MOCKINGBIRD'S BAKER'S DOZEN #12
In celebration of Phish's 13-show run at Madison Square Garden, the Mockingbird Foundation is announcing 13 unsolicited "miracle grants" supporting music programs across the country. Each board member identified their favorite Phish show, and we found a worthy music education program nearby, part of the Foundation's long-standing Tour Grants program. We're presenting these 13 special grants chronologically, based on the dates of those favorited shows.
Board member Adam Scheinberg picked the 7/8/99 show in Virginia Beach, VA -- an underrated show which included a legendary "Fee" and an amazing "BOAF" -- and we've sent a $1,500 grant check to nearby Landstown Middle School. to support the LMS Orchestra.
MOCKINGBIRD'S BAKER'S DOZEN #11
In celebration of Phish's 13-show run at Madison Square Garden, the Mockingbird Foundation is announcing 13 unsolicited "miracle grants" supporting music programs across the country. Each board member identified their favorite Phish show, and we found a worthy music education program nearby, part of the Foundation's long-standing Tour Grants program. We're presenting these 13 special grants chronologically, based on the dates of those favorited shows.
Board member Dan Purcell picked the 10/31/98 show in Las Vegas, NV:
It's the best concert I've ever seen, never mind the best Phish show. The first set has its merits -- a then-rare "Sneaking Sally" and a set-closing "Mike's Groove" that careens into the guardrail and back onto the track by the slimmest of margins. But the second set is Phish's most successful Halloween project, with only the sui generis Haunted House and its much bigger budget having an argument. Confronted with making a full set out of a 40-minute album, Phish expands Loaded far past its runtime. Performing the Velvet Underground's friendliest record with care and raging energy, they go fairly far out on "Sweet Jane," "Rock and Roll," and -- least expected and most gratifying of all -- "Lonesome Cowboy Bill," sung by Fish from behind his kit, no vacuum in sight. The message was clear: this was no joke. The closing "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'" had us looking around for someone to hug like Jim Valvano. I have never seen chaos at a Phish show like the concourse and bathrooms after that set, not even on the hillside at Great Woods or the muddy bottoms of Coventry.
If that wasn't enough, and it never is, the abbreviated third set brought the sheer terror that we require on Halloween. A half-hour take on "Wolfman's Brother," sung by Trey from under a wolfman mask, the long jam a low, faint hum peppered by whispered threats and moments of brutality. Resolving into "Piper" lightened the mood a touch but the slower build to the chorus felt less like ecstasy and more like running through the woods to escape something formless and terrible. They ran out of time to do much with their then-mission statement "Ghost," Trey stalking off dejectedly over a digital delay loop. But we had seen behind the curtain; we were ready to head back. "Sleeping Monkey" returned us to the world of flesh, and the "Tweezer Reprise" left over from the night before blew us out the doors and into the brisk neon desert night.
In honor of this magnificent evening, Mockingbird is sending a $1,500 grant check to the nearby Victoria Fertitta Middle School Firebird Band.
MSG10 RECAP: O HOLY GROOVE
[Recap of last night's show courtesy of Nathan Tobey, user @IcculusFTW.]
Check phone for donut announcement Tweet.
HOLES. What could it meannnnn!?
Will they play “In A Hole” for real this time? Would that be too obvious? But weren’t “Harpua” and “Cinnamon Girl” obvious? Wait, does anyone but me care if they play “In A Hole?”
Also, those donuts look super tasty. Ah, what this triumphant run does to our minds.
“Baker’s Dozen” – taken together with the astonishing mini-run that led up to it -- has produced one of the most consistently thrilling runs in the band’s 34 year history. Just when Americans seem to be losing faith in, well, nearly everything – the world apart of Phish is exactly the opposite. Night after night, a band that – by any normal standard of band longevity should have long since become a nostalgia act -- is giving us new reasons to believe. And yes, last night, on August 2, 2017, they did it again.
ICYMI: PHISHY BAKER'S DOZEN PERIODIC TABLE
A Phishy Baker's Dozen Periodic Table has been making the rounds, and the version current through 8/2/2017, created by Tyler Kreshover (user @phuck_you_22), appears below. The inspiration for it came from The Elements of Phish poster, created years ago by El Del Ink, and still available for sale, here.
MSG9 RECAP: STEEPED IN MAPLE
[We would like to thank Dr. Stephanie Jenkins, Ph.D., a professor of Phish, for this recap.]
