"I can't tell you how great it feels to stand on the stage with this guy
(Trey Anastasio) and KNOW that we are going to be playing together again
soon."—Mike Gordon

"People largely credit the Grateful Dead with starting this whole jamband
thing……horseshit"—Bob Weir

"You people and your music…."—Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont

"Stop this shit and give us back our Phish"— a singing Trey Anastasio
jokingly mocking fans he's encountered, at the same time mocking his
"lengthy" Bonnaroo speech

"Are you ready to bang-bang?"— Kate Pierson of the B-52s

Summarizing an event as magnanimous as the 2002 Jammys is a pointless
endeavor. So much music was played and so much love was spread throughout
Roseland that I couldn't possibly describe it in words, let alone "type."
One of the peak moments in our community, the Jammys represent everything
good that we've accomplished over the years. It puts the "community" on
display for one night, and not just the musicians, but the fans behind the
scenes as well. Walking though the venue, upstairs and backstage, it
amazed me how many people had some sort of VIP pass, signifying their
association in one form or another with people behind the scenes.
Everywhere you looked, there were either musicians or people who contribute
to various media outlets, all of which promote in a positive fashion the
music we all love. Relix magazine and Jambands.com were well represented
(anyone who caught Jesse Jarnow's "smoking jacket" knows he has style).
Andy Gadiel from Jambase.com was floating around, Velour's Lee Seelig was
present, as were numerous other internet contributors, notably Bret from
Philzone.com (who won Favorite Fan Website), Paul Glace from
Phantasytour.com, and Ropeadope's own Andy Hurwitz And not to be outdone,
Annabel Lukins won a well deserved Jammy for her positive
contributions to the scene in a hundred different capacities. It really was
a special night, made even more incredible by the surprise guests and
sit-ins that, I expect, will be talked about for months to come.

To pick any one moments as the highlight of the night is near impossible, as
the night's "highlight" was constantly changing as each new group of
musicians took the stage. Rusted Root started things off with DJ Logic and
Melvin Sparks, playing "Send Me On My Way" and later, "Ecstasy" with host John
Popper who sat in with almost everyone throughout the night. Robert
Randolph wowed the crowd and was then joined by both Derek Trucks and John
Mayer for some dueling guitars that thrilled the audience, many of whom had no
idea John Mayer is that good. The Blind Boys of Alabama showed off stellar
vocal arrangements that only years of playing together can produce.
Particle jammed with the B-52's for "Planet Claire," which is played frequently by
Les Claypool and perhaps done better by him. The second was "Love Shack" which
featured a great jam by Particle in the middle of the song, along with some dated dancing
by both Fred Schneider and Kate Pierson (which some found distracting). The combination
was a lot of fun and gave everyone a jam they wont soon forget.

Midway through the evening, Phish won Best Archival Release for their legendary
show in Denver, released as Live Phish 11. Mike Gordon took the stage with
a previously unannounced Trey Anastasio to accept the award, and when Mike
stated the quote listed above it elicited a HUGE roar from the crowd. It was
a pretty surreal moment for many in attendance who haven't seen Mike and
Trey together on a stage since Phish last played together. It was one of
many great moments artists provided us over the coarse of the night. Gov't
Mule took the stage to a loud ovation from the crowd, and I'm not alone in
saying I'm happy anytime anything good happens for Warren Haynes and Matt
Abts. They are two incredible musicians who have really triumphed out of
tragedy.

Stanton Moore, Andy Hess, Skerik and John Scofield got to jam for a while,
much to the delight of Scofield who didn't stop smiling through their whole
set. Later, Mike Gordon and Leo Kottke offered some incredible acoustic
music for the crowd to enjoy. Mike's bass was thumping in usual fashion
during "Disco" and Leo's lead lines seemed just to float on top, creating
some intricate melodies. If you haven't heard the album the
duo put out, I strongly recommend it as it is arguably the strongest
Phish-member album to be produced. Later, moe. took the stage and was
eventually joined by Blue Oyster Cult for a rousing and powerful rendition
of "Don't Fear the Reaper" which had the whole crowd screaming like it was an
NSYNC concert.

Gov't Mule later jammed with Oteil on bass, opening with one of my favorite
Mule tunes "Bad Little Doggie". After, Stefan Lessard joined the band for
one song and THEN the proverbial "shit hit the fan". The entire Allman
Brothers Band took the stage for "Desdemona", and while I was plenty happy
with the way the song was played, I cannot help but feel disappointed in the
song selection. Sifting through the Allman's songbook, I could pick two
dozen songs I would've rather heard, but the song rocked nonetheless. The
Allmans left the stage and, without missing a beat, Andy Hess and Trey
Anastasio took the stage, flanked by John Scofield to play "Sco-Mule" with
Gregg Allman on keys. But as great as that was, it was not as good as the
next jam, as Scofield stpped off and Derek Trucks joined in. Now you have to realize
what's going on at this point: Roseland is in a state of frenzy. People
are absolutely stunned from a night of amazing jams and on stage at this
point is Gregg Allman, Warren Haynes, Trey Anastasio, Matt Abts, Derek
Trucks and Andy Hess. They proceed to rip through a stellar version of
Soulshine, the video of which should be distributed as an instruction manual
for every band in America to study and learn from.

When the aforementioned jam concludes, it's hard to exactly explain the
mayhem that ensued in Roseland. People all over the place, upstairs,
downstairs, backstage, were applauding louder than a Yankee playoff game.
Things settled down at that point as Bill Stites, who had won a jambands.com
contest, gave a speech to commemorate The Grateful Dead winning the Lifetime
Achievement Award, which was accepted by Bob Weir. Ratdog took the stage
shortly after Bob's acceptance speech, and a slight delay, bringing everyone back into
the action with "Sugar Magnolia," cascading into "Help>Slip>Ashes and Glass>
Franklins." This then segues into a "Lovelight" that featured every musician in the
house on two stages could be one of the greatest live musical moments in recent history.

For everyone that was there, this is a night that will not soon be
forgotten. As I said earlier, it seemed as if half the place knew each
other and I had the privilege of meeting some really amazing people last
night, as well as seeing the usual faces. While the night could not have
happened without the fans, there are three individuals who must be thanked.
Pete Shapiro, Steve Bernstein and Dean Budnick have contributed countless
hours to the music community and their contributions are immeasurable. They
serve as both inspirations and blueprints for anyone and everyone else who
contributes on one level or another, and the Jammys is their reward for all
their work.

The music was incredible, and the vibe, so important to our scene, was as
well. Everyone had a great time, both musicians and fans alike, as everyone
participated in a night that nobody will soon forget.