funky-dance-party-blog

[funky-dance-party-blog]

too funny

[funky-dance-party-blog]

Phish Rumors - New Year's Eve 2011 - 2011

How Fishman really asserts creative control of the band..

[funky-dance-party-blog]

The Disco Biscuits Release Free Download of their New Album, Otherwise Law Abiding Citizens

The Disco Biscuits have released their new album, titled Otherwise Law Abiding Citizens. Following suit with many other musical acts, The Disco Biscuits are allowing fans to download the album for free. Unlike Planet Anthem where the band wrote songs that they wanted to start using on tour more, the focus of Otherwise Law Abiding Citizens revolves around tracks recorded live in the Biscuit's recording studio in their home base of Philadelphia. Many of these songs on the album were recorded on October 25th, 2010, just before the band kicked off their Halloween run. Fans will recognize some songs on the album such as 'We Like to Party', 'Portal to an Empty Head', and 'Spraypaint' as well as newer songs like 'Feeling Twisted', 'Bombs', and 'Neck Romancer'.

Otherwise Law Abiding Citizens Temporary Tracklisting 1. Portal to an Empty Head 2. Feeling Twisted 3. Bombs 4. Catalyst 5. We Like to Party 6. Lunar Pursuit 7. The Great Abyss 8. Spraypaint 9. Neck Romancer 10. Last Days of Everything 11. Donde? or Park Ave.

Original Article

[funky-dance-party-blog]

Free Phish Downloads: Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena, Stateline, NV 8-9-2011

Phish continued their trek through the western states Tuesday night by musically blazing the night away in Tahoe. As a sold-out show that was available for pay-per-view live streaming, Phish picked up where they left at the Gorge and recovered from their Hollywood Bowl issues of complete jamming and thoughtless turns. Opening with the quirky 'Party Time', the band released a quick torrent of oldies such as 'The Oh Kee Pah Ceremony', 'AC/DC Bag', the cover of 'Mellow Mood', and 'Rift'. The highlight of the first set is unquestionably the far-from-standard 'Punch You In the Eye', rare 'Meat' (cook that shit!), and a great low to high 'David Bowie', a tune that almost brought Nevada to near silence. After an awkward pause of uncertainty, Fishman drove the band into an uneasy 'Bouncing Around the Room' but the foursome made it work and fit in 'Horn' and 'Water in the Sky' before capping it all off with '46 Days'.

After welcoming phans back from break and a rather weird mid-stream game show for folks afar, Phish started up with the first second set 'Gotta Jibboo' opener since April 6th, 2004 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. As they tore through the second set, arguably one of the most psychedelically impressive improvisational moments of August, one could not help but feel the nod to late Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia who we all were celebrating the 16th anniversary of his death. After the highlight nugget of 'Light', the Jerry tribute seemed even more sensible as 'Chalk Dust Torture', 'Slave to the Traffic Light', and 'Free' were all played flawlessly and serenely. If one could not feel the tension - yet little release - flowing last night, then listen again as some of the more delicately woven jams of summer finally made it through as shining examples of Phish 3.0. When Gordon told Trey to keep 'Free' down low, Trey obliged instead of making it the classic rock force it has become after the nostalgic late 90s. A particularly awing moment came when the lights revealed Page would since a new cover song. While the signs pointed at another Jerry tribute, other signs pointed up to the sky - at the Rocket Man. Like an awkward birthday gift, it was the thought that counts but the band needs more practice if they ever want to pull it off again. Saved by a good, peakless, 'Harry Hood', the set took a direction for the interesting as it was capped by an enormous 'Walls of the Cave' The duel encore of 'Bug' and 'The Squirming Coil' was as appropriate as ever, leaving fans in the midsummer Nevada desert heat begging for more.

Download Phish performing at the Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena in Stateline, Nevada on Tuesday, August 9th, 2011 [here] courtesy of Phishows.com.

