Located upon the shores of Onondaga Lake in Geddes N.Y., Lakeview Amphitheater, an extension of the Empire Expo Center (home to the Great New York State Fair) is situated six miles northeast of Syracuse. Constructed upon a superfund site, the venue, which opened in September of 2015, is wide and expansive (the grounds boast a capacity of 17,500) and affords striking, panoramic views of the water and the surrounding hillsides.

For all its natural beauty, however, the site is subject to scrutiny. The immediate grounds purportedly rest upon somewhere between one- and two-feet of new soil and grass. Unfortunately, hazards abound. Because the land is still undergoing "remediation," concert-goers are advised to avoid not just drinking the water, but to avoid the water, as in, generally. So while it may be okay to go "Sneaking Sally Through the Alley," county officials recommend that fans avoid entering the site’s surrounding bush.

Photo by @raidcehlalred

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Welcome to the 230th edition of Mystery Jam Monday! Continuing with our Hall of Fame Series, where we welcome one of our eight, seven-time MJM winners into the *high-tech* MJM recording studio, and let that Emeritus winner select the tracks for this week's competition. For week 4 of this Emeritus Series, we welcome MJM savant @ghostboogie, the fourth person forced into mandatory retirement after notching his seventh MJM victory.

To win, be the first person to identify the song and date of each of the three mystery jam clips, and answer what they share in common. Each person gets one attempt per day, with the second “day” starting after the Blog posts the hint -- each answer should contain three songs / dates, along with the commonality between them. No sharing or trading of answers is allowed. A hint will be posted on Tuesday if necessary, with the answer to follow on Wednesday. The winner will receive one MP3 code good for a free download of any show, courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. Good luck, and thanks again to @ghostboogie for hosting this fourth week of the MJM Hall of Fame Series.

Hint:

Answer: Congrats to @morgentown on his third win! He deciphered the hint, which alluded to the theme connecting this week's clips: jams played in venues that now have different names. In fact, Phish played these three venues this summer! The jams were the 8/2/98 "Ghost" (from Deer Creek Klipsch Music Center), the 12/8/99 "Piper" (from CCCC Cross Insurance Arena), and the 6/30/00 "Halley's Comet" (from The Meadows XFINITY Theatre). Special thanks to MJM Emeritus @ghostboogie for the sweet jams and the awesome puzzle, and we'll see you next week when @PersnicketyJim takes the reins.

[Editor's Note: We'd like to welcome guest contributor David Goldstein for this recap.]

For individuals of a heady persuasion, the Summer of 1995 was a morass of mixed emotions, to say the least. Uniformly excellent Phish concerts dovetailed with uniformly awful Grateful Dead ones; the now infamous “tour from hell” that culminated in the only possible way it could have. But for the rock starved kids of Connecticut, 1995 was also notable for another type of live music milestone; The Meadows Music Theatre in Hartford was officially open for business. Epic drives to outdoor sheds in New Jersey or Massachusetts were no longer entirely necessary; now Nutmeg State high schoolers had a parking lot of their very own in which to get into Zima-fueled fist fights before Dave Matthews shows. I was 16 years old at the time and felt like I spent every weekend there camped out on the lawn catching up on the classic rock cannon; The Allman Brothers, Santana, Doobies, Steve Miller Band, and every post-Jerry incarnation of The Dead imaginable, including the first Furtherfest, which left me permanently scarred because not only did I watch the entire show next to a hippie mom intent on sharing bowls with her 9-year-old son, but Mickey Hart “rapped” Fire on the Mountain.

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Twenty-two years ago tonight at Great Woods, Phish played a legendary show that contained the final live performance of the complete Gamehendge saga. While the 2016 summer tour so far has not come close to living up to that level, the memory of that night and many other amazing nights in Mansfield had fans hopeful that this would be the show to turn it all around.

And it was. Phish played two sets replete with compelling jams that easily made this the show of the tour so far.

A relatively standard “Party Time” opened, letting the crowd know that it was indeed party time. “46 Days” followed, played at a slightly slower tempo than usual, but with an inspired, bluesy solo from Trey. The band then took a quick jaunt through “Poor Heart” and a surprisingly fierce “The Dogs” to tie a bow on the warm-up portion of the show.

