oh kee pah

Weekly Wrap-Up with Tela [2.13.12]

noreply@blogger.com (Oh Kee Pah) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:20:00 +0000

It's been a bit of a bumpy start to 2012 for Tela here at Oh Kee Pah. Bumpy in a good way, no doubt, but my move down to southern PA and starting my new job with All Good Presents has made keeping to my weekly routine fairly difficult, so readers- my deepest apologies. I hope you have found ways to get your news bites, though wildly less entertaining I'm sure.

I have to start this wrap up with news about Trey's symphony orchestra tour. Since his first kick in the early 2000s, he's been on and off with different organizations like the Vermont Youth Orchestra, regional groups from Nashville, Baltimore, and others, performing all over the east coast, treating phans and fans alike to orchestral arrangements of "You Enjoy Myself," "Guyute," and more of our favorite Phish tunes. Now, he's at it again, making stops in Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Colorado, and Los Angeles, and according to reports from night one with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, these shows are going to be spectacular. Featuring a "First Tube" opener, a "Stash" closer, and six amazing favorites ("Water in the Sky" and "Divided Sky," as an example) sandwiched in between, followed by a set with an audience proposal and the epic YEM, topped off by an encore for the ages, the next show on Tuesday should be something equally as special. (Too bad for the guy who was going to propose at the show and on Valentines Day.)

Umphrey's McGee is doing big things on their tour, and they've offered a free download of the show at Super Bowl Village from 2/4. It was a pretty hot show and definitely worth downloading for your collection. Also worth checking out is their funny little clip announcing the date for UMBowl which will be hitting Chicago April 27th. They'll be traveling across the country going up and down making several stops in the next few weeks, so if they're coming to a town near you, be sure to stay updates on UMs website for opening acts and after parties in your area.

The Grateful Dead world has been keeping fairly quiet lately, as the Phil and Friends run is right around the corner and Lesh has been working hard to open the new restaurant and venue Terrapin Crossroads. The game that came out a few months ago is now in its tour planning phase, having collected more than 30,000 votes from Deadheads about their favorite shows and venues. The creators are building the tour now and developing the different parts of each show that are going to ultimately be the whole game. It's going to exciting to see where this goes, so if you're not playing yet check it out here.

More news coming Friday and each subsequent Friday after that, I promise the weekly wrap up is back in full so if yo have an news that needs coverage just shoot us an email. See ya soon! ~ Carly Shields

Setlist & Other Stuff: Umphrey's McGee 2.12.12 Ram's Head Live! ~ Baltimore, MD

noreply@blogger.com (Oh Kee Pah) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 02:28:00 +0000

Set One: Intro > Miss Tinkle's Overture, Passing, Room to Breathe, Hurt Bird Bath, Africa, Prowler > 2x2

Set Two: Miami Virtue > "Jimmy Stewart" > Higgins, Mullet (Over), Ringo, Come As You Are/Kids, Plunger

Encore: Uncommon > Hangover

[source: @jeffersonwaful]

Video:

Setlist & Other Stuff: Umphrey's McGee 2.11.12 Electric Factory ~ Philadelphia, PA

noreply@blogger.com (Oh Kee Pah) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 03:30:00 +0000

RIP Whitney

Set One: Intro > Ocean Billy^ > Glory^^, Conduit, Forks > "Jimmy Stewart" > Morning Song, The Triple Wide > Dr. Feelgood > Ocean Billy

Set Two: Nothing Too Fancy > The Linear > Nothing Too Fancy, Freedom of '76* > Utopian Fir > Day Nurse > Utopian Fir, Rocker Part II, 40's Theme

Encore: 1348 > Eminence Front > 1348

Notes

^ with "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" quotes from BB

^^ with "I Will Always Love You" quotes from Jaco
* first time played, Ween.

[source: @jeffersonwaful]

Video:
Morning Song

Setlist & Other Stuff: Umphrey's McGee 2.10.12 House of Blues ~ Boston, MA

noreply@blogger.com (Oh Kee Pah) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:11:00 +0000

Set One: Cummins Lies > JaJunk > The Floor, Uncle Wally > "Jimmy Stewart"^ > 2nd Self, Walking On the Moon > Puppet String, Made To Measure > Divisions > The Pequod > Divisions

Set Two: Jazz Odyssey > Domino Theory, Shine on You Crazy Diamond > Wappy Sprayberry, Booth Love, Hajimemashite > JaJunk

