There is a fan-driven documentary, We’ve Got It Simple, in pre-production. Michael Ryan Lawrence, quite a Phish fan himself, is directing and producing it. It is about fans and the Phish community, especially our artistic community, and Mike’s efforts inspired me to ask him some questions about the film, as well as the Kickstarter campaign to help fund it. Speaking personally, the beautiful and positive aspects of our community are usually not noticed or appreciated by non-fans. I believe this film has at least the potential to enlighten and inform in a profound way, and I hope you support it. -charlie

What was your inspiration for "We've Got It Simple"?

When I began my film career, there was not much “work for hire” out there, and so I became an independent documentary filmmaker by directing a film about a subject I was and continue to be very passionate about, craft beer! BEERADELPHIA - The City of Brewery Love was that film, and the reason it was so successful was that it truly was a labor of love for me. As a home brewer, bartender and self-appointed Beer Ninja, I was a part of a sub-culture that existed and, in my opinion, not enough people were informed on just how amazing it was. So Beeradelphia was my own way to creatively share the world of craft beer culture to those that were on the outside looking in, and to celebrate that culture for those of us on the inside.

Beeradelphia was lucky enough to screen at festivals in Europe and across the United States. When it eventually was picked up for distribution by Hulu.com, it was time for my next film. Initially, I had no idea what that would be. One night while sitting in a bar in Philly, having some beers with friends, a buddy joked that I made an entire movie about beer, and followed with, "the only thing you like as much as beer is probably Phish. So what's next for you Mike, a Phish movie?”

The thoughts that followed that lone comment were nothing short of an epiphany! I knew immediately he was right. I was going to make a Phish film next! I didn't know how, and I didn't know the angle of the narrative, but I knew in the bottom of my soul that he was right. I Love Phish and have since the first time I heard them in the early 90's. They have basically been the soundtrack to my life and have directly helped shape and sculpt not only whom I have become as an artist myself, but also really whom I have become as a human being. The sub-culture of Phish and its fans has made such a powerful impact on me and on my life that it is hard to even remember what I was like before I had Phish. So once the thought was there in my consciousness, this film became a no-brainer. I was going to make a Phish film. But we have all seen Bittersweet Motel and there was no need for a sequel documentary about the band. What I wanted to do was tell the true story of us, their fans, and the amazing world of art, culture and never-ending creativity that seeps out of us all. That was all I needed to move forward, I was going to make a film about Phish fan culture.

How and when did your small indie film company get started?

After serving five years in the United States Marine Corps, I used the GI Bill and moved to Hollywood for film school. While there I focused my studies on writing and directing film, and knew one day when I graduated that I would need my own company to create what I wanted to create. Being a very proud lifelong Philadelphian, and knowing I would take my Hollywood education and experience and eventually head back home, “Philly Philms” was born. My thesis film at the Los Angeles Film School, Jack in the Box, was a Jack Nicholson kidnap comedy, and would be considered the first “Philly Philms” project. So, 2009 was when it technically all began for “Philly Philms.” After I graduated and moved back to Philadelphia, I brought in a partner, Kelly Jobes, to help produce Beeradelphia. Philly Philms has basically been the two of us, along with some freelance artists, ever since.

How many hours of film footage have you collected, and when/where is the footage from (shows/tours)?

While I have been seeing Phish since 1994, I knew I wasn't "known" in the scene as a professional filmmaker, so I spent the Summer Tour of 2013 with Dave Cohen (my sound guy and tour brother), basically promoting the idea, getting to know the various artists and people from the scene on a personal level and really trying to spend as much time on tour finding the narrative thread that was going to run through the film. We first started shooting on Fall Tour of 2013, and we continued through both the Summer and Fall Tours of 2014. All in all, I'd say we have about 50 hours of footage, and much of that is from lot …and some is NSFW!

Have you already started editing the footage and creating the film? Is there a central theme or concept that you're using to focus the editing of the film?

We're starting to go through the footage, yes, but we are not going to begin the edit until we have all of our key interviews in the can, which will come after the Kickstarter campaign ends. As far as a concept and theme, I really wanted the film to be about the amazingly creative and unique world of the Phish fan with a strong focus on the art that fans create, which is inspired by the band and their music. Furthermore, realizing that I’m slightly biased, I can't think of a more energized and absolutely loyal and passionate fan base than Phish fans. So not only do I want the story to be about the fans, but I also want the fans to be a part of the story. We're currently accepting submissions of photos and videos from fans’ own "Phishtory" that will be used in the film. All of our art for the film, from our posters and tee shirts to our end credits and motion graphics, are being created by fans. We also have a contest coming soon on PhanArt.net that will provide cash prizes to various artists who help design our film's logo.

Even the title of the film was one of about a 100 titles that was submitted by fans via Twitter to @WeveGotItSimple, and once narrowed down to a dozen finalists, we held a survey with the help of Surrender to the Flow magazine to pick the winner. After over 5,000 votes, “We've Got It Simple” was the runaway winner taking nearly 75% of all first place votes. So everything from the title to the content to the end credits is being sculpted in real time by the fan base. I think the idea of a Phish fan film being about Phish fans and created and made by Phish fans is really a microcosm of the communal spirit of the entire scene and the unique angle a Phish fan film deserves.

I couldn’t agree more!

We want you to be happy: this is your film, too! (sung to the tune of “Joy”)

Any sense yet of how long the film will run (or at least what you're shooting for assuming you get all the funding you need)?

Well the story of us is definitely too massive for this to be a short film, so we are shooting for feature length. While that will be officially determined in the final cut, I'd hope we end between 70-90 minutes.

Is there anything you can share that might “whet the appetite” of fans for this film, e.g., interviews with anyone notorious or noteworthy in the Phish community?

We have some surprises in store for sure, and we are trying to represent each and every area of Phishtory so there will be plenty of variety in the film. Some noteworthy people that have agreed to take part in the film are Phish lyricist Tom Marshall, Phish artist Jim Pollock and, from the very beginning in Burlington Vermont, the legendary Nectar Rorris! Also, one of the coolest things is that our “official movie poster” will be a limited edition print by the one and only Jim Pollock! Having been witness to his artwork for decades, and with his strong connection to the earliest days of the band and the fan base, I couldn't think of a better artist to design the poster that will represent the film!

That’s awesome and exciting! If you could speak directly to someone in a position to really assist this project, either with dollars or distribution, what would you tell them? What's your “elevator pitch”?

First, this is not only a story that I believe needs to be told but a story that personally I need to tell. I'm 38 years old and my first Phish show was at the Philadelphia Civic Center on 12/28/94.

That’s 20 years ago, meaning I have been listening to, seeing live, and living in the Phish community for over half of my life. If there ever was a labor of love project for me to create, it is this one! Plus, a film like this serves two purposes. It celebrates this world for those of us in it, but more importantly, it sheds a much-needed light onto our culture for those who are not. There are not many things in my life as positive as Phish, and the people I interact with, because of the band and the music. With so many stereotypes and misinformation out there, I think this is a great chance to not only tell a great story but also to record for the annals of history a very important part of Americana. Phish is and will always be one of the most successful American bands in history, and their fans are such a huge part of that. They need their story properly told from someone on the inside.

But aside from the warm, feel-good aspect of this film, from a business point of view, there is much to be excited about. Phish, without any proper advertising, music videos, radio airtime or anything that resembles a normal musical business model has quietly become one of the top grossing musical acts of all time. This is largely in part to an excessively loyal, dedicated and extremely passionate fan base. This is the same fan base that the film is about, and the same fan base that will support this film once it is finished. Plus, with significant funding, the film can only get better with the ability to use post production houses to finish the film and have a distribution reach that would far exceed anything we could muster on such an indie level. Having said that, Phish fans are as resourceful as they come, and we WILL make this film, regardless of the assistance we get from the outside, although it certainly will help! A lot!!

Is it true that new Kickstarter rewards will be added closer to the funding deadline of Dec 5 (or whatever the deadline is)?

Yes! We have two very exciting rewards that are coming up that are directly related to the art-side of Phish fans, one I mentioned above will be the Jim Pollock Print. This will be a very limited edition print, created by Jim in the spirit of the fans and will serve as our official poster. So, in the spirit of fairness, we will announce a date and time that this reward will be posted, so that everyone, regardless of time zone or location will have a fair shot to get one of these prints. I've said it a thousand times over, but having Jim on board as both a participant in the film and a creator on the project as well means the world to me as I have been a fan of him and his art since I first saw his work. It’s impossible to think of Phish art and not think of Jim. There is nobody else who could have filled his shoes.