“Bathtub Gin” is where things got serious. The band slowly eased into the jam, but driven by a relentless attack on the drums by Fishman, quickly reached an anthemic peak. Trey then switched to a lower more growling tone on his guitar to back off a bit, letting Page poke his head up, but then reasserted himself, grabbing the reins and driving to another peak to wrap up the jam. After the energy expended dancing to “Gin,” “Fast Enough for You” was a beautiful cooldown.

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[Editor's Note: We'd like to welcome friend of the site and taper of many a Phish video,@LazyLightning55 for this recap.]

Last night, Phish made their return to the lovely city of Portland, Maine after a seven year absence, for their seventh show at the arena formerly known as the Cumberland County Civic Center. A small crew of us took in the sounds from dead center on the floor in what'd be the 20th row if there were seats.

“Grind” kicks off the festivities as I’m asked whose birthday it is. Maybe one of Fish’s 12 kids? I don't know. Always nice to hear, though and, of course, impressed to see how high these guys can REALLY count. “Cars Trucks Buses” makes its yearly appearance in a setlist, as Page’s lead gets the crowd grooving. “Blaze On” follows and is solid - Garry now has the sound dialed in, and Trey seems very happy onstage and has fun with it. Next up is “Yarmouth Road,” which whose namesake exists in basically half the towns and streets in New England, so is apropos at any venue northeast of New York City.

Photo © Derek Gregory

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Happy Fourth of July and welcome to the 229th edition of Mystery Jam Monday! This week, we continue with our Hall of Fame Series, where we hand the keys to the MJM command center over to one of the eight seven-time MJM winners. For week 3 of this Emeritus Series, we welcome an MJM savant and host emeritus, @bl002e, the third person forced into mandatory retirement after notching his seventh MJM victory.

To win, be the first person to identify the song and date of each of the three mystery jam clips, and answer what they share in common. Each person gets one attempt per day, with the second “day” starting after the Blog posts the hint -- each answer should contain three songs / dates, along with the commonality between them. No sharing or trading of answers is allowed. A hint will be posted on Tuesday if necessary, with the answer to follow on Wednesday. The winner will receive two MP3 codes good for free downloads of any two shows, courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. Good luck, and thanks again to @bl002e for hosting this third week of the MJM Hall of Fame Series.

NOTE: @ucpete's MJM: Championship Edition from last week still hasn't been solved, despite a hint and a week since it was posted, and he has opened up the competition to all comers now. With no time-limit, surely someone will be able to solve it and take home yet another download code... right? Listen here, but leave your answer in the comments on the blog below.

Answer: Congratulations to @soul_shakedown who wins his first MJM and two download codes by identifying the Lemonwheel Soundcheck Jam, the Coventry Soundcheck Jam, and the Magnaball Soundcheck Jam and of course, the 1.0 / 2.0 / 3.0 Soundcheck Jams theme that connected the three. Thanks to former MJM host @bl002e for reprising his role. Next week's host, @ghostboogie, is not only busy picking clips that will stump you, but he's also closing in on the solution to the MJM: Championship Edition. No one wants to try to give him a run for his money?

By Craig Hillwig

Phish closed out their three-night run at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center with their 20th show at this historic outdoor venue. There are few places as lovely as downtown Saratoga Springs on a summer weekend, with its eclectic mix of boutique shops, gourmet restaurants, and seedy looking motor lodges. And when Phish is in town, the hilarious intermingling of fans with the wedding parties, family reunions and church gatherings that typically frequent this tony Upstate New York vacation spot always makes me wonder why on earth they would ever invite us back.

Ample sunshine and comfortable breezes set the stage for a lazy Sunday, as we rallied for a New Orleans style brunch at Hattie’s with old friends and new. The perfect weather also made for a vibrant lot scene, with fans in high (and, unlike Friday, dry) spirits. We pulled with ease into the Gideon Putnam lot, where more old friends greeted us with open arms and open coolers. Tailgating under the shade of the tall trees, our anticipation grew as regaled each other with lore of legendary Sunday shows of yesteryear. And then came the show.

