It Was 20 Years Ago Today: Phish, Live at the Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA Dec. 15th, 1995

      Good day everyone. Hope you are enjoying this El Nino inspired warm spell we are experiencing. But I come to you today not as a meteorologist but as a chronicler of music events, and few were bigger than Phish's Fall of '95 Tour. And now Kempepedia proudly presents the final installment in my documentation of this Tour, It Was 20 Years Ago Today Phish, Live at the Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA Dec 15^th, 1995.
      This show came 2 weeks after my adventures in Hershey so my expectations were pretty high. First time Phish had played the Spectrum and I figured Trey saw a few shows here growing up across the river from Philly.

Friday, 12/15/1995
CoreStates Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA

Set 1: Chalk Dust Torture > Harry Hood > Wilson > Maze > Ha Ha Ha > Suspicious Minds > Hold Your Head Up > Cars Trucks Buses, Bouncing Around the Room, Free > Possum^[1]
Set 2: Tweezer Reprise > Runaway Jim > It's Ice > Bathtub Gin -> Rotation Jam -> Mallory^[2] > Also Sprach Zarathustra > David Bowie, Sweet Adeline
Encore: Good Times Bad Times -> Tweezer Reprise
[1] Oom Pa Pa, Simpsons and All Fall Down signals.
[2] Debut.
Teases:
· Voodoo Child (Slight Return) tease in Possum
· Lazy tease in Chalk Dust Torture
Notes: Trey teased Lazy (Deep Purple) in Chalk Dust. Possum included Oom Pa Pa, Simpsons and All Fall Down signals and a Voodoo Child tease from Trey. Trey mentioned that he saw his first concert (Jethro Tull) in this very venue. Mallory debuted at this show.

You can stream it here

http://www.jamstreams.net/phish/1995/1995-12-15

      First set was solid if typical for the era. I really enjoyed my first Ha Ha Ha. Also like the fact there was no let up in the first set. Nearly everything goes right into something else. I also had my final encounter with the Devil and Uncle Leo. These were two guys who knew each other and we were seated really close to each other for 3 of the 4 shows I went to on this Tour. I can't remember their names but Uncle Leo kind of looked like Jerry Seinfeld’s Uncle Leo from the show, plus he took his shirt off at every show and danced topless for most of the show. Yes, he could have used a manziere. His friend I nicknamed the Devil because he had all these piercings in his ears and crazy tribal tattoos on his arms. Remember, this was 1995, before everyone and their uncle had ink. But they were cool and I never saw them again.

      This show was all about the second set. First, they start the second set with a Tweezer Reprise. They had done it before on this Tour but I wasn't aware but still WOW! The Jim>It's Ice> Gin were top notch. All have some tasty nuggets within them. The Rotation Jam and Mallory were weird to say the least. The 2001> Bowie were out of this world, except I had some clown keep asking me during the long build up to the Bowie Intro if this was Bowie. Yes, I have been putting up with people trying to talk to me during the show for over 20 years.
      They made a Mike Tyson joke before GTBT (He was fighting the next night at the Spectrum) and some how squeezed even more juice out of Tweezer Reprise. And then it was over. The journey that had started when Jerry died and getting the notice in the mail about an expansive Fall Tour had been completed. I had seen my musical future without Jerry G and it looked rather bright. Have a safe holiday season and I’ll be back with my reports on Cabinet and the Infamous Stringdusters for NYE and Phish at MSG in NYC night 4.


Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD Rock and Roll

It Was 20 Years Ago Today; Phish, Live at Hershey Arena, Hershey, PA December 1st, 1995

     Of the four shows I saw on the '95 Fall Tour, 12/01/95 Hershey is my favorite. And it just so happens I got off work early today, on the 20^th anniversary of said show. So look out, straight from my brain to the page It Was 20 Years Ago Today, Phish Live at Hershey Arena, Hershey, PA December 1^st, 1995.
      This was one of the shows that jumped out at me when Phish announced their Fall Tour. I had lots of friends come down State College. I had just moved back to Hanover from Penn State in May so I was still in touch with my crew. Plus, practically everyone I knew and was about to meet was there from York Adams counties. Many of the Hanover High people I know now I met at that show.
      I rode up to the show in someone's Volkswagen bus. It wasn't a classic looking van but it got me there. Got inside and low and behold my seat was dead center, almost directly in front of Trey, 5 rows back. Up until then, it was far and away the best seat I ever had for a show.

Friday, 12/01/1995
Hersheypark Arena, Hershey, PA

Soundcheck: Buried Alive > Down with Disease, Dog Log, Funky Bitch (half-speed)
Set 1: Buried Alive > Down with Disease > Theme From the Bottom, Poor Heart, Wolfman's Brother^[1] > Chalk Dust Torture, Colonel Forbin's Ascent > Fly Famous Mockingbird^[2], Stash, Cavern
Set 2: Halley's Comet > Mike's Song -> Weekapaug Groove, The Mango Song > Wilson > Suspicious Minds > Hold Your Head Up, David Bowie -> Catapult^[3] -> David Bowie^[4]
Encore: Suzy Greenberg
[1] Trey flubbed lyrics and remarked that, since he likes them so much, he would sing them again.
[2] Narration referenced chocolate and the rhombus.
[3] Started over David Bowie hi-hat intro.
[4] Homer Simpson quotes ("mmmm... chocolate") and Simpsons signal.
Notes: Trey flubbed the lyrics to Wolfman’s Brother and remarked that, since he likes them so much, he would sing them again. The narration during Mockingbird referenced chocolate and the rhombus. Weekapaug was played in a different key. Catapult started over the Bowie hi-hat intro, which also featured quotes of Homer Simpson (“mmmm... chocolate”) and a Simpsons signal.  This was the first time ever that Mike’s and Weekapaug were played without anything in between them. This show is available as an archival release on LivePhish.com.

