MSG2 RECAP: THE MOMENT ENDS, AND BEGINS AGAIN
The coming of a new year has been celebrated for over 4,000 years as a moment to actively look back on the past while marking the arrival of the new. It was in 46 B.C. that Julius Caesar instituted January 1st as the first day of the year, partially as an acknowledgment of the two-faced god Janus, name-sake for January. And in 1528, Pope Gregory XIII made January 1st a religious holiday, solidifying its significance. January 1st. One-one. Essentially, this holiday is the celebration of numbers. How does one keep track of time except through numbers? Another rotation around the sun, the year clicking forward like the slow turn of an odometer. We celebrate making it through the past 365 days and welcome the next set.
Photo © @Phish_FTR
And we Phish fans are fascinated by numbers. Show dates. The number of shows seen. Gaps between times-played. The length of songs as a measuring stick. Types I and II. 1.0/2.0/3.0. Wrapping the two together, Phish concerts begun the 31st of December have always been moments of joy and spectacle. Big Cypress. The 1995 Mike’s Groove Time Factory. 1993 and the “Down With Disease Jam.” Of course, balloons were hung from the ceiling. The one additional element was an inverted cone, or funnel, suspended over the soundboard area. What was in store for 2015?
Last night marked the thirty-third time Phish played Madison Square Garden, the twentieth New Year's Eve show, and the ninth such show played at “The World’s Most Famous Arena.” And the tenth time “The Moma Dance” opened a show. The slow, loping funk of “Moma” was followed by the bounciness of “Possum,” which in turn lead to the funk of “Wolfman’s Brother.” “Wolfman’s,” while not extended, seemed to exhibit just a bit of gusto. After some pause and conversation, the band decided on a standard “Birds of a Feather.”
Photo © @Phish_FTR
A celebration of the Fishman family was to follow, with “The Man Mulcahy” demonstrating his vacuum skills on “I Didn’t Know.” Then at the request of Fishman, the crowd (and band) sang an arena-filling “Happy Birthday to You” to his daughter Ella for her 14th birthday, celebrated the day before.
“Martian Monster” was followed by standard-great version of “Reba.” Trey made it through the fugue-like middle section relatively unscathed to deliver on the “Reba” jam that some fans have compared to oxygen — hard to live without. This would mark the first of many moments throughout the evening when Trey faced skyward toward the balloons hanging with anticipation, channeling the “hose.”
Photo © @hersch
“Walls of the Cave” would close the opening set. (Interestingly, “Walls” has closed a set the last fourteen times it has been played.) As the song built to its rawkus “silent trees”close, the floor of the arena actually began to undulate. With the restrained first section and the energetic second, the song and its structure could be offered as an analog for the show as we would discover.
The second set of the evening began with “The Wedge,” followed by the crowd participatory “Wilson.” “Wilson” then transitioned into “A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing.” With Trey acknowledging the changing of time, “10 years before the mast,” “ASIHTOS” was stretched ever so slightly.
After “Yarmouth Road,” the opening notes of “Kill Devil Falls” reinforced this feel that a standard “first set” had extended deep into the second, and some fans were becoming anxious. A shift needed to occur. Little did we know that this shift would happen in “KDF” — “this time will be different” indeed. The song opened up into the first Type II territory of the evening with Mike dropping bass bombs that made the arena rumble. The jam featured a bit of “plinko” as well as this loose seven-noted repeated riff. Arguably the most exploratory “KDF” since Bonnaroo 2012. The jam dissolves into the opening notes of “Piper,” which was driving and fiery as expected — albeit on the shorter side.
With the successful shift in tenor, the band was free to open things up and the set closing “Twist” would prove to be one of the highlights of 2015 (see 7/24 and 8/12). The jam once again featured Trey staring upwards, reaching for inspiration (or at least to Cream with a couple “Strange Brew” teases). As with “KDF,” Mike would once again lead the charge, dropping meatballs and leading the band on a dark and nasty course that would feature two distinct jams. The last thirty-seven minutes of music certainly lifted everyone’s excitement for what was to come in the third set and the transition into the new year.