Encore: Pay the Snucka

Notes
^ with lyrics

Audio:
DAUD: Z-Man's Schoeps

Photo Gallery:
OMG It's Anthony

Video:
Walking on the Moon

Shine On You Crazy Diamond

Hajimemashite

Setlist & Other Stuff: Umphrey's McGee 2.9.12 Town Ballroom ~ Buffalo, NY

noreply@blogger.com (Oh Kee Pah) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:50:00 +0000

Set One: National Anthem, Snake Juice > Mantis, Professor Wormbog> Hourglass, Dim Sun^> Deeper > Mulches Odyssey

Set Two: Spires > Keefer, Search 4, Voyager > "Jimmy Stewart" > The Fuzz > Soul Food II^^, Atmosfarag > All In Time

Encore: August > "Jimmy Stewart"+> August

Notes
^ electric
^^ with Jake beatboxing
+ bounce back

Media:
Next Jam: Live Blog

Setlist & Other Stuff: Trey Anastasio with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra 2.9.12 Symphony Hall ~ Atlanta, GA

noreply@blogger.com (Oh Kee Pah) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:47:00 +0000

Set 1: First Tube, Water in the Sky[1], Divided Sky[1], Brian and Robert[1], Goodbye Head, Guyute[2], Let Me Lie, Stash[1]

Set 2: Time Turns Elastic, If I Could[1], You Enjoy Myself

Encore: Golden Slumbers > Carry That Weight > The End, The Inlaw Josie Wales[1]

[1] Trey on acoustic.
[2] Trey first on acoustic, then electric guitar.

Notes: This performance featured Trey performing with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Scott Dunn conducting with orchestration by Don Hart.

[source: phish.net]

Trey with conductor Scott Dunn via @treyanastasio

Other Stuff:

Photo Gallery: Honest Tune

Recap: Hidden Track

Recap: Jambands dot com

Review: Pierce Wortham tumblr

Video:

If I Could

Stash

Golden Slumbers

Setlist & Other Stuff: Umphrey's McGee 2.8.12 State Theater ~ State College, PA

noreply@blogger.com (Oh Kee Pah) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:15:00 +0000

Set One: Miami Virtue > Nemo, Turn and Run > Great American > "Jimmy Stewart" > Great American, Susannah > Great American, Cemetery Walk > Cemetery Walk II

Set Two: Bridgeless > Partyin' Peeps, The Bottom Half > "Jimmy Stewart" > The Bottom Half, I Am The Walrus > Slacker, Mail Package, Much Obliged -> Bridgeless

Encore: Bright Lights*

Notes:
* Smoke on the Water teases

Media:
Daily Collegian: Umphrey's McGee rocks State Theatre

Video: UMBowl III Announcement

noreply@blogger.com (Oh Kee Pah) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:22:00 +0000

Last night during Madonna's lip synch clinic, Umphrey's McGee dropped this short video announcing their third annual UM Bowl event to be held at Chicago's Park West. Stay tuned over the next few weeks as the UM camp will be releasing details for each individual quarter. Ticket information forthcoming.

Setlist & Other Stuff: Umphrey's McGee 2.4.12 Super Bowl Village ~ Indianapolis, IN

noreply@blogger.com (Oh Kee Pah) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:56:00 +0000

photo via @ryanstasik

One Set: Conduit, In The Kitchen > Glory > In The Kitchen, Domino Theory, Booth Love, The Floor, Push The Pig > Miss Tinkles Overture, Baba O Reilly (The Who), Puppet Strings

[source: Da Bort]

Audio:

Setlist & Other Stuff: Umphrey's McGee 2.3.12 First Ave ~ Minneapolis, MN

noreply@blogger.com (Oh Kee Pah) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:54:00 +0000

Set One: Nothing Too Fancy > Domino Theory, Wellwishers, Dump City^, Intentions Clear, Baby You're A Rich Man > Got Your Milk (Right Here) > Nothing Too Fancy

Set Two: Hurt Bird Bath > Anchor Drops > The Fussy Dutchman, Women Wine and Song > Der Bluten Kat^^

Encore: Kimble

Notes:
^with It's About That Time jam
^^with Jake on Rhodes

[source: @jeffersonwaful]

Setlist & Other Stuff: Umphrey's McGee 2.2.12 First Ave ~ Minneapolis, MN

noreply@blogger.com (Oh Kee Pah) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:43:00 +0000

Set One: Phil's Farm, Example 1^, Room to Breathe, Robot World > Alex's House > Go To Hell

Set Two: In The Flesh > Another Brick in the Wall > Out of Order, Plunger, Walletsworth, Red Tape, FF, Andy's Last Beer

Encore: In The Kitchen

Notes
^ with Keep Forgettin' jam

[source: @jeffersonwaful]

