MOCKINGBIRD'S BAKER'S DOZEN #7
In celebration of Phish's 13-show run at Madison Square Garden, the Mockingbird Foundation is announcing 13 unsolicited "miracle grants" supporting music programs across the country. Each board member identified their favorite Phish show, and we found a worthy music education program nearby, part of the Foundation's long-standing Tour Grants program. We're presenting these 13 special grants chronologically, based on the dates of those favorited shows.
I picked the 12/31/95 show in New York, NY, but not because it's my "favorite." The Mockingbird Foundation is sending a $1,500 grant check to nearby Education Through Music, and I hope they appreciate the funds.
Plenty has already been written about the 12/31/95 show, including by me (my old review from early '96 is here, on the site, along with my Phish Companion review as well). I don't actually have a "favorite" Phish show, even a favorite show seen, because I can't rank my most transcendent musical experiences above each other. I'm also THRILLED with Phish RIGHT NOW, ON THIS TOUR, and eager to hear what they'll do next, and just don't have the patience to revisit a show that's been legendary for decades already, when I believe we're in the midst of a legendary run, not only in Phish history, but possibly in rock and roll history as well, RIGHT NOW. $0.02.
MSG 6 RECAP: DOUBLE CHOCOLATE - THESE TITLES WRITE THEMSELVES
Welcome to Show 6 and Week 2 of The Baker’s Dozen! No need for a prosaic introduction today. We know the score. Phish is 10-0 this summer, with victories coming ever more decisively as the season grinds on. We are excited. In a time when the world may be going just a little crazy around us, we’ve got a rock of creativity, joy, and fun in the here and now.
While New York has long been known first and foremost for its donut culture, and fans have especially embraced the wide and wonderful world of this fried confectionary, let’s keep in mind that there are some other things that one might rightfully associate with The City, and it would be doing a disservice to allow tBD to pass without coloring and flavoring our reviews with some of these (admittedly slightly less quintessentially New York) items. So if you like your metaphors mixed and your jam descriptions jumbled, Dear Readers, do continue.
CHARITY GOLF FOR PHANS, AGAIN
This year's Runaway Open will take place Saturday, September 2nd at Buffalo Run Golf Course in Commerce City, one of the nicer of the dozens of courses in the Denver area, and among the shortest driving distances to Dick's Sporting Goods Arena, where Phish is playing that weekend.
MOCKINGBIRD'S BAKER'S DOZEN #6
In celebration of Phish's 13-show run at Madison Square Garden, the Mockingbird Foundation is announcing 13 unsolicited "miracle grants" supporting music programs across the country. Each board member identified their favorite Phish show, and we found a worthy music education program nearby, part of the Foundation's long-standing Tour Grants program. We're presenting these 13 special grants chronologically, based on the dates of those favorited shows.
Board member Jack Lebowitz picked the 12/9/95 show in Albany, NY, a classic '95 show with a must-hear YEM, a silent jam, and a Beavis and Butthead doll. We're sending a $1,500 grant check to nearby City School District of Albany.
MSG5 RECAP: WHO NEEDS "RASPBERRY BERET" ANYWAY?
[We would like to thank Brandy Davis, @smilercontrol, for writing this recap.]
All of the hype of the jam-filled donut show, which brought more fingers to the brisk summer air in front of MSG than I have seen since any ol' sold out Dick's Saturday night, was not in vain, as we all by now know of what occurred inside New York's grand arena on Tuesday night. But what of the sister show to follow? Destined to be in the shadows (or so I thought), the chatter leading up to Wednesday night was a bit deflated; or perhaps there just wasn't enough infinity in the universe to bask in the radioactive glow of one night, while simultaneously over-speculating about the next. Not to say there was no speculation... a white-powdered donut theme was sure to drag the word "cocaine" across the lips of even the most straight-edge fans. As for myself, I was hanging on the clue of "traditional," hoping we'd get an old-school set of songs from the 80's. Junta, anyone?
