Wow wow wow! Thatâs my review of Phish at Alpine valley on Saturday night.
This marked my 16th year of going to Phish concerts and if I say this was one of THE BEST Iâm not exaggerating.
First step to enjoying Alpine was the VIP parking pass I purchased for $30, which is the only way to handle that parking lot hassle at the end. I was pretty excited to bring my friend Scott along with us for his first Phish concert. I head to Will Call and we started walking down to our sets⦠and down⦠and down until we are on the freakinâ floor, maybe ten rows from the stage, way over on the side.
Iâm stoked and ready to see âmy boysâ. The show started off with Tube ,which happens to be the very first song I ever saw Phish perform live back in 1994. It started strong and they never let up that first set. I donât think I have ever heard the band sound so tight. I guess growing up and getting sober is a good thing.Â
A high point for me was Page taking center stage and singing his jazzy âLawn Boyâ and âSparkleâ which took us to heights of rock ecstasy.
Now, Iâm not getting any younger and Iâm not in the best physical shape and it was hot, but I danced and boogied more than I have in, well since the last Phish concert!
Second set included some of my favorite songs, âDown with Diseaseâ, Â âWeekapaug Grooveâ and their cool cover of â Sneakinâ Sally Through the Alleyâ.
We were close enough to be bathed by the lights of the stage, which was cool and finally, I was in the middle of the glow stick âwarâ. I was lucky enough to catch this lovely necklace.
An encore while short and only one song, âQuinn the Eskimoâ, was a prefect end to this totally rocking show.
Then, of course, we had to get out of the parking lot. VIP only took 30 minutes rather than 90, so all in all and perfect evening.
I canât wait for next summer.
Back in 1992, Phish had just finished recording their 4th album "Rift" and had pretty much played almost every venue in Vermont over the previous decade. November 19 found them at St Michael's College in Colchester VT. What a great concert it was, in part due to the " living room " vibe of this hometown show.Â
The concert was slated to be another release from the Live Phish series, but it also happened to coincide with the tragedy of the earthquake in Haiti. So the band is making this release a fundraiser for Haiti.
 100% of the proceeds will benefit the American Red Cross and Partner's in Health, two organizations working hard to help Haiti rebuild and restore. Phish's own non-profit, The WaterWheel Foundation will match the first $15,000 raised from sale of this show.
Please feed your music habit AND help support the people of Haiti by downloading this album here
For a sense of what the band was sounding like back then, here's a song taken from a show recorded in Columbia, Missouri in March of 1992.
Today, it's time to list my favorite concerts of the decade.
This was a very difficult list to compile because I have been to so many concerts, they tend to all blend into one, but I'm going to give it a try. Once again, in no particular order.
We start, of course with Phish , Madison Square Garden, New Years Even  2002 -2003. This was the first concert after the first time they broke up then got back together again, when we thought we'd never see them again. Madison Square Garden was the happiest place on the planet that night!
I could say every Bruce Springsteen concert I've ever seen, but Milwaukee in 2007 was especially memorable because it was Tim's first Bruce concert and it was great to see someone experiencing it for the first time. The guy behind us had been to 47 Bruce shows and he even said that show was one of the best ever! Special treat...Madison's own Richard Davis playing bass on " Meeting Across the River". BRUUUUUCE!
If you have never seen Joe Jackson in concert, boy, are you missing out. I first saw him in, I think, 1983 at the old Civic Center, but 2003 found me at the Vic in Chicago with the biggest damn grin on my face you ever saw.
One of the most interesting pairings in recent years was Emmy Lou Harris and Mark Knopfler. I got to see them at the Charter One pavilion in Chicago. Here' s the super cool part. I was invited to a meet and greet before the show. Usually these are kinda awkward with people lining up to take their pictures with the artists and then you're gone. But this one was different. We went behind the stage of this outdoor venue to see a small tent with some chairs. About 20 of us were there, wondering what was gong to happen, when the back up musicians came out and played an acoustic number. Then Mark and EmmyLou come and sing 3 songs JUST FOR US! It was the coolest meet and greet ever ( and the concert was amazing as well).