The other reward I am excited to announce is a "mega pin drop" reward, which will feature 10 unique pins designed by some of the top pin artists in the scene, all created for the film and inspired by the fan base. As a "pinner" myself since they exploded on the scene a few years ago, I knew I not only wanted to feature the pins and their artists in the film, but I also hoped to find a way to directly support those artists themselves. What we came up with is very unique in the Kickstarter world, as these pins will serve two purposes: they will not only support the film but also kick-back to the artists who made them. Using the Kickstarter to spotlight fan art and support small independent artists is easily the part of our Kickstarter campaign that I am most proud of.

That said, our base reward in the Kickstarter is only $7, which makes it affordable for everyone to participate. For the cost of a decent pint of beer, you get a few stickers, access to our production blog, and the satisfaction of knowing you were part of crowd-sourcing (or shall I say Phan-Sourcing) the film.

And if in the end we can raise a proper budget for the film, bring some extra attention to the amazing artists in the Phish scene, create art inspired by the fan base, and support the artists in our community, then I think that this demonstrates the very cyclical energy that keeps our entire scene together, and I couldn't be more proud to help facilitate it!

Thank you, Mike, and I hope you win an Academy award!

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PZ: The only “never miss a” Sunday show of Phish’s fall tour fell on its last day. Given the gradually ascending upward trajectory of this tour, the final day of the Halloween stint was sure to provide plenty of tricks and treats. The frantic energy of the Halloween holiday weekend was tempered slightly on Sunday; in stark contrast to the first two nights, ticket availability went from major pain in the ass to tickets on the ground faster than you can say “need to catch a flight home for work/kids/life.”

A classic old-school opening combo “Runaway Jim” and “Foam” kicked off the gig, starting the set with an early 90’s vibe; a common show opening couplet from ‘92-94. The first “Mexican Cousin” since 6/19/12 (Portsmouth VA, 110 show gap) followed, offering swaying homage to the most ubiquitous of Vegas imbibing traditions, and their aftermath. Our trip may indeed be short, but Phish’s history is long: Round Room’s “Mexican Cousin” debuted after the first hiatus, but it wasn’t an exaggeration when Trey noted it as ”an old one, but a good one.” “Ocelot” continues to solidify its role as an anchor type-I first set jam vehicle, then Trey negotiated the pitfalls of Mike’s “Sugar Shack” in more than respectable fashion.

Photo by @hersch

2014 witnessed Undermind’s “A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing” enter consistent, regular rotation for the first time; more than a third of all performances of “ASIHTOS” have taken place in 2014, to the general delight of fans. (Listen for subtle Star Wars theme teasing in this “ASIHTOS”). Page’s lovely “Halfway to the Moon” develops a pleasant short jam before giving way to “Bathtub Gin.” This 14+ minute “Gin” is great with a patient deep pocket developed by Page, Mike and Fish. A textbook example of “average great,” the wide open door to true “Gin” greatness was left wanting as Trey was seemingly content to lay back in the pocket instead of using it as a launching point for a dramatic peak.

Photo by @tweeprise

When the band launched into “Free,” one might have been forgiven for thinking that the band was just running out the clock on the set, but they clearly had better ideas. “Free” is a fine tune brimming with fun and positive energy on an average day. But when “Free” morphed into a hybrid with “Martian Monster” quotes, the crowd was going wild! Your spaceship is about to take off! Because of the incredible speed of your rocket, your trip is short. Based on the literally ecstatic crowd reception, you have to think that elements of Friday’s Haunted House set will find a welcome home in the repertoire. What a release! “Walls of the Cave” closes out a solid first set.

LMo: sunday night was a perfect finale for this short trip some of us embarked upon this fall tour. as the saying goes... never miss a sunday night show. this is vegas and all bets are off. we can all enjoy ourselves and our final night together for what seems like will be a very long time. i can't possibly dissect the best among so many incredible moments. i recall that i danced the night away with a real sense of connection with the music. everything felt just right.

Photo by Rene Huemer © Phish From the Road

the first set again had the intensity and drive of a second set, when the band seems absolutely calibrated for musical excellence and communication. my personal first set highlights include ocelot which was so danceable and most fun, all hippity hoppity like. i noted in song i heard the ocean sing that page takes lead near the conclusion of the song and took things away with spectacular keys and a sweet transition into halfway to the moon. this part of set one was all about page. i was mesmerized with the piano section.

the gin - free - walls of the cave rocked my world and i was out of space and time, carried through time with the phish. this is a recording i cant wait to hear again and again.

Photo by @alliedise

PZ: The fact that patient, exploratory type-II versions of “Chalk Dust Torture” seem to routinely roll the stage with assembly line regularity in 2014 – The Mann, Randall’s, Portsmouth, Dick’s – is yet another indicator of how spoiled we really are these days. One so-called “knock” on recent set-opening anchors is that while they set sail for a long journey, that they are often without a decided peak; they maintain a consistent high level of floating grooves but never hit the release. This version fits that mold, effortlessly meandering through several distinctive thematic sections without a decided crest; personally I’m thrilled riding that wave all day long, save the release for later! After coming to a natural gliding conclusion, “Piper” assumes control and offers a spectacular counterpoint to the “CDT” jamming with Trey taking a more decisive if rhythmic and balanced lead. Standing alongside SPAC and Portsmouth as the crown jewels of the 2014 “Pipers” this version capped a brilliant half hour of improv, delivering a clutch third quarter.

The middle section of the set was excellent if routine (“average great”) with more or less stock versions of “Theme From the Bottom,” “Wombat” and “David Bowie.” The only real misstep of the whole show was the inexplicably bad call of “The Line,” but even that would be forgiven quickly given the extraordinary strength of the concluding “You Enjoy Myself.” For anyone with any lingering questions regarding the band’s ability to dip into the silly end of the pool, look no further than this “YEM.” This version had it all – tight composed sections, a legit jam section, and although Trey passed on his solo in favor in favor of feeling the moment through dance, there was more weirdness to come as Trey picked up his megaphone and began using the siren on it as he ran around the stage. Mike joined him, and Trey held the megaphone up to Mike's bass. Mike then began playing his fight bell with drum sticks while Trey went to the drums and played along with Fishman. Finally, Mike and Page joined in, so that all four were playing on Fish's kit, before returning to the traditional vocal jam ending. After Page thanked the audience and crew, Mike teased "The Load-Out." The first ever “Moma Dance” encore proved that Trey still knows how to troll a JadedVet™, then the curtain fell on this outstanding tour in brilliant fashion with “Slave to the Traffic Light.” See you in Miami!

Photo by Rene Huemer © Phish From the Road

LMo: set two was also spectacular. my personal highlights include a very very tight perfect wombat with good fits and starts and breaks. the timing felt tight as a drum. the wombat is a rocker. the yem is my favorite live experience with yem and that is saying a lot because i always love this song. this version felt a little different somehow. it was deep and funky and again, the timing of transitions was spot on. the light effects are always a pleasure to visually melt into as i enjoy the different phases of the composition.

did the music in this fall tour start off a little disjointed? i don’t know. whatever happened, the phish had it all happening and on point in vegas. "all is well that ends well... and so it goes.”

Photo by LMo

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Whenever the final Curtain falls on Phish, and fans debate the band's finest moments, Friday's Haunted House set will be a part of that discussion. So how do you follow up a show like that? Do you ride the momentum to even greater heights? Remember, 11/1/13 was possibly the best show of last year. Or are we doomed to Saturday Night Special meets The Hangover? Phish didn't have to play shows on 1/1/96 or 1/1/00. They would get no such reprieve on 11/1/14.

Photo by @hersch

A tight, compact "Fuego" starts us off. Like its other first set brethren, this "Fuego" sticks to the script, but if amount of Trey-face is a leading indicator, we can put away the Advil. He looks fresh as a daisy and Hangover-free. The blues of "My Soul" follows and gives way to the shuffle of "Back on the Train." After playing no Fuego songs on the one year anniversary of their debut, the funk of "555" delivers our second in four songs. The first "Dog Faced Boy" since 6/8/11 (144 shows) provides our first surprise of the night. Moving swiftly from such tenderness to facial copulation, We get the first "Fuck Your Face" since Phish Trucked our Face last NYE. The two-faced combo is followed by a quick "Horn" before we get another rarity in the form of "Frankie Says." The always welcome "My Friend My Friend" is next. So in the space of five songs, we've been dogged, fucked, blown, sucked and stabbed. What other band has that range, I ask you?

