In honor of the Dead and Rhino records announcing the release of a 60 CD box set commemorating the entire Europe ’72 Tour, I’m bring you another installment of My First 20 Tapes, today it’s 5/4/72 Paris France.
When I got my first list of tapes to choose from, I picked this show because I had the official live album Europe ’72 and wanted more. Below is the setlist
1: Greatest, Deal, Mr. Charlie, BIODTL, B. E. Women, Chinatown Shuffle, Playin, You Win Again, Hurts Me Too, He's Gone, El Paso, Big RxR Blues, Two Souls, Casey Jones
2: Good Lovin, Next Time, Ramble On, Jack Straw, Dark Star> Drums> Dark Star> Sugar Magnolia, Sing Me Back Home, Mexicali, Big Boss Man, Uncle John, NFA> GDTRFB> NFA
E: Saturday Night
First thing that jumps out is the length of the sets. A 14 song first set and a 17 song second set. I was lucky to get 14 songs in an entire show in the 90’s. Keith Godchaux had joined the band in the fall of ’71 and was really coming into his own. I love the grand piano sound that blends in so well with the Dead’s take on Americana. There is almost warmth that comes through on these recordings. Pigpen still did fills on his organ but health issues had really sapped his strength and this tour would be his last hurrah (He passed away on March 9, 1973. Yes my favorite member of the Dead dies when I was 6 months old). Pigpen does shine on the upbeat Chinatown Shuffle and the incredibly moving Two Souls in Communion.
The meat of the second set is Dark Star>Drumz>Dark Star. This is a little over 41 minutes long. The jams the boys were doing during this time were jazzy, formless explorations of the psychedelic canvases they had been weaving the previous two years. With a more competent keyboard player (no offense Pig), this allowed the boys to go deeper into the abyss without even losing sight of dry land. This was also one of the first shows I got that had the amazing sandwich of Not Fade Away> Going Down the Road Feeling Bad> Not Fade Away. The boys take Buddy Holly’s ode to teenage love and make it about the relationship between the band and their fans.
You can stream the show here
http://www.archive.org/details/gd72-05-04.sbd.hamilton.143.sbeok.shnf
or shell out 450 bucks to get the box set.
Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
Ph.D. in rock and roll
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Phish Camden and Merriweather Summer 2010
Middle of January, single digits outside, and the Steelers playing in the AFC Championship Game, but I’m already thinking about Summer Tour. How can one not? Phish announced they’re releasing remastered copies of Merriweather 6/27/10 and rumors abound of Hampton over Memorial Day weekend and a festival at Watkins Glen, NY over Fourth of July weekend. So what better time than republish (with a little bit of editing) my last giant email I sent out before starting Kempepedia, celebrating the four day run that was Camden/ Merriweather MidAtlantic Madness. Note:this also contains the origin story of HMLL.
The week of June 21st marked the 20th anniversary of myself going to see live shows. I can not think of a better way to celebrate than by going to see Phish 4 nights in a row.
The first two shows were in Camden on Thursday and Friday. Christine and myself were just going to do Thursday and rest up Friday for Saturday. The Hershey Park show two weeks ago was so good that I talked her into going both nights. Got my tix at a discount and sold my extra Merriweather tix at a discount so that all evened out. We of course rolled out really early and were sitting in the Camden Lot (no shade tents allowed. Why? So the satellite over Camden can see down on the lot. Camden NJ, the most dangerous city in America, has a space program?) Christine was also feeling a bit ill so it looked like we might have to drive back to Marrieta Thursday night or Friday morning. Luckily, Tour healed her and she was fine.
However, before we made it to the lot, we got lost and the GPS wasn’t working right and it was balls hot and I was massively sweating and frustrated and angry. With perfect timing Christine goes, “If it makes you feel any better, I need someone to put sunscreen on my back” If you know Christine and myself, that might have been the most perfect thing to say to get me back on track. We were there but a half an hour and a massive, Wizard of Oz thunderstorm rolls through. It was raining sideways and the wind was blowing so hard my car was rocking. When it slowed up, Christine rolled down the window and the air temp had dropped by 40 degrees. It felt like a supermodel’s ass rubbing up against my face. (Yes, I know what that feels like. Not recently, but back in the day……) The storm shut down all the public transportation in Philly and spawned a tornado, shutting down the Turnpike. That’s why I get to the lots early.
So we spend the rest of the time in the lot kicking it with two New Yorkers from the Upper and Lower East Side. The show was raging. Highlights: Everything, but the Bowie opener was awesome. I texted the Disease>Crosseyed made me feel like my balls were on fire. Hood>Fluffhead, mind-blowing! We were staying at Meg Rhodes place, right across the river in Philly. The GPS got us there safe and sound. It was an old factory the owner converted into the most amazing loft I’ve ever seen. Exposed brick with central air. Lots of windows and a dining room table that looked like the table Led Zeppelin met around to plot out their tours. Got a good nights sleep and were ready to rage Friday.