Sometimes you go to a concert and the opening act is so good, you almost forget about the headliner. That almost happened when Robert Randolph and the Family Band opened for Los Lonely Boys at the Orpheum theater. I was alrady totally stoked to see LLB, but when Roibert Randolph hit the stage, WOWIE ZOWIE! It was way cool to see the crowd, mostly unfamiliar with RR adn the FB become over-the-moon excited during his performance. Los Lonely Boys had big shoes to fill, and of course, they did!
Some other shows that will remain with me include John Butler Trio, Regina Spektor, Eric Hutchinson, Ray Davies, The Ditty Bops, The Subdudes, John Hiatt and Marc Broussard.
When Tom Petty came to the Coliseum, I wasn't that excited because, let's face it, I've been playing him on the radio for about a million years. But, what the heck, I went. Boy, am I glad I did. I had forgotten exactly how great those songs are and I was part of the standing ovation at the end. Plus he was wearing the coolest shirt.
These are the shows that leap to mind. I'm positive I have forgotten a lot of them.
Up tomorrow? My favorite interviews for Studio M!
Everybody has a Phish story and I gave some stranger the story of his life.
The vacation plans were to go home, visit family and attend the 40th Anniversary Woodstock concert. ( Which was AWESOME and I will post some pics and stuff later this week). About a month ago, I discovered Phish was holding their end of tour show at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, RIGHT WHERE I WAS GOING TO BE!
I admit that I have connections, so I was able to purchase tickets at that late date thru my friends in the Phish organzation. I was over the moon when they arrived and were for the 2nd row!!
The show was scheduled to start at 7:30 and if you have ever attended a Phish show you know it never starts on time. We were about 2 hours away, and even with the major detour along the way, we managed to check into our hotel and head towards the venue with plenty of time to spare.
About 3 miles away, we see signs that say the venue parking lots were all full. Well, NOW where will we park? No one knew, and we inched ever closer to SPAC. So it's very hot and humid and it looks like it's gonna pour at any moment. Word gets to us that there is parking about 2 miles away.
Hmmm.. 2 miles, hot and humid, rain on the way and I'm not a kid anymore, plus I saw a KICK BUTT show at Alpine Valley. Tim and I discuss for a minute, then decide to try and sell the tickets. He's pessimistic I won't be able to. HA! I open the window and hold the tickets out...within seconds several young men are at the window asking if they were in the pavilion. Dude, I tell him,they are in the 2nd row! He practically passes out from excitement. I sell them for exactly what I paid for them, turned around and headed back towards the hotel.
Along the way, we stop and purchase an excellent Altec docking station for my Ipod and had enough money left over from the ticket sale to legally download the concert the next day.
So, yes, I missed the show and missed getting drenched and crushed in the heat and humidity by thousands of overly excited young people, but ended up with the concert anyway, a great sound system and 3 strangers with the most amazing experience ever.
If everyone who said they were at the original Woodstock Festival really had been there, it would have been a WHOLE lot bigger than 400,000. The following story is mine, and it's true.
I grew up about 20 miles from Max Yasgur's farm, in Sullivan County NY. We started hearing about this festival in July. Promotors had originally planned it to be near the town of Woodstock , and started perparing the site. Weeks before the date, the city fathers kinda freaked out and cancelled the permit. Up steps Max Yasgur, who said he thought his dairy farm might be a good location.
He certainly was right. I remember going up there in July, watching hippies on giant earth moving equipment building the stage and erecting the " pink and white tent". It was very cool and as we got closer to the date, more and more kids were coming into the area.
My friend Danny and I got tickets for Friday, and started towards the concert around 2 PM. My dad had heard " there was a little traffic", so he sent us on a roundabout way. We got to within 5 miles of the site, and hit bumper to bumper stopped traffic. ( At this point, all we knew was it was crowded), and we decided to forget it and just head home.
Later that night, we watched the news and realized exactly what was happening in our backyard. That Saturday, locals gathered in community centers, churches and synogogues and made sandwiches to airlift to the site. After all, these were visitors to our resort community. The nearest town, Monticello, did a very cool thing. They allowed people who couldn't get to the site to camp there overnight and we set up a free food line there.
That's where I spent the weekend. SoI didn't hear the music, but was a part of the entire experience anyway.
Over the years, I would bring friends to see the site and was very pleased to see that the latest owner had respected the site when he built a museum and performing arts center on the property. He left the field alone, built the museum at the top of the hill and the ampitheater on the other side of the hill. Check it out at Bethel Woods .
