THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER
Francis Scott Key wrote the U.S. National Anthem (to the tune of an Irish drinking song) while watching the defense of Fort McHenry against a British attack. Six stanzas narrate an earnest search in the war-torn night sky for the flag, symbolically a people’s hope in a dark time. But the first two stanzas, the only ones commonly sung, merely posed the question: Can you see it, there, in the explosive flashes of light? Isn’t that our flag, our hope?...
MANN2 RECAP: BOY, MANN, MOM, SPLIT
[We would like to thank @unocrew for recapping last night’s show. -Ed.]
Hello everyone, thank you for taking the time to read my first official recap! After a 5 show run in 6 days I find myself with a short break before heading to Forest Hills next week.
Let’s first start off by taking a second to appreciate where we currently are - witnessing one of the greatest rock bands consistently throwing down heaters over four decades into their careers! If you had told me back in August 2004 I would be here typing a review with a gigantic smile on my face, I would never have believed you.
I feel The Mann is a great summer venue for Phish to play. From free parking, water stations, excellent sound and pleasant staff - it all makes for an enjoyable experience (despite the sweltering heat every run). This show will always be special to me. It is not because it is the 225th time seeing the band but because my 8 year old son is finally able to experience the joy along with me. The 8 year old (going on 18) is a big music lover and a seasoned pro when it comes to concerts. He has been asking to see Phish for a while now and it was just a matter of finding a family friendly venue for my wife and I to take him to.
Well, enough about me… let’s get down to the nitty gritty!
MANN1 RECAP, ENTER SANDMANN: THIS IS WHY WE KEEP COMING BACK
[We would like to thank Matt Hoffman (@tonapdivine) for recapping last night’s show. Matt is a music journalist and has written for Relix, JamBase, Live for Live Music, the Phish.net blog, and others. -Ed.]
[Author’s note: I apologize for the delay: life happens!]
In writing, as in life and most things, I strive to do the best I can with what I’ve got; fortunately, as the guy tasked with recapping last night’s Phish show, the first of two at the TD Pavilion at Philadelphia’s Mann Center, I’ve got plenty to discuss. And it’s not just the setlist, jams, and PhishStats (h/t zzyxx), though there is plenty to cover there; rather, over the years, my Phish experience, particularly at a hometown show, has come to be about much more. My intention in presenting my recap of this show–an instant legend btw–is to present my take through the lens of that experience, which has a lot to do with the people I’ve met along the way.
Those people consist of friends from childhood and college friends, former colleagues and new collaborators. Some I met through Phish; with others, the commonality arose later. You’ll definitely recognize some folks I’ve gotten to know as a music writer, and as a part of my contribution to the annals of Phishtory (*sorry), I thought it would be cool to share them. (With approval!) I’m also hoping that the patchwork quilt that is my phamily (*sorry) will serve as but one example of the weird and windy paths one’s Phish experience can take and what that looks like after thirty years. I also feel that my friends’ perspectives are the best things I can share in this recap, so without further ado.
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Soundcheck: My Soul
SET 1: The Dogs, Evolve, Fluffhead, Gumbo, Pebbles and Marbles, Roggae, Ginseng Sullivan, Guelah Papyrus, Julius, Split Open and Melt
SET 2: The Curtain With, A Wave of Hope -> Mercy > Simple > Ether Edge -> Maze, Twenty Years Later[1] > Run Like an Antelope
ENCORE: You Enjoy Myself
Trey teased Manteca in Gumbo. Simple contained extensive Macarena teases. Trey changed the lyrics of Twenty Years Later to "thirty-three years later" in reference to the band's first show at The Mann Center on July 18, 1992. You Enjoy Myself contained teases of the Theme from Speed Racer from Page and Manteca and Jean Pierre teases from Trey. During Mike's bass solo in You Enjoy Myself, Trey quoted She Drives Me Crazy (Fine Young Cannibals), changing the lyrics to "he drives me crazy."
