2010

Earlier today Wade tried to temper expectations for the opening show of the second leg of Phish Summer Tour which kicks off tonight in Berkeley. Well, I’m going in the other direction as this week’s B List looks at the ten best tour openers the quartet has delivered over the course of their career.

10. July 2, 1996 @ Wolf Mountain – Park City, UT

Set 1: Somewhere Over the Rainbow[1], Ya Mar, Down with Disease, Guelah Papyrus, Poor Heart, Foam, Theme From the Bottom, Golgi Apparatus, Tweezer, Hello My Baby, Possum

Set 2: Runaway Jim, Simple, Taste, Free > Fluffhead, Prince Caspian, The Horse > Silent in the Morning, Run Like an Antelope[2]

Encore: Punch You In the Eye

[1] Performed solo by Page on theremin.
[2] Star Wars song tease.

Notes: This show marked the debut of Page’s theremin. Somewhere Over the Rainbow was performed solo by Page on the theremin in response to the huge rainbow that appeared over the venue just before the show started. Antelope included a tease from a Star Wars song.

[All Setlists via Phish.net]

A few days back on the 14th anniversary of the Summer Tour 1996 opener Andy Gadiel tweeted in regards to the show, “sweet 2nd set Free > Flufhead. Most underrated show ever? Prep of 4 nights @ RR to follow.” I decided to give this show a listen and I’ve got to agree with Mr. Gadiel that this is a severely underrated Phish concert. The band shook off the rust early and jammed frequently on this night.

READ ON for Scotty’s Top Nine Phish Tour Openers…

They say you are what you eat and if that’s true I don’t know what that would make me at some festivals! When you are out at a festival there is a lot competing for your time – from your favorite bands and friends you haven’t seen all winter, so most of us don’t want to spend the weekend over a hot grill. But that doesn’t mean you have to rely on pre-packaged granola bars or trips to the food vendors. Here are some easy eating tips to keep yourself full of more than just Cheez Doodles, soda and beer, as well as some tips for those who are looking for a gourmet experience.

Setting up a Camp Kitchen/ Packing the Cooler:

1) Stock large plastic bins with all of your kitchen essentials – you can take them out of the car and leave them out without getting worrying about them getting wet or messy. Don’t forget a frying pan, tongs, spatula, cutting board, knife , dish soap, sponge and towels. The container can also double as a sink to do your dishes!

2) If you have one of the newer camping grills that only have a small cover for use when storing – buy a pack of disposable foil pans – not only can you use it as a lid to keep the heat in (so food cooks faster) but you can also use it as a pan.

3) To keep food fresh, use a separate cooler just for food – it will get opened less often which helps keep it stay colder. Also use frozen water bottles (or juice containers) in your food cooler, they stay solid longer than cubed ice and won’t leak all over the food.

READ ON for the rest of our third Festival Survival Guide…

We’re sad, but not surprised, to see that the members of U-Melt have announced that they are breaking up. Here’s the announcement…

Over the last seven years U-Melt has enjoyed all the unique experiences of being a touring rock band. We have criss-crossed the country, released three albums, and built a family of amazing friends and fans throughout the US. Recently we have found ourselves struggling through the economic downturn along with the rest of the country. After much discussion we have decided that it is time to close this chapter of U-Melt. Without naming everyone, we want to thank the numerous agents, promoters, managers, artists, friends, and family that made this trip possible.

The band has added two more gigs to their schedule – an appearance at the Wormtown Festival and a performance billed as the final U-Melt show on November 26 at the Highline Ballroom. U-Melt is set to appear tomorrow at the Pet Zoo festival in Freehold, NJ. READ ON for the full list of remaining dates and the rest of the announcement the group sent to fans…

Words and Images: Jason Gershuny

SCI @ Horning’s Hideout Festival, August 1

Shaking the cobwebs out was a little more difficult than in days past, but that is to be expected after a few days and nights of full throttle frolicking in our wooded playground of Horning’s Hideout. But the party was not done, and there was still some amazing music to see.

After another large dose of caffeine, and a little personal time in front of a laptop to write this blog, I knew I needed to kick it back into gear to catch all the music I had on my itinerary.

I made it just in the nick of time to catch Col. Bruce Hampton’s full band set, which was just a beautiful site to behold. He has so much soul and his stage presence and mannerisms lend themselves perfectly for a Sunday afternoon in the sunshine. I then headed to the main stage to check out the Travelin’ McCourys, who enlisted Scott Law on guitar for the entire set. There was some sweet picking going on during that set that gave a little foreshadowing of the collaboration that was to come.

• SCI @ Horning’s Hideout: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

I headed home for the last camp run of the night, and I got back before the start of the String Cheese Incident set. When I arrived I was happy to notice a few extra microphones set up on stage. Bob Horning came out with the musicians and introduced the boys this set. He made mention of doing this all over again next year, which got a huge round of applause. Along side Bob was a full SCI/ Travelin’ McCourys lineup that jumped into a smoking pick session for the first six songs of the set.

READ ON for more from Jason on Sunday @ Horning’s…

Want to see Little Feat at their peak? Look no further than this magical one-two punch of Skin It Back > Fat Man in the Bathtub from 1976 at the

Last week we posted Luke Sacks’ preview of the second leg of Phish’s Summer Tour. Today, Wade “Wyllys” Wilby offers his own inimitable view on what lies ahead over what’s sure to be an interesting 14 days…

The stage is set. The time is now. After an amazing first leg full of as much surprise as there was predictability, The Phish have left the door wide open for a classic second leg which is the same amount of shows as Summer Tour ’96. The venues alone tell a story worth listening to and they haven’t played a note yet.

The Venues

Tonight, Phish plays The Greek in Berkeley, CA for the first time since 1993, a show where many Dead Heads realized that the torch had been passed – musically at least. There are a lot of heady implications for any shows in Northern California, from LSD origins to aforementioned Grateful Dead comparisons to all the music legends who reside in the area. Simply put, people are looking for a tour opening barn burner, but should just enjoy the surroundings and have a blast.

Last Time Through…

Saturday, 08/28/1993 Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA

Set 1: Llama, Bouncing Around the Room, Foam, Ginseng Sullivan, Maze, Fluffhead, Stash, The Squirming Coil, Crimes of the Mind

Set 2: Also Sprach Zarathustra > Rift, Run Like an Antelope, The Horse > Silent in the Morning, Sparkle, It’s Ice > Big Ball Jam, Purple Rain > Hold Your Head Up, You Enjoy Myself -> Oye Como Va Jam -> You Enjoy Myself -> Contact, Chalk Dust Torture
Encore: Daniel Saw the Stone, Amazing Grace

[all setlists via Phish.net]

READ ON for more of Wade’s thoughts on Leg Two…