02/03/10 Wednesday
Tea Leaf Green - Chameleon Club (Lancaster, PA)

02/04/10 Thursday
Citizen Cope - Recher Theatre (Towson, MD)
RAIN: A Beatles Experience - The Academy of Music (Philadelphia, PA)
Galactic / Tea Leaf Green / Cyril Neville - Theatre of Living Arts (Philadelphia, PA)

02/05/10 Friday
Citizen Cope - Recher Theatre (Towson, MD)
Mightychondria - Malone's Restaurant & Bar (Harrisburg, PA)
RAIN: A Beatles Experience - The Academy of Music (Philadelphia, PA)

02/06/10 Saturday
Galactic / Lightnin' Malcolm & Cedric Burnside / Cyril Neville - 9:30 Club (Washington, DC)
RAIN: A Beatles Experience - The Academy of Music (Philadelphia, PA)

02/09/10 Tuesday
Trey Anastasio Band - 9:30 Club (Washington, DC)

02/11/10 Thursday
Trey Anastasio Band - Electric Factory (Philadelphia, PA)

02/13/10 Saturday
Furthur - Patriot Center (Fairfax, VA)
Mightychondria - Flannery's Tavern (Mercersburg, PA)

02/14/10 Sunday
Umphrey's McGee - Rams Head Live (Baltimore, MD)

02/18/10 Thursday
The Disco Biscuits - Rams Head Live (Baltimore, MD)
Citizen Cope - Theatre of Living Arts (Philadelphia, PA)

02/19/10 Friday
Citizen Cope - Theatre of Living Arts (Philadelphia, PA)

02/20/10 Saturday
Citizen Cope - Theatre of Living Arts (Philadelphia, PA)

02/22/10 Monday
Furthur - Bob Carpenter Center (Newark, DE)

02/27/10 Saturday
Mightychondria - California Cafe (Carlisle, PA)
Umphrey's McGee - Electric Factory (Philadelphia, PA)

The weather was hot and the air was still but this is what we come to expect from mid august at Merriweather. We stubbed our good friend into the pavillion just as the roar of the crowd heralded the band's arrival on stage for the second to last show of the tour.

Set One

* Crowd Control
* Kill Devil Falls
* The Sloth
* Beauty Of A Broken Heart
* Axilla I
* Foam
* Esther
* Ha Ha Ha
* Party Time
* Tube
* Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan
* Strange Design
* Time Turns Elastic

Set 2

* Tweezer ~>
* Taste
* Alaska
* Let Me Lie
* 46 Days
* Oh! Sweet Nuthin'
* Harry Hood

Encore

* Good Times, Bad Times
* Tweezer Reprise

The setlist on paper is a 4/10. Wow, that's surprising to me. For this rating, I basically just look at the song title and give a knee-jerk yes/no on whether or not I'd like to see this song then divide by the total number of songs played. I'm not sure if I've ever seen a lower number as far as set list strength. Overall, we saw a number of breakouts in a very strange and heavy first set. I can't say that it was great. Set two and the encore caught a nice groove and went a long way towards redeeming this show as a whole.

Set One:

Crowd Control - I love this song... on the album. I like this song live and I really think if they worked on the live version (only the fifth time played) it could be a powerhouse.

Kill Devil Falls - Another great new tune, not really exploring new ground in this standard rocker but a great showcase of skill and a great vehicle to energize the crowd. A good selection in a good position (Set two, song 2)

The Sloth - A real treat for the Phish historian. Very nicely played, especially for not being seen in over six years. Trey's dirty tone and vocals really set the mood.

Beauty of a Broken Heart - Something a little more rhythmic in comparison to the sloth, but really does not grab me in any significant way.

Axilla I - At this point I am beginning to question this set, they seem to be all over the place and not really able to settle into any cohesive piece. In my opinion Axilla needs to be set up, and Beauty of a Broken Heart didn't do it. High energy and very well played but I was distracted trying to figure out the rhyme and reason behind this first set.

Foam - It seemed like trey was really struggling through this one, granted it's a very complex jam and he got it together towards the end allowing us to see another great example of Phish's eclectic reptoire.