You can stream it here

http://www.phishtracks.com/shows/1995-12-01

      Buried Alive opener gets things flying. All high energy rockers. Trey does a narration that is so long and so detailed. He talked about giving us a big hint, the biggest clue we would ever get... CLUE TO WHAT???? It's on the recording, clear as a bell. Still don't have any idea what he is talking about.
     On Feb 10th, we were going to see the David Grisham Quintet in Miller Chapel at Lebanon Valley College. Nad and myself went to King of Prussia and found a Wilson road. But who knows if it was the right one. Looked around but found nothing but open fields and it was really cold that day. 
      As they came out for the second set, someone told me they saw Mike give someone in the audience one of those giant chocolate chip cookies they used to sell. They were instant diabetes size.
     Halley's>Mike's> Weekapaugh. Are you fucking kidding me? There is so much energy in the jams that there isn't room for ANYTHING between Mike's and Weekapaugh. This is burned in my head, up there with the Hood from 11/22/97 and Split and the Mike's from Clifford Ball. This Mike's is criminally overshadowed by the Niagara Falls and NYE MSG versions but it is the third longest of all time.
Mango and Wilson allow us to catch our breath before the spectacularly caped John Fishman singing Elvis's Suspicious Minds. He did the karate moves and everything. The cape lit up, it was truly amazing.

Best photo I could find. 

Video

     Bowie sandwich with a Catapult protein? Hell yes. And then during Suzy rave up to end the song, Trey points his guitar at someone diagonally from me, in the row in front of me and yells “You!” It definitely was NOT at myself.
      And then it was over. Three shows down with one to go. In Philly. At the Spectrum. Where I saw the Grateful Dead and Trey saw Jethro Tull. He was playing in one of the most famous arenas (music wise) in the world. It was were I saw some incredible dead shows and historic Dead Lots. Look the fuck out!


Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD Rock and Roll

It was 20 Years Ago Today: Phish, Live at the Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA, November 24th, 1995

      Hello everyone. Just kicking back this rather chilly weekend before the holiday season gets under way with Thanksgiving. One thing about Thanksgiving, I have seen a lot of shows. Phish, Panic, and Devolver always threw down over the holiday weekend. But my first Thanksgiving run was back in 1995 when I was blessed enough to see the Wednesday before and the Friday after Thanksgiving. It was also the first time I saw shows on 2 consecutive nights in 2 different cities. But I really don't remember any Black Friday sales in the Lot..... So without further ado, here is another installment in my award hoping for series, It Was 20 Years Ago Today: Phish, Live at the Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA, November 24^th, 1995.
      After a jam filled show at the Cap Centre, and the following day with turkey and football, we headed out early for the long drive across the western highlands that are Pennsylvania. Don't remember where we stayed or any of that stuff.

Friday, 11/24/1995
Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA

Soundcheck: Oye Como Va Jam > Dog Log, Rift, Funky Bitch (half-speed)
Set 1: The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > AC/DC Bag > The Curtain > Sparkle > Stash, Tela, I'm Blue, I'm Lonesome^[1], Maze, Suzy Greenberg
Set 2: Chalk Dust Torture, Theme From the Bottom > Reba^[2], Catapult, Scent of a Mule, Bathtub Gin, Acoustic Army, Hold Your Head Up > Bike > Hold Your Head Up, Fee^[3] > Julius
Encore: Life on Mars?, Rocky Top
[1] Acoustic.
[2] No whistling.
[3] Trey sang verses through megaphone.
Notes: I’m Blue I’m Lonesome was performed acoustic and, along with Maze, was dedicated to Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team. Reba did not have the whistling ending. Before Bike, Fish introduced himself as Forrest Gump. Trey sang the verses of Fee through a megaphone.

You can stream it here

http://www.phishtracks.com/shows/1995-11-24

      Of all the shows I've attended, this might be the closest to an “average “ Phish show. Definitely no down points, but outside of Gin, no real jams. It was a great show with all the composed parts nailed but otherwise, nothing really stands out. First time for a few songs for myself. Still not sure what to make of Bike. Favorite part of the show was the double encore. I really like Life on Mars? and I feel a band should leave the last song as a high energy peak.

      While there is no Devolver show this year, Andy will be playing with the Winter House Band at the Miscreation Brewing Company this Wednesday November 25^th, starting around 7ish. And next week I will have one of my favorite shows of all time to write about, Phish's first trip to the Land of Chocolate in Hershey, PA.

