Moments when you enjoy Phish

Needless to say, I was shocked. "Can't be," says I. "What's that LP spinning on the turntable?"

"Um, let me check."

The girl reaches over, checks out the LP, then shrugs. "Dunno. It's an unmarked test pressing."

So I have to wait until the guy comes back out from his office, and when he does, I ask him what was playing. He checks the LP, then checks the CD player. "What's playing now or what was just playing before?"

"Before."

"It's the new Phish album."

I was totally shocked. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm, go figure."

"Do you want to give it more of a listen?"

"No" (secretly 'Yes')

I bought what I was looking for - and on my trip to Seattle the day before bought the highly Matos-recommended United State of Electronica - but I made a mental point to seek out a copy of that Phish disc. Really wasn't bad at all! I felt so dirty, so not hip! 'Cause, well, I'm not, but c'mon: Phish!

i dunno - this is a huge hurdle for me - i was sooo into them in high school, and its tough to not have this total kneejerk reaction against it all.

Also, whatever that one where Page does the big piano solo outro. Maybe "The Velvet Sea" or something.

You probably (but not necessarily?) mean "Down With Disease," the only song they ever made a video for (I think).

There's this one with this really droney keyboard shit that's in a fucked time sig (like 11/8 or summat) that has a really nice organic steady build to it, I think it's called "Sand" maybe? That one was really excellent last time I saw them play.

There's a "Sand," on Farmhouse, and my hazy recollection suggests you're right, but I don't exactly remember what it sounds like. (even though I own the disc; a lot of the post-Billy Breathes stuff is foreign to me)

!!!!

(maybe)

Well, you can get them on live tapes, or on the live-cd official releases (or the download-thing they've set up?).

I would love to go to one of those Coney Island shows (at the best baseball park in the country, no less).

tell me about it

Also, there were a couple things on A Picture of Nectar that I didn't mind.

Mine did that, too! I never really tried to listen to them before that.

The Phish show last night...