Phish Setlist: August 9th, 2011 Set I: 1. Party Time 2. The Oh Keep Pa Ceremony > 3. AC/DC Bag 4. Mellow Mood 5. Rift 6. Punch You In the Eye > 7. Meat 8. David Bowie 9. Bouncing Around The Room 10. Horn 11. Water in the Sky 12. 46 Days Set II: 1. Gotta Gibboo > 2. Light (with 'Timber (Jerry Ho)' tease) > 3. Chalk Dust Torture (with 'Dixie' and 'Hedwig's Theme' (Harry Potter) teases) > 4. Slave to the Traffic Light > 5. Free 6. Rocket Man (debut) 7. Harry Hood 8. Walls of the Cave Encore 1. Bug 2. The Squirming Coil

Original Article

[funky-dance-party-blog]

Video: Phish - Sleeping Monkey, Super Ball IX 7-3-2011

Phish performing a very odd yet interesting version of 'Sleeping Monkey' after an hour long late night 4th set following the second day of their ninth music festival, Super Ball IX.

Original Article

[funky-dance-party-blog]

Phish's Superball IX Releases Official Festival Camp Map

Phish has revealed the official map for Superball IX. Check it! (click to expand.. its big and detailed!)

Original Article

[funky-dance-party-blog]

Phish to Record New Album in Winter 2011, 2012

A recent Rolling Stone interview with Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio has confirmed not only what many phans have thought they have heard this summer - a new soundsystem for Phish - but what many phans have been longly anticipating following the only post breakup album(s) by Phish, Joy (and Party Time). Things are looking bright for Phish, Superball IX, the rest of the summer and beyond. Will they bring back the Chalkdust Wipeout? Maybe we shall never know... "Hmmm... How about "Wipeout." Now that's a summer song." - Trey to Rolling Stone. Check out the rest of the article here.

Original Article

[funky-dance-party-blog]

Free Download: Phish - 11-14-1995, University of Central Florida Arena, Orlando, FL

Since Phish has been having some 'Manteca' fun this past summer tour, here's a Stash-stacker and some other sweet music to share in the groove with!

Download Phish performing at the University of Central Florida Arena, Orlando, Florida on Tuesday, November 14th, 1995: Part 1 | Part 2

Phish Setlist: November 14th, 2011 Set I: 1. Chalk Dust Torture [7:03] 2. Foam [10:39] 3. Billy Breathes [5:32] 4. The Divided Sky [14:56] 5. Esther [9:15] 6. Free [8:52] 7. Julius [9:25] 8. I'm Blue, I'm Lonesome [3:38] 9. Cavern [4:36] Set II: 1. Maze [12:48] 2. Gumbo [5:18] 3. Stash [15:31] > 4. Manteca [2:35] > 5. Stash [10:08] > 6. Dog Faced Boy [8:07] > 7. Stash [2:53] 8. Strange Design [3:04] 9. You Enjoy Myself (with Immigrant Song jam) [22:46] Encore: 1. The Wedge [4:16] 2. Rocky Top [2:36]

Original Article

[funky-dance-party-blog]

Phish Offers Live WebStream of Sold Out 2 Night Alpharetta Run

Now that we are halfway through left 1 of Phish's summer tour, they have announced that for $24.99 you can be a couch tour groupie and watch both nights of the sold out run at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Alpharetta, Georgia!

Original Article

[funky-dance-party-blog]

Free Phish Downloads: Comcast Center, Mansfield, MA 6-7-2011

Returning to the East Coast, Phish lit up a fire that will extend back down through New York, New Jersey, and Maryland before the final Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia push of the 1st leg. The opener was 'Llama', one of the most common songs not played thus far in 2011 yet its only the 4th show it has made an appearance at in 3.0. Phish showed they were ready for fun, and the last time they opened with 'Llama' a fantastic show ensued (10-26-2010). After staple selections of 'The Moma Dance' and 'Possum', Phish pulled it back to the chuggin' 'Cities' cover originally by the Talking Heads. Then, Phish unleashes a song they had only covered once before - last year at the Blossom Music Center in Ohio - 'Instant Karma!' by The Beatles! 'Instant Karma!' is an uplifting one-timer sung by Page that is a nice deviation from the normal Fab Four tunes our own Phab Phour likes to cover... namely 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' and 'A Day In The Life'. While Page struggled a little bit with the lyrics this time around, the tune still became a refreshing first set selection. Whereas Bethel's Bowie was a pinnacle peaking rocket and Clarkston's a patient experiment, Mansfield received a 'David Bowie' that was also a new creation. Then came a new groovin' cover, 'Rhymes', originally by Al Green. An outstanding 'The Divided Sky' (compared to Holmdel, especially) and satisfactory 'Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan'. rounded off the first set.