Dave Kemp

BA American Studies

PhD Rock and Roll

It Was 20 Years Ago Today: Phish, Live at the Capital Centre, Landover, MD November 22nd, 1995

      Hello everyone. I hope your fantasy football season is going better than mine. The less said the better. But I'm not here to bemoan semi legal gambling, I'm here to throw down some knowledge on some of the posts I've been most looking forward to, my Fall Tour '95 recaps. While I have written about this Tour before, it was one of my first blog post you can read it here

http://kempepedia.blogspot.com/2010/12/phish-fall-tour-1995-most-important.html

 But now I'm ready to get into it balls deep as I start the epic run that was Phish Fall Tour 1995: It was 20 Years Ago Today, Phish Live at the Capital Centre, Landover, MD, November 22, 1995.
      As I wrote before, the summer of 1995 was a season of contrasts. I was geeked when the Dead announced their Fall tour after their hellacious Summer Tour had finally ended. We were doing three nights at the Spectrum and I was pumped. It would be my first real run of shows after I had graduated. Then Jerry died and my whole world collapsed. You can read about that here.

http://kempepedia.blogspot.com/2015/08/it-was-20-years-ago-today-day-music.html

To say I was depressed is an understatement. But then about three weeks after that I got a flyer in the mail announcing Phish's extensive Fall Tour. How extensive? Try a 54 date tour going from the end of September until the third week of December, spanning the country from San Fran to Lake Placid. Few points of note about this tour. First, they probably booked this in the spring without knowing the upheaval our scene would be going through. Second, it would also be a trial by fire. The kings of our scene were gone and Phish had an opportunity to show they would be the new standard bearer for all things improv. It would also be an endurance test. With only a week off after Halloween, it was run of mostly one night stands as they traversed this great land. What would their energy level be seven weeks into the tour? I was about to find out

Wednesday, 11/22/1995
USAir Arena, Landover, MD

Soundcheck: Funky Bitch, The Old Home Place
Set 1: Cars Trucks Buses, Wilson > Run Like an Antelope, Fluffhead, Uncle Pen, Cavern > Taste That Surrounds, The Lizards, Sample in a Jar, Sweet Adeline
Set 2: Rift^[1], Free -> Llama, Bouncing Around the Room, You Enjoy Myself, Strange Design
Encore: Poor Heart^[2], Frankenstein
[1] Aborted.
[2] Slow arrangement.

You can stream it here

http://www.phishtracks.com/shows/1995-11-22

      We rolled down in Nad's dad's van, a hulking behemoth from the early 80's. It was our friends' first proper Phish show (they had attended 10/7/94 in Fairfax, VA, but only to hustle nitrous in the Lot.) We had our full equipment packed for some super dope tailgating. After the usual way over the top security check that was always present at the Cap Centre, we got down to business.

      First set was typical for the era. High energy CT and B got us going. First set Fluffhead is always welcome. I'm a big fan of Fog (which evolved into Taste). But the nutmeat of the show was about to hit us upside the noggin in the second set.

      They started of with Rift, which quickly fell apart. Trey blamed Fishman for it and then proceeded to show us the future of Phish with a 33 minute!! version of Free. Wow!! This was the second real lenghty trip into the farthest reaches of space the boys ever did, the first being the Disease from Saratoga Springs the summer before. I might be wrong on this declaration, but I don't think I am. Words don't do this song justice, but things really get interesting after the ten minute mark. Everything after that was gravy. I normally don't like a slow song to end a set but Strange Design was just the warm embrace we needed after such a long journey. Not the biggest fan of the slow version of Poor Heart but glad they were mixing up the arrangements.

      We made it home and prepped for a hearty Thanksgiving meal, just like everyone else on Tour. And after a day off, we would be back on the road for the next show on the tour in the Steel City, which I will write about next time.

Dave Kemp

BA American Studies

PhD Rock and Roll

Moe and Cabinet, Live at The Fillmore, October 30th, 2015, Philadelphia, PA

       Greetings everyone. Hope you had a safe and uneventful Halloween. I took it easy this year after the last 2 Halloween following Phish from one gambling mecca (Atlantic City) to another (Las Vegas). But my life is also different. I have two dogs, along with my lovely girlfriend Casey, so jetting off to the West Coast for 2 weeks isn't quite as easy. So we decided to do something a little closer to home, Cabinet opening for Moe at the Fillmore in Philly on October 30^th, 2015.
        As it would so work out, my friend M lived in an apartment within walking distance of the venue and a bunch of cool restaurants. We ate at the Soy Cafe which had an amazing vegetarian hot sausage wrap. I'm kinda vegan, mostly vegetarian and have been so impressed by how good vegan food is. So after filling up, we headed to the venue.
       The Fillmore is a new venue in Philly and it is really great. Good sight lines of the band everywhere, plenty of bars and space in the back to congregate without having to shout over the band. Now I do have an issue with the name of the venue however. Way back in the day, Bill Graham rented out the Fillmore Auditorium in the Fillmore (mostly black, like San Fran's Harlem) neighborhood to put on shows. He then rented out a hall in NYC that he christened that the Fillmore East. He then took over the Carousal Ballroom and renamed it the Fillmore West. Both East and West were closed in 1971 but among music heads they were legendary venues. If a band released a live album recorded there, it held a certain cache. Fast forward to today, entertainment conglomerate Live Nation decided to slap the name Fillmore on any venue they could. The snooty rock critic inside me is not pleased. And I think Bill sums up my feelings nicely.

