Hello sports fans; you’re looking live at the county renowned Kempepdia log. Today we have another entry in my limited series, The First 20, celebrating the first 20 shows I got on tape. Today I heap praise and glory on 6/10/73 RFK Stadium.
06-10-73 Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, Washington, D.C. (Sun)
1: Morning Dew, BIODTL, Ramble On, Jack Straw, Wave That Flag, L. L. Rain, Box Of Rain, TLEO, Race Is On, Row Jimmy, El Paso, Bird Song, Playin
2: Eyes> Stella Blue, Big River, H. C. Sunshine, Around, Dark Star> He's Gone> Wharf Rat> Truckin, Sugar Magnolia
3: Train To Cry*, That's Alright Mama*, Promised*, NFA*> GDTRFB*> Drums*> NFA*, Johnny B. Goode*
*with Allman Brothers Band and Merl Saunders, Wet Willie, then Allman Brothers Band opened - first "That's Alright Mama" - first "Train To Cry" - final "Wave That Flag" –
You can stream the show here while you read
http://www.archive.org/details/gd1973-06-10.sbd.miller.tobin.patched-89730.90979.flac16
I picked this show off of the long forgotten Head’s tape list because of my relative closeness to Washington DC. Little did I know I’d see the boys at that venue more than any other one. I also had no idea that the Allmans opened for them and sat in for some crazy ass jamming in the third set.
Stadium shows were still a rarity for the Dead at this time. They were quite content with ruling hockey arenas across the US. But they did have this amazing sound system called the Wall of Sound. I’m not the best guy to explain technical aspects of a PA system, so let’s see what Bear had to say:
"The Wall of Sound is the name some people gave to a super powerful, extremely accurate PA system that I designed and supervised the building of in 1973 for the Grateful Dead. It was a massive wall of speaker arrays set behind the musicians, which they themselves controlled without a front of house mixer. It did not need any delay towers to reach a distance of half a mile from the stage without degradation."
The audience tapes from this era are outstanding. I prefer a lot of them to the soundboards. So it was an ideal system to fill the vast space of a football stadium. The boys played a two-night stand. The Dead opened for the Allmans on June 9th and then the Allmans opened for the Dead on the 10th.
They open with Morning Dew, with Phil carpet bombing the skulls of the audience. A typical ’73 set list follows. Highlights include Wave that Flag, which is an early version of US Blues. One great thing about having so many shows is hearing the evolution of the songs over time. Some of the lyrics for Flag would make it to US Blues. A swinging Bird Song and a typically spacey Playin’ close out a 14! song first set. I have the exclamation point because a few shows in the 90’s didn’t even have 14 songs total.
The second set opens with a gorgeous, soaring Eyes of the World. This was my first exposure to a live Eyes and it was amazing. The guitars and bass runs may be the most beautiful things the Dead ever wrote. I can remember clear as a bell listening to this in my old ’84 Plymouth Horizon as I drove out of the South West parking lot on a resplendent spring day. I was young and the world was bright and open to unlimited possibilities. Ah, the ignorance of youth.
The second half of the second set is where the Dead really spin some magic. Dark Star>He’s Gone>Wharf Rat>Truckin’ run sums up what 1973 was all about. Spacey jazzy runs in a 26 minute Dark Star flow effortlessly into a 13 minute He’s Gone. A shuffling Truckin’ and an always rocking Sugar Mag close out the second set.
The third set is all about the collaboration between brilliant musicians at their peaks. The Allmans and the Dead jamming together would be the modern day equivalent of Phish and Widespread throwing it down. The first three songs are covers of Dylan, Elvis, and Chuck Berry. What a way to pay tribute to their musical idols. Then a monster NFA>GDTRFB>Drumz>NFA to end the set. A 30-minute sandwich of intense interplay designed to fry what was is left of the audience’s minds. The encore is just the icing on top of an amazing space cake. Once again, the Dead thrilled my young mind to the summit of ecstasy and gave me a glimpse as to what the future held in store. I have Superball IX this coming weekend so everyone have a safe Fourth of July and don’t forget to wave that flag, wave it wide and high…….
Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
Ph.D. in Rock and Roll
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Classic Shemp : Phish Star Lake 2009
Here is a reprint from Summer of 2009. My dad passed away that year on Father's Day. So i figured now was as good enough time as any to post this entry from the Classic Shemp files. Enjoy
Well, the wheel is turning and it won't slow down (sorry, mixing my band metaphors) After showing Bruce how to jam it out at Bonnaroo and playing their smallest venue in I don't know how long (St. Louis's Fabulous Fox Theatre), Phish was making a return to Pittsburgh. They played what might have been THE show for the Phish 2.0 era here and now were in Pittsburgh less that a week after the Pens won the Stanley Cup. (Side rant: The media were making a huge deal out 95000 people showing up for the Lakers victory parade. Pittsburgh had 350000 at theirs. Eat it Kobe!) I was going out with Switzer (orignally from Hanover, now resides in VT), her fiance Josh, and their dog Wilson. I had to drive by myself 'cause they were following the rest of the tour and I couldn't find anyone to take the extra I had after other people dropped out.
We left at 7:30 AM (That may seem a tad bit early, but as you all know, I don't fuck around when it comes to going to shows). It was still raining here, but as we made our way west, it tapered off and the sun fought to break thru the clouds. I headed to the campground and Switzer and Josh headed to Pittsburgh to pick up our friend Abby, who took the bus down from Buffalo. (That is the sign of a hardcore fan. No one would take a Greyhound unless they had to) I get to the campground and the owner tells me one tent per site, no partying and I can't bring anyone back from the show. I'm not there 5 minutes and I'm getting cockblocked by this guy. I set up and take a nap.
Switzer, Josh, Abby, and Wilson get back and find out they made their reservation for JULY 18, not June. D'oh. The place is booked but Switzer tells the owner her friend Brian is renting one of the cabins and would it be cool if they set their tent up there. Mind you, Brian isn't even here yet. The owner says sure, go ahead. Then another friend of ours, Nate, shows up and he doesn't have a reservation either. Sure set up your tent by the cabin. So, evidently I'm Charles Manson and everyone else is the Partridge Family.
Now as I mentioned before, Switzer lives in VT and she knows Mike Gorden, the bassist for Phish. I mean they're good friends, exchanging texts and hanging out when he's in VT. She has also waited on Page and Fishman where she works, so she's in the know. When they are at the bus station, they see Page there as well. She didn't say anything to him and we wondered why he was there.
1) He knows that's a good place to pick up runaways
2) He had his woman hope a bus from VT to join him on the rest of the tour.
We pondered and decided it was number two. That's right people, Page buses in his bitches from Burlington (yea alitteration!!)
We left the campsite early and got into the good lot right by the enterance and Shakedown St. A bunch of people from Hanover were already there so we settled in. It was partly sunny so I didn't even bring in the QuickShade. (Hello sunburn) We were hanging out and who should Switzer get a text from but Mike Gorden. How awesome is that? I think he just asked if she was in yet. Still, the only band I ever have contact with before a show is Devolver. We head in to get a good spot and prepare for IT.
