TORONTO RECAP: TORONTO FROM THE TOP
Welcome to Canada y’all. Been a while. Has it? Time sure feels messy these days, and this band just keeps on plugging away blowing our minds, despite it all. In any case, I feel like there’s a lot of ways to set the context for last night’s show in Toronto. We could call back to the band’s recent history at the venue in 2019 (a show which I thought was unfairly maligned), or whether or not they’d bust out "Misty Mountain Hop," which they debuted here in 1999. And then there’s the context of this unique tour, which has at times been brilliant and, at other moments, felt like maybe the momentum of their revived post-Covid identity has been waning a bit, Trey especially. I said to a new friend before the show that, really, the biggest knock on 2022 is that it’s sitting right next to 2021 -- a year in which the band performed to a level they really had no business reaching this late in the game. So what would this tour’s Canadian stop add to the story? Would it be a throwaway gig between AC and Alpine, or a can’t-miss, out of the way gem? Where do we stand? Let’s find out…
SET 1: Sigma Oasis -> Blaze On, Steam, My Sweet One, Theme From the Bottom > Wombat, Stash, Sand
SET 2: Sample in a Jar > Down with Disease[1] -> Death Don't Hurt Very Long > Twenty Years Later > Light > Bouncing Around the Room, Also Sprach Zarathustra > Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley > Free
ENCORE: Lawn Boy, Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.
Down with Disease was unfinished.
AC3 RECAP: MOMENTS IN A BOX
[We would like to thank Brendan Daily, user @itsice88 (and IG: bdailysound), for recapping last night's show, which was the ninth show he's seen on this tour. -Ed.]
It’s early Monday morning. I’m sitting in a Bed & Breakfast in nearby Absecon, NJ, collecting my thoughts on the show that ended only a few hours ago, and on the greater tour at large. Feelings of gratitude, splendor, wonder etc. are all running amok through my head.
AC3 was my ninth show of this inspired tour. It’s no secret that the last two years have been an absolute joy for us Phish fans. Seemingly all the rules of set-listing are out the window, the band’s jamming is at an extremely high level, and everything just feels fresh. I’ve walked into every show I've seen this tour not knowing what to expect as the band has delivered twists and turns and major highlights nightly. After a revelatory, improvisation-laden Friday night and Saturday night party, the band was poised to deliver a top-to-bottom “complete” run in Atlantic City.
Did it finish in strong fashion? Were the Sunday Show™ vibes in full effect? Would we see Satan on the beach, trying to catch a ray?
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AC2 RECAP: HOUSE MONEY
[Today's recap is courtesy of RJ Bee of Osiris Media and HF Pod. -Ed.]
Philly. Bethel. Hartford. Jones Beach. Raleigh. MPP. Blossom! AC night one! This tour has been incredibly consistent, with few dips and many many peaks. The tour is picking up steam, and AC1 showed that they have no intention of slowing down. Relentless is the one word that comes to mind. The ballads are few and far between, most perfectly placed, the jams continue to evolve and show no signs of stalling out. And on the jams—they've finally optimized the synthesizer toys between Trey, Mike and Page, and Trey has perfected his tone, which is pushing them to innovate. They're pushing each other, and instead of a basic pattern that relies on building bliss peaks, we're getting noise rock, ambient space jazz, a mix of good and evil—new, different sounds. What every Phish fan is looking for.
But it can't possibly last, can it? Fishman, fueled by an experimental jet propulsion technology, must need a tune up at some point. Trey's shoes must need to be replaced. Does Mike have enough neon outfits? Page's sandwich supply must be dwindling. Like helicopter parents, fans are constantly pushing Phish to do more, to keep it up, to continue to deliver. But like my colleague Megan wrote, "It’s their own fault though, they keep delivering so we keep expecting it."
Soundcheck: Clear Your Mind, Family On The Beach Song
SET 1: Wolfman's Brother, Tube, Mountains in the Mist, Ocelot > Fluffhead, Mercury > Gumbo > Carini
SET 2: Mike's Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, A Wave of Hope > You Enjoy Myself > Suzy Greenberg
ENCORE: Wading in the Velvet Sea, First Tube
Mike and Trey teased Sweet Emotion in Carini. Trey teased Mr. P.C. in YEM.
AC1 RECAP: SHELL-EBRATING ON THE SAND
[Phish.net thanks user Jeremy Willinger (.net @Jeremy8698) for this recap. -Ed.]
