Twenty Years Ago Today: Phish, 12/28/1994 Live at the Civic Center, Philadelphia, PA

      Hello everyone. I hope you are all enjoying this holiday season. I've been having a blast and am ready to watch all four nights of the NYE webcast. I don't always get to do that due to my work schedule. But my mind isn't on the future, it's in the past. Specifically, 20 years ago to the day, when I attended my first NYE run show by any band. I am of course talking about Phish, live at the Civic Center, in Philadelphia, PA Dec. 28^th, 1994.
      I had 3 Phish shows under my belt with the last being the unbelievable, ground breaking, Earth shaking Halloween performance. Check it out here http://kempepedia.blogspot.com/2010/10/phish-halloween-1994.html
     We got tickets through Ticketbastard and somehow found this old dilapidated basketball arena in the heart of old Philly, about 12 blocks from Independence Hall. It was ancient then and home to 5 local colleges basketball games. Just checked it out on Wikipedia and evidently it was demolished in 1996 and a newer convention hall was built. However, it also stated that the Beatles played there in 1964 so now the number of venues I have seen play where the Beatles also performed has grown to 3 (Hollywood Bowl, Boardwalk Hall, and Philly Civic Center) Super dope!
      My normal crew headed out with no GPS but pretty good directions because we made it there. It was A's first show so naturally he took a hit of LSD, well before we got to the venue. So we were sitting in the I-76's world famous stop and no go traffic with him tripping. Sigh. But it wasn't too bad.
Got to the venue with enough time to enjoy the Lot. Scored some balloons and Nad preceded to pass out face first into the concrete. He managed to do this at many shows in the mid 90's. He got nothing more than a black eye and we headed into the venue.

Wednesday, 12/28/1994
Civic Center, Philadelphia, PA

Set 1: Mound > Simple, Julius, Bathtub Gin, Bouncing Around the Room, Axilla (Part II), Reba^[1], Dog Faced Boy, It's Ice > Run Like an Antelope
Set 2: Suzy Greenberg > NICU > Mike's Song -> The Mango Song > Weekapaug Groove^[2], Contact, Llama, Hold Your Head Up > Love You > Hold Your Head Up, The Squirming Coil
Encore: Bold As Love
[1] No whistling.
[2] Vocal jam.
Teases:
· Auld Lang Syne, The Little Drummer Boy, and Cars Trucks Buses teases in Weekapaug Groove
· Buried Alive tease in Julius
Notes: Julius included a Buried Alive tease by Trey. Reba did not have the whistling ending. Weekapaug Groove contained Cars Trucks Buses, Auld Lang Syne, and Little Drummer Boy teases as well as a vocal jam.

You can stream it here

http://www.phishtracks.com/shows/1994-12-28

       Mound was definitely the highlight of the first set for me. Mike was doing the off beat clapping thing over his head. Best description I could come up with. Second set was just one amazing song after another. The Suzy and Mike's were insane. Weekapaug had this cool section where Trey and Fish were riffing off of each other right around the 8 minute mark. The Little Drummer Boy Jam in it at the 14:14 mark of Weekapaug is truly stunning. Trey then takes it down a key and makes it rather demented to say the least. I had no idea what to make out of the Love You song. Phish was still very weird to me.
      But there you have it, my first venture to a NYE run show. I've been blessed to hit quite a few over the years but as they say, you never forget your first.



Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD Rock and Roll

Phish, Live in Las Vegas, Oct 31st, Nov 1st and Nov 2nd, 2014 at the MGM Grand Arena

     Of all the cities in the US, few offer the allure and temptation as Las Vegas does. From its early days as a destination for squares to see the Rat Pack, through its transformation to an adult playground, Vegas has always been the twinkling jewel in the desert. But I'm not coming to Vegas to gamble or hang out with Moe Green, I'm here for some unfinished business; that business being Phish on Halloween. So allow myself to weave a tale 16 years in the making, Phish live at the MGM Grand Arena on Oct 31, Nov. 1 and Nov 2^nd 2014.
      Our tale starts way back in 1998. I had tickets in hand for both nights of the Halloween run in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, I had a close encounter of the worst kind on my way up to the Lemonwheel Festival in August of 1998. I was cited by the Maine State police and released. I still made it to the whole festival and can clearly remember telling myself, “This is and was definitely worth the hassle of the arrest” . But because of my legal expenses, there was no way I could swing going out West. I sold my tickets to the only Italian alcoholic hillbilly from Ohio I will ever meet, and left my Sin City dreams to the dustbin of history.
      Flash forward to the present day. Much of my seeing Phish shows involves a lot more travel than in the past, at least via airplanes. So when rumors started floating around that Halloween was going to be in Vegas, that got my synapses firing. It worked out really well that I would do the 3 nights in San Fran and then fly to Vegas for the Halloween run. This would be a first for me; multiple cities and all the traveling done by plane.
      Also around the time of the Fall Tour announcement, I met this super cool chick Casey Connelly. We had met online but didn't meet in the real world until MMP2, you know the show that had everything!

      I got extremely lucky with tickets through mail order. I was able to hook some friends up and trade for what I needed. I hadn't even gone on a proper date with Casey yet but as I told her, “I'm not trying to rush things, but we have to make decisions about these shows. Life can wait, Tour can't.“ So she decided to go to Vegas with this guy who gets really excited about music and has an incredible beard.

      So second night of San Fran, while the city burned over the victory of the Giants in the World Series, Switzer suggested that I ride with them instead of flying to Vegas, as they were doing the whole Fall Tour via car. I said sure, why not? The taxi cab ride to the airport in SF was 75 bucks. So right after the show we hit the road. I got to witness a sunrise over the desert, which was quite spectacular. We arrived in Vegas sometime before noon. I checked into my hotel and took the World's Greatest Power Nap.

      Casey was flying in later that evening so I went to play some 1-2 dollar No Limit Texas Hold'em. While I love playing tournaments, cash games aren't really my strength. But I told myself that when she texted me, I would leave the table no matter where I was bankroll wise. Her flight was delayed because they had 52 WW2 vets on it who were coming into DC to see the memorials. Everyone at the gate applauded them as they disembarked the plane. I'm sure it was super cool and moving. But her delay allowed myself even more time at the table. When she texted me, I was up by 150 bucks and got the hell out of there. We rested up for the next day was one of the biggest of the Phish calender year, HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      We pre gamed at some friends suite in the MGM Grand. It was spectacular, with a view overlooking the Strip and the airport. The bathroom had a programmable shower, with multiple settings and temperature control. Alas, this is the only photo of the place I have

     After helping one friend out with his ticket, we found our seats and got ready for whatever Phish had up their sleeves.

