MSG5 RECAP: IT'S PRONOUNCED FRAHN-KEN-STEEN
[Recap of Wednesday night's MSG show courtesy of Ian Zigel, user @Ripenesswasall, on IG at @memehendge. -Ed.]
“Character Zero” ends, I blink, and “Possum” fires up… or at least it feels like we’re picking up right where we’d left off after the pure Phish magic that was Tuesday’s show. My seat neighbor for these two nights, Trey (yes, really, that was his name), astutely points out that Tuesday/Wednesday crowds at The Garden are made up of the most devoted (albeit insane) Phish fans, and the music played for these shows can generally be summed up as “Phish for Phish fans.” Tuesday night saw the band go deep on a handful of favorites with Zen focus for Jerry Garcia’s birthday, arguably delivering the finest show yet of 2023; tonight is a perfect foil to Tuesday, with no shortage of jamming between songs, deeper cut song selections, antics, and an extremely fun and Phishy overall vibe.
The crowd is noticeably comfortable and in no rush to get to their seats with 5 minutes left to spare before the band takes the stage, but everyone locks in immediately with the unmistakable “Possum” intro. Tonight is my 48th Phish show and my first “Possum” opener. “Guyute” takes the number 2 spot, evocative of the encore on 12/29/22, which served this same pairing in reverse order. However, “Guyute” sounds much tighter and more rehearsed tonight.
MSG4 RECAP: YEMSG IS THE PLACE TO BE, FOR ME :-)
[Recap of Tuesday night's MSG show courtesy of user @SterlingPiper83. -Ed.]
For me, Phish at Madison Square is where it's at. There is no other place You can possibly do so much so easily, while also seeing Phish. But the venue itself, notwithstanding the seemingly never ending construction, is just incredible.
One of the things that makes YEMSG so incredibly special to me is that when the band is locked in and we get to grooving just right the floor begins to pitch and sway beneath your feet. For those of You that haven't been, it is not unlike the sensation one feels when standing on a surfboard or boat in calm waters.
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MSG3 RECAP: BIG RED WITH THE BIG SHRED
[We would like to thank Matt, @scissortail, for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]
With three of seven in the books for Phish’s summertime jaunt in Madison Square Garden, we have what I call “good Phish problems.” When the band walks on stage the first night of a seven night run and delivers a masterpiece—when they capture the mysterious and elusive “flow” so completely—it’s impossible not to compare each successive show against the king.
A misplaced ballad. A standard, no-frills run-through of a song that has the potential to go deep. Extremely weird lyrics about guns.
These do not ruin a Phish show. Not even close. They simply prevent the show from reaching the heights of near perfection. And because we witnessed that kind of show on Friday, these little missteps can be unfairly magnified in the harsh light of comparison. But if your only problem at a Phish show is that the raging rock extravaganza is momentarily interrupted by a perfectly fine (if energy-deflating) ditty—life is pretty good. These are good Phish problems.
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MSG2 RECAP: WORLD'S GREATEST DADS
[Recap courtesy of @dmg924, David Goldstein -Ed.]
The pre-show vibe amongst the Lawson’s Hopcelot consuming crowd at Madison Square Garden on July 29th, 2023 could be basically been summed up as such – “Well….how the hell are they going to top THAT?”
The ‘THAT’ in question being the prior night’s show. Based upon the frequently used expletives in my text threads and myriad invocations of the carpenter for whom Easter is celebrated; July 28, 2023 was one of THOSE shows. It was a top to bottom masterpiece in which the improvisation was so effortless and the peaks so memorable that it leaves the more conspiratorial minded fan to wonder exactly why Phish doesn’t play like this all the time? Do they actually have something against the good people of Wilmington, North Carolina? Phish’s ability to turn IT on and off will forever be a mystery worthy of stoned dorm room debate. But that’s why you go to more than one, and there’s no right way to Phish; some fans would prefer to see a 12 to 13 song first set rife with six-minute sing-alongs versus a 22 minute maelstrom of sound only five minutes into the show. I won’t judge. Besides which, if Phish played like 7/28 every night, both they and the audience would simply collapse; Big Red’s mighty fingers worn down to calloused nubs of flesh. So what would they possibly do for an encore on this, only the second night of a seven night Madison Square Garden run?