Photo by @languagestrange

At least they leave flowers for us, as "Roses Are Free" continues the string of relative bustouts. The Circus Circus is the place for us, as "Roggae" ushers us under the big top. In the past few years, when we think of the typical first set "jamming" songs, songs like "Gin," "Wolfman's," and "Stash." "Roggae" has quietly been at that level, though this would be a fairly tame version, even by first set standards. "Birds of a Feather" was next and featured a quick tease of "The Birds" from Friday's Haunted House set. "Birds" contained a "Birds" tease. Get it? A typically strong "Wingsuit" (love it in this position) closed the set.

Photo by @taopauly

Set two starts off with "Possum." Played a couple of times a tour, "Possum" is welcome pretty much anywhere in the setlist, even as a second set opener. This version would really serve as a table setter for what was to come. First, "Crosseyed and Painless" wastes little time breaking form. A tight little Trey-led groove becomes spacier, and Page's Rhodes hints at "No Quarter," but instead results in a slick segue into "Light." "Light," augmented by all manner of howling, builds to a serious peak reminiscent of "The Dogs" from 10/31, before quieting down into a serene space. For a minute, it seems like Fish is struggling to keep the jam alive, but then it resolves into a brief full band "Lengthwise."

Photo © Phish From the Road

For the second consecutive 11/1, we get a tease-infused version of "Twist." The 2014 vintage features some "Lengthwise" quoting from Fish before hitting on a more severe infusion of "Manteca" teases and good old fashioned, ferocious picking from Trey. "Twist" cools down until it's just Page steering things into "Wading in the Velvet Sea." After "Velvet Sea" does its thing, the alligator mouths continue into "Harry Hood."

This has been a revelatory year for "Harry" and it seemed tonight would not disappoint. There are all sorts of bells and whistles throughout this version (check out Trey at the end of the "Miner" segment and the plinko-y work from Page during the build). The stage was set for an all-time version when it was abruptly cut short in favor of "Golgi." Don’t quote me on this, but I'm pretty sure that's a felony in some jurisdictions. "Number Line" takes the set fully off the rails, but at that point the damage had already been done. A classic Phish case of subtraction by addition. "Waiting All Night," "Sing Monica" and, for god only knows what reason, "The Star Spangled Banner" filled the encore slot. I could go on, but you probably don't want me to. I was feeling good – really good! – though the third quarter, but seven straight tequila shots have left me all sorts of hungover.

Photo © Phish From the Road

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A sampling of thoughts from last night's historic Halloween gig:

Steve Paolini: Of course, I thought it was a joke. Disney's Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House? The entire Phishbill was clearly a joke, and reports were that the "album" had no – what do you call them? – "songs." My working theory was that this would be the Halloween the band covered an obvious album that literally everyone in the audience would know. Led Zeppelin IV... The Wall... Nevermind... Thriller. Phish had begun using the Phishbill in 1996 when they covered Remain in Light as a way of introducing the audience to musical costumes they might not be familiar with. This year had to be an album that needed no introduction. Because they sure as hell weren't going to play a bunch of sound effects for an hour.

Photo by Rene Huemer © Phish.

Of course, in true Phish fashion not only was it not a joke, but the payoff was better than anyone could have imagined. It was real, and it was spectacular. Ten original jams inspired by the Disney album titles. This was the kind of thing fans speculate about but no one really expects will actually happen. Maybe this was something Phish could have pulled off in 1998, but certainly not in 2014. Think again. It's really hard to overstate how far out in a limb the band put themselves (31 years into their career, no less). This could have been a disaster. Ten instrumentals no one knew during the most anticipated set of the year? Based on a freaking Disney album? And, at least for those of us unfamiliar with the original album, the narration had the potential to come across on the cheesy side. But the jams were so engaging it arguably worked better than any of the other musical costumes. One of the dirty little secrets of past Halloween performances is that, especially for fans who either don't know or don't care for the cover album, there's usually a portion of the second set that seems to drag a little. Not so last night. Not even close. The big question now is, will they play any of these songs again? Or was our trip indeed too short?

Photo by Allie Carson

Dan Mielcarz: What they are going to do tonight? Pavement? Allmans? Jukebox set? Then we see the Phishbill on Twitter. Nah, that's gotta be a joke. The essay is hilarious. They mentioned Houses of the Holy, is it going to be that? Maybe Slayer, that was in there, too. The songs could be Phish song code names? 10pm = iced coffee on the couch. Rage at Nugs during the first set, great Halloween theme to the songs once the stream is up. Fun “BBFCFM.” Good little “Wolfman's” jam. Setbreak. They are clearing the stage! Gravestones going up? Bono's Humility on a gravestone… haha! Maybe they are going to do this sound effects album after all. No, it'll be a Thriller cover or something. Lights. Sound effects. Where's the band? In a haunted house?!? They are going to do this album! Holy crap, they are going to jam this album! Ten brand new tunes? House explodes, band is in awesome makeup. They are facing each other across a square, totally locked in. Every tune is like the best part of an amazing jam. Oh, Page is controlling the narration and sound effects. This is so so so great. Can't believe I wanted Pavement. THEY ATTACK! YOUR TRIP IS SHORT! Think these tunes stay in the rotation? Best. Halloween. Ever. Best. Band. Ever.

Photo by LMo.

Jeremy Welsh: As descriptions and photos of the Phishbill began to appear across the interwebs, one was left wondering whether it was all just an elaborate prank. Because that seemed like something Phish would do. Pick a long-forgotten album from a certain age of fan's childhood and hold that up as the cover album. Hah hah, so really, what's the *real* album?

The evening took on a special life, as only Phish could do, when it turned out that it actually was the album selected for their 2014 musical costume. Sure, there were dancers and props and dead Esthers and Nutbags, along with an ethereal voice narrating surreal "spooky" tableaus. And yes, the band even dressed up. But it came down to the music. The individual grooves – I'm hesitant to call them songs – that highlighted the best of what Phish does. Each moment provided the Why for our infatuation. Offering up peaks or melodies that would *make* the jam of a night on a tour.

I was left wondering whose idea it was. Someone with a kid, maybe. Trey? Fishman? Who had the gumption to present it to the other three? During the playing itself, with Page in charge of the samples, it sure appeared that he was leading the way. But not until the encore, which asked “Is This What You Wanted?,” did I allow myself to think "Holy shit." Phish heard the clamor after the previous year's Wingsuit set and took fans' demands for an album costume to the extreme. And in doing so, gave us an amazing experience. If the joke really was on us, then thanks. I will take Trick over Treat every time.

Photo by LMo.

Tim Wade: Nineteen years after I first saw them, Phish continues to astound me. I was bewildered when I was told that the Halloween costume would be Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House. I considered and rejected the possibility of a free form, set-long jam to these sound effects, and decided that they must be pulling our collective leg in order to maintain the suspense. I’ve never been more happy to be wrong.

Phish pulled off what is likely the greatest of their Halloween gags. It was certainly the most Halloween-y costume they’ve ever donned. The theatrics were topped only by the music, which was fresh and Phishy and completely, utterly sick. It also seemed to immediately pay dividends in the third set’s “Sand” -> “Tweeprise.” I’m one of the people who thought last year’s show was the most amazing Phish experience I could ask for, but I really wish I could have been there last night.

Take a bow, Phish. You deserve it.

Photo by LMo.

Phillip Zerbo: When fans sit around and shoot the shit about Phish, as we are known to do, we are often drawn to fantasy concepts for special sets or shows. “What if they did x, y, or z?” It’s an easy and fun game to play because the process is as open ended as our imaginations. As Phish’s 20+ years of special event traditions have evolved, the concept of an intentionally open-ended improvisational set has been deployed only on the summer gigs – Clifford Ball’s Flatbed Jam; The Great Went’s Disco Set; Lemonwheel’s Ambient Set; the Tower Jam at IT, the Storage Jam at Superball Icks. But even the most fantastical of the fan imaginations could not possibly have envisioned this.