Friday, 10/31/2014
MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV

Set 1: Buried Alive > Ghost, Scent of a Mule, Sample in a Jar, Reba, 46 Days, Big Black Furry Creature from Mars, Lawn Boy^[1], Saw It Again > Tube, Wolfman's Brother
Set 2: The Haunted House^[2], The Very Long Fuse^[2], The Dogs^[2], Timber^[2], Your Pet Cat^[2], Shipwreck^[2], The Unsafe Bridge^[2], The Chinese Water Torture^[2], The Birds^[2], Martian Monster^[2]
Set 3: Punch You In the Eye > Golden Age > Tweezer -> Heavy Things, Guyute, Sand -> Tweezer Reprise
Encore: Is This What You Wanted^[3], Frankenstein^[4]
[1] Fish drum solo.
[2] Debut.
[3] Phish debut.
[4] Page on keytar.

You can stream it here

http://www.phishtracks.com/shows/2014-10-31

First set was solid. We got a lot of the monster/spooky related material right away. The Ghost was good for as short as it was. And I've always felt the ending of I Saw It Again was always rather dark.

I thought the second set was brilliant. We got 10 new jams of intense super Phishiness. Great way to continue the tradition of covering an album but coming up with new songs. The third set had the amazing transition from Sand into Tweeprise, which I missed because I was pissing. The encore was really great. The first song was definitely directed to the fans. And Frankenstein was really well placed. In 1994, they opened Halloween with Frankenstein. 20 years later, they closed the Halloween show with it. Nice symmetry.

Second day in Vegas we fell into a nice pattern. Gorge at a buffet and then play some poker. Neither Casey nor myself had any real luck but over all I only lost about 150 playing cards, so that is pretty good. I got to walk around Vegas a lot as I had to get a ticket and then deliver it to the Most Interesting Man on Tour.

Saturday, 11/01/2014
MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV

Set 1: Fuego, My Soul, Back on the Train, 555, Dog Faced Boy, Fuck Your Face, Horn > Frankie Says > My Friend, My Friend, Roses Are Free, Roggae, Birds of a Feather, Wingsuit
Set 2: Possum, Crosseyed and Painless > Light -> The Dogs -> Lengthwise > Twist > Wading in the Velvet Sea > Harry Hood > Golgi Apparatus > Backwards Down the Number Line
Encore: Waiting All Night, Sing Monica, The Star Spangled Banner
Teases:
· The Birds tease & quote in Birds of a Feather
· Your Pet Cat, Lengthwise, Manteca, and Smoke on the Water teases in Twist
Notes: Dog Faced Boy was played for the first time since June 8, 2011 (144 shows). Birds of a Feather contained teases and quotes from The Birds. Twist contained Lengthwise quotes, Manteca teases and quotes, a Smoke on the Water tease and Your Pet Cat teases.

You can stream it here

http://www.phishtracks.com/shows/2014-11-01

      Another solid show but its been so long since I listened to it I can't recall too much about it. I thought the triple encore was cool even if a lot of people didn't. And I totally heard the Manteca tease in Twist.

      The last night I got to see my buddy Adam Kreuter who I knew from Penn State. He saw more shows before I turned 21 than I can count, including the Dead in Europe in 1990 and the Formerly the Worlocks shows in Hampton in 1989. He's also one of the guys who got me into WSP. I hadn't seen him since 1999 so it was great to catchup with him.

Sunday, 11/02/2014
MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV

Set 1: Runaway Jim, Foam, Mexican Cousin, Ocelot, Sugar Shack, A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing, Halfway to the Moon, Bathtub Gin > Free, Walls of the Cave
Set 2: Chalk Dust Torture^[1] > Piper > Theme From the Bottom > Wombat, David Bowie, The Line, You Enjoy Myself^[2]
Encore: The Moma Dance > Slave to the Traffic Light
[1] Unfinished.
[2] Trey used his megaphone siren; all four band members were on percussion.
Teases:
· Rhapsody in Blue tease in Halfway to the Moon
· The Load-Out tease
· Martian Monster quote in Free
· Martian Monster quote in Walls of the Cave
· Martian Monster quote in David Bowie
· Martian Monster quote in You Enjoy Myself
· The Wedge tease in Chalk Dust Torture
Notes: Mexican Cousin was played for the first time since June 19, 2012 (110 shows). Page teased Rhapsody In Blue at the end of Halfway to the Moon. Free, Walls of the Cave, Bowie, and the YEM vocal jam contained Martian Monster quotes. Chalk Dust was unfinished and ended with Fish teasing The Wedge. Toward the end of the YEM jam, Trey picked up his megaphone and began using the siren on it as he ran around the stage. Mike joined him, and Trey held the megaphone up to Mike's bass. Mike then began playing his fight bell with drum sticks while Trey went to the drums and played along with Fish.  Finally, Mike and Page joined in, so that all four were playing on Fish's kit. After Page thanked the audience and crew, Mike teased The Load-Out.

You can stream it here

http://www.phishtracks.com/shows/2014-11-02

      I love ASIHTOS so that was super. And any set with Free, Gin, and Walls of the Cave in it is a great set in my book. The second set raged to end the Tour. The Chalk Dust had some great moments that really reminded me of the Tahoe Tweezer. I don't know enough about music to write about them, but Trey and Page hit these chords that were rather percussionesque. The Wombat Crew had their Wombat hats on so that was really cool and the YEM was one for the ages. Over 26 minutes long, with Trey and Mike running around the stage?! The encore was a great sendoff for us as we had to face the reality of heading home after Tour ends.

      So there you have it. The number of people who hit the 1994 Halloween show and the 2014 one is rather small but I'm so proud to be in that select group. And things are going great with Casey and myself. Besides 2 Dave Kemp’s on tour, we are also the second Dave and Casey couple in our immediate Touring family. Up next, my reminiscence about my first NYE run show, 12/28/94 in the City of Brotherly Love.

Dave Kemp

BA American Studies

PhD Rock and Roll

Trey Anastasio Band, Dec. 13, 2014, Tower Theatre, Upper Darby, PA

     Real quick one today. Got the opportunity to see Trey outside the friendly confines of the Phish Universe, so here is the Trey Anastasio Band Live at the Tower Theatre, Upper Darby PA on Dec 13, 2014.       Super bonus about this show, I hadn't seen Trey Band since 2002 at Bonnaroo. No setlist but I did know most of the songs. We got a Gotta Jibbo, Sand, Heavy Things, and Mr Completely. It was sweet to get “Phish” songs in a much different musical environment. The crowd was much older and not quite as rowdy as normal.
      We had seats in the balcony and Trey ladled a lot of love on the venue. If you have never been to the Tower, you definitely owe it to yourself. Not too many old school venues left anymore. We also ate pizza at the same place I did in 2005 for Phil, a block away from the venue.
      The show isn't up on Etree yet and there is no where to stream shows, so you will have to use your imagination and picture how well this guy melts faces.

Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD Rock and Roll

Devolver, Live at the Circle, Hanover, PA Nov 29, 2014

      Ok folks, a real short one here. Devolver returning to the Circle on a Thanksgiving weekend. How can it not be epic?
      A bizarre side note. We walked to the show and a stretch limo was in the Lot. I joked that someone was trying to outdo me at a Devolver show. It ended up being someone I work with and used to see him occassionally at Devolver shows during the Golden Era.


Devolver, Live at the Circle, Hanover, PA, Nov. 29^th, 2014


Set 1
Fearless, Highway 29, Everything Comes Around, Tumbleweeds and Mailboxes>Paint It, Black, Strange Red Afternoon, Surprise, Surprise, YYZ, Bubblespeak, Laughing Clown, Alone at the Applecart>Jungle Boogie>Frankenstein, Divided Sky


Set 2
2001, Serve Me Up Another, Funk II, Miss You, Peanuts Theme, Turnaround>Psycho Killer>Jam>El Nino>Black Magic Woman>Gypsy Queen, SRV tune, Shutdown, After Midnight> Tweezer Reprise


Set 3
Comfortably Numb*, Edge of Town, Monkey Man, Crosseyed and Painless*, Looking Blind,Time, Whipping Post.


*with Tommy Huffnagle on vocals


      Good crowd came out but not super crazy packed. The energy from last week carried over. Not too much else to say. It was a great birthday weekend and the Devolver show was the icing on the cake. I also read on an article in the men's bathroom that the expansion of the Circle will begin in the Spring. Until next time, rock and roll


Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD Rock and Roll

You can stream Devolver here and this and last week's show should be up next week.

https://archive.org/details/DevolverMusic

Devolver, Live at the Bridgeport Ribhouse, Bridgeport, PA Nov. 22, 2014

      Hello folks. Got a real short one for you today. I experienced a blast from the past while simultaneously experiencing the future and it looks very bright. So as I type this and remaster a Devolver 1.0 show from August of 1999, allow me to give the first report on Devolver 3.0, live at the Bridgeport Ribhouse in Bridgeport, PA on Nov. 22 2014.


Set list


Set 1
After Midnight, Highway 29, Little Wing, Happy Birthday, Bubble Speak, Time, Laughing Clown, Miss You*, Tumbleweed and Mailboxes>Psycho Killer, Divided Sky, Marina Came to Be, YYZ, A Day Gone By, Frankenstein


Set 2
Serve Me Up Another, Ramble On%, Whipping Post%, Edge of Town>Cross eyed and Painless>Monkey Man, Waiting By the Sand, 2001, SRV blues tune, Turnaround>Black Magic Woman>Gypsy Queen>Turnaround......


I left at the end of Turnaround. I had to drive and was very tired.


Psycho Killer had Manteca teases
Turnaround had Run Like Hell teases
*with Anthony Petrino on vocals
% with Karen on vocals


      Myself and Casey set the GPS for Bridgeport and when we arrived I saw a pizza joint called Little Sicily and said let's eat there. Unbeknownst to me, it was right next to the Bridgeport Ribhouse where Devolver was throwing it down.
      The setlist was cover heavy because a lot of the people were Zach's family and they didn't know a lot of the originals. Anthony slipped right back in, rather impressive since he hadn’t played with them in about 12 years. And Andy has made it clear he wants to take a break from performing with Devolver, this is now Devolver 3.0. 1.0 was with all 5 members. 2.0 was from 2002ish on with just Andy. 3.0 is with Kyle and Anthony. It is different and breathes new life into the tunes, not that they really needed it. Of course, there are breakdowns within the era's, and I will delve more into 2.2 era Devolver at a later date.
      Kyle was playing like a man possessed. Zach looked like he had adequately built up the callouses on his fingers. Josh sang some beautiful backing vocals for Divided Sky. And wait until you hear them do that. It is amazing. They will destroy the Circle.
     The transition into Psycho Killer was fantastic. YYZ was fantastic. Alot more cover tunes are possible with a keyboard. And very appropriate it was Anthony and no one else that sang Miss You. Karen had a great wailing voice for her 2 tunes. Cross eyed into Monkeyman, oh Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If this is the future of Devolver then bring it on! See you Sat. at the Circle by the Square.

You can stream Devolver's archive here.

https://archive.org/details/DevolverMusic

Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD Rock and Roll

Phish, October 27, 28, and 29th, 2014, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA

      Ahh Fall Tour. Nothing quite gets my motor running like this time of year. Something super special about fall. Hoodies, a slight chill to the air as you hang in the Lot. But this Fall is different because it is on the West Coast. We've been lucky to get any Fall tours since the initial hiatus in 2000. And I was blessed enough to be able to attend 6 of those shows, 3 in San Francisco and 3 in Las Vegas. So without further delay, here is the incredible tale about my return to the City by the Bay, for Phish at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on Oct. 27, 28, and 29^th, 2014.
      I got incredibly fortunate with mail order this year. After taking care of a few people and myself, I still had tickets to trade for the second and third night. I took care of that the day of the emails and only had to met one person in San Fran. After a long and uneventful flight, I had no energy to go anywhere and I texted him “Unless you live in Outer Richmond, we will just meet before the show” his reply was that he LIVED in Outer Richmond, about 4 blocks away. Where else does that happen except on Tour?
      I chilled out the first day, found a great place for breakfast in San Fran, Simple Pleasures Cafe. I also participated in my favorite non Phish activity, walking Rubin. This pug is the cutest thing around and we got along famously. I also walked to Land's End Point, which overlooks the Bay with the Golden Gate bridge to your right and the Pacific to your left. I actually giggled at how beautiful it is.

Monday, 10/27/2014
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA

Set 1: Walfredo, Ocelot > Camel Walk, Axilla, Rift, 555, Maze, Brian and Robert, Stash, Party Time, 46 Days
Set 2: Sand > Birds of a Feather, Waiting All Night, Ghost > Bug > Seven Below > I Didn't Know, Chalk Dust Torture, Also Sprach Zarathustra > Slave to the Traffic Light
Encore: Take Me Out to the Ballgame^[1], Winterqueen, A Day in the Life
[1] Phish debut; instrumental.
Teases:
· Simple tease in Camel Walk
· Theme from The Munsters tease
Notes: Walfredo was played for the first time since June 27, 2010 (186 shows). Trey teased Simple in Camel Walk and the Munsters theme after Rift. Take Me Out to the Ballgame was a Phish debut, and was played as an instrumental.