However, as show time approached, you could feel the energy build in the space around the Garden. "It's a great time to be a Phish fan." The old adage is as appropriate as ever, and everyone outside of MSG last night was feeling it. There was an unusual, yet perfect, combination of excitement from the night before, and reasonable expectations for the night ahead. That is a great headspace to take Phishing. The absolutely perfect weather and plentitude of tickets for everyone who wanted (to pay for) them didn't hurt, either. The crowds were thick, colorful, and all smiles at the Garden stoop pre-game last night. Lets go inside, shall we?
MOCKINGBIRD'S BAKER'S DOZEN #5
In celebration of Phish's 13-show run at Madison Square Garden, the Mockingbird Foundation is announcing 13 unsolicited "miracle grants" supporting music programs across the country. Each board member identified their favorite Phish show, and we found a worthy music education program nearby, part of the Foundation's long-standing Tour Grants program. We're presenting these 13 special grants chronologically, based on the dates of those favorited shows.
Board member John Demeter, @johnnyd, picked the 7/16/94 show held at Sugarbush's Mt. Ellen in Fayston, VT, and we're sending a $1,500 grant check to nearby Harwood Unified Union School District (which was known until very recently as the Washington West Supervisory Union. Don't ask. Seriously.)
The one that got away.
MSG4 RECAP: JAMLICIOUS
[Recap courtesy of user @Dmg924, Dave Goldstein.]
Let me let you in on a little bit of my creative process. Generally, when I write a recap such as this, I’ll have the first two introductory paragraphs written in advance; this saves valuable time and allows me to focus on the show details more fully. In anticipation of recapping the July 25, 2017 Phish show, I wrote two paragraphs on Monday detailing the “very good” first weekend of Baker’s Dozen, discussing the doughnut flavor gimmick, and stating how a random Tuesday night in New York City feels like bonus Phish. You know, quaintly setting the stage.
I tossed those two paragraphs out because they’re worthless now; this is being written an hour after the encore. Time will ultimately tell how 7/25/17 rates in the pantheon, but let us not mince any words here. I feel confident stating it is easily the best two set Phish show since 8/12/15 from Philadelphia, easily a Top 10 show of Phish 3.0, and if we’re being as hyperbolic as possible, one of maybe three Phish shows of the past five years that you can credibly discuss in the same breath as 8/31/12 and not be thought of as a hapless fluffer. The doughnut flavor was “JAM FILLED;” it turned out to be little more than an afterthought that the jam in question happened to be raspberry (though to be fair, “Raspberry Beret” was the first song on the p.a. post-show).
MOCKINGBIRD'S BAKER'S DOZEN #4
In celebration of Phish's 13-show run at Madison Square Garden, the Mockingbird Foundation is announcing 13 unsolicited "miracle grants" supporting music programs across the country. Each board member identified their favorite Phish show, and we found a worthy music education program nearby, part of the Foundation's long-standing Tour Grants program. We're presenting these 13 special grants chronologically, based on the dates of those favorited shows. Following #1, #2, and #3, here's #4...
Ah, 1994 - a truly joyous time to be a Phish fan! The band was bursting at the seams with inspiration, innovation and raw talent...touring incessantly while blowing minds and melting faces on a daily basis. And the fan base was expanding exponentially, many of us sharing our amazement, excitement, tales and friendship with each other via the developing Internet - r.m.p., IRC, post-show run to the pay phone to call Ellis with the setlist, sign up for the tape trees to get last month’s tapes (always saving the MaxPoints!).
As a university student in Santa Cruz I did what I could to get to as many shows as possible, mainly on the West Coast. For my summer tour, that meant seven shows in May, wrapping up with five straight days of Phish - three at the Warfield, followed by two headlining shows in Monterey at the incredible Laguna Seca Daze festival. What a run - the Warfield curtain opening to a monster "Curtain"...a screaming debut of "Simple" melting into a Puccini opera...thousands of boxes of mac and cheese (“shake shake shake when you hear the drum break!”)...Les Claypool dropping hands and jaw as Fish rips on the Electrolux...then a final show under the Monterey sun - my first up close on the rail - with the band so amped to just keep on playing that they dropped a six-song double encore. Nobody wanted to stop, and I knew I needed more more more!