Saw Phish's first show of their last tour ever last night. Fortunately for me, I didn't have to pay $35 or more to go stand in the rain in Keyspan park in Brooklyn; they had the show simulcast in Regal Cinema movie theatres nationwide. In NYC, not only did the show sell out, but the first theatre sold out so they added another. I was quite thankful for this since I haven't seen them since I was 18 or something back when they were a rather small-scale act playing at a local university. I was also thankful for several other reasons, which I will get into one by one.
CUSHY CHAIRS - Phish may be a great band to listen to, but they're not the most exciting band to watch from a standing room only situation, even with the over-the-top elaborate stagelights and sheer monstrosity of a huge plot of land filled to capacity. Since they basically just stand like plants, there's nothing really to see from 50 feet away except on the monitors. And then it's mostly just facial expressions and fingers moving. This brings me to my next reason I'm thankful...
AMAZING CAMERAWORK - This had better be released as a DVD (the FULL concert, not just the "best parts" of it). The 3 hours of concert footage I was privaledged to view last night were top-rate and obviously a very expensive production. The band said all of 10 words to the audience and just blew through 3 sets, during which time the cameras caught their hands and fingers playing some of the most impressive music I have actually ever been able to witness in detail. Hearing them play is one thing, but actually being able to SEE what their fingers are doing in order to produce such sounds is something else entirely. By the end of the show, I WAS EXHAUSTED, literally, just from watching them play from the comfort of my cushy theatre chair! I dragged my ass out of the theatre as if I had just danced all night on ecstacy or something and fell asleep on the trainride home.
THE ATTITUDE CAPTURED ON FILM - Besides the smirking attitude of the band, as they laughed about fun little things they'd just done musically, I saw this same attitude reflected in the fans. It was really just about the music and being happy-- not stupid hippy polyanna "everything is groovy, it's all happenning" kind of happy.... just pleasure in small things.
It started out with us (the audience in the theatre) sitting there watching the audience in Keyspan park just waiting for the show to begin. As I looked around the theatre, I saw a perfect mirror of the fans' general attitude. There weren't a lot of filthy hippies. There were just thousands of mature short-haired casual people more or less hanging out as comfortably as if they were in a family barbeque somewhere, hanging out with friends on a beach or something. So much different from your average rock show where people are either trying to "outcool" one another or are obnoxiously "psyched" to be rocking out in a concert venue.
When the band took the stage, a roar filled the audience, as one would expect, but after 15 or 20 minutes into the show, the audience was STILL standing (or sitting) in a civilized manner, just soaking up the music. Nobody in Keyspan seemed to be dancing all over everyone else's shoes or otherwise going "apeshit," which almost shocked me because I had also spotted in the crowd several teenage jocky looking guys. These kids had the typical sullen expressions of rebel kids who enjoy their drugs, but seemed to be willing participants in a peaceful good time. I can't tell you how surprised I was when the group of little hoodlums next to me who had been smoking pot the entire time, took it in stride when I accidentally kicked over their jumbo $6 movie theatre drink! I said, "Oh shit, was that a drink?! I'm sorry..." and was fully expecting them to act as any NY teenage prick would, but to my surprise, one just said casually, "That's alright." They didn't even try to be "magnanimously cool" or anything.
All these 12 year old kids were running to and from the bathroom yelling, "What'd I miss?" and "Did they start the 2nd set yet?" They didn't look drunk or high or even old enough to really be that excited about music. I was thinking, "Shouldn't you be listening to Eminem or something?" When I was 12, I think I would've been bored off my ass by Phish.
However, in contrast, if this was a Regal Cinema simulcast of KISS or Eminem or something, you can bet the general feel of the crowd would be somewhat hostile (remember the fires at Lollapalooza?). During the second set, the crowd peacefully went down the escalators calmly and smoked cigarettes. As I smoked, I was approached by all sorts of people who just wanted to talk to me. It was a gentle give-and-take sort of conversation I had with EVERYONE, talking about nothing in particular. So different from a standard rock show where there's this weird tension in the air and people are afraid to talk to other people... so different from NYC in general, where conversation is all about how witty or interesting you can be in the first 90 seconds in order to grab someone's attention. This left me with the realization that you just can't listen to Phish and not end up being mellow and genuine; they're not a band that's interested in "rocking your balls off" or getting you to join the KISS Army or some shit, so it's just really: "You like this music? That's cool, I do too." Sit back and enjoy it.
A GOOD SHOW, THREE TIGHT SETS - There really wasn' much fucking around with this show. The band just played to their highest standards and walked off the stage. Nothing more fitting for a DVD release than that. Let the music speak for itself. Let the sheer enormity of it all (gigantic stage, monitors, lights, audience, etc.) be a testament to the fact that this music is at the heart of it all. It has been fun for me to watch the reversal of opinion from critics and detractors over the years. Rolling Stone hated Phish in the beginning, but eventually called them "the most important band of the 90's." After all these years, when Phish has REALLY decided to pack it in and call it a day, critics are now complaining that the band is just "paranoid" or 'too idealistic"... suddenly, NOW the critics don't want the band to stop playing. If this show is released on DVD, it will be a great realization for the rest of the stragglers out there who still think Phish suck. They'll be middle-aged men and women somewhere and someone will put in this Phish concert and they'll stop and say, "holy shit, what did I miss? I was actually ALIVE back then and I actually chose to ignore this band..."
And they might feel like I do now. I ignored Phish for most of their glory years.
I bought the new album on the way home from the show and, believe it or not, listening to it this afternoon at work, my eyes started to tear up. The new album, "Undermind," is the most fitting end to Phish I could imagine. There are lots of little references sprinkled throughout the album that this is the end of Phish... maybe they weren't really intentional at the time they wrote them (but maybe they were)... in any case, subconcious thoughts say quite a lot....
THE FINAL REASON I'M THANKFUL - Like I said, when I left this show, I was EXHAUSTED (from doing NOTHING, mind you!) and as I walked away I thought to myself, "I can't believe that they've played shows like that for the past 21 years. I would never choose to work that hard in a band..." and then I remembered that Trey and Page especially have been visibily "drained" for the past 6 years or so, according to all their family and friends, who frequently urged them to stop. Trey threw out his entire CD collection and burned his TV last year (not the actions of a healthy man, regardless of whatever his reasoning may have been at the time). And, as I thought about this, it was not surprising in the least that they didn't say 10 words to the audience all night. They could have gone on and on about their decision to quit the band and become really emotional (like Courtney Love or something), but instead they were visibly enjoying themselves, most likely knowing and feeling what Trey recently said in an interview:
"It will be great to revisit all that old material one last time this summer, but I need something knew. I can't just keep travelling around the world playing 'You Enjoy Myself.' I need something new!"
I would have quit the band probably after the 2nd or 3rd major label release. If James Brown is the "hardest working man in showbiz," Phish is at least that times four.
I suggest everyone buy the new album, "Undermind" ... it's just good. The lyrics... well, they make me cry. Not for myself, but for them. What a struggle, what a life... and for what? Just for our enjoyment... 'You Enjoy Myself' indeed. They managed to release 400 songs and 30-something "official" albums, not to mention the downloads of dozens of shows, they provided free DAT soundboard taping for the fans and they donate the profits from their LIVE PHISH series to charity... what more can be said in favor of ANY band? Oh that's right, they didn't cure cancer.