                                                               You can stream it here

http://www.phishtracks.com/shows/2014-10-27

      Hung out in a room at the Kabuki Hotel in Japantown, rather close to the venue. The suite was on the top floor and offered stunning views. We then made our way to the Fillmore neighborhood, which until the 90's was much like Harlem was in New York, the center of black culture in the city. It is also home to the Fillmore Auditorium. We stopped in a bar for food and 4 sharply dresses black guys were playing cards at a table at 5:30 in the afternoon. I'd like to think they were all musicians.
      I had to meet up with 3 people, one whom I have never met and has no idea what she looks like, to take care of ticket business for D because she had to work. Management, always on duty. The first set was solid and high energy. It had been awhile since I got a Brian and Robert and a Party Time, so that was super cool.
      Second set Sand opener? Yes please. Waiting was a nice catch your breath. Ghost thru I Didn't Know was outstanding. We were on the balcony level so we had a great view of I Didn't Know. The 2001 was extra tasty. Winterqueen and ADITL were the icing on the danish.
      Another day, more chilling out. But there was a rather unique event going on before the show, Game 6 of the World Series, SF Giants versus the KC Royals. There definitely was a buzz in the air about the game. We found a place 2 blocks from the venue called Cafe Soluma. It was right next to an urban garden which got lots of sun. The bartender looked like grumpy Robin Thicke. The sun came through the windows and blinded the staff. The Royals took a huge lead and we lost interest real fast. So we headed to a rather special show. Why so special? Because Phish was about to join an elite club: Bands I Have Seen Over 100 Hundred Times. And what a show #100 was!!

Tuesday, 10/28/2014
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA

Set 1: Crowd Control, Mike's Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, Wingsuit, Water in the Sky, Plasma, Halfway to the Moon > Poor Heart, Gumbo -> Sanity > Run Like an Antelope
Set 2: Kill Devil Falls^[1] > Mountains in the Mist, Fuego > Julius, Twist > Runaway Jim > Harry Hood
Encore: Loving Cup
[1] Unfinished.
Teases:
· Gumbo tease in Sanity
· Gumbo tease in Run Like an Antelope
· Funk #49, Have Mercy, and Ramblin' Man teases in Harry Hood
· Smoke on the Water tease in Twist
Notes: Kill Devil Falls was unfinished. Trey teased Gumbo during Sanity and Antelope. Twist included a Smoke on the Water tease from Trey. Hood contained teases of Funk #49 and Ramblin' Man and Have Mercy teases from Trey.

You can stream it here

http://www.phishtracks.com/shows/2014-10-28

      The first 4 songs BLEW my mind. The rest of it was stellar to including my third Sanity (second in SF). KDF had some real nice jams in them. The segue way from Fuego into Julius was incredible. Twist through Hood and especially Hood, WOW!


      Last night of the run and a Game 7??? SF is gonna be cra-cra! We went to the same Cafe to watch a much more entertaining game.As we were waiting for the show to start, Chris Koroda stopped by to check out the back of my shirt.

Wednesday, 10/29/2014
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA

Set 1: Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan, The Moma Dance > Free, Back on the Train, Yarmouth Road, Strange Design > Taste, The Wedge, The Line, Wolfman's Brother
Set 2: First Tube > Down with Disease^[1] > Theme From the Bottom > Split Open and Melt, Heavy Things > Light -> Possum
Encore: Contact, Meatstick > Character Zero
[1] Unfinished.
Teases:
· We Are the Champions tease in Yarmouth Road
· All About That Bass quote
· We Are the Champions tease in The Moma Dance
Notes: Immediately following the San Francisco Giants winning game seven of the World Series, We Are the Champions was teased by the full band. Yarmouth also included a We Are the Champions tease from Trey.  Following a "let's go Giants" chant after The Wedge, Page congratulated the Giants, adding that he watched the whole series. Trey told the crowd that Page was a Mets fan and that Page watches every Mets game streamed on his phone with many of them on the organ while the band's playing. Page said  "we can't be world champions all the time... or ever." Trey then introduced The Line in honor of losers in sports. Disease was unfinished. Trey quoted All About That Bass in Contact.

You can stream it here

http://www.phishtracks.com/shows/2014-10-29

      I watched the end of the game in the lobby and then walked into the crowd and Phish breaks into “We Are the Champions” So cool. Crowd was going apeshit. You can clearly hear when the Giants sealed the deal; the crowd gets very LOUD. I think the highlight of the second set for me was Heavy Things. Shawn remarked “Ah man”. And then 5 minutes alter we were both Wow, Type 2 jamming in Heavy Things with a great transition into Light. Bravo to Phish for keep mixing things up!
      After the show we went to Oakland and then hit the road for Vegas. I was going to fly but then my Tour manager Switzer said I should ride with them. Saw a spectacular sunrise over the desert as we rolled along for 8 hours to our destination, the oasis of sin, debauchery, excess: Las Vegas, built by Moe Green and Bugsy Segal, conquered by Phish.


Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD Rock and Roll
  

MY STTF article Halloween '94, '13 and beyond

      Of all the meaningful holidays from childhood to adulthood, none means more to me than Halloween. From trying to score the most candy and having the best Yoda impression, to the teenage years where shenanigans on Mischief Night take center stage, none of it compares to adulthood when your favorite band does something special on All Hallow's Eve. I'm very blessed to be in a select group of people who have seen the first Halloween costume in 1994, the first selfie Halloween Costume in 2013, and whatever the boys have up their sleeve for this Halloween.
      Back in 1994, I had seen two shows so I was still somewhat of a noob. I had a few tapes but luckily my friend Bill had a lot more and was fully versed on the whole Gamehendge/Harpua saga. After raging the mini Lot scene, I took a treat and headed into the show.
      Some guy was strutting around the floor in a beautifully carved mask and loud pants. When the show started we realized that guy was Trey checking out the crowd. As the show progressed and they began the second set, a whole other universe opened up. I knew the White Album front to back as I had done a report on it in high school. My brain exploded as I witnessed the Beatles performing. Not John, George, Ringo, and Paul rather the possibility they represented had funneled through to the four lads from Vermont.
      It was so good that when I got back to reality, the Grateful Dead didn't do it for me anymore. ( I had 17 Dead shows under my belt by then.) That feeling only lasted 2 weeks, but Phish was now my priority.
      Flash forward to 2013. I hadn't been to a Halloween since, but I got lucky with mail order and was ready for a triumphant return. I was approaching my 100^th show and thought the boys were playing better than ever (yes, even better than Fall of 1997). If you listen to the second set of Reading 10/29, you can definitely hear jams that are reminiscent of the Dead and the Allman Brothers. So naturally, I thought we were gonna get one of the heavyweights.
      So imagine my surprise when they announced they were covering their unrecorded album. I listened with an open mind, but halfway through I had convinced myself they were pulling a prank on us, parodying themselves ala Spinal Tap, or the last episode of Seinfeld as directed by Larry David. The energy of the place dropped through the floor. People were just not interested in new songs. Of course, now I love these songs after hearing them all summer. But at the time, I was somewhat   disappointed.
      And now here we are in 2014. I've been seeing Phish for so long things have come full circle. I had Halloween '98 tickets in hand but got arrested going up to Lemonwheel so all my cash went to legal fees. I'm hoping the boys do a artist's “greatest hits”, and hopefully not a classic rock cover. But whatever they do, it will be unlike anything any other band does that night.


Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD Rock and Roll


http://kempepedia.blogspot.com/

It Was 20 Years Ago Today : Grateful Dead, Oct 7, 1994, Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA

     Hello everyone. I hope you are doing fine as we enter the autumnal season. So much to look forward to: harvest parties, football, fantasy football, gambling on football. But what I most look forward to are the Fall Tours. But today I'm looking back to the Dead's 1994 Fall Tour. And this will be my least favorite post ever, as I write about the worst Grateful Dead show I ever saw, Oct 7, 1994, in Philadelphia at the Spectrum.
      At the time I had no idea, but Jerry Garcia's health was failing him. He had been admitted to a hospital in the fall of 1992 but he seemed to be all right the next few years. But by 1994, he was losing the battle with his demons, specifically heroin. So the monolithic lumbering beast that was “corporate Grateful Dead” (Phil's term) rolled into Philly.

10-07-94 The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pa. (Fri)
1: Stranger, Sugaree, Same Thing, B. E. Women, El Paso@, Tennessee Jed, Music
2: Victim, Samba, Foolish Heart> Corinna> Drumz> Last Time> TWBS> Morning Dew E: Johnny B. Goode

You can stream it here

http://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1994/10/7

      For all the dap my famous memory gets most of the time, I really have no recollection of most of the adventures leading up to and after this show. I'm pretty sure we drove back to Penn State after the show. The show had a lot of hype as it was the 50^th time the boys were playing the Spectrum. They unfurled a banner in the arena and the first set was high energy for the era.

       The second set was a HUGE disappointment. No real flow, and no real jam vehicles. Victim has a few moments but Samba in the Rain and Corinna are shitty songs. The first half of a second set should not be less exciting than the first set that preceded it. It was such a letdown. My roommate, whose brother got me into the Dead, swore he would never see them again.

      But less than 3 weeks later I would have my faith in live music, psychedelics, and humanity restored when I saw Phish on Halloween and a whole 'nother universe opened up for me.

Dave Kemp

BA American Studies

PhD Rock and Roll

  

Phish, 8/1, 8/2, and 8/3 aka The Southern Swing

      Hello everyone. I hope you all had some luck with the ticket lottery/Ticketbastard. But before I start thinking about the awesomeness that is a West Coast Fall Tour, I still have to take care of business with the end of the Summer Tour. So without further ado, here is the true tale of a bunch of Yankees invading the South for the best band to ever come out of New England. Phish live at Orange Beach, AL, Pelham, AL, and Alpharetta, GA, aka The Southern Swing


      Myself and my crew flew into Atlanta on July 31^st. We had a 5 hour drive to Orange Beach and got there a little after the sun had set. Some kids were also unloading and they even broke out a tank right there in the parking lot of the hotel. Geez, are we at the Mann in Philly? We went to stock up and booze and the liquor store had …...Yuengling Lager. What? Way down South they have my favorite beer? One of the many pleasant surprises I had when it came to my preconceived notions about the South.
      We ended up going to 2 bars. The town of Orange Beach has a van/shuttle system, 5 bucks per person. It's a really good deal. At the first bar, we ran into friends from Vermont that hit most of the shows. Among their crew were 2 guys, Andy and Louie. I started talking about music the way I do. I don't remember too much about what I said but I must have made an impression because their friend Mark told me they had major man crushes on my and they cheered and applauded me when ever we saw them on the rest of the run. Here is a photo with another fan of mine

Out next stop was a bar called FloBama. It straddles the state line, so my run of not being in Florida (or America's penis, as Stew Beef calls it) has ended.

       I preceded to get seriously drunk. Mixed drinks were 5 dollars. Yes, you read that right. I'm so used to traveling to see Phish and paying out the ass for everything (SF, Tahoe, NYC, Vegas). It was a pleasant surprise how cheap everything was. We made it home and I went face first out of the van. I ripped up the cuticle on the left hand middle finger (how am I supposed to communicate now??) and scraped my knee. We all were in super rough shape the next morning but we had big plans, as we were renting a party/pontoon boat to cruise the bay.
      Capt Flatbrim was in charge and he had to sign about 200 pages of documents. We finally made it out and it was a blast and a half. We beached on a small island and proceeded to get down. Very chill scene. We also cruised around the bay and saw some pretty swanky houses that all had boat docks and cranes that lifted all of the boats out of the water. Seriously, every single boat house had one of these contraptions. High living indeed.

      So we got back to the hotel and cleaned up. Unfortunately, we waited too long to reserve a shuttle and would have had to wait until 7 for a ride. So we walked next door, ran into a shuttle waiting for people and invited ourselves on to it. All four of us squeezed into the back row and got to the show in plenty of time. While in the Lot, Team Talbert ran into the DUDE OF LIFE. It was really cool to meet him and I gave him props on his solo album, which came out more than 20 years ago. Evidently, he's hitting a lot more shows, so this was super cool.

And here is a link to his highly rated solo album

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Uduv2m3sFc&list=ALBTKoXRg38BADhb5Xey3pRFY9GbMALiRA

I had one more cool person to meet up with, and that would be one Kyle McKershner from a little band called Devolver. It was great to see him again and he was really pumped for his first show since 2000. We ended up getting funneled through the VIP Terence to alleviate the long lines. And then this photo from Phish's Twitter account happened. Mad props to Adrian Assi for spying it.

Friday, 08/01/2014
Amphitheater at the Wharf, Orange Beach, AL

Set 1: Chalk Dust Torture, The Moma Dance, Heavy Things, 555, Rift > 46 Days, Tube, Devotion To a Dream, Wolfman's Brother, The Ballad of Curtis Loew, Free > Character Zero
Set 2: Down with Disease > Theme From the Bottom > Tweezer > Prince Caspian > Waiting All Night > Fuego > Slave to the Traffic Light > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Boogie On Reggae Woman -> Run Like an Antelope
Encore: Bouncing Around the Room > Tweezer Reprise
Teases:
· Boogie On Reggae Woman and Theme from The Munsters teases in Run Like an Antelope
· Tweezer jam in Fuego
· Setting Sail quote in Tweezer Reprise
Notes: Fuego included a brief Tweezer jam. Antelope contained Boogie On and Munsters theme teases. Fishman quoted Setting Sail in Tweezer Reprise.