Photo © @Phish_FTR
As noted above, the only sign of a “gag” or spectacle was the white shape suspended over an area immediately behind the soundboard. During set break, it was observed that a drum kit was arranged and gear was introduced. It became clear the band would perform beneath the shape. It just wasn’t clear for how long, or what else would happen. Around 20 til midnight, the band took to the floor and began to play the 2015 debut “No Men In No Man’s Land.” (A confident betting man would have put money on that new fan favorite being part of the NYE festivities.) The structure of the song quickly dissolved into what could be described as sounding like a “fourth” or “secret set” — ambient, without specific structure, setting a mood rather than taking us on a journey. And while that was happening, the shape slowly began to lower itself from the ceiling while images were projected against the translucent fabric. After reaching a certain point, another section of fabric dropped from the shape and covered the band, forming an hourglass shape. The projections then began to feature an hourglass with sand marking the passage of time, with various items passing across the surface — flying wings, wolves, blocks. It was reminiscent of Terry Gilliam’s animations.
At some point with only a few minutes before Midnight, the band made a stealthy escape from below the hourglass and situated themselves on the darkened stage — they appear to have pre-recorded a piece of music to play over the PA leading into the countdown (“Thirty, “Twenty,” “Ten . . . “ booming over the speakers), as it did not appear they were performing until the balloons dropped and “Auld Lang Syne” began. A second fan favorite from 2015, the aptly titled “Blaze On” brought us all into 2016. Another highlight of the evening, as the jam freed itself into Type II territory after seven minutes, reaching a gorgeous, buttery peak. Happy New Year indeed!
The “Carini” that followed featured a short, patient section of improv in contrast to the songs darker, chaotic melody. And that section dissolved into a “David Bowie” that once again featured quite a bit of Mike, through a quiet section through a great peak before returning to “Bowie” proper.
Photo © @languagestrange
The obligatory New Year’s “The Horse” into “Silent In the Morning” (played at seven New Year’s Eve shows; “I think that this exact thing happened to me, just last year”) was a nice cool down from the earlier spectacle. The set closing “Backwards Down the Number Line” was almost as obligatory as the preceding “Silent,” with allusions to the past and birthdays, “somewhere between the past and future.”
A pairing of “Tube” and “Cavern” was offered as a feel-good encore. Even short “Tubes” work.
Last evening, twenty-six songs were played over the course of four hours. The longest song was “No Men in No Man’s Land,” clocking in at 21:32 (based on the Live Phish tracking). With the exception of “Happy Birthday” and “Auld Lang Syne,” the song with the longest gap was “Kill Devil Falls,” at 16 shows (8/5/15). One could go on and on. But despite this fascination with numbers, what really keeps fans coming back, year after year, every 365 days, is the joy of the old (rather, those melodies and lyrics we know and enjoy) and the celebration of the new (exploration, improvisation, and the unknown). And last night’s New Year’s celebration delivered on both accounts, in spades. And we are just halfway through. (Two out of four shows, for those who like numbers.)
(For the “tl; dr” crowd: Listen to the “KDF,” “Twist,” “NMINML,” and “Blaze On”)
MSG1 RECAP: THE FORCE AWAKENS
Nine of the sixteen Phish shows that have occurred on December 30th have been located at Madison Square Garden. In each of the eight MSG performances that preceded last night’s show, the December 30th gig had fallen on night three of the New Year’s Eve run. This placement has typically allowed the band to use the previous two shows to get loose, build up a good head of steam, and then udderly crush some skulls on the 30th. Counter to this trend of strong performances occurring in this particular place in space-time is the band’s historic tendency to be more tentative and less adventurous on the opening night of a given set of shows, especially after an extended period of time away from each other. Last night’s show thus represented the ongoing battle between two equally strong and opposable forces that wrestle for control of the band of Jedi each time they take the stage. Which side would win the day… the dark or the light? I haven’t seen the movie yet… but I’m guessing the good guys currently have the advantage.
By now you have hopefully read @lumpblockclod’s MSG precap and seen his rankings of all the 12/30 shows on twitter… you’ve talked to your crew about it and probably relistened to the gig a time or two. Therefore you already know that the show was pretty great (#6 all time) as far as those performed on the 30th go, and probably top two or three for holiday run openers. But that’s not why you’re here, is it? You come to these recaps for the chum in the water. The feeding frenzy of the sharks hungry for the battle over the bloody entrails and rotting, oily, flotsam is about to begin as we dissect this Phish and throw it back overboard before the next one is hooked.