Since the announcement of the Baker’s Dozen residency dates, Phish fans have speculated about ways the band might pay homage to the Grateful Dead during last night's August 1st show, which fell on Jerry Garcia’s 75th birthday. The revelation of Tuesday’s maple-flavored donut did not diminish fans’ hopes that their more than thirty-year wait for Phish’s next “Scarlet Begonias,” or debut of “Sugar Magnolia,” would come to an end. Some argued that the maple composition of Jerry’s Wolf guitar would elicit early 1970’s-inspired Dead covers. Rumors that Bob Weir was in the building also spread like wildfire before the show. Instead, with their ninth of thirteen shows at Madison Square Garden, Phish offered fans two Maple-themed debuts, an unprecedented "Steep" jam, and a comparatively mellow, yet crowd-pleasing, set list. Nine shows and 161 songs into the Baker’s Dozen, Phish continues its “no repeats” streak in a historic residency that has been un-jading vets one night at a time.
MOCKINGBIRD'S BAKER'S DOZEN #10
In celebration of Phish's 13-show run at Madison Square Garden, the Mockingbird Foundation is announcing 13 unsolicited "miracle grants" supporting music programs across the country. Each board member identified their favorite Phish show, and we found a worthy music education program nearby, part of the Foundation's long-standing Tour Grants program. We're presenting these 13 special grants chronologically, based on the dates of those favorited shows.
Board member Scott Marks picked the 4/3/98 show in Uniondale, NY, and we're sending a $1,500 grant check to nearby Uniondale High School.
MOCKINGBIRD'S BAKER'S DOZEN #9
In celebration of Phish's 13-show run at Madison Square Garden, the Mockingbird Foundation is announcing 13 unsolicited "miracle grants" supporting music programs across the country. Each board member identified their favorite Phish show, and we found a worthy music education program nearby, part of the Foundation's long-standing Tour Grants program. We're presenting these 13 special grants chronologically, based on the dates of those favorited shows. Here's #9...
There’s no denying the power of music, no matter what kind of music that speaks to your ears and soul, it is an influential force in life. As a country for years, we have seen a decrease in many federally funded programs, one of the most critical from my perspective is reduction in support of arts and music education. I am not a musician, or an artist as my brain strengths are more dominant on the scientific and analytical side, however, I have great admiration of those who create art and music, and respect for those who teach it to our upcoming generations. I am thrilled to be a part of the Mockingbird Foundation and on the Board of the Directors and have the honor of selecting an organization to a ‘miracle’ grant in my home state of North Carolina.
The recipient of this $1,500 grant is Easton Elementary School Music Program in Winston Salem, NC, honoring one of my favorite shows, 11/23/97 at the LJVM Coliseum. In selecting this program, the teachers interviewed were passionate about providing the smallest experimental education to their students, who are often under privileged. As a teacher, hearing comments such as a fourth grader telling you, you are the best thing that has ever happened to their school, and she made music “come back” to them has to be rewarding. Those are some touching words to come from a fourth grader! The grant will help fund classroom instrumentation and a microphone for singing.
MSG8 RECAP: GOING OFF-BOOK
[We would like to thank Jeremy Levine, @Franklin, for writing the recap of last night's show.]
The Baker’s Dozen has felt like a weird jamband version of "Chopped." High stakes, themed sets, and more and more songs off the table with each passing night (presumably) means that they have to make something new and inventive in the face of confounding restrictions. Yesterday, when Phish opened its basket to reveal Rainbow Jimmies, expectations and predictions started to heat up. “The Squirming Coil” seemed like it was off the table after having been played the first night (7/21), but we could still be up for “Runaway Jim,” “Harpua,” something from Hendrix, Jimmy Page, or Quadrophenia, plus “Rainbow Connection,” “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” or any other curve balls the band might have in store. After hearing about "Chocolate Rain," a thirty-minute "Lawn Boy," and the legendary spicy chicken sandwiches at Section 119, I couldn’t wait to see what Phish would cook up for my only Baker’s Dozen show.
MYSTERY JAM MONDAY PART 285
Welcome to the 285th edition of Phish.Net's Mystery Jam Monday, the last and most difficult of July. The winner will receive an MP3 download code courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the song and date of each of the three mystery clips. The clips are connected by a theme, but the theme needn't be part of the correct answer – though it should help you get there. Each person gets one guess to start – if no one guesses correctly, I will post a hint on Tuesday around 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET, after which each person gets one more guess before the correct answer is revealed on Wednesday around 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Good luck!
Hint:
Even though I sat at home, I did not miss last Sunday's show.
Nor buy a ticket, just for face; nor watch the webcast! No, Your Grace...
While on the same day these clips fell,
not Sunday! The real theme shows its spell...
Answer: I guess there aren't as many GoT fans out there as I thought – the Sunday show to which I was referring, Your Grace, is of course Game of Thrones. All three of these clips did fall on the same day, Saturday, and the real theme is the Sunday show the clips spell: 11/7/98 "Ghost," 10/2/99 "On Your Way Down," and 10/7/00 "Twist." With this win, the Blog is now old enough to drink legally in the US! Given the recent light participation on the MJM, for the month of August, we'll stick with easier MJMs. Stay tuned for MJM286 on Monday.