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[Editor's Note: We'd like to welcome Mockingbird Foundation Board Member Matt Sexauer for this recap.]

If you weren’t able to make it to Saratoga, were unavailable to couch tour the webcast, or you were way back on the SPAC lawn, here’s the recap of what you missed for Phish’s second outing of their semi-annual 3-night July 4th holiday SPAC run.

The show opened with a well-performed “Crowd Control." Across social media this tune seemed inevitable to open a show and now was the time. Was it because of Fish’s Bernie donuts? Was it due to the slightly delayed start time to help herd the audience into the venue? Either way, excitement was high, as this tune has served as an omen of a raging show in the past. Listen to this version for Trey’s prowess in melodious soloing.

"Divided Sky" - Photo © Derek Gregory

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I love SPAC.

The lawn, the lot. The park, the palace. The people. It’s a homecoming, almost as regular on the 3.0 schedule as Dick’s. It’s a thing. The only time we don’t get SPAC is when there’s a festival, and that is wholly forgivable.

It wasn’t always that way. This is a 3.0 tour development. Prior to this run, Phish had played here 17 times -- 16 headliners and an opener for Santana -- but only thrice in 1.0. Our more-or-less annual independence jaunt to ‘Toga is a new staple on the calendar, relatively speaking. The toney town might not have worked for us in the mid-to-late ‘90s. Or, more likely, the stop did not make sense if we were annually festivaling in the region. But for now, this is a town with not only a pool and a pond, but also springs, and a spa. And in recent years, our traveling contingent has been warmly welcomed to whichever of the above we can afford.

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The trajectory of this summer tour has been a little different than it was at this point in 2015. Sure, after five shows this summer we have been treated to a bunch of cool things. The band has kicked down a batch of rarities and bust-outs (particularly enjoyable were “I Am The Walrus”, “Dear Prudence”, and “I Found a Reason”), debuted a remarkable cover in “Space Oddity” and graced us with new Phish songs in “Things People Do”, “Breath and Burning,” and “Miss You."

In addition, there have been a small handful of noteworthy or Jam Chart worthy songs so far (most notably the fantastic “Twist” from Wrigley) but they are coming at a far slower and more measured pace than in 2015. So while Summer 2015 came out of the gates fiercely and quickly, this summer has been a bit more subdued with solid shows yet nothing (yet) that has arisen to the greatness of last summer. Fortunately, Phish can and does turn on a dime and gave glimpses of 2015’s excellence last night in the “Breath and Burning” jam. Mann2 last year was most certainly one of highlights of the summer, and the band loves playing Philadelphia, so many fans of course had high hopes for a repeat of last year’s night 2 at this classic shed.

Photo by Rene Huemer. From @Phish_FTR.

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[Editor's Note: We'd like to welcome guest contributor Dianna Hank for this recap.]

Last night at The Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, PA, Phish decided to show up to their own tour. Now, I’m not saying that there haven’t been good parts of the last 4 shows, it’s just that there hasn’t felt like there was that much cohesiveness between the band members, or flow to setlists. There are certainly things to take away from those shows and jams I will listen to again, but last night was the complete package.

Photo by 215music

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Hi, everybody. TPC3 here to tell you how my summer is going.

I will say my biggest milestone of the summer so far is that I was, like, born. It's good to be out of the womb and into the world but the indignity of the pink safety seat was a bit much to abide. Fortunately, I grew up fast.

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Welcome to the 228th edition of Mystery Jam Monday. This week, we continue with our Hall of Fame Series, when we hand the keys to the MJM command center over to one of the now eight, seven-time MJM winners. For week 2 of this Emeritus Series, we welcome @pauly, the second person forced into mandatory, early retirement after notching his seventh MJM victory.

To Win: Be the first person to identify the song and date of each of the five mystery jam clips, and answer what they share in common. Each person gets one attempt per day, with the second “day” starting after the Blog posts the hint -- each answer should contain five songs / dates, along with the commonality between them. No sharing or trading of answers is allowed. A hint will be posted on Tuesday if necessary, with the answer to follow on Wednesday. The winner will receive an MP3 code good for a free download of any show, courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. Good luck, and thanks again to @pauly for hosting this second week of the MJM Hall of Fame Series.

