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I walked out of Phish’s Hartford show thinking, “I’m glad I don’t have to write a review of THAT one.” But summing up the following night at Merriweather Post Pavilion isn’t much easier of a task.

[All Photos by Adam Kaufman]

Part of me wants to write a fairly negative review because for the most part, the song selection and placement were pretty bad. But the songs they did choose to play were played very well and there were some highlights.

I was in the pavilion and where I stood, the sound was good. But I’ve heard from numerous friends who were in good positions on the lawn that said they couldn’t hear much. I’ve been on the Merriweather lawn enough times to know I didn’t want to be there for Phish so I’m not surprised the sound on the grass was subpar.

READ ON for more of Luke’s thoughts and Adam’s photos…

The Quireboys – Town & Country Club 12/03/1990 [zip file] The Quireboys (or as they were known in the US, The London Quireboys) seemed to take the UK by storm

If you aren’t all Woodstocked out by now, check out VH1’s Then and Now for a look at the historical festival on Wed. at Midnight. This special covers not only

Phish – I Kissed A Girl

In stark contrast to the North East June Phish shows, there wasn’t a ticket to be had in the lots at Hartford as the cheering and hollering crowd made its way past security and into the Meadows, home to many a fond summertime memory. The lawn filled up quickly and it was plenty hot and humid inside the shed, the audience becoming particularly excited and singing along to the chorus of the Talking Heads’ Psycho Killer as it played softly over the PA.

[All photos by Jeremy Gordon]

There was excitement in the air, anticipation, and the quartet capitalized on both when they took the stage with a PYITE that had Trey bouncing right away. Following up with a tight, fiery AC/DC Bag into NICU, filled with organ and heavy cactus chunks, the band let everyone know it would be a high energy night.

Negotiations were taking place on stage, the four members seeming to pass messages across in a game of telephone from Page to Fish and back again, and then they hit the assembled masses with Col. Forbin’s Ascent out of the blue, the first since 2000. Unfortunately, there was no Gamehenge narration at all, even though the timing seemed perfect for a long Woodstock tale and perhaps a Star Spangled Banner. Instead, the group moved right into Famous Mockingbird, but a hot version at that, seemingly longer and heavier than older ones, with blissfully light accents marking the final descent.

READ ON for more of Dan’s thoughts and Jeremy’s photos from Hartford…

We begin with a funny story that took place the week following the 4th of July. My wife and I headed out to Caifornia to celebrate our good friends’ wedding in Pasadena and subsequently rented a car to drive up the PCH hitting Joshua Tree, Big Sur, Monterrey, Sonoma and San Francisco along the way. Midway through the week, on our Big Sur section, we stopped to eat at a random coffee shop (with a backyard that looks like the Ewok Village) when we experienced what appeared to be an all-time classic celebrity sighting.

As we sit there eating our lunch, none other than Flea walks in with his buddy and stands right beside us, momentarily perplexed as to whether or not the kitchen was still open or if they closed down for the slow period between lunch and dinner – siesta if you will. Not being the kind of person who attempts to chat it up with celebrities, I kinda just sat there dumbfounded trying to figure out if it was Flea for sure or not. My wife of course had no clue what was going on whatsoever.

It turned out that the kitchen did in fact close and Flea and his buddy turned around, hopped in his ride (a greenish Mercedes station wagon), and headed off down the windy coastal highway. I heard his voice briefly and that too sounded exactly like Flea’s, so I was pretty sure it was him, but still could not confirm it to myself nor my wife. It seemed too random.

READ ON for more of Ryan’s tale…