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.
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
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!!
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
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.
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
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