       We choose the 30^th instead of Halloween because Cabinet was opening up. After seeing them close to 10 times over the course of 3 years, I hadn't seem then since August 2013 when they opened a skate park in Baltimore. They have definitely gotten better since then. They incorporated the electric guitar and electric bass more into their sound since I saw them last. I even loved JP referencing Mischief Night,a NE PA tradition from when I was a wee little lad.

You can stream it here

https://archive.org/details/cabinet2015-10-30.24bit

Highlight for myself was the Mr Spaceman encore. I love that tune and their arrangement.
       After a short break, Moe came out and did their thing. As usual, their light show was out of this world. Was pleasantly surprised they did 2 full sets after having an opener.

You can stream it here

https://archive.org/details/moe.2015-10-30.nbox.16bit

     Total guitar shredding was the theme of the night. Definitely a little more sedate than usual as they had such a big night planned for Halloween. And even though I've been seeing them since 1996, I'm really not fluent in all their songs. I know what I know. But it was still a good time.

Ate breakfast at Sabrina's Cafe in Philly, which was located in a predominantly Italian neighborhood. Got some incredible decedent non vegan pastries at a local bakery and even walked by Michael Anastasio's Fruit Company.

       Last show until Thanksgiving as my next few blog post will be about Phish's most important tour, Fall of 1995.

Dave Kemp

BA American Studies

PhD Rock and Roll

Phish, Live at Magnaball, Aug. 21, 22, and 23, 2015, Watkins Glen, NY

     Hello everyone. I hope you had a pleasant Labor Day weekend as Phish really threw it down in Colorado. But I'm not here to discuss Dick's, I'm here to write about the 3-day run before that, Magnaball, Phish's 10^th multi-day festival. So without further ado, allow myself to present Phish, Live at Magnaball, August 21^st, 22^nd, and 23^rd in Watkins Glen, NY.

     If I may humbly brag for a moment; I was rather geeked to be attending this festival. I've been to a few of them in the past (Clifford Ball, The Great Went, Lemonwheel, IT, Coventry, and Superball) and it never fails to surprise me how many people show up for just one band.

     Myself, Casey, Nate, and Christie rolled up in a RV on Thursday. Mad props to Nate as he drove through a rather torrential downpour the whole trip. But we were setup by 5 o’clock and the rain had stopped by 7 o’clock. We had families on both sides of us, so we didn't have to worry about a DJ spinning all night. By 7 o’clock, I had decided to walk and try to find Switzer in her campground, which was a lost cause Thursday, but we found her along with her crew on Friday morning.

After the rain Thursday, the weather was perfect for the rest of the weekend.

Friday, 08/21/2015
Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, NY

Set 1: Simple > The Dogs > The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday > Avenu Malkenu > The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday > Free, The Wedge, Mock Song, Roggae > Rift, Bathtub Gin

Set 2: Chalk Dust Torture^[1] > Ghost -> Rock and Roll > Harry Hood -> Waste > No Men In No Man's Land -> Slave to the Traffic Light

Encore: Farmhouse, First Tube

[1] Unfinished.

Teases:
· What's the Use? tease in Chalk Dust Torture
· Cars Trucks Buses tease in Harry Hood
· Magilla tease in Simple
· Tequila tease in Bathtub Gin

Notes: This show was webcast via LivePhish and was the first show of the Magnaball festival. Page teased Magilla in Simple and Tequila in Bathtub Gin. TMWSIY and Avenu Malkenu were played for the first time since July 4, 2012 (124 shows). After Free, Trey asked the crowd to sing Happy Birthday to his daughter, Eliza, who briefly joined him onstage. Mock Song was played for the first time since July 12, 2003 (320 shows), and featured a lyric change to "Clifford, Super, Magnaball." CDT contained a What's the Use? tease and was unfinished. Hood contained a CTB tease from Mike. 

You can stream it here

http://www.phishtracks.com/shows/2015-08-21

     The highlight of the first set was definitely Bathtub Gin; amazing, inspiring jam to say the least. TMWSIY is one of my favorite composed songs and the band nailed it. In the second set, the transitions were great especially the one from Ghost into Rock and Roll; outstanding.

     The second day: more of the same awesomeness.

Saturday, 08/22/2015
Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, NY

Set 1: Divided Sky, The Moma Dance > Mound, Army of One, Scabbard > Sample in a Jar, Tube,Halfway to the Moon, Camel Walk, How Many People Are You, When the Circus Comes,Undermind > Run Like an Antelope

Set 2: Wolfman's Brother, Halley's Comet > 46 Days -> Backwards Down the Number Line >Tweezer > Prince Caspian

Set 3: Meatstick > Blaze On -> Possum > Cities > Light > 555, Wading in the Velvet Sea > Walls of the Cave

Encore: Boogie On Reggae Woman > Tweezer Reprise

Set 4: Drive-In Jam

Teases:
· Tweezer tease in Prince Caspian
· Mind Left Body Jam tease in Cities
· Fireworks and The Little Drummer Boy teases in Drive-In Jam

Notes: This show was webcast via LivePhish and was the second show of the Magnaball festival. Caspian included a Tweezer tease. Cities contained a Mind Left Body Jam tease. The Fourth Set Drive-In Jam started with the band playing behind the "Drive In Movie" screen that had been created for the festival. Slowly, their silhouettes became visible and the ambient jam veered towards a full on band jam while the screen simultaneously showed fractal like images of close-ups of the band. Eventually, the band was visible. The Drive-In Jam included a Fireworks tease from Mike and a Little Drummer Boy tease from Page.