Photo © @Phish_FTR
“Sample in a Jar” is a great opener. It is a safe song that most people love. Nailed it… confidence built, let’s see what we can do to build some swagger. “Free”... yeah… you like that? YOU LIKE THAT! Very smooth and sexy. The interplay between Trey and Page as the booty bounces to the rhythm is delicious. Great muscle tone and an awesome build. Short but studly… like the drummer. We got a couple of great performances of “Simple” in 2015, listen to Bend (7/22/15) or Magnaball (8/21/15) again after you hear this one. This version is not at all as adventurous and it dissolves before a real jam can develop, but the composed section is tidy and well decorated. “Back on the Train” is upbeat and rocking as a general rule and this one is no different. The track this one takes veers alarmingly close to “Alaska” right around the “5:15” mark but stays safely within the confines of the Yukon Territories as it chugs eastward to Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories.
“Waiting All Night” offers a breather… and nothing more… pretty sloppy fingering on Trey’s part in the early going, but at least he said he was sorry, very much sorry, and he said it a lot. Let’s sail on.
The “555” is the next train through the yard. This one is all about Fishman people… wowza the drumming is on point. Great support from Page throughout. Big bombs from Mike. Trey does some drippy finger painting in the mud towards the end and gets pretty dirty in the process… but seriously focus in and check Fish on those sick beats. “Roggae” is maddeningly delicate and this one moves like incredibly viscous lava on a low incline. Sooooo sloooooow...but gorgeous. Blazing rivulets of incandescence making stars on it’s dark undulating surface as it proceeds inexorably downslope toward the haunted house at the bottom.
Photo © @BoneyDiego
The ghost of Laura Olsher explains why we are afraid of “Dogs” and this one lurches out of the front gate with plenty of bark, gives a cursory bite or two, but scampers away before any serious damage is done. Solid three minutes of headbanging if you are into that kind of thing. I am… but I could stand to do it for a little longer if you know what I’m saying. “46 Days” offers more of the same, albeit at a slower tempo. Great opportunity for my signature dance move (the fisty stomp) and the first set is over. Clocking in at just over an hour. Which… other than the sloppy “Waiting All Night” is my only real complaint about the set. I’m guessing the boys delayed their start due to the long lines at entry. Maybe open the gates earlier tonight?
I had “Chalk Dust Torture” for my FIRST set opener in the tour tournament guys… thanks! That’s my bad of course. They have been CRUSHING this song in second sets all year...why change now? I Chip Kelly’d my fantasy team in the playoffs. Not smart. This one is chaotic and feels like “David Bowie” riding a “Llama” chasing an “Antelope” during the composed section. The jam which follows is nothing like that at all. It is an undulating groove that is both spellbinding and mesmerizing. Deep brain massage. This stuff makes you smarter just listening to it… it’s like an aural version of that Limitless pill. Set this on repeat and you will be in Stephen Hawking’s league in no time. Strong hints of “After Midnight” then “Light” are presented and deconstructed before the jam decays through some stunning ambience into “Ghost.” Pretty awesome. Must listen.
“Ghost” is just the bread in the old song > new song > old song reprise sandwich. The fresh meat “Can’t Always Listen” is an amalgamation of “Going Down the Road Feeling Bad” and “My Problem Right There” with a touch of the Dude of Life. The song has a message. Things aren’t as bad as people say. The stars are still shining and the world keeps spinning. Don’t worry...be happy! Project the positive into your universe and that is what you will get in return. Stop barking at the shadows. They aren’t real. The spectral form of “Ghost” reprises and dissolves into the aether. Which is of course comprised of a stunning array of electromagnetic “Waves” and energized particles that coalesce into an outro jam of lush textural ambience that soothes the soul. Bartender...get me a drink!
"Ghost" -> "Waves" – Photo © @UNOlkerPhoto
This “Bathtub Gin” is delicious. Once again cannot say enough about the stick work of Tubbs the hairy beast man. Dude is a monster. The soaring reconstruction of the song from the jam is outstanding. Great communication between all four. Every piece put in it’s right place. Late set “Mike’s Song” is always a good sign. When Page stands up it is time to get down. Dirty dirty tricks. Nasty nasty licks. Fishman crushing AGAIN. “Bouncing” - like Heineken - is for the ladies. This “Weekapaug Groove” would have been a solid set closer on it’s own… but you wanna go seamlessly fuse a “What’s the Use?” into that crease… I’m sure as hell not going to stop you. So deep. So quiet. So empty, yet so full, simultaneously. Hyperdimensional. Space. Man. Far. Out. Back into the groove, an “Auld Lang Syne” tease, more sick Fish beats, back to “What’s the Use?” and end set. “Character Zero” is widely held as a cock-punch encore but I love it soooo… yeah. A great start to the run. Another lap around the sun is complete.