06/18/09 Post Gazette Pavilion, Burgettstown, PA
Set I: Golgi Apparatus, Chalkdust Torture, Bouncing Around the Room, Wolfman's Brother, The Divided Sky, Heavy Things, Walk Away1, Wilson, Tube, Alaska, David Bowie
Set II: Down With Disease> Free, Guyute, Piper> When the Circus Comes to Town, Harry Hood, The Squirming Coil, You Enjoy Myself
Encore: Grind, Hello My Baby2, HYHU> Bike3> HYHU, Loving Cup
1 Last Played 10/5/2000 (80 Shows)
2 incomplete; there were two false starts; after the first, Trey said that if they messed up again, Fish would sing Bike
3 Last Played 9/12/2000 (95 Shows); Fishman banter included him saying "welcome to the trainwreck portion of the show"
The Golgi opener unleashed the hose of pure energy. Divided cranked it up even more. And then Walkaway. First one since 2000. Unreal! They even did Wilson for Wilson. Alaska was good and Bowie was ripping. Brent, Blunt, Bobbi, and Josh were 5 feet behind us on the lawn (who needs cellphones)and 4 of Switzer's friend from VT were with us, so we now had a party. Already, the first set destroyed the really good show that Camden was .
So myself, Abby, and Switzer head off to the bathrooms. There are no lights in this venue and then the stage lights go down while we are walking to our group. Double d'oh. We have no idea where they are and the band rips into Disease. We met Cash (from VT) who also is lost. It took most of Disease, but we finally do met up with them. The Disease>Free was dare I say, epic. The rest of the set speaks for itself. Then the encore. Fishman accused Page of giving the wrong note when the sang Grind accapella. So they attempted Hello My Baby. Screwed that up twice and Trey stuck to his guns and made Fish sing Bike, complete with vaccumm solo( I don't think I've seen the vaccum out since 96). Fish introduces everyone and then they do Loving Cup. I called this as the show opener. I also called them bring the Stanley Cup out on stage.(Had that happened, I think a hole in the fabric of the universe would have occured) Alas, that did not happen but Loving Cup was the perfect way to end the night.
And for those of you who read my Camden review and are wondering about my dad, he's in Hanover Hall now but bad. He started going downhill yesterday and it doesn't look like he'll make it thru the weekend. That's OK because Alzhimer's is so bad, death is the only way to end the suffering. The last time I was able to talk to him coherently, his face lit up when I told him I was going to see Phish(He wasn't a fan but knew how much I loved them). And his last act of being a dad to me and for me was to recover and hold on so I could get the release that these shows provided, which was really fucking cool. Now that I did that, I can deal with whatever comes next.
So thanks Dad, my friends, and Phish.
Dave
Well, the wheel is turning and it won't slow down (sorry, mixing my band metaphors) After showing Bruce how to jam it out at Bonnaroo and playing their smallest venue in I don't know how long (St. Louis's Fabulous Fox Theatre), Phish was making a return to Pittsburgh. They played what might have been THE show for the Phish 2.0 era here and now were in Pittsburgh less that a week after the Pens won the Stanley Cup. (Side rant: The media were making a huge deal out 95000 people showing up for the Lakers victory parade. Pittsburgh had 350000 at theirs. Eat it Kobe!) I was going out with Switzer (orignally from Hanover, now resides in VT), her fiance Josh, and their dog Wilson. I had to drive by myself 'cause they were following the rest of the tour and I couldn't find anyone to take the extra I had after other people dropped out.
We left at 7:30 AM (That may seem a tad bit early, but as you all know, I don't fuck around when it comes to going to shows). It was still raining here, but as we made our way west, it tapered off and the sun fought to break thru the clouds. I headed to the campground and Switzer and Josh headed to Pittsburgh to pick up our friend Abby, who took the bus down from Buffalo. (That is the sign of a hardcore fan. No one would take a Greyhound unless they had to) I get to the campground and the owner tells me one tent per site, no partying and I can't bring anyone back from the show. I'm not there 5 minutes and I'm getting cockblocked by this guy. I set up and take a nap.
Switzer, Josh, Abby, and Wilson get back and find out they made their reservation for JULY 18, not June. D'oh. The place is booked but Switzer tells the owner her friend Brian is renting one of the cabins and would it be cool if they set their tent up there. Mind you, Brian isn't even here yet. The owner says sure, go ahead. Then another friend of ours, Nate, shows up and he doesn't have a reservation either. Sure set up your tent by the cabin. So, evidently I'm Charles Manson and everyone else is the Partridge Family.
Now as I mentioned before, Switzer lives in VT and she knows Mike Gorden, the bassist for Phish. I mean they're good friends, exchanging texts and hanging out when he's in VT. She has also waited on Page and Fishman where she works, so she's in the know. When they are at the bus station, they see Page there as well. She didn't say anything to him and we wondered why he was there.
1) He knows that's a good place to pick up runaways
2) He had his woman hope a bus from VT to join him on the rest of the tour.
We pondered and decided it was number two. That's right people, Page buses in his bitches from Burlington (yea alitteration!!)
We left the campsite early and got into the good lot right by the enterance and Shakedown St. A bunch of people from Hanover were already there so we settled in. It was partly sunny so I didn't even bring in the QuickShade. (Hello sunburn) We were hanging out and who should Switzer get a text from but Mike Gorden. How awesome is that? I think he just asked if she was in yet. Still, the only band I ever have contact with before a show is Devolver. We head in to get a good spot and prepare for IT.
06/18/09 Post Gazette Pavilion, Burgettstown, PA
Set I: Golgi Apparatus, Chalkdust Torture, Bouncing Around the Room, Wolfman's Brother, The Divided Sky, Heavy Things, Walk Away1, Wilson, Tube, Alaska, David Bowie
Set II: Down With Disease> Free, Guyute, Piper> When the Circus Comes to Town, Harry Hood, The Squirming Coil, You Enjoy Myself
Encore: Grind, Hello My Baby2, HYHU> Bike3> HYHU, Loving Cup
1 Last Played 10/5/2000 (80 Shows)
2 incomplete; there were two false starts; after the first, Trey said that if they messed up again, Fish would sing Bike
3 Last Played 9/12/2000 (95 Shows); Fishman banter included him saying "welcome to the trainwreck portion of the show"
The Golgi opener unleashed the hose of pure energy. Divided cranked it up even more. And then Walkaway. First one since 2000. Unreal! They even did Wilson for Wilson. Alaska was good and Bowie was ripping. Brent, Blunt, Bobbi, and Josh were 5 feet behind us on the lawn (who needs cellphones)and 4 of Switzer's friend from VT were with us, so we now had a party. Already, the first set destroyed the really good show that Camden was .
So myself, Abby, and Switzer head off to the bathrooms. There are no lights in this venue and then the stage lights go down while we are walking to our group. Double d'oh. We have no idea where they are and the band rips into Disease. We met Cash (from VT) who also is lost. It took most of Disease, but we finally do met up with them. The Disease>Free was dare I say, epic. The rest of the set speaks for itself. Then the encore. Fishman accused Page of giving the wrong note when the sang Grind accapella. So they attempted Hello My Baby. Screwed that up twice and Trey stuck to his guns and made Fish sing Bike, complete with vaccumm solo( I don't think I've seen the vaccum out since 96). Fish introduces everyone and then they do Loving Cup. I called this as the show opener. I also called them bring the Stanley Cup out on stage.(Had that happened, I think a hole in the fabric of the universe would have occured) Alas, that did not happen but Loving Cup was the perfect way to end the night.