Esther - Woo Hoo, love Esther.

Ha Ha Ha Ha - Phish is weird... This show is weirder...

Party Time - A Fishman original, apparently. A real fun tune that I expect to get a lot more play. I love that they play two fishman tunes in a row and all the lyrics between the both of them are "Ha", "Party" and "Time".

Tube - Something tells me that this wasn't the best tube of the tour (Camden?). But this definately is one of my favorite songs of the tour. Some real funky lines on a trippy sonic texture.

Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan - A slow heavy-handed rocker. Can't say I'm the biggest fan.

Strange Design - Stock version.

Time Turns Elastic - The musician in me appreciates this song, the party-boy in me doesnt want 20 minuets of elaborate composion to disrupt the flow of set. It does eventually get pretty crowd friendly towards the last section and I must admit I was pretty into it by the end.

So ends set one. How weird is that. Read through the first set setlist aloud and tell me how all over the map they were musically. Aside from Crowd Control / Kill Devil Falls, I don't see how this set list works in that arrangement

Set two

Tweezer - a.k.a. 'We're sorry about that first set'. So glad they picked a can't miss song like tweezer. Well played but nothing notable about this tweezer.

Taste - I dunno how this will hold up to other tastes but I was really digging this. Everyone sounded really tight. Probably the best taste that I can recall.

Alaska - Of the Trey solo songs Phish could have picked to incorporate into the rotation, I wouldn't have picked Alaska (Push on till the Day, please).

Let Me Lie - @!#$

46 Days - This is the jam of the night for me. the 46 days weaved seamlessly in and out of many distinct textures. They really showed off their improvisational talents in this jam. So good.

Oh! Sweet Nuthin' - Another Page tune. A nice way to calm the house down after the monster 46 Days jam.

Harry Hood - The Hoods of this tour have been amazing and constantly getting better, we'll call it the Usain Bolt of the tour. A perennial favorite, this Hood was worthy of being the final hood of an anzing summer tour that featured many unique and great Hoods.

Encore:

Good Times, Bad Times - This is how you end a show, a rippin rendition of Zepplins GTBT. Page is sick on vocals and the band is as tight as it gets.

Tweezer Reprise - Nicely done, always expected and always loved.

I hate to sound ungrateful but I think I have to give this a 6/10. Set two had some highlights but overall the show really pales in comparison to Hartford (previous night) and Saratoga (following night). An off performance will not tarnish my memories of this night tho, for a phish show is more than just the music, its about friends, old and new... and coffee... with a kick!

SNMNMNM
Test Icicles
Bloody Panda
Assholeparade
Mad at Gravity
Fuck...I'm Dead
Municipal Waste
Portugal. The Man
Iwrestledabearonce
Agoraphobic Nosebleed
The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza

Mention this site if you buy it, maybe ill get some commission...

Thursday, July 9

9:00 Seepeoples

10:30 Boombox

12:00 Keller Williams

2:00 Lotus

Friday, July 10

2:00 Hill Country Revue

6:00 Robert Randolph and the Family Band

9:15 The New Mastersounds

10:oo Bob Weir & Ratdog

12:45 Moe.

Saturday, July 11

1:00 Cornmeal

2:30 The Bridge

3:30 Steve Kimock Crazy Engine

6:00 Assembly of Dust

6:30 Yonder Mountain String Band

8:30 Sound Tribe Sector 9

10:00 Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk

1:00 Umphrey's McGee

Sunday, July 12

10:00 The Recipe

1:15 Donna the Buffalo

2:15 Rex Jam w/ The Bridge

2:40 Tea Leaf Green

4:55 Dark Star Orchestra

There is also a good number of FLAC torrents of the shows on bt.etree.org, I saw a bunch of acts including Buckethead's up there.  I'll assume if you know how to deal w/ FLAC and torrents, you are saavy enough to use their search and find what you are looking for.

downloads via archive.org

Update: the flash animation changed so you can't see what I was talking about. Basically the hot air balloons carried Cali off screen but if you increased the viewing area you could see Cali still hovering safe and sound over the states. Probably just a programmer's artifact but interesting nonetheless.