Setlist & Other Stuff: Umphrey's McGee 1.29.12 Mayan Holidaze

noreply@blogger.com (Oh Kee Pah) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:49:00 +0000

One Set: The Triple Wide, Words, 1348 > "Jimmy Stewart" > The Floor, Gulf Stream, Thin Air, Let's Dance^, August > 1348

Encore: Push the Pig, Miss Tinkles Overture

Notes:
^ with Dominick (Big Gigantic) and Jen Hartswick on horns

[setlist source: @jeffersonwaful]

Setlist & Other Stuff: Umphrey's McGee 1.27.12 Mayan Holidaze

noreply@blogger.com (Oh Kee Pah) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 04:02:00 +0000

One Set: Intro > Domino Theory, Resolution > 2x2, Hurt Bird Bath, Hajimemashite, Wappy Sprayberry, Baba O'Rielly

Encore: Puppet String, Panama, 40's Theme

[setlist source: @jeffersonwaful]

Weekly Wrap-Up with Tela [1.28.12]

noreply@blogger.com (Oh Kee Pah) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:47:00 +0000

Well it was generally a slow news week, as the American masses become more and more focused on the Presidential race, but for our little subculture as well, most eyes were not on the latest jam or update from these rockers. In Phish world, rumors abound and hotels are being booked on a whim, with no confirmation one way or the other. Based bon pure number of times this has been published, I would put money on June 23-26^th will be in Atlantaic City at Bader Field, probably not camping. Otherwise, it’s a totally crapshoot as usual. But to hold us over, another Tom Marshall track was just released and this time it’s a very early version of Farmhouse. The track is supposedly posted by Trey himself, with an accompanying note that explains the story of how they wrote the song- largely an act of chance and luck in none other than a farmhouse. Check out all of Trey and Tom’s demos on Marshall’s Soundcloud page.

In their 14^th year as a band, Umphrey’s McGee is finally getting the attention they deserve, playing two sold out shows in New York City, and going on to many others in their massive Spring tour. They got rave reviews from phans and critics alike, but check out Hidden Track’s 10 Best Moments of the run. There a plenty of tickets still available to many of the shows on the upcoming tour, so if you were hoping to catch them, don’t lose faith yet. There’s a ton of give aways and after parties to be paying attention to, so check their website for continuous updates and announcement.

The ever-developing Grateful Dead world had a few newsworthy stories, the first being Bob Weir’s very busy week. On Wednesday, the world was treated to a RatDog reunion of epic proportions, performed in and streamed live from Weir’s TriStudios in Marin County, CA. He is also scheduled to open Sweetwater Music Hall tonight (Friday), a venue that he has invested in to bring the music back to Marin County. Buddy and bassist Phil Lesh is also opening a restaurant and venue called Terrapin Crossroads just down the street, but he’ll have to top the line up slated for Sweetwater tonight- all signs point to another RatDog appearance and a few special guests, like Sammy Hagar.

And while Phil and Bob open venues and tour with their friends, Bill Kreutzmann is doing the same in Jungle Jam with BK3 and Mickey Hart announced a new tour and album in the works for Spring 2012. The album, Mysterium Tremendum, will be the Grammy-winner’s first release in 5 years and was supported by longtime Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, who helped Hart with the words for this effort as well. He’s taking Dave Schools (Widespread Panic), long time bandmate Sikiru Adepoju, and the band on the road with a coast-to-coast 2 month tour starting in March.

Lastly, On February 4^th, Berkley, CA’s KPFA will broadcast it’s annual Grateful Dead fund-raising marathon. They will air archive shows hand picked by annual host David Gans, rare Jerry interviews, live performances and more. Tune in from 9am to 1am to catch some of this music marathon.

Setlist & Other Stuff: Umphrey's McGee 1.26.12 Mayan Holidaze

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:49:00 +0000

Set One: All in Time, Day Nurse, Ocean Billy, Nothing Too Fancy > Conduit

Set Two: Prowler > All in Time, Booth Love, Girlfriend is Better > Mulche's Odyssey, Bright Lights

Encore: Miami Virtue > Nothing Too Fancy, Pay the Snucka > Steppin Razor > Pay the Snucka

[setlist source: @jeffersonwaful]

Setlist & Other Stuff: Umphrey's McGee 11.21.12 Best Buy Theatre - Times Square, NYC

noreply@blogger.com (Oh Kee Pah) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 21:03:00 +0000

photo via @soundcaresser

Set One: Jazz Odyssey > Domino Theory > "Jimmy Stewart"* > Domino Theory, Intentions Clear > Voyager$ > White Man's Moccasins > Forks, August, Second Song > Puppet String