And for those of you who read my Camden review and are wondering about my dad, he's in Hanover Hall now but bad. He started going downhill yesterday and it doesn't look like he'll make it thru the weekend. That's OK because Alzhimer's is so bad, death is the only way to end the suffering. The last time I was able to talk to him coherently, his face lit up when I told him I was going to see Phish(He wasn't a fan but knew how much I loved them). And his last act of being a dad to me and for me was to recover and hold on so I could get the release that these shows provided, which was really fucking cool. Now that I did that, I can deal with whatever comes next.
So thanks Dad, my friends, and Phish.
Dave
Monday, June 13, 2011
Phish 6/10, 6/11 and 6/12/11 Camden/Merriweather Run
Well hello everybody. Hope you all had a great weekend. I just did my usual thing, 3 nights of mind-blowing music and fun with my incredable friends and a little band called Phish. Once again, Phish shows how much they love Hanover, PA and the cool peeps that live here by scheduling their MidAtlantic run around it. We’re just 2 and half-hours from Philly and 55 minutes from Merriweather. So without further ado, let’s get this show on the road!
Myself and my friend Justin hit the road about 10 am Friday. No traffic or other issues as we hit my friend Meg’s super deluxe penthouse style crib. It’s in a nondescript factory building in the Liberty Heights neighborhood in Philly. It is only 10 minutes from Camden. The first floor is a furniture factory. Meg’s roommate redid the top floor, all exposed ceilings, hardwood floors and the most amazing dining room table ever. I always described it as the table that Led Zeppelin sat around while they plotted out their tours. It is super smooth as if sanded down by topless Papua New Guanines using the finest grit sandpaper known to man. It’s that good. But there is a weird almost unlived-in-ness to the apartment. One plate on the top of the shelf had black lines all over it. It was from tar leaking though the roof. And a multiweek old bowl of clam chowder on the counter. Again just weirdness.
We hung out until 3 and myself, Justin, the OG HMLL Christine and her boyfriend Todd hit the Lot. The GPS took me on all these back streets through Philly proper and then Bam; we’re on the bridge crossing the Delaware River into lovely and safe Camden NJ. Camden is a rundown Rust Belt city in a rundown Rust Belt state. They made national headlines last year when due to budget cuts, they had to lay off a third or half of their police force. So needless to say, the Camden lot was really raging.
We were in the Lot next to the Shakedown Lot and Shakedown was all over the place. Three or four rows with sellers hawking their wares everywhere. Anything and everything was available for sale. The sun was out but there was a nice breeze. Everyday this weekend was calling for a chance of scattered strong thunderstorms. We lucked out with the weather 2 weeks before in Bethel. I had faith Mother Nature loves Phish and hoped for the best.
We rage the Lot properly. Our neighbors were from Portland, OR but the one chick and myself shared the same first Phish show, 4/8/94 Penn State Rec Hall. Christine was posing with the girls and remarked it was like they were on the Lot red carpet. I then yelled ala a reporter, “Who are you wearing?” Response “Some chick on the Lot”. That’s how HMLL’s roll. I was standing with 3 guys and this hippie chick came up and asked me to take their picture. The HMLL’s gift to me, glitter all over my arm and chest. It was still there come Sunday morning, and yes i DID shower.
I had some peeps in the pavilion and some on the lawn so I set up shop next to sound tower 4 and got ready for the show. And please allow me to just say how much I love Summer Tour. All the ladies wearing peasant dresses and hippie chick halter-tops .... ahh yes. And nearly every chick I saw looked beautiful. No secret how much I love hippie chicks. Thank God the music is really good. Cause if a Lawrence Welk death metal tribute band attracted a crowd like Phish does, you know I’d be there.
Friday, 06/10/2011
Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ
Soundcheck: Halfway to the Moon
Set 1: Rocky Top, Mike's Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, Stash, Tube > Guyute, Guelah Papyrus > Scent of a Mule, Cavern, The Sloth, The Curtain With
Set 2: Down with Disease, Free, Possum, Big Black Furry Creature from Mars, Swept Away > Steep, David Bowie, Julius, Golgi Apparatus > Fluffhead > Joy
Encore: Bold As Love
Notes: Trey teased the Theme from Rocky before Rocky Top and Pop Goes the Weasel before Down With Disease.
My friend Tom called the Rocky Top as a tip of the cap to Bonnaroo, which was kicking of its 10th anniversary edition this weekend as well. I was surprised they did Mike’s on back to back nights but who am I to complain. The Weekapaugh was much better than the one I saw in Bethel. The whole first set was solid and the Curtain With’s ending jam was really spot on. I feel that’s one of the quintessential Phish songs. Goofy lyrics and amazingly structured jams that require a lot of practice.
The Disease was nice and followed by a typical nonjammed out Free. Possum had some interesting moments. The BBFCFM was a nice change of pace. The whole ending of the second set was solid. Haven’t listened to anything again yet so not too many details. Joy was actually a strong set closer, which I would have never guessed.
Kicked it a little post show in the Lot and then headed back to the coolest apartment in Philly.
Passed out sooner rather than later and was up 8:30 am for the ride back to Hanover. Quick shower and met up with my friend Abbey and we head down to the Lot. Hit Merriweather Lot by 2:30 and get the Quik Shade set up next to Tower 3. Everyone and I mean everyone from Hanover stops by. Great seeing Jay Dewald of the Jay Dewald Experience, rocking a vintage Devolver shirt. I have one Devolver shirt and everyone else has a dozen. What!?!? Old school Head Dion stopped by, AYC people! (That’s Adams York County for the uninitiated)
We watched a big black bird fight with two other smaller birds. They made their way across the Lot sky and then 10 minutes later came back but only one of the smaller birds made it. I joked the large bird was a raven and the smaller birds were from Pittsburgh. Stash everyone’s stuff in my car and head onto the lawn to grab our spot.
Link Saturday, 06/11/2011
Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD
Set 1: Daniel Saw the Stone, AC/DC Bag, Ocelot, Access Me, Vultures, Wilson > Sand, Roses Are Free > Reba[1], On Your Way Down, Run Like an Antelope[2]
Set 2: Birds of a Feather, Tweezer > The Horse > Silent in the Morning > Waves > Chalk Dust Torture[3], Rock and Roll -> Albuquerque > Piper > Wading in the Velvet Sea > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan > Suzy Greenberg
Encore: Show of Life > Tweezer Reprise
[1] No whistling.
[2] On Your Way Down teases from Trey.
[3] BOAF tease.
Notes: Daniel Saw The Stone was played for the first time since August 3, 2003 (137 shows). Reba did not contain the whistling ending. Antelope included an On Your Way Down tease from Trey. Chalkdust included a BOAF tease.
We just get inside after Merriweather’s super lax security and they come onstage. Daniel opener.. woohoo! First time catching that gospel classic. Nice paced first set. Remember the whole Wilson through the end being really strong. No ending for Reba but that is typical. The Sand had some cool little themes in it. The Antelope was super high energy. At one point during setbreak, a group of six or seven YOUNG hippie chicks formed a line and made their way through our group. I dubbed them High Maintenance Jail Bait. We also had peeps spanning friendships of 20 + years from York and Hanover in the house. We had a huge area on the lawn just for the coolest people we know.