'Back on the Train' opened the second set and featured no new explorations.. but the next song, 'Rock & Roll', simply stunned the crowd as it hit over 17 minutes of pure improv-goodness that sounded like a literal and figurative walk in the park for the Vermont quartet. This is the Type-II jams we like to see, a steady and purposeful intersection from four soulful people. A seamless transition in 2011's first 'The Mango Song' wooed the audience into a frenzy after they witnessed a few minutes of glorious improvisational rock. After a brief chill-out 'Bug', which has recently been in the encore slot,and some annoying cheering by annoying Boston fans, we arrived to the wonderful composition that is 'Pebbles and Marbles', making its 4th appearance since Phish's reunion in 2009. I guess Phish assumed we already received a great 'Halley's Comet' this tour with Bethel's 12 minute masterpiece, because after a few short minutes rthe band abruptly launched into the summer's second (and arguably the year's third) 'Meatstick'. The 'Meatstick' theme continuing into some teasing throughout the first couple minutes of the summer's second 'Run Like An Antelope'. Trey yells, "On cymbals, Jon Fishman!" before the final peak of the song. The encore, 'Suzy Greenberg' was a surefire killer, with both Trey and Page teasing 'Meatstick' again and again which made for some good fun. Mike played with some deep distortion effects for this version, possibly making for the best yet this summer (it is the third Suzy so far). After a short second dosage in Massachusetts, the boys finished up and walked off stage to head over to Darien, NY.

Download Phish performing at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts on Tuesday, June 7th, 2011 [here] courtesy of Phishows.com.

Phish Setlist: June 7th, 2011 Set I: 1. Llama 2. The Moma Dance 3. Possum 4. Cities 5. Instant Karma! 6. David Bowie 7. Rhymes 8. The Divided Sky 9. Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan Set II: 1. Back on the Train 2. Rock & Roll 3. The Mango Song 4. Bug 5. Pebbles and Marbles 6. Halley's Comet 7. Run Like An Antelope (with Meatstick teases and shoutout to Jon Fishman, on cymbals!) Encore: 1. Suzy Greenberg (with Meatstick teases)

Original Article

[funky-dance-party-blog]

Free Phish Downloads: Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH 6-5-2011

The third and final Midwest show of the 1st leg finished off the weekend quite nicely, though the free-flowing and open-ended jams that were seen on Friday and Saturday did not make another appearance. Things in the first set never really seemed to lift off until 'Mound' came out to play, a very silly Gordon creation. The opening hits of 'AC/DC Bag', 'Punch You In The Eye', 'Bathtub Gin', and 'Taste', were earnestly played albeit being rather standard. Page's House came to play once again, and his new shirt shined on in the first 'Lawn Boy' since October. 'Gotta Jibboo' - always a surefire hit - came next and eventually led into the summer's first 'Reba'.. a song that many thought would have been played by now instead of halfway through tour, at the 8th show. What a worthwhile wait it has been and despite Trey's recent yet rare flubbs this summer, this 'Reba' is played flawlessly. Once the intricately constructed composition ends, the tune explodes and soars and all four guys sound amazing, but the power doesn't quite match the other 'Reba' of 2011 - New Year's Day. After another New Year's Day favorite, 'Fee', Trey cuts off an ambient jam off too early to bring a short 'Backwards Down the Number Line'. This is the second time this summer that Big Red has aborted a nice balance in sound (See Holmdel 6/1/2011 'Ghost') to bring his new little tune out. Three times this tour both 'Carini' and 'Tweezer' have been played in the same show, and this time Phish decided to open up the second set with the dark rock anthem and the shortest version in 2011 to date. Once the transition into 'Tweezer' is complete, Trey snarls at the crowd with a high pitched sound that you will either love or hate. Whatever your opinion, it surely is a new style and keeps tradition true of a constant flow of the ever-changing 'Tweezer' jam. After a harsh landing into 'Free', Phish erupted into a short 8 minute long 'Crosseyed And Painless', interestingly the third of 2011. What was once a rare but potentially powerful fixture of 3.0 seems to be slowly sliding into a more frequent spot in Phish's rotation. A much improved 'Light' (from Bethel Woods) came out and proved it can once again hold exciting things. After a slow, yet well maintained shift into 'Boogie on Reggae Woman' and a 'Julius' who received a bump up from its encore position, Phish dove into the second 'You Enjoy Myself' of 2011. Again, Mike Gordon delivers a solid line for his other three bandmates to tiptoe their away around leading up to the first culminating peak of the song. This delicate yet fast paced style continues through the rest of the song which stands out as a big difference compared to Holmdel's Punch You in the YEM. The Stones' 'Loving Cup' and 'Tweezer Reprise' topped off the night.