You can stream it here

http://www.phishtracks.com/shows/2015-08-22

     I love the 3 set shows, especially with one set in the afternoon. But this show was all about 2 songs, Tweezer into Prince Caspian. When they started Tweezer, everyone let out a collective roar. We all knew this wasn't gonna be a quick one and they did not disappoint. As the main jam ended, I thought “well, they have to start another song” and I was OK with Prince. Then they acted like it was Fall of 1997 but with the onwards and upwards of this summer's energy and did some amazing things with it. I really can’t do this enough justice so you had better watch it for yourself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K_AdXPXsyc

     The Drive-in Jam was quite cool. They had a giant projection screen on the back of one of the race track grandstands. They showed movies on Thursday night but didn't really do anything else. During the fourth set, they projected images as the boys jammed out. Personally, this was my favorite out of all the late night sets (Lemonwheel, IT, and Superball) that I witnessed.

Sunday, 08/23/2015
Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, NY

Set 1: Punch You In the Eye > Buffalo Bill, A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing > Limb By Limb,Waiting All Night > Theme From the Bottom > Maze, The Line, Stash, Reba, I Didn't Know^[1],Character Zero

Set 2: Martian Monster > Down with Disease^[2] -> Scents and Subtle Sounds^[3] -> What's the Use?> Dirt > Mike's Song > Fuego > Twist -> Weekapaug Groove^[2] -> Martian Monster

Encore: You Enjoy Myself

[1] Trey thanked the crew, production staff and local officials.
[2] Unfinished.
[3] No intro.

Teases:
· The Tears of a Clown tease
· Immigrant Song and Mainstreet quotes in Weekapaug Groove
· Immigrant Song tease & quote in Twist
· Brick House, The Very Long Fuse, and Sanity teases in You Enjoy Myself

Notes: This show was webcast via LivePhish and was the third show of the Magnaball festival. Mike teased The Tears of a Clown before Punch You In the Eye. Buffalo Bill was played for the first time since June 22, 2012 (134 shows). Trey thanked the fans, crew, production staff and local officials during I Didn't Know while Fishman "sucked love" on his vacuum. Down with Disease was unfinished. Scents did not have the intro. Immigrant Song was teased in both Twist and Weekapaug Groove. Mainstreet was teased in Weekapaug Groove, which was unfinished. YEM contained a Brick House tease from Mike, Sanity quotes in the vocal jam, and culminated with a quote from The Very Long Fuse and a fireworks display.

You can stream it here

http://www.phishtracks.com/shows/2015-08-23

     Third night was solid. The second set with the Martian Monster opener and closer was really cool. I love how they have been able to incorporate the Halloween album into shows and songs. I haven't re listened to the last night so everything is from memory. The part where Trey thanked the crew while Fishman “sucked” was pretty funny. The Immigrant Song teases were very obvious and I thought they might go right into it.

     No traffic going in, no traffic coming out. That is exactly how I like my shows to go. Sorry there weren't any crazy details or incidents but this show wasn't like that. Just killing time each day while we waited for the Phish From Vermont.

Dave Kemp BA American Studies

PhD Rock and Roll

Phish, Live at Merriweather Post Pavilion, Aug 15th and 16th, 2015

   
     Greetings everyone. Hope you are enjoying the last few weeks of cultural summer. My summer has been a weird one show wise. All my fun has been jammed into one month. I saw Dear Jerry at Merriweather back in May and then nothing until August 1^st when I saw Tedechsi Trucks Band/Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings in Baltimore. But now I have finally arrived at what Summer is all about, Phish. So with the boys on fire, I finally get around to seeing them live for 2 nights at my home away from home, Merriweather Post Pavilion on August 15^th and 16^th.
      These two shows were kind of the end of Tour. Magnaball fest is kind of its own thing and Dick's is over 2 weeks away. It was forecast to be a blistering hot weekend with no chance for rain. Adding to the excitement, Switzer and her hubby were coming down for the shows. Bonus, she is 7 months pregnant. So the next time you complain about the heat or lines, at least you aren't touring for 2.

Saturday, 08/15/2015
Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD

Soundcheck: Sparkle, McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters, Friday, Nothing (x5), Stir It Up (instrumental)

Set 1: Simple > Glide, Buried Alive > McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters > Roggae > Limb By Limb > Big Black Furry Creature from Mars > Your Pet Cat > Big Black Furry Creature from Mars, Horn > Blaze On > Run Like an Antelope^[1]
Set 2: Halley's Comet > 46 Days -> Bug > Steam > What's the Use? > Steam -> Piper -> Tweezer^[2] -> NO2 -> Tweezer > Walls of the Cave
Encore: Sleeping Monkey > Tweezer Reprise

[1] Marco Esquandolas lyric changed to "Gaktoidler Esquandolas."
[2] Trey on megaphone.

