Andrew Duch at the Headstash site has written a thought provoking article about how technology will change the Jam Band scene.

Duch sees a decline in "organic" roots rock music like the jam band genre, in favor of electronica and DJ based music. He also considers the implications of RFID wristbands and smartphone apps to allow cashless festivals and friend finding features. Interactive shows and enhanced couch tours also could be part of the future if bands embrace and facilitate the technology, like audience taping, instead of fighting it.

Food for thought.

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Fifty. Hard to believe, we've been doing this for nearly a year but here we are. And, for those of you keeping score, the Blog has won a grand total of four times. 4 for 49... those are Jorge Posada numbers! Where's my $13m? Sadly, even Posada is doing better than the Blog (if you don't count hints... we should count hints; factor those in and it's the Mystery Jam equivalent of OBP). Now that I've bored the hell out of all the non-baseball fans out there, let's get on with Mystery Jam Monday L. Just like every week, we will be playing for an MP3 download courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. The rules haven't changed: you need to correctly identify the song and the date to win. Post your guess in the comments. One guess per person per day (with the second “day” starting after I post the hint). The hint will come on Tuesday and the answer will be posted on Wednesday. Good luck...

Tuesday Hint: Five meaty minutes of Mystery Jam goodness and you noobs still need a hint?!?!? Ok, this should help... the show is from Vermont.

Wednesday Answer: 7/23/88 "Curtain With" -> "Dave's Energy Guide" -> "Curtain With." Congrats to possum17 on his (HINT AIDED!) victory. We'll be back on Monday for MJ51...

MP3 Downloads Courtesy of LivePhish.com

Maybe we will unleash the people on the town and let them handle it. We didn't bring the people to the area."

Roy Howard, one of the owners of the "Yasgurs Pharm" campground in Bethel, speaking to a reporter about the Town's plans to potentially prevent the campground from hosting Phish concertgoers at the upcoming Bethel Woods shows on May 27-29.

According to published reports, the campground owners have taken reservations for an estimated 1,300 cars, exceeding the maximum number of permitted campers under the Town's ordinance, as well as potentially violating a previous court order not to promote festivals at their site, the site of the original 1969 Woodstock festival.

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110514/NEWS/105140333

The Town of Bethel and the operators of a popular campground on the original site of the 1968 1969 Woodstock festival seem to be squaring off about the definition of a "camping party".

The Town ordinance limits the number of permitted "camping parties" per separate parcel of land to four. The owners of the Woodstock Revival campground have already taken reservations for 1,300 vehicles and 3,000 people for their five parcels. Things may end up in court soon.

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Yesterday, GlowStickWars.com debuted a new "Pick Up Sticks" program. Fans attending Bethel Woods can place an order online for concert-friendly glow sticks (Show Sticks) and pick up their order at the concert. Just buy 2 or more tubes at GlowStickWars.com using promo code BETHELPUS; your order will be discounted by 10% and free shipping, and all orders will be available for pick-up each day on the lot, from the time the gates open until show time. Each day they will tweet, email, and post to Facebook their exact location. The second best part is that, if you miss your pick up, or even miss the shows for any reason, GSW will issue you a 100% refund - no questions asked. The best part is that 10% of every purchase is donated to The Mockingbird Foundation.

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The Blog is back with Mystery Jam 49. Just like every week, we will be playing for an MP3 download courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. The rules haven't changed: you need to correctly identify the song and the date to win. Post your guess in the comments. One guess per person per day (with the second “day” starting after I post the hint). The hint will come on Tuesday and the answer will be posted on Wednesday. Good luck...

Tuesday Hint: I think @Icculus has taken care of this week's hint. Careful... it's subtle.

Wednesday Answer: Congrats to Choda (another three-time winner!) for correctly naming the 5/6/93 "Tweezer." See you all on Monday -- Mystery Jam 50 awaits...

MP3 Downloads Courtesy of LivePhish.com

At a private meeting with Watkins Glen residents near the festival site, Schuyler County Sheriff William Yessman and WGI racetrack President Michael Printup told neighbors that the festival organizers and local officials were prepared to deal with the crowds and traffic efficiently, according to an article in the (Elmira NY) Star-Gazette.

The Sheriff told the neighbors "not to expect another 1973", referring to the "Summer Jam" that year with the Dead, Allman Brothers and the Band and the estimated 600,000, mostly ticketless, who showed up. As a result, large outdoor concerts were banned in Schuyler County until last year. Sheriff Yessman said that he's "done more planning on this event than any other event I've been involved with in my 26 years on the job". The planning included attending Coachella last year to observe security operations and to monthly meetings that brought together representatives of emergency services, law enforcement, WGI and the Phish promoters.