Photo by Allie Carson

While last night’s inspiring, challenging, kick-ass funfest of a gig was rooted in the Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House, rather than a “cover” in any traditional sense, Phish took over the concept and used the album’s sonic palette simply as guidelines into which they would deliver one of the most engaging, danceable, mind-fucking original concept sets in the history of mind-fucking rock and roll gigs. Make no mistake: this could have sucked. It was risky. What other performing act at this level takes this type of risk ever, much less routinely? With risk comes reward, and the bigger the bet, the bigger the rewards. In this case, ho hum, yet another unique artistic masterpiece that cements Phish’s legend as the greatest improvisational rock and roll band ever.

My Tier One of Phish Halloween gigs is now 1998 and 2014 alone. Lesson? Don’t miss Halloween in Vegas. Moving in to their fourth decade as a band (and my third as a fan), Phish still confounds expectations and leaves the jaws of even the most JadedVet™ drooping on the floor. We’re all going to be dancing, running, driving and banging to this set for another generation. Good work, Phish!

Lily Morton: what happens in vegas sometimes needs to be known outside of vegas. let it be known... last night's phish halloween concert was absolute magic, a spectacular trick and treat for all senses. happily i witnessed the halloween vegas event with my crew on the floor in my favorite spot. mikes side right side. zombies, zombies, walking corpses ohh my...

the haunted house set was aesthetically perfect as a inspiring canvas for ck5. i love the lighting of this set. chris kuroda brought it all on! lightning and darkness, scary, gloomy, light of freakiness. thank you mr kuroda.

when i saw the program, the album cover being chilling thrilling sounds of the haunted house, i recalled the record from childhood and figured phish would do exactly what they did... use the sounds as a backdrop launching into original jams. and the jams did not disapoint. i was floored literally the entire show surrounded by very crazy happy people and this being vegas, the phreak really comes out with phishheads. the energy in the room was intense and focused like fans at an arena all there supporting their home team with no one opposition.

each jam was spot on. i cannot recall a single moment of seaching awkwardness. each jam reflecting the concept of the track on the disney halloween record. we partied all dance hall down and about pounded that floor about... yea. i love phish phans... i stood next to "the dude" all bathrobe clad and sunglasses - "the dude" with his buddy, a sleak sort of white alien panda bear with white fuzzy slippers all claws. the phans brought it too. everyone looked fabulous, truly fabulous.

the third set was over the top fifth gear all the way like speeding down a desert highway without obstacles in a fly sports car. full force on with no breaks. tweezer into sand was so deep... so so deep. this is my favorite live experience hearing sand. sand is a composition i wish they would return to again and extend. the shift of sand to tweezer reprise was really hot. there was suspense... i remember shouting "do it. do it. do it!" this is the band i love and always will love. i enjoyed every moment of the entire event from the moment i walked in the door.

Photo by LMo.

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It’s a feat worthy of mention for an artist (or anyone for that matter) to reach a new pinnacle at precisely the same time as they hit rock bottom.

I don’t have much to say this morning about the show, or the costume set last night. I bet it was wonderful if you were there. I enjoyed what I was able to piece together after paying $30 to experience it in the comfort of home, with friends, on a holiday weekend evening. With that said, let me button up the praise section of this blog and move on to the impolite truths that matter.

Phish:

I don’t want my $30 back. Keep it.

I don’t want your glibly-proffered credit for a future webcast. That’s not what I paid for. At all. Keep it.

I don't want defensive, tone-deaf tweets noting that "many could connect... without an issue." Many people made it onto the lifeboats the night The Titanic sank, but that was cold comfort to those who did not.

What I want is for you to snap out of your interminable sleepwalker's trance and stop neglecting your distribution. I want you to stop behaving as if LivePhish and Nugs aren’t you, and as if the quality of your art shields you from criticism over the quality of its presentation -- which for most of your thousands of your loyal fans and customers last night ranged between non-existent (first 30-40 minutes) to maddeningly pixelated and glitchy (remainder of the night).

Your fans have been extraordinarily patient. We have politely endured years of burpy, buffering streams, surfacing to remark publicly on it after only the worst cases. Are you aware that these problems are chronic? Do you know that last night’s webcast debacle is notable more for when it transpired than how it transpired? We’re used to this shit; we’re just not used to it ruining a high holy day.

Your site traffic metrics aren’t published and I’m not sure how many people opened their wallets last night to watch at home, but I’m willing to bet your webcast audience was at least 2-3 times the audience you had assembled in the room last night. I could be shy by a factor of four or five for all I know. And while it doesn’t necessarily follow from that that our experience is more important, nor does it follow that we should be your careless afterthought.

What you don’t seem to understand is that it doesn’t need to be this way. Live event streaming on the internet stabilized years ago, and bands and festivals have been delivering seamless high-definition concerts to home audiences since before you reformed in 2009. There are vendors capable of managing this for you flawlessly, in their sleep. Yet you insist on fielding the junior varsity.

I don’t know why. No one understands. Maybe Nugs doesn’t take the same scrape off the revenue pile that more qualified hosts do. Perhaps Brad Serling smells nice, or always buys the pizza. Maybe you’re just loyal people who believe in dancing with who brung you.

But Nugs didn’t brung you. We brung you. The party host sitting at home pounding refresh while her party guests politely try to figure out something else to do to pass the time while Phish (notice I didn't say "LivePhish") wets the bed? She’s the one who matters, and she’s holding you accountable now.

Not your partner.

You.

You aren’t the first artists to mistakenly imagine that distribution is someone else’s concern, but you don’t need to cling to errant assumptions. The time has long since passed for you to get this right. Nugs didn’t have a bad night; Nugs is a bad partner who’s either incapable or unwilling to address fundamental issues of quality, customer experience, and brand equity, and you need to expedite your divorce before your friends stop returning your calls.

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Phish hit the stage for their third night at the Bill Graham Civic Arena about the same time World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner strode to the mound for the last of his mostly flawless twenty-one innings pitched. Though it took the band a little longer, both parties ended the night the same way, earning a save (to go along with two previous wins) on the strength of another solid performance and some late game heroics when the pressure got turned up.

Copyright Phish: From The Road

As jubilant Giants fans hung on Bumgarner’s every pitch in the viewing area outside the arena, Phish delivered a measured and workmanlike “Stealing Time from the Faulty Plan” as their first offering. It was by no means a heater, tailing low and outside for a ball. “The Moma Dance” which followed opens with a distinct inflection of “Shakedown Street,” and the band waited patiently while those interested gazed and glimpsed the delivery of six straight high fastballs to induce a harmless pop fly from Salvador Perez (the only Royal to score on Bumgarner during the series) and end the game. Tipped off by the seemingly unwarranted roar in the midst of the first verse, Trey worked an instrumental version of Queen’s “We are the Champions” into the “Moma” chorus in celebration of the Giants’ victory. We were finally back to the business of Phish.

Now “Free” from distraction, both the band and audience alike could focus their attention on what we had assembled to do in the first place....flip cars over and burn shit, naturally...a perfectly reasonable response. But you don’t just rush into that particular human drama kind of thing, you have to build towards an outburst of that scale gradually. After floating languidly in the blimp for a few minutes, Phish picked up their pace a few notches and hopped “Back on the Train” to cover a few hundred miles of twists and turns in rock-strewn hill country in a hair under nine minutes. Hopping off the train, we tumbled down the hill beneath the trestle, popped through a hedge and took a stroll down “Yarmouth Road” to hang with the bees and the buzz in the honeycomb. The hive was a little sticky, mostly sweet, no royal jelly, but definitely buzzing with life.

The second “Strange Design” of the fall and third of the year (thereby matching the song’s number of performances for the previous three years), invites a few more companions along for the ride. The subsequent “Taste” was lacking in any kind of strong flavor, pretty bland salsa all things considered...giving way to a more upbeat but equally standard version of “The Wedge” that concluded with a “Let’s go Giants!” chant from the crowd, some respectful banter from Page, Trey outing Page for streaming Mets games on his organ during shows, and a backhanded dedication of “The Line” toward all losers in sports. (It was a great run, KC!). For any Royals fans in attendance, this song assuredly did nothing to elevate their spirits. It was certainly not the case for the set-closing “Wolfman’s Brother” that followed, however. This one is all kinds of funky, got a little brooding and dissonant at times, but teed up the second set quite well with a much needed dose of energy.