Happy and healthy 2016 to you all… have fun tonight.
MSG PRECAP
Three days ago on the Phish.net admin group chat:
“You should update your MSG blog post for 2013 and repost”
“Great idea. I don’t think I wrote an MSG history, though.”
It certainly seems like we should have a comprehensive history of the venue that Phish has played more than any other (in the "modern era," anyway). I certainly have been unabashed in my love for the venue. Even though the 2011-13 facelift has produced mixed results (superior amenities and a better experience for fans in the 100 sections and floor; a far worse experience for those consigned to the upper levels), it’s still hard to come up with a better arena sized venue to see Phish. Certainly back in the day of the bowl setup, there was no better venue. Some of my most vivid ‘90s Phish memories are of simply walking into the Garden.
Unfortunately, it’s December 29th, and I don’t have time to write a detailed history that will do justice to the World’s Most Famous Arena. But, in advance of shows 32-35, I can offer up a quick look at highlights from the first 31.
1. 12/30/94: They played a 23-minute “Tweezer” at this show that would be completely justified being the highlight at any number of shows (even if it’s probably, at best, the 4th best version from the Fall ‘94 tour). In fact, for anyone listening 21 years later, it almost certainly is the highlight. But for anyone in the round room that night, what they probably remember is 20,000 fans chanting “Wilson.”
12/30/94 “Wilson” New York, NY
2. 12/30/95: This show bears the burden of sitting between two legendary shows. It’s not a bad show. It’s just not a particularly good December ‘95 show. Great “Hood” though.
3. 12/31/95: Where to begin? This is probably the consensus best show that doesn’t feature a 7.5 hour set. The versions of “Reba,” “Forbin’s” > “Mockingbird,” “Drowned” (with an imaginary “FOTM” tease!), “Runaway Jim,” YEM” and “Mike’s” make nearly any of those songs’ top versions list. But it’s the “Auld Lang Syne” > “Weekapaug” > “Sea & Sand” trio that rises above the others.
12/31/95 Set III New York, NY
4. 10/21/96: Sadly, this is one of the least exciting Phish shows I’ve ever attended. I haven’t listened to it in years, but I remember the “Stash” being mildly interesting.
5. 10/22/96: The “Freakapaug.” You may notice a theme emerging here with great “Weekapaugs” at MSG.
10/22/96 “Mike’s” > “Swept Away” > “Steep” > “Weekapaug” New York, NY
6. 12/29/97: Another show with a multitude of highlights. I’d like to cheat and say “Set II,” but then I wouldn’t be earning my generous salary here at Phish.net. So I’ll give up the funk for the “Tube.”
7. 12/30/97: Another pantheon MSG Phish performance. As many highlights as the previous night, but here we have a clear winner: the mammoth “AC/DC Bag.” That said, I can’t let this show go by without also mentioning the legendary “Harpua.”
12/30/97 “AC/DC Bag” New York, NY
8. 12/31/97: This show never seems to get its due, despite having one of the best sets of 1997. The entire second set smokes, but it's the “Weekapaug” that again rises to the top.
9. 12/28/98: The “Carini” or the “Wolfman’s”? Hmmm… I’ll go with the spacey, ambient “Wolfman’s,” but ask me tomorrow and my answer may change.
10. 12/29/98: Another 12/29 show where “Set II’ would be an acceptable answer, but the winner is the looooong “2001” so many of us still long for.
11. 12/30/98: A somewhat odd show that took a while to get going. The “Disease” is probably the jam of the night, but if we’re grading on a curve, it’s the “Caspian.”
12. 12/31/98: It would be hard to come up with a better opening hour to a Phish show. “1999”!!! So many worthy candidates here, but the “Mike’s” takes it.
12/31/98 “Mike’s Song” New York, NY
13. 12/31/02: The Return! Taking both the music and the moment into account, the only possible answer here is the “Piper.” But let’s also give an honorable mention to one of the most beautiful midnight NYE moments ever: the blizzard in MSG with “Seven Below” as the soundtrack.
14. 12/2/09: These 2009 shows are (mostly deservedly) overlooked in 2015, but there were some great moments. Chief among them is this version of “Light,” one of the first to venture into the stratosphere.
15. 12/3/09: Anytime you play the same venue 31 times, there are bound to be a few forgettable shows. This is one of those. The “Disease” is quite good, though.
16. 12/4/09: Grading on the 2009 curve, this is a very good second set, culminating in the best “YEM” of the year. Is that enough backhanded compliments for you?