Download Sunday June 5th, 2011 [here] courtesy of Phishows.com.

Phish Setlist: June 5th, 2011 Set I: 1. AC/DC Bag [7:17] 2. Punch You In The Eye [8:20] 3. Bathtub Gin [11:30] 4. Taste [9:23] 5. Lawn Boy [3:42] 6. Mound [6:52] 7. Gotta Jibboo [10:41] 8. Reba [11:44] 9. Fee [7:19] > 10. Backwards Down The Number Line [9:34] Set II: 1. Carini [4:49] > 2. Tweezer [12:04] > 3. Free [7:13] 4. Crosseyed And Painless [7:50] 5. Light [10:35] 6. Boogie On Reggae Woman [5:45] 7. Julius [8:34] 8. You Enjoy Myself [20:18] Encore: 1. Loving Cup [6:00] 2. Tweezer Reprise [4:06]

Original Article

[funky-dance-party-blog]

Free Phish Downloads: Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 6-4-2011

Phish's first of two Ohio shows made for a quite a nice follow up to Friday's Gordo Birthday Bash. Not only did the first set contain some exceptional, however linear jams, but the second set picked up where Clarkston's dangerous 'Down With Disease' left off - with the Ball of Electric Fury. After a straightforward 'Kill Devil Falls', the band broke into the first 'Guyute' since the famed Guyutica powerhouse, which was recently released as a DVD. A token 'fuck You Face' preceded Phish 3.0's longest 'Foam' yet, featuring furious slapping from Mike alongside the intricate piano riff of the Chairman. Next came 'Ocelot', a new song that has seen plenty of action during the past two years. This version proved the potentially of the lazy beast, ringing in at almost eleven and a half minutes - the longest 'Ocelot' Phish has ever played. After a quick, yet fun appearance by Little Feat's 'Rocket In My Pocket', Phish kept to the Midwest style with a short 'Back on the Train'. Next came another record breaker - the longest 'Guelah Papyrus' of not only 3.0, but perhaps the past few decades.... though this is mostly due to an extremely long pause before the final segment of the song. Summer 2011's second 'Tube' was another Page masterpiece, or as Trey put it once again, "Page's House!". This is definitely the better of the two 'Tubes' thus far. 'Run Like An Antelope' capped off the first set with Esquandoles fury and contained the second 'Streets of Cairo' tease of the tour, but the oncoming dusk meant another Saturday Showdown in the 2nd. The elusive 'Birds of a Feather' opened up the second but failed to go anywhere special. 'Possum', summer's third, was also similar to the rest except for a fun ending that brought all band members dropping and lowing notes to make a rejuvenating and melty feel to the song. This continued on with Mike's shouting of "Riding down the road", leading into some great new fun for the song. Next came the summer's first debut of a Phish original, 'Steam'. Sounding a lot like 'Camel Walk', the song chugged its way along for a good 8 minutes and had some steamy percussion sounds coming from Fishman to complete the motif. A more cohesive and slow moving 'Piper' than Holmdel's version came next and danced into a two minute transition that flew into 'The Lizards' - an absolutely fantastic transition. The real fun happens in 'Sneakin' Sally Thru the Alley' when Trey again implements his Electric Storm or Lightening Ball, whichever nickname for his new pedal-pet you prefer. This theme continues into the first minute of 'Harry Hood' and sounds like a beehive.. in a good and non stinging way. This delicate and playful experiment with sound and musical madness is why summer 2011 will have a lot more tricks up its sleeve for us. Later in the song, Page delicately seems like he is leading the band into the "Feel Good About Hood" refrain, but instead breaks away into 'Have Mercy'. After that brief respite, Phish delves back into 'Harry Hood', pulling off a much needed musical sandwich for the appetites of phans. Trey has fun with the song some more, playing the notes of 'Have Mercy' before erupting into a furious hammer-on assault, finally landing and Feelin' Good About Hood. 'Character Zero' capped it all, and 'Slave to the Traffic Light' sealed the deal.