Printup noted that the 60,000 cap was less than the NASCAR events at the track and that the WGI is experienced in handling large crowds and traffiic. The article also stated that WGI had filed a 400 page Environmental Impact Statement regarding potential impacts and mitigation of the Phish and other festivals WGI plans to host at the racetrack.

It would appear that, easy access wise, Superball IX will be more like Festival Eight at the Coachella site in Indio than the hours backup-ed, traffic-clogged festival gates at Limestone, ME, The Big Cypress Seminole Reservation, and the "Newport State Airport" in Coventry, VT. Sounds like good news to me!

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BETHEL — The Town of Bethel has imposed a fee on property owners who plan to allow campers on their property this summer as it braces for thousands at the three-day Phish concert on the Memorial Day weekend.

The Town Board recently passed a $50 fee for a temporary camping permit.

Supervisor Dan Sturm said the town has no plans to amend its camping or noise ordinances but will have town code enforcement officers inspecting known camping sites during the weekend to ensure that property owners are complying with the pre-existing laws.

The camping permit was also passed to help the town keep tabs on the camping sites that weekend.

"We are not looking to fine people, but we do have an obligation to protect neighbors and property owners, and to enforce our code," he said.

Bethel law restricts the number of campsites to four per parcel. "

From an article "Fee imposed for Phish camping" by Victor Whitman in the (Middletown, NY) Times Herald-Record (5/8/11)

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110508/NEWS/105080334/-1/SITEMAP

"Goddard College, a tiny Vermont school that thrived on the counterculture of the 1960s, is back, with the highest enrollment in 30 years, says its new president who will be inaugurated on Saturday [May 7].

The college, which has turned out famous alums such as playwright, director and screenwriter David Mamet, actor William H. Macy and members of the rock band Phish, was on the brink of closing in 2002. It decided to end its full-time on-campus housing and programs and focus on programs that let students spend short stints on campus but do their studies elsewhere.

Now, the college's mostly older students spend eight days on the campus each semester and do their studies off campus working closely with faculty. Enrollment has grown from about 100 students in 1981 and 500 in 2002 to 804 this past fall.

"It's back to take a leadership position at a time when we are in desperate need of thinking differently about education in this country," said Barbara Vacarr, president since July.

"And Goddard has always done that."

The school now has 125 faculty -- up from 75 in 2002 -- and its first 10-year accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges."

From an article in the Portland (ME) Press Herald (5/7/11).

According to the Phish.net FAQ and /people, Page studied at Southern Methodist University from 1982 through the spring of 1984, when he transferred to Goddard College. There, he recruited Trey and Fish (and earned $50 for each in a 1986 recruitment drive which helped save the school). Page graduated in December 1987 and wrote his Senior Study “The Art of Improvisation” under the guidance of Karl Boyle. He now holds a bachelor's degree in Arts from Goddard.

Trey received a Bachelors of Arts degree from Goddard College (fall 1986 to spring 1988), where he wrote The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday for his Senior Thesis.

Fish transferred to Goddard College In the fall of 1986 and graduated in spring 1990, where his Senior Study was titled “A Self-Teaching Guide to Drumming Written in Retrospect.” Fish also holds a bachelor's degree in Arts from Goddard.

Mike is the only non-Goddard Phish alumni; he remained at the University of Vermont and graduated in 1987 with a bachelors degree in Arts.

http://www.pressherald.com/news/comeback-by-goddard-college-is-propelled-by-older-students_2011-05-07.html

Phish fan Ryan Hartigan writes that he works "at the nonprofit, The Seeing Eye, the oldest guide dog school in the world for people who are blind. We are currently holding our annual online fundraising auction, and I managed to get in touch with Phish for a contribution to the auction catalog. They donated an incredible, limited edition poster from the Camden 2010 summer shows and each signed it. My wife and I had it professionally framed and hope it will raise some good money for The Seeing Eye."

The poster is on auction here at the Bidding for Good website site.

The Blog is back with Mystery Jam 48. Just like every week, we will be playing for an MP3 download courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. The rules haven't changed: you need to correctly identify the song and the date to win. Post your guess in the comments. One guess per person per day (with the second “day” starting after I post the hint). The hint will come on Tuesday and the answer will be posted on Wednesday. Good luck...

Tuesday Hint: Don't know if this will help, but I booked my flight for Tahoe yesterday and couldn't be more excited...

Wednesday Answer: Congrats to ghostboogie for correctly guessing the 12/28/97 "Runaway Jim." See you all next week...

