NOTE: This is hopefully the beginning of a regular Phish.Net feature where one of our esteemed bloggers will post a short paragraph or two containing their take on the previous night's show. We encourage further discussion and interaction in the comments section.

Those who thought the strong opening night at Bethel boded well for rest of tour were (initially anyway) proven right during Night 2. The first set contained a number of highlights punctuated by the no-doubt-about-it best “Halley’s” of 3.0 (the 6/16/09 Fox version may have been a touch longer, but last night was far more interesting) and a “Gin” & “Manteca” cocktail. "Runaway Jim" and "Cities" were also considerably more interesting than the vast majority of their 3.0 counterparts. Set II brought a “Disease” that descended into space, a fun “Makisupa” and a “BDTNL” that was well above average, but didn’t quite rise to the level of 8/11/09, 8/16/09, 6/12/10 or 8/17/10. Really, the second set didn’t live up to the expectations set by the first set (which was one of the best first sets of 3.0), but it, nevertheless, seems like we're off to a good start... a solid 6.5/10.

Read more...

If many of these are true, there’s a good chance you’ll like Phish:

You love music, you listen to a lot of music, and you feel noticeably happy and energized whenever you get into a new album or band.

You love musical complexity, and you’re not crazy about the lack of it in today’s pop music.

You consider most modern pop music “overproduced”.

You don’t easily tire of the songs you love and hear often.

You’re a sucker for a good electric-guitar solo. Your favorite part of one of your favorite rock songs is the quick little guitar riff toward the end, and you wish it was longer.

You prefer to buy and listen to full albums rather than singles. (Bonus points if you rarely use shuffle, preferring to listen to songs in album order.)

You need a lot of music to fill long periods, such as listening in headphones while working at a computer all day."

Marco Arment, a web and iPhone software developer (Instapaper) from his blog article "Geek Intro to Phish".

Leaves NYC in front of the Hamerstein Ballroom (34th and Eighth, near MSG) at 10 am on July 1st, returning from Watkins Glen on the morning of July 4th. Tickets are $99 and available online at the Rocks Off website here. A great option for those thinking of flying into NYC and renting a car to get to Watkins Glen.

Hat tip to @slothberries in the .net forum for the heads up.

Read more...

The standoff between The Town of Bethel and Yasgur Rd Productions has ended. They win.

Upon reading quotes from town supervisor Daniel Sturm stating that the town intends to “hit us in our wallets” and after already receiving camping violations one week before people arrived, we know they mean business. The fines could be as much as $1,000 per violation, per parcel (there are 5), for the duration of the permit which is 14 days. That's $70,000 for the two weeks of the permit plus the $25,000 for the contempt of court. That is if we only have one violation per day.

The town would be able to then take a lien on our property if we were unable to pay within their timeframe."

From the Facebook page of Jeryl Abramson (5/26/11 at 1:43 pm)

I never understood Phish, the rock band that I will always associate with vacuum cleaners and trampolines.

But Phish bass player Mike Gordon in 2002 told me an awesome story about a soundcheck the guys had before playing The Chance in Poughkeepsie years ago:

”My favorite moment at The Chance — no one was in the room during a soundcheck. Fishman and I were sleeping in a van right by the stage door and someone came to get us. We got on stage and both of us were still in alpha stages, still in a dream state, and we played really steady bass and drums, unvarying but very hypnotic. Sometimes sound checks were more hypnotic and mesmerizing than the gigs. Trey and Page did a very ambient … they did these very light, very fluttery patterns over steady bass and drums. It was one of the best musical experiences ever.”

johnbarry at the Poughkeepsie (NY) Journal blog "Sonic Storm" (5/25/11)

The iPhone app iDidn'tKnow has been updated to v3.0. With new features and content, the app now has over 1,000 questions, puzzles, and factoids - to test your knowledge of the Phish, and/or pass some time in show traffic. As always, a portion of all sales go to the Mockingbird Foundation., with whom app producer TourBuddySystems is a partner.

Read more...

Scott Anderson is leading an effort to sing "Happy Birthday to You" to Mike when the band walks on stage for the first set of the 6/3/11 show, his 46th birthday. Check out the Facebook page and flyer.

Read more...

Next Monday, May 30, Si Twining and Bruuuce.com will host Daily Dose Day, giving away 125 hourly downloads (25 each from Phish, Bruce Hornsby, Dave Matthews Band, the Grateful Dead, and Bela Fleck) to raise funds for the ALS Assocation (fighting Lou Gehrig's disease) and NSPCC (fighting cruelty to children).