17. 12/30/10: The forgotten great “Tweezer” of 3.0. So much Plinko…
18. 12/31/10: The so-called “Holy Ghost.” Is this version a bit overrated? Probably. But I also know this: I’ve experienced few more intense moments at Phish shows. I may not have jumped quite as high as Michael Jordan during the many peaks of this “Ghost,” but I definitely out-jumped Patrick Ewing.
12/31/10 “Ghost” New York, NY
19. 1/1/11: Just a stunningly beautiful jam in this “Simple.”
20. 12/28/11: The “Carini” > “Tweezer” combo in the second set probably provided the most meat of this show, but the “Cities” that headed straight to bliss before grinding to a halt probably symbolizes this much maligned run as much as anything.
21. 12/29/11: Another show where you need a compass and a pack of bloodhounds to find the highlight, but there it is, buried deep in the second set. No, not the “Juan Pierre” tease in “Character Zero.” What the segue from “Chalk Dust” into “Hydrogen” lacks in execution it makes up for in surprise. It’s a small moment, but a nice one nonetheless.
22. 12/30/11: The “Piper” is the highlight of, not only this show, but the entire run. Which is good, since the rest of the show has little to offer.
23. 12/31/11: At every NYE show, you’re pretty much assured of a memorable midnight gag. So it was with this show. Best “Steam” ever, aided by dancers rappelling from the rafters. The rest of the show? Let’s just move on…
24. 12/28/12: This “Tweezer,” particularly the last five minutes, deserves so much more credit than it usually gets. Just pure hose.
25. 12/29/12: I guess the “Golden Age” is our highlight here. I guess. Maybe it can borrow the previous night’s “Little Drummer Boy”-infused “Wolfman’s”?
26. 12/30/12: The “Disease” or the “Carini”? We’ll ponder this question again shortly. For now, I go with the “Carini.”
27. 12/31/12: This is one of those shows where the execution of the theme makes up for the lack of a true musical highlight. Just a great time from start to finish (so much fun we couldn’t bear to recap it!). The runaway golf cart marathon “Tweezer Reprise” was tremendous… one of the reasons even the most jaded among put ourselves through the NYE ticket shitshow year after year.
12/31/12 Set III New York, NY
28. 12/28/13: Even looking at this second set now, it seems like it should be better than it was. The “Steam” is probably the highlight.
29. 12/29/13: The “Disease” or the “Carini”? This time I’m going with the “Disease.” As an aside, and given the events of today, I can’t help but look back and laugh at the fact that I spent parts of the second set watching the Eagles/Cowboys game with such hope. Good riddance, Chip, and my fault for not realizing it’s always better to cast my lot with Phish. At least as long as I root for Philadelphia teams.
30. 12/30/13: There’s only one right answer here, and that’s the “Chalk Dust.”
31. 12/31/13: There’s only one right answer here, and it may be a cop-out, but I’m taking it: “Set II.” It will be tough to top the flatbed truck this New Year’s, but I can’t wait to see them try.
12/31/13 Set II New York, NY
MYSTERY JAM MONDAY PART 204
Welcome to the 204th edition of Phish.Net's Mystery Jam Monday. The winner this week will receive two MP3 downloads courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the song and date of the mystery jam clip. Each person gets one guess per day, with the second “day” starting after I post the hint. A hint will be posted on Tuesday if necessary, with the answer to follow on Wednesday. Good luck on your quest, and keep an eye out and an ear open at all times!
Answer: Congratulations to @schvice, who by correctly identifying the 11/20/94 David Bowie from the Dane County Exposition Center in Madison, WI, receives two download codes in his second victory. Nice work by the other folks who figured out how to continue on with @Lemuria's puzzle quest -- I chose this clip because Mike's play sounds a bit like Morse Code. Have a blast attending or webcasting MSG, and stay tuned for the first MJM of 2016 next week!
CONTEMPLATING ROTATION (QUEST#8)
The answers go in circles, starting from the "R".
But there's no indication how long any of them are.
Answer each in order, to know where the next one starts.
We've given you a diagonal, so at least you have some parts.
Either a letter or a number could fill each beanied fish.
And if you're careful with your capitals, you'll get to the next dish.