Download Phish performing at the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio on Saturday, June 4th, 2011 [here] courtesy of Phishows.com.

Phish Setlist: June 4th, 2011 Set I: 1. Kill Devil Falls [9:14] 2. Guyute [11:11] 3. Fuck Your Face [2:20] 4. Foam [10:32] 5. Ocelot [11:23] 6. Rock In My Pocket [4:58] 7. Back On The Train [8:25] 8. Guelah Papyrus [7:00] 9. Tube [4:50] 10. Run Like An Antelope [12:03] Set II: 1. Birds Of A Feather [7:56] 2. Possum [10:22] 3. Steam * [8:08] 4. Piper [7:28] 5. The Lizards [11:13] 6. Sneakin' Sally Thru The Alley [13:02] > 7. Harry Hood [8:59] > 8. Have Mercy [2:39] > 9. Harry Hood [3:48] > 10. Character Zero [9:02] Encore: 1. Slave To The Traffic Light [10:43]

* debut

Original Article

[funky-dance-party-blog]

Free Phish Downloads: DTE Energy Music Theater, Clarkston, MI 6-3-2011

Phish came onstage for their second Friday night show of 2011 with furious swank that will be looked back on as containing one of the greatest second sets of Phish 3.0. The first set constructed a nice tone for Gordon's birthday, and the Detroit area venue got down with 'Wolfman's Brother' and 'Funky Bitch', two songs that really allows Phish's bassist to get funkadelic. A little more than halfway through Wolfman's Brother, Trey flirts with that "Plinko" style picking that we have seen during the past year (See Dog One Blog's 'Plinko 101'). After 'Sample in a Jar' and 'NICU', Trey noodled the Happy Birthday tune to his fellow bandmate. As if that was some kind of cue, the band broke it down into 'Mike's Song' and flowed on into 'I am Hydrogen' and completing the trilogy with 'Weekapaug Groove'. This Groove, the tour's second, got its rightful treatment unlike Bethel's short and lackluster version. Following the summer's first 'Tela', a choppy yet rising 'Chalk Dust Torture' ventured into its own jam realm, but really culminated in a massive peak for Trey. If you listen closely, he teases Fluff after 5 minute, an omen for what is to come in the second set. The setbreak began after an awkward 'The Wedge'... but it meant the 'Cavern' wasn't far behind (these two are often paired together). 'Down With Disease' ignited the lead off slot of the second set for the second time this summer, and this time rose to new places and officially became the longest jam of Phish 3.0. We thought we had seen what Phish's new style of the ambient wall of sound was like with the 'Down with Disease' from the Alpine Valley 2010 DVD, but this version simply soars into a multi-segmented monster. Maybe Trey felt bad for taking a lot of the spotlight the past few days in New Jersey, or maybe the nearly 25 minute 'Down With Disease' was his magical birthday gift to Mike. Nine minutes in the space begins, but instead of completely laying back Big Red repeats some swanky strokes to keep a blues style momentum flowing. Gordon is definitely all over the fretboard and the band comes together in a loopy frenzy. Twelve and a half minutes in the song morphs again and Gordon opens another door into a Plinko madhouse before settling into a calming and oddly Australian rhythm. Trey layers a fleeting and delicate riff over this and embarks onto the new Phish sound of 3.0. Some call it a "Wall of Sound", to me it sounds like an electric firestorm, but whatever you name it there is no doubt that Trey is loving the use of it. On the official Live Phish release it begins around 15 minutes in and continues to build for a minute and a half before turning into a series of hammer-ons akin to the New Year's Eve 'Ghost'. Instead of progressing systematically higher on the fret board, Trey plays erratically like Thom Yorke and unleashes the beast within. After a minute of and a half of this glorious fury, Trey disappears back into a subtle electric storm, once again creating an ambient soundscape. John Coltrane's 'A love Supreme' is teased once the band floats away from the harsh, jagged, yet amazing feeling the past few minutes subjected us to. Interestingly enough, for those setlist nerds out there, the following night Chicago rockers Umphrey's McGee teased the song in their rendition of "Jimmy Stewart" at the Mountain Jam in Hunter, NY. Finally, after a series of arpeggios, the Trey seamlessly leads the rest of the band into 'Fluffhead', proving once again that he has it in him to make some seriously good moves if he doesn't let his TreyDHD get the best of him. Instead of bolting into Fluff, he slowly melds the notes into the final glimpses of Disease and makes the song come to him, and not the other way around. The summer's second 'David Bowie', also a 16 minute monster, was nothing to laugh about either. Until this show I thought May 31st held the best jam segments worthy of a DVD, but this time around it may be clear - until tomorrow - what is the best. Although who wants another Disease monster? Everyone. The fast paced '2001' brought the stunned crowd back to the feet after a short and much needed 'Waste' break ('Down With Disease' > 'Fluffhead' > 'David Bowie' clocks in at about an hour for the three of them!). After a very appropriate and lively 'Cavern', the lights went down and the crowd waited for the first encore of Phish's Midwest journey. 'Good Times, Bad Times', a song many thought would make an appearance in Holmdel on June 1st, slid its way once again into the setlist, usually nothing short of disappointing.