NOTE: As a thank you and congratulatory gesture from @ucpete to his (new) MJM Emeritus brethren, he's opted to forfeit his winning code from last week and instead will allow the other MJM Hall of Fame winners to scrap for it in a special MJM: Championship Edition. If one of the MJM Emeritus winners takes down the MJM: Championship Edition, he will win the extra code. If all Hall of Famers fail to take home the extra code, but someone else solve's @pauly's MJM, that winner will take home two codes. The MJM Emeritus winners will refrain from answering MJM 228, and the weekly guessing crew will return the favor by not spoiling the MJM: Championship Edition, but both groups should use the comments section to provide their answers.

@RabeldyNugs, @pauly, @ghostboogie, @bl002e, @PersnicketyJim, @mcgrupp81, and @yunkfunk:>>> MJM: Championship Edition <<<

Hint for MJM 228:

Hint for MJM: Championship Edition: .gnihtemos lleps sMJM tsoM

Answer: It took a five-part, super difficult MJM to get there, but for only the 16th time, the Blog (c/o@pauly) has won! The name of the guy in the picture is "Pauly," just like the MJM savant of yesteryear. The clips?

Piper - 9/17/99
After Midnight - 5/31/11
Undermind - 8/15/11
LA Woman - 12/30/03
You Enjoy Myself - 4/29/94

While the Emeritus crew did a great job stumping the regulars this week, they clearly couldn't handle a taste of their own medicine and didn't even muster a single guess or answer for any of the three clips! So let's do it this way: anyone who can solve the MJM: Championship Edition will win the code I put up for adoption last week -- submit your answer in the comments any time. And next week, we'll play for two more codes regardless. The MJM:CE triple clip (over on SoundButt) already has a hint, and there's nothing dirty about it -- it's three Phish jams from regular shows in wide circulation. Thanks for playing, and we'll see you next week for the next iteration of the MJM Hall of Fame series.

As we’re now in Phish’s eighth year of their modern incarnation (can you believe it?!), one pattern that has emerged is that the early shows of their summer campaign are mainly used as laboratories for the band, as they attempt to re-assert themselves in new ways on stage while “playing themselves into shape,” so to speak.

This is not to say that they don’t practice before tours or that these shows cannot be entertaining in their own rights (for example, the tremendous 7/24/15 show was the fourth of last summer, and both Wrigley shows and St. Paul had their share of pleasures), as much as it the acknowledgment that a band that improvises music on stage has to do things a bit differently than a band that cranks out most of their new album and a judicious selection of their greatest hits for an hour or so before saying their goodnights. Everyone that’s following the band is waiting for the first “classic show” and “monster jam,” and I have faith that both are coming, while being excited about the shows and jams they’ve given us this year.

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Here at Phish.net, we try to tee up recaps from people who were at the show, but sometimes it just doesn't work out and we have to weigh in from the couch. This opens a writer up to the critique that negative opinions expressed are the result of jealousy and sour grapes. In this case, I have no defense to that charge. I’m jealous as all hell that I wasn’t at Wrigley Field this weekend to see the band I love perform in the cathedral that my beloved Cubs call home. Does this mean that any criticism I may be about to level is tainted and biased?

Yes, yes it does.

The first three shows of the tour have felt, to me, like...well, like the early part of a tour usually does. Warming up, stretching things out, not getting too crazy too fast. Saturday’s first set, to my ears, was that process in action. For example, let’s take a couple of standard first set tunes that have been paired seven times, but for the first time, let “Moma Dance” precede “AC/DC Bag.” Let’s mix in some newerFuego material. Let’s sing "Happy Birthday" to the legendary Dickie Scotland, and let’s take a moment to bask in the sunshine of the Friendly Confines on a gorgeous June evening and tell embarrassing stories that you may not have known about Fishman and his dedication to art. Let’s raise our hands to “The Divided Sky” and imagine we’re not on the North Side of Chicago, but in a green field, surrounding a black rhombus, and we’re about to summon something magical. And if Fish flubs the end of “Cavern,” let’s rip through “Good Times Bad Times” and end on that note instead.

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