Second set starts and it’s Birds of a Feather. I guess Trey saw the birds fighting in the Lot. The Tweezer was short but had some really nice runs in it. The whole run from Tweezer through the end was really good. I liked the pacing of a high energy song followed by a slightly chill song. I think everyone was expecting a monster Chalkdust ala Camden but it was still very high energy. Merriweather has a new HD screen for the lawn and it kicks ass. Page’s look of ecstasy and release when he was singing the second lyric to Rock and Roll was mind-blowing. You know her life was saved by rock and roll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m man enough to admit I enjoy seeing Page sing.
The Piper was all energy and it really sounded like they were gonna go into No Quarter before they went into Velvet Sea. But again, the course of this set was perfect so no complaints. 2001 had some nice funk but no where near the sick James Brown licks they were throwing down on 6/3. Suzy had the band screaming “What?!” over and over. If any of that was directed at my me and something that is going on in my life, then bravo boys. Again, just about perfect. An always raging Reprise and sent us on our way. I got to sleep in my own bed while on Tour and was ready to finish strong on Sunday.
Got down to the Lot with Abbey about the same time but some how ended up parking right in front of the entrance of the venue. I literally could not have been any closer to walking in or leaving the Lot. Lots of friends stopping by. We even managed to save 4 parking spots for our friends. Christine and Todd followed shortly by Switzer and Josh showed up and took their lot spaces right up front. Because that’s how HMLL’s roll bitches!!!!!!!!!! It rained for 10 minutes, just enough to settle the dust as a friend once remarked. Baltimore got crushed by downpours but once again, Mother Nature loves Tour. 6 days with strong scattered thunderstorms yet barely a drop on me. Gotta give a shoutout to Sean from VT. Did first half of Tour without a car, always having it work out. Ahh, the magic of Tour. I have to give another shout out to Frank Vecera and Brianna Weaver for bringing their 6 month old son Owen to the show. With the power vested in me by Rolling Stone and Ken Kesey, I hereby dub Owen the Headiest Baby in the US. First show at 6 months, that's how we do it!!!
Got in a little bit earlier than we did on Sat. Walked in with a Gatorade and a security guard says, “You can’t take in Gatorade”. I reply I’ll drink it before I go in and then just walk in with it. Bethel maybe Mike’s house but Merriweather is MY house. Find our normal spot on the lawn and get ready. The lawn is where it’s at. It’s like seeing a show in your backyard. Nowhere near as crowded as Sat night. The people in front of us had 7 hoops on the lawn. For 2 chicks. What!?!?
Sunday, 06/12/2011
Merriweather Post Pavillion, Columbia, MD
Set 1: Buried Alive, Lonesome Cowboy Bill, Ha Ha Ha, Sample in a Jar > The Divided Sky, Wolfman's Brother -> Boogie On Reggae Woman > Gumbo, Halley's Comet > Bathtub Gin > Jesus Just Left Chicago, Character Zero
Set 2: Party Time, Crosseyed and Painless > Steam > Light > The Wedge, Alaska, Halfway to the Moon, Harry Hood > Backwards Down the Number Line, Loving Cup
Encore: Sanity > Makisupa Policeman[1] > First Tube
[1] With lyrics referencing blunts and bundt cake.
Notes: Lonesome Cowboy Bill was played for the first time since July 30, 2003 (141 shows). Makisupa included lyrics referencing blunts and a moist bundt cake.
Buried Alive opener from a fan with a sign. Lonesome Cowboy Bill. Ha Ha Ha. Nice opening. The transition in Boogie On was phenomenal. Halley’s was really short with no jam but Bathtub had some nice moments. I think I last saw Jesus back in 1998. Nice long first set setting us up for a final set of our MidAtlantic run.
Party Time! Few lyrics but an amazing groove. My defining image of the whole run is being behind Switzer as she rocked the fuck out of Crosseyed. That is what it is all about. First time I heard Steam and I like it. The jam at the end was really, really psychedelic and you know it has to be out there if that’s how I describe it. Light wasn’t the longest version but the transition into it was stellar. The encore blew what was left of our minds into the night sky.
In Markisupa, Trey’s keyword was a blunt. Before the show, Jay remarked that because his wife is Canadian, he had some authentic Cuban cigars and we talked about super high end blunts with illegal Cuban cigars. I mentioned that I have never smoked a blunt. Our friend whose nickname is Blunt was also in attendence. And then Trey talks about blunts??!?!? What?!?! We are as much as part of the Phish Tour Experience as we are for Devolver and Boxcar Social Tour. God I love this life!!!!!!
Chilled in the Lot until the police made their presence known. After an eventful ride home (Some douchebag was going 5 miles per hour on the Beltway. Almost rear ended him and was really worried about getting it myself), spent a restful night in my own crib. Today is all about cleaning up and writing. Thank you all my friends and aquaintnces that I have met on the way and make this life such an incredable journey. See you all at SuperBall IX!!!!!!!!!!!
Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD Rock and Roll
Myself and my friend Justin hit the road about 10 am Friday. No traffic or other issues as we hit my friend Meg’s super deluxe penthouse style crib. It’s in a nondescript factory building in the Liberty Heights neighborhood in Philly. It is only 10 minutes from Camden. The first floor is a furniture factory. Meg’s roommate redid the top floor, all exposed ceilings, hardwood floors and the most amazing dining room table ever. I always described it as the table that Led Zeppelin sat around while they plotted out their tours. It is super smooth as if sanded down by topless Papua New Guanines using the finest grit sandpaper known to man. It’s that good. But there is a weird almost unlived-in-ness to the apartment. One plate on the top of the shelf had black lines all over it. It was from tar leaking though the roof. And a multiweek old bowl of clam chowder on the counter. Again just weirdness.
We hung out until 3 and myself, Justin, the OG HMLL Christine and her boyfriend Todd hit the Lot. The GPS took me on all these back streets through Philly proper and then Bam; we’re on the bridge crossing the Delaware River into lovely and safe Camden NJ. Camden is a rundown Rust Belt city in a rundown Rust Belt state. They made national headlines last year when due to budget cuts, they had to lay off a third or half of their police force. So needless to say, the Camden lot was really raging.
We were in the Lot next to the Shakedown Lot and Shakedown was all over the place. Three or four rows with sellers hawking their wares everywhere. Anything and everything was available for sale. The sun was out but there was a nice breeze. Everyday this weekend was calling for a chance of scattered strong thunderstorms. We lucked out with the weather 2 weeks before in Bethel. I had faith Mother Nature loves Phish and hoped for the best.
We rage the Lot properly. Our neighbors were from Portland, OR but the one chick and myself shared the same first Phish show, 4/8/94 Penn State Rec Hall. Christine was posing with the girls and remarked it was like they were on the Lot red carpet. I then yelled ala a reporter, “Who are you wearing?” Response “Some chick on the Lot”. That’s how HMLL’s roll. I was standing with 3 guys and this hippie chick came up and asked me to take their picture. The HMLL’s gift to me, glitter all over my arm and chest. It was still there come Sunday morning, and yes i DID shower.