Download Friday June 3rd, 2011 [here] courtesy of Phishows.com.

Phish Setlist: June 3rd, 2011 Set I: 1. Wolfman's Brother [10:48] 2. Funky Bitch [7:06] 3. Sample in A Jar [5:30] 4. NICU [5:33] 5. Mike's Song [9:26] 6. I Am Hydrogen [3:04] 7. Weekapaug Groove [9:59] 8. Tela [6:58] 9. Chalk Dust Torture [10:44] 10. The Wedge [7:29] Set II: 1. Down With Disease [24:54] > 2. Fluffhead [16:42] 3. David Bowie [16:31] 4. Waste [6:32] 5. 2001 [6:30] 6. Cavern [5:48] Encore: 1. Good Times, Bad Times [7:26]

Original Article

[funky-dance-party-blog]

Red Hot Chili Peppers Announce August Release Date for New Album, I'm With You

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have a date for their upcoming and tenth studio album, I'm With You. After massive touring for their 2006 double-disc studio album Stadium Arcadium, guitarist John Frusciante who has appeared on half of the Chili Peppers' albums, announced was parting ways with the group to focus on solo career. Crew member Josh Klinghoffer replaced Frusciante in 2009. "it gives me profound pleasure deep in the fiber of my being to announce the august 30 release date of the new red hot chili peppers's record - Flea, bassist, via his Twitter

Original Article

[funky-dance-party-blog]

Free Phish Downloads: PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ 6-1-2011