Set Two: Miami Virtue > "Jimmy Stewart" > Glory, #Bridgeless > "Jimmy Stewart"* -> The Floor, Pay the Snucka, Hollywood Nights > Bridgeless

Encore: At Last^, Ja Junk

Notes:
*with lyrics
$ first time played, Daft Punk
^with Jen Hartswick

Media:
Hidden Track: UM & Hartswick Pay Tribute to Etta James
Headstash: Review
Jambands dot com: Review

Audio:
umlive

Video:

Setlist & Other Stuff: Umphrey's McGee 11.20.12 Best Buy Theatre - Times Square, NYC

noreply@blogger.com (Oh Kee Pah) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 02:36:00 +0000

photo via @umphreysmcgee

Set One: Jazz Odyssey > Booth Love, Rocker II, Conduit, Tribute to the Spinal Shaft, Passing, Utopian Fir

Set Two: 40's Theme, Der Bluten Kat > All Night Long > Der Bluten Kat, Linear > Ringo

Encore: Divisions

Audio:
umlive

Weekly Wrap-Up with Tela [1.20.12]

noreply@blogger.com (Oh Kee Pah) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:08:00 +0000

With the holidays behind us and a fresh year ahead, we’ve got a lot of news on the horizon to bring you up to speed from the last two weeks.

Umphrey's McGee had a killer show during Jam Cruise, and they're not slowing down at all by going full steam ahead starting this Friday and Saturday in NYC at Best Buy Theater. If you're heading to the city for the show, don't forget to look into after parties like Fundimensionals at Sullivan Hall or ShwizZ at The Bitter End to top the night off right.

Then UM keeps it going across America with a super special late-night set February 2nd in Minneapolis, MN. For the first time ever, Umphrey's will be playing an all-cover set after their scheduled concert in the double venue, First Avenue and 7th Street Entry, and taking suggestions for songs from ticket holders as they enter. Billed as All Night Wrong, the band will actually be taking cover requests and votes from audience members at the special show starting at 11 pm. Tickets are only $25 and can be purchased here.

UM was announced in the second release of artists at Wakarusa 2012 alongside Pretty Lights, Primus, Girl Talk, and an acoustic trio of Bob Weir, Chris Robinson and Jackie Greene. The third announcement, which came yesterday, included the Avett Brothers, Slightly Stoopid, Perpetual Groove, EOTO, Keller and much more. This festival is in the beautiful Ozark Mountains of Arkansas and is way worth the trip if you can make it down; tickets are on sale now.

Speaking of Bob Weir, RatDog is getting back together for a performance at Weir's Tri Studios which will be webcast live for free at 5 pm PST, January 25th at tristudios.com. The impressive line up for this performance will feature members from different points of RatDog's career, including Steve Kimock, Jay Lane, Jeff Chimenti, and Rob Wasserman, all who have never played together in this arrangement. The go-getting guitarist is also helping to re-open Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley, CA, kicking off January 27th with a show from The Outlaws. When it closed 25 years ago, it was a major hub for local and visiting musicians to play together and now, with the help of Weir and others, the venue will reopen with a full restaurant and catering service featuring organic and local foods.

Bobby’s keeping busy with all this plus the addition of Furthur to Wanee Music Festival 2012 in Live Oak, FL, which is also features Allman Brothers Band, Gov’t Mule, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Buddy Guy, Bruce Honrsby, and so much more amazing talent. For the closest thing to a genuine 1969 music vibe, this is definitely the place to be over 4.20 weekend, but if you can’t make it down to Florida, make it a point o hit up the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame’s Grateful Dead exhibit which will open April 12. “Grateful Dead: The Long, Strange Trip” will be made up of donations by Owsley “Bear” Stanley, archivist Dick Latvala, Jerry and Bobby’s old guitars, one of Mickey’s custom kits, parts of the Wall of Sound, lyric manuscripts and so much more. Chicago’s landmark rock museum will also feature a little tiny section for us, the Deadheads, with items onloan from UC Santa Cruz, who will open their own Grateful Dead exhibit in the spring.

In the way of news from the Grateful Dead world, we’ve also got a new Dave’s Pick’s out this week. It’s volume 1 of the archival series and you can pick your own copy up here. A couple months ago, we told you about these releases coming up and now they’ve finally arrive, so starting with May 25th, 1977, let the new archivist Dave Lemieux take you on a grateful journey from start to finish. ’77 was an epic year for the band, and this collection will take the best from all of those epic tours into one lovely package for Deadheads’ collections.