I had some peeps in the pavilion and some on the lawn so I set up shop next to sound tower 4 and got ready for the show. And please allow me to just say how much I love Summer Tour. All the ladies wearing peasant dresses and hippie chick halter-tops .... ahh yes. And nearly every chick I saw looked beautiful. No secret how much I love hippie chicks. Thank God the music is really good. Cause if a Lawrence Welk death metal tribute band attracted a crowd like Phish does, you know I’d be there.
Friday, 06/10/2011
Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ
Soundcheck: Halfway to the Moon
Set 1: Rocky Top, Mike's Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, Stash, Tube > Guyute, Guelah Papyrus > Scent of a Mule, Cavern, The Sloth, The Curtain With
Set 2: Down with Disease, Free, Possum, Big Black Furry Creature from Mars, Swept Away > Steep, David Bowie, Julius, Golgi Apparatus > Fluffhead > Joy
Encore: Bold As Love
Notes: Trey teased the Theme from Rocky before Rocky Top and Pop Goes the Weasel before Down With Disease.
My friend Tom called the Rocky Top as a tip of the cap to Bonnaroo, which was kicking of its 10th anniversary edition this weekend as well. I was surprised they did Mike’s on back to back nights but who am I to complain. The Weekapaugh was much better than the one I saw in Bethel. The whole first set was solid and the Curtain With’s ending jam was really spot on. I feel that’s one of the quintessential Phish songs. Goofy lyrics and amazingly structured jams that require a lot of practice.
The Disease was nice and followed by a typical nonjammed out Free. Possum had some interesting moments. The BBFCFM was a nice change of pace. The whole ending of the second set was solid. Haven’t listened to anything again yet so not too many details. Joy was actually a strong set closer, which I would have never guessed.
Kicked it a little post show in the Lot and then headed back to the coolest apartment in Philly.
Passed out sooner rather than later and was up 8:30 am for the ride back to Hanover. Quick shower and met up with my friend Abbey and we head down to the Lot. Hit Merriweather Lot by 2:30 and get the Quik Shade set up next to Tower 3. Everyone and I mean everyone from Hanover stops by. Great seeing Jay Dewald of the Jay Dewald Experience, rocking a vintage Devolver shirt. I have one Devolver shirt and everyone else has a dozen. What!?!? Old school Head Dion stopped by, AYC people! (That’s Adams York County for the uninitiated)
We watched a big black bird fight with two other smaller birds. They made their way across the Lot sky and then 10 minutes later came back but only one of the smaller birds made it. I joked the large bird was a raven and the smaller birds were from Pittsburgh. Stash everyone’s stuff in my car and head onto the lawn to grab our spot.
Link Saturday, 06/11/2011
Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD
Set 1: Daniel Saw the Stone, AC/DC Bag, Ocelot, Access Me, Vultures, Wilson > Sand, Roses Are Free > Reba[1], On Your Way Down, Run Like an Antelope[2]
Set 2: Birds of a Feather, Tweezer > The Horse > Silent in the Morning > Waves > Chalk Dust Torture[3], Rock and Roll -> Albuquerque > Piper > Wading in the Velvet Sea > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan > Suzy Greenberg
Encore: Show of Life > Tweezer Reprise
[1] No whistling.
[2] On Your Way Down teases from Trey.
[3] BOAF tease.
Notes: Daniel Saw The Stone was played for the first time since August 3, 2003 (137 shows). Reba did not contain the whistling ending. Antelope included an On Your Way Down tease from Trey. Chalkdust included a BOAF tease.
We just get inside after Merriweather’s super lax security and they come onstage. Daniel opener.. woohoo! First time catching that gospel classic. Nice paced first set. Remember the whole Wilson through the end being really strong. No ending for Reba but that is typical. The Sand had some cool little themes in it. The Antelope was super high energy. At one point during setbreak, a group of six or seven YOUNG hippie chicks formed a line and made their way through our group. I dubbed them High Maintenance Jail Bait. We also had peeps spanning friendships of 20 + years from York and Hanover in the house. We had a huge area on the lawn just for the coolest people we know.
Second set starts and it’s Birds of a Feather. I guess Trey saw the birds fighting in the Lot. The Tweezer was short but had some really nice runs in it. The whole run from Tweezer through the end was really good. I liked the pacing of a high energy song followed by a slightly chill song. I think everyone was expecting a monster Chalkdust ala Camden but it was still very high energy. Merriweather has a new HD screen for the lawn and it kicks ass. Page’s look of ecstasy and release when he was singing the second lyric to Rock and Roll was mind-blowing. You know her life was saved by rock and roll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m man enough to admit I enjoy seeing Page sing.
The Piper was all energy and it really sounded like they were gonna go into No Quarter before they went into Velvet Sea. But again, the course of this set was perfect so no complaints. 2001 had some nice funk but no where near the sick James Brown licks they were throwing down on 6/3. Suzy had the band screaming “What?!” over and over. If any of that was directed at my me and something that is going on in my life, then bravo boys. Again, just about perfect. An always raging Reprise and sent us on our way. I got to sleep in my own bed while on Tour and was ready to finish strong on Sunday.
Got down to the Lot with Abbey about the same time but some how ended up parking right in front of the entrance of the venue. I literally could not have been any closer to walking in or leaving the Lot. Lots of friends stopping by. We even managed to save 4 parking spots for our friends. Christine and Todd followed shortly by Switzer and Josh showed up and took their lot spaces right up front. Because that’s how HMLL’s roll bitches!!!!!!!!!! It rained for 10 minutes, just enough to settle the dust as a friend once remarked. Baltimore got crushed by downpours but once again, Mother Nature loves Tour. 6 days with strong scattered thunderstorms yet barely a drop on me. Gotta give a shoutout to Sean from VT. Did first half of Tour without a car, always having it work out. Ahh, the magic of Tour. I have to give another shout out to Frank Vecera and Brianna Weaver for bringing their 6 month old son Owen to the show. With the power vested in me by Rolling Stone and Ken Kesey, I hereby dub Owen the Headiest Baby in the US. First show at 6 months, that's how we do it!!!
Got in a little bit earlier than we did on Sat. Walked in with a Gatorade and a security guard says, “You can’t take in Gatorade”. I reply I’ll drink it before I go in and then just walk in with it. Bethel maybe Mike’s house but Merriweather is MY house. Find our normal spot on the lawn and get ready. The lawn is where it’s at. It’s like seeing a show in your backyard. Nowhere near as crowded as Sat night. The people in front of us had 7 hoops on the lawn. For 2 chicks. What!?!?
Sunday, 06/12/2011
Merriweather Post Pavillion, Columbia, MD
Set 1: Buried Alive, Lonesome Cowboy Bill, Ha Ha Ha, Sample in a Jar > The Divided Sky, Wolfman's Brother -> Boogie On Reggae Woman > Gumbo, Halley's Comet > Bathtub Gin > Jesus Just Left Chicago, Character Zero
Set 2: Party Time, Crosseyed and Painless > Steam > Light > The Wedge, Alaska, Halfway to the Moon, Harry Hood > Backwards Down the Number Line, Loving Cup
Encore: Sanity > Makisupa Policeman[1] > First Tube
[1] With lyrics referencing blunts and bundt cake.