So in no particular order: The Top Five Characters to Avoid While at a Summer Festival

'Sweaty' Guy - Nothing wrong with a little perspiration, I mean it IS a summer festival, we are all a little sweaty.  But the Sweaty Guy goes beyond perspiration, its like he rubbed primordial ooze all over his body and smells as such.  Unfortunately, a common attribute of the Sweaty Guy is he's also a 'Hugger', which is a terrible combination.

What to look out for:

• A glistening sheen of unknown origin covering the body
• Typically shirtless, but if wearing a shirt: armpit sweat stains that meet in the middle

'Oblivious Dancing' Guy - Once again nothing wrong w/ getting your groove thing on.  But to earn the title 'Oblivious Dancing' Guy, you have gone way past Cabbage Patching territory.  Should you get anywhere within a six foot radius of this guy, you will get elbowed in the face, followed quickly by a glare that that implies you you rudely punched his elbow with your face.

What to look out for:

• Spastic, irregular movements
• Dancing with eyes closed
• A cloud of dust and limbs

'About To Spew' Guy - This guy can be any one of us, a toxic brew plus summer heat has turned even the best of us into 'About To Spew' Guy.  The worst part about 'About To Spew' Guy is that he inevitably becomes 'The Guy Who Just Puked On Me Or Something I Liked' Guy.  Luckily this person is relatively easy to spot and a timely deflection can avoid any uncomfortableness that this person brings to the party.  Unless of course he blindsides you...

What to look out for:

• Skin color that is not a color you would use to describe skin
• Hand over mouth with chipmunk cheeks

'Wild Animal' Guy - Some people I have found are not content with the typical house pet: Cat, Dog, Hamster.  Some people just need to have something a little more exotic and some of those people just need to bring it to a summer festival.  Anaconda, Hyena, an f'ing Lion, I've seen some crazy things out there.  These animals may very well be safe, but if you get mauled by a Baboon because you wanted to pet it, then that's on you...

What to look out for:

• an f'ing Lion

'There's Gotta Be Something Wrong w/ That' Guy - This guy is an enigma.  He can manifest himself in many different forms.  But once you start talking to him, you know you have met 'There's Gotta Be Something Wrong w/ That' Guy.  Maybe he will pick you out from across the lot, your glances meet and he makes a bee line to you.  Maybe you simply ask someone why they are eating Mac'n'cheese out of a baseball cap.  Maybe he comes up and wants to trade you a rock he found in the woods for your shoes.  However you meet this person, you know right off the bat that this encounter will inevitably go down hill as the interaction continues, so best to avoid this completely or bow out politely as soon as possible.

Things to look out for:

• Weird head gear (i.e. Flight Cap, Ski Goggles)
• An unmatched or missing shoe
• Crazy Eyes

Well, I sure hope this field guide will serve you well and make your Summer Festival a more pleasant one.  If you have your own suggestions, please leave a comment.  If you will be attending a summer festival, have fun and be safe be sure to say hi if you see me.  I'll be the one in the flight cap and ski goggles.

'Word is the band Phish is coming to the desert in late October. Rooms are going fast. The Indian Wells Resort Hotel is 10min from the venue!'

Hrmmmm... is the 'Word' trustworthy?  All I know is that the bird is equal to or greater than the word.  Wait, you mean you haven't heard?

But this 'Save the Date' campaign has to stop.  Are you really going to put us through maybe a month or more, releasing states, that the festival is NOT in, one at a time.  ARrrgggh, this is brutal.  I can only imagine the shit-eating grins on your faces as you all sit on your marble thrones in ivory towers while stroking the exotic cats on your laps.  Watching down upon us as the phan community furiously tries to find clues and hypothesize where the mysterious Halloween festival will be.  How many times do you think people have poured over that flash animation on your website, viewed the source of the page for clues, scoured the internet for leaks, ran thru a list of available venues that could support a late in the year three day performance?  I mean, I did all that PERSONALLY.

It's irresponsible, it's diabolical, it's conniving, it's... perfect.