've gone too far

“At this point you’re basically there. All that’s left is 9-and-a-half hour ride deep into the Amazon where you’ll find a shaman who can administer the Queztl potion that will separate your soul from this divine Earth. After successfully capturing your guide animal and beating the Troll of Yordon in the feats of strength, you traverse the Mountains of Holoow and release the 8 different Screeching Moose that are trapped upon the shores of Lingdun. Here you just assume the shape of your spirit animal, utter the three unanswerable questions that were given to you by the Troll of Yordon, leap over Doomsday Falls, and you’ll see the entrance on your right. There will be a yellow flag. And of course I’ll be playing your favorite shows from the Archive on Bunny Radio when you get close so you’ll have some tunes to keep you company.”

When asked how the commute compares to other festival sites Shapiro responded, “Come on man, after the crazy lines in Limestone, this will be a piece of cake.” Tickets for the festival go on sale April 12, at 9am EST.

Originally posted here. (clearly, this is a joke)

Review: Trey Anastasio @ the Ogden Theatre, Day 2

Review By Jason Blevins

This article was originally published here.
For a second sold-out night, Trey Anastasio slack-jaw stalked the Ogden Theatre stage, crouching with his guitar as he raced through some 30 songs in three hours.

From the early first set acoustic crooning –- “Sample in a Jar,” “Horse>Silent in the Morning” — to the second-set throbbing “Sand,” Anastasio and his top-notch band played more of a vast list of songs than a cohesive show. Not bothering with a vibe or theme, Big Red captained his crew through rocking reggae, calypso, orchestral and occasionally improvised jams.

Lacking the delicate touch of Jorma Kaukonen, Anastasio’s acoustic virtuosity lies more in his composition. His acoustic “My Friend, My Friend” dripped with nylon-stringed classical riffs. “Runaway Jim” galloped with an Ozark twang, devolving into a bonfire singalong, straight outta Camp Weekapaug. “Carini” returned to Anastasio’s Phish roots, which carried into a crowd-sparked “Wilson.” Bathed in the expertly choreographed LED lights of Phish lightman Chris Kuroda, Anastasio’s “Shine a Light” seemed a nod to his longtime friend behind the lightboard.

Joined by Russell Remington on sax, teenager Natalie “Chainsaw” Cressman on trombone and Jennifer Hartswick on trumpet, Anastasio transitioned out of his solo indulgence with a perfectly mixed “Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan” that marked a first-ever all-brass backing for Trey’s Martin acoustic.

Strapping on the electric, Anastasio’s rowdy “Push On ‘Til The Day” layered his signature elongated chords over mighty blasts from the black-dressed ladies.

Ray Paczkowski on keys took the lead early in the second-set opener “Cayman Review,” while Anastasio sulked across the stage with his Ocelet-encrusted Languedoc electric. Hartswick and Cressman’s stunningly strong vocals fueled an early dance party in the barn-burning “Money Love and Change” as Paczkowski’s keywork prodded Anastasio into deep, exploratory riffs.

As “Mozambique” spilled into “Simple Twist Up Dave,” Kuroda’s lights danced on the offerings from an army of volunteer fog makers. Kuroda cannot be overlooked as a vital contributor to the Trey Anastasio Band, just as he is with Phish. Able to veer from frantic, seizure-inducing blasts into a soothing, gentle pulse in milliseconds, Kuroda has seen probably more Anastasio guitar solos than anyone and seamlessly weaves his ever-dancing lights into his muse’s aural tapestry. As Anastasio fired up the first licks of what would become a show highlighting “Sand,” Kuroda’s lights seems to enchant the boss, who stared agape into the rainbow mist as his fingers frolicked.

Following a big-band swinging “Bird Watcher” encore, Hartswick breathed deep and belted out a “Hey hey mama” that detonated a by-the-books fiery rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog.” Instead of going deep into emulating Jimmy Page, Anastasio instead turned to his longtime TAB cohort Hartswick and edged her into a rich and resonant vocal jam that ended a vibrant two-night stand at one of Denver’s best rooms.

Review: Trey Anastasio @ the Ogden Theatre, Day 1

Review By Jason Blevins

This article was originally published here.
A chatty, emotive and occasionally indulgent Trey Anastasio jettisoned the Ogden Theatre from a snoozy sing-along into a rollicking groovefest Tuesday in a disparate, two-set show that primed a pie-eyed house for yet another foggy throwdown tonight.

Playing solo acoustic for the first dozen tunes, the Vermont maestro behind the jamazonian Phish plied his vocal talents –- to varying success –- with delicate melody and careful tone. The absence of bass and drums as well as the whisper of his Martin acoustic revealed the intricacies of many Anastasio riffs, especially in “Timber Ho” and “Tube.