Soundcheck: I Never Needed You Like This Before (x7)
SET 1: Punch You in the Eye > Everything's Right, Camel Walk, Theme From the Bottom > Prince Caspian > It's Ice, About to Run, David Bowie
SET 2: Sand, My Friend, My Friend, Boogie On Reggae Woman, Blaze On > Carini
ENCORE: Shade, I Didn't Know[1], Wilson > Possum
Trey teased the Theme from S.W.A.T. in Punch You in the Eye and Prince Caspian during David Bowie. Following the My Friend, My Friend jam, which featured the band singing "Myfe" at both the beginning and end, Trey commented "we heard some of you thought we forgot the 'Myfe.' We did not." Trey then quoted My, Friend, My Friend at the end of Carini. During I Didn't Know, Trey introduced Fish as "he's dressed in green, he's the baddest vacuum player you've ever seen, a permanent resident of Fish town, Mr. Moses Heaps, Mr. Moses DeWitt, and Mr. Moses Vincent." Trey subsequently sang alternate lyrics about being "that far gone." Wilson was introduced as being "about an area that you know very well if you live up here" with "the homeland" later mentioned in the song.
CHARLESTON3 RECAP: GAME, SET, MATCH AT THE QUEEN CITY
[We would like to thank Suzy (@suzydrano) and Kersten (@kerstenB) for recapping last night’s show. -Ed.]
We’ve come to the end of the rainbow, folks. Thank you to our supportive partners who took care of our homes, loved ones, pets, and business while we - Suzy and Kersten - celebrated our 50th year with this run of shows.
After three fabulous nights in Charleston, it is time to say our farewells. We Phish fans - clad in t-shirts referencing obscure lyrics or edgy bands, or floridly bright or ironic outfits - descended upon a population notable for their decorum, wearing finely pressed cotton prints and linen, walking designer dogs on leashes bearing bow ties. We roamed among the genteel in the scorching sun as we readied ourselves for the shows to come each day. The band members roamed alongside us, enjoying the second Sunday festivities as we prepared for this last night. And what a last night it was.
The “Gentleman’s Final” for Wimbledon was today, and it was an epic match between two astonishingly talented players. Jannik Sinner, who went on to win, dropped the first set to Carlos Alcaraz, but then never looked back and just kept getting stronger, ultimately dominating the match and emerging the victor.
We were Jannik Sinner tonight. The first set had some gems, but it was the second set and encore that made the show. Let us explain.
CHARLESTON2 RECAP: INTERVIEW WITH THE PHAMPIRE
[We would like to thank Jonah (@LizardwithaZ), for transcribing the following interview after finding a mysterious cassette tape on the streets of Charleston. -Ed.]
Click.
Voice 1: So you want to tell me about tonight, yes? About what you witnessed? What you heard?
Voice 2: What do you want to know? Do you want to know everything? All of it? What it’s like to be…me? To be my kind?
Voice 1: Yes. I’ve been searching for you. I’ve heard tales. Tales of the vampire who–
Voice 2: Phampire.
Voice 1: Pardon?
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SET 1: Runaway Jim, Foam, Wolfman's Brother, Thread, Stash, 555 > Walk Away, Drift While You're Sleeping
SET 2: Set Your Soul Free, Tweezer -> Ghost, Golden Age, A Life Beyond The Dream, Slave to the Traffic Light
ENCORE: Meatstick, Turtle in the Clouds, Tweezer Reprise
Tweezer included an All Things Considered theme tease from Trey and a Mike's Song tease from Page.
CHARLESTON1 RECAP: DEVOTION TO DISEASE
[We would like to thank Jeremy Levine (@Franklin) for recapping last night’s show. -Ed.]
Good morning from the Days Inn half a mile from the North Charleston Coliseum, where the air conditioners clank mercilessly, the pool is non-operational, the carpet is torn up, the coffee is strong enough to cause cardiac arrest in a wildebeest, and there are mysterious brown spots on the walls. While the premises is better suited to a remake of No Country for Old Men than it is to a slow morning rehashing the previous evening’s improvisational rock engagement, sometimes we have to persevere in the name of content. The sun is shining, the wooks are rising, and a musical odyssey has to be wrangled into narrative form. (I did wake up this morning and say “ooh, can’t wait to read the recap,” and then realized...)
We begin outside the auditorium, approximately twenty minutes before show time. The venue’s exterior was organized like my backpack in eighth grade, i.e. not at all. Entrances were unmarked, security was overwhelmed, corridors were narrow. While I recognize that the city of Charleston proper has urban planning challenges because of its complex history, the preposterous inefficiencies of this far-from-downtown venue seem more like an unforced error, like following “Reba” with “Devotion To A Dream.” Despite my (somewhat reasonable) arrival time, I failed to make it inside and purchase a bottle of water by the time the lights went down. Get there early if you’re going tonight.
