November Contest Winners

We want to thank everyone who entered into our contests this month - the question: describe your favorite Jam Band or Favorite Live Show Experience. (more than 30 of you gave it a shot). We will be sending out copies of Jam bands and Merl Saunders & His Funky Friends to 6 people this month.

Lost My Mind Just a Couple of Times
by Dave Kieval

When Phish play a three night run in one venue, expectations are that it will be special. Even more so if it's in New England (and the closest venue to Burlington that they still play), and if it's a tour closer nothing short of magical is usually predicted. It's hard to believe but the Friday night show in Worcester this Thanksgiving weekend managed to exceed all expectations.

As a sixteen year old who had only seen six Phish shows previous to Worcester, I admit, I may have been easy to please. Carini, Reba, Runaway Jim, and Vultures in the first set made the show worthwhile for me immediately, even though none were particularly standout versions. But no one who was there will deny the greatness of the second set of this show, my favorite, most blissful and glorious live experience of all time. The lights went down, and Fish broke into a drumbeat that was familiar, but I didn't place it right away. Then Mike came in with that ultra-catchy bassline, and I turned to my friend Jon and shouted "Buried Alive!" Buried Alive rocked hard, and without a pause went right into Wipeout, the classic surf anthem that Phish hadn't played in six years, and to my knowledge at the time, had never played before.

The energy in Wipeout had me jumping up and down, my emotions being let loose completely through my crazed frantic dancing. This is why I love this band, I thought. At that moment there was nothing in the world I would rather be doing. Chalkdust Torture is always a surefire candidate to at least continue the energy in a set, and this Chalkdust did much more. As the jam went places it had never gone before, including a breakout into a cheesy cover I didn't recognize, I felt myself tingling all over. From Mirror in the Bathroom, the band opted back to a Chalkdust based jam, and then, to my amazement back into a more experimental jam, which somehow found its way into Dog Log, one of thosesongs you just don't expect to see. Well at this point I felt that I was witnessing a historic show, but even more prevalent in my mind was the fact that I was in total bliss. Not only did I not want to sit down, I couldn't. My body felt as if it were on with the music, and what made this so fantastic was that it seemed Phish could do no wrong tonight. Dog Log led back into the glorious Chalkdust jam that was stringing all this together, and as it drew to an unconventional close, they hit the signature riff for Sanity.

I was beside myself. There aren't too many Phish songs rarer or more fun than Sanity, and I just had that feeling where no mater what you do, nothing can express the joy you are feeling. I tried: the complete stranger on my right turned to me with a shit-eating grin; I think he was just looking for some sign of agreement at the sweetness of this set, but what he got was a huge hug. I don't normally hug strangers at Phish shows, I just could not contain my emotions at this time. Indeed, sanity was not coming my way tonite. But the insanity was extreme pleasure and joy.

My pure ecstasy only continued as they broke into a 3rd consecutive rarity, Buffalo Bill, and I was once again over the top when Bill faded into Mike's Groove. Trey was noodling around in the opening lyrics segment, and it reminded me of many of my favorite epic Mike'S. A jam that had me mesmerized led into I Am Hydrogen, so rare these days but so beautiful. I sat down for the first and only time this set, closed my eyes, and let the beautiful sounds of the melody take me sailing. This was a big part of my thanksgiving for the weekend -- as Hydrogen played, I thought about how lucky I felt to be there that night.

The high energy kicked right back in, as it always does, with Weekapaug Groove. I remember nothing of this Weekapaug- I was so involved in the experience I was having, there was no possible way I was going to focus on the music. I am told that during the climaxes, and the return into Wipeout, I was looking up towards the heavens and shaking my fists triumphantly, as if this music was coming from above. The Golden Hose? Maybe. The band went briefly into the funk jam that has extended Weekapaugs of the last two years, but it didn't last. it was clear that this was not a funky, more subtle Phish show. This was a show that was all about the energy and sheer power of live music and the union between the producer and consumers of the music.

I collapsed, completely drained but with a ear to ear smile on my face, as Weekapaug ended traditionally. To my amazement, however, the band did not leave the stage, and before I knoew it, back into Weekapaug for a jam that made the perfect set even better. The setlist cannot convey what it was like to have witnessed what was the perect set to me, and then when you think it's over, a straight jam for 10 minutes. This Weekapaugesque jam, which after a minute or two degenerated into lots of space (albeit rhythmic space), was the cherry on top. I remember this vividly. Listening to this, it felt better than ever to be alive. Any problems I had, and many had cropped up in the last few days, were gone and forgotten.

Then Antelope. Again I was so involved personally that I have no recollection of the music. All I knew was that that night, I had quite clearly set the gearshift for the high gear of my soul. I felt that I was a different person coming out of the Centrum. Not only was I happier than I'd been in months, but my life and the world seemed to make a little more sense. If I could lose my mind, just let it all go, and enjoy myself the way I had that night, then anything was possible, and I fell asleep that night with a permanent smile on my face.