Big Red was giddily garrulous with the acoustic around his neck, telling the crowd calling for “Tube” that “no matter what you say, it translates into ‘Booo!’” Several times he spoke about his early Goddard College days sharing a place with Phish drummer Jon Fishman, saying he would sneak into his roommate’s room, and write songs while reading Fishman’s journal.

“He didn’t know until I played the song,” said Anastasio, introducing the intricate “Tube.” “This is from the mind of Jon Fishman.”

Acoustic fits Anastasio’s vast repertoire only sometimes. While “Gumbo” lacks the jubilant bass and “The Wedge” the jungle drums, “Joy,” “When the Circus Comes to Town” and “Backwards Down the Number Line” are worthy croon-and-strum tunes.

But once the Trey Anastasio Band took the stage late in the second set, it was easy to forget the acoustic stuff. Starting with the flamenco-flavored, beautifully-fluted (Russell Remington from the Giant Country Horns, yes!) “Heavy Things,” through a sweet “Liquid Time” and into an explosive, trumpet-blasting “Gotta Jiboo,” the band deftly closed the first set by fanning the flames of what became a fiery second.

The bob-heading groove that permeates Anastasio’s addictive riffs erupted in second-set opener “Night Speaks to a Woman,” inspiring drummer Russ Lawton to slap a hole in his snare. A carom into deep 1970s soul-funk saw the band’s cover of the 1970 “Ooh Child” by the Five Stairsteps trickle into Phish’s uber-funky “Ocelet,” with the velveteen-voiced brass blowers Jennifer Hartswick and 18-year-old Natalie Cressman buttering the backup vocals with the overlapping stanza “Won’t you come out and play.”

Following a Salsa-styled “Burlap Sack and Pumps,” the band ripped into a Hartswick-Cressman-rapped cover of Gorillaz’ “Clint Eastwood,” that saw billboard-of-a-bass-player Tony Markellis soaking the Ogden in his bottomless thunder. A late second set “Plasma” delivered the marauding jams that sate Phish followers, but the night largely highlighted an Anastasio backed by a crackerjack band that more supports than challenges. There weren’t any aggressive bass riffs spurring deeper descents into the bluesy “Alaska” or the prog “First Tube.” But that’s alright when the band tears through Charlie Daniels’ “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” with such passion, igniting the song’s “band of demons” jam with flaming licks while accenting Johnny’s fiddle-winning jam with glorious trombone and trumpet.

Anastasio’s encore of Dire Straits’ “Sultans of Swing” sparked a roar with the line, “We don’t give a damn about any trumpet-playing band” from a sold-out house wallowing in the hazy bliss.

Is Phish Losing Their Popularity To The Disco Biscuits?

The charts below show the search trend popularity for two separate phrases.  The first one being the word "Phish" and the second chart showing results for "The Disco Biscuits". Currently Phish is scoring a 12 in ranked popularity and the Biscuits are hitting a 42. So, does this mean that Phish is losing their popularity or does it just mean that Bisco fans don't bookmark discobiscuits.com? Hmmm...



  
before you freak out and rant about this on PT, realize that this is a joke and the scale isnt the same

Rumors: Phish Summer Tour 2nd Leg

sadly, the tour got cut short and this list isnt correct. outside lands is a go, but click here for the rest.

Rumored 2nd Leg Phish Summer Tour Dates

August 1 – Red Rocks – Morrison, Colorado
August 2 – Red Rocks – Morrison, Colorado
August 3 – Red Rocks – Morrison, Colorado
August 5 – The Gorge – George, Washington
August 6 – The Gorge – George, Washington
August 8 – The Greek – Berkeley, California
August 9 – The Greek – Berkeley, California
August 11 – Shoreline – Mountain View, California
August 13 – Outlands Festival – San Francisco, California
August 19 – Alpine Valley – East Troy, Wisconsin
August 20 – Alpine Valley – East Troy, Wisconsin
August 22 – Deer Creek – Noblesville, Indiana
August 23 – Deer Creek – Noblesville, Indiana
August 25 – Star Lake – Burgettstown, Pennsylvania
August 26 – SPAC – Saratoga Springs, New York
August 27 – SPAC – Saratoga Springs, New York
August 29 – Hartford – Hartford, Connecticut
August 30 – Hartford – Hartford, Connecticut
September 1 – Jones Beach – Wantagh, New York
September 2 – Jones Beach – Wantagh, New York

Trey Envies Colorado's Access To Medical Marijuana

A lil stage banter starting at around 35 seconds has Trey telling the Denver, Colorado crowd that he is thankful for the easy access to nuggets in the Mile HIGH City!