You can stream it here

http://www.phishtracks.com/shows/2014-08-01

      We saw a guy with a CDT Reprise sign, so he had to be geeked at the opener. First set was solid with very few repeats from the other 4 shows I saw. Curtis Loew was a nice tip of the hat to the Skynard South. The DWD was 20 minutes of pure hose. I thought it was the highlight of the run for myself. The boys really did a great mashup of Boogie and Antelope, or Boogalope as someone called it.
      We made it back to the hotel and chilled out on the beach with the show playing over Switzer's phone. That time on the beach might have been the most fun I had all weekend.
This whole run was definitely an old school run. 3 shows, 3 days, 3 different cities. It seemed like Phish had realized how convenient 3 day runs in the same city were, but they said nope, we're gonna rage it like its the late 90's. Which was rather nice as my cellphone had a nervous breakdown right before the run started and it was more a pain in the ass than anything.
      After another rather long drive, we arrived in Pelham, right outside of Birmingham. Our hotel was right next to the venue, ala Hampton. Our window overlooked one of the Lots. And what a Lot it was. Full blown shakedown, just like it was back in the day. After a rather long walk, we made it in and found our seats in the uncovered pavilion.

You can stream it here

http://www.phishtracks.com/shows/2014-08-02

Saturday, 08/02/2014
Oak Mountain Amphitheatre, Pelham, AL

Soundcheck: Sing Monica, Wombat
Set 1: AC/DC Bag > Poor Heart, Cities, Kill Devil Falls, Reba > Possum, Sample in a Jar, Funky Bitch > Maze, Ocelot > Sparkle > Cavern, Wingsuit
Set 2: Carini > Ghost > Mike's Song > Simple > Joy > Weekapaug Groove > Julius, Sand > Wading in the Velvet Sea, You Enjoy Myself
Encore: Quinn the Eskimo
Teases:
· San-Ho-Zay and Simple teases in Ghost
Notes: Ghost contained San-Ho-Zay and Simple teases.
      Trey was very talkative. The Reba was the highlight of the first set for myself. Wingsuit was a weird way to end the first set, but other than that Happy Happy Joy Joy.
Second set was all about the Carini>Ghost. Trey couldn't wait to play Simple. He really teased it right before launching into Mike's Song. The YEM had a really good vocal jam and some cool dancing from Big Red. The encore was another new cover, and even if it was the day after Jerry's birthday, I will still take it.
      During set break, I was talking to my neighbor Rex. He proceeded to tell me about his family history. His farm has been in his family since 1812 and he could trace his ancestors back to 1750. It was really cool getting a sense of history. And he was an Auburn fan, so he was still riding high from the Iron Bowl the year before. He asked if I was being bored and I replied, no way, I have an American Studies degree. I was eating it up.
      After the show, a bunch of us retired to our room. We had enough people up and in attendance we ordered two pizzas, one regular, one a meatza. They said it would be an hour. As we waited, people passed out and left. So by the time an hour and changed rolled around, it was just myself and Josh. Way too much pizza for two guys. As I answered the door, the delivery guy was there. There also was some wasted guy, trying to give the delivery guy a 20 to come back with another pizza. By now, it was 1:30 2:00 am. I offered the guy a pizza for the 20, he took it and I shut the door. He complained no pepperoni but tough titties. So tip included, we paid 10 bucks for one pizza, with nothing to go to waste. This is why we rule Tour.
      Another day, another city. Along the way to Atlanta, which was a much shorter ride than any of the other legs of our journey, I actually saw this sign on the side of the road.

     I also saw a Sons of the Confederacy sign celebrating their 150 anniversary. But for the most part, the part of the South I saw really wasn't all that different living in Pennsyltucky.
      A friend told us about a really sweet hotel, the Highlands Inn. It seemed to be in a hip part of Atlanta. I based this on my observation of a place called the CupCake Factory, a barbershop that specialized in mustaches, and a vegetarian soul food joint right next door. Ran into a friend of Dave Kemp Montana. We had met at Halloween 2013 but he couldn't remember my name. He showed me southern hospitality was for REAL. We rented and Uber cab/SUV for the decent price of 20 per person.
      The Lot at this show was raging. It was definitely the best one of the whole run. There are 2 lots in Alpharetta, Lot A and B. A is the one they designate for Shakedown St. People were looking to buy the parking passes for this lot. And we enjoyed the Lot to its fullest.

Sunday, 08/03/2014
Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park, Alpharetta, GA

Set 1: My Soul > Bathtub Gin, 555, Pebbles and Marbles, The Line, Vultures, Fast Enough for You, Back on the Train, Taste, Gumbo, Halfway to the Moon, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan > Suzy Greenberg
Set 2: Chalk Dust Torture^[1] -> Scents and Subtle Sounds > Twist > Fuego, The Wedge, Light > Harry Hood > First Tube
Encore: Fluffhead
[1] Unfinished
Teases:
· Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan quote in Suzy Greenberg
· Call to the Post tease
Notes: This show was webcast for free via LivePhish. Suzy Greenberg contained a quote of Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan by Trey. Trey teased Call to the Post before CDT. Chalk Dust Torture was unfinished. Scents and Subtle Sounds was last played on September 2, 2011 (109 shows). Harry Hood featured a duel section in which Trey traded solos with Mike, Fishman, and Page in turn.

      I thought this was solid from start to end. The Gin was a great second song to get us dancing. The Gumbo was stretched out like it was 1997. First time in a long time we got that. The Hood had a crazy dueling segment and then led to its usual peak. And First Tube? WOWOWOWOWOW!
Our ride back was about the same except that Uber bases their rates on supply and demand. And demand was high as we paid double to get back to the hotel. But it was worth it as no one could drive nor did we even have a vehicle there.
      So for the last 3 years, I have closed out the Summer Tour. And as with last year, I get off Tour and have holds on my credit cards for Fall Tour tickets. So now the countdown has begun for the SF>Vegas run including yet another Halloween. “He started dancin' to that fine, fine music, You know his life was saved by rock and roll!”



Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD Rock and Roll
   

Phish, July 26th and 27th, 2014, Merriweather Post Pavillion, Columbia, MD

      Wowowowowow. That's all I can say about the 2 night run at Merriweather this year. I'm kind of pressed for time as I have to work 2 12 hour shifts Tues and Wed and then I fly out for the Southern Swing of the Tour. So, here are some random thoughts and coherent sentences all about our favorite band, the Phish from Vermont.
      Found a prime spot in the new and improved super chill Lot at Merriweather. Honestly, you really had to be going out of your way to antagonize the police this past weekend. And the weather was perfect. After some BS with the parking staff, we got our 3 Quick Shades up and were ready to party.
      Continuing with our theme of local food in the Lot, Nate grilled up crab cakes the first night (if you remember, we had cheese steaks at the Mann). Lots and lots of people stopped by and it was too much fun.