MOCKINGBIRD'S BAKER'S DOZEN #8
In celebration of Phish's 13-show run at Madison Square Garden, the Mockingbird Foundation is announcing 13 unsolicited "miracle grants" supporting music programs across the country. Each board member identified their favorite Phish show, and we found a worthy music education program nearby, part of the Foundation's long-standing Tour Grants program. We're presenting these 13 special grants chronologically, based on the dates of those favorited shows.
Board member Matt Sexauer picked the 8/16/96 show in Plattsburgh, NY - the first night of the Clifford Ball (not counting the 8/15 soundcheck), which was the first of Phish's one-band festivals (not counting Amy's Farm). The three-set show featured an acoustic mini-setup, six noteworthy jams, and fireworks to end "Hood", all followed by the 3:30 a.m. "Flatbed Truck" escapade.
In recognition of that foundational experience, we're sending a $1,500 grant check to nearby Plattsburgh High School to support foundational experiences in music education. With this check, Mockingbird has given over $100K in Tour Grants alone, and 331 total grants!
MSG 7 RECAP: CINNAMON - 7/29/2017
Phish.net welcomes Tim Kelleher - @timkell - to recap Night 7 of the Baker's Dozen.
We’ve made it through a good number of donuts, and here on night seven of The Baker’s Dozen our long anticipated cinnamon donut gets the call - Cinnamon Glazed to be precise. There’s been so much great music so far, I’m no longer the least bit anxious about whether we will see a good show each night. These are going to be good. And we will be happy. This much I know.
MOCKINGBIRD'S BAKER'S DOZEN #7
In celebration of Phish's 13-show run at Madison Square Garden, the Mockingbird Foundation is announcing 13 unsolicited "miracle grants" supporting music programs across the country. Each board member identified their favorite Phish show, and we found a worthy music education program nearby, part of the Foundation's long-standing Tour Grants program. We're presenting these 13 special grants chronologically, based on the dates of those favorited shows.
I picked the 12/31/95 show in New York, NY, but not because it's my "favorite." The Mockingbird Foundation is sending a $1,500 grant check to nearby Education Through Music, and I hope they appreciate the funds.
Plenty has already been written about the 12/31/95 show, including by me (my old review from early '96 is here, on the site, along with my Phish Companion review as well). I don't actually have a "favorite" Phish show, even a favorite show seen, because I can't rank my most transcendent musical experiences above each other. I'm also THRILLED with Phish RIGHT NOW, ON THIS TOUR, and eager to hear what they'll do next, and just don't have the patience to revisit a show that's been legendary for decades already, when I believe we're in the midst of a legendary run, not only in Phish history, but possibly in rock and roll history as well, RIGHT NOW. $0.02.
MSG 6 RECAP: DOUBLE CHOCOLATE - THESE TITLES WRITE THEMSELVES
Welcome to Show 6 and Week 2 of The Baker’s Dozen! No need for a prosaic introduction today. We know the score. Phish is 10-0 this summer, with victories coming ever more decisively as the season grinds on. We are excited. In a time when the world may be going just a little crazy around us, we’ve got a rock of creativity, joy, and fun in the here and now.
While New York has long been known first and foremost for its donut culture, and fans have especially embraced the wide and wonderful world of this fried confectionary, let’s keep in mind that there are some other things that one might rightfully associate with The City, and it would be doing a disservice to allow tBD to pass without coloring and flavoring our reviews with some of these (admittedly slightly less quintessentially New York) items. So if you like your metaphors mixed and your jam descriptions jumbled, Dear Readers, do continue.
CHARITY GOLF FOR PHANS, AGAIN
This year's Runaway Open will take place Saturday, September 2nd at Buffalo Run Golf Course in Commerce City, one of the nicer of the dozens of courses in the Denver area, and among the shortest driving distances to Dick's Sporting Goods Arena, where Phish is playing that weekend.
MOCKINGBIRD'S BAKER'S DOZEN #6
In celebration of Phish's 13-show run at Madison Square Garden, the Mockingbird Foundation is announcing 13 unsolicited "miracle grants" supporting music programs across the country. Each board member identified their favorite Phish show, and we found a worthy music education program nearby, part of the Foundation's long-standing Tour Grants program. We're presenting these 13 special grants chronologically, based on the dates of those favorited shows.
Board member Jack Lebowitz picked the 12/9/95 show in Albany, NY, a classic '95 show with a must-hear YEM, a silent jam, and a Beavis and Butthead doll. We're sending a $1,500 grant check to nearby City School District of Albany.
Phish.net
The Mockingbird Foundation