2. Llamas minus Lizards
3. Gladiators first entered Llama here
4. I'm falling in a well that's this
5. Careful, Eugene; it's not small, like Bob's
6. SPACs minus Red Rocks
7. He never listens to what I say
8. New Year's Eves minus Halloweens
9. Atlanta venue that no longer Remains
10. Wriggled in the earth and this
11. Debuted (began its descent?) at the Flynn
12. Phil's guitarist Robben
13. Lushingtons minus Shaftys
14. Farcial punk "song", minus arch
ART IN NYC: DAVID WELKER/MOCKINGBIRD CHARITY EVENT, LATE NITE ART MELTDOWN, AND PHANART SKYSCRAPER IS GRAND SHOW
Plenty of exciting events are planned for art loving fans heading to NYC for this NYE run! Here are a few of the big ones that we highly recommend you check out:
David Welker Charity Reception for The Mockingbird Foundation at the Hoerle-Guggenheim Gallery
Please join David for a special reception at the Hoerle-Guggenheim Gallery in celebration of his acclaimed Subconcious Narratives show. A special limited edition print and new original art will be released at the reception, with proceeds to benefit The Mockingbird Foundation. Refreshments will be served, art will be sold and appreciated, and both David and representatives from Mockingbird will be there to hang out and enjoy your company.
When: Wednesday, 12/30/15. Noon - 4pm.
Where: Hoerle-Guggenheim Gallery, 527 West 23rd Street, NYC
Also available at the reception from The Mockingbird Foundation will be a new Rutherford basketball jersey, created in conjunction with David Welker and Boyer Art. This will be the first opportunity to get your fingers on and torso into this awesome new limited edition jersey, so be sure to come down to the gallery before hitting the Phish show!
Next up is an exclusive Phish after-party: META & the Hoerle-Guggenheim Gallery Present: David Welker’s Subconscious Narratives: A Late Night Art Meltdown
In collaboration with Hoerle-Guggenheim Gallery and Welker Studios, META presents an introspective and moody Phish after-party at Hoerle-Guggenheim on January 1st, 2016, celebrating David Welker and the conclusion of his Subconscious Narratives exhibit.
For more information and to order tickets, visit WelkerShow.com. Don't delay; only a limited number of tickets will be available, and this is sure to be an amazing party, going deep into the Welker subconscious!
Finally, The Mockingbird Foundation will be participating in the PhanArt Skyscraper is Grand Art Show on 1/2/16 at the Hotel Penn. We will have new jerseys featuring art from David Welker and AJ Masthay, art prints from the upcoming The Phish Companion 3rd Edition, and rare print variants for sale. Watch this space for more information, and visit the show page on Facebook.
The Mockingbird Foundation wants to thank the artists, collectors, promoters and fans who make up the fan art community for your unwavering support, and for bringing more beauty into our world and scene. We hope to see you in NYC!
MYSTERY JAM MONDAY PART 203
Welcome to the 203rd edition of Phish.Net's Mystery Jam Monday. The winner will receive an MP3 download courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the song and date of the mystery jam clip. Each person gets one guess per day, with the second “day” starting after I post the hint. A hint will be posted on Tuesday if necessary, with the answer to follow on Wednesday. Good luck, and happy holidays to you and yours!
Tuesday hint: Triple Double.
Answer: It took a couple months, but The Blog 3.0 has finally broken through with a win, improving the record to 14 wins, 168 losses, and 21 hint-aided losses! Many of you quickly realized that the date of this MJM would be a double double, but no one caught the fact that the song this MJM was played in completed the triple double: 9/9/00 My Friend, My Friend (> Jam). Have a safe and happy holiday, and be sure to check in next week for a special meta-MJM, for which we will award a pair of download codes.
ACTIONS COME IN ANSWERS
Here's a crossword to get you going, today and beyond. (Also avail., higher res image and PDF version.)
