Greeting friends. The holidaze are almost upon us again. A time to reunite with friends and family that you haven’t hung with in awhile. But it’s also a great time to see shows, because what better way to celebrate than with your friends and family. So I thought I would revisit some holiday runs that didn’t get a write up the first time around. And who wants to wait until 2029 for an installment of my world famous “It was 20 Years Ago …”series? So, with out further ado, I present for the first time the epic run that was Phish at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA 11/24 and 11/25/09.
As I’ve said before, my favorite time of year for Tour is the Fall. The leaves are turning, football season is well under way, and bands return to the arenas and theaters after basking in the sun all summer long. The Fall Tour started only 2 weeks after Festival 8, so the boys were fired up and ready to go. And what better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than with Phish shows in Philly the Tuesday and Wednesday before Turkey Day.
I got my tickets with no real plan how I was gonna proceed. My brother lived right outside of Philly and I thought it would be cool to see my niece and nephews in between the craziness that is Tour. Most of my friends were only going to the Wed show so I made my plans accordingly. Switzer was coming home before the shows. She was going to stay over at Megan’s apartment (yes, this is the same one I have waxed poetically over and over about, mainly on my chronicles about Camden shows). Then early Wed, she was going to shoot over to the airport and pick up her fiancé (now soulmate and husband) Josh and hit the show. She said she needed a ride to Philly, where she had a place to stay, then a ride back to Hanover after the Wed show. Sounds as perfect as can be!
I came down with a nasty cold the Friday before the shows and didn’t even make it through a 7 hour day. When Monday rolled around, I was in no shape to work 12 hours and then do 2 days of Tour. So I called in sick (something I rarely do) to rest up and was in much better shape on Tuesday when we roll out.
We got to the Lots before they even opened. We waited with all the vendors and then rolled in. We had the choice of going left or right and Switzer said right. We got cutoff by some douche bag (Chill out man, its 6 hours until the band goes on and we are already in the Lot.) Some asshole vendor, selling bunk items no doubt. No one directed us so we found a spot 3 or 4 rows off of Shakedown, no need to be right in the middle of all the madness. I like it much more when we can visit and get out of the Lot rather quickly. Switzer’s friend Courtney was going to meet us in the Lot. And where in the Lot? Directly under the light post that said M3. Could it be any easier for peeps to find?
She rolled up and had a hatchback station wagon just like mine. We fashioned a covering out of old ponchos and a cassette deck mp3 adapter that I didn’t use anymore. Just a little bit of old junk in my car and I totally went MacGyver on their asses.
As I stated before, Switzer was staying at Megan’s apartment but Meg didn’t have a ticket. I assured her she would be able to procure one in the Lot at less than face value. You couldn’t give them away at some of the Summer shows. As we wandered around Shakedown, we ran into a typical Italian American Philly Dead Head selling tickets. He was wearing a too tight Dead tie-dye, gold chain and half-assed mustache. I’ve seen a hundred of these guys at shows over the years. Megan flashed her Lot skills by bargaining with the guy and got the ticket for 20 bucks. Mission accomplished!
A few friends showed up, again drawn to us by our beacon of light shining through the darkness of Lot. I had a great conversation with a rabbi I meet who was following Phish. Where else am I going to get advice from my rabbi? A temple?
We make our way inside and got some phatty seats, Fishman’s side, second level and get ready to rage!
Tuesday, 11/24/2009
Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA
Set 1: Chalk Dust Torture, Bathtub Gin, Cities > Camel Walk, The Curtain With, The Wedge, The Moma Dance, Reba[1], Golgi Apparatus, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan
Set 2: Possum > Down with Disease[2] > Twenty Years Later > Harry Hood > The Mango Song > Mike's Song > Simple > Slave to the Traffic Light > Weekapaug Groove[3]
Encore: A Day in the Life
[1] No whistling.
[2] Unfinished.
[3] Slowed down in parts.
Notes: Cities was played in response to a fan with a sign requesting the song and featured alternative lyrics referencing Thanksgiving. Reba did not have the whistling ending. Disease was unfinished. Much of Weekapaug was played at a significantly slower pace than normal. Prior to ADITL, Fish teased the Weekapaug drumbeat.
First set was very high energy. But when isn’t it when Phish plays Philadelphia? I've always felt blessed living so close to a city that bands love to throw down in and tonight was no exception.
We go our separate ways and I make it to my brother’s in one piece where I get a good night’s sleep, hang with my family and recharge. My oldest nephew, Owen, who was 3 at the time, declared he wanted to go because if Uncle Dave likes it, it must be fun. Someday my young padawon, but not this Tour. I can barely take care of myself on the road, let alone a child.