Read more...

Issue #29 of Surrender to the Flow will hit the lots at Bethel with 64 pages of fun. Later issues this year include #30 (eight-page mini-issue) @ Superball IX, #31 (56 pages) for the second leg of summer, and #32 (eight-page mini-issue) for Colorado. Each includes news, reviews, venue info, essays, articles, games, statistics, and more.

The Blog is back with the 51st installment of the Mystery Jam Monday Series. Just like we have for the past 25 weeks, we will be playing for an MP3 download courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. The rules haven't changed: you need to correctly identify the song and the date to win. Post your guess in the comments. One guess per person per day (with the second “day” starting after I post the hint). The hint will come on Tuesday and the answer will be posted on Wednesday. Good luck...

Tuesday Hint: No need for a hint this week.

Wednesday Answer: Ladies and Gentlemen... a well-deserved congratulations to our first four-time winner, @Choda for ID'ing the 10/29/98 "Reba." Yet another tough loss, but the Blog will, nonetheless, be back next week with another Mystery Jam.

MP3 Downloads Courtesy of LivePhish.com

Those NYC concertgoers going to the May 31 and June 1 Phish shows at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel can skip the drive, traffic and hassle and jump on the Rocks Off "Party Bus."

According to Rocks Off, "We are running an air-conditioned, bathroom-equipped, sound system & flatscreen-rockin party bus from NYC to and from the shows, so you don't need to worry about finding a ride, staying sober, dealing with the scumbags on public transportation (or the crowded-ass shuttle buses back to the NJT station after the show), or even learning where the hell "Holmdel, New Jersey" actually is. Really, all you've gotta do is buy a ticket, show up, stumble into and out of the venue, and we'll take care of the rest - don't that sound like it's worth a little money spent on your peace of mind? (And not having to draw straws to see which one of your friends has to stay sober at a Phish show)."

Tickets are $49 plus shipping (mail for only 25 cents) for each night. More information and links for online ordering is available from the Rocks Off/TicketWeb website here. The bus will run to and from the Hammerstein Ballroom - 34th Street and 8th Avenue. Boarding begins at 4:45pm, and the bus will leave at 5pm PROMPTLY.

Read more...

Andrew Duch at the Headstash site has written a thought provoking article about how technology will change the Jam Band scene.

Duch sees a decline in "organic" roots rock music like the jam band genre, in favor of electronica and DJ based music. He also considers the implications of RFID wristbands and smartphone apps to allow cashless festivals and friend finding features. Interactive shows and enhanced couch tours also could be part of the future if bands embrace and facilitate the technology, like audience taping, instead of fighting it.

Food for thought.

Read more...

Fifty. Hard to believe, we've been doing this for nearly a year but here we are. And, for those of you keeping score, the Blog has won a grand total of four times. 4 for 49... those are Jorge Posada numbers! Where's my $13m? Sadly, even Posada is doing better than the Blog (if you don't count hints... we should count hints; factor those in and it's the Mystery Jam equivalent of OBP). Now that I've bored the hell out of all the non-baseball fans out there, let's get on with Mystery Jam Monday L. Just like every week, we will be playing for an MP3 download courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. The rules haven't changed: you need to correctly identify the song and the date to win. Post your guess in the comments. One guess per person per day (with the second “day” starting after I post the hint). The hint will come on Tuesday and the answer will be posted on Wednesday. Good luck...

Tuesday Hint: Five meaty minutes of Mystery Jam goodness and you noobs still need a hint?!?!? Ok, this should help... the show is from Vermont.

Wednesday Answer: 7/23/88 "Curtain With" -> "Dave's Energy Guide" -> "Curtain With." Congrats to possum17 on his (HINT AIDED!) victory. We'll be back on Monday for MJ51...

MP3 Downloads Courtesy of LivePhish.com

Maybe we will unleash the people on the town and let them handle it. We didn't bring the people to the area."

Roy Howard, one of the owners of the "Yasgurs Pharm" campground in Bethel, speaking to a reporter about the Town's plans to potentially prevent the campground from hosting Phish concertgoers at the upcoming Bethel Woods shows on May 27-29.

According to published reports, the campground owners have taken reservations for an estimated 1,300 cars, exceeding the maximum number of permitted campers under the Town's ordinance, as well as potentially violating a previous court order not to promote festivals at their site, the site of the original 1969 Woodstock festival.