Teases:
· Magilla tease in Simple
· Your Pet Cat quote in Big Black Furry Creature from Mars
· Call to the Post tease in Run Like an Antelope
· Sleeping Monkey quote in Tweezer Reprise
· Martian Monster quote in NO2

Notes: This show was webcast via LivePhish. Simple included a Magilla tease. The first Big Black Furry Creature from Mars included a Your Pet Cat quote. Run Like an Antelope included a Call To The Post tease and the lyrics were changed to "Gaktoidler Esquandolas." Piper included a Steam tease. Tweezer included Trey on megaphone. NO2 was last played August 12, 2010 (202 shows) and included a Martian Monster quote. During the intro to Sleeping Monkey, Trey said that backstage the band had read a website that ranked Phish songs and they were surprised that Page's all-time favorite song was not on the top of the list, so they were going to play it for the crowd right now. Trey then said every night walking off during encore breaks Page asks to play it and Mike says, "No Page, not tonight, tonight's not your night, man." Tweezer Reprise included a Sleeping Monkey quote from Fish.

You can stream it here

http://www.jamstreams.net/phish/2015/2015-08-15

    I haven't listened to them again so everything is going off of my memory. Simple opener is super cool. Whole first set was nice mix of old school stuff and the newer material. I love Blaze On and the Pet Cat stuff in the middle of BBFCFM was perfect. The Antelope even had a different little jam in it, which everyone I talked to agreed it was a superior version. My only complaint? The amount to people running their yaps during the whole first set. That is so old by now. Why even come to the show if your aren't going to listen to the music.
      The second set first jam of note was 46 Days. I really liked the sandwiches they did for Tweezer and Steam. I'm sure most people didn't even know the weirdness with the megaphone was NO2. I really liked the second part of Tweezer, although it was short. And the encore was a rather unique Sleeping Monkey. The coolest thing about the Monkey? It was Christine’s 60^th show and anniversary of her first show. And what is the favorite song of the OG HMLL? Sleeping Monkey. Not too shabby.
The next day was even hotter so of course we got to the Lot earlier.


 Sun, Aug 16, 2015
Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD
 
Soundcheck: Foam, The Mango Song, My Soul

Set 1: Golgi Apparatus > Undermind, Julius, 555, Nothing, No Men In No Man's Land, Stash, David Bowie > Possum

Set 2: Down with Disease^[1] -> Slave to the Traffic Light > Light -> Twist, Shine a Light, Fuego > Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley > You Enjoy Myself
Encore: Backwards Down the Number Line

[1] Lyrics changed to "Mike's head." Unfinished.

Notes: This show is being webcast via LivePhish. Sleeping Monkey was teased and quoted before the show and also quoted in the YEM vocal jam. Mike teased "Charge!" before the show as well. Nothing was played for the first time since June 7, 2012 (139 shows). DWD's lyrics were changed to reference "Mike's head." DWD was also unfinished.
     After faking us out with some Sleeping Monkey teases, the first set got under way. Glad I got No Man's Land, which along with Blaze On, are my two favorite new songs. Stash and Bowie were the improv highlights of the first set. Second set was solid. An early in the set appearance of Slave was cool. The Shine A Light is always welcome and Sneakin' was very cool, as they have been going light on the covers this tour. I really liked the vocal part of YEM.
      So there you have it. With these shows, Merriweather is my most seen Phish venue and Columbia, MD is my most seen city, barely edging out Philly. Up next, living the high life at MagnaBall in a phatty RV.



Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD Rock and Roll

It Was 20 Years Ago Today: The Day the Music Died, August 9th, 1995

     Hello friends. Hope you are doing well as we kill time until Phish's glorious return to Merriweather Post Pavilion next weekend. I'm here to write, without a doubt, one of the saddest posts I will ever write. So without further ado, allow me to begin “It Was 20 Years Ago Today : The Day the Music Died, August 9^th, 1995.”
     The summer of 1995 was going pretty good and the fall was looking really good. All of my shows were over by the time July rolled around. The Dead had finished up their chaotic Summer Tour and had issued an open letter to the fans about their behavior. They threatened to stop touring if we didn't clean up our act. I can't remember my reaction to it because I wasn't gate crashing and swinging drugs on the Lot. But I did have a Fall Tour to look forward to. They were doing a 3-night run at the Spectrum in Philly in September, and I had scored tickets for all three nights. They were doing a multiple night run in Boston at the original Garden and it was the last event to be held there. My friend, who is a huge Red Sox/Celtics fan, had tickets for all of the shows. On each ticket they printed a word at the bottom, so if you had the whole run it spelled out “Would tear this old building down;” a line from Samson and Delilah.
     And then it happened. I can't really explain how bad I felt about it. I hadn't lost a parent yet, so this was probably the biggest loss I had suffered yet. I was working at Keystone Machine in Littlestown, running the #078 horizontal mill. We had a shitty little radio that was tuned to a country station out of Baltimore. It was noon and the announcer said “ Reports out of Marin County in California” and I knew Jerry was dead. What other news would come out Marin County? My fellow co worker saw how ashen I was and asked if I was alright. I said, “yes” and since it was lunch time, I went out to the parking lot to compose myself. I spent the rest of the day in a daze. Adrian stopped by and we chatted for a few minutes. He was just as stunned as I was.
     I left work and then had to go to my second job, two nights a week at Weis Markets. Not sure why I even went in. I was there less than an hour before I told my boss I was leaving. He didn't exactly understand but left me go. I went over to Nad's and we went out in the fields by his house and puffed out of his piece pipe. It was really ornamental with bull horns on the front. He made it himself and it was the perfect device for such a sad and solemn occasion.
     During the weekend following Jerry's death, Custom Blends, aka Planet RYO, held a memorial service up in York or Lancaster. It was well attended and really had a community vibe. Remember, this was before the Internet. There also was a huge event in Golden Gate Park in SF with the band, a truly healing and grieving moment. And Robert Hunter rose to the occasion and wrote this little gem:

An Elegy for Jerry

by Robert Hunter

Jerry, my friend,
you've done it again,
even in your silence
the familiar pressure
comes to bear, demanding
I pull words from the air
with only this morning
and part of the afternoon
to compose an ode worthy
of one so particular
about every turn of phrase,
demanding it hit home
in a thousand ways
before making it his own,
and this I can't do alone.
Now that the singer is gone,
where shall I go for the song?