I’m still on I-76 when I get a text from Switzer “Lot M3 bitches”. She got the same exact spot on the Lot. That is why she is HMLL! I reunite with them and this time a band called Flux Capacitor is playing in the lane behind us. Good spots near Shakedown and a live band, hell yes! Andy Miller and some friends somehow scored rooms at the Holiday Inn that is right next door to the arena and they made their way over.
While all this is going on, we are waiting to see what is going on with Switzer’s fiancé Josh. He was supposed to arrive in Philly around noon but was fogged in at the Newark Airport in northern New Jersey. It was only a few hours north of us by car but his flight kept getting delayed because of the foggy, rainy mess that was all over the East Coast.
His luggage was on the plane so he couldn’t just bail on the flight. But we had a plan. Megan was going to pick him up from the airport and take him to the Lot. She knew exactly where to take him because we were in the exact same spot as the night before. He could stash his bag in my car and then meet up with us inside the show. And, as long time readers of my blog no doubt know, I had an extra set of keys for my old car just in case a crazy situation like this one came up. Megan came to the Lot, got my keys, picked up josh from the airport and took him to my car. He put his bag in my car and through the magic of texting, found us inside the show. He ended up only missing half the first set. Not too shabby.
Wednesday, 11/25/2009
Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA
Set 1: Kill Devil Falls, 46 Days, Sugar Shack, Halley's Comet > Divided Sky, Sleep Again, Ocelot, Train Song, Wilson > Run Like an Antelope
Set 2: Birds of a Feather, Farmhouse > Tweezer, You Enjoy Myself, Esther, Time Turns Elastic > Tweezer Reprise
Encore: Oh! Sweet Nuthin'
Notes: During Wilson, Trey implored Mike to take a "heavy metal bass solo" (and Mike complied). The lyrics to Antelope were changed to "Been you to have any Mike, man?" followed by another bass solo from Mike
This show was good until the second set. During the first 2 years of Phish 3.0, a lot of people have rightfully complained about the set flow. Check out second set of Merriweather 8/15/09, the flow just isn’t there. 11/25 was the definition of this. I’m not saying the music wasn’t well played, and they had some nice jams, it just lacked energy. Birds was a good opener, but you could hear the sigh from the crowd when they followed that with Farmhouse. The Tweezer had some nice moments but then just stopped. The Esther really didn’t get anyone dancing and then Time Turns Elastic. I literally heard people groaning and even saw quite a few heading towards the exits. This song is very long (15 min) and when placed in the right spot, it does work. But late in the second set is not the right spot. Trey tacked on the Reprise and then they went off stage.
After a 2 night run in Philly and with everyone heading home to see family the next day, you would think Trey or someone else in the band would have a few words to say before they sent us on our way. They came out and said nothing. They then proceed to play a rather mellow encore, Oh Sweet Nuthin’. The chorus is “You ain’t got nothing at all.” My theory is that Trey was pissed at the crowd’s reactions to some of the songs in the second set and decided to tell them to go fuck off. You don’t know anything. You don’t have anything. Just my theory but based on the way they ended the run, I know I’m right.
Switzer, Josh, and myself made our way back to Hanover after the show. Switzer was spent and passed out but Josh was a trooper, he stayed up the whole way home. We listened to the Dead 12/6/73 from Cleveland, OH. I wanted a desolate show and what area would be more desolate than a show from Cleveland, in the dead of winter. The area was economically reeling in the early 70’s, so what better way than to celebrate Thanksgiving than this show. It does have a 43 min. Dark Star and since I can’t stream archived Phish shows, take a listen to this hidden gem.
http://www.archive.org/details/gd1973-12-06.sbd.miller.105560.flac16
While I’ve been to many a holiday run, this one seemed like it was ready to be written about. If you’re in the Hanover area this coming weekend, a few things are happening. On Sat, Boxcar Social will be kicking out the jams DOWNSATIRS at the Coliseum in Hanover, starting at 10 p.m.
Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
Ph.D. in Rock and Roll
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
MMW 11/2/11 & Cabinet 11/11/11 Appilachian Brewing Company, Harrisburg, PA
Hello everyone. Hope you are all doing well. I’ve been good other than the awful sickness and total disappointment I am feeling with the whole Penn State scandal. I hate to say it, but almost all of the institutions in the US are rotten. But, the only way to get through all of this is to stop and listen to the music play. And that’s what this entry is all about. I show Harrisburg how it is done with 2 shows in 10 days of non Dead, Phish, or Widespread Panic related music. So get ready to get down with some groovy jazz improv. and some shit kicking bluegrass, Northeast PA region style.