Copyright Phish: From The Road

Phish returned from intermission with “First Tube” for only the second time in the song’s history (see 9/20/00 Riverbend), invigorating the crowd with another blast of acceleration from the cyclotron. We were off to hunt with the big dogs for the remainder of the show. In celebration of the first anniversary of the Reading “Down with Disease” Phish took this one out for an effects-laden spin that once again trod through “Echoes” space (the seagull’s wail) on its way to an uplifting outro jam that left the song unfinished and my ears wanting just a little bit more of that stuff. The ensuing “Theme from the Bottom” was pretty shallow when compared to the abyssal depths plumbed by the previous version (10/22/14 Santa Barbara Bowl) and served only as the submersible vessel that would transport us to our inspection of the mid-ocean ridge and the relatively rare second set “Split Open and Melt” that was to follow. The jam in this version is alternately warped, stretched, compressed, and dilated as the usually incandescent lava blob ascends from the ocean floor to a less than satisfying conclusion. On a scale of one to Yellowstone, this one had a VEI of less than zero...pretty gentle and not explosive at all. “Heavy Things” was buoyant and lively and briskly carried us with the joy of the lord out of the darkness and into the “Light” of salvation. The jam travels from airy and serene to an undulating electrostatic murkiness that bespeaks an unwritten amalgam that I’d call “The Other One of These Days” were I given to such endeavors. An always rocking “Possum” emerges from the underbrush and the second set draws to a high-spirited close... leaving the encore song selection to make or break this show’s position in the final standings.

Considering the long road to Las Vegas that lay before many in attendance, the choice of “Contact” to open the extra inning was quite perfect. Trey’s humorous quote from Meghan Trainor’s hit “All About That Bass” is an equally great nod to her obvious (yet accidental?) adaptation of the “Contact” melody and the original tune’s all-about-that-bass-playing songwriter. “Meatstick” opened with some atypical organ grinding from Page but was an otherwise unremarkable sausage. The “Character Zero” which concluded the fourth three-song encore of the fall provided the extra mustard that was needed to send us out into the night on our smoldering tear gas infused mission toward Sin City with a desire for more. Which of course begs the question always asked at the conclusion of the show before Halloween...what do you think is going to happen when the lights go down at the MGM Grand Garden Arena?

Recent interviews have suggested that Phish is happy to have escaped the corner they had painted themselves into with the traditional Halloween costume cover album. Having donned their “Wingsuit” and taken that leap of faith into the unknown last year, the band is now free to start a new tradition. Though they have indicated that their opening night of the three-night residency on the strip will be a three round donnybrook, there have been no real clues towards what trick or treat may be “Waiting All Night” for our arrival. There has been an edge of uncertainty in the shows that have lead up to this final stand in the sand. As with all the feasts of Samhain that have preceded, the colors of what is to come have been bleeding backwards into the rest of the fall tour. As we get closer to “The End,” the “Vibration of Life” that emanates from the short-term future grows stronger but still remains excruciatingly indecipherable. Last year The Boys bravely took their leap into the unknown, and trusted their fans to be there to catch them. This year the tables are turned. We are the ones who really don’t know what to expect. We just have to trust that whatever Phish has planned for us...they will be there to catch us as we complete our fall. No matter what happens on Friday, be grateful on Saturday, and remember that you should never miss a Sunday show...especially when it falls on November 2nd and tickets are on the ground.

Photo by Rene Huemer © Phish

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A few thoughts from last night, with the help of LMo.

Tuesday’s Phish gig at the intimate confines of the Bill Graham was another winner that flowed with a perfect harmony. The band's energy and song choices felt synchronized with audience reception and desires, satiating a relaxed and considerate mid-week crowd that was kind and attentive to listening. So, a riddle: how do you make a JadedVet™ dance? Simple! Play a first set that flows like a second set! Extra bonus trivia: did you know that Tuesday’s show was the 25th anniversary of David Steinberg’s first Phish show? Think about that… a quarter century of Phish fandom. Pre-show also included a packed City Hall plaza watching the Giants and Royals battle it out for the Word Series on the big (BIG) screen. Good times!

“Water in the Sky” gave way to the second ever Phish version of “Plasma,” which seemed to catch folks off-guard from a standing start. Charlie Dirksen would like to personally thank Page for performing “Halfway to the Moon” tonight – it’s a really great song. “Poor Heart” and “Gumbo” kept the “Sanity” in check before letting loose on a blistering “Antelope.”

LMo: I like it when a set list tells a story, where the story is something of my own imagination. I love how Phish songs lend themselves with ambiguous and odd lyrics to subjective interpretations. Last night was such an experience, and so the connection goes... into mikes song... the mike’s song started up the party with a deep dark dirty red light kind of a ride. ck5 all in with the dark red as the groove drops. to me this mike’s sounds heavy and hot, a good one. after a deep hard hitting shift in the phases of mikes song the wingsuit comes along to take us on a gliding smooth flight. i love how the song lyrics in wingsuit reflect the sound of gliding in flight. the pace of wingsuit also dovetails the i am hydrogen calm in mike’s groove. i love these calm delicate moments. this version of wingsuit took a beauteous flight. i enjoy floating and swaying along with the shifts and changes, like wearing a wingsuit.

After the rejuvenating experience of wingsuit flight water in the sky... we get a very intense set one highlight moment in the plasma. gumbo is another highlight a very good gumbo, a mood that shifts hot and heavy... a little dirty, in a clean way. i will be dancing to this one alone late at night at times when no one is looking. the shift from gumbo into sanity was so on, without missing a beat. and there are hints of gumbo teased within sanity. As they bring out sanity it was just so fun in the room on that dance floor. such an amusing and honest dance that sanity brings out of me as i feel it - the comic relief moment of our collective day to day frustrations expressed and released. such fun. sanity was a collective release last night. the punctuation of lyrics at the ending is really really sweet. they sing it with love and understanding, not one of us is perfect. this is why i love the phish from vermont.

sanity into an antelope that truly rocked us back to a high speed chase to the end of set one. i recall feeling such fun with this version of antelope as it happened. i shifted around to face my friends a lot and watch them in the running running running in place and time. yes. i love antelope always but last night’s version is set apart as my favorite live experience of this song.

Photo © Phish From the Road

Wouldn’t it have been funny if, after playing a first set that felt like a second set, that they played a second set like a first set? Well, OK, maybe not so much, but that possibility was contemplated briefly as they opened the second frame with “Kill Devil Falls.” Not to worry though as this “KDF” was not roped into any preconceived box but rather got weird and served as a surprisingly well in the kickoff slot to the money set. “Mountains in the Mist” doesn’t evoke the same tick response as those of us who saw a lot of shows at the end of 1.0, which is great because when played sparingly it is a great addition to the ballad rotation. The post-summer of “Fuego” didn’t quite give us a super-charged “Fwaygo” but if you are holding a OVER 12mi ticket, you are a nevertheless a winner. When “Julius” kicked off the set was declared dead and over my one Mr. Dirksen, which just shows that the JadedVet™ isn’t always the smartest guy in the room. At this point in the set things are going great, if perhaps a slight downgrade on the third quarter from Monday night.

LMo: set two was superlative as a whole. kill devil falls starts us off on a really really high note. really jammed and set up some good energy in the room. i noted the excellence of it. and this is why we have the calm moments, the calm of mountains in the mist was needed after that version of kill devil falls. i loved last nights version of fuego as it happened. the now familiar anthem also reflects the rhythm of collective release. i enjoyed he stomp timing of this one. just stomping and feeling the pace of it marching in place.

my collective group thought we were getting a tweezer as they dropped julius. i enjoyed julius mid set this time, as i am familiar with julius mostly a set closer or an encore. mid set this set two just felt right because i was so happy to know there were more songs to follow and more dancing. julius to a hot twist, very hot.

now to note a do not miss - the hood. this is a good good good hood. a most interesting extended version. most superlative. you can feel very good with this hood. the encore: loving cup was truly what it was - a beautiful buzz. there was a lot of love in the room this tuesday night at the bill graham auditorium. i for one really felt it, such love. and that is my overall impression of this night and concert, that of love. this show is one from the heart. if you are looking for a download coming from fall tour to take you there with deep jams and smooth transitions this is the one.

Photo © Phish From the Road

When “Twist” landed, one might have been forgiven to think Mr. Dirksen might have been right, given that “Twist” has morphed from a jam vehicle always pregnant with possibilities to one that if often an out-of-ideas crutch. Not so, Doubting Thomases! The cream of the 2014 “Twist” crop, this version set the stage for a show that shifted the improvisational jewels to the back end. In addition to the “Smoke on the Water” tease from Trey, the “Twist” would be tonight’s home for the homage to Friday night’s performance of Pink Floyd’s Meddle with the hints of “Echoes” that have been a lingering foreshadow ever since Santa Barbara.

