The first Phish tour since the band reunited rolls into Rocky Top this evening when the quartet plays a huge arena in Knoxville. The boys are off to Manchester after this one for Bonnaroo 2009. Check @YEMblog and @Glidemag for the latest.
Phish
June 10, 2009
Thompson-Boling Arena
Knoxville, TNSet 1: Runaway Jim, Punch You In The Eye, Ocelot, Foam, Train Song, Undermind, Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, The Squirming Coil, Character Zero
Set 2: Back On The Train, Waves, A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing > David Bowie, Army of One, Reba, Hello My Baby, Julius, Cavern, Harry Hood
Encore: Frankenstein
Glide/Hidden Track reporter Wade Wilby reports the first set was a bit sloppy but the energy was electric thanks to a rockin’ crowd. Undermind in particular was a treat and Wade noted the slower syncopated pace of the live version.
READ ON for song stats from Phish @ the Thompson-Boling…
Wade “Wyllys” Wilby will be reporting from Knoxville live for @YEMblog. Follow @GlideMag for stats of every song as soon as they start.
While Jersey City Councilman and wicked pissah Steve Lipski made a run for the title of Hidden Track’s Favorite Politician, that honor lies with Asheville City Council member “Hot” Carl Mumpower. Mumpower loves going to jamband concerts. Sure, he’s usually only attending RatDog or Panic shows at the Asheville Civic Center to observe illegal drug usage and bitch about it, but it seems Hot Carl actually liked what he saw at last night’s Phish concert.
[Asheville Music Fans Wear Hot Carl Masks to the Civic Center]
David Forbes of local Asheville paper Mountain Xpress spoke with Mumpower who had high praise for the band, their fans and the local officials. Hot Carl even showed a sense of humor by referencing his comment about the Civic Center smelling like an Amsterdam Hash Bar at the RatDog show by writing “tonight, Asheville’s Civic Center smelled more like City Hall than an Amsterdam hash house,” as part of an email he sent out about his experience at the concert.
We’re glad to see Mumpower enjoyed the show and if you see an older looking gentleman slinging Wounded Eagle Deck of Shame playing cards at Knoxville let us know. There’s always a spot in our 1972 VW Bus to bring Hot Carl on Phish tour this summer. You know you want to councilman.
READ ON for the full text of the letter Mumpower sent about Phish…
With each passing year the task of coming up with new and inventive strategies to keep things fresh for the masses of people that annually coming back to Manchester must
Both A.J. Crandall and Jennifer Kirk will be reporting live from Manchester on Bonnaroo 2009 for Hidden Track and Glide Magazine. We’ve asked each of them to write a preview of what the weekend will hold for them. Today we’ll share A.J.’s look at Bonnaroos past (2007, 2008) and future…
I’ve got some packing to do. I just looked it up. Southwest airlines lets you take two bags free. Last month’s trip to NY, on two airlines that’ll go nameless for now, I got hit at the counter for $15 for my one bag. Another $30 for an aisle seat. I was planning on scaling way back on camping goods I took from home, but now that I have all that extra room with a second bag, I’ll take rain gear etc.
Should be a great weekend. It’s a soundtrack for me and my brother to catch up on a year in the lives. It’s a weekend in early summer containing more live music than most people will see all year, or two. It’s the vibe. It’s the Coffey County sherrifs who roll their eyes and wave you through to the next checkpoint. It’s the country fried steak at the Waffle House, with grits, of course, on Monday morning. It’s why I still do this shit at age 53.
Well, it’s been a year already. And a year before that. And a year before that. And a year before that. This year marks the fifth June in a row that I have ventured east from the relatively safe confines of the Great Pacific Northwest to become a citizen of Tennessee’s third largest city (for a weekend), Bonnaroo.
READ ON for more of AJ’s Bonnaroo 2009 preview piece…
Bonnaroo Week rolls on here at Hidden Track with a feature for the stat geeks everywhere. Now in its eighth year the fine folks at Superfly have again crushed it with a diverse offering that’s sure to please even the pickiest of music snobs. As we took a look at this year’s lineup we were struck by the amount of the ‘Roo alumni that have routed their summer tours to include a stop in Manchester this year. So we figured we’d once again lay out a list of the folks who just can’t stay away from Bonnaroo, followed by a few fun facts to help keep you busy on your way into the festie…
Two-Timers Performing at Bonnaroo 2009:
Neko Case, David Byrne, Elvis Costello, Mars Volta, The Decemberists, Ani DiFranco, Andrew Bird, Girl Talk, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, MGMT, Citizen Cope, Kaki King, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Cage The Elephant, Heartless Bastards, Elvis Perkins In Dearland, Allan Toussaint, St. Vincent (1 Solo, 1 w. Polyphonic Spree), Page McConnell (1 Vida Blue, 1 Phish)
READ ON for the rest of the list and some fun factoids to keep you entertained as you make your way to Manchester…
Little Feat – Fat Man In The Bathtub
Phish performing their second of three shows at the Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, NY on June 4th, 2009.
With poppy hooks and an alluring voice, Lisa Donnelly has created a charming solo debut, We Had a Thing. Donnelly, who admits she’s a “writer who sings,” often shows a hint of sass in her lyrics, delivering lines like “Open your heart and close your legs/ They only want what makes ’em beg” on the opener, “Laugh.” There’s a slick attitude that encompasses all 10 tracks, and while there is nothing groundbreaking, there are certainly enough funky surprises here to keep you interested and smiling; a solid start for Donnelly.
Though perhaps not so startling a work as its predecessor, the Grammy-winning Dirt Farmer, Levon Helm’s new album nevertheless extends its authentically rootsy earthy themes.