SOME PEOPLE LIKE TO GO OUT DANCING (OR, IT'S JUST A RESTLESS FEELING): BAKER'S DOZEN NIGHT 3
Spice company Adams Extract is thought to have spread the red velvet cake throughout the US during the Great Depression by including it on recipe cards as a means to sell red food coloring; the cake was appropriated by the Waldorf-Astoria as the Waldorf-Astoria Cake; additionally, the cake may have seen a resurgence in the late 80s after being featured as an armadillo in the movie Steel Magnolias. (Thanks, Wiki.)
No matter its history as a food, fans began the guessing process following the announcement of Red Velvet as the flavor of the third evening of the Baker’s Dozen. Guesses of Velvet Underground bust-outs to a cover of Velvet Revolver to the obligatory "Wading In the Velvet Sea" glazed over screens throughout the day. But I tried to keep an expectation-free head as I made my way into the Garden (alas, too late for doughnuts but not too late to settle-in a few people back, Mike-side). Having followed the first two evenings — or, shall we say, Coconut and Strawberry — via Twitter, stream, and shitty chat rooms, I was quite ready to get my sweet on in person.
MYSTERY JAM MONDAY PART 284
Welcome to the 284th edition of Phish.Net's Mystery Jam Monday, the penultimate of July. The winner will receive an MP3 download code courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the song and date of each of the three mystery clips. The three clips are connected by a theme, but the theme needn't be part of the correct answer – though it should help you get there. Each person gets one guess to start – if no one guesses correctly, I will post a hint on Tuesday around 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET, after which each person gets one more guess before the correct answer is revealed on Wednesday around 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Good luck!
Answer: Congrats to @mickeyjoe86 for quickly figuring out this week's MJM with a little help from his friends, and taking home his fourth win in the process – he's now more than halfway to MJM Emeritus! This week there was one red herring theme (My Sweet One could refer to donuts, and this jam is easily found by Googling "phish snoring jam"), one handwavy theme (all jams in the last week of November), and one true theme (all my jams go // backwards down the number line). The clips were 11/30/94 "My Sweet One," 11/26/97 "Character Zero," and 11/28/09 "Seven Below." Stay tuned on Monday for the hardest of July: MJM285.
MOCKINGBIRD'S BAKER'S DOZEN #3
In celebration of Phish's 13-show run at Madison Square Garden, the Mockingbird Foundation is announcing 13 unsolicited "miracle grants" supporting music programs across the country. Each board member identified their favorite Phish show, and we found a worthy music education program nearby, part of the Foundation's long-standing Tour Grants program. We're presenting these 13 special grants chronologically, based on the dates of those favorited shows. Following #1 and #2, here's #3...
A little over 23 years ago (May 7, 1994 to be exact), Phish played a concert at the Bomb Factory in Dallas, TX. This show has become famous for its second set, an extended jam weaving in and out of "Tweezer" and songs such as "Sparks", "Makisupa Policeman", "Walk Away", "Cannonball", and "Purple Rain". This hour-long segment, which later became known as the Tweezerfest, stands largely unique in Phish’s history.
Phish have played many extended jams since this date, but taking the entirety of a set (sans an introductory "Loving Cup" > "Sparkle") to devote to the jam, to use it to tie together every song played at the end, even taking the normally short goofy "Hold Your Head Up" as a launchpad to explore a little more... this is something that marks this night as a special occasion.
For those of us lucky enough to be in attendance, the 2/3-filled Bomb Factory in the Deep Elum region of Dallas is the location of a euphoric event, a defining night in the lives of many of us. In honor of that electric evening, the Mockingbird Foundation is giving a $1,500 grant to support music education at Benjamin Franklin Middle School in Dallas, TX. Located 9 miles north of the Factory, one can only hope that their band has been inspired by the energy present that night. As Jon sang, “Yeah, it’s time we all reach out to the new. And that means you too [the Benjamin Franklin Middle School of] Dallas, TX!”