Switzer and Delorean rolled into Philly in the world’s largest truck driven by a heady chick. Meg and her friend Brent (who remembered meeting me at the apartment Dan and myself had way back in 1996-97. Glad he remembered because I didn’t.) Christine’s friend Todd rolled in and got lassoed into driving. He did an amazing job driving through some hellacious traffic. We needed to get 8 tixs for all our peeps. We did it and even got a miracle out of it. We raged and ruled the lot, but that’s how it is when you roll with High Maintenance Lot Ladies (Can you hold this? Can you light this? Can you open this? Can you take a picture?) Had a close encounter of the worst kind but it worked out. Highlights Alumni Blues (1st since 1999)>Letter to Jimmy Page (1st since 1994)>Alumni Blues. I really thought I’d never see that song. So WOOHOO!!!! Not the biggest fan of Time Turns Elastic, but even that was ripping it up. They did a super funky 2001>Thiller Jam>2001 that left my mind a crater. I then called the encore “Shine a Light” by the Stones. As good as that all was, I still had two shows at Merriweather. God, I love Tour.
I had to bring D Lo back to Hanover for her grandfather’s surprise birthday party and then a wedding that night. (The wedding was planned before the shows. She lives in San Fran so was able to come home, see two shows and then head back.) I also had to bring Courtney, Vermont friend of Switzer’s down to the show to meet other people from VT. We got to my apartment at 12:15 and were on the road by 1:15. Had the Quik Shade rocking the Lot like no one else. Had the whole Hanover crew down there. The show had two new debut cover songs (one that only two people knew) . Andy Miller recognized the Neutral Milk Hotel cover and I remember reading how much Trey liked their stuff. But the second set is where they blew it up. Spacey funk 2.0 jamming was the order of the day. The Rock and Roll>Free started things off right. The Tweezer was the other highlight of the second set.
The last day was bittersweet but still a whole lot of fun. Saw some of the Argentina –Mexico match in the lot. Meet up with even more people. The show started off with Walfredo and a raging Antelope first set closer. The second set was all about I Saw It Again. Weaving it throughout the rest of the second set (reminiscent of what they would do with Guyute later in October in Utica) and destroying Jumping Jack Flash. WOW! I called the Walfredo opener. When I get on the road, I become one with the Tour. Made it back safe and sound. Hope everyone had a blast and thanks to Phish for 4 of the best days of my life.
The week of June 21st marked the 20th anniversary of myself going to see live shows. I can not think of a better way to celebrate than by going to see Phish 4 nights in a row.
The first two shows were in Camden on Thursday and Friday. Christine and myself were just going to do Thursday and rest up Friday for Saturday. The Hershey Park show two weeks ago was so good that I talked her into going both nights. Got my tix at a discount and sold my extra Merriweather tix at a discount so that all evened out. We of course rolled out really early and were sitting in the Camden Lot (no shade tents allowed. Why? So the satellite over Camden can see down on the lot. Camden NJ, the most dangerous city in America, has a space program?) Christine was also feeling a bit ill so it looked like we might have to drive back to Marrieta Thursday night or Friday morning. Luckily, Tour healed her and she was fine.
However, before we made it to the lot, we got lost and the GPS wasn’t working right and it was balls hot and I was massively sweating and frustrated and angry. With perfect timing Christine goes, “If it makes you feel any better, I need someone to put sunscreen on my back” If you know Christine and myself, that might have been the most perfect thing to say to get me back on track. We were there but a half an hour and a massive, Wizard of Oz thunderstorm rolls through. It was raining sideways and the wind was blowing so hard my car was rocking. When it slowed up, Christine rolled down the window and the air temp had dropped by 40 degrees. It felt like a supermodel’s ass rubbing up against my face. (Yes, I know what that feels like. Not recently, but back in the day……) The storm shut down all the public transportation in Philly and spawned a tornado, shutting down the Turnpike. That’s why I get to the lots early.
So we spend the rest of the time in the lot kicking it with two New Yorkers from the Upper and Lower East Side. The show was raging. Highlights: Everything, but the Bowie opener was awesome. I texted the Disease>Crosseyed made me feel like my balls were on fire. Hood>Fluffhead, mind-blowing! We were staying at Meg Rhodes place, right across the river in Philly. The GPS got us there safe and sound. It was an old factory the owner converted into the most amazing loft I’ve ever seen. Exposed brick with central air. Lots of windows and a dining room table that looked like the table Led Zeppelin met around to plot out their tours. Got a good nights sleep and were ready to rage Friday.