You can stream it here

http://www.phishtracks.com/shows/2014-07-26

Phish: Sat, Jul 26, 2014
Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD
Soundcheck: If I Could, I Been Around
Set 1: Sample in a Jar, The Moma Dance, Wombat, Backwards Down the Number Line, Roggae, The Wedge, Wolfman's Brother, Nellie Kane, Lawn Boy, The Line, Stash, Suzy Greenberg
Set 2: Carini -> Ghost > Steam -> The Mango Song > Sing Monica > Light -> Also Sprach Zarathustra > Harry Hood
Encore: Julius




      I thought the first set was really good. I love Wombat and the Wolfman's Brah was jammed out. Nellie Kane was a rare treat and the Suzy was exquisite according to my friend Paul. Carini and Ghost both had fully formed jams with no ripcords in sight. NOTE: This is my opinion, a few others disagreed. The transition into Ghost was really good as was Steam into the Mango Song. Light was its usual awesomeness and Page lead us into 2001. The Hood did its spacy 2014 thing. And that was night one.
      Met up with my crew and we had an even better spot the second day. Meet and saw even more friends, and met a cool dude named Issac who had an extra, and ended up hanging with us the rest of the evening. Just some random dude lol

You can stream it here

http://www.phishtracks.com/shows/2014-07-27

Phish: Sun, Jul 27, 2014
Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD
Soundcheck: Sand Jam, Waiting All Night
Set 1: Fee, The Curtain With, 46 Days, 555, My Sweet One, Sand, Bouncing Around the Room, Saw It Again > Fuego, You Enjoy Myself^[1]
Set 2: Wilson > Tweezer -> Back on the Train -> Tweezer > Back on the Train -> Tweezer > Waiting All Night > Free -> Tweezer -> Simple -> Tweezer -> Free -> Catapult -> Slave to the Traffic Light > Down with Disease^[2] -> NICU -> Hold Your Head Up > Jennifer Dances > Hold Your Head Up, I Been Around
Encore: Boogie On Reggae Woman > Tweezer Reprise
[1] With Trey waving his megaphone and using its siren.
[2] Unfinished.
Notes: This show was webcast via LivePhish. YEM included Flash Light teases and featured Trey waving his megaphone and using its siren. The first Tweezer contained Back on the Train teasing from Fish. The third Tweezer included Page teasing Manteca. Simple included a Magilla tease from Page. Catapult was played for the first time since August 14, 2009 (206 shows). DWD was unfinished. NICU contained Under Pressure teases. Tweezer was teased after the first HYHU and in I Been Around. Jennifer Dances was performed for the first time since December 17, 1999 (352 shows) and was quoted at the end of the second HYHU. I Been Around was last played October 16, 2010 (149 shows).



      Geez, where do I even start? How about the best first set I ever saw? I'd really have to rack my brain to find a better one. This had EVERYTHING. I thought a Fee opener was weird. I had just listened to the version from 7/8/99 that I attended and it was 23 minutes long, lots of Type 2 jamming. But then Trey fucked up the lyrics and had to abort it. So I've seen the longest and shortest Fee's.
     Then A Curtain, With. A song so Phishy you don't know which version it is until the end of the song. We got some bluegrass and 555 and then ….Sand. First set Sand? Not unprecedented, especially in this era but it went some great places. Bouncin' to catch our breaths and then I Saw It Again. Another rarity, and a big reminder of the version in 2010 they did that destroyed MMP. This was not that version but still great. Fuego kept things rolling and then. …....YEM, to end the first set???WOWOWOWOWOW!

Not my creation

      We were all ready to leave because that would have been a decent second set. Would the band wilt under the pressure to top the first set? Does Trey still have the intestinal fortitude to pull that off? HELL YES!!!!

Set 2: Wilson > Tweezer -> Back on the Train -> Tweezer > Back on the Train -> Tweezer > Waiting All Night > Free -> Tweezer -> Simple -> Tweezer -> Free -> Catapult -> Slave to the Traffic Light > Down with Disease^[2] -> NICU -> Hold Your Head Up > Jennifer Dances > Hold Your Head Up, I Been Around


      Really reminded me off the madness of the Bomb Factory '94 show. I know some are going to cry blasphemy but tough titties. When they immediately went into BOTT, I thought WTF? No jam at all? Oh Dave, don't worry, Phish has your back. By the third time back into Tweezer, it was all hose and they could do no wrong. Waiting All Night to catch our breath and then FREE, and into Simple, and Free Reprise, and then Catapault. WOWOWOWOWOWOW!! And then DWD, because you haven't had enough. And then Henrietta, and the long awaited bustout of Jennifer Dances
     Here is a little taste http://www.phishtracks.com/shows/1999-12-17/jennifer-dances
      And they had a lot of fun with it. Never saw Been Around before, complete with marching around the stage. And Boogie On >Reprise for the encore. It had everything except an hour long song, but who needed that? This was old school, nerd, Phish. That JD stuff was all an inside joke for the fans. I'm sure PT blew up.
      Last night is why I try to see as many shows as I can. You never know how long the good times will last so enjoy each and everyone of them to its fullest, because when something is gone, it is gone, and nothing is gonna bring it back. My next post? From the Dirty South, as I hit the final 3 shows on this Tour on the Southern Swing



Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD Rock and Roll
  

It Was 20 Years Ago Today: Grateful Dead, July 16th and 17th, 1994, RFK Satdium, Washington, DC

      Hello everyone. I hope you are enjoying the incredible jams Phish is tossing off with little or no effort this summer. With 2 weeks between the Mann shows and the Merriweather/Southern swing of awesomeness I have coming up, it is time to take a quick break from the boys from Vermont to look back, and I mean way back. While Phish was finishing up the summer tour where Phish became Phish (thanks to Dave Stienberg for that great little line), I was going to see my boys at RFK stadium. So here it is, the Grateful Dead at RFK stadium in Washington DC, July 16^th and 17^th, 1994.
      This was the 5^th summer in a row of seeing the Dead at RFK and I had it down pat now. This was also the first summer where my mind was fully enlightened and experimentation was the rule of the day. So, due to me pushing the limits of my conscience, details aren't gonna be as plentiful as before. I do know we camped for these shows, and that's about it. Myself and my usual crew went down along with a few of W's friends from college.

07-16-94 Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, Washington, D.C. (Sat)
1: Cold Rain> Picasso Moon, Lazy River Road, El Paso@, Shoe Fits, Ramble On, Masterpiece, Loose Lucy, Promised
2: China Cat> I Know You Rider, Samba, Estimated> Crazy Fingers> Drumz> Last Time> Stella Blue> Saturday Night E: Liberty

Traffic opened

You can stream it here

https://listentothedead.com/1994/7/16

Note: The above website is safe, despite what your anti virus says

      A solid first set although If the Show Fits is a song that should have been left of the shelf. The second set started off right but Samba and Crazy Fingers were rather slow. Jerry missed his cue for the first verse of Stella Blue, which looking back should have been a flag that he wasn't taking care of himself. 