And now, we're heading back for the 40th anniversary concert, featuring many of the original acts! It's hard to believe it's been 40 years, especially since I'm only 35!Â
Check out THIS line-up! I promise to blog about it.
If you have never been to a Phish concert, you are missing more than just some great music. You are also missing out on one heck of a party.
It all starts in the parking lot, which was already majorly full when we arrived about a hour before show time. ( Of course the ticket says 7, but the show started at about 7:45). Folks are hanging around the parking lot grilling hotdogs, playing frisbee and comparing set lists from the previous shows. As last as 7:30, hardly anyone is in their seat, but that changes very quickly.
However, your assigned seat is not always where you watch the show. People always try to get as close to the stage as possible and no one seems to mind sharing their seat space. ( and since everyone stands for the whole show, seating is moot anyway)  This is a very friendly crowd... a young man named Ricky was next to us and by the time the show began, we knew his whole life story, and  he, ours. I have never been to another show where the audience feels like we know each other and everyone is smiling and groovin' together, with the possible exception of a Dead show.
Saturday night was a night of glowsticks, beach balls and the largest red balloon I have ever seen at a concert! Oh, and the music? DUH... ALWAYSÂ excellent, including a blistering cover of Jimi Hendrix " Fire".
Now I wish I had gone last night, too.
Yes, I will be hard to live with for a while. That's what comes from Phanaticism.
Are kids today over-photographed?
Now that everybody has a camera on their phone, and now that Facebook is a greedy beast that must be fed, it seems parents take WAY more pictures of their kids than was the case back in the 1960s and 1970s. It...
People have been wondering why Billie Joe jumped off the bridge since this song came out and made it to number 1 in 1967. Singer Bobby Gentry says people always asked what was thrown over the bridge and why did Billie Joe jump. She never would give a...
Happy birthday to the Cute Beatle, SIr Paul McCartney! He turns 71 today.
One of the rules for Beatles fans is that you must memorize tidbits of Beatle trivia to try and impress other Beatle fans. This is not that easy to do....as things like...
In 1968, Jeannie C. Riley topped both the pop and country charts with "Harper Valley PTA". She was the first female singer to accomplish that feat and it wasn't repeated until Dolly Parton did it in 1981 with the song "9 to 5". The song was...
This week we're doing story songs on the World's Worst iPod. We start with the story of Billy who really wanted to be a hero. He was a hero, but didn't live to see it and his girlfriend was pretty angry. The song was originally done by...
This week' s Gabby's Pick is another track from emerging artist ZZ Ward's debut album , called "365 Days."
In addition to all the radio airplay " Put The Gun Down" has received, you may also have heard her music on several television...
Apparently Oreo flavored Oreos are not sufficient.
Nabisco is continuing its trend of introducing special limited edition flavors for its Oreo cookies. Last year, the internet was all abuzz about candy corn Oreos, which supposedly didn't really...
Are kids today over-photographed?
Now that everybody has a camera on their phone, and now that Facebook is a greedy beast that must be fed, it seems parents take WAY more pictures of their kids than was the case back in the 1960s and 1970s. It...
People have been wondering why Billie Joe jumped off the bridge since this song came out and made it to number 1 in 1967. Singer Bobby Gentry says people always asked what was thrown over the bridge and why did Billie Joe jump. She never would give a...
Happy birthday to the Cute Beatle, SIr Paul McCartney! He turns 71 today.
One of the rules for Beatles fans is that you must memorize tidbits of Beatle trivia to try and impress other Beatle fans. This is not that easy to do....as things like...
In 1968, Jeannie C. Riley topped both the pop and country charts with "Harper Valley PTA". She was the first female singer to accomplish that feat and it wasn't repeated until Dolly Parton did it in 1981 with the song "9 to 5". The song was...
This week we're doing story songs on the World's Worst iPod. We start with the story of Billy who really wanted to be a hero. He was a hero, but didn't live to see it and his girlfriend was pretty angry. The song was originally done by...
This week' s Gabby's Pick is another track from emerging artist ZZ Ward's debut album , called "365 Days."
In addition to all the radio airplay " Put The Gun Down" has received, you may also have heard her music on several television...
Apparently Oreo flavored Oreos are not sufficient.