Switzer and Delorean rolled into Philly in the world’s largest truck driven by a heady chick. Meg and her friend Brent (who remembered meeting me at the apartment Dan and myself had way back in 1996-97. Glad he remembered because I didn’t.) Christine’s friend Todd rolled in and got lassoed into driving. He did an amazing job driving through some hellacious traffic. We needed to get 8 tixs for all our peeps. We did it and even got a miracle out of it. We raged and ruled the lot, but that’s how it is when you roll with High Maintenance Lot Ladies (Can you hold this? Can you light this? Can you open this? Can you take a picture?) Had a close encounter of the worst kind but it worked out. Highlights Alumni Blues (1st since 1999)>Letter to Jimmy Page (1st since 1994)>Alumni Blues. I really thought I’d never see that song. So WOOHOO!!!! Not the biggest fan of Time Turns Elastic, but even that was ripping it up. They did a super funky 2001>Thiller Jam>2001 that left my mind a crater. I then called the encore “Shine a Light” by the Stones. As good as that all was, I still had two shows at Merriweather. God, I love Tour.
I had to bring D Lo back to Hanover for her grandfather’s surprise birthday party and then a wedding that night. (The wedding was planned before the shows. She lives in San Fran so was able to come home, see two shows and then head back.) I also had to bring Courtney, Vermont friend of Switzer’s down to the show to meet other people from VT. We got to my apartment at 12:15 and were on the road by 1:15. Had the Quik Shade rocking the Lot like no one else. Had the whole Hanover crew down there. The show had two new debut cover songs (one that only two people knew) . Andy Miller recognized the Neutral Milk Hotel cover and I remember reading how much Trey liked their stuff. But the second set is where they blew it up. Spacey funk 2.0 jamming was the order of the day. The Rock and Roll>Free started things off right. The Tweezer was the other highlight of the second set.
The last day was bittersweet but still a whole lot of fun. Saw some of the Argentina –Mexico match in the lot. Meet up with even more people. The show started off with Walfredo and a raging Antelope first set closer. The second set was all about I Saw It Again. Weaving it throughout the rest of the second set (reminiscent of what they would do with Guyute later in October in Utica) and destroying Jumping Jack Flash. WOW! I called the Walfredo opener. When I get on the road, I become one with the Tour. Made it back safe and sound. Hope everyone had a blast and thanks to Phish for 4 of the best days of my life.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Boxcar Social 1/14/11 at the Whole Cannoli, Camp Hill PA
I have a dream. A dream where different musical ideas live together. Funk gets along with bluegrass. Percussion and string instruments side by side. Improvisation with precision playing. The band Boxcar Social brought all those elements together last night at the Whole Cannoli in Camp Hill PA.
My GPS got me to the right spot except the sign for the Whole Cannoli is rather small. Or maybe I was distracted by the name of the gym next door, called Most High (We Train Athletes). Cozy little place with a fireplace in the center of the room giving it the feeling of being tucked away in the Rockies. Boxcar fit right in with their genre of funky soulgrass.
They opened up with an original, Moonshine Revival, spotlighting lead singer Brian Davis’ soulful yet gritty vocals. Another first set highlight was Appalachian Range, a song that truly shows off their fidelity to that high and lonesome sound. A new original, My Friend Paul, is a humorous tribute to their secret weapon, mandolin player and beard enthusiast Paul Kraft. A nod must be given to percussionist Dave Wonderlin’s inspired scratching makes this a welcome addition to their catalogue.
The highlight of the first set was the now famous Pockets Sandwich, with Ween’s Bananas and Blow as the meat of the sandwich. Once again, Paul lays down the bed of bluegrass while the unique rock of the Ween cover fits in perfectly with Boxcar’s mashup of styles. A rocking Man Smart, Women Smarter had everyone up and dancing and was the perfect ending to the first set.
A quick set break and we’re back to the music. The emotional high point of the show was Wagon Wheel, which featured Lauren Scowcroft sharing vocals with Brian. First time I have seen another vocalist sit in with them, and they nailed it. The band then took it up another level with a spot on cover of Phish’s First Tube. Col. Josh Sanders kept the beat clean and tight while Frank Vecera ripped it up. This song is all about the guitar runs and Frank laid waste to it like the Steelers’ Defense (Sorry have to get a shoutout to my team in here. Notice, I resisted the urge to slag the northern most Southern city. And for the record, The Wire is the best show EVER.). Using his pedal board, Frank led the band in creating a dark and heavy sonic landscape.
Once again, Boxcar Social threw down a rocking good time, brewing up the stew that is their sound. As they begin to expand the places they’re playing in, you owe it to yourself to check out the most daring band on the South Central PA music scene
Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD in Rock and Roll
My GPS got me to the right spot except the sign for the Whole Cannoli is rather small. Or maybe I was distracted by the name of the gym next door, called Most High (We Train Athletes). Cozy little place with a fireplace in the center of the room giving it the feeling of being tucked away in the Rockies. Boxcar fit right in with their genre of funky soulgrass.
They opened up with an original, Moonshine Revival, spotlighting lead singer Brian Davis’ soulful yet gritty vocals. Another first set highlight was Appalachian Range, a song that truly shows off their fidelity to that high and lonesome sound. A new original, My Friend Paul, is a humorous tribute to their secret weapon, mandolin player and beard enthusiast Paul Kraft. A nod must be given to percussionist Dave Wonderlin’s inspired scratching makes this a welcome addition to their catalogue.