A warm breeze blew down the famed Atlantic City boardwalk (did you know? It was first opened in 1870, and is the oldest boardwalk in America and is the longest boardwalk in the world), pushing salty air into the faces of thousands of phans as they waited to enter the sand to hear Phish for the first of three shows on the beach. *As the esteemed reviewer of last year’s AC night 1 show, I will refer you to that entry for more AC trivia.
Now in its second year, Phish’s three-night stand in Atlantic City is the only option for folks unable or unwilling to go to Riviera Maya (Mexico) to dip their toes into the ocean while jamming to our favorite foursome. The hotels have, unfortunately, caught on to the cash cow that the phandom brings to local communities, and prices for rooms now reflect that suckling of the teat. Does that deter us? Of course not - in the same way that accepting gifts from strangers at Phish is welcomed but actively rebuked when back in reality.
Soundcheck: Olivia's Pool, Beth, Knuckle Bone Broth Avenue
SET 1: 46 Days > The Moma Dance, Olivia's Pool > My Soul, 555 > NICU > Bathtub Gin, Heavy Rotation > Character Zero, Moonage Daydream
SET 2: No Men In No Man's Land > Tweezer, Set Your Soul Free > Simple > Backwards Down the Number Line > Golgi Apparatus > Slave to the Traffic Light
ENCORE: A Life Beyond The Dream, Tweezer Reprise
Trey teased Norwegian Wood in 555. Heavy Rotation was performed for the first time since July 22, 2015 (253 shows). Trey teased Under Pressure in Simple. During the soundcheck, Beth was briefly sung by Trey and Knuckle Bone Broth Avenue contained Shipwreck quotes as well as If I Only Had A Brain teases from Trey and Mike.
Soundcheck: Jam, The 9th Cube, Stash
SET 1: Chalk Dust Torture -> Wilson > Sand > Plasma, Theme From the Bottom > Back on the Train, Sigma Oasis -> Cities > More
SET 2: Axilla (Part II) > Soul Planet > Down with Disease > Ruby Waves > Down with Disease > Ghost > Harry Hood
ENCORE: Sleeping Monkey > Free
Soul Planet contained a tease of Dave's Energy Guide from Trey and a tease of Dog Log from Mike. Trey teased Midnight Rider in the first Down with Disease and No Quarter in Ghost. Shipwreck was quoted in Sleeping Monkey. Mike teased Dave's Energy Guide in Free.
PINE KNOB RECAP: WE MOVE THROUGH STORMY WEATHER
[Phish.net thanks Chris Vetoulis for writing this recap. -Ed.]
Living in this tube, we are safe. We are free. Our escape begins before the first notes are played. From the time our last moment of responsibility ends, our eyes suddenly open and we gaze in a world of fantasy, where our imaginations expand beyond the constraints of our day-to-day. The feelings weren’t forgotten, and an overwhelming sense of gratitude flows in as we realize we have the chance to do this once again.
BLOSSOM RECAP: CUYA-WHOA-GA!
[We would like to thank Aaron Presuhn (@presuhn) for volunteering to recap last night's show and agreeing to recap it even though, last minute, he wasn't able to attend the show. -Ed.]
Cuya-WHOA-ga. Yeah, it’s cheesy. I don’t care. I like cheese and that title amuses me. Accept it and move on. I LOVE Blossom. It’s been one of my favorite venues since my first show there in 2010, and the only show I haven’t seen there since is 2015. It’s also the 19th anniversary of my first festival, IT.
But alas, I’m not there tonight. So this review is from the comfort of my couch. Lights off, volume loud, and (relatively. kinda. ehh maybe not) sober. The crowd energy, friend reactions, venue ambiance…none of those impressions are there. And I’m kinda pissed about it. But such is life. The perfect confluence of f**kery conspired to prevent my attendance tonight, and it sucks. Oh well. Here are my thoughts.
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Soundcheck: Heavy Rotation (performed multiple times)
SET 1: I Never Needed You Like This Before, Everything's Right, Kill Devil Falls[1] > Camel Walk, Stash, Bouncing Around the Room, My Friend, My Friend[2] > David Bowie, Carini > No Men In No Man's Land -> Twist, Drift While You're Sleeping
Kill Devil Falls was unfinished. My Friend's ending did not contain the "Myfe" lyric. Trey teased Freeway Jam in Kill Devil Falls. Carini contained a full-band tease of Low Rider. Due to the combination of an extended delay to the start of the show from lightning and a curfew for the venue, setbreak was canceled. Trey dedicated Bug to Jovi who was in attendance and had previously joined him on stage to sing the song earlier in the year during his solo acoustic performance in Grand Rapids.