MP3 Downloads Courtesy of LivePhish.com

Yes, Greyson Schwing provides fast service to his clients. But that isn't why he named his Milford web design, management and hosting firm Antelope Networks.

"I'm a huge Phish fan, and they have a song, `Run Like an Antelope.' I like the song and also that the business name is kind of an inside joke. It's all about the music for me.''

From an article in the (Bridgeport) Connecticut Post "Antelope Networks keeps web side of business running smoothly" by Frank Juliano, Staff Writer (4/28/11).

Read more: http://phi.sh/~iPlgik

http://www.ctpost.com/default/article/Antelope-Networks-keeps-web-side-of-business-1355960.php#ixzz1KqAJEAwk

Looks like it's time for Mystery Jam Monday Part the 47th. As we do every week, we will be playing for an MP3 download courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. The rules haven't changed: you need to correctly identify the song and the date to win. Post your guess in the comments. One guess per person per day (with the second “day” starting after I post the hint). The hint will come on Tuesday and the answer will be posted on Wednesday. Good luck...

Tuesday Hint: Another week, another unnecessary hint...

Wednesday Answer: Ladies and Gentlemen, we officially have our first three-time winner. Congrats to RebeldyNugs for nailing the 9/11/00 "Piper." The Blog will return next week with yet another Mystery Jam...

MP3 Downloads Courtesy of LivePhish.com

Every so often, something Phish-related surprises me -- even though it shouldn’t. The other day on Twitter, the 6/30/99 tour opening show at Sandstone Amphitheater in Bonner Springs, Kansas, came up. I couldn’t recall a single note of the show. But two veteran Phish fans, one with an enormously popular Phish blog and the other a member of Phish.Net’s working group, both of whom I often agree with about things Phish, uttered dramatically opposed opinions about the show’s music. The esteemed blogger called the show “awesome,” and the other said it “sucked.” This intrigued me, and inspired me to listen to the show again.

Now, “sucked” is a strong word. I think the fan in question likely meant something more akin to “below average-great.” Because, frankly, even on their worst night, Phish just doesn’t suck. In fact, even when they suck here and there during a show, they can pull-out some transcendent, spectacular jams (e.g., Coventry’s Drowned). I can’t name a single Phish show that I believe “sucked,” and I say that even though I’ve come close to walking out of a few during the second set. (The only show I recall ever actually leaving I left due to reasons unrelated to the music.)

To put 6/30/99 in context, it was Phish’s first public show since the ‘98 NYE run, and those four shows were Phish’s only shows in December 1998. Trey had toured earlier in 1999, but as fun as it was, it wasn’t the same, and even before June 1999, fans were chompin’ at the bit for Phish’s return. (They may have been especially eager to hear Phish again, of course, if they’d already heard the spectacular mid-April 1999 Phil Lesh & Friends shows, featuring Trey and Page and Steve Kimock.) This June 30 show would start a serious 20+ show tour, concluding with four gigs in JAPAN, one of which has just been released by the band to benefit the Japan relief effort.

My $0.02 on this show will probably come as no surprise, given that I must have liquidated my 6/30/99 tapes (CDs?) 10+ years ago. But I actually feel pretty strongly that this is, at best, an average-great Phish show from the late 1990s, and that’s giving it some credit. It’s a mixed-bag, and a show I would never have recommended anyone check out at that time, when acquiring tapes/discs would cost time and effort. Nowadays, of course, since it’s easy to download a show off Kevin Hoy’s Spreadsheet and listen for oneself, I encourage you to do the same, if you’re so inclined, if only in light of the staggeringly different perspectives (apparently) of some vets about it. To go out a bit on a limb just to make things more interesting: musically, I think this show -- as a complete show -- offers little even when compared with Phish’s best shows in 3.0. I’d recommend that a fan check out 10/20/10 Utica, for example, and hundreds of other Phish shows, before I’d recommend 6/30/99.

The first set opens with a 19 minute Gin, with “Type 2” improvisation a-plenty. A Gin opener is always welcome and I love Gin. Love it. It’s up there with my favorite Phish songs and I just never get tired of it. This version, albeit lengthy and exploratory, is often aimless and even flounders at times with no clear direction. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that the jam floats like a turd for awhile. It’s not that bad at all. It’s just when Trey does solo/noodle melodically, at times it seems to lack much of a purpose. I’m thus not surprised that folks have very different opinions about it. I’d sooner recommend that, for 1999 versions that are more or less equally as long, but much more glorious (as I hear them), one check out 7/18/99, 9/12/99, 9/22/99, 12/2/99, and 12/7/99. Also, I’d sooner recommend the 2/22/03, 2/28/03, 7/9/03, and 8/9/04 Gins (to name four from 2.0) and even the 8/7/09 Gorge Gin. (Comparing this 6/30/99 version to the 7/29/98 Riverport and other “best ever” versions perhaps isn’t very fair.) In any event, hats off to Phish for opening with this 6/30/99 Gin, since it took some nads to open a tour with so much “Type 2.” That is certainly not common! And I love Gin, and I enjoy this version, too, even if, among versions over 15 minutes, this wouldn’t come to mind as one to recommend highly.