The highlight of the first set was the now famous Pockets Sandwich, with Ween’s Bananas and Blow as the meat of the sandwich. Once again, Paul lays down the bed of bluegrass while the unique rock of the Ween cover fits in perfectly with Boxcar’s mashup of styles. A rocking Man Smart, Women Smarter had everyone up and dancing and was the perfect ending to the first set.
A quick set break and we’re back to the music. The emotional high point of the show was Wagon Wheel, which featured Lauren Scowcroft sharing vocals with Brian. First time I have seen another vocalist sit in with them, and they nailed it. The band then took it up another level with a spot on cover of Phish’s First Tube. Col. Josh Sanders kept the beat clean and tight while Frank Vecera ripped it up. This song is all about the guitar runs and Frank laid waste to it like the Steelers’ Defense (Sorry have to get a shoutout to my team in here. Notice, I resisted the urge to slag the northern most Southern city. And for the record, The Wire is the best show EVER.). Using his pedal board, Frank led the band in creating a dark and heavy sonic landscape.
Once again, Boxcar Social threw down a rocking good time, brewing up the stew that is their sound. As they begin to expand the places they’re playing in, you owe it to yourself to check out the most daring band on the South Central PA music scene
Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD in Rock and Roll
Monday, January 10, 2011
What the hell does HMLL stand for?
Language is fluid. Words come into use (blogging) while others just fade away (washateria, a term for Laundromats used in the southeastern US during the 30’s and 40’s). Here is my entry for the next great word.
HMLL stands for High Maintenance Lot Ladies. This is a term of endearment. I used to joke that Christine was high maintenance (which she is not). She’s always Can you light this, Can you hold this, Can you take a picture, Can you open this? We went to Phish Friday Camden 2010 and needed to get 9 tickets for our friends. Well, they did it and Christine uttered the immortal phrase, “we’re High Maintenance Lot Ladies”. I loved it and started using the abbreviation HMLL. I got them shirts for Christmas. I have started to spread the word and would love for it to become as common as 420, a tribute to all the hippie chicks that make the shows so much fun. But Christine, Switzer, DeLorean, and Courtney are HMLL OG.
HMLL stands for High Maintenance Lot Ladies. This is a term of endearment. I used to joke that Christine was high maintenance (which she is not). She’s always Can you light this, Can you hold this, Can you take a picture, Can you open this? We went to Phish Friday Camden 2010 and needed to get 9 tickets for our friends. Well, they did it and Christine uttered the immortal phrase, “we’re High Maintenance Lot Ladies”. I loved it and started using the abbreviation HMLL. I got them shirts for Christmas. I have started to spread the word and would love for it to become as common as 420, a tribute to all the hippie chicks that make the shows so much fun. But Christine, Switzer, DeLorean, and Courtney are HMLL OG.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Phish 12/30-31 Mystery Puddles and The Sound of Rolling
Wow. That’s all I can say. My first run of shows in NYC, my first Phish NYE shows (I know, I’ve never seen NYE. I’m such a slacker. ), and I am absolutely gobsmacked by them. The energy! The lights! The Meatsticks!!!!
I’m sure some of you are wondering about the entry’s title. I read an article in the New York Times about NYC after a huge snowfall. One of the dangers is mystery puddles, as in you don’t know how deep they are. And they are everywhere the sidewalk meets the road. The sound of rolling refers to all the pieces of luggage that people are always rolling to and fro past you. You hear it on the street more than car horns. In the train station. Go outside for a smoke. You hear it. Any other thoughts or ideas you have are figments of your own twisted minds.
I took the train out of Lancaster before noon on Thursday. Ran into my friend Vanessa and her husband Jon and we rode the Keystone Express up to the big Apple. Got in at Penn Station, located right under Madison Square Garden, and jumped on a subway to head up town to meet my peeps. Ate at a good Mexican place called Blockheads. Then visited our friend’s apartment on 42nd St. She lives in the heart of Manhatten and the place was much bigger than I could have imagined. Walked several blocks to our hotel, which is located only .6 miles away from the Garden. Spent a few hours pregaming and headed to the show.
MSG is designed to have several different layers, so it takes a good 25 minutes to get inside to the arena once you go in the doors. The process was structured to move as many people as quickly as possible. The security was so lax my friend brought his travel bag in with him that he was going to take on the bus after the show. They barely looked at it. Josh and Switzer had the best seats so we all (6 of us) went to their seats. We staked out our seats and hoped the owners didn’t show up. They did not and we were golden. We were in for like 10 minutes and the lights went down and the energy went through the roof. Below is the setlist.
Thu, 12/30/2010 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Note: All descriptions are based on my memory, as I have not had time to relisten to everything again. Such are the pressures of a deadline.
Set 1: Cities, Chalk Dust Torture, Gumbo > Quinn the Eskimo, Halley's Comet > Camel Walk[1], Maze, Driver, Bathtub Gin, Fat Man in the Bathtub, Timber (Jerry) > Golgi Apparatus, Character Zero
Set 2: Tweezer -> Light > Theme From the Bottom > My Friend, My Friend[2], Axilla > Fluffhead > Boogie On Reggae Woman -> Also Sprach Zarathustra > Suzy Greenberg
Encore: Run Like an Antelope > Tweezer Reprise
[1] P.A. cut out.