Not much going on in the Phish world besides tour rumors. Mike Gordon did add one additional date in London after Jam in the Dam 6 in Amsterdam. He and the band will stop by The Borderline for one last European show before returning to the States, where hopefully he will be busy with Phish for the summertime. Lastly, stop by Hidden track to see an Op Ed I wrote about how the tradition of the encore has changed over the years, and check the OKP back posts by just a few days to read Part 1 and 2 of my Phish NYE Run review.

Review: Phish - New Years Run - 12/28-31/11 Madison Square Garden [Part 2]

noreply@blogger.com (Oh Kee Pah) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:20:00 +0000

Today we present the second installment [Part I Here] of Carly's 2011 MSG Phish review. Special thanks to Dave Vann for allowing us to take a view of the run through his lens.

Phish - 12-30-11 - Madison Square Garden -
New York, NY - Photo by Dave Vann © Phish 2011

Words: Carly Shields

Images: Dave Vann

Each day, wherever you went, there were Phisheads; in the subway, at the deli, at Rockefeller Center, at the bar in the village. By the 30th, we had really infiltrated and I was getting daily New York City Google alerts reminding commuters to steer clear of Penn Station because there were so many of us flooding the streets. I, and many others around me, was in blissful Phish heaven. And even though I didn’t have a ticket for the upcoming show, I was phaithful and started playing the finger game around 4. Waiting on line was not an option, though for the handful of kids who got tickets on the rerelease (the last of which they let in around 8:30), it was worth the full day wait. For the rest of us, we tried to enjoy ticket hunting. Finger fives, which I was corrected, was technically a finger one, coming up with cute things to say, wishing each other luck. It was hugely slim pickings out there, and I only got lucky late in the set because a poor guy got hurt and couldn’t go in to the show. If you’re out there, I hope you’re okay. But thanks for your ticket.

Though I was initially bummed about missing a “Punch You In The Eye” opener, which typically implies good thing for the show to come, the following (fairly disappointing) selections of “Prince Caspian” and “Backwards down the Number Line” made me less antsy. I ran in during “Divided Sky” and the raucous cheering for that long pause felt like it was for me, like I had made it and here’s the rest of the set, lovingly played for me. “Sand,” which was my favorite song of the summer, slipped in there and the boys played it delicately for a crowd that appreciated the depth of the song, which ran slightly less than 10 minutes. “Vultures” was another special moment, except when Trey flubbed the lyrics, which got a laugh from the crowd but also indicated just how little they had practiced for this run. Otherwise, though it was obvious that not many people were familiar with the song, the band played it well for the phans who were into it. Set killer song “Joy” snuck in there at the last moment, who knows why, and unfortunately couldn’t be saved by a standard rendition of “Quinn the Eskimo,” though the energy at the end was surprising considering the flatness of the set.

Phish - 12-31-11 - Madison Square Garden -
New York, NY - Photo by Dave Vann © Phish 2011

Phish - 12-29-11 - Madison Square Garden -
New York, NY - Photo by Dave Vann © Phish 2011

“Wilson” is one of those great Phish songs that bring the phans together in the unified, unwritten chant. Hearing older versions of the song is great because phans hadn’t yet decided that that space was perfect for a “Wilson” call. Though second set opener was as wonderful as first, they did repeat themselves with a totally messed up “Axilla” that really broke my heart. If it wasn’t for the “Piper” heard ‘round the world, the whole show might have been a bust, but this “Piper” might have been the musical highlight of the run, nevermind the night. And maybe it was because we were so thirsty for some jams, everywhere you looked people were talking about this interesting lack, but this song finally blew us out of the water. It was 15 intense minutes where the band finally locked into each other on a serious level and was playing creatively and richly. Everyone responded enthusiastically to the music floating from those massive speakers, including Koruda, who’s lighting was perhaps most ethereal during this moment.

Unfortunately, the rest of the set was kind of a bust, featuring a weak “2001” and “David Bowie” that didn’t nearly stand up to the others played this historic venue. “Julius” was very high energy and exciting, but didn’t do much for the set overall. Typical crowd pleasers worked on the masses, but looking around during averagely played selections like “Golgi” and “The Horse> Silent in the Morning,” there were handfuls of disappointed faces, especially for a night that was supposed to the heat. All throughout Phishstory, they’ve really brought it the night before a holiday, and most phans speculated this would be no different. Alas, the awkwardly placed but beautifully played “Squirming Coil” that ended the second set left a fairly sour taste in our mouths, that even the most rocking “Boogie On” couldn’t absolve. To double encore with two covers is rarely okay, this one barely makes the cut, and while “Good Times, Bad Times” was a fun way to close the night, it left people a little concerned about the quality of playing to be expected at New Years Eve.