11/27/98 The Centrum, Worcester MA
II: Buried Alive> Wipeout, Chalkdust Torture-> Mirror in the Bathroom-> Chalkdust Torture Jam-> Dog Log-> Chalkdust Torture Jam> Sanity, Buffalo Bill> Mike's Song-> I Am Hydrogen-> Weekapaug Groove, Weekapaug based jam-> Run Like an Antelope

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Favorite Jam Band Entry by Chris Engnoth

I'd have to say without a doubt that moe. is my favorite jam band. I have been listening to them since I heard about them playing at the '97 Furthur Festival. Some bands you just listen to and right away you know you'll be trying to hear more and more of their stuff. I got the No Doy cd after reading about moe. on the Furthur web site. All I can remember was that somebody wrote that moe. "kicked ass". A little further down the road and many happy hours later I'd say that's an understatement.

Moe.'s shows aren't so big that the crowd gets in the way. My days of going to stadiums and huge indoor arenas ended long before the Dead stopped playing. People without tickets taking filling up the parking lot and scalpers buying up hordes of seats is not a problem when I catch these guys. I'll be happy for the band if they start selling out the big halls but right now I'm enjoying the hell out of seeing them in bars and clubs. I think this provides even more spontaneity to their music and keeps the musicians in touch with their fans.

Trading moe. tapes is like kids trading baseball cards. I can't believe how much stuff is available and how organized it is. Talking to tapers at the shows didn't really produce any tapes, and then I found the moe. list. Some organized and ambitious fans have put together an internet resource that makes it really easy to get tapes of shows you'd only see reviews of. Some times I'll check the mail and get a new tape and hours will go by before I realize that all the stuff I was going to do before is still waiting for me.

The sound track for the cartoon that's your life. How can you go wrong with a statement like that? I don't listen to jam bands because they remind me of the nightly news. I've got a lot of hours of video taped cartoons and they go really well with moe. on the stereo and Animaniacs or The Tick on the VCR. Their energy and playful demeanor makes a great compliment to explosions and anvil dropping mayhem.

Well, my tape is just about over, and its time to go put on another one so if you haven't seen or heard moe. do yourself a favor and check them out. Damn look at the time, there goes another night and I've still got all these chores to do.

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Gone Phishin'
By: Josh A.Monblatt (jam727@excite.com)

"This is quite a fun, scholarly entry."(1)

(1) Dean Budnick & Andy Gadiel, "Intro to Winner #1," www.jambands.com, 1998.

"What do you think they're gonna open with tonight?" "No, they did that back during the fall tour, but I think they’re long overdue for a vacuum solo.” The lights go down, the crowd roars, and the spotlight illuminates the stage as four of the dorkiest looking dudes walk onto the platform and towards their respective instruments. It’s 8pm on the dot. The ticket says 7:30, they always start at 8. The energy rushes through me as I grasp the seat in front of me to steady myself. I am surrounded by countless fans: long-haired hippies reeking of patchouli oil brushed up against short-haired preppies. I am surrounded by a sea of dreaded hair, hemp necklaces, and long flowing skirts (yes, even the guys, because gender discrepancies have no place at a Phish concert.) Clouds of marijuana smoke billow over my head, a constant reminder of where I am. The spotlight gets brighter and the crowd grows silent. It is in this excitement where the bottled up excitement is so apparent in the souls of everyone present- the hard-core fans and the first-time goer alike. This silence reaches an intensity where it is almost unbearable. I feel unsteady, faint-like, while longing for the show to begin, my anxiety building and building until BAM!! The first note rushes through my mind and my bloodstream like a drug, washing away the surrounding world, causing me to temporarily forget everything and anything. I am completely engulfed by it. It forces my consciousness into altered states (no drugs necessary), it closes my eyes and shows me the colors which the musical energy is supplying. “Yes, I haven’t heard them play this since ‘95!” No matter what the first song is, I love it. Even if it is the one that I swore on leaving a show if they were to play it (yeah right). My friends give me that knowing smile as I dance anyway. I’m hooked as soon as they start jamming out anything. That’s what they do, they’re a jam band. They can take a song with the simplest three chord change and improvise until it becomes some sort of art form, flowing out of their instruments like paint. Along with the jamming, the light show that is put on intensifies the experience. Vibrant purples, reds, oranges, pointing towards the band and following every note, every beat. The waves of the light show are synonymous with the music.

