Monday, July 28, 2014

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


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


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
  

Sunday, July 20, 2014

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 16th and 17th, 1994.
      This was the 5th 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
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

       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
  

Sunday, July 13, 2014

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 12th, 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 8th and 9th, 2014.
You can read about my first trip there right here

      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

      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

      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

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Widespread Panic, Jun 14th. 2014, Mann Music Center, Philadelphia, PA

      Hello everyone. I hope you are as pumped as I am now that Phish's Summer Tour is under way. But I am not here to write about the immediate future, it's more about the immediate past. I am of course talking about the pride of Athens, GA, one Widespread Panic. And I got to see the boys 3 weeks ago on June 14th, at the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia, PA
      I was pumped when this show was announced. One, I haven't seen the boys since way back in 2010, which was also my first blog post. You can read it here.

They rarely make it above the Mason Dixon Line and when they do, it usually is a mid week show. Second, this show begins my mini tour of the Mann this summer with 2 Phish shows during the first week of July. And third, the ass kicking band Galactic was opening up for them.
      Myself and Paul headed out and got to a rather empty lot. I ended up meeting some homies from WAY BACK in the day. I hadn't seen Kevin since before Devolver. Another friend, Hemi, recognized me even though he hasn't seen me since before my beard. He said we used to trade tapes. I had no recollection of him. D'oh. Such is the price one must pay on the crusade to find eternal joy and never ending splendor.


06/14/14 The Mann Center For Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA
0: Pigeons, Time Zones, Can't Get High, Machine > Barstools and Dreamers, Clinic Cynic, Space Wrangler > Walkin' (For Your Love), Tortured Artist > Blackout Blues > Drinking Muddy Water, Jesus Just Left Chicago > Drums* > Fixin' To Die**, Chilly Water**, Thought Sausage > Familiar Reality***, Use Me****
E: Old Joe, Imitation Leather Shoes
* with Stanton Moore on percussion
** with Jeff Raines on guitar
*** with Ben Ellman on saxophone, Corey Henry on trombone
**** with Ben Ellman on saxophone, Corey Henry on trombone, Maggie Koerner on vocals, Rich Vogell on keyboards
['Satisfied' rap during 'Barstools and Dreamers'; Galactic opened]



You can stream it here

      We had actual seats in the pavilion. We got in early for Galactic and they did not disappoint. They had Maggie Koerner on vocals and she was great. Their drummer is Stanton Moore and I think he is one of the best in the business. Galactic first blew my mind back at the first Bonnaroo in 2003. The majority of their tunes are instrumentals. They are a healthy dose of New Orleans funk that goes down oh so sweet. Highlight of the set was “Oh Nah Nay” and a cover of the Jackson 5's “ I Want You Back”.
      We evidently weren't in our actual seats. It was an honest mistake given how bass ackwards the numbering of sections is at the venue. Should be a crazy time when Phish plays here.
This Panic set was very light on newer tunes ( written after 2005) so I was very pleased. The new tunes just don't measure up to the classics, unlike Phish who are still coming up with strong tunes. It's a shame Phish has said they aren't going to be playing as many covers, because it would be really cool to see 2 bands cover the same song (Jesus Left Chicago) at the same venue 3 weeks apart. I saw Phish and Furthur both cover The Mighty Quinn in the Summer of 2011 but it was at different venues.
      Highlights for myself were Blackout Blues, Fixin' To Die, Thought Sausage, and Use Me. Paul said Use Me is one of his favorite covers and Maggie crushed her vocal part.
We got out of the Lot in no time and got back to good ole Hanover by 2 AM. Nice to get the Summer of 2014 underway and am really looking forward to a season full of friends, jams and mind expanding adventures.

Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD Rock and Roll