Phish's second night at the PNC Bank Arts Center in New Jersey was another setlist packed with gold, but venue authorities caused a few impatient moments from Trey. While the first night at the PNC Arts Center rang in around 2 hours and 50 minutes, the band had to crunch and crunch during the second night in Holmdel and this was felt in 'Seven Below', 'Carini', 'Piper', and 'Ghost'. Opening with the strong 'First Tube', the band unconventionally lifted the song out of its second set placement, where it recently has been making the encore appearance. Phish then trudged their way through 'Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan', 'Camel Walk', and 'Heavy Things'. Last December, 'Heavy Things' made its way sounding more like the studio version (at least with Page's lines) but this time around they seemed to have gone back to the laid back style of the song. Things seemed to get better as the band rolled into a cooling 'Gotta Jibboo', still featuring a little Whale, something that Trey has been waning off of as of late. A jarring and awkward 'Wilson' made its way to the first set, but the night was quickly saved with the first 'Seven Below' of the summer. Personally, I expected a nice transition into 'Ghost' to make like old times.. but what can you do. At least they played it that night, right? 'Kill Devil Falls', another repeat of the summer, didn't quite make the same impact as the 13 minute monster unleashed in Bethel Woods, but it still brought the house down. With rain drenching the lawn section, the band treated everyone to the new summertime anthem. After a fairly standard 'Axilla', Phish broke into their first 'Split Open and Melt' since Utica, NY on October 20th, 2010. One of the songs that truly makes a lasting and unique impression every time it has been played over the past year, this version likened itself to the dark creation from Hershey Park on June 13th, 2010. Again, Page takes the cake for probably the hundredth time the past few days when they closed up the first set with 'Suzy Greenberg'. The sense that Phish was being forced to end the show earlier than Tuesday was certainty felt in the second set, save a grand twenty minute opening segment of 'Tweezer' > 'No Quarter', the first time performance of the Led Zeppelin song off Houses of the Holy. Page took lead on vocals and treated the crowd to another psychedelic gift. As if to show that they have their own Zepp style, Phish broke into 'Carini', the dark and jarring rock song about one of their crew members. 'Carini' floated into a nice easy jam and could have continued for a few more minutes, but Trey left the piece unfinished and moved onto a short and quick 'Piper'. A rough transition into 'Twist' made it clear that a 'Ghost' was definitely around the bend. 'Twist' was given decent treatment and made its ambient way into 'Ghost', confirming what I knew would happen after hearing 'Seven Below'. This barely 8 minute version was strong despite its tiny size, containing 'No Quarter' teases. The set closer, the summers second 'Backwards Down the Number Line' also was fire but felt rushed. Only a few minute after 11 o'clock the band broke into the first of two encore songs, 'Show of Life', the newer and slow paced retrospective rock ballad followed by the predictable yet fun 'Tweezer Reprise'.

Download Wednesday June 1st, 2011 [Part 1 | Part 2].

Phish Setlist: June 1st, 2011 Set I: 1. First Tube [8:02] 2. Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan [7:23] 3. Camel Walk [6:05] 4. Heavy Things [6:05] 5. Gotta Jibboo [10:28] 6. Wilson [4:18] 7. Seven Below [8:10] 8. Kill Devil Falls [8:02] 9. Axilla I [3:31] 10. Split Open and Melt [12:08] 11. Suzy Greenberg [7:37] Set II: 1. Tweezer [13:12] > 2. No Quarter * [10:05] 3. Carini [6:19] 4. Piper [6:03] 5. Twist [8:56] 6. Ghost & [7:45] 7. Backwards Down The Number Line & [10:55] Encore: 1. Show of Life [5:59] 2. Tweezer Reprise [3:59]

* Led Zeppelin cover, debut & 'No Quarter' teases

Photography courtesy of Brian Ferguson.

Original Article

[funky-dance-party-blog]

Free Phish Downloads: PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ 5-31-2011