An unusual and fun late set “Runaway Jim” then set the stage for the improvisational highlight of the evening, a 19-minute masterpiece of “Harry Hood.” Brimming with confidence, cracking with vital energy, weaving through no less than a half dozen stylistic themes and teases, and concluding with a subtlety and grace appropriate for a band demonstrating peak powers, just days after fall tour obituaries were being written. This is why I see this band, this “Hood.” So much love in the room, really great stuff. “Loving Cup” took it home in fine fashion. Tonight we wrap things up and head on to the land of bright lights. Custy up, rope and ride, bet it all on 17!

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The seventh show of this tour marked Phish’s seventh trip to the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. Though BGCA may not yet reside in the highest echelon of Phish lore, it has been home to both unbelievable displays of improvisation and some of the most touching band-fan interaction in the band’s history. Seeing one's favorite band play in one's hometown is a real treat, and this year had no shortage of personal touch for this recapitulator. There was a palpable excitement (and scores of extra tickets) in the air outside the venue while city employees worked to set up the viewing area for Game 6 of the World Series outside City Hall and the Civic Auditorium – that’s right, thousands of Giants fans will descend on “Shakedown” tonight (first pitch at 5:07 PM PDT).

The show marked one of my best friends’ 100th show, and .net All Star @Phlorian’s highly-anticipated first show. I was lucky (and early) enough to see both DB and Florian on the floor before the show began, and ended up spending the whole show with Florian. Also in attendance was .net’s other favorite German, Martin, who like Florian had flown across the globe for this tour. What would Florian’s first song be twenty years after first hearing the song “Rift” in 1994? Little did we know we were mere moments away from a touching homage to another fan...

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[For this recap we'd like to welcome Kristen Goess from @2chix1fightbell –PZ]

Last time I had been to Chula Vista was fall 2000 for Phish’s last west coast fall tour. The year before that is still my favorite “Boogie On” to date. Returning to this venue brought back a lot of memories, mostly good, some bad like a terrible sunburn I got after falling asleep in the middle of a dirt field when I was 20. Driving back to that venue was exciting. The venue itself was a full house and a bit more crowded than I had thought. I wound up with a ticket just to the right of soundboard.

“Devotion to a Dream” opener was on point, strong opener, the crowd was pumped and getting down. “AC/DC Bag” is always a high energy crowd pleaser, and the up-tempo continued with a fast “My Sweet One,” which always makes me smile. “Moma Dance” was a nice surprise placement for those wanting to get the set going in a little more jammy direction. I always am wondering if anyone around me remembers the actual moma "dance" – tap tap? This song always makes me reminiscent of one of my favorite “Moma's” ever from Vegas in 2000, and every time I hear this song I always have hope it will peak again... thank god for hope. “Moma” was still solid and loved the placement, I am just selfish and always want more.

“Halley's” was next. Please read "The Death of Halley's," from this summer's Surrender to the Flow article to get my drift. “Funky Bitch” followed the aborted “Halley's”... still high energy, fast, kept the crowd moving. Not my personal favorite in the realm of the Phish catalogue but Page was getting loose right off the get-go, Fish keeping the fast-tempo beat and Trey and Mike following. “Wolfman's” had kind of a weird beginning but people seemed pretty stoked at the possibility for this first set pick. “Wolfman’s” lacked a little enthusiasm and was a mellower start to this classic. Trey wanted to start a vocal jam, Gordon followed but quickly aborted vocals to jam instrumentally, instead. A slow build by Trey on some of those deep KOA licks and Mike joins in with some sick bass undertones. Fish starts to pick up the pace, and the rest of band follows with Trey still laying down those deep tones that I personally crave out of that axe. Trey leads his shreds through the “Wolfman’s” jam while the rest follow, ending on a high note and longest jam of the set clocking in at 12:12 (make a wish :-)).

“Destiny Unbound” was my personal highlight of my first set due to the small jam that was pretty tasty and stepped away from the normal groove of the song's nature. It took me 99 shows to first hear this song live back in 2010. A little flub by Mike when they get back into the lyrics, but most people there didn't even know what song it was so that was easily overlooked.

"Timber” is another song that isn’t played very often but has great jam potential in a first set. The beginning was a little sloppy and a few missed lyrics but didn't seem to bother the crowd.

Photo by @stim_buck

“Tela” is another song I saw once forever ago and then not again until the Tahoe “Tweezer” show, so it's always a welcomed song for me. Still a rarity these days, but I heard someone say they could have done without it tonight; that's one of the things that makes this band so special, because their songs affect everyone so differently. “Wingsuit” has seen so much growth since it's debut nearly a year ago in Atlantic City. I think the crowd's energy can make or break this song. I was into this version – I am a “Wingsuit” lover – though I may not have picked it to end the set. Mike used his drill at the end and closed it out.

“Free” opened the second set, and while always welcomed, it still doesn't ever take me to those places of past where the middle would get so dark and nasty that people would almost fall over from the dance party. Gordon was throwing down the bombs like he wants it to keep going, but then so rushed back into the original meat of the song. A good way to open the second set, just always leaves me wanting more. The “Golden Age” jam gets juicy, blissful and then gets funky for the Page and Trey combo with light licks from the Koa and Gordo adding in his bass line on top of a Fishman who also quiets down as well. Then those strong KOA tones come out that I crave. The jam starts building energy again, Trey uses his echoplex, CK5 lights are going off and the whole band getting experimental before they slow down again, Page picks it up then they settle into “Jibboo”...I love “Jibboo” and for awhile the band forgot about it, only being played twice this summer and the first time this fall. Sweet guitar licks, fast paced, high energy and kept the crowd's energy upbeat. The ever-present “whale call” came in and exited quickly into a Trey-lead jam that you definitely didn't want to end.

“Carini” is now a staple when it comes to second set jams. It came in with a fury and the crowd was definitely feeling it. Fishman was throwing down the tempo and the rest of the band followed. Gordon stayed in the background wanting to drop some serious bombs but staying subtle yet strong. Near the end of the jam, I totally thought “Caspian” was on it's way and actually shocked when “Piper” re-appeared after the Santa Barbara performance. In the new era of the non-slow-build “Piper,” this one actually explores the song and cohesively builds after the initial entry. Trey's fast notes with a little distortion thrown in fit perfectly along with Fish. Page and Gordon were also on the same level and together start building out a jam that is different, a bit dark and exciting. Fish slows it down for a second before Page stands up and starts laying down the funk on the keys along with Trey who keeps the fast pace going and... lift off. Fishman again changes direction and band follows leading to more exploration and was one of my favorite parts of the night. But my personal account on twitter is @30minutepipers for a reason. Like I mentioned before regarding the “Halley's” – there's always hope, and I can't live in the past and the future never comes, all we have is the now, the present, and I sometimes have to remind myself of this especially with some of my favorite songs.

Photo © Phish From the Road

Then the “Caspian” that I heard at the end of “Carini” came, so I was happy to hear this and can always tell Trey is happy to play this song. It gets slow and pretty in the middle before picking back up into what drops into another unexpected “Tweezer.” I was sure “Tweeer” was being saved for Bill Graham after the one in Santa Barbara. After a sast and furious entry, Trey and Page played nicely off one another, nothing super exploratory, just cohesive playing by all members of the band. They slow it all down a bit all on the same tempo in which the band is seemingly calling for "Woos" from the crowd. They continue the jam and begin to get a bit darker with some sweet deep bass lines from Mike, Trey holding back and seeing where they could take it. Page begins to step up as well and then the crowd goes nuts as they begin playing the opening notes to “Rock and Roll.” At a short five and a half minutes, it was still high energy but not jammed out before ending the set with “You Enjoy Myself.” Of course everyone wants to hear this song. It hasn't been in heavy rotation like in years past, so anytime you hear the opening notes you have to be stoked. Nothing strays out of the norm of the song, no extra oomph, maybe a fight bell, but it's still “YEM.”

