Stir It Up
| Originally Performed By | Bob Marley and The Wailers |
| Original Album | Catch a Fire (1973) |
| Music/Lyrics | Bob Marley |
| Phish Debut | 1987-08-21 |
| Last Played | 1987-08-21 |
| Current Gap | 2040 |
| Historian | Mark Toscano, Phillip Zerbo (pzerbo) |
History
One of Bob Marley’s signature tunes, “Stir It Up” is a popular reggae cover for both reggae and wanna-be reggae bands alike. At Ian’s Farm on 8/21/87, a “Stir It Up” jam erupted out of “McGrupp” and into a “Makisupa” during the improv-heavy third set. The next year, Jah Roy made an appearance at Phish’s 6/20/88 Nectar’s show, lending his vocals to a post-”Ya Mar” reggae jam that included vocal quotes of “Three Little Birds,” “One Love,” and “Stir It Up,” among others. The only other known attempt of the tune occurred during a mouth-watering 7/30/93 soundcheck combo of “Makisupa” -> “Stir It Up” jam -> “Have Mercy.”
While not getting the complete treatment on the Phish stage, all the members of Phish have performed the tune live in other contexts. The 8’ Fluorescent Tubes (with Trey and Fish) performed the tune at the only gig of that ensemble on 4/17/98. On 11/1/98, Trey and Mike gave the song an acoustic treatment along with other audience members at an open mic night at the Dead Goat Saloon in Salt Lake City. “Stir It Up” was then a regular of Page’s Vida Blue sets in 2002.
Bob Marley, "Stir It Up"
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