THE STRAWBERRIES TASTE LIKE STRAWBERRIES: BAKER'S DOZEN NIGHT 2
Checking in from sunny, hot Los Angeles, at the corner of Peak and Fomo. Let’s see what Phish has up their sleeves tonight, besides the strawberry donut surprise. [But first: three cheers to this concept that the band cooked up with their pals at the estimable Federal Donuts. It’s been the catalyst for a lot of top notch Phish nerdery, conjecture, and fun. Well done!]
The a capella “Strawberry Fields Forever” that kicks off this unusual show is a lovely opening flourish, with each band member taking a verse, and gamely punching through the Saturday crowd’s semi-drunken appreciation. There’s a dramatic beat before the final “... forever” that baits the crowd much like the pause in “Divided Sky,” and then the strawberry theme carries forward into “Halley’s Comet” as the band takes their places.
MOCKINGBIRD'S BAKER'S DOZEN #2
In celebration of Phish's 13-show run at Madison Square Garden, the Mockingbird Foundation is announcing 13 unsolicited "miracle grants" supporting music programs across the country. Each board member identified their favorite Phish show, and we found a worthy music education program nearby, part of the Foundation's long-standing Tour Grants program. We're presenting these 13 special grants chronologically, based on the dates of those favorited shows. We did #1; here's #2...
While every New Year's Eve show is special, 12/31/93 at the Worcester Centrum was one for the ages. The stage was decorated like a giant aquarium and the midnight gag saw the band in scuba gear being lowered from the rafters and climbing into a giant clam. The night also featured the first ever "Down With Disease" jam (with footage later used for their one and only made-for-MTV music video) and what many consider to be the best "Harry Hood" ever played. We're celebrating that night with a $1,500 grant to the nearby South High Community School, where instruction in the band program emphasizes not only musical execucation but also literacy ("in order to be informed, well-rounded listeners of many genres") and passion.
YOU PUT THE SHOW IN THE COCONUT: BAKER'S DOZEN NIGHT 1
Tonight's recap is coming to you from couch tour; if that makes you angry I suggest you look for other, more important things to be angry about. Follow me on Twitter if you want to yell at me: @mielcarz
I started this summer in a weird place with Phish – even though the Baker’s Dozen residency was a new and novel concept for the band, for some reason I had low expectations that they would do anything truly groundbreaking. Of course, Phish exists to defy expectations. The first five shows of tour featured no repeats, and four of the five had jams of longer than 20 minutes, one of them a long wished-for bustout of an epic “Mr. Completely.” Only the most jaded fan could listen to the tour so far and not be salivating about what was to come in the next 13 shows. Building on the Baker’s Dozen theme and highlighting the uniqueness of the run, the band announced that there would be a different donut for each show served to early arrivers. Prior to lights, speculation was running rampant in the Phish universe - would there be no repeats all tour? None in the 13 MSG shows? One repeat? One song they play every night? Special guests? Trolling Billy Joel? Like they say in the song (that will only be played once during the run, Icculus willing), the only rule is it begins!
MOCKINGBIRD'S BAKER'S DOZEN #1
In celebration of Phish's 13-show run at Madison Square Garden (which begins tonight), the Mockingbird Foundation is announcing 13 unsolicited "miracle grants" supporting music programs across the country. Each board member identified their favorite Phish show, and we found a worthy music education program nearby, part of the Foundation's long-standing Tour Grants program. We're presenting these 13 special grants chronologically, based on the dates of those favorited shows.
I've reviewed the 2/20/93 Roxy show many times, many places. There have been many great Phish shows, great for all sorts of reasons. But none has been, or is likely ever to be, as turn-twisting and constantly unexpected as that one. The setlist conveys some of the turns, and the show notes and song notes help understand some of the returns. I could say the obvious: You had to be there. But the telling moment involved fellow .Net friend Matt Laurence (who designed that beanie'd fish logo you see all over Phish.net).
Phish.net
The Mockingbird Foundation