SET 1: The Moma Dance, NICU, Jesus Just Left Chicago, Divided Sky, Destiny Unbound, Monsters, Plasma, Bathtub Gin
SET 2: Mike's Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, Mercury > Soul Planet, Joy, Harry Hood, I Am the Walrus
ENCORE: Carolina, Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.
Jesus Just Left Chicago was performed for the first time since December 3, 2019 (208 shows). Trey teased I'm a Man in Destiny Unbound. Carolina was performed for the first time since December 6, 2019 (206 shows).
SET 1: Free, Rift, Spanish Moon, Reba[1], Devotion To a Dream, The Final Hurrah, My Mind's Got a Mind of its Own, Hey Stranger, Taste, Walls of the Cave
SET 2: Llama[2] > Down with Disease > Twist, The Well, Sightless Escape -> Chalk Dust Torture, Suzy Greenberg
ENCORE: When the Circus Comes, First Tube
Reba did not contain the whistling ending. Devotion To a Dream was played for the first time since October 15, 2016 (322 shows), and My Mind's Got a Mind of its Own for the first time since May 28, 2022 (149 shows). Trey teased Mr. P.C. in Hey Stranger. Llama was performed in a slow, funky arrangement and included a Tweezer tease from Page.
OSU COLUMBUS RECAP: TWENTY-FIVE YEARS LATER…I’M STILL UPSIDE DOWN
[We would like to thank Windi (@onthewindowsill) for recapping last night’s show. -Ed.]
While Phish comes to Ohio often, the last Columbus show was 25 years ago at Polaris Amphitheater; those who know, know. Like many others, I was very excited for the opportunity to see my favorite band without the expense of travel, hometown shows are the best. The day of on-sale my partner went for it the “old school way” along with seven other phans, and stood patiently at the box office window for 40 minutes awaiting it’s opening to procure our tickets. The whole process was seamless like it was the 1900’s – floors secured and took moments. I miss waiting in line for tickets -- it’s a vibe.
The morning of the show was filled with excitement and many texts—what’s the opener? Will they play a brief nod to honor the last show Jerry played with the Dead? My homie called a “So Many Roads” encore; while that would have been super RAD we all know that the band doesn’t always pick the low hanging fruits. My hope is always a “Party Time” opener, for obvious reasons. There are a few songs that I have been chasing for years that I would have loved for them to bust out, “All things reconsidered,” or “Dave’s Energy Guide.”
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SET 1: AC/DC Bag, Roggae, Vultures, Martian Monster, Mull, Strawberry Letter 23 > Undermind, Petrichor, Life Saving Gun
SET 2: Sample in a Jar > A Wave of Hope, Waiting All Night, Axilla (Part II) -> Piper > Lonely Trip, Backwards Down the Number Line, Loving Cup
ENCORE: Bug, The Mango Song > Run Like an Antelope
Vultures contained teases of the theme from The Jetsons. Trey teased Birds of a Feather during Martian Monster. Petrichor was played for the first time since August 13, 2022 (121 shows). Mike teased Petrichor in A Wave of Hope. Waiting All Night was played for the first time since October 24, 2021 (164 shows).
$20k In Summer Tour Grants
In celebration of Phish’s current summer tour (June 20 to July 27), the all-volunteer and fan-run Mockingbird Foundation has announced that it is sending unsolicited $2,000 Tour Grants to a music program in each of the ten cities in which the band is performing, for a total of $20,000. This group of grants includes Mockingbird's 236th Tour Grant and 350th non-competitive grant! It is the 32nd group of Tour Grants, an effort that now totals $320,999.99 (~$321K), which is 11.5% of all disbursements made by the Foundation.
The ten grantees for this tour are Manchester High School, Carrick High School (in Pittsburgh), Ann Richards School Foundation (in Austin), Boulder MUSE, We Amplify Voices (in Columbus), Northwoods Middle School (in North Charleston), Lewis C. Cassidy Academic Plus School (in Philadelphia), Prosser Career Academy (in Chicago), Garden Players (in Forest Hills), and the Skidmore Jazz Institute. Complete details are on the Mockingbird site.
BOULDER3 RECAP: THIS HAS ALL BEEN WONDERFUL, BUT NOW I’M ON MY WAY
[We would like to thank Rachael Wesley, author of the book SECOND SET CHANCES (Vine Leaves Press) for reviewing last night’s show. Find her at rachaelwesley.com. —Ed.]