FANS SUPPORT $11K IN MUSIC EDUCATION ALONGSIDE PHISH TOUR
In celebration of Phish’s 34 shows this spring and summer, The Mockingbird Foundation has announced that it is sending an unsolicited $1,000 Tour Grant to a music program near each venue at which Phish performs. The grants are part of a long-standing effort to help bring music from the Phish community to the local communities that Phish touches.
These are the 21st round of unsolicited Tour Grants awarded, an effort that now totals over $200,000, which is 9.0% of all disbursements made by the Foundation. Continuing the celebration, additional Tour Grants will be announced through the end of the summer. The recipients announced thus far are:
- LeFlore High School | Mobile, AL | The Wharf Amphitheatre | 5/27, 5/28, 5/29
- Haut Gap Middle School | Johns Island, SC | Credit One Stadium | 5/21, 6/1
- Brookside Elementary School 54 | Indianapolis, IN | Ruoff Music Center | 6/3, 6/4, 6/5
- Mansfield High School | Mansfield, MA | Xfinity Center | 7/14, 7/15
- Orono High School | Orono, ME | Maine Savings Amphitheater | 7/16
- Grover Washington, Jr. Middle School | Philadelphia, PA | TD Pavilion at the Mann | 7/19, 7/20
- Monticello High School | Monticello, NY | Bethel Woods Center for the Arts | 7/22, 7/23
- Weaver High School | Hartford, CT | Xfinity Theatre | 7/24
- Bayside High School | Bayside, NY | Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater | 7/26, 7/27
- Vance County High School | Henderson, NC | Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek | 7/29
- Landsdowne Middle School | Halethorpe, MD | Merriweather Post Pavilion | 7/30, 7/31
MPP2 RECAP: TIME TO MULL OVER YOUR EXPECTATIONS
[We would like to thank Brandy Davis user @smilercontrol (@inkandbrandy on IG) for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]
TLDR: A rocking show with a party of a first set and great chops throughout. A perfect start with a 14 minute "A Wave of Hope." Fun but straightforward jams in "AC/DC Bag" and "Back on the Train". "Mull" gets very interesting, "Foam" is beautifully executed, and the "Ghost" really goes some spooky places and finally gives the first set the peak it's been asking for. Second set has all the meat in the third quarter's "Tweezer" > "Wingsuit" > "Tweezer" > "Birds of a Feather" segment which is well worth a good listen. "Joy" cools things down for a beautifully played "Taste" and a powerful "What's the Use?". "The Howling" > "Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S." are a nice combo to end the set. Fine but unremarkable 3-song encore.
Clouds fill the sky and turn down the heat in Columbia, MD as expectations for typical Sunday show greatness at Merriweather Post Pavillion fill the parking garages and the largest shakedown I've ever seen at this venue. No one is going to let a little rain dampen this day! It comes and goes lightly all afternoon and throughout the show (lawn girl here) but never gets too much to handle. A welcome change from the sweltering heat of weekend shows prior. I have brought my 16 month old on this weekend ride (don't judge me, she did great!), and this kept me bound to the top of the hill with all the other little ragers for the first set. Sight lines are a little better up there now with the newly raised roof, and the sound is definitely at a lower volume but still nice and clear. Little B enjoyed a few songs and then fell asleep somewhere in the middle of first set, leaving me a little more free for note taking and absorbing the music.
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MPP1 RECAP: [REDACTED] AND NUMBER LINES
[We would like thank Michael Ayers, user @yhgtbfkm, for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]
I’ve mentioned before that one of my favorite aspects of Phish shows (aside from the music) is the people watching. Outside of the usual cast of characters you might happen to run into, one thing that’s always interested me is the groups of friends that attend shows together. I can’t recall which year at Dick’s it was, but one year in front of me were a group of 8-10 folks all wearing matching t-shirts with their names and the number of shows they had attended (I assumed) on the back. I remember thinking how cool that was, to have a group of friends like that. I grew up in a small town in the Midwest, so I didn’t know anyone who liked Phish as much as I did. I knew people who knew who they were, but most everyone else was into either nu metal or country. That is, until I met [Redacted] (who asked to not be named as he’s embarrassed to be my friend and, quite frankly, I can’t blame him).