Without your melody and taste
to lend an attitude of grace
a lyric is an orphan thing,
a hive with neither honey's taste
nor power to truly sting.

What choice have I but to dare and
call your muse who thought to rest
out of the thin blue air
that out of the field of shared time,
a line or two might chance to shine --

As ever when we called,
in hope if not in words,
the muse descends.

How should she desert us now?
Scars of battle on her brow,
bedraggled feathers on her wings,
and yet she sings, she sings!

May she bear thee to thy rest,
the ancient bower of flowers
beyond the solitude of days,
the tyranny of hours--
the wreath of shining laurel lie
upon your shaggy head
bestowing power to play the lyre
to legions of the dead

If some part of that music
is heard in deepest dream,
or on some breeze of Summer
a snatch of golden theme,
we'll know you live inside us
with love that never parts
our good old Jack O'Diamonds
become the King of Hearts.

I feel your silent laughter
at sentiments so bold
that dare to step across the line
to tell what must be told,
so I'll just say I love you,
which I never said before
and let it go at that old friend
the rest you may ignore.


     About 2 weeks after this, Phish announced a lengthy Fall Tour, which ran from the end of September until mid-December with a week off after Halloween. Little did they know they would be under the spotlight like never before but would rise and fly light years beyond any expectations as they vaulted to the top of the live music scene. I hit 4 shows and it was exactly what I needed to show me the road does continue on. But there will always a little hole in my heart and soul. I feel extremely blessed and fortunate to have seen the Grateful Dead, and I look back in amazement at the adventures I had all before I turned 23.


Dave Kemp
BA American Studies

PhD Rock and Roll

It Was 20 Years Ago Today: Grateful Dead, Live at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA, June 30th 1995

       Hello everyone. I hope you are enjoying this soggy Fourth of July weekend and celebration of all things Grateful Dead. The first night of Chicago exceeded all my expectations. But my mind drifts back to another last time, the last time I saw Jerry G and the boys perform. So here it is, my most bittersweet look back, It Was 20 Years Ago Today: Grateful Dead, Live at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA, June 30^th, 1995.
       I saw the second night of RFK. You can read about that here http://kempepedia.blogspot.com/2015/06/it-was-20-years-ago-today-grateful-dead.html
and only had one more show left just a short 5 hour drive across the state. I had finished up at Penn State in May and had a friend from school Jeff living in Pittsburgh proper. We were going to stay at his apartment because he lived a scant 5 minute walk from 3 Rivers Stadium. We got there early which ended up being the best idea ever as the traffic became a nightmare. The local news described it as the worst Pittsburgh had ever seen. I had friends who had to turn around at the Breezewood interchange because one of their friends left his ticket in Hanover. They got caught in it and nearly missed the opener.
        On the way to the venue we stumbled upon the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. They had a bus outside that was covered in various nick nacks over every square inch of this vehicle. I can't emphasize how much stuff was on this bus.

06/30/95 (Fri)  Three Rivers Stadium - Pittsburgh, PA 

Set 1: Hell In A Bucket, West L.A. Fadeaway, Take Me To The River, Candyman, When I Paint My Masterpiece, Bird Song, Promised Land
Set 2: Rain, Box Of Rain, Samba In The Rain, Looks Like Rain > Terrapin Station > Drums > Space > I Need A Miracle > Standing On the Moon, E:Gloria

You can stream it here

http://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1995/6/30

 

     It was incredibly hot and humid that day. We started the show off on the field, specifically in the bullpen area. We made it in for the hometown opening act Rusted Root. They had to be geeked beyond belief, opening for the Dead in the Steel City. The first set was nothing special. Take Me to the River was a great choice, given the confluence of the three rivers.

       At some point we made our way up to the third level of the stadium well before the second set. This proved to be the second best decision of the night, as the skies opened up and let loose the mother of all downpours. It rained for a good chunk of the set break and most of the second set, hence all the “rain” songs before Drumz. Jerry sounded much better IMO than at RFK. Gloria was a great choice for an encore as I had never seen it and it is a primordial example of pure rock and roll.

        We walked back to my buddy's apartment. There were a lot of people staying there. Most were going on to Deer Creek. More than a few stayed up all night. We found some space out on the balcony and slept there, resting up for there drive back home.

       The next few days the chaos at Deer Creek would be all over the news. The band would be forced to address the knuckle heads. But I already was ordering my tickets for a fall tour unencumbered by the obligations of school. If I only knew then what I know now.....

