I went to my last Phish show ever tonight

[WilliamPitt]

They do Camden, and then Coventry, and then they're done.

Set list:

Divided Sky opener
Susie Greenberg
Down with Disease
Prince Caspain
Scent of a Mule
--->Tears of a Clown
--->Scent of a Mule
Mexican cousin

Kick-ass opener with Sky. They dropped into Tears during Mule, and were playing it in a fast reggae tempo Tre couldn't keep up with. So he hauled a woman out of the crowd, had the ban downbeat to a slower speed, and let her sing the rest of the song before jumping back into Mule. As he helped her back into the crowd, Tre said "Thanks. You just saved our asses."

Set two:

Run like an Antelope
--->2001
--->Golgi Apparetus
Wave
--->Tweezer
--->Hold your Head Up

...and then it got weird. Fishman came out from behind the drums to sing, and played the vaccuum cleaner. Tre took his guitar off and pantomimed tossing it into the audience. "Won't be needing this anymore!" he said, and the crowd booed loudly. "Fuck you," Tre smiled. "Just kidding."

Fishman then sang some totally incoherent Syd Barret song, and Tre - who was playing drums - polled the crowd: "We've been doing this for 21 years, and we have always wondered. Do these Fishman songs help the show, or destroy the show?" The crowd was on its ass laughing.

Tre and Fishman then did a little drum solo duo, Tre ran back up front, and they went into...

Timber
A new song I didn't know

Encore:

Bouncing Round the Room
--->Tweezer Reprise.

If you collect show, get this one. It was excellent.

I've been going to Phish shows for 15 years. 8/11/04. That's the end of that chapter.

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. I'm not a Phishaholic by any means, but I shall miss their music

Many hours of enjoyment I've gained from listening to the live shows.

I'm glad you had a last chance to see/hear them before they finished, Will. And glad it was a great show!

Hopefully the concert will be online sometime soon (give it another 45 minutes, I imagine...) so I can listen to it.

Go Phish! We'll miss you!

[The Traveler]

2. **Heavy sigh**

Somehow I never actually made it to see them live. I really gotta get my priorities sorted out ...

[WilliamPitt]

3. .

[VelmaD]

4. Glad you bumped this...

was just about to PM you and ask how your last Phish show went. Sounds like you had a blast. :)

[Cats Against Frist]

5. Superjealous

I tried not to like Phish for at least 12 years, until I got OBSESSED with them, at the beginning of the summer. I had tickets for Alpine Valley, but something came up, and I gave them away -- why? "I can see them in the fall."

Little known to me, at the time, they ALREADY announced that it was their last tour.

I'm brain dead. The good thing is, though, that my boyfriend has like 92 trillion live tapes and CDs of shows, so I at least have access to that.

I'm really sad they won't be touring anymore, but I will still ask Trey Anastasio to marry me some day. MARK MY WORDS!!!!!!!

[WilliamPitt]

6. You should have seen the woman he pulled from the crowd

She was staggering to be so close to him.

[Magrittes Pipe]

7. You are SO lucky, Will!

You will never have to go to any more Phish shows! :bounce:

:P

[underpants]

8. Uh Will, in English ?

Played a vacuum cleaner huh?

Whistling..:eyes:

[WilliamPitt]

9. I don't know what to tell you

He pulled out an old-fashioned vaccuum cleaner and played weird vocal music into the tube. It was a shtick they started about 20 years ago, and only do it rarely now.

[underpants]

10. Sounds like a good time

Not my cup of tea but surely a good time for you Phhishheads. :thumbsup:

[WilliamPitt]

11. It only lasts about a minute

They used to play extended fiery jams while jumping on little trampolines. Last time I saw them do that was 1994. Last time I saw the vaccuum cleaner was 1992.

[Purrfessor]

26. He probably learned to play the vacuum from PDQ Bach

n/t

[CO Liberal]

12. Oh, They'll Be Back

Somewhere down the road, if they're like acts that have gone before them, they'll be a "Phish Reunion Tour".

[WilliamPitt]

13. I doubt it

I found out why they are breaking up. Unless there are some radical lifestyle changes for one of the members, they won't be having a reunion until its over a gravesite. :(

[CO Liberal]

15. The Who Replaced Keith Moon & John Entwhistle And Toured Again....

If someone comes up with enough cash and a suitable replacement, Phish may tour again.

(I'm just a bit cynical about these "farewell" tours....)

[WilliamPitt]

16. This isn't a farewell

It's a desperate sprint.

[ALago1]

18. The member in question can absolutely not be replaced

If Will is referring to Trey, then the band is done.

He is the center of 90% of the band's creativity as well as its anchor during their intense jam sessions.

Furthermore, he has a style so unique I doubt anyone can replace him without sounding like a cheap imitation.