Medenski, Martin, and Wood was playing on a Wed at the Appalachian Brewing Company in Harrisburg. ABC is a brewery/restaurant and one of the cooler places I’ve been, with a good selection of food and heady brews. Devolver played there a few times in the Golden Era (2000-2001) but I hadn’t seen anything there until this past April when Hanover’s own Boxcar Social played a private party in the bottling room. http://kempepedia.blogspot.com/2011/04/furthur-4111-hampton-va-boxcar-social.html
I have noticed they have been getting some incredible bands up there so I decided to take the opportunity to see some different bands since there is no Fall Phish Tour and East Coast Furthur tixs are out of my price range. A mid week show is also a super rarity for me. With a traditional Monday through optional Friday work schedule, I never hit midweek shows. My last stand-alone, non-holiday midweek show was Widespread Panic at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC on a Tuesday in 1998. Last midweek holiday show was Phish Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving in 2009.
So I worked a “half day” at my job (5am until noon), go home, power nap, and meet my friend Emily (of the Summer 2011 Furthur Philly show in the hottest heatwave imaginable fame) in Mechanicsburg and pregamed with some of her crew, Kendra and Dimetri. Dimetri had more cool Phish refrig magnets than I knew existed, he even had one for Coventry from 2004. I can just imagine some Head thinking, So Phish is breaking up, I need to sell something at their last show. I know, I’ll sell magnets. Who knew there was such a huge market for non-healing magnets?
Get to the show about a half an hour before the band starts and it’s a nice chill scene. Sign said sold out but there was still plenty of room to shake your tail feather. First set was nice with Wood switching between a double bass and 4 string electric bass. They did the Dizzy Gillespie tune, Caravan, which I’ve seen Phish perform. Second set was all improv and they killed it. Little bit of drunken chaos post show but eventually get rolling and make it home around 2:30. Up 22 hours for the bliss that is live music, 4 hours of sleep and back to the paper tube mine the next morning at 9 am.
So, less than 11 days later, it was time to head back up to The Abbey Bar for some good old fashion Pennsyltucky bluegrass with Cabinet from Wilkes Barre, PA. My Dad was born, raised, and attend Wilkes College in Wilkes Barre. My grandparents lost EVERYTHING in the Flood of ’72 in Wilkes Barre. My brother was born in Wilkes Barre. I grew up outside of Scranton, which is 20 minutes up the road from Wilkes Barre. Needless to say, I have NE PA flowing through my veins, so seeing a bluegrass band from coal country is just what the doctor ordered.
I was meeting Paul (mandolin picker for Boxcar Social) at his crib and then heading up to the show. He wanted to get up there rather early to eat and pregame. He wanted to leave between 5 and 5:30. I get there at 5:20 and he was just getting out of the shower. We had to listen to some Old and in the Way vinyl and eventually got on the road at 6:05. On the way we went under a bridge and there was a slow moving train rolling over it; that will get me in the mood for some old timey music. Did I mention he was supposed to meet his friend Rin and her crew to eat at 6:30? We rolled in Prankster style at 7:05. No one had even ordered yet, all of them waiting on our slack asses.
They finally chow down and we head back to Rin’s crib to chill out. It was in the ghetto of Harrisburg. Whole blocks empty, a whole block with one lonely house on it. Stuff right out of the Wire. I half expected Omar to roll up on us. I’m assuming that the houses burned down during racial unrest at some point in the last 50 years.
While there, we listened to more music on vinyl. Long play records really have come back. Cassettes are NOT coming back, no matter what any half-assed music journalist writes. We make it safely back to the Abbey Bar to meet up with Christie, Christine, and Todd. Did I mention this was Christine’s birthday show? Happy 28th day of birth to the OG HMLL!
The show was sold out but had A LOT more people in it that the sold out show of MMW. I can't give ya a setlist but they ripped it up, even had a drumz segment. I danced so much and so hard my lower back was KILLING me Saturday morning. Also spent most of the night with something on my contact. Tour is rough, I made it until 1:15 but then had to hit the road. I needed a good night's sleep so I could get up early to write all this down for you.
November is shaping up to be a good month. Still ahead; Devolver on Nov. 25th at Kclinger’s and Boxcar Social the following night, Nov 26th at the Coliseum in Hanover. Boxcar will be playing downstairs rather than up in the loft so come on out to check out the new setup.
Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD Rock and Roll
Medenski, Martin, and Wood was playing on a Wed at the Appalachian Brewing Company in Harrisburg. ABC is a brewery/restaurant and one of the cooler places I’ve been, with a good selection of food and heady brews. Devolver played there a few times in the Golden Era (2000-2001) but I hadn’t seen anything there until this past April when Hanover’s own Boxcar Social played a private party in the bottling room. http://kempepedia.blogspot.com/2011/04/furthur-4111-hampton-va-boxcar-social.html
I have noticed they have been getting some incredible bands up there so I decided to take the opportunity to see some different bands since there is no Fall Phish Tour and East Coast Furthur tixs are out of my price range. A mid week show is also a super rarity for me. With a traditional Monday through optional Friday work schedule, I never hit midweek shows. My last stand-alone, non-holiday midweek show was Widespread Panic at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC on a Tuesday in 1998. Last midweek holiday show was Phish Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving in 2009.
So I worked a “half day” at my job (5am until noon), go home, power nap, and meet my friend Emily (of the Summer 2011 Furthur Philly show in the hottest heatwave imaginable fame) in Mechanicsburg and pregamed with some of her crew, Kendra and Dimetri. Dimetri had more cool Phish refrig magnets than I knew existed, he even had one for Coventry from 2004. I can just imagine some Head thinking, So Phish is breaking up, I need to sell something at their last show. I know, I’ll sell magnets. Who knew there was such a huge market for non-healing magnets?
Get to the show about a half an hour before the band starts and it’s a nice chill scene. Sign said sold out but there was still plenty of room to shake your tail feather. First set was nice with Wood switching between a double bass and 4 string electric bass. They did the Dizzy Gillespie tune, Caravan, which I’ve seen Phish perform. Second set was all improv and they killed it. Little bit of drunken chaos post show but eventually get rolling and make it home around 2:30. Up 22 hours for the bliss that is live music, 4 hours of sleep and back to the paper tube mine the next morning at 9 am.
So, less than 11 days later, it was time to head back up to The Abbey Bar for some good old fashion Pennsyltucky bluegrass with Cabinet from Wilkes Barre, PA. My Dad was born, raised, and attend Wilkes College in Wilkes Barre. My grandparents lost EVERYTHING in the Flood of ’72 in Wilkes Barre. My brother was born in Wilkes Barre. I grew up outside of Scranton, which is 20 minutes up the road from Wilkes Barre. Needless to say, I have NE PA flowing through my veins, so seeing a bluegrass band from coal country is just what the doctor ordered.
I was meeting Paul (mandolin picker for Boxcar Social) at his crib and then heading up to the show. He wanted to get up there rather early to eat and pregame. He wanted to leave between 5 and 5:30. I get there at 5:20 and he was just getting out of the shower. We had to listen to some Old and in the Way vinyl and eventually got on the road at 6:05. On the way we went under a bridge and there was a slow moving train rolling over it; that will get me in the mood for some old timey music. Did I mention he was supposed to meet his friend Rin and her crew to eat at 6:30? We rolled in Prankster style at 7:05. No one had even ordered yet, all of them waiting on our slack asses.
They finally chow down and we head back to Rin’s crib to chill out. It was in the ghetto of Harrisburg. Whole blocks empty, a whole block with one lonely house on it. Stuff right out of the Wire. I half expected Omar to roll up on us. I’m assuming that the houses burned down during racial unrest at some point in the last 50 years.
While there, we listened to more music on vinyl. Long play records really have come back. Cassettes are NOT coming back, no matter what any half-assed music journalist writes. We make it safely back to the Abbey Bar to meet up with Christie, Christine, and Todd. Did I mention this was Christine’s birthday show? Happy 28th day of birth to the OG HMLL!
The show was sold out but had A LOT more people in it that the sold out show of MMW. I can't give ya a setlist but they ripped it up, even had a drumz segment. I danced so much and so hard my lower back was KILLING me Saturday morning. Also spent most of the night with something on my contact. Tour is rough, I made it until 1:15 but then had to hit the road. I needed a good night's sleep so I could get up early to write all this down for you.
November is shaping up to be a good month. Still ahead; Devolver on Nov. 25th at Kclinger’s and Boxcar Social the following night, Nov 26th at the Coliseum in Hanover. Boxcar will be playing downstairs rather than up in the loft so come on out to check out the new setup.
Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD Rock and Roll
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