Phish Summer Tour 2011 is in full swing as the band returns to the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ once again this evening.
[Photo by Balaji Mani from 5/31]
@alliedise will be reporting live from Holmdel for @YEMblog, so be sure to follow along for the latest. READ ON for tonight’s setlist and The Skinny…
Phish @ PNC Bank Arts Center – May 31
While the opening three-night stand in Bethel, NY showed a lot of promise for the current summer Phish tour, Tuesday night’s show at the PNC Bank Center was a small step backward. Unexpected sound issues and botched sections nearly zapped most of the band’s confidence but despite these setbacks the band put forth a relatively energetic performance (albeit a very restrained energy).
[All photos by S. Balaji Mani]
Launched by the much-awaited Chalkdust Torture, the first set opened strong. A nicely placed Roggae followed, maintaining the energy while taking a laid-back tempo. Guitarist Trey Anastasio first encountered some tuning issues during The Moma Dance, correcting himself later on.
A high-energy Rock n Roll and intense Sand were extended but remained relatively structured as strictly Type I adventures. The improvisation in Sand was especially noteworthy, with Trey and Page taking melodic cues from each other. Just as the first set was coming to its eventual close, the composed parts of Divided Sky escaped Trey’s reach – whereas he had flubbed it in the past, this time he completely forgot one entire section. Embarrassed after attempting multiple times to remember the part, Trey deferred to the audience and encouraged the crowd to sing the missing notes. During these uncomfortable moments bassist Mike Gordon and drummer Jon Fishman exchanged looks of confusion but kept playing.
READ ON for more on Night One of Phish @ PNC…
Words: Ryan Maher
Photos: Tammy Wetzel
Ah, Summer Camp. Last year you turned 10, this year you had quite the growth spurt at 11. Attendees quickly realized as they lined in that they’d be camping in tighter quarters with many new neighbors, as record numbers made their way to Chillicothe.
[All photos by Tammy Wetzel]
Thankfully mother nature gave us a break by ending the early rain in time for a dry load-in. The bands and crew weren’t so lucky at 5AM when they got their orders to evacuate due to severe weather. The rains had left some mud and chilly temps in their wake, but the upside would be no dust storms coating the bodies and lungs of the masses this year.
Jake Cinninger rolled out with his old South Bend band, Ali Baba’s Tahini for a fun set that featured the raunchy humor of Karl Engelmann paired with Jake’s guitar chops. Their cover of Tom Petty’s Running Down a Dream had a dark chant of “Smoke pot, Smoke pot, Everybody smoke pot” for kicks. Wavy Dave from Cornmeal also lent his jaw harp skills to a ditty.
READ ON for more from Tammy and Ryan about Summer Camp…
We keep our eyes peeled for new tour dates announcements each week and compile them on Tuesdays (well Wednesday this week if you want to be a stickler) for this
Langerado returns to Markham Park in Sunrise, FL on October 8 and 9 boasting a lineup that includes HT faves the Trey Anastasio Band, Death Cab For Cutie, Ween, Clap
Summer Camp 2011 included a fun new addition for the smaller bands on the docket called The Matchups, which provided an opportunity to jam with members of the bigger acts
While Phish won’t be touring this fall, the band’s guitarist has confirmed his first gig of the season as Trey Anastasio and his band has been added to the lineup for this year’s Bear Creek Music & Art Festival. Set to take place in gorgeous Spirit of the Suwanee Music Park in Live Oak, FL, Bear Creek is known for its intimate atmosphere, family feel and funk-heavy lineup.
Anastasio bolts to the top of Bear Creek’s bill with Medeski, Scofield, Martin & Wood, The Funky Meters, KDTU, Galactic, John Scofield & Piety Street, Soulive, Lettuce and MMW among the acts scheduled to perform in Live Oak between November 11 and 13. George Porter Jr & the Runnin’ Pardners, the Russell Batiste Band are among the other additions to the lineup announced today along with artists at large Freekbass, Nikki Glaspie, Jamie McLean, Will Bernard, Johnny Vidocovich, Roosevelt Collier, Scott Messersmith, Topaz, and Michelle Sarah. Head over to the festival’s website for the full lineup and ticketing information.
We spoke with Bear Creek organizer Paul Levine about booking TAB and he mentioned how much this addition meant to him. “Personally, I am head over heels excited to have The Trey Anastasio Band at Bear Creek. Trey is obviously considered by many to be the best and most emotionally expressive guitar player in the world. We are honored to welcome TAB to Bear Creek, Levine said.” Levine went on to explain, “I am a huge Phish and Trey fan. I saw Phish for the first time at Haverford College in a cafeteria in 1990, I believe, while I was at Lehigh University. Since 2000, I have probably seen Phish 40-50 times. I was at Coventry and at Madison Square Garden for New Year’s this year. I saw the famous ‘Meatstick’ in New York and it was probably the most joyful thing I’ve ever seen a band do.” READ ON for more…
The Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival comes your way with not one but two weekends of fun in 2012. Details after the jump. While it may be too early
With so many bands coming to the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas for Wakarusa this week, it gets tough to get to know them all beforehand. Lucky for you, we were able to grab a handful of bands and take them to the interrogation room for you
Loud, hard-driving and never boring, The Jim Jones Revue brings its frenetic style of rock to North America beginning in September. With wailing vocals reminiscent of a young Steven Tyler