Phish - 12-30-11 - Madison Square Garden -
New York, NY - Photo by Dave Vann © Phish 2011

Still, it was New Years Eve, and this was Phish, and we were in New York City, so something good was definitely brewing. There was excitement in the air, even from the hopefuls outside Madison Square Garden, and everyone was in a truly joyful mood, which got some people very lucky with tickets; one friend ended up in a box with free food and booze, while another got miracle-d by a group of girls who intended all along to give their extra to the last person on line when they cut off ticket resales. The vibe inside MSG was magical; people were happy, decorated, high-fiving, hugging, and the band came out to the loudest welcoming of the run. It was purely joyful and the predictable “AC/DC Bag” didn’t do anything to bring it down. The “Wolfman’s” was tight and funky, but already you could tell the set was going to be fairly reserved, and were possibly hoping it was for an over-the-top second set. “Gotta Jibboo” became the funktastic highlight of the set, while “Pebbles and Marbles” picked it back up after a sit-down “Farmhouse” and foreshadowed the superb “Fluffhead” that ended first set. Trey got us yet again with a well placed and played Auld Lang Syne tease that really started the night going and took it into a phenomenal ending that highlighted all of the boys in their New Years Eve best. Side note: best dressed, as usual goes to Mike for his Sgt. Peppers jacket that complimented the occasion so well.

“Party Time” opener was fairly typical, didn’t stir much hype for the set, but the feeling in the air was still so excellent, and the song was obviously appropriate for the moment. “Light > Golden Age” was the real beginning, and was an excellent jamming/transition moment for the boys, finally something the jam hungry fans could munch on. I personally thought the “Theme from the Bottom” was a good choice after this dance heavy 20 minutes, but the crowd seemed split, and “Heavy Things” didn’t do much to help the cause. It may be because the midget set in a 3 set night always feels a little strange, but it’s rare that a “46 Days” trumps the “Ghost” followed by “Sneaking Sally” that precedes it; on this NYE, it did, the crowd went simply nuts for the tiny jam. “Suzy” was a total crowd pleaser as well, and didn’t have much of that “Suzy” umph that the song has needed in 2011. It was clear the band was saving up for something huge.

Phish - 12-31-11 - Madison Square Garden -
New York, NY - Photo by Dave Vann © Phish 2011

In an interesting move, “Cavern” opened the last set of 2011 and though it’s fiery passion was getting the whole venue jumping, they went into “Steam,” a very new song that has gotten a good response so far, but was definitely not slated for the New Years ringer. They were playing it pretty normally when instruments started to rise up off the stage; the keytar behind Page, an amp with a steaming kettle on it next to Trey, a bass near Gordo, and the vacuum from out of Fishman’s kit, which many people saw being placed there the night before. People came flying up in the air, regular looking crowd members from off the floor suspended from the ceiling of MSG and a girl in front of the stage on a rising barrier who was being fake coaxed down by a security guard. The music in the background was excellent, but the people soaring above and dropping dramatically were a totally stunning sight.

The leader in front counted down to midnight as the other dancers floated down and the band busted into “Auld Lang Syne” as couples kissed, friends high-fived and hugged, people cheered and wowed in amazement of the thousands of balloons showering the crowd. The multi-colored and clear balloons fell all around well into the 2012 opener “Down with Disease” that wasn’t tremendous by any means, but also jammed adventurously well into the 10-minute mark. The sky dancers rose back up for the song with bright lights and had a coordinated dance that was a perfect compliment to Koruda’s dramatic first light show of the year. Friends were still rejoicing in the light of the New Year when the band went into “The Wedge” and the crowd really lost it. Infrequently played, and well done this night, the song was the feel-good icing on an excellent NYE stunt.

Phish - 12-31-11 - Madison Square Garden -
New York, NY - Photo by Dave Vann © Phish 2011

They really pulled the breaks on the momentum, however, by dropping into “Alaska,” which is as much of a set killer as “Joy” or “Farmhouse,” and to which the crowd indicated their disappointment with a group sigh. “Wading in the Velvet Sea” kind of made it worse and left us all wondering what they with thinking with this selection. If “First Tube” hadn’t come next, their might have been a riot, but at least we got that much out of the last bit of Phish before March at the earliest (rumors, don’t hold me to that). It didn’t nearly blow up MSG like the memorable version from 2009, but it was pretty nasty anyway, and certainly a good song to close the set on. The “Slave to the Traffic Light” encore was fairly predictable and would have been a little better if it had led into something else epic, but as it was, we got a healthy dose of jam and noodles before they ended the night completely.