Another unique quality that this group has is the ability to make no sense with crazy lyrics and stage props alike. “We have an audience that accepts us and knows us...”(Fishman, 1996). “The Phish phenomenon has grown so large that the Phish Heads have established an identity all their own” (Demetrion 44). This group drives their fans crazy with stellar songs. A list that goes on for miles. When they bring back a song that has long been retired, and then play it at a show, the fans go insane. The fun of it is that I know 95% of their stuff and I’m always singing, dancing, smiling and laughing until my muscles are sore and I’m physically exhausted. The band can sense this moment, when the hyperness becomes so fierce. This is when they throw in a slow song, like “Lifeboy”-where soft blue lights illuminate the stage and lyrics like “God never listens to what I say/ God never listens to what I say/ so very, very hard/and you don’t get a refund if you over pray...”(Phish, 1994) are sung out to the smiling understanding audience. Trey’s voice, hypnotic in tone, sensual in harmony, is carried throughout the air like molecules of pure magic. The middle of the first and second sets are always the place where the band sticks the slow songs in, as a savior. This break allows me to sit down and just listen and watch. It’s enough time to get my heart rate down to a relaxed level and rest my feet. And just when I begin to settle in a bit too comfortably, the volume is PUMPED UP, the tempo increases, and everyone begins to move. Once again the funky rhythms burst into my ears and involuntary reactions move my feet. I feel completely alive. Jon Fishman describes how “the band likes to take its audience on a musical adventure...”(Demetrion 45). They go crazy on stage, doing things such as randomly switching instruments, singing a Capella, playing polka, chanting, screaming & having fun. This band has more fun on stage than any other bands which I have seen live. A lot of other musicians take themselves too seriously, but not Phish, they make fools out of themselves and thoroughly enjoy each and every moment! “We’re just gonna can this one cause I can’t remember the fucking words”Trey, 1991). Shouting out at random and talking to the audience is what makes them so appealing to the average fan.

“We’ll be back in fifteen minutes, don’t go away!” As if I would leave this. This extreme magic, this art form developing right in front of my eyes as I stare and grasp and move, while my body begs me to rest and my mind tells it to shut the fuck up! They always say 15 minutes, they always take 40.

“Phish is one of the most unpredictable bands in the world, and one of even fewer bands who genuinely care about giving its fans real value for their concert-going dollar” (Lubell 23). I have never been to a bad Phish show; I think the term itself is an oxymoron. I have, however, been disappointed with a few, but it is impossible for me not to smile and enjoy the band’s energy and the audience’s enthusiasm despite my negative mind set.

So by this time, (at least) 40 long minutes later, once again, the lights go down, the boys reappear on stage, and everyone is as pumped as they were when the first set began. They are either psyched about the last set and expecting some mind blowing experience from this one, or they were so disappointed with the previous set, they know this one’s got to be great. When the music resumes, those familiar feelings of ecstasy return and I am filled with pure bliss. I close my eyes and drift away until around the time of the fourth song when i have to pee. Reluctantly, I run as fast as my over-tired legs can carry me to the bathroom. I run back and, being that I have been temporarily pulled out of the moment, I am able to look around at my surroundings. The sweaty, smiling hippies, the amazed first timers, and a sea of humanity. Thousands of faces all staring at the same four musicians, wondering what they will do next. Thousands of ears all engulfing this moment, screaming, jumping, begging the band to continue, to take them deeper and further into the music, to drown them in it! “We’re laughing as we go/ pushing backwards through the doors and through the windows/ I’m melting into nothing...”(Phish, 1994). You’ve said it guys. It’s all perfectly clear and makes no sense whatsoever. This is how I feel when I attend a Phish show. I’ve been to fourteen and keep going back- I’m drawn back. I’ll keep going as long as they keep playing. This is my place, these are my happiest memories, this is my band. I don’t think it is possible to explain this phenomenon that is Phish. All I can conclude is that they are four of the most ordinary looking people with the greatest minds, and even greater spirit. This is obvious considering the thousands of us who are addicted to them. It’s the music and the happiness that we all thrive off of.

“Thanks for coming out tonight, you guys are a great audience, we’ll see you next time!” This generic phrase at the end of every Phish show, memorized by me and the thousands, ironically never feels impersonal. They mean it. They love us, you can see it in their eyes! The crowd screams for more as we’re a pretty greedy bunch who can’t ever get enough. The band knows this all to well and always reappear tow minutes later, which seems like an eternity to my stressed vocal chords, tired hands, and numb feet, and gives us an encore. It’s usually one song, and it’s always perfect. “Immediate gratification is an oxymoron. MTV is irrelevant. The secret which Phish has figured out, is that people want more”(Bernstein 99). This is the secret of their success.

Works Cited

Bernstein, Andy, et al. The Pharmer’s Almanac: The UnoPHicial Guide to the Band. The Pharmer’s Almanac, 1996.

Demetrion, Phil. “Casting for Phresh Phish Audiences.” Relix,23 (1996):44-48.

Lubell, David. “Phish and Friends Devour the Big Apple.” Relix,24 (1997):22-25

Phish is: Trey Anastasio- Guitar, Vocals : Jon Fishman- Drums, Vocals
Michael Gordon- Bass, Vocals : Page McConnell- Keyboards, Vocals