[2] No "Myfe" ending
Notes: The P.A. cut out during Camel Walk. My Friend did not contain the "Myfe" ending.
The Cities opener had everyone dancing. A rare first set Quinn had us jumping for joy. The Camel Walk had the PA cut out towards the end. The band didn’t know it and the audience really shouted the “Camel Walk” at the end. During a quiet moment, I yelled What The Fuck?!?!? Hope the tapers picked that up. The Maze ratcheted up the tension to an unbearable level. The slower Driver was almost a relief so everyone could catch their breath.
Then came Bathtub Gin. The peak towards the end of the song just kept building and building. The other bathtub song they do followed. The energy at the end of Character Zero was almost scary. More Phish fist pumps than you could shake a meatstick at. Finally, set break and a chance to regroup.
The second set opened with a Tweezer that almost destroyed the Garden. 3 separate distinct jams and it went on for nearly 20 minutes. Then Light followed. Another formless space cruise ensues. Each song going higher and higher. Almost overwhelming. Fluffhead is tackled like it’s the first time. Still haven’t danced enough? How about Boogie On>2001>Suzy Greenburg. Then a double encore of Antelope>Reprise. WHAT?!?! Antelope is super rare in the encore slot and the Reprise was so good I actually think that might have been the best 3:28 of my life in public.
So we roll out of MSG but this is New York City, the city that never sleeps. Phish was the main course but who wants desert? We hope on the R train heading downtown and get to Canal Street, right on the edge of Chinatown. Two blocks from the subway station is the club with a Vermont Dead cover band called the Dead Sessions playing. Kevin Shapiro, Phish’s archivist, is one of the drummers. DJ Gravy was spinning shit downstairs as all the Heads waited for the upstairs to open. Thought we might have been ripped off but Switzer saw a lot of old school Vermont Heads so we were golden. They threw down 2 sets, almost 2 and a half hours of music before we hoped back on the subway at 4:15ish and saw a rat on the subway platform.
Got back to the room and absolutely collapsed. I heard something fall or unspool as I fell asleep. Thought it might have been a rat but I was like, no way the Raddison Martinuque has rats. This is a classy place. So I’m asleep on the floor and we don’t have any extra blankets. I’m covered with three coats. I put Caroline (that is the name of Rachael’s fake fur. It’s embroidered on the inside lining. She bought is second hand like that.) over my legs and feet and Caroline worked like a champ. DeLorean gets up to go to the bathroom and kicks my foot. I wake up in reaction mode because I think it’s a rat chewing on my foot. Love New York!! The pregame show madness for NYE had already begun!
We roll out of the hotel room at 2 PM and head to Stoudt’s for coffee, cocktails, and food. Real close to MSG and gets my rare 5 beard award for super heady pub. Back to the hotel to get ready and the HMLL’s (which stands for High Maintenance Lot Ladies. And if you don’t know any HMLL’s, then you must not attend too many shows) already are decked out in their finest. Head up to the insane throngs of people milling outside the Garden and go inside. Again, nice flow of heads and very little hassles. We scoped out Josh and Switzer's seats and had to do very little moving. Our crew was together, surrounded by very cool people (including Jen and Ken from Strong Island, Adam and his crew, and the kind peeps in front of us. Give it up for Section 204 ) Then, the lights go down, and it all begins.
Setlist: Fri, 12/31/2010 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Set 1: Punch You In the Eye, AC/DC Bag, The Moma Dance > Scent of a Mule, Burn that Bridge[1], Weigh, Ocelot[2], Beauty of My Dreams, Gone, Rock and Roll
Set 2: Wilson > 46 Days, Sand, NICU[2] > Down with Disease > Ghost, You Enjoy Myself -> Manteca -> You Enjoy Myself[3]
Set 3: Meatstick[4], Auld Lang Syne[5], After Midnight, Backwards Down the Number Line, Piper > Free, Waste, Slave to the Traffic Light, Grind
Encore: First Tube[2]
[1] Phish debut.
[2] Auld Lang Syne tease.
[3] Manteca quotes in vocal jam.
[4] Portions pre-recorded; Lyrics sung in multiple languages.
[5] a cappella with Meatstick singers.
Notes: This show featured the Phish debut of Burn That Bridge. Ocelot, NICU and First Tube contained Auld Lang Syne teases. Beauty of My Dreams was played for the first time since July 22, 2003 (133 shows). Manteca was played for the first time since October 30, 1998 (301 shows) and the ensuing YEM vocal jam contained Manteca quotes. Before midnight, several groups of multiethnic dancers appeared on stage and sang the Meatstick lyrics in their respective languages. The band joined the dancers and then stealthily disappeared from the stage, only to reappear at the other side of the arena in the giant hotdog from past NYE shows ('94 and '99). As a result, portions of the Meatstick were pre-recorded. Appropriately, the post-show music was Captain Beefheart's Tropical Hot Dog Night.
