WRIGLEY1 RECAP: THE BAND IN SANTO'S LAND
IT is summer tour again, thankfully, and Phish is once again riding the bus and running the bases. For the first time, Phish played last night at Wrigley Field, the second-oldest ballpark in the majors, wherePage's the beloved Cubs have been playing for 100 years. And also for the first time, Phish performed on a day when global stock markets plummeted, causing countless millions--including those we love--to lose trillions of dollars in retirement and other investments. But enough about Britain's calamitous, sublimely asinine vote to leave the EU. After all, without searing pain and tremendous suffering, there can be no transcendent JOY, and we are blessed to be able to hear Phish's music once again.
Photo by Scott Marks
FAQ: THE PHISH COMPANION, 3RD EDITION
Image by Patrick Jordan
So you’re publishing a book? What is it?
It’s a bound volume full of pages with words and images and charts. But that’s not important right now.
They still have those?
Believe it or not, something like 300,000 new books go into print and over 2 billion books are sold in the U.S. every year.
Wow, that’s a lot!
Indeed. But if you like Phish, this book is the book for you. Total needle-in-a-haystack scenario.
OK, so seriously, what is it?
The first two editions of The Phish Companion (published in 2000 and 2004) were the best sources of comprehensive information about Phish. “Encyclopedical” was a word that had to be invented and dictionarialized just to describe them.
Anyway, if you’re a fan "of a certain age,” there is a pretty good chance you own one or both editions, or at least have seen one at your friend’s house, quite possibly while “dropping off the kids at the pool.” They were about the size of phone books, filled with setlists, text, and charts, all in tiny black-and-white print. The second one has a sea of bros on the cover. A brocean, if you will.
TWIN CITIES RECAP: BUSTING OUT
Today's recap was written by guest blogger and Phish.net user Pete Burgess (@AlbanyYEM)
Tour openers have a certain transformative effect. There are no patterns established yet, no momentum gained or lost, and no acclimation to the normalcy of Phish being on tour. In this rebirth, there is a lightness in letting oneself go from the standards of what has come before and the norms of what one might expect, or perhaps sometimes even feel that one is owed. The joy is in the strangeness. It is a powerful feeling to be swept back into a self that is a little more naïve, a little freer from self-imposed restrictions, and a little more open to that simple joy.
Photo by Rene Huemer via Phish From the Road © Phish
These are my thoughts on the experience of being at this show, but of course a review needs to delve into more than just that aspect. But it is worth bearing in mind as we go through tour with our own analytical tendencies. That said, this was probably the strangest Phish show I’ve been to. From a critical perspective, that strangeness was both positive and negative. The oddness actually worked nicely in this unusual yet slightly understated first set. I have to confess that I did not identify "Pigtail" whatsoever, but the “I’m conscious again” refrain certainly fits the theme of awakening to the possibilities of the new tour.
LIMITED COPIES OF THE PHISH COMPANION TO BE SOLD AT SATURDAY'S PHANART EVENT
The Mockingbird Foundation invites you to visit our table at the PhanArt poster show on Saturday, June 25th from noon to 6:00 p.m. at The Cubby Bear Sports Bar at 1059 West Addison Street in Chicago, across from Wrigley Field.
Along with more than 20 other artists and vendors exhibiting a wide variety of unique and Phish-inspired creations, fans will also be able to peruse the new Phish Companion -- and even buy the sucker for the online price of $39 while supplies last. (We will only have a limited number of books to sell at the show, but we will honor all purchases made in person Saturday at the special show price of $39 with free delivery; those books will ship immediately after the show).
We are also thrilled to be offering, for the first time, two new posters commissioned from well-known artists Isadora Bullock (“Out of Control”, left) and Zeb Love (“Sunrise Over the Turquoise Mountains”, below).
Bullock’s “Out of Control” is a hand-crafted linoleum cut print in a signed and numbered edition of 150. The artist will be at the Mockingbird Foundation table from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. to meet fans and personalize prints. A very small number of special print variants will also be available.
Also debuting is Zeb Love’s spectacular new print, “Sunrise Over the Turquoise Mountains”, to celebrate the release of The Phish Companion. Zeb is well known on the rock poster art scene, and as this is his first Phish-related piece, we are honored to have him work with us. “Sunrise” is a screen print, in a signed and numbered edition of 175. A very small number of “Sunrise” print variants will also be available.
We will also have for sale limited edition clothing inspired by art from The Phish Companion: two lightweight numbered basketball jerseys produced by a collaboration between Boyer Design and artists David Welker and AJ Masthay. Supplies of these custom jerseys are also limited.
Admission to the “PhanArt in Harry’s Hood” show is free and there will be food and beverages available and music by Wyllys.
Further information about the PhanArt show is available on the PhanArt website and its Facebook event page.
MYSTERY JAM MONDAY PART 227
Welcome to the 227th edition of Mystery Jam Monday. Beginning this week and continuing throughout summer, we will be honoring our lifetime MJM champions, that elite group of seven contestants who each won MJM on seven separate occasions, thereby necessitating retirement from active competition. Each week, we'll give one of these emeritus winners the chance to select the MJM, and pit their proven knack with today's crop of top notch talent. To make things even more interesting, our very own host,@ucpete, has temporarily vacated his post, so that he can get back in the action, hoping desperately to eek out that elusive 7th win, so that he too can join the ranks of the Legendary. But ol' Pete has some tough competition from the likes of other 6 time winners, @schvice and @WayIFeel. Who will reach the top of Mt. Icculus first? Perhaps, it will be this week's guest MJM trickster, the first and all-time leading MJM Champion – welcome @RabeldyNugs:
"It's such an honor to be a part of this elite group, even though I miss out on the fun every Monday. Monday just hasn't been the same since being 'voted' into this Hall of Fame, so to speak. I wish everyone the best of luck, though not so much during my watch. And be safe on Tour."
To Win: Be the first person to identify the song and date of each of the five mystery jam clips, and answer what they share in common. Each person gets one attempt per day, with the second “day” starting after the Blog posts the hint -- each answer should contain five songs / dates, along with the commonality between them. No sharing or trading of answers is allowed. A hint will be posted on Tuesday if necessary, with the answer to follow on Wednesday. The winner will receive an MP3 code good for a free download of any show, courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. Good luck, and thanks again to @RabeldyNugs for hosting our kick off week of MJM Hall of Fame Hosts.
Hint: "There are only patterns, patterns on top of patterns, patterns that affect other patterns, patterns hidden by patterns, patterns within patterns. If you watch closely, history does nothing but repeat itself."
- Chuck Palahniuk
Answer: Now comes seven time winner @ucpete, stepping into the winner's circle one final time, before taking his seat with the Pantheon of Elders. Navigating a treacherous, obstacle-ridden course set by all-time MJM champion @RabeldyNugs, Pete correctly identified the tracks (8/15/93 Tweezer,7/1/98 Tweezer, 6/10/00 Jam after Gin, 12/8/94 Possum, and 8/10/04 AC/DC Bag), and theme (jams from shows containing jams with which @RabeldyNugs won previous MJMs). This Iditarod-like quest was replete with challenges, even for the veteran players. The double lead-off Tweezer sent at least a few folks chasing Tweezers for a theme. Meanwhile there's something rotten in Denmark, and that smell apparently caused @WayIFeel to take a wrong turn in Copenhagen. Another presumed contender, @schvice, was stuck in the sled shop and never hit the trail in time to make a serious race for the crown. As a final trap intended to ensnare all but the most worthy, the third track, a "song" listed on the tape from 6/10/00 as "Jam" (after Bathtub Gin and before Twist) is not included on the PhishTracks or Phish.in' recordings for this show, but is included on the Spreadsheet version. To further complicate matters, our friends on the Setlist team have not characterized this 2:39 piece of music as a "Jam," so a quick search of @RabeldyNugs's winning shows doesn't yield any helpful pointers.
Congrats to Pete, thanks again to @RabeldyNugs for leading off the Hall of Fame Guest Host Series, and I hope everyone had fun this week, just in time for the beginning of Tour. Be sure to tune in next Monday, when our next guest host, @pauly throws down the gauntlet for MJM 228.
Phish.net
The Mockingbird Foundation