Hmmm...bold.

Ah. Indeed.

Boy, Man... fireworks during Tramps Jam

over 3 hours; streaming dude reports "there aren't any wooks," lol

I think 75% of Phish-hate (and Grateful Dead-hate) is about the audience, not the music.

Fucking hipsters

I think 75% of Phish-hate...is about the audience, not the music.

That and really not digging paedophiles.

100% of my Phish-like is because of the audience. Or, rather, because of the percentage of the Phish audience who are my friend Kevin. And only when he makes me listen to them. Which I guess was only one time, when me made me watch a Phish DVD with him. So really I'm just swooned by my friend's heartfelt enthusiasm for Phish, and Phish themselves I don't actually care for, I just like hanging out with my friend a lot.

That and really not digging paedophiles.

― Calling from a Balti Hotel (Noodle Vague), Saturday, June 13, 2009 7:58 AM Bookmark

zzz, troll

some of phish-hate is about the audience, but given how many haters haven't been to a show, it has more to do with perceptions of the audience than the actual audience, which has various elements in it as with most bands. some of phish-hate is about the music, too, which is variously too ingenuous, too good-timey or too complicated, among other things, for some people. but the audience is an integral part of the musical experience, for better or worse, so even if you like cooler music than the average audience member, you can't beg off with a neat separation between member and music. you fucking hipster.

troll recognise troll

whatever, troll

the music, too, which is variously too ingenuous, too good-timey or too complicated, among other things, for some people

lol

chalkdust torture
stash
you enjoy myself
bouncing around the room
divided sky

my brother (and lurker here) is at Bonnaroo and was pumped to see Phish but I haven't heard anything about last night's set yet---we mostly dig the same stuff but I'm always boggled to see that Phish sits near the top of his last.fm. He took me to several Phish shows in the early 90s in ATL, and they were fun, I guess before things got really huge; they played "Free Bird" a cappella and "Purple Rain" on the vacuum at one of them, I remember and it was a good time. He gave me the records and I liked "Bouncing Around the Room" and "Sample In A Jar". Billy Breathes was a decent listen as an album. Phish and Neil Young at Farm Aid in 200whatever was cool, with an exploratory "Down By The River".

I think 75% of Phish-hate...is about the audience, not the music.

That and really not digging paedophiles.

― Calling from a Balti Hotel (Noodle Vague), Saturday, June 13, 2009 4:58 AM (5 hours ago) Bookmark

That and really not digging gabbnebs

so even if you like cooler music than the average audience member, you can't beg off with a neat separation between member and music. you fucking hipster.

― Endless Bourgie (gabbneb), Saturday, June 13, 2009 1:52 PM (4 hours ago) Bookmark

I like Phish and have seem them several times, asshead, I wasn't talking about how I felt about the audience personally. My point was that i've heard many people talk about how much they hate Phish or the Dead, and then immediately follow with everything they hate about their fans, nothing about the music.

It should be said, however, that there is a real skeezy side to both the band's cults. I've met some nice deadheads, but I've also met a lot of lowlifes, and have known several people personally who really lost themselves in either scene.

Mustang Sally w/ Bruce!

xp - in a phish context, surely you must mean 'assface'?

"C'mon Mr. Keyboard Player" lol

not quite "Play it, Leo"

maybe you should leave the guitar-playing to trey, Bruce?