Switzer called the Punch opener and it was on. Moma flowed like rainwater down the drain and Burn that Bridge is a welcome addition to the Phish catalog. Beauty was a bustout but the place erupted when they did Rock and Roll. VU and Lou Reed’s gritty street attitude filtered through Phish’s Vermont headiness equals a first set that left us panting for more.
One of my neighbors, Steph from Florida, told me she saw NYE in Miami last year, so I figured she was hardcore. When the first set ended, she asked me if that was a setbreak. Wow, that’s an unusual question. She passes out shortly after the second set starts and is out for the rest of the entire show. She missed all their jams and all the Meatstick insanity. She then woke up as the show ended. Hope she didn’t pay too much for the ticket. Delorean, my West Coast HMLL, was all worried and wanted to get her some help. Being an East Coast guy, I said just let her sleep it off. Her chest was moving so she was breathing. East Coast vs. West Coast in a nutshell.
Supershort set break and it was really on. The Wilson for team Switzer/Talbert and an NICU for Rachael. The Sand was so overwhelming I can’t say anything about it. The Disease had the whole place bouncing and the Ghost has to be in the discussion for best ever. The ending of the space funk jam almost had me weeping. You Enjoy Manteca had everyone flipping out and raised the anticipation for the 3rd set into the stratosphere. Another short setbreak. They came out at 11:37 and the last moments of 2010 were in front of us.
Meatstick started and all Hell breaks loose. They run through the song and then go into the Japanese lyrics. Then some Somoan warriors come out (nice shoutout to Troy Palomao) and sang it in their language. Then a mariachi band. Then people who looked like they were in ABBA. Then Russian dancers. And Germans in Lederhousen. All singing the Meatstick. Doing choreographed dances. And I can’t see the band. So much going on stage. Then smoke from the back of the arena. Oh my God!!!! It’s the hotdog from NYE 94 and 99. They’re riding the Meatstick over the crowd!! And throwing Meatsticks to the crowd. Mike’s videotaping it all. Sensory overload to the maximum. They reach the stage and then the Countdown. Confetti and meatsicks and balloons falling out of the sky. Balloons shaped like meatsticks. Again, just overwhelmed by it all. SHOCKS MY BRAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!
They do Auld Lang Syne and then a super charged After Midnight. It just keeps building and building and building. An epic Backwards followed by Piper and then Free. So much energy unleashed. Gonna erupt up through the street. Destroy Manhatten and lay the city to waste. Escape to the Bronx! Waste allows us to catch our breath for the monster Slave and an accapella Grind. First Tube just churns and grows. Trey in full Jedi guitarist mode, throwing feedback like it’s the Force, and then it’s all done.
After we collect ourselves and say goodbye to our neighbors, go through 5 rings to get to the street we head back to the hotel. The doorman looks like the offspring of the actor who played Goldfinger in the James Bond movie and Nikita Krushchev. Hard core Russian accent. Then some Russian dude is waiting for the elevator. He tells DeLorean he was at the show. She asks him about the Meatstick and he says he was above the Meatstick but doesn’t know what she’s talking about. The elevator is taking forever and we are losing it. Take the stairs and get back to the room.
Only bummer whole night is we never saw my friend Christine. So we call her and decided their hotel is only 5 blocks away. We pull ourselves together, still wrecked from Phish. Go through more people on the street than are possible and meet up with them. Hilarity ensues as all the HMLL’s are together. Delorean almost got her meatstick but the guy was greedy about it. Head back to our hotel and she ran into one on the street. We own this town tonight.
Get a few hours of sleep to catch the 1:15 back to Lancaster. Would have loved to see 1/1 but I'm low and funds and I wanted to leave on the high that is NYE. Hope everyone had a safe and amazing New Year’s Eve. Let’s hope 2011 is ever better than 2010 and I’ll see you on the road. TIME FOR THE MEATSTICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD in Rock and Roll
I’m sure some of you are wondering about the entry’s title. I read an article in the New York Times about NYC after a huge snowfall. One of the dangers is mystery puddles, as in you don’t know how deep they are. And they are everywhere the sidewalk meets the road. The sound of rolling refers to all the pieces of luggage that people are always rolling to and fro past you. You hear it on the street more than car horns. In the train station. Go outside for a smoke. You hear it. Any other thoughts or ideas you have are figments of your own twisted minds.
I took the train out of Lancaster before noon on Thursday. Ran into my friend Vanessa and her husband Jon and we rode the Keystone Express up to the big Apple. Got in at Penn Station, located right under Madison Square Garden, and jumped on a subway to head up town to meet my peeps. Ate at a good Mexican place called Blockheads. Then visited our friend’s apartment on 42nd St. She lives in the heart of Manhatten and the place was much bigger than I could have imagined. Walked several blocks to our hotel, which is located only .6 miles away from the Garden. Spent a few hours pregaming and headed to the show.