Phish arrived in New Jersey at the PNC Bank Arts Center on Tuesday evening with every intention to make the two-night stint a successful reunion after over a decade from the venue. The UFO styled pavilion offers interesting sound reflection for those on the lawn and provides great views for about 90% of the audience. After opening with a powerful 'Chalk Dust Torture', a tribute to Trey's trials and tribulations in the New Jersey school system, the band eased into 'Roggae', providing a calming and beautiful melody for the summer night. Once a particularly strong 'Punch You in the Eye' was unleashed, the rest of the set opened up for a very funky dance party. Page, one of the MVPs of the night, can chalk up 'The Moma Dance' on the scoreboard for a reason why. The song's pirate oriented lyrics also made some connection to the Jersey coastline. After Big Red's sloppy introduction into 'Rock & Roll', the band proved it didn't have to stash it as a second set opener as seen in summers past, nor a set closer, like the strong as the version on New Year's Eve. This ten minute powerhouse about a little girl and the music on a New York radio station brought the crowd to a roar. Out of the last four versions of 'Sand', two have been performed in New Jersey (Atlantic City and Holmdel) and two have been performed in New York (Utica and Madison Square Garden for NYE).. look out Darien Lake? The 'Sand' jam had great potential this time around, starting with some swanky stretching and pulling guitar work that never seemed to advance to a higher degree. Just as Gordon tried to take the lead on the jam and direct it into new territory, Trey cut him off. The look on the bassist's face during this moment was quite priceless, however lacking in musical awesomeness the moment had. 'Sand' was dedicated to Max and family and friends due to the passing of a young boy in his sleep during the shows in Bethel, NY. After some members in the crowd yelled the deep call for 'Tube', Trey made a joke referring to the 'Makisupa Policeman from Bethel' saying "Page's house, Page's house'. That gem that transcended into the similar styled 'Harry Hood', which left Fishman compelled to drum the intro post-'Sand'. The Page-led 'Tube' furthered the funky dance party around the PNC Arts Center, igniting the crowds passion for the performers. 'The Divided Sky' was another thing, though. After another sloppy intro from Trey, he simply plays a very off beat yet still fitting line after the funky palindrome section (after about 2:30 on the official release). For close to a full minute, Trey is either not playing or playing very badly. He says on the microphone "I meant to do that" which only made his mistake more obvious. In my opinion, he could have continued down a different path, making this 'Divided Sky' unique yet not as painstakingly flubbed. But, we're all human, right? The song finished off well, leading into the anthem-like and appropriate set closet, 'Character Zero'. Tuesday's second set is where the band really shined and made up for their lack of exploratory music during Bethel's third night. For the fifth time in Phish's history, they covered J.J. Cale's 'After Midnight'. Instead of the short, token versions seen in the past year, a nearly 12 minute psychedelic journey ensued. Whereas New Year's Eve contained a powerful and staccato face melting guitar punch, this version ran along the same lines as 'Rock & Roll' and 'Sand' with Trey using his new effects liberally. Even songs that they have been playing relatively the same during 3.0, Phish's new sound this summer is definitely there. 'After Midnight' continued into a 'Tube'-like jam with bass heavy tones from Page on the keyboards. Again, the Chairman proves to be a contender for band MVP this tour as he plays with various scales and styles while Trey simply provides some standard noodling while Fishman and Gordon keep to Page's exploratory rhythm. While the transitioning into 'Possum' seemed harsh, it actually kept the crowd happy by bring the party back uptempo instead of drifting further into the cosmos. With an exceptionally long build up, 'Possum' again fit the tone of the Garden State Parkway as a crusin' tune for this summer and became the first repeated song of Phish's summer 2011 tour, first played during set two on May 27th. Phish then made their way into possibly the highlight of the night, a two part punch of The Who's 'Drowned' into 'Maze'. Here the band showcased their ability to switch tempos and rhythms and entered an ambient soundscape. Right before the opening drum beats of 'Maze' are heard, Trey plays some electric funk reminiscent of the one and only Riverport Gin. 'Maze' was also a particularly strong song for Page to showcase his talents once again, and after the slow 'Dirt' and 'Alaska' the band entered into the first 'You Enjoy Myself' of 2011. This very strong rendition capped the second set, but not before Gordon teased the bass line from 'It's Ice'. The encore, 'Fire' originally by Jimi Hendrix summed up the first New Jersey night well. Although many phans think of this show like politics and drastically love it or hate it, I firmly believe this show is in the running for a shot at the next DVD Phish will undoubtedly pump out of this summer and is wholeheartedly worth a listen.

Download Tuesday May 31st, 2011 [Part 1 | Part 2].

Phish Setlist: May 31st, 2011 Set I: 1. Chalk Dust Torture [8:55] 2. Roggae [8:25] > 3. Punch You in the Eye [8:32] 4. The Moma Dance [7:46] > 5. Rock & Roll [10:42] 6. Sand [11:50] 7. Tube [4:40] > 8. The Divided Sky [14:54] 9. Character Zero [7:43] Set II: 1. After Midnight [11:47] > 2. Possum [9:55] 3. Drowned [14:01] > 4. Maze [11:11] 5. Dirt [4:38] 6. Alaska [9:39] 7. You Enjoy Myself * [20:24] Encore: 1. Fire & [5:19]

* It's Ice tease & Contained the lyrics "Move on over, let Cactus take over" Photography courtesy of Brian Ferguson.

Original Article

[funky-dance-party-blog]

Video: Phish - No Quarter 6-1-2011, Holmdel, NJ

Phish unleashing their debut of Led Zeppelin's 'No Quarter' during their second night at the PNC Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey.

Original Article