Overall, I would call the run a success, as I’m sure the band would, though it was not the best, and could possibly be the worst, New Years run in many years. The large majority of phans walked out of the venue with smiles on their faces every night, and though I myself look back with a critical eye, I wouldn’t have rather been anywhere else. I choose to spend all my free time and money on Phish and I wouldn’t have it any other way; very rarely do they play so poorly that I regret doing so and this run, all the flubs and slip-ups and weird song choices included, was absolutely spectacular. Thanks Phish, we’re all counting down to the next one!

Phish - 12-31-11 - Madison Square Garden -
New York, NY - Photo by Dave Vann © Phish 2011

Disclaimer: The views expressed by our contributors, whether in posts, comments, or tweets do not necessarily represent the views of the Oh Kee Pah Blog, it's board members, stock-holders, or employees.

Review: Phish - New Years Run - 12/28-31/11 Madison Square Garden [Part 1]

noreply@blogger.com (Oh Kee Pah) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:20:00 +0000

Phish - 12-29-11 - Madison Square Garden -
New York, NY - Photo by Dave Vann © Phish 2011

Words: Carly Shields

Images: Dave Vann

Well, I’m sure by now you’ve heard all the major complaints about Phish’s New Years Eve run. They didn’t jam nearly hard enough; there were some major flubs in critical parts by all members of the band; song selections were generally not the best they’ve done before and the openers were fairly deceiving, though I’m sure that wasn’t on purpose. But who can really say they had a lousy time? Among those who attended one show or all shows, I doubt many can say it sucked or wasn’t worth the money. It was; 99% of the time it will be, and this is coming from someone who spent $100 to get in half way through first set on the least-well played night. But it’s not about how much you paid, or when you got in, it’s about being there, with your phamily, celebrating the Phish, their music, and the exuberance it provides to all of us.

While I'm all about the way they play and how they jam, we are so overly critical sometimes that you have to ask, if you were going to hate on it, why did you come? Phish aren’t gods, they’re human, they have ups and downs, good days and bad days, and peaks of interest that may not necessarily have been with the band at that moment. Trey and Mike are busy with side projects, Page and Fish with their families- it’s no wonder that NYE2011 wasn’t the highlight of the year. But let’s look at the scene, and consider the whole experience before we judge how good or bad the run really was.

Night one, set one began with the first ever “Free” opener and while it didn’t knock anyone’s socks off, the energy in that round room was so good, nothing could bring it down. We got a nearly perfect “Glide,” the first one since MSG ‘09 and before that, it was Coventry, so you could feel the tension in the room, and hear Trey slice right through it with perfect riffs and excellent dynamics. They got “Possum” out of the way nice and early with a relatively hype version that got the crowd moving, but the set was starting to feel a little flat. “Cities” was a too early but the first sign of funk to come; Mike gets plenty dirty, but I remember when the jam dropped out and lost its form, and it was hugely disappointing. They brought it back with an insanely funky “Contact,” even though Rolling Stone called it the worst song ever written. To round out the set, they delivered a tight but ordinary “Bathtub Gin” that made up for a lack-luster “Stash” earlier in the set.

“Birds of a Feather” second set opener was fun and appropriate, and drew the still reuniting crowd back in from set break. In a unique move, they delivered a serious “Carini” that got dark and deep and went into a well-received but pretty standard rendition of “Tweezer.” Everyone flipped at the sound of the first heady jam so early in the run, but to me it meant they weren’t holding out for anything particularly amazing. I raged it, had fun with crowd, and enjoyed the “My Friend, My Friend” the came after it. “Rock n Roll” was unfortunately weak, but the New Yorkers loved it, as did I, and finally “NICU” came along to save the set. It’s not that they played it particularly well, but it was perfect for the moment and caused a whirlwind of happiness around the venue. “Harry Hood” was nothing to write home about and a poor transition into an anti-climatic “Bug” set closer didn’t do anything to help it, but the 3-song encore was somewhat of a consolation prize; the “Tube” was a little surprising, and kicked into a high-energy, party starting “Rocky Top.” And even as predictable as the “Tweezer Reprise” was, it made my heart flutter in excitement for the next few nights.

Sometimes I like the audience recordings so you can hear what the crowd thinks and still hear the band pretty well, and the crowd was pretty pumped for a opener like “The Sloth” followed by a 15+ min “You Enjoy Myself.” This was another shocker, like “Tweezer” but at this point, we had to assume that the band wasn’t going to do anything we expected, and isn’t that always kind of the case? Those boys, I swear… anyway, a little stumbling here and there throughout “YEM” didn’t crush it and they picked it up at the end for a killer ending jam. “The Moma Dance” followed by “Funky Bitch” (The Dancing Bitch?) got really good at points, with Mike taking serious lead and getting as funkadelic as the jam would allow. It dropped into a pretty good “Maze,” and I have to say that at this point I was heartily satisfied with what Phish was serving up so far. “Roses Are Free” was a welcome cover for the arena as the crowd sung out every word, but it seemed like filler material at the time; it was really the “Halley’s > Antelope” combination that was a particularly wonderful moment in that incredible first set.