Nabisco is continuing its trend of introducing special limited edition flavors for its Oreo cookies. Last year, the internet was all abuzz about candy corn Oreos, which supposedly didn't really...
This was a very difficult list to compile because I have been to so many concerts, they tend to all blend into one, but I'm going to give it a try. Once again, in no particular order.
We start, of course with Phish , Madison Square Garden, New Years Even  2002 -2003. This was the first concert after the first time they broke up then got back together again, when we thought we'd never see them again. Madison Square Garden was the happiest place on the planet that night!
I could say every Bruce Springsteen concert I've ever seen, but Milwaukee in 2007 was especially memorable because it was Tim's first Bruce concert and it was great to see someone experiencing it for the first time. The guy behind us had been to 47 Bruce shows and he even said that show was one of the best ever! Special treat...Madison's own Richard Davis playing bass on " Meeting Across the River". BRUUUUUCE!
If you have never seen Joe Jackson in concert, boy, are you missing out. I first saw him in, I think, 1983 at the old Civic Center, but 2003 found me at the Vic in Chicago with the biggest damn grin on my face you ever saw. 
One of the most interesting pairings in recent years was Emmy Lou Harris and Mark Knopfler. I got to see them at the Charter One pavilion in Chicago. Here' s the super cool part. I was invited to a meet and greet before the show. Usually these are kinda awkward with people lining up to take their pictures with the artists and then you're gone. But this one was different. We went behind the stage of this outdoor venue to see a small tent with some chairs. About 20 of us were there, wondering what was gong to happen, when the back up musicians came out and played an acoustic number. Then Mark and EmmyLou come and sing 3 songs JUST FOR US! It was the coolest meet and greet ever ( and the concert was amazing as well).
Sometimes you go to a concert and the opening act is so good, you almost forget about the headliner. That almost happened when Robert Randolph and the Family Band opened for Los Lonely Boys at the Orpheum theater. 
I was alrady totally stoked to see LLB, but when Roibert Randolph hit the stage, WOWIE ZOWIE! It was way cool to see the crowd, mostly unfamiliar with RR adn the FB become over-the-moon excited during his performance. Los Lonely Boys had big shoes to fill, and of course, they did!
Some other shows that will remain with me include John Butler Trio, Regina Spektor, Eric Hutchinson, Ray Davies, The Ditty Bops, The Subdudes, John Hiatt and Marc Broussard.
When Tom Petty came to the Coliseum, I wasn't that excited because, let's face it, I've been playing him on the radio for about a million years. But, what the heck, I went. Boy, am I glad I did. I had forgotten exactly how great those songs are and I was part of the standing ovation at the end. Plus he was wearing the coolest shirt.
These are the shows that leap to mind. I'm positive I have forgotten a lot of them.
Up tomorrow? My favorite interviews for Studio M!
I grew up about 20 miles from Max Yasgur's farm, in Sullivan County NY. We started hearing about this festival in July. Promotors had originally planned it to be near the town of Woodstock , and started perparing the site. Weeks before the date, the city fathers kinda freaked out and cancelled the permit. Up steps Max Yasgur, who said he thought his dairy farm might be a good location.
He certainly was right. I remember going up there in July, watching hippies on giant earth moving equipment building the stage and erecting the " pink and white tent". It was very cool and as we got closer to the date, more and more kids were coming into the area.
My friend Danny and I got tickets for Friday, and started towards the concert around 2 PM. My dad had heard " there was a little traffic", so he sent us on a roundabout way. We got to within 5 miles of the site, and hit bumper to bumper stopped traffic. ( At this point, all we knew was it was crowded), and we decided to forget it and just head home.
Later that night, we watched the news and realized exactly what was happening in our backyard. That Saturday, locals gathered in community centers, churches and synogogues and made sandwiches to airlift to the site. After all, these were visitors to our resort community. The nearest town, Monticello, did a very cool thing. They allowed people who couldn't get to the site to camp there overnight and we set up a free food line there.
That's where I spent the weekend. SoI didn't hear the music, but was a part of the entire experience anyway.
Over the years, I would bring friends to see the site and was very pleased to see that the latest owner had respected the site when he built a museum and performing arts center on the property. He left the field alone, built the museum at the top of the hill and the ampitheater on the other side of the hill. Check it out at 