MSG1 RECAP: FUN WAS HAD BY ALL OR NEARLY ALL
[So I effed up and the person who I thought was recapping last night's show uh it turns out had told me three weeks ago they couldn't do it, so now I'm punishing myself---and all of you---and posting a hastily composed recap in a format similar to (but much less thoughtful and considerate than) the one that earned me venom and spite from our beloved community many years ago. You're welcome. -Charlie]
Phish began their seven-show, half-baker's-dozen run last night with a smooth performance of the serene "Evening Song," followed by two spectacular improvisational gems in "A Wave of Hope" and "Cities," both of which are sure to make their respective jam charts. You read that right, we were only three deep into the FIRST SET and yet Phish had performed a 21+ minute "AWOH" and ~15 minute "Cities"! Simply stated, fun was had by N00B, VET and JADEDVET alike, and I offer three perfunctory, insensitive, and devastatingly ignorant "recaps" for each of these types of fan.
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MANN2 RECAP: THIS IS YOUR SONG TOO
Sometimes things just fall into place. After decades of seeing Phish, we all have our preferences. Our quirks. Our routines. Our horrible opinions. And every show is someone's favorite. For a variety of reasons, Tuesday's show didn't flow for me like it did for a lot of people. Partially because I was distracted by a hilarious game of whack-a-wook between a security guard and a box that was empty for most of the night. Every time someone came into the box, they were so happy—they were the first person to ever think of sneaking into a box! And then within 30 seconds, the security guy was back. Two minutes later, a new trailblazer appears. Rinse, repeat.
But that "Down With Disease" > "The Well," wow. We have a couple new awesome Phish tunes on our hands.
After a couple of fun days of post-show / pre-show / bus rides in partnership with the Ardmore Music Hall, we rolled into The Mann ready to soak in the second night of the run. Probably goes without saying, but what the hell: The Mann is amazing. Beautiful venue, great staff, great sound, great surroundings. The lot scene is among the best, and the band is clearly comfortable and happy coming back to this venue. I know there are Camden defenders out there, but The Mann is the best.
MANN1 RECAP: WE'RE ALL HERE TOGETHER AND THE WEATHER'S FINE
[Recap courtesy of user @spac_melt, AJ Stalloni. -Ed.]
Ahh, back at the wonderful Mann Center in my hometown of Philadelphia, PA. Phish (or at least Trey) loves playing here, and the energy is palpable. It rained a few times throughout the afternoon/early evening, but luckily nothing along the lines of Wilmington 2.
There would be no rain delay tonight a la 7/8/14.
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SYRACUSE RECAP: DON'T YOU SEE ANYTHING THAT YOU'D LIKE TO TRY?
[We thank user @VermontCowFunk for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]
Wow. Phish played an absolute barnburner of a Sunday show last night, gracing Jon Fishman’s hometown and a great lakeside venue with fiery, energetic, and creative playing. 10 shows in to summer tour, the rust has been shaken off, new songs are being woven into the mix and jammed out, and much fun is being had on stage. While only Phish’s ninth show in the Salt City and the first since 2016, the stars aligned last night, and the band treated around 15,000 fans to almost three hours of fun last night.
My friend Chris (@flippingbackward) and I left Burlington Vermont Sunday morning to drive to the show, and after a very weird summer weather-wise so far, it felt great to be on the road under smoke-free blue skies. Rain’s been too present of late, causing serious flooding in Vermont and upstate New York, as well as an early ending to an earlier show, so it was a relief to have a dry forecast in store for Sunday. After the obligatory meal at Dinosaur BBQ, we parked at Destiny Mall, wondering if that name foreshadowed a potential bustout, and biked four miles on a bike path along Onondaga Lake, with no sign of the three-eyed fish that graced a very cool poster for the show, and quickly found our way on to the lot, which hosted a relaxed and friendly pre-show scene over quite the linear series of lots. Shakedown was busting with energy in the late afternoon sun and, asking for a friend, do the nitrous vendors always wear Phish T-Shirts? Time quickly slipped by, and we entered the venue almost painlessly thanks to some very friendly and efficient staff (although I did hear others had a hard time getting in) and quickly found ourselves at the top of the lawn, looking over the lake with a breeze cooling everyone down a bit; spirits were high, and pushed higher by a food vendor blaring some studio Phish at the top of the lawn (never heard that before). We made our way down through the lawn to some great seats in the 100 level, cognizant of the relatively early start times at some recent shows and were in place ready to go by 7:30. Or at least we thought we were ready…
STAR LAKE2 RECAP: OPERATION PHISH IN A BARREL
[We thank user @farmose (formerly @fad_albert) for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]
Saturday, July 22, approx 2:30pm, the Pavilion at Star Lake. Suspect was apprehended and taken into custody with the aid of three plain clothes Hanover PD officers and two K-9 units. The charge? Pennsylvania Penal Code 4419: Attempt to distribute counterfeit merchandise. Apparently Miss Stamatis found it funny to print 100 t-shirts that read, “Let Phish Suck Ass,” following their ill-fated tour stop in Wilmington, NC. But anyone offended by her crude humor can heartily laugh now that she’s spending what should be her 175th show locked in a metal cage with a wooden plank for a bed, tripping her tits off.
So why am I addressing you all on her behalf? Because I traditionally have Saturday nights off duty and Miss Stamatis was kind enough to furnish me with her ticket on the auspices that I’d fulfill her obligation to review the concert. A quick stop to the evidence locker and I’m ready for my first time seeing The Phish.
The sun wasn’t even setting when the Phish came out onstage. From the top of the lawn I had a surveillance-tower-view of the audience. Buncha freaks! Barefoot longhairs in their pajamas wearing rainbow fishing hats.
STAR LAKE1: CONJURORS OF SOUND
[We thank user Chris Vetoulis for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]
On the morning of August 13th, 1997, Josiah and I boarded a Greyhound bus in NY that would take us to Pittsburgh. At seventeen years old (and way before smartphones), we didn’t realize it would take a generous woman picking up laundry to hitch us the 20 minute drive out to Star Lake Amphitheater for our second show and Phish’s first performance at the former Coca-Cola Amphitheater, set in Gamehedge-esque Western PA.
We would go on to Darien the next night with strangers made friends who offered a ride and were among those to see Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters dance on stage for a rather “trippy test” leading up to The Great Went two days later in Limestone.
Returning to Star Lake after more than 25 years would stir adolescent emotions and nostalgia mixed with gratefulness for our continued gift of Phish with my closest traveling companions, Jake, Cheryl and Nate.
Coming off a show cut short mid-set, bizarre to have happened 10 years to the day when "Caspian" closed a short Northerly Island set, also at Mother Nature’s command. Feeling high energy (temps a bit lower) as the band takes stage to make tonight’s opening choice another permanent record.
WILMINGTON2 RECAP: AN ADVENTURE INTO OBLIVION
[We thank user @meganglionna Megan Glionna (@the_megan_dance on IG) for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]
Some nights are destined to become an adventure. Some nights it’s all about the music, some nights it’s all about the vibes, some nights it’s all about the stories we get to carry with us. Last night was all of those three and it was also definitely an adventure.
I love seeing shows in North Carolina. I finished my college career in this state and most of my family still lives there. For me, it is a nostalgic place and tied into so many of my Phish memories. Days when my wook friends would crash at my parents’ home and terrify my younger siblings with our late night parties and mornings with cigarettes drowning in beer cans littered around the back deck. So it was only fitting that my girlfriends and I stayed at my parents house for this two night run and my dad carted us around town like the happiest Uber driver in the world. There was something comforting about having my parents stock the house with soy milk and cereal for our post show snacking and, of course, not having to pay for a hotel for two nights to see my favorite band far away from where I live in NYC was a huge bonus. And this new-to-Phish venue is so incredible. It is intimate and relaxed. So much space, everyone on coastal Carolina time and charming us northerners with their gorgeous southern drawls. But I am getting ahead of myself.
The adventure began when my dad, Jack, dropped my girlfriends and I off at Hi-Wire Brewing (well, actually he came in and had a beer with us before he left) where we met up with my college friends. We had incredible wood fired pizza from the excellent restaurant next door (my dad just got cannolis, but it should be noted IN THE PERMANENT RECORD that these cannolis had crushed pistachios on the ends). We spent the afternoon catching up and hanging out and headed down to Shakedown around 5:15 pm. We did a quick loop on the grassy lot where they had a nice little set up with lots of space. Wanting to get a better spot than night one (I was on the lawn with an obstructed view thanks to the soundboard tent), I was eager and, to be fair, a little annoying about corralling the group to the venue as soon as possible. We walked in around 5:45 pm. No line, no stress. The staff at Live Oak Bank Pavilion are the most friendly, helpful staff I have ever experienced. We cruised in and found a perfect spot Page side just to the left of the soundboard and hung out until showtime.
WILMINGTON1 RECAP: A BONG I HEARD MY LANDLORD FLING
The volunteer who was supposed to recap last night's show for this blog emailed us around 4:30pm to apologize for not sending us a recap, remarking that after five nights his "synapses burned." This site relies entirely on volunteers to recap shows and also to post those recaps to this blog, so we are entirely at their mercy for such content.
I've not heard enough of last night's show to recap it myself, however,
ALPHARETTA3 RECAP: NEAR JADED VET DISCOVERS REASON FOR LOVING PHISH AT ALPHARETTA
[We thank user @SaintAndrew Denny Kinlaw, of Greenville, SC, not GA, for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]
A cursory list of things that stood out to a first timer at Alpharetta in 2023:
- that the Atlanta suburbs approach landscaping as a religious practice,
- that one can just as easily secure a hearty pre-show cocktail at Top Golf as Shakedown and still be on the lawn in 10 minutes,
- that the most devoted dancers station themselves on the walkway between the pavilion and the lawn within the fire-code-mandated boxes marked by yellow electrical tape,
- that one can quite easily ask the tall guy blocking your view in the pit to move 6-inches to the left and he will volunteer to exchange spots with you even though you’re a dude, too, and that is kind of above and beyond typical pit-behavior as I’ve come to understand it,
- that Phish really and truly do feed on their Atlanta fanbase in a way that clearly expands and sharpens their capacities as musicians, and
- that one can wander alone in near silence under well-lit, Creighton-myrtle lined streets immediately after leaving a concert with 12,000 other people before finding their car in the Top Golf parking lot.
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ALPHARETTA2 RECAP: ALPHARETTA AWESOMENESS, THIS IS WHY WE COME HERE
[Thank you to user @sterlingpiper83 Sterling Diesel for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]
Three days of Phish is heaven for me. Especially when it's a weekend run at Alpharetta. Sure the band always bring the goods, but in Alpharetta they are generally served up scorching hot. Tonight was no exception.
So I've just made my last choice for pick 5, I'm tied 2-2 from last night with my Friend Alana. I start thinking I should have picked "It's Ice" since Mike was doing a video about it just a bit ago. No time to change it though, the band has just come out to play for us.
"Runaway Jim" is a wonderful way to start any show, right? It has fun lyrics, the music is lively and bouncing, and the jam potential is strong. I love the quick trills Trey pulls around 6:25, they build to a fun bouncy peak with a bit of dark sounding counterpoint which I just love. The gnarly almost wah tone coming out of Trey's guitar right now is easily one of my favorite sounds He makes. The band is locked in tight on this groove, an excellent rendition if I do say so.
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STTF #78: SUMMER TOUR 2023
STTF #78: Summer Tour 2023 is now available for immediate download! Free or by donation! You can also ORDER A PAPER COPY OR SEVERAL BY MAIL by sending $ via PayPal to [email protected]. $5 for the first copy, $2 for each additional copy in the same envelope; don't forget to put your mailing address in notes! Of course, STTF is always free on lot... but you have to find us! We don't set up on Shakedown... all our vendors are roving... good luck!)
This issue is full of good stuff for you! It includes information about this year's Summer Tour 2023 - where to eat, things to do, and things you need to know about each area and venue. You can read reviews of Spring Tour 2023 in this one, too.
Further, we offer articles on a variety of interesting topics that we know you'll just love and so much more! And, this issue also includes our regular features like recipes, My First Show, My Favorite Jam Ever, 20 Years Later, Phish Changed My Life, Everybody Loves Statistics, Vendor Profile, horoscopes, Read the Book book reviews, Celebrations, fan fiction, a puzzle, and other things we think you'll enjoy.
Please check out this issue and tell your friends, and have a great time on Summer Tour 2023, everyone!
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