[CO Liberal]

22. They Said The Same Thing About Keith Moon....

...and Zak Starkey (Ringo Starr's son) has filled in nicely. I hate to sound cynical, but groups re-form and re-formulate all the time.

I mean, there are still doo-wop groups from the 50s out there touring, long after their original members passed on.

[ALago1]

17. Are you referring to Trey?

There of course have been implications that he has picked up a drug habit along the way.

I never bought into this and thought such claims to be merely rumors.

All 30+ shows I've seen since 12/29/97 have never led me to believe that Trey is off his game, although that may explain the hiatus.

Anyway, I'm psyched for Camden tonight and have tickets for the Coventry simulcast at a local theater!

[WilliamPitt]

19. Buckle your fuckin seatbelt

Camden is the last 'regular' show before the festival. They always tear off great shows at 'forgotten' venues. Everyone is leaving for Coventry right after the show is over. It's gonna be a good night.

I feel bad going into the details about what I'm talking about, because I was told in confidence by someone inside. It's bad, though. Bad and weird and fucking annoying as hell.

[ALago1]

21. No prob. I respect that

The only noticable difference I've seen in the band is that they seem to have much less fun playing shows now compared to several years ago.

If someone's health is in danger, I'll be hoping that everything works itself out with minimal damage :(

[ZenLefty]

14. I went to my last Who concert back in the early 80's.

Then I went to another last Who concert a few years later. That was their last one.

I heard they toured again after that, too.

[FranzFerdinand]

20. leaving for Coventry tonight

ending 12 years with Phish. first show was 5-8-92 here in Buffalo. this will cap off over 60+ shows of Phish.

sad...

[TransitJohn]

23. Never got into them all that much

as I'm a Deadhead, saw Jerry 250+ times, but it sucks that we're losing another great band. Who's left? Widespread Panic sucks. Dave Matthews sucks. Where will the next cosmic circus come from?

[WilliamPitt]

24. moe.

[TransitJohn]

25. You're right.

moe. does rock. :smoke:

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

30. string cheese incident

and moe.

[TransitJohn]

31. Nope.

Probably just personal taste, but slamgrass is just plain *boring* to me. SCI, Leftover, there's another one I can't think of their name, I've seen them a coupla times apiece. :thumbsdown: Just not my bag of tricks. Hell, I don't even go to see Grisman anymore.

[WilliamPitt]

35. Umphrees McGhee

is also good.

[GumboYaYa]

27. I'm not so sad about them breaking up.

It was a helluva run. Now they will all go onto new and exciting projects. I'm really hoping to see Oysterhead touring again soon.

Tonight I'm headed out to see Medeski, Martin & Wood.

[BigBigBear]

28. I covered Phish a lot in the 90's

Have interviewed all members (except Fishman) at various times, but only saw them once, around '96 at the CU campus.

I appreciate all the hard work they did and everything they accomplished, but I grew disillusioned with the emptiness of their songs and the fanaticism of their following. They became much more a scene than a compelling musical presence, in my view.

And yes, I have been vilified for holding this view by the True Believers. Perhaps as a longtime music writer, I have abandoned the capacity to become a fan.

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

29. Been a Phish fan for 10 years but never seen them live, and never will.

It's so depressing to hear people that are going. I have a friend who is going to both Coventry shows. I was going to see them in Saratoga, but something happened where I couldn't... :(

Glad to hear you had a great time, I'm jealous!

[LifeDuringWartime]

32. i was super disappointed at 6/20/04

second night at spac. my phish head friends thought it was awesome, but the show i saw in a movie theater 3 nights before killed it!

im much more into moe. and i like phish, but im really glad i didnt pay 150 bucks to see them tomorrow.

[talkinghand]

33. I saw on the news some people got busted

for trying to sell nitrous at one of their shows!

Nitrous -- of all things. What is this world coming to?

I read that LSD usage among the young is WAY down due to the demise of the Grateful Dead and Phish -- seems the tours were major contact points for the big distributors.

Sigh. Guess we'll have to surrender the next generation to alcohol and crank. Sigh. So much for consciousness expansion.

[WilliamPitt]

34. That happened three cars away from me

Nitrous tanks are ubiquitous at shows like this. They call it "hippie crack." Go figure.

[kutastha]

36. Ahh, Phish

I first heard of these guys when I got into college at UCSD in 91. Little did I know I'd go to med school a decade later in Vermont. On my psych rotation a few days ago we had some guy who had quit his job and lost his girlfriend of two years because he wanted to follow Phish on their last tour. He apparently sold his tickets to Coventry, went to the ED, and got a train back to Michigan.

Today there was traffic up here in Burlington for people trying to get down there for this show. Considering the weather, it should be an interesting time.