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 10th multi-day festival. So
without further ado, allow myself to present Phish, Live at Magnaball, August
21st, 22nd, and 23rd 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
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
· 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
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
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
· 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
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.
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
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.
[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
· 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
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