They encored with ”Suzy” > “Tweeprise.” Usually a fluffer of the band, I would have broken away from the “Suzy” especially with the “Tweezer,” “Piper,” “Suzy” and “Tweeprise” all being played in the same show night one of Santa Barbara, but what it ultimately comes down to is the fact that this band is doing what makes them happy. Every show is a blessing because for so long I never thought I'd ever hear them play again, and now they have been playing for as long as they've been broken up. So yes, while we can't pick our own setlists and some shows are better than others, we are actually the most blessed group of people to see a band that comes out and loves what they do and provide some sort of spiritual mediation for a lot of us.

Have fun in San Fran! Southern California has been a blast and I look forward to returning to Vegas on Halloween for the first time since 2004...10 years! Should be quite the comeback.

Photo © Phish From the Road

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[For this recap we'd like to welcome guest blogger @n00b100 - SP]

After last year's decidedly fun Hollywood Bowl show, which was capped off with a nigh-legendary “Harry Hood,” I was chomping at the bit to get to another show. I was actually excited to hear that Phish's LA area show this year would be in the Forum (home of the Lakers and Kings for many years), because as cool and beautiful a venue as the Hollywood Bowl is, I've always been told by my longer-tenured Phish friends (i.e. all of them) that indoors Phish is a much different experience. So were they correct? We shall see...

Photo by @stim_buck

A very sharp “46 Days” immediately got the almost entirely full Forum out of their seats (I was in the back, so I could see the whole venue easily, and while there were a few patches of empty seats higher up top, the entire lower section and the floor was packed with writhing, shimmying fans), and “Tube” - accompanied with loud cheer at the "freeway in Los Angeles" line - kept the crowd moving as well. One cool thing about the live experience, among many, is watching the band interact and signal each other, and I got to see that in “Tube” as Trey turned to Fish and called for him to move into the bluesy stomp that precedes the final verse. “Train Song,” which is something of a rarity these days, came next, and the harmonies were done quite well (glad to see Mike can still sing this, even if “Drowned” is somewhat beyond him these days), and then came the first surprise of the night - a first set “Ghost.”

Photo by @stim_buck

Now, if I do have one criticism of 3.0 (I do have a few, now and again), it's that there seems to be some sort of invisible barrier that separates Set 1 from Set 2 these days, and if a Set 2 jam vehicle crosses over into Set 1, it becomes more of a Set 1 "get the people going" song than a Set 2 "improv launching pad." Case in point: “Ghost” on 8/30/13, a very fine and compact version, did not venture beyond its usual boundaries at all. And this first set “Ghost” matched that to a tee, as it served as a “Kill Devil Falls”-esque way to get the dance party back on track after the “Train Song” breather, although I'd never say no to the regular “Ghost” jam and the band gave it the energetic treatment you'd want from a first set song. “Sparkle” (my first repeat from last year) and “Sample in a Jar” came next - your intrepid reporter will admit that he got a soft pretzel and bottled water during Sample, but could hear it perfectly fine in the foyer, and can safely report that it sounded exactly like “Sample in a Jar.”

But “Sparkle” and “Sample,” much like a jet plane testing its brakes before takeoff, were the appetizer to the first main course of the night - “Divided Sky.” The further along I've come as a Phish fan, the more I've come to appreciate songs like this, and “Fluffhead,” and “The Curtain” (either “With” or “Without”) - songs with nary a lick of Type-II improv and that are mainly differentiated by subtleties in the playing, but are remarkable compositions and contain moments of absolutely heart-stopping beauty. As Page's swirling organ part led into Trey's solo moment, I thought about how humbling it was to hear this song, a song Phish has played at some dude's pig ranch, university lounges, some of the Northeast's most famous clubs, on Halloween 1994, during the first night of Lemonwheel, and now in front of my face right at this moment. Then came the pause, nonstop cheering from the crowd, a gigantic smile on Trey's face (I could see it even all the way across the arena), and an absolutely *crushed* version of “Divided Sky.”

Photo by @stim_buck

“The Line” came next - I stayed to listen because I really like the song, and it was quite the juxtaposition to see people dancing furiously and what felt like a quarter of the crowd streaming to the restrooms - and then Page's showcase in “It's Ice” (cool to see a spotlight on him while he wailed on his clavinet), during which time I saw a young teenager about ten sections away dancing his ass off, full spin-move-doing-the-Robot-in-the-Soul-Train-Line-in-the-70s dancing that you just know he's feeling the effects of today. It was great to see. A ferocious “Kill Devil Falls” came next (see what I mean?), and then the second first set highlight in a massive "Classic Gin" Type-I “Bathtub Gin,” replete with hilarious “Low Rider” and “Long Tall Glasses” teases, that built up to a frenetic, double-time close (it's kind of hilarious to see Fish, such a compact fellow, just hammer away on the skins). So that's a heck of a way to end the first set.

Setbreak: I heard a lot of whistling of “Low Rider” in the men's room.

Photo by@Phish_FTR

Set 2 opened with two Type-I dance vehicles, first a well-played version of Fuego standout “555,” then “Backwards Down The Number Line,” which nobody in attendance seemed to have much of a problem getting down to. In person, I was a bit perplexed by the song selection, although in hindsight “Number Line” makes sense as a tribute to one of Mike's daughters (apparently he was wandering around the lot with his daughter, and he informed a few lucky fans that it was indeed her birthday), which, if so, is more a nice touch than the apparently continuing campaign to make “Number Line” The Most Hated Phish Song In All of Fandom. But we hadn't gotten deep yet, and it felt like it was time for the band to stretch their legs.

And that time came, courtesy of the fog of noise that Mike coaxes out of his bass every time they play this song, with “Down With Disease.” The initial jam out of the final verse was kept at a low boil, with Trey playing something that sounded like “Under Pressure” while Page picked out some lovely notes on the organ. Trey shifted to some stabbing chords as the band kept the groove going, searching for the next avenue to explore, which seemed to be coming as Trey worked out the hair metal power chord sequence he'd hit upon in the 7/26/14 “Ghost,” but then Page took over and started playing a repeating, atonal riff that both Trey and Mike picked up on. Suddenly, things got weird and off-kilter, mid-90s style, as the jam seemed to be eating itself; Trey started going to the effects, Fish played around with his beat, and a dissonant wave of noise emanated from the stage. Phish doesn't go very dark anymore, so when they hit this kind of darkness it's always worth hearing. Then comes the magic moment - that roar you can hear from the crowd is Kuroda hitting the "star" lights on the ceiling of the Forum while switching off his own light banks, lighting up the Forum like a huge planetarium, as the band latched on to a 2.0-style groove and Mike found himself a new filter. I've included a picture, which gives maybe 25% of the insanely cool effect those lights had:

Photo by@n00b100

Then, with Mike dinging away on his fight bell and Page moving back to the clavinet, Trey remembered the power chords from before, and all of a sudden we're back in the ‘80s as the band moves as one towards a *furious* peak. Maybe this is attendance bias, but as cool as the 7/26 Ghost is, this jam (thanks to Trey dropping the chords and soloing his ass off) is a total improvement on it, especially with just how massive and powerful the energy built up on stage got. The jam cycled down, Page tickled the ivories, and “Fuego” kicks in. I don't think I can say enough about that “DWD” - it delved into the darkness and burst out into brightness, Trey got himself a nice little showcase, and you could just feel the band's palpable chemistry throughout. “Fuego” was quite nice (especially when it devolved into another spacey piece of business, as the band continues to work the lessons of 1999 and 2000 into their current arsenal), as was the “Twist” that came next (although, as “Twist” is my favorite Phish song from a composition standpoint, it's pretty easy to tell when “Twist” is going to move into Parts Unknown and when “Twist” is going to stay in the pocket), and a perfectly placed “Bouncing Around The Room” gave the crowd a chance to relax a bit and sing along. Hey, I'll take a “Bouncing” in the late second set over “Wading in the Velvet Sea” or “Gotta Jibboo” any day.

And then, with another neat little flurry of effects before the song proper, came the Fall tour debut of “David Bowie,” and this is a strong version given a little extra oomph (as @fracai noted in his show review) by Trey's Echoplex (which he utilized to very nice effect at certain points in the show). “Character Zero” (my second repeat from last year) closed out the second set proper, and with the crowd urging them to return, they came back to give me my third repeat from last year - an encore-slot “Harry Hood!” I certainly wasn't expecting them to give me another Hollywood “Hood” - I wasn't even expecting one of the outside-the-box “Hoods” like Eugene's or Randall's or Philly's - but what I did get, a "typical-beautiful" “Hood” that spiraled upwards to a lovely peak and Trey sustaining one note for an extended period as the star lights came on again and the crowd went bonkers, was more than enough to satisfy me at that point. “Grind,” charming and goofy as usual, ended the evening.