Bobby Jean

Glory Days

http://web2.twitpic.com/img/12498734-34002a8e532a22ed411ee49813ff8788.4a35c15d-scaled.jpg

also, thirdalternative, i wasn't even talking to/about u. could have saved yourself a post, amirite?

set 2 btw

and we have achieved Type II Jamming

o wait nm

http://images.nymag.com/daily/entertainment/20090615_phrish_560x375.jpg

I saw Phish at Bonnaroo and it was the most boring shit I ever sat through in my life.

I can't believe all the magazines, blogs and websites that spent the weekend Tweeting their setlist as it was happening like the music press suddenly cares about Phish now that "#Phish" is a trending topic.

you are a terrible person sir

Phish fans became "hipsters"

― Endless Bourgie (gabbneb), Saturday, June 13, 2009 1:08 AM (3 days ago) Bookmark

this is otm, from my experience

jesus guys i'm only skimming here but god help i think i'm siding with gabbs

fwiw i've never been to a phish show and always sort of assumed that my hate would abate a little if i did.

I saw Phish at Bonnaroo and it was the most boring shit I ever sat through in my life.

it is well-established that your taste sucks, and this is gabbneb talking here

ie - someone would get me high

lmaooooooooooooooo xp

Coincidentally, Phish suck too!

SeekAltRoute

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3544/3631562448_b4c1518d2c_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2448/3630747207_8dfeca0fde_o.jpg

I think 75% of Phish-hate...is about the audience, not the music.

That and really not digging paedophiles.

― Calling from a Balti Hotel (Noodle Vague), Saturday, June 13, 2009 7:58 AM (3 days ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

^this is one of the all-time asshole posts.

i know, with the britishes spelling and all

more time to enjoy moments

fuck i knew i should've stayed for sunday night god damnit

down with disease and free on friday night were both really good, i remember through the drugfog

Chalkdust opener on Friday was so well-timed. And my friend there called it.

They sounded great that night, too.

Gabbs, I got your back. Phuck those haters.

I once had to (yes, had to) watch that Todd Philips Phish movie, and about halfway through I turned to my wife and said, you know, maybe I should give this band another shot. She's one of the least judgmental people I know, but she bared her fangs and snarled something like, why? it's the worst, more boring hippie shit on earth. I was pretty shocked.

A year or so ago I got to interview the keyboard player. He was pretty nice, not surprisingly, but I had gotten some inside info about something completely harmless from, of all people, his dad. So I bring it up in the interview, and the guy suddenly turns ultra-serious and tells me not to print that said innocuous fact (regarding, btw, the type of car he drives).

This Phish keyboard dude? He was no phun.

What a weird story.

Phish fans became "hipsters"

― Endless Bourgie (gabbneb), Saturday, June 13, 2009 1:08 AM (3 days ago) Bookmark

this is otm, from my experience

― i want to marry a pizza (gbx), Tuesday, June 16, 2009 1:52 AM (3 days ago) Bookmark

not that im self-identifying as either of the above, but phish definitely got me into a hundred awesome bands/records, and also daniel dimaggio OTM way upthread about billy breathes and "train song" esp

Ok, so phish fans came up in discussions in the pub tonight as an analogue for english football hooligans with respect to their violence, which was unexpected, is my chain being yanked?

http://www.glamorati.com/celebrity/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/trey-anastasio-mugshot.jpg

EAST TROY — Living along County Highway D near Alpine Valley comes with its share of troubles during the summer concert season, and one 71-year-old neighbor says they're troubles he can do without.

In a post Monday on Craigslist, the resident writes, "My message is this: get your people in order "phish". And never come to alpine valley again. Shame on you."

What apparently got the man rankled was the discovery, about 1:30 a.m. Saturday night, of a Phish fan defecating in the man's bus stop warming house.

The fan was described as having, "hair that looked like a doormat. Eyes were buggy, like I remember on men in Vietnam."

The resident said he had a shotgun, and was going to have the fan clean up the mess, but the fan took off toward the Interstate.

Despite being 71, the resident is Craigslist savvy, using to sell truck parts and lawn furniture.

Plus, he writes, he doubts "an editor's letter in the journal/sentinel will reach "phish" people, who my neighbor says are mostly from Illinois or east coast. I am also looking for an apology from the man who committed this act."

The resident also says the fan left behind a white hat with an alien on it. and "a glass thing."

He says he's going to throw them away.

local morning sports radio show plays a 2 second portion of “tweezer” during one of their daily segments. having not heard it before, I assumed it was some classic 70s yachty CSN/Doobies thing.