1 __-oplast
2 It's __
3 46 __
4 Let's __ Downtown
5 Frankie does it
6 Mine's poor; don't steal it.
7 Body part mentioned most often in Phish lyrics
8 To blaze on, put these on; they’re nice.
11 My Sweet __
17 Whose sack held a puppet?
19 And So __ Bed
20 All of __ Dreams
23 Lemonwheel's 4th set nickname (abbrev.)
24 Siht morf sesir nam yreve.
26 Fee flirts with it
28 Tequila, a __ lost friend
29 This pillow wanderer swerves?
30 Monarch's sequined __
31 Trey played this house benefit
33 Punch mentions a tender one
35 I'm __ that they're dead
37 Punch you in the this
38 __ these demons
39 It’s insufficiently this for you
41 Aboard a craft bereft of this
43 Who's face does the exile want to see?
44 The middle of what we're down with
47 My Left __
ACROSS:
1 I'm doing this to a pyramid
9 Roses __ Free
10 Who enjoys myself?
12 I love meatballs, so be this
13 Missing from Rip joint or Flown Bird
14 Taken from The Name Slick
15 It's __ A Dream
16 Belongs in Walls of Cave
18 We all __ out small
21 Taken from Jane's Iction
22 Part of 8/14/04 (not the show)
25 Followed by birds, dogs, horse, lizards, and sloth
27 Once free, we’ll do this in the sea (with a p)
29 Hendge, or henge?
30 If a slice (as to a nipple) was long and sweeping.
32 Blood to boil, or betrayal with trust
34 Texted mouth at another Rocky Top encore :/
36 Where comes the joker?
40 Born Run or Highway Hell
42 The boys from Vermont (don’t call them that)
45 The plural was on a large poffy bun
46 One way to catch fish
48 Trey gerunds this at the sky in Greyhound Rising
49 Forbin went on one, to save…
PHISH SYMPOSIUM AT CITY WINERY
In or near NYC? Looking for something phishy to do in the brief hiatus between the NYE run and Riviera Maya? Consider heading to the City Winery on Saturday, January 9.
Writer Wally Holland, with whom I recently spoke about his new book, will be discussing Phish's music with journalist/artist Mike Hamad and musicologist Jake Cohen. Phish's music will also be played at the symposium, and Mike will even be "live mapping" some of it.
This event, sponsored by Blank Space Media, will also be webcast by Relix, and Wyllys will perform a short DJ set. In addition, Wally will be signing copies of his book, and Mike will have setlist map prints of MagnaBall's "TweezerPants" available for purchase as well. For more information, please see:
FB Event Information: https://www.facebook.com/events/1043674135683604/
City Winery Ticketing Link: http://www.citywinery.com/newyork/blank-space-presents-a-live-one-an-interactive-musical-discussion-w-author-walter-holland-1-9.html
MYSTERY JAM MONDAY PART 202
Welcome to the 202nd edition of Phish.Net's Mystery Jam Monday. The winner will receive an MP3 download courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the song and date of the mystery jam clip. Each person gets one guess per day, with the second “day” starting after I post the hint. A hint will be posted on Tuesday if necessary, with the answer to follow on Wednesday. Good luck!
Answer: I saw it again! By correctly (and obscenely quickly) identifying the 2/21/03 Mike's Song from the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati, OH, @yunkfunk has won his seventh Mystery Jam Monday, and will now join the other MJM emeriti and is prohibited from participating henceforth. We'll be back next week with another crunchy jam, so stay tuned!
MYSTERY JAM MONDAY PART 201
Welcome to the 201st edition of Phish.Net's Mystery Jam Monday. The winner will receive an MP3 download courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the song and date of the mystery jam clip. Each person gets one guess per day, with the second “day” starting after I post the hint. A hint will be posted on Tuesday if necessary, with the answer to follow on Wednesday. Good luck!
Answer: Congrats to @yunkfunk, who by identifying the "Julius" from Brad Sands's wedding on September 6th, 2008 -- the only known time Phish played together in front of a crowd between Coventry '04 and Hampton '09 -- wins his sixth MJM, and thus, his sixth free MP3 download from LivePhish.com. Never in my life had I been more excited by a low-resolution 90 second YouTube clip of a band playing a song I'm not particular fond of... One more win and @yunkfunk will be pushed out on the icebergs to float away with the other emeriti!
MYSTERY JAM MONDAY PART 200
If you're unable to stream the above audio properly, try the SoundCloud link here.
Welcome to Phish.net's Mystery Jam Monday Part 200! As we did when MJM hit the century mark and the CL mark, the winner will be awarded an MP3 download courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net, along with an additional prize. For MJM #200, the kind folks at the Mockingbird Foundation will be giving the winner a copy of each of the three editions of the The Phish Companion: TPC1, TPC2, and the soon-to-be-released TPC3!