MSG is designed to have several different layers, so it takes a good 25 minutes to get inside to the arena once you go in the doors. The process was structured to move as many people as quickly as possible. The security was so lax my friend brought his travel bag in with him that he was going to take on the bus after the show. They barely looked at it. Josh and Switzer had the best seats so we all (6 of us) went to their seats. We staked out our seats and hoped the owners didn’t show up. They did not and we were golden. We were in for like 10 minutes and the lights went down and the energy went through the roof. Below is the setlist.
Thu, 12/30/2010 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Note: All descriptions are based on my memory, as I have not had time to relisten to everything again. Such are the pressures of a deadline.
Set 1: Cities, Chalk Dust Torture, Gumbo > Quinn the Eskimo, Halley's Comet > Camel Walk[1], Maze, Driver, Bathtub Gin, Fat Man in the Bathtub, Timber (Jerry) > Golgi Apparatus, Character Zero
Set 2: Tweezer -> Light > Theme From the Bottom > My Friend, My Friend[2], Axilla > Fluffhead > Boogie On Reggae Woman -> Also Sprach Zarathustra > Suzy Greenberg
Encore: Run Like an Antelope > Tweezer Reprise
[1] P.A. cut out.
[2] No "Myfe" ending
Notes: The P.A. cut out during Camel Walk. My Friend did not contain the "Myfe" ending.
The Cities opener had everyone dancing. A rare first set Quinn had us jumping for joy. The Camel Walk had the PA cut out towards the end. The band didn’t know it and the audience really shouted the “Camel Walk” at the end. During a quiet moment, I yelled What The Fuck?!?!? Hope the tapers picked that up. The Maze ratcheted up the tension to an unbearable level. The slower Driver was almost a relief so everyone could catch their breath.
Then came Bathtub Gin. The peak towards the end of the song just kept building and building. The other bathtub song they do followed. The energy at the end of Character Zero was almost scary. More Phish fist pumps than you could shake a meatstick at. Finally, set break and a chance to regroup.
The second set opened with a Tweezer that almost destroyed the Garden. 3 separate distinct jams and it went on for nearly 20 minutes. Then Light followed. Another formless space cruise ensues. Each song going higher and higher. Almost overwhelming. Fluffhead is tackled like it’s the first time. Still haven’t danced enough? How about Boogie On>2001>Suzy Greenburg. Then a double encore of Antelope>Reprise. WHAT?!?! Antelope is super rare in the encore slot and the Reprise was so good I actually think that might have been the best 3:28 of my life in public.
So we roll out of MSG but this is New York City, the city that never sleeps. Phish was the main course but who wants desert? We hope on the R train heading downtown and get to Canal Street, right on the edge of Chinatown. Two blocks from the subway station is the club with a Vermont Dead cover band called the Dead Sessions playing. Kevin Shapiro, Phish’s archivist, is one of the drummers. DJ Gravy was spinning shit downstairs as all the Heads waited for the upstairs to open. Thought we might have been ripped off but Switzer saw a lot of old school Vermont Heads so we were golden. They threw down 2 sets, almost 2 and a half hours of music before we hoped back on the subway at 4:15ish and saw a rat on the subway platform.
Got back to the room and absolutely collapsed. I heard something fall or unspool as I fell asleep. Thought it might have been a rat but I was like, no way the Raddison Martinuque has rats. This is a classy place. So I’m asleep on the floor and we don’t have any extra blankets. I’m covered with three coats. I put Caroline (that is the name of Rachael’s fake fur. It’s embroidered on the inside lining. She bought is second hand like that.) over my legs and feet and Caroline worked like a champ. DeLorean gets up to go to the bathroom and kicks my foot. I wake up in reaction mode because I think it’s a rat chewing on my foot. Love New York!! The pregame show madness for NYE had already begun!
We roll out of the hotel room at 2 PM and head to Stoudt’s for coffee, cocktails, and food. Real close to MSG and gets my rare 5 beard award for super heady pub. Back to the hotel to get ready and the HMLL’s (which stands for High Maintenance Lot Ladies. And if you don’t know any HMLL’s, then you must not attend too many shows) already are decked out in their finest. Head up to the insane throngs of people milling outside the Garden and go inside. Again, nice flow of heads and very little hassles. We scoped out Josh and Switzer's seats and had to do very little moving. Our crew was together, surrounded by very cool people (including Jen and Ken from Strong Island, Adam and his crew, and the kind peeps in front of us. Give it up for Section 204 ) Then, the lights go down, and it all begins.
Setlist: Fri, 12/31/2010 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Set 1: Punch You In the Eye, AC/DC Bag, The Moma Dance > Scent of a Mule, Burn that Bridge[1], Weigh, Ocelot[2], Beauty of My Dreams, Gone, Rock and Roll
Set 2: Wilson > 46 Days, Sand, NICU[2] > Down with Disease > Ghost, You Enjoy Myself -> Manteca -> You Enjoy Myself[3]
Set 3: Meatstick[4], Auld Lang Syne[5], After Midnight, Backwards Down the Number Line, Piper > Free, Waste, Slave to the Traffic Light, Grind
Encore: First Tube[2]
[1] Phish debut.