The grumblings of Phish’s venue and date change from their usual Dick’s Labor Day weekend to a 4th of July Folsom Field run have been a constant since tour was announced in February. Or at least that’s how it appeared to this Denver denizen. Since we are everywhere in this city, I often ran into fellow phans, and our conversation was certain to include a complaint about the switch. Folsom sucks. It’s so far. What, no shakedown? I certainly did my fair share of bitching.
For me, that all transformed during Thursday night’s magnificent show. Leaving the venue Friday night, after that nearly perfect second set, my feelings grew even more positive. And so, walking in last night, I was awash in various sentiments. Stoked for the night of music ahead, excitement to dance among friends, and curious about how many others’ ill feelings about Folsom had shifted throughout the run. However, there was one emotion that ruled above all the others.
Sadness.
You see, last night was my last Phish show while living on this continent.
BOULDER2 RECAP: FOURTH AT THE FLATIRONS
[We would like to thank Brett F (@BrettsintheBathtub) for recapping last night’s show.]
Phish returned to Folsom Field for a red, white, and bluegrass-tinged Fourth of July celebration that deftly balanced high-octane jamming, sharp song selection, and peaks as high as the flatirons themselves.
Per the band’s notice earlier in the day, set one kicked off about 30 minutes earlier than usual with a laid-back but slyly funky “Bathtub Gin”---an appropriate lyrical start for yours truly. The band eased the crowd into a beautiful Colorado summer night with a playful jam that culminates in a soaring, Leslie-soaked peak. The tone has been set.
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BOULDER1 RECAP: FIRE ON THE MOUNTAINS
[We would like to thank Michael Ayers for recapping last night’s show. -Ed.]
Reviewing a Phish show is a bit like trying to rate dreams—some nights you wake up inspired, others leave you squinting into the haze wondering what just happened. The line between transcendent and “just fine” can be razor thin, and sometimes you’re handed a setlist that feels like a spiritual test more than a musical journey.
But last night? Last night, the clouds parted, the heavens opened, and God—clearly a fan of tightly wound jams and whimsical segues—shined down upon me and said, “You, my child, shall have the show.” And lo, I did.
Before the show even began, my friend and I found ourselves deep in conversation with the couple seated in front of us—bonding over one of life’s great mysteries: an odd vegetable that came with my friend’s meal from the food truck parked outside. Nobody was entirely sure what it was, but the woman guessed it might be a radish. Turns out, she nailed it—it was a Daigo, a bright yellow pickled radish. My friend insisted I include this moment in case she happens to read this… because credit where credit’s due: she called it.
35-YEAR-OLD SHOW NEW TO CIRCULATION: NOVEMBER 9, 1990 AT LOUNGE AX, CHICAGO
[This post is courtesy of user @kliked, thank you! -Ed.]
We interrupt your regularly scheduled tour recaps to present a new-to-circulation recording: November 9, 1990, at Lounge Ax in Chicago, courtesy of the Aadam Jacobs Collection!
Mockingbird Grants Cross New Thresholds
A nonprofit founded and run by Phish fans on an entirely volunteer basis has announced eighteen (18) new grants to support music education, totaling $153,870. This is the 30th round of competitive grants from the Mockingbird Foundation, which has now disbursed more than 400 competitive grants, and more than 750 total grants, for an aggregate of more than $2.75M - all with no staff, no salaries, and no office.
Mockingbird’s newest round of competitive grants support a wide array of programs, including two serving children with vision impairment, two serving Native American youth, programs serving ages from kindergarten to college, and programs in schools, community centers, and non-profit organizations, in rural, suburban, and urban settings, in 16 states across every region of the country: CA, DC, FL, IL, MD, MO, MS, NE, NH, NM, OH, OK, PA, TN, TX, & WA.
Half of the amounts for five of the grants were made possible through the generous support of the Kristy Anastasio Manning Memorial Fund (KAMMF), created to honor and memorialize Trey Anastasio's sister. Additionally, the Mockingbird board elected to double two of the requested amounts. Learn more about these and other grants here, and please consider donating to support this summer's coming Tour Grants.
Golf Net Supports Choir After Fire
The Mockingbird Foundation has mailed a check for $5,778 to Pasadena Rosebud Academy to support their choir program. The school burned down in the Eaton Fire in January, and has been about $5K short of its initial $100K GoFundMe goal. Mockingbird helped close that gap, with funding focused on the school’s important music education program.
These funds are the net amount raised at the recent Tenth Annual Runaway Open charity golf tournament, held April 27th at DeBell Golf Club in Burbank. This year’s golf outing was designated to benefit Rosebud Academy.
Phish.net
The Mockingbird Foundation