Regarding the Mystery Jam itself, as with MJM #100, #150, and the Hampton/Winston-Salem MJ, this clip has multiple songs on it that you'll need to identify. Therefore, we will not be using the comments to guess this week. Instead, send an email with your guesses (for all of the clips) along with your .net username to [email protected]. If you have any questions, you can post those in the comments section. Do not post guesses in the comments section, or your comment will be deleted and you'll be subject to banning from future MJM participation. Also, no "trading" of answers is allowed: figure this out on your own. The first person to correctly identify the song and the date of each jam will be the winner. One guess per person per day, with the second "day" starting after I post the hint. A hint will be posted on Wednesday if necessary, and if necessary, again on Friday, and the answer will be posted by next Monday. In the event that no one guesses all of the Mystery Jams, the winner will be selected by the Blog at its sole discretion -- partial credit can take home the prize, so don't be shy. Note the number of blank slots for this week's contest in the MJM Results spreadsheet, and be assured that each of this week's jams has not been used previously. Good luck!
Juicy Hint: The clips are in chronological order, and no two clips come from the same year. Also, there are no clips from 1.0.
Update: I still haven't received any submissions, so if you know even one of the jams, you could be the winner come Sunday if you send it in and no one else does. I'll accept submissions up until the end of the Sunday Night Football game, or approximately 8:30 PM PT / 11:30 PM ET.
Final Mega Hint:
- Three of the jams were played in July and three of the jams were played in August. The other four jams were all played in different months -- different months from one another and different from July and August (e.g. January, February, March, April would meet this requirement). Add the numerical representation of all the months together and you get 79. Do the same for the days of the month and you get 172 -- also, half the jams were played in the last week of the month, and three of the jams were played in the first week of the month.
- Four of the jams were played in the state of New York and two of the jams were played in the state of Wisconsin. One of the jams was played in a state where recreational marijuana use is now legal, but this jam wasn't played at Dick's. Two of the remaining three jams were played in (ocean) coastal states; the third state accesses the coast only via river.
- Three of the jams come from songs that are covers, two of the jams come from the same Phish original. Three of the jams come from songs debuted in 3.0, one of the jams comes from a song debuted in 2.0, and the other six jams come from songs debuted in 1.0.
- One of the jams comes from a song on Junta, one of the jams comes from a song on Billy Breathes, one of the jams comes from a song on Story of the Ghost, two of the jams come from a song on Farmhouse, one of the jams comes from a song on Round Room, and one of the jams comes from a song on Joy.
- Eight of the ten jams are on the Phish.net Jam Charts, but I didn't write any of the descriptions. Three of those eight jams are "Highly Recommended".
To download a .zip file containing each of the clips as a separate MP3 track, click here.
Update: Congratulations to @LucyDarkstar24, who managed to correctly identify all 10 clips and send his correct answer in before anyone else. In doing so, he not only wins a free MP3 download code, courtesty of LivePhish.com, but he wins all three editions of The Phish Companion! A hell of a prize for a first-time winner. Even though I dropped some seriously juicy hints, this was no walk in the park. Major props to the other folks who managed to identify them all too: @garcia17, @ChalkDustTeacher, @mcnastycasty, and @12_29_97_4eva. I hope you had as much fun as I did! Find the answers in the MJM results spreadhseet, and check back in the morning for MJM Part 201.
SITZMAN'S SEARCH
There are 83 Phish-related words hidden forwards, backwards, up, down, and diagonally. See how many you can find:
MFF'S SIGNED POSTER AUCTION
HUNGERTHON 2015 AUCTIONS PHISH NYE RUN TIX TO END HUNGER
Hungerthon is an annual Thanksgiving radio tradition started in 1975 by WhyHunger to raise awareness about hunger and poverty and to invest in long-term solutions that help people in need in communities across America. To support this important cause, Phish has generously donated a pair of tickets for the four-show NYE run to the Hungerthon Charity Auction. While you're getting stuffed this fine Thanksgiving day, why not satisfy your hunger for New Year's tickets and bid generously.
Several other Phish-related charity auctions are currently underway at Charitybuzz, so check these out and bid high while doing good:
- Trey has donated a pair of Phish tickets and pre-show party passes for the 1/1/16 MSG show, to benefit the David Lynch Foundation.
- Win a lunch with RLM Manager Patrick Jordan (who manages Phish, Trey, Ween and more), to benefit HeadCount.
- Win a lunch with SiriusXM Jam On host Jonathan Schwartz (host of Gone Phishin'), to benefit HeadCount.
- Win a lunch with talent buyer Don Strasburg (the force behind Phish's shows at Red Rocks and Dick's), to benefit HeadCount.
- And for the big one...win a lunch with Andy Gadiel, founder of Andy Gadiel's Phish Page, to benefit HeadCount.
These auctions all end soon. You guys know the drill: bid early, bid often, and support some really great causes!
Phish.net
The Mockingbird Foundation