The rest of the first set, which isn’t all that long, is solid, i.e., “typically great Phish.” The Maze is pretty good, but Maze is usually pretty good. Maze is one of those amazing Phish tunes that, like Julius, can be difficult to call “above average” unless it’s obviously over the top, like say 12/31/94, or 2/26/03 Worcester. And this set features the first Back on the Train (another tune I love), and a fairly good LxL (love it). A Golgi set closer, even if perfectly performed, isn’t going to get a jaded vet too excited, but whatever, this is still a fun set of course. The Gin was a cool opener, with some beautiful improv, but not “must hear.” As compared with all other first sets in Phish history, this is a “typically great,” or “par” set, IMO. (i.e., no rush to send B+P)

The second set opens with Squirming Coil. Let me say that again. The second set opens with Squirming Coil. And it’s not too bad, as far as Coils go. But I can completely understand and forgive the jaded vets in attendance in Bonner Springs that day who, after a Golgi first set closer, upon hearing Coil, thought, “Are you f’ing kidding me!?” It’s just not that strong a set opener. It’s too darn pretty and mellow. I love Page, and I especially love his recent offerings, “Halfway to the Moon” and “Beauty of a Broken Heart,” but a song whose coda is a piano solo isn’t a strong set opener for a rock show.

The set then goes weird with a slow, somewhat plodding, eerie version of “Free,” one of the most unusual versions in Phish history. It doesn’t really go what I’d call “Type 2.” It rather just has an extended jam segment that gets dark and twisted at times. An atypical version for damn sure and one of the longest versions, even though, frankly, I can see how some might not appreciate it. I’d recommend it highly, though, to any fan of “Free” looking to hear a remarkable version of the song.

The “Birds” > “Simple” that follow “Free” aren’t shabby. Late 1990s versions of “Birds” are pretty much all worth hearing (assuming you like the tune), and frankly, versions of “Simple” that don’t appear in a Mike’s Groove sandwich are often worth a listen as well. That said, I wouldn’t call either of these versions well above-average. But these are enjoyable tunes, and the “Swept Away” and “Steep” and “Piper” that follow, while perfunctory, are entertaining.

The “Bug > My Left Toe” is, well... I like these tunes, don’t get me wrong. But I can see how they may have bored some in attendance big time. (“My Left Toe” was also a debut, and I’m sure some at the show probably thought it was just part of an extended “Bug” jam.) The improv in these songs is very textural and chord-heavy, of course. There’s no melodic noodling or “rock star Trey jamming” or “glorious mellifluous transcendent hose” etc. Lots of big, phat, sustained chords. I enjoyed listening to this quite a bit, but likely still would have sat down for it at the show. The set then concludes with a “Stash” that, frankly, has a jam that I find directionless, obnoxiously dissonant, and largely meh. It doesn’t climax at all well, and Trey seems to lose his way during it. Not a version I’d recommend. I’d have been disappointed to hear this close a set, even though I typically love this song. This “Stash” is disappointing compared with versions from any era, in my view (e.g., the 10/31/10 Stash blows it away, though to be fair, it’s jam segment is much different).

The 6/30/99 show encores with “Bouncin” and “Sample in a Jar.” Now, these tunes are quite popular, of course, and encores are always “icing” on the delicious cake that is a typically great Phish show. But after an unquestionably below-average Stash second set closer, I can see this encore disappointing some jaded vets in attendance. In any event, you’ve heard these versions/songs before many times.

All this said, I can empathize with why some fans aren’t too keen on this show, or even its second set, particularly when you compare it with the most recent second sets from the two-set shows on the ‘98 NYE run, which were great: 12/28/98-2, 12/29/98-2 and 12/30/98-2. While mileage certainly varies, vets tend more often than not to agree about what versions and shows qualify as “top versions” and “must hear” shows, if not “above-average-great shows” etc. This 6/30/99 show is thus a testament to how opinions even among vets can differ immensely. As I hear it, it’s very much a mixed-bag. I’d recommend the “Free” for sure, but as far as the show as a whole goes, I’d call it less awesome than a typically awesome 1999 Phish show... an opinion that may annoy just about everyone, but it’s just my $0.02. -charlie

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