All the Years Combine: I Have Seen Some Really Serious Phish

     I just received the BOOK, and by that I mean The Phish Companion, vol. 3 curated by the fine folks that run phish.net. Its something like 800 pages of setlists, reviews, etc. Already found some shows to listen to that flew under my radar. But the feature I like best is they have compiled a list of the top 100 shows Phish has played. It goes up to Mexico. But it's not ranked 1 through 100, it just notes it as a Top 100 Show. So please indulge in a little humble bragging, as that is truly what the Internet is for. So Kempepedia is proud to present All the Years Combine; I Have Seen Some Really Serious Phish

Chronologically speaking

10/31/94 Glenn Falls, NY

What needs to be said? If we've ever discussed Phish you know this show changed my life. The Grateful Dead did nothing for me musically for 2 weeks.

Favorite moment: When they played the Ed Sullivan intro, I knew we were getting the Beatles.

Stream it http://www.jamstreams.net/phish/1994/1994-10-31

12/1/95 Hershey, PA

An incredible trip in the Land of Chocolate with about 100 people I knew

Favorite moment: When Trey did the narration about King of Prussia

Stream it http://www.jamstreams.net/phish/1995/1995-12-01

8/16/96 Clifford Ball. Plattsburgh, NY

The first Phish fest, truly an almost religious experience

Favorite moment: Walking across the landing strip as they tore into Split Open and Melt

Stream it http://www.jamstreams.net/phish/1996/1996-08-16

8/17/96 Clifford Ball. Plattsburgh, NY

I can't wait to write about these shows

Favorite moment: My Old Home Place opener. Truly felt like home

Stream it http://www.jamstreams.net/phish/1996/1996-08-17

8/16/97 The Great Went, Limestone, ME

At the end of the country, almost in the Great White North

Favorite moment: The Jam before Slave with the Odd Couple theme

Stream it http://www.jamstreams.net/phish/1997/1997-08-16

8/17/97 The Great Went, Limestone, ME

1997 was just awesome all around

Favorite moment: I remember Trey grabbing a glow stick in the first 'war' and using it as a slide. But that might not have happened.

Stream it http://www.jamstreams.net/phish/1997/1997-08-17

11/22/97, Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA

My first show at the sacred site

Favorite moment: The Mike's opener or the whole second set. Too close to call

Stream it http://www.jamstreams.net/phish/1997/1997-11-22

11/28/97 The Centrum, Worcester, MA

My birthday show from the tour that Phish Destroys America

Favorite moment: The Ghost

Stream it http://www.jamstreams.net/phish/1997/1997-11-28

11/29/97 The Centrum, Worcester, MA

The Runaway Jim. Seriously thought it was gonna be entire set. It took up the entire side of a 90 minute cassette tape.

Favorite moment: Besides the Jim? The triple encore : Buffalo Bill, Moby Dick>Fire

Stream it http://www.jamstreams.net/phish/1997/1997-11-29

11/27/98 The Centrrum, Worcester, MA

Same place a year later and ANOTHER mind melter

Favorite moment: That Second Set, all hose

Stream it http://www.jamstreams.net/phish/1998/1998-11-27

12/11/99 The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA

Opened with Hood>Mike's>Simple>H2>Groove. I could have went home after that

Favorite moment: 2001

Stream it http://www.jamstreams.net/phish/1999/1999-12-11

7/4/00 E Centre, Camden NJ

The Fourth of July in Philly, the way it should be

Favorite moment: The Gotta Jibbo. I think they are still playing it

Stream it http://www.jamstreams.net/phish/2000/2000-07-04

8/2/03 IT, Limestone, ME

We hit traffic at 6 am, turned the car off at 12 am, 18 hours later

Favorite moment: Discern through Bowie. I was separated from my friends and in another universe

Stream it http://www.jamstreams.net/phish/2003/2003-08-02

6/19/04 SPAC, Saratoga Springs, NY

SOOOO many jams

Favorite moment: The whole second set. I mean come on. All hose

Stream it http://www.jamstreams.net/phish/2004/2004-06-19

6/20/04 SPAC, Saratoga Springs, NY

Many people have said these two shows are the peak shows of 2.0 Who am I to argue?

Favorite moment: The second set, 4 songs

Stream it http://www.jamstreams.net/phish/2004/2004-06-20

8/31/12 Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, CO

The Fuck Your Face show, the show where 3.0 Phish turned the corner

Favorite moment: When Switzer came up to me during Undermined and said they were spelling out Fuck Your Face. We all love Dick's!

Stream it http://www.jamstreams.net/phish/2012/2012-08-31

10/31/14 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV

The peak of my own personal favorite run because of my crew, my girl and the cities SF>Vegas. A Dave Kemp sighting pre show inside the arena. Plus, I published an article in STTF

Favorite moment: The second set. The songs are fresh and funky. I was ready for something like this, unlike in 2013.

Stream it http://www.jamstreams.net/phish/2014/2014-10-31

8/22/15 Magnaball, Watkins Glen, NY

From Clifford Ball to Magnaball, I've only missed missed 3 fests.

Favorite moment: Tweezer>Prince Caspian. The Tweezer blew my mind and the Caspian rebuilt it only to destroy it again

Stream it http://www.jamstreams.net/phish/2015/2015-08-22

Feel very blessed to have seen epic shows in every era. Especially the shows that weren'tholiday or festival shows. That's why people do whole tours. Never know what you're gonna get. Shout out to all those that went with me to these shows.

Dave Kemp

BA American Studies

PhD Rock and Roll

Phish, Live at the Mann Music Center, June 28th and 29th, 2016

     Hello everyone. I hope you are having a safe and festive Fourth of July. Just got done enjoying the hell out of the SPAC webcasts. But I'm not here to review a webcast, I'm here to review two shows I actually attended. So without further delay, here is my take on Phish, live at the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia, PA on June 28^th and June 29^th, 2016.

     We headed out with the skies clouding up and the threat of thunderboomers on the horizon. We rented a sweet place via AirBnB about 20 minutes away and took Uber to and from the show. So it was a totally shared economy show. Found out there is a parking lot BEHIND the venue. That only took me 22 years to acquire that knowledge.

Tuesday, 06/28/2016 The Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA

Set 1: Wilson, Funky Bitch, No Men In No Man's Land, Roggae, Nellie Kane, Gumbo, Birds of a Feather, Sleep Again, Things People Do[1], Limb By Limb, Split Open and Melt, The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony>Suzy Greenberg

Set 2: Fuego, Runaway Jim, Gotta Jibboo, Breath and Burning>Timber (Jerry), Slave to the Traffic Light, You Enjoy Myself[2]

Encore: Quinn the Eskimo

[1] Debut.
[2] With Trey on Marimba Lumina.

Teases:
· The Birds quote in Birds of a Feather

Notes: The Birds was quoted at the end of Birds of a Feather. Sleep Again was last played 2010-08-07 (224 shows). This show featured the debut of Things People Do. YEM featured Trey on Marimba Lumina.

You can stream it here

http://phishtracks.com/shows/2016-06-28

     Lots of first set highlights. I really like the new bluegrass tune, Things People Do. Sleep Again was a nice bust out and love the old school one two punch of Oh Kee Pa and Suzy G. Highlight of the second set was definitely Breath and Burning. Some serious Type II jamming going into Timber. Fuego and Jim had some nice pieces as well. On the ride home, the driver mentioned she liked jazz. I talked up keyboardist extraordinaire Jimmy Smith. The next song on her jazz station was a tune featuring Mr Smith. That's why I'm Management.

     Parts of Philly got soaked but we lucked out at the venue and awoke to a Wednesday morning bright and beautiful. Got to the Lot, met up with some friends and away we go

Wednesday, 06/29/2016 The Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA

Soundcheck: Friends, Tide Turns, Things People Do, Unknown song (unconfirmed and possibly incomplete)

Set 1: Wolfman's Brother Your Pet Cat Blaze On Waking Up Dead[1] Llama[2]Devotion To a Dream Reba Mike's Song Horn Farmhouse Weekapaug Groove

Set 2: Crosseyed and Painless Friends[1] Down with Disease What's the Use?Meatstick The Line Tide Turns[1] Backwards Down the Number Line Dem Bones

Encore: Dear Prudence Harry Hood

[1] Debut
[2] Performed in a slow funk style.

Teases:
· The Birds quote in Weekapaug Groove
· Whole Lotta Love tease in Llama

Notes: This show featured the debut of Waking Up Dead, Friends, and Tide Turns. Llama was performed in a slow funk style and ended with a Whole Lotta Love tease from Trey. The Birds was quoted in Weekapaug.

You can stream it here

http://phishtracks.com/shows/2016-06-29

     We had seats on Mike's side in the terrence. So we had a much better view of the screens and lighting rigs. I liked all the new songs and the slow funk version of Llama was a nice surprise. I didn't even notice the slower version of Reba but the Mike's Horn Groove was a great way to end the set.

Second set heralded the return of Crosseyed opening a second set. Plenty of jamming within this sweet version. DWD was also a monster that flowed really nicely into What's the Use?. I like Tide Turns and thought Dem Bones was a nice accapella call.

     And the encore? Dear Prudence. I know they debuted it at the opener. If they hadn't, my brain would have exploded. It's been 22 years since I saw them do it at my all time number one Phish show (10/31/94). I've seen Phish 105 times since that performance. Perfect way to cap off a perfect vacation for us. And then Hood? Didn't expect that.

     Once again Phish is still proving 30 plus years into their career, they are not a nostalgia act. The new tunes are good and have some serious potential for the future. Next up for me, the August Bluesfest and then a return to Dick's Sporting Goods Park for another Labor Day weekend run.

Dave Kemp

BA American Studies

PhD Rock and Roll