Hello everyone. I
hope you are doing well as we fly head long into September. It’s almost the
Ides of September. I am doing well after
spending a whole year in the beautiful state of Vermont. I was crushed and
heartbroken when Phish cancelled Curveball. We just got breezed though security
when my friend got a text from someone working at the fest saying it was
cancelled.
But I am not here
to write about the shenanigans that occurred after the non-fest (you will have
to wait until 2038 for that). No, I am here to discuss a much more successful
festival, one tucked far far away in the furthest reaches of the US. I am
talking about Phish’s Lemonwheel Festival. So without a moment to waste,
Kempepedia presents It Was 20 Years Ago Today, Phish Live at the Lemonwheel
Festival, August 15th and 16th, 1998.
After attending
Clifford Ball and Great Went, no way I was missing this. My crew rolled up. It
was myself, WD, PD, and AA. We rented an SUV because no one had a big enough vehicle.
Our plan was to drive up to Connecticut and stay at my friend’s apartment
overnight and then go the fest the next day. The first mistake made was me
leaving the sock with all the goodies I had in it. So we had to meet up with
him before we left town. Still not sure how we did that pre cell phone. We also
meet up with CW and his crew
A few hours later
we are in Maine. I am riding shotgun and WD is driving. I wake up from a nap
and see WD is like 15 miles per hour over the speed limit. We had hot boxed a
few hours earlier and had stuff on us. I asked him to slow down and his
response was, “I just want to get to the festival.” Not 5 minutes later we
round a corner and there is a Maine state police cruiser. He pulls us over and immediately
says he smells weed.
He threatens to
search the entire car unless we voluntarily hand our stuff over. I had bud in
an amazing jar I just got the spring before from a glass blower in Seattle when
I went to visit there for 4/20. I also lost a bubbler I had just bought at MMP
the week before. I also had shrooms on me which was the biggest deal by far. He
wrote us up and let us on our way. I asked why he wasn’t taking us in and
replied we cooperated and advised me to buy my drugs at the festival. I know
realize most of the arrests were just to make money for the state. Mission accomplished.
We went on our unmerry
way and finally got into the festival. We waited longer than we did for The
Went, which was longer than the wait for Clifford Ball. This increasing wait
would continue for me. IT was a 16 journey of hitting traffic on the state
route at 6 am and turning off our car at midnight. We got into Lemonwheel after
dark had fallen and started set up our stuff. A brief but hard downpour occurred.
We did not get wet because WD, for all
his bs with the close encounter of the worst kind, had engineered an amazing
tarp canopy that I can not begin to give justice to. I remember telling myself empahatically it was all worth it to get to the festival. I didn't let it ruin my festival at all. Stuff like that, builds character. And wisom.
You can stream it
here
[1] Lengthy intro.
This was the first show of the Lemonwheel festival. SOAM was
played by request for an eight-year-old boy named Sam Jarvis. Cities
included Sneakin’ Sally teases and, along with Halley’s Comet, included
alternate lyrics relating to the concert grounds. Gumbo included a Tweezer
Reprise-esque jam. Sanity was played for the first time since Halloween 1996
(140 shows). Bowie included a lengthy intro and Mission: Impossible theme
teases. After Tweezer Reprise, Trey made a long announcement thanking people
for coming and remarked on the fun and joy of the summer concert festivals. He
said that there would be some more music, played by the light of candles made
that day by fans. The ensuing “ambient jam” was in the style of Brian Eno and
was nearly an hour long and included Albert teases from Trey.
The Mike’s opener was fantastic. The transistion into Simple was
something to behold. I really, really, reminded myself how incredible the fest
was and how it was worth the arrest. The Gumbo has some nice almost Tweezer
teases in it but they reward us with the real thing after a Sanity! The concert
field, with all the people with the torches was still one of the coolest things
I have ever scene. CW had a near religious experience and he was sober.
You can stream it here
[1] Unfinished.
[2] Alternate lyrics referring to "Bob Weaver."
[3] Fish on trombone.
This was the
second show of the Lemonwheel festival. Trey teased Jean Pierre in Possum.
Disease was unfinished. Fish alluded to Terrapin (“a love song about a
turtle”) after a long HYHU intro but instead led the band into Sexual Healing.
Antelope included Sexual Healing teases in the intro and a reference to “Bob
Weaver” instead of Marco Esquandolas in the lyrics. 2001 contained Crosseyed
and Painless and Super Bad teases from Trey. WMGGW returned for its first
appearance since February 26, 1997 (103 shows). A fireworks display took place
behind the stage in the jam out of Hood. The jam also featured Fish on
trombone. Baby Elephant Walk was played for the first time since December 1,
1992 (514 shows).
More awesomeness. Third set is one of my all time favorites. It
has it all. Funny phish, dance party phish, Gamehenge, and a song from the
White Album.
I distinctly remember W telling me to write down Baby on the
setlist. Because I used to write them down on paper, like a caveman
One last thing. We were driving back and stopped at a rest stop.
I was driving and walked to the building to where the restrooms were. PD went
to the portapotties on the parking lot. I wasn’t paying attention and just
drove away. Without PD in the car. I have no idea why I didn’t check or what my
thought process was at the time. I just know this occurred. 5 miles down the
road aA wakes up because I go over rumble strips as we approached a toll booth.
He asks” Where is PD?” We then realized
I had left him at rest stop. If E Z Pass had existed then, A might not have
woken up until Shenevus, New York.
When we finally got back to the rest stop, he was just chilling
out on the curb of the parking lot. I’m sure he was bewildered and pissed. He
didn’t kick my ass when we got there, I definitely remember that. No cell phones,
at a rest stop15 hours from your home. Back on the frontier.
Spent 1500 to TCB and had not a mark on my record.
Money doesn’t talk, it swears. – Bob Dylan
Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD Rock and Roll