Notes: Lonesome Cowboy Bill was played for the first time since July 30, 2003 (141 shows). Makisupa included lyrics referencing blunts and a moist bundt cake.
Buried Alive opener from a fan with a sign. Lonesome Cowboy Bill. Ha Ha Ha. Nice opening. The transition in Boogie On was phenomenal. Halley’s was really short with no jam but Bathtub had some nice moments. I think I last saw Jesus back in 1998. Nice long first set setting us up for a final set of our MidAtlantic run.
Party Time! Few lyrics but an amazing groove. My defining image of the whole run is being behind Switzer as she rocked the fuck out of Crosseyed. That is what it is all about. First time I heard Steam and I like it. The jam at the end was really, really psychedelic and you know it has to be out there if that’s how I describe it. Light wasn’t the longest version but the transition into it was stellar. The encore blew what was left of our minds into the night sky.
In Markisupa, Trey’s keyword was a blunt. Before the show, Jay remarked that because his wife is Canadian, he had some authentic Cuban cigars and we talked about super high end blunts with illegal Cuban cigars. I mentioned that I have never smoked a blunt. Our friend whose nickname is Blunt was also in attendence. And then Trey talks about blunts??!?!? What?!?! We are as much as part of the Phish Tour Experience as we are for Devolver and Boxcar Social Tour. God I love this life!!!!!!
Chilled in the Lot until the police made their presence known. After an eventful ride home (Some douchebag was going 5 miles per hour on the Beltway. Almost rear ended him and was really worried about getting it myself), spent a restful night in my own crib. Today is all about cleaning up and writing. Thank you all my friends and aquaintnces that I have met on the way and make this life such an incredable journey. See you all at SuperBall IX!!!!!!!!!!!
Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD Rock and Roll
Monday, June 6, 2011
Phish 5/27, 5/28, & 5/29/11 Bethel, NY
Hello phriends. Summer’s here and the time is right for Tour. Once again it is time to break out the coolers and Quik Shade and hit the road in search of eternal joy and never ending splendor. Time to brave the heat and humidity and undertake a ritual as old as mankind; listening to minstrels weave their magic under the starry skies. I kick off the summer of 2011 the right way with 3 nights of Phish in upstate New York. The boys and 15000 of my closest friends show Bethel, NY how to do 3 days of music.
Myself and my friend Bubba left Hanover Friday morning. We had to make a brief stop in Harrisburg. It appeared that a massive thunderstorm tore through Thursday night. Trees were down all over the place. We saw a Mazda Miata that was crushed into an even smaller package. Power out all over the place. But no traffic issues as we hit the interstate. In fact, the roads were almost empty and even desolate as we got on I-84 right out side of Scranton, the jewel of northeast PA.
We take all back roads to get to Kittanny Campgrounds (‘cause that’s all there is in the Catskills, back roads.) The campground had no electricity but we were able to check in right away. I made a bet with a loud guy that Phish would open up with “Prep School Hippie”. By the expression on his face, he did not know which song I was talking about. He gave me 4 to 1 odds and then gave me the first 3 songs. I still owe him 5 bucks but I’m sure I’ll see him some point on Tour. He had a tat of Jerry’s right hand on his arm so if you see him, tell him I’m looking for him.
Our campsite was absolutely gorgeous. Right along a good size creek, we had tall trees giving up an ample amount of shade. It was so green with an almost constant breeze that foretold of a weekend of perfect weather. The visuals with the sound of the creek gave it an almost magical quality, like we were in the Shire. Then our neighbors started filtering in.
There was a couple next to us that were Heads. They had a Quik Shade set up with ribbons and bows on it. When the smoking hot chick came over to ask me to open her beer with a lighter (HMLL’s search me out), she told us they had just gotten married and this was their honeymoon. She never came back to ask for another beer to be opened. I’m gonna assume he saw my beard and realized he better buy a bottle opener before my testosterone overcomes her. She did spend a good portion of Sat sunbathing next to our site. Again, amazing visuals.
2 sites away in each direction were families from the City. Group one was made up of maybe a dozen guys along with wives, girlfriends, kids etc. They tied up yellow Caution tape to mark their territory. They were playing crappy music but it wasn’t too loud so no complaints. Group 2 was one big family, with at least 3 generations there. Lots of Quik Shades and a giant American flag hanging from one of the tents. The father of the family sat in the center of the rings of chair, looking like a lion overlooking his pride. On Sat a group of clean cut Phish kids rolled in next to us. Their early AM music of choice, Drake. Yeash. I’m on Phish tour, not crappy Autotuned pop electronic hiphop tour. Which I believe runs in the lawless border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Switzer and her husband Josh show up and we get down to business. Our camp is set up and we head for the Lot. We encounter incredibly slow moving traffic on winding backcountry roads. We finally get into the Lot and it’s all luscious grass. I’ve never seen such hardy grass in my life. All the rain we’ve had this spring and this grass is holding up perfectly. Inside and outside the venue the grass held up like a champ, with nary a mudbog to be seen.
The venue is on the site of the Woodstock concert. I think it’s even more beautiful than the Saratoga Performing Arts Centre in Saratoga Springs, NY. Rolling hills and trees as far as the eye can see. No light pollution blocking the stars at night. We settled on the lawn and waited for IT.
Friday, 05/27/2011
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Bethel, NY
Set 1: Tweezer > My Friend, My Friend, Poor Heart, Roses Are Free > Funky Bitch, Wolfman's Brother[1] -> Walk Away, Stash, Bouncing Around the Room, Kill Devil Falls, Bold As Love
Set 2: Carini > Back on the Train, Boogie On Reggae Woman > Waves > Prince Caspian > Crosseyed and Painless > Wading in the Velvet Sea > Possum, The Squirming Coil
Encore: Julius
[1] Streets Of Cairo tease from Trey.
Notes: Wolfman's contained a Streets of Cairo tease from Trey. Before Stash, Trey teased The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus) by Yes.
Tweezer tour opener?!?!?! Wow what balls. 5 months off and the boys come out of the gate swinging. Nice solid jams into an intense My Friend. The highlight of the first set was Wolfman’s>Walkaway. The transition was flawless and sneaked up on ya. The jam in Walkaway was mindblowing; probably the best one of the weekend, with major Tweezer Reprise teases.
The sun set and set 2 was on. Carini had massive waves of noise rolling over the hills. The Boogie On>Waves>Prince Caspian was one for the ages. Very heavy ambient jamming reminiscent of The Lemonwheel but more so the 8/3/03 second set. Very spacey and lead to Waves creeping up like a proud black panther. Crosseyed kicked the energy back up. Coil had some rather angry piano playing at the end of the solo that the crowd appreciated. Julius sent us on our way after a really solid tour opener.
Leaving the venue took forever as the Lot was raging afterwards. More nitrous than customers and Shakedown in full effect y’all. Get back to the campground a little before 2 and a lot of people are still raging. None of them were Heads. Little kids under the age of 10 dancing around large campfires. No loud music but a lot of people still up and about.