The choice to open second set with “Crosseyed> Simple> Lifeboy” was possibly one of their best all weekend, and, though they didn’t get into any serious jamming and had a few slip ups, especially during transitions, the following sequence of “Guyute,” “Mike’s> Chalkdust> Hydrogen> Weekapaug” was pretty stunning as it was happening. There was obvious difficultly getting in and out of CDT, but once they felt comfortable, it was ragin’ pretty hard, as was the crowd. Easily the most rowdy of all night, and probably the most musically strong, it seemed like no body in that building was still for the entirety of the show. And, well, a “Show of Life” closer is just that. No better, no worse; after such a dense and interesting set list, it was nice to sit, reflect, and take the time, so I didn’t mind it and they played it well. But- surprise!- it wasn’t a closer at all, and when the boys started into “Character Zero,” it felt a bit like a tacky add-on at the last minute, but we dug it. The “Loving Cup” was just filling enough to leave the building confident for the next two days of glorious Phishdom.

Look for part II of Carly’s MSG Phish review later this week.

Video: Phish "Piper -> Weekapaug" 2.22.03 Riverfront Coliseum ~ Cincinnati, OH

noreply@blogger.com (Oh Kee Pah) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 14:34:00 +0000

The Phish (from Vermont) perform "Piper -> Weekapaug Groove" on February 22nd, 2003 at the U.S. Bank Arena (formerly the Riverfront Coliseum). This seamless transition is one of my favorite moments of Phish 2.0 and marked the first known time "Weekapaug" was played without Mike's. This transition is so fluid it's amazing these two were never paired before nor after, just smokin'.

Setlist & Other Stuff: Umphrey's McGee 1.10.12 Jamcruise ~ Somewhere At Sea

noreply@blogger.com (Oh Kee Pah) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 03:58:00 +0000

One Set: Glory > 1348 > Bright Lights, In the Kitchen^, Domino Theory, Booth Love^^, Can’t You Hear Me Knockin', jam* > Ocean Billy, Divisions

Notes:

Teatro Carlo Felice

^ with Darren Shearer replacing Kris

^^ with John Oates

* Jake instrumental

[source: Hidden Track]

Media:

Jambase: Day 2 Chronicles

Hidden Track: Day 2 Journal

Nextjam: Live Blog

Setlist & Other Stuff: Umphrey's McGee 1.9.12 Jamcruise ~ Somewhere At Sea

noreply@blogger.com (Oh Kee Pah) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:33:00 +0000

photo via @robslater10

Set One: Puppet Strings, Miami Virtue, Bridgeless -> Hajimemashite, Resolution > "Jimmy Stewart"^ > Bridgeless. Live and Let Die > It's About That Time > Live and Let Die

Set Two: Mulche's Odyssey > Wappy Sprayberry > Mulche's Odyssey, All In Time > Shine On, Day Nurse, Ringo > All In Time

Encore: Pay The Snucka

Notes:

^ with Jamie Shields

[source: @heyscottyb]

Media:
Jambands dot com: Day 1 Recap

Nextjam: Live Blog
Jambase: Day 1 Chronicles
Hidden Track: Day 1 Journal

Official Video: Phish "Fluffhead" 12.31.11 Madison Square Garden ~ New York City, NY

noreply@blogger.com (Oh Kee Pah) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 01:20:00 +0000

"Fluffhead" from Phish's December 31st, 2011 gig at Madison Square Garden in New York City. This raunchy energetic Fluff came at the end of the first set and oddly enough, it contained the only Auld Lang Syne tease of the entire run.

Setlist & Other Stuff: Umphrey's McGee 1.08.12 Revolution Live ~ Ft. Lauderdale, FL

noreply@blogger.com (Oh Kee Pah) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 04:08:00 +0000

Set One: Prowler > Words, Much Obliged > "Jimmy Stewart" > White Man's Moccasins, Made to Measure > Conduit -> Slacker > Cheap Sunglasses

Set Two: Phil's Farm > Girlfriend is Better^ > Phil's Farm, Syncopated Stranger^^, Der Bluten Kat, Nemo > Dear Lord > Nemo, The Floor

Encore: The Song Remains The Same

Notes:
^Crosseyed and Painless teases
^^Breezin' teases

[setlist source: @jeffersonwaful]

Video: