Can't You Hear Me Knocking

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History

From their classic 1971 release Sticky Fingers, “Can’t You Hear My Knocking” (“CYHMK”) is one of The Rolling Stones’ signature songs. Running over seven minutes, it was by far their longest studio track to date, with an outro jam that wasn’t planned as part of the recording but that was so awesome, it stuck. 

The Rolling Stones, “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking”

Phish, no stranger to long, jammed-out versions of songs, performed “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” at three of their earliest shows, or at least three we know about from an era where much is lost to history; 11/3/84, 12/1/84, and 5/3/85. As Phish started to evolve from a bunch of stoner college kids to a legit band with their own burgeoning original repertoire, “CYHMK” was not heard from again in any form for almost eight years.

Starting in 1993, the ending jam of “CYHMK” started appearing with some regularity, especially as a tag ending to “Weekapaug.” Full fledged “CYHMK” jams within “Weekapaug” can be found on 4/13/93 Kansas City; 12/31/94 Boston Garden; 3/1/97 Hamburg, Germany (on Slip, Stitch and Pass); the amazing 7/22/97 Raleigh gig (on the Walnut Creek DVD), and 10/26/10 Manchester, NH. Other appearances of the jam include during “You Enjoy Myself” on 11/19/94, “Down with Disease” on 11/27/96 Seattle, and the debut of “46 Days” on 1/2/03. Trey also played “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” with Dave Matthews and Friends on 1/16/04.

Dave Matthews and Friends ”Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” – 1/16/04, Oakland, CA

Fans hoping to hear Phish play a complete version of "Can’t You Hear Me Knocking" might have had their hopes up when Sticky Fingers was among the 99 albums under consideration for the Halloween set at Festival 8. Alas, it was a near miss, as the band chose to cover Exile on Main St instead.

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