Final thoughts? A quite good show to keep the fires stoked after Santa Barbara's damn good second show. Make sure you catch the “Divided Sky” and that super-fun “Low Rider Gin” - and the “Down With Disease” is absolutely not optional.

Photo by@taopauly

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What a roller-coaster ride Fall 2014 has been so far! As many of you noted in your comments to my Eugene precap, the tour opener was (NOT) all about my high expectations and I completely assumed the role of Sisyphus pushing that particular boulder to the top of my stack of preconceived notions for the always portentous first night. Unlike the band on such evenings, I was not a bag of nerves, I was at home at the Matt Knight Arena in the warm embrace of friends old and new. As expected, and much like that exhilarating rush of the first plummet over the edge of the log flume, the Eugene show was fantastic, made a big splash, and got the seat of my pants wet. No, they didn’t play everything I had forecasted, and I didn’t in truth expect them to do that. I expected a great show and that is exactly what we got. Couldn’t be happier with the song selection and still can’t get “Plasma” out of my head.

Photo by @ebyron

As we made our way north to Seattle, my hopes remained high that the energy from the previous night would carry us and the band through day two. Those hopes were dashed the instant we walked through the doors of the Key Arena and my wife’s excitement to be alive in that moment was misinterpreted by venue staff as excessive intoxication. After ten minutes of interrogation, negotiation, and an invitation for the alcohol monitors to gargle on my nuts the happy vibe was taken down quite a few notches. The Seattle show was thereby destined to be the painful neck-snapping lurch at the bottom of that first rise and fall of the roller-coaster's run. Just to be sure it wasn’t all about my personal experience, I went back and listened to the Seattle show again and reached the same conclusion as I did during the (nod to Jimi Hendrix) experience. The first set is certain to be the nadir of this tour. The second saw a barely perceptible change in direction as we began our slow ascent up the next hill. The dreaded Saturday Night Special had occurred. Much like that day’s homecoming game at Autzen, Oregon just crushed Washington.

Photo by Rene Huemer, © Phish From the Road

Following the lines going south, we hopped off tour in the physical sense and retreated to the safety of the couch. Because the Phish ticketing system is so broken, heading to the Santa Barbara Bowl seemed out of the question. After seeing the images of the venue, both still and moving, and hearing that once again extra tickets were littering the ground unused (AT A 4,500 SEAT VENUE???) I felt blinding rage toward each person involved with the abject failure of the Phish ticket distribution system. There will be more on this later so I won’t steal that piece of future thunder, but seriously, it is high time to institute a ticketless non-refundable (you can’t scalp these or buy them to trade for other shows that also have artificially high demand you worthless scumbag) concert entry system. Other artists do it… our band should too.... get your shit together, Phish!

Santa Barbara 1, as noted by my esteemed colleague TheEmu, saw the band start to do that on stage again at least, the limp and lifeless Seattle show was no reason to start freaking out and throwing stuff. Go listen to Tuesday night’s “Chalk Dust” and “Ghost” again. That shit was proper and completely set the stage for what was to come last night. Sure the intimacy of the venue led to some awkward moments (see “Birds” and “Suzy Greenberg”), but ultimately the train was set back on the right track.

Photo © Phish From the Road

As we all know, Phish will occasionally offer us a glimpse behind the curtain and clouded visions of what is to come. In the days leading up to the most hallowed of eves, all eyes and ears are searching for a clue for the trick or treat that awaits in Vegas. With that in mind, if you were paying attention to @Phish_FTR yesterday, you were not surprised by the band’s invitation to last night’s “Soul Shakedown Party” at all. Happy, grinning ear to ear perhaps, but definitely not surprised. A great way to watch the sun go down on another day in paradise and a terrific start to what would be a wonderful night of music. The first set vibe was focused on the idyllic tranquility of (“Wedge”) Santa Barbara and the state of (“Undermind”) relaxation that arises from (“Horn”) a luxurious full body (“Ya Mar”) massage. The band clearly feeds off (“Jesus Just Left Chicago”) its environment and the warm glow of (“A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing”) the crowd. This first set (“Winterqueen”) had bucketfuls to spare (“My Friend, My Friend”) and a few of them dumped out all over my kitchen as I (“Split Open and Melt”) cooked dinner (I’ll spare you my braise recipe), my wife completed her security clearance documentation for a new job opportunity, and my daughter took photos of the swirling patterns that can be induced in (“Walls of the Cave”) a plate of milk inoculated with food coloring and a drop of dish soap. We ate during setbreak and settled down for set two.

Photo by Rene Huemer, © Phish From the Road

With the Pacific Ocean beckoning in the distance, we ran down to the beach and got absolutely “Drowned” in the chilly and chaotic surf that cascaded wildly onto the shore. Diving deeper beneath the surface we found the “Theme From the Bottom” to be quite pleasing, once again fathoming previously unimaginable depths. Unlike the powers that be vested with the weighty responsibility of determining when or if Phish consciously teases, quotes, or jams another song within a song and deems it worthy of being canonized into a given show’s setlist, I will state unequivocally that Phish played portions of the Pink Floyd song “Echoes” during both “Theme From the Bottom” and the “Steam” that billowed from this eruption of Pompeian lava onto the ocean floor. To borrow the words of another of my esteemed colleagues, this “Echoes” jamakinto is as obvious as two goats fucking in church and if you cannot hear it you are fucking deaf.

As I basked in the undulating flow of “Waves” I asked myself how sick would it be if Phish busted out Meddle for Halloween? About as sick as the strains of both “Stranglehold” and “Mike’s Song” that also reverberated through the “Echoes” in my brain as I fought with the reality that they would actually be covering Trey and the Undectet’s Original Boardwalk Style as a subtle nod to the place (Atlantic City) the old Halloween tradition died and the new one was born.

Photo © Phish From the Road

“Twenty Years Later” marks the thematic divide between the aquatic third and extra-terrestrial fourth quarter of last night’s show. As our kayak returned from the wild ride in thirty-foot seas, we were greeted on land by a menagerie of Animals to close out the show. “Scent of a Mule” found Mike ringing the fight bell like a champ as a frenetic Fishman played alien whack-a-mole on the marimba lumina. The UFOs of course unloaded their laser beams and departed with the monolith to the space disco funk of “Also Sprach Zarathustra” (aka “2001”). Eugene’s missing second set “Mike’s Song” finally arrived with a faithful canine (“Runaway Jim”) as his companion and a blistering “Weekapaug Groove” which OFFICIALLY contained teases of both “Runaway Jim” and “2001” closed out a terrific second set. Not to be outdone, the two thirds animal encore, featuring Page as the jockey now riding “The Horse” into “Silent in the Morning” and a delirious “Run Like an Antelope” that included a festive yet no less OFFICIAL quote and tease of the show opening “Soul Shakedown Party,” took us to the very precipice of the hard 10:00 PM curfew. What a ride!!! Safe travels down to the Forum and beyond. Stay thirsty my friends… the best show of this tour is yet to come.

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Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant on Paradise Road in Las Vegas will be raising funds to benefit The Mockingbird Foundation, the non-profit whose volunteers help run this site, from October 30 through November 2, about two miles from the MGM Grand where Phish is playing three shows on 10/31, 11/1 and 11/2. Gordon Biersch has brewed a special beer dubbed the "Dubbel Sample in a Jar," which is a "complex, malty ale with hints of spice and licorice, and a balancing hoppiness on the finish," that will be served in a mason jar with the Gordon Biersch and Mockingbird Foundation logos on it.

A portion of the proceeds from sales of the "Dubbel Sample" will benefit Mockingbird. The mason jars are great for storage (not just drinking), and you will be able to purchase them at $5 apiece, too. You can also get one of the mason jars complementary if you order the "Farmhouse Special," a half pound steakburger topped with bacon jam, tomato and arugula, with a fried egg, served with garlic fries and a pint of the "Dubbel Sample" in the specially-branded mason jar. ($18.95)

Those of us at Phish.Net and Mockingbird urge you to support this fundraiser, as it not only raises funds for music education, but it also increases the likelihood that fundraisers like this one will occur in the future in other cities where Phish plays. Thank you!

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