07-17-94 Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, Washington, D.C. (Sun)
1: Bucket> Bertha, Wang Dang Doodle, So Many Roads, Tom Thumb Blues, B. T. Wind@, Don't Ease
2: Victim> Eyes> Samson> He's Gone> Drumz> Way To Go> SOTM> Lovelight E: Brokedown

Traffic opened

You can stream it here

https://listentothedead.com/1994/7/17

       I must give a shout out to Traffic. This has been the only time I've been able to see Steve Winwood live, and both nights they did not disappoint. This was also during the final match of the World Cup. My friend of Italian decent manged to find a black and white television using an old school analog antenna to watch the game. Brazil ended up winning, beating Italy, which Steve Winwood brought up during his set.
      Another friend of a friend was there, and although the word didn't exist, he was definitely a “bro”. Juiced up, with pecs that looked like they needed scaffolding just to stay up, he kept repeating the word “Brazil”over and over again until it ceased to be a word. Only highlight I can remember is during Samson. It was raining but right as Jerry went into his solo, the skies really opened up and the crowd goes apeshit. You can hear it on the audience tapes. Glad to see Jerry still had a little bit of magic left to affect the weather.
      So there you have it. Only 3 more 20 Years Later entries for the good ole Grateful Dead and I hope I see most of you at Merriweather for Phish next weekend.



Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD Rock and Roll
  

Phish, July 8th and 9th, 2014, at the Mann Music Center, Philadelphia, PA

      Hey now everyone. Hope you are enjoying summer. As I write this on July 12^th, my mind wanders back 24 years for my first real show, the Grateful Dead at RFK stadium. If you're into something long enough, hopefully things come back around. And things have come back around BIG TIME as I was able to see Phish at a venue where I saw them 20 years ago, the Mann Music Center in downtown Philly. So without further ado, here are my adventures for the Phish from Vermont on July 8^th and 9^th, 2014.

You can read about my first trip there right here

http://kempepedia.blogspot.com/2014/06/greetings-everyone.html

      I went my Camp Gonzo crew Christie and Nate (whose wedding ceremony I performed) and Christine (the OG HMLL) and her hubby Todd (who taped the last Devolver show). Nate found a sweet apartment on Airbnb.com and I may never stay in a hotel again. It was cheaper than a suite with so much more room. Private secure parking although the alley in and out of the garage looked like it was an alley in Naples ItalyIt was located 10 minutes from the venue and a straight shot down one road.

      We got to the Lot early and set up camp. My friends Matt and Alicia ended up randomly parking right next to us. I had the HMLL shirt flying that I always bring to shows.

     Christie then gave me a flag and said hang this up, and it was the most EPIC, STUPENDOUS, GLORIOUS creation in the history of sewing.

     She got tee shirts and one do rag from all the HMLL's and one husband and made this amazing quilt. I'm still blown away by it. A true Lot worthy piece of art. Christie's like the Heady Betsy Ross.

Had several friends stop by and catch up as we ate cheese steaks in a Philly Lot, the way Ben Franklin intended it.

I also had my buddy Adrian up dating me on the semifinal match between Brazil and Germany. That match result 7-1, Germany, is really a little more mindblowing than any jam I have ever heard.

After a rather long wait to get into the venue, we found our spots on the lawn. Then, over the PA system, comes the warning a severe thunderstorm is headed our way and everyone on the lawn needs to return to there cars until the storm passes. I never had this happen before but it isn't unprecedented, Deer Creek '09 immediately springs to mind. So we returned to the Lot for about 45 minutes. We got back inside, found our spot, and the show got on the road right around 9:15.

Tuesday, 07/08/2014 The Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA

Soundcheck: Billy Breathes, Sugar Shack, Let Me Lie
Set 1: Axilla, Gumbo > Taste, 555, Tube, Halfway to the Moon, Camel Walk, Sparkle, Halley's Comet > It's Ice, Ocelot, Walls of the Cave
Set 2: 46 Days > Fuego > The Line, Backwards Down the Number Line > Tweezer -> Ghost > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Harry Hood > Tweezer Reprise
Encore: Possum

You can stream it here

http://www.phishtracks.com/shows/2014-07-08

      So happy to get a full show despite the weather delay. First set was solid high energy. The Tube has a rather extended jam before “The Jam”. The new songs are developing very well, much better than my first impression on Halloween. The Camel Walk and Halley's were very strong. Walls is always a great set closer.

      Second set highlight was Fuego, which had 2 separate distinct jams, and was all about Page. Trey is definitely deferring to Page alot more as far as leading the jams. The Line was a nice way to catch our breath and I love Backwards, so nice Line>Line combo.

      Tweezer was compact but had some really great moments. It seemed Trey was playing Ghost about 5 minutes before everyone else. By this time, my hips and back were killing me from standing on the lawn. I made my way to the flat part of the lawn at the top and they go into 2001. Finally, the “No Covers” cherry was popped. Everybody was dancing up a storm. The Hood was great as was the non encore Reprise.

After a wonderful nights sleep thanks to the giant ceiling fan, we made it to the Lot for day two. Almost same spot, caught up with old friends and held my breath as Argentina held on to make it to the World Cup final. I had a two team parley for Germany and Argentina. 

Wednesday, 07/09/2014 The Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA

Set 1: Glide, Sing Monica, Birds of a Feather, Wolfman's Brother, Sugar Shack, Alaska, McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan, Horn, Devotion To a Dream, Silent in the Morning, Run Like an Antelope
Set 2: Chalk Dust Torture^[1] > Wingsuit, Winterqueen, Twist > Crosseyed and Painless > Waste > Mike's Song > Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley
Encore: Julius > Weekapaug Groove
[1] Unfinished.

You can stream it here

http://www.phishtracks.com/shows/2014-07-09

      A rather long first set but really strong. I always love me some McGrupp because they name check myself. Again, the new songs are really taking shape and coming on strong. A second set Chalk Dust opener?? You know its gonna get epic. Wingsuit and Winterqueen both worked despite being rather slow.

      But when they did Crosseyed, everyone blew up. Christie had been calling this, so she really flipped her wig. A Waste to catch our breath and then Mike's. Into Sneakin'?? Holy shit. And we even got a small vocal jam. Stupendous. The boys have split Mike's and Weekapaugh with Weekapaugh in the encore spot, and I've seen them both.

      I really like how this summer is gonna play out. I have 2 weeks in which to savor these two shows, then its the Merriweather shows, 2 days of work, and then I fly out for the Southern Swing with my Wombat Crew. See you on the road.

Dave Kemp

BA American Studies

PhD Rock and Roll