We met back when I was in college. We were both members of a peer-to-peer music sharing service called Soulseek where you could share your music collection with others and download what they had. After downloading the Phish shows that he had that I didn’t and vice versa, we exchanged messages and the rest, as they say, is history.
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WALNUT CREEK RECAP: BIG BLACK FURRY PIPER FROM MARS
[We would like to thank users @Kerstenb and Suzydrano (Suzy Barros, @suzydrano on Twitter) for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]
We arrived together, friends since we were six, 28 years since our first show at Walnut Creek.
The moist heat smacked us in the face like a used spa towel, but once we strolled through the dusty lot to arrive at the venue, we were home. Even the stairs to the lawn provoked memories that we endeavored to locate throughout the years.
This was a show that required some recognition. Suzy’s 225th show, Kersten’s kids’ first show, our fifth Walnut Creek show together, friends and family scattered across the audience---hard to find on the packed lawn)---running into random people and finding out they're from our tiny home town in rural North Carolina. Of course, conversation quickly drifted to the memorable 1997 show, when the deluge turned the lawn into a mudpit, Kersten’s parents were at their first show, and her brother was featured prominently on the jumbotron as he danced, shirtless and wild.
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THE FINAL HURRAH
Phish debuted “The Final Hurrah” on Halloween, as the sixth song on a made-up album by an invented Scandinavian rock band, with glowing squares dangling over the audience while Page sang "I am in a square, dangling in mid-air." That could be the setup for something awesome, terrible, or just weird - and "The Final Hurrah" has some of each....
Mockingbird Tops $2m In Grants!
The all-volunteer Mockingbird Foundation has announced fourteen (14) new grants totaling $109,850. They were selected from among 883 initial applicants, and winnowed through a highly competitive, two-tiered review process, Mockingbird's 27th round of competitive grantmaking since 1996.
The winning grants include schools, community centers, and nonprofits in ten states, providing a diverse range of support to a variety of programs serving a number of different target populations. These grants were made possible by generous giving from Phish, WaterWheel, and thousands of Phish fans like yourself, and bring the fan-run nonprofit's historical giving to 549 grants totaling $2,093,507.40.
Register Now For Golf In Denver!
Registration is now open for the Seventh Annual Runaway Open charity golf tournament for Phish fans, to be held in Denver 9/3/22 (the morning between the first 2 and second 2 shows of the upcoming Labor Day's run at Dick's.) We'll have to up 120 players this time, with a shotgun start at 8:30, coffee and a group photo to get you started, on-course contests, raffles at the clubhouse, lunch and gift bags included, and more TBA.
Every previous year has sold out, and built a waiting list that we couldn't satisfy, so please register early. To encourage that, we're honoring our past pricing of a $150 donation per player until Memorial Day. From May 30 to August 20, the donatoin request jumps a bit to $165; and for the final two weeks before the event, late registration will be $180.
We're also inviting a range of sponsorship opportunities, including item donations for the gift bags, sponsored team names, sponsored hole signs, sponsored foursomes, and if anyone knows a business interested in the visibility, event sponsorship ("Presented by..." on all collateral and future promo.)
Mockingbird Supports Sunset Park
The Mockingbird Foundation has announced an unsolicited $1,000 tour grant to Sunset Park High School in Brooklyn, in celebration of Phish's ongoing four-show run at Madison Square Garden. This is the only NYU Partnership high school in Brooklyn. Of the students, 92% are minority and 85% are economically disadvantaged. It's also right down the street from a mass shooting that happened less than two weeks ago.
RISE/COME TOGETHER
Depending on your occupation, avocation, or academic background, odds are good that writing about math and numbers is not a focus. A career counselor might’ve probed your algebraic aptitudes and sure, if you checked the right boxes, you might find yourself in the role of a unit forecaster, a number-crunching investigative journalist covering exchange rates or commodity futures, or maybe even a bohemian poet/numerologist. The insurance and finance industries also have a place for the number-focused thinker in the occupational role of actuary. An actuary leverages math and statistics to derive a financial value from the measurement of risk and uncertainty....
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