BA American Studies

PhD Rock and Roll

It Was 20 Years Ago Today: Grateful Dead, Live at RFK Satdium, Washington DC, June 25th, 1995

     Hello folks. Got a quick today. As you may have read last time, I had the unique opportunity to see Phish on a Sat and then the Dead the next day in another city. You can read about the Phish show here

http://kempepedia.blogspot.com/2015/06/it-was-20-years-ago-today-phish-live-at_12.html

but this entry is about the Dead at RFK stadium in Washington DC, the venue I saw them the most at. So without further ado, Kempepedia presents It Was 20 Years Ago Today: Grateful Dead, June 25^th, live at RFK Stadium in Washington DC.
      By the time the summer tour rolled around, the Dead touring scene was fucked up. During the first week of April, they were supposed to do a 2 night stand in Tampa FL. Due to an illness in a band members' family, one of those shows had to be canceled. People rioted and the police had to be called in to restore order.
       When the summer tour started, things were no better. The first show was in Highgate, VT. Too many people and too much traffic made that a clusterfuck, probably similar to Phish at Coventry. Tiny little Vermont just can't handle all those people. People got struck by lightning outside RFK one of the nights. When it rolled into St Louis, over 100 people were injured at a campground when a balcony collapsed. And then people gated crashed at Deer Creek and the next night at the venue was canceled. The band issued a statement stating that if people couldn't get their act together, the Dead were going to take a break from touring. Looking back, it is obvious that all this was leading up to something big, but nobody could guess what was gonna happen in August.
       So right before the worst of the worst hit the fan, we rolled out of Philly to make the drive down I-95 to Washington DC. There was a huge back up of traffic going north on 95. I know someone who did the opposite of what we did and he confirmed he was caught in that backup. So glad we did it the way we did it.

06/25/95 (Sun)  Robert F. Kennedy Stadium - Washington, DC

Set 1: Shakedown Street, Wang Dang Doodle, Jack A Roe, Mama Tried (1) > Mexicali Blues (1), Loose Lucy, Picasso Moon

Set 2: Box Of Rain, Rain, Samson & Delilah, Ship of Fools, Truckin' > Rollin' & Tumblin' > Samba In The Rain > Drums > Space > Wharf Rat > Not Fade Away, E: Brokedown Palace

Comment: (1) Weir on acoustic. Hornsby on piano for entire show

You can stream it here

http://www.jamstreams.net/gd/1995/1995-06-25

      The show gets off with a bang. The Shakedown is nice and long and definitely has some Dancin' in the Streets teases. Had they busted that out, the place would have exploded. The rest of the first set is typical with the added treat of Bruce on the piano rather than the accordion he would break out when joining the boys after he stopped touring with them full time.

      Garcia's playing was much better than I expected as I really don't listen to too much 90's Dead anymore. He just sounds really old and tired. I'm gonna guess it was raining based on the first 2 songs. Samson has a blazing solo. I didn't know Rollin' and Tumblin' but Jerry is wearing all of his 52 years in that song.

       And there you have it. Only one more show with Jerry G and the boys to write about, but next week Trey A and the boys are give me something to smile about 20 years after the last time I saw them.

Dave Kemp

BA American Studies

PhD Rock and Roll

It Was 20 Years Ago Today: Phish, Live at the Mann Music Center, Philadelphia, PA. June 24th, 1995

     Hello everyone. Hope all is good in your hood. This is another entry in my 20 Years Ago series, but this one is a rather unique as I had the opportunity to see Phish one night and then the Grateful Dead the next when they both were doing two night runs in their respective cities. This is the first night. It Was 20 Years Ago Today: Phish, Live at the Mann Music Center In Philadelphia, PA, June 24^th, 1995.
      By the Summer of 1995, I had moved back to Hanover after graduating from Penn State with my BA in American Studies (my PhD in Rock and Roll came later). I do remember being conflicted about missing a Dead show on June 24 at RFK stadium, but Phish really had a hold on me and I didn't want to miss what they were doing.

Saturday, 06/24/1995 The Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA

Set 1: Fee^[1] > Rift, Spock's Brain, Julius, Glide, Mound, Stash, The Horse > Silent in the Morning, The Squirming Coil
Set 2: Also Sprach Zarathustra > Halley's Comet > David Bowie, Lifeboy, Suzy Greenberg, Harry Hood, Acoustic Army, Sweet Adeline, Golgi Apparatus
Encore: Bold As Love
[1] Trey sang verses through megaphone.
Teases:
· Lifeboy tease in Suzy Greenberg
Notes: Trey sang the verses of Fee through a megaphone. Suzy contained a Lifeboy tease from Trey. After Acoustic Army, Trey thanked the crowd for being so quiet. The band then proceeded to don surgical masks for Adeline. The masks were provided by a fan in the front – Trey thanked him for the “hats.” The encore was preceded by Random Note and Simpsons signals.

You can stream it here

http://www.jamstreams.net/phish/1995/1995-06-24

      Don't remember much but Spock's Brain was awesome. The Stash is long but not as long as the Bowie, over 25 minutes of prime time Phish. This is the only time they did 2001>Halley's. I read it somewhere and through journalism, confirmed it. Nad told me he was walking to his seat in the balcony and it was bouncing in time to 2001.
      Pretty sure we camped that night and then made the trek south, to our nation's capital to see my boys one final time in the House Joe Gibbs Built, RFK Stadium.



Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD Rock and Roll