The next day broke cool and crisp and I somehow managed to sleep in until 10 am. I don’t do that in my own bed. Fatty breakfast and then kicking back until we head to the Lot. Rained on the way there but upon our arrival, it appeared as though Bethel got nothing. We get there earlier than the first day and are situated in the prime Lot. A strong breeze blew all day and enough cloud cover to occasionally hide the sun. Cool neighbors from NE PA, right off of Shakedown. Met up with a lot of peeps from Vermont and made our way into the venue, settling on Page’s side.
Saturday, 05/28/2011
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Bethel, NY
Set 1: Theme From the Bottom, NICU, Cities, Halley's Comet > Runaway Jim, Gumbo > Quinn the Eskimo > Limb By Limb, Horn, Bathtub Gin -> Manteca[1] > Bathtub Gin[2]
Set 2: Down with Disease > Free > Backwards Down the Number Line[3] > Makisupa Policeman[4] -> Harry Hood > Cavern > David Bowie
Encore: A Day in the Life
[1] Golden Age and Manteca mash-up jam.
[2] Manteca quote from Trey at end.
[3] DEG tease from Mike.
[4] With lyrics referencing several band members' houses (and Trey's favorite show, House).
Notes: Gin included a mash-up jam of Golden Age and Manteca and later closed with a Manteca quote from Trey. BDTNL featured a DEG tease from Mike. Makisupa included lyrics referencing several band members' houses (and Trey's favorite show, House).
Theme was a surprisingly good choice for an opener; Halley’s was the one we’ve all been waiting for, really jammed out, typical 2.0 stuff. The Runaway Jim had some serious grooves before the return to the chorus. The boys are on fire! Quinn was a nice nod to Mr. Zimmerman's recent 70th birthday, a news story broken here on Kempepedia just 2 weeks ago. The Bathtub >Manteca>Bathtub was sick. They’ve played it 3 times between 1994 and 2010 and now twice in 3 shows. I love it!
The Disease kicked off the second set right. Sweet jams lead into a short, nonjammed typical 3.0 Free. The boys then ripped the shit out of Backwards. This opening group had the setup for an epic session but for some reason, Trey refuses to jam out Free anymore. Sandwiching it between 2 monsters is almost cruel and unusual punishment. I’m convinced he hates the song. The Policeman was hilarious with all sorts of references to Page’s house and Mike’s house. Fish had porn at his house. We kept yelling Mike’s house all weekend and the Hood had some nice runs in it. Bowie and A Day in the Life were the perfect ending to an outstanding show. Switzer had her HMLL tank top on. While kicking it post show in the Lot, some guy leans out his window and asks what it stands for. Switzer, cleaning up our site responds “High Maintenance Lot Lady, can’t you tell?” I love it! He laughs and heads out on his way.
Got some rain overnight but my tent held up so no worries. Another beautiful day dawned upon us, we just chilled at campsite and then headed out early to the Lot. Josh made pizza with a pesto sauce that was outstanding! And again I had the opportunity Had to perform the lighter trick for some future HMLL. Just another typically awesome Lot scene in upstate New York.
Sunday May 29, 2011
Set 1: AC/DC Bag, Sample in a Jar, Rift, Ocelot, Ya Mar, Timber (Jerry) > The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > Suzy Greenberg > 46 Days > Twenty Years Later, The Ballad of Curtis Loew, Run Like an Antelope[1]
Set 2: Mike's Song > Simple -> Weekapaug Groove, Meatstick[2] > Fluffhead > Joy, Also Sprach Zarathustra > Light > Slave to the Traffic Light
Encore: Loving Cup > Tweezer Reprise
[1] Curtis Loew tease from Trey and Manteca teases from Trey and Page.
[2] Japanese lyrics.
Notes: Antelope contained a Curtis Loew tease from Trey and Manteca teases from Trey and Page. Meatstick included Japanese lyrics. A fan ran across the stage during Tweezer Reprise.
The boys definitely decided to play it safe for the final night. The whole run from Timber Ho through 20 Years Later was pretty tight. Ballad of Curtis Loew was really sweet. The Mike’s Groove was solid but without any crazy jamming. Trey cut off any momentum in Meatstick by rushing into Fluffhead. The 2001>Light was pretty tight but without any out there jamming. Slave, Loving Cup>Reprise was about as perfect a way to end our three night run as was possible.
I loved the fact that Phish never played into cheeseball Boomer nostalgia. They didn’t play any famous songs from Woodstock nor did they play the song Woodstock. This is our thing and you cranky old Boomers who never saved enough and are now going to bankrupt our country can take your mudcaked myths and shove it.
A massive thunderstorm struck that night but everything dried out rather quickly in the 90+ degree that greeted me upon my return to Hanover on Memorial Day.
A fantastic way to start off Summer right. Good times, good friends, a great venue, and some amazing visuals in the lush green mountains that are Upstate New York. One weekend off then the classic Camden/Merriweather run.
Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD in Rock and Roll
Myself and my friend Bubba left Hanover Friday morning. We had to make a brief stop in Harrisburg. It appeared that a massive thunderstorm tore through Thursday night. Trees were down all over the place. We saw a Mazda Miata that was crushed into an even smaller package. Power out all over the place. But no traffic issues as we hit the interstate. In fact, the roads were almost empty and even desolate as we got on I-84 right out side of Scranton, the jewel of northeast PA.
We take all back roads to get to Kittanny Campgrounds (‘cause that’s all there is in the Catskills, back roads.) The campground had no electricity but we were able to check in right away. I made a bet with a loud guy that Phish would open up with “Prep School Hippie”. By the expression on his face, he did not know which song I was talking about. He gave me 4 to 1 odds and then gave me the first 3 songs. I still owe him 5 bucks but I’m sure I’ll see him some point on Tour. He had a tat of Jerry’s right hand on his arm so if you see him, tell him I’m looking for him.
Our campsite was absolutely gorgeous. Right along a good size creek, we had tall trees giving up an ample amount of shade. It was so green with an almost constant breeze that foretold of a weekend of perfect weather. The visuals with the sound of the creek gave it an almost magical quality, like we were in the Shire. Then our neighbors started filtering in.
There was a couple next to us that were Heads. They had a Quik Shade set up with ribbons and bows on it. When the smoking hot chick came over to ask me to open her beer with a lighter (HMLL’s search me out), she told us they had just gotten married and this was their honeymoon. She never came back to ask for another beer to be opened. I’m gonna assume he saw my beard and realized he better buy a bottle opener before my testosterone overcomes her. She did spend a good portion of Sat sunbathing next to our site. Again, amazing visuals.
2 sites away in each direction were families from the City. Group one was made up of maybe a dozen guys along with wives, girlfriends, kids etc. They tied up yellow Caution tape to mark their territory. They were playing crappy music but it wasn’t too loud so no complaints. Group 2 was one big family, with at least 3 generations there. Lots of Quik Shades and a giant American flag hanging from one of the tents. The father of the family sat in the center of the rings of chair, looking like a lion overlooking his pride. On Sat a group of clean cut Phish kids rolled in next to us. Their early AM music of choice, Drake. Yeash. I’m on Phish tour, not crappy Autotuned pop electronic hiphop tour. Which I believe runs in the lawless border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Switzer and her husband Josh show up and we get down to business. Our camp is set up and we head for the Lot. We encounter incredibly slow moving traffic on winding backcountry roads. We finally get into the Lot and it’s all luscious grass. I’ve never seen such hardy grass in my life. All the rain we’ve had this spring and this grass is holding up perfectly. Inside and outside the venue the grass held up like a champ, with nary a mudbog to be seen.