[2] Auld Lang Syne tease.
[3] Manteca quotes in vocal jam.
[4] Portions pre-recorded; Lyrics sung in multiple languages.
[5] a cappella with Meatstick singers.
Notes: This show featured the Phish debut of Burn That Bridge. Ocelot, NICU and First Tube contained Auld Lang Syne teases. Beauty of My Dreams was played for the first time since July 22, 2003 (133 shows). Manteca was played for the first time since October 30, 1998 (301 shows) and the ensuing YEM vocal jam contained Manteca quotes. Before midnight, several groups of multiethnic dancers appeared on stage and sang the Meatstick lyrics in their respective languages. The band joined the dancers and then stealthily disappeared from the stage, only to reappear at the other side of the arena in the giant hotdog from past NYE shows ('94 and '99). As a result, portions of the Meatstick were pre-recorded. Appropriately, the post-show music was Captain Beefheart's Tropical Hot Dog Night.
Switzer called the Punch opener and it was on. Moma flowed like rainwater down the drain and Burn that Bridge is a welcome addition to the Phish catalog. Beauty was a bustout but the place erupted when they did Rock and Roll. VU and Lou Reed’s gritty street attitude filtered through Phish’s Vermont headiness equals a first set that left us panting for more.
One of my neighbors, Steph from Florida, told me she saw NYE in Miami last year, so I figured she was hardcore. When the first set ended, she asked me if that was a setbreak. Wow, that’s an unusual question. She passes out shortly after the second set starts and is out for the rest of the entire show. She missed all their jams and all the Meatstick insanity. She then woke up as the show ended. Hope she didn’t pay too much for the ticket. Delorean, my West Coast HMLL, was all worried and wanted to get her some help. Being an East Coast guy, I said just let her sleep it off. Her chest was moving so she was breathing. East Coast vs. West Coast in a nutshell.
Supershort set break and it was really on. The Wilson for team Switzer/Talbert and an NICU for Rachael. The Sand was so overwhelming I can’t say anything about it. The Disease had the whole place bouncing and the Ghost has to be in the discussion for best ever. The ending of the space funk jam almost had me weeping. You Enjoy Manteca had everyone flipping out and raised the anticipation for the 3rd set into the stratosphere. Another short setbreak. They came out at 11:37 and the last moments of 2010 were in front of us.
Meatstick started and all Hell breaks loose. They run through the song and then go into the Japanese lyrics. Then some Somoan warriors come out (nice shoutout to Troy Palomao) and sang it in their language. Then a mariachi band. Then people who looked like they were in ABBA. Then Russian dancers. And Germans in Lederhousen. All singing the Meatstick. Doing choreographed dances. And I can’t see the band. So much going on stage. Then smoke from the back of the arena. Oh my God!!!! It’s the hotdog from NYE 94 and 99. They’re riding the Meatstick over the crowd!! And throwing Meatsticks to the crowd. Mike’s videotaping it all. Sensory overload to the maximum. They reach the stage and then the Countdown. Confetti and meatsicks and balloons falling out of the sky. Balloons shaped like meatsticks. Again, just overwhelmed by it all. SHOCKS MY BRAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!
They do Auld Lang Syne and then a super charged After Midnight. It just keeps building and building and building. An epic Backwards followed by Piper and then Free. So much energy unleashed. Gonna erupt up through the street. Destroy Manhatten and lay the city to waste. Escape to the Bronx! Waste allows us to catch our breath for the monster Slave and an accapella Grind. First Tube just churns and grows. Trey in full Jedi guitarist mode, throwing feedback like it’s the Force, and then it’s all done.
After we collect ourselves and say goodbye to our neighbors, go through 5 rings to get to the street we head back to the hotel. The doorman looks like the offspring of the actor who played Goldfinger in the James Bond movie and Nikita Krushchev. Hard core Russian accent. Then some Russian dude is waiting for the elevator. He tells DeLorean he was at the show. She asks him about the Meatstick and he says he was above the Meatstick but doesn’t know what she’s talking about. The elevator is taking forever and we are losing it. Take the stairs and get back to the room.
Only bummer whole night is we never saw my friend Christine. So we call her and decided their hotel is only 5 blocks away. We pull ourselves together, still wrecked from Phish. Go through more people on the street than are possible and meet up with them. Hilarity ensues as all the HMLL’s are together. Delorean almost got her meatstick but the guy was greedy about it. Head back to our hotel and she ran into one on the street. We own this town tonight.
Get a few hours of sleep to catch the 1:15 back to Lancaster. Would have loved to see 1/1 but I'm low and funds and I wanted to leave on the high that is NYE. Hope everyone had a safe and amazing New Year’s Eve. Let’s hope 2011 is ever better than 2010 and I’ll see you on the road. TIME FOR THE MEATSTICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD in Rock and Roll
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