The venue is on the site of the Woodstock concert. I think it’s even more beautiful than the Saratoga Performing Arts Centre in Saratoga Springs, NY. Rolling hills and trees as far as the eye can see. No light pollution blocking the stars at night. We settled on the lawn and waited for IT.
Friday, 05/27/2011
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Bethel, NY
Set 1: Tweezer > My Friend, My Friend, Poor Heart, Roses Are Free > Funky Bitch, Wolfman's Brother[1] -> Walk Away, Stash, Bouncing Around the Room, Kill Devil Falls, Bold As Love
Set 2: Carini > Back on the Train, Boogie On Reggae Woman > Waves > Prince Caspian > Crosseyed and Painless > Wading in the Velvet Sea > Possum, The Squirming Coil
Encore: Julius
[1] Streets Of Cairo tease from Trey.
Notes: Wolfman's contained a Streets of Cairo tease from Trey. Before Stash, Trey teased The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus) by Yes.
Tweezer tour opener?!?!?! Wow what balls. 5 months off and the boys come out of the gate swinging. Nice solid jams into an intense My Friend. The highlight of the first set was Wolfman’s>Walkaway. The transition was flawless and sneaked up on ya. The jam in Walkaway was mindblowing; probably the best one of the weekend, with major Tweezer Reprise teases.
The sun set and set 2 was on. Carini had massive waves of noise rolling over the hills. The Boogie On>Waves>Prince Caspian was one for the ages. Very heavy ambient jamming reminiscent of The Lemonwheel but more so the 8/3/03 second set. Very spacey and lead to Waves creeping up like a proud black panther. Crosseyed kicked the energy back up. Coil had some rather angry piano playing at the end of the solo that the crowd appreciated. Julius sent us on our way after a really solid tour opener.
Leaving the venue took forever as the Lot was raging afterwards. More nitrous than customers and Shakedown in full effect y’all. Get back to the campground a little before 2 and a lot of people are still raging. None of them were Heads. Little kids under the age of 10 dancing around large campfires. No loud music but a lot of people still up and about.
The next day broke cool and crisp and I somehow managed to sleep in until 10 am. I don’t do that in my own bed. Fatty breakfast and then kicking back until we head to the Lot. Rained on the way there but upon our arrival, it appeared as though Bethel got nothing. We get there earlier than the first day and are situated in the prime Lot. A strong breeze blew all day and enough cloud cover to occasionally hide the sun. Cool neighbors from NE PA, right off of Shakedown. Met up with a lot of peeps from Vermont and made our way into the venue, settling on Page’s side.
Saturday, 05/28/2011
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Bethel, NY
Set 1: Theme From the Bottom, NICU, Cities, Halley's Comet > Runaway Jim, Gumbo > Quinn the Eskimo > Limb By Limb, Horn, Bathtub Gin -> Manteca[1] > Bathtub Gin[2]
Set 2: Down with Disease > Free > Backwards Down the Number Line[3] > Makisupa Policeman[4] -> Harry Hood > Cavern > David Bowie
Encore: A Day in the Life
[1] Golden Age and Manteca mash-up jam.
[2] Manteca quote from Trey at end.
[3] DEG tease from Mike.
[4] With lyrics referencing several band members' houses (and Trey's favorite show, House).
Notes: Gin included a mash-up jam of Golden Age and Manteca and later closed with a Manteca quote from Trey. BDTNL featured a DEG tease from Mike. Makisupa included lyrics referencing several band members' houses (and Trey's favorite show, House).
Theme was a surprisingly good choice for an opener; Halley’s was the one we’ve all been waiting for, really jammed out, typical 2.0 stuff. The Runaway Jim had some serious grooves before the return to the chorus. The boys are on fire! Quinn was a nice nod to Mr. Zimmerman's recent 70th birthday, a news story broken here on Kempepedia just 2 weeks ago. The Bathtub >Manteca>Bathtub was sick. They’ve played it 3 times between 1994 and 2010 and now twice in 3 shows. I love it!
The Disease kicked off the second set right. Sweet jams lead into a short, nonjammed typical 3.0 Free. The boys then ripped the shit out of Backwards. This opening group had the setup for an epic session but for some reason, Trey refuses to jam out Free anymore. Sandwiching it between 2 monsters is almost cruel and unusual punishment. I’m convinced he hates the song. The Policeman was hilarious with all sorts of references to Page’s house and Mike’s house. Fish had porn at his house. We kept yelling Mike’s house all weekend and the Hood had some nice runs in it. Bowie and A Day in the Life were the perfect ending to an outstanding show. Switzer had her HMLL tank top on. While kicking it post show in the Lot, some guy leans out his window and asks what it stands for. Switzer, cleaning up our site responds “High Maintenance Lot Lady, can’t you tell?” I love it! He laughs and heads out on his way.
Got some rain overnight but my tent held up so no worries. Another beautiful day dawned upon us, we just chilled at campsite and then headed out early to the Lot. Josh made pizza with a pesto sauce that was outstanding! And again I had the opportunity Had to perform the lighter trick for some future HMLL. Just another typically awesome Lot scene in upstate New York.
Sunday May 29, 2011
Set 1: AC/DC Bag, Sample in a Jar, Rift, Ocelot, Ya Mar, Timber (Jerry) > The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > Suzy Greenberg > 46 Days > Twenty Years Later, The Ballad of Curtis Loew, Run Like an Antelope[1]
Set 2: Mike's Song > Simple -> Weekapaug Groove, Meatstick[2] > Fluffhead > Joy, Also Sprach Zarathustra > Light > Slave to the Traffic Light
Encore: Loving Cup > Tweezer Reprise
[1] Curtis Loew tease from Trey and Manteca teases from Trey and Page.
[2] Japanese lyrics.
Notes: Antelope contained a Curtis Loew tease from Trey and Manteca teases from Trey and Page. Meatstick included Japanese lyrics. A fan ran across the stage during Tweezer Reprise.
The boys definitely decided to play it safe for the final night. The whole run from Timber Ho through 20 Years Later was pretty tight. Ballad of Curtis Loew was really sweet. The Mike’s Groove was solid but without any crazy jamming. Trey cut off any momentum in Meatstick by rushing into Fluffhead. The 2001>Light was pretty tight but without any out there jamming. Slave, Loving Cup>Reprise was about as perfect a way to end our three night run as was possible.
I loved the fact that Phish never played into cheeseball Boomer nostalgia. They didn’t play any famous songs from Woodstock nor did they play the song Woodstock. This is our thing and you cranky old Boomers who never saved enough and are now going to bankrupt our country can take your mudcaked myths and shove it.
A massive thunderstorm struck that night but everything dried out rather quickly in the 90+ degree that greeted me upon my return to Hanover on Memorial Day.
A fantastic way to start off Summer right. Good times, good friends, a great venue, and some amazing visuals in the lush green mountains that are Upstate New York. One weekend off then the classic Camden/Merriweather run.
Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD in Rock and Roll
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