Oh yeah!  Two more Phish shows on the current summer tour and I get to end up at my home venue, Merriweather.  For one thing I was so happy I wouldn’t have to travel all day to see a show or sleep in a hotel room.  The trip to Merriweather would only take me an hour or so and I could sleep in my own bed after each show.  It seemed like only last week that I was seeing Phish up in Saratoga Spring, oh wait I did.  ;)

June 26th – warming things up

Phish summer 2010 MMP poster

For the Saturday show I gave myself plenty of time to arrive at the venue and do a little tailgating.  Unfortunately I forgot how close Nancy is to the venue and traffic was not an issues so I arrived about three hours before show time.  No worry I just went to Columbia Mall and walked around for awhile and stuffed my face full of food while I was there.  Getting bored with the mall I decided to head in and get a good seat close on the lawn.  This meant spending over an hour in the hot sun and high humidity.  I took the opportunity to just lay out without trying to move.  I just covered my face with my hat and attempted to get a quick nap.  Plus laying out afforded me more space as the lawn filled in closers to the show start.  With show time fast approaching I couldn’t be more excited.

The set opener was a mediocre choice with Crowd Control, not my favorite but a good one.  They quickly followed it up with Kill Devil Falls and one of my favorites from Joy, Sugar Shack.  Mike seemed to flub the words and his voice cracked, on the current tour the song has not been played much but I love to bass line.  After Sugar we got a Tube which yet again was another fan request.  Trey again mentions how he can’t understand what the audience is yelling out and this is what they will play when ever the crowds start yelling.  It was great to see another request, even though it was the same song as requested at nTelos for the first set opener.  Stash was good, another old song from long ago as well as NICU.  Another new song from Joy they played was Backwards Down the Number Line.  This is another song I really dig from the new album but I got the feeling the crowd didn’t care much or the new stuff.  They certainly dug the old stuff and wanted more of the hits but we can’t always get what we want.  Suzie closed the first set out and we got another glow stick war during the “Suzie….Suzie” part which kicks ass.  I remember my first show and the glow stick war during Harry Hood, ever since then I love the fights.  To look up into the stary night and see the florescent lights streaking across the sky is cool.

Trey@MMW (copyright Keith)

Set two started with another Rock and Roll, this time with a Columbia jam according to the official release.  As I looked over the set list I was writing down, comparing it the previous two shows I attended on this tour, they looked strikingly similar.  Not only was some of the songs the same, but even the order in which they where played was the same.  That being said the show so far was full of energy and some great song selections.  Like always the sets are interspersed with slow songs that just kill the momentum, as a whole they have been very very good.  Some of the best in years.

As the set rolled on they played Sparkle which was a great upbeat tune and then busted out with a Tweezer.  After the show opener and closer Tweezer Reprise at SPAC, I was pretty certain on another Reprise at the end of the night.  In two consecutive shows I saw, Tweezer Reprise was played three times, pretty good odds of you ask me.  The audience knew about the opening and closing Reprise and was juiced for tonight’s encore.  Next up was Horse > Silent in the morning which I had not heard in years, rather slow, but the guitar work at the end by Trey is always a highlight.  The set quickly rolled on to Wolfman’s and ended with Tweezer Reprise.  Something we all knew was coming, but I didn’t expect it till the encore.  The choice for the encore could have been better in my opinion.  I would have rather heard Tweezer Reprise there and Good Times, Bad Times as set 2 closer.  The Show of Life was just two slow…..booooo.  Good Times brought things back again to end the night on a high note.

Leaving the show I took the long way back to the car.  I had to park in the business garages on the back side of the venue meaning I had to pass all the official lots as people streamed out on their way home.  In under an hour I was back home and in a comfortable bed to dream about the show I just witnessed and let my mind run wild with what would happen on Sunday.

Set 1:
01. Crowd Control
02. Kill Devil Falls
03. AC/DC Bag
04. Sugar Shack
05. Tube
06. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
07. Stash
08. Backwards Down the Number Line
09. NICU >
10. 46 Days
11. Suzy Greenberg

Set 2:
01. Rock and Roll >
02. Columbia jam >
03. Free
04. Fast Enough for You
05. Sparkle >
06. Tweezer
07. The Horse >
08. Silent in the Morning >
09. Wolfman’s Brother >
10. Slave to the Traffic Light >
11. Tweezer Reprise

encore:
12. Show of Life
13. Good Times Bad Times

Note:
Prior to the start of the first set, Mike teased Do You Feel Like We Do. This show featured the Phish debut of In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (Neutral Milk Hotel).

June 27th – the best got better

must be the start of set 1 (http://blackmuddyblog.blogspot.com/)

Having arrived way to early the previous night I took my time leaving and arrived at what I would say was just in time.  I got into the pavilion at 7:30, the ticketed show start time.  But this is Phish and the show time printed on the ticket is never right, you can always add thirty minutes to that as the actual time the band will walk out on stage.  In years past the delay was not always so well defined.  They would always start late, you just couldn’t be sure how long you would have to wait.  It always pays to arrive early to the venue because you never know what traffic will be like as I found out the first time I saw Phish at Merriweather.

But I digress, back to modern times.  The weather on Sunday was not much better than Saturday, in fact it was a bit warmer but thankfully a little less humid.  As the sun was setting quickly I was hoping for things to cool off rapidly and become a pleasant evening.  In the end once the music started I didn’t even realize how hot it was, I just didn’t care any more.

The show opened with Walfredo which for me was a bust out.  I know it has been played several times over the course of Phish’s 25+ years and certainly 131 shows is not that long.  But wow what a opener!  I knew something was up when the band comes walking out on stage and immediately proceeded to different instruments (see show notes).  I kept saying to myself “this is going to be good.”  Just when I thought things couldn’t get better they played Mellow Mood by Bob Marley.  The last time I saw this performed was at IT second night, in fact it was the last time it was performed before the second night of Merriweather.  The opening of the show was very strong.

As the set rolled on other favorites and songs long put to rest made their appearance including Tela which I first heard at my first show.  Divided Sky had a great pause in the middle, it went on so long I just though the band might walk off for their set break.  Had some great blues action with My Soul.  Other set one highlights included Bathtub Gin which I remember as the classic old school lights-literally-go-out-glow-stick-war-in-sues song, love that one.  To end one of the best sets of the tour was Antelope which contained a tease from Brian and Robert.

Tela request, which they played (http://blackmuddyblog.blogspot.com/)

During the set break I was amped and ready to rock!  The sunset was beautiful to watch over the top of the trees and the temperatures were finally breaking to something mildly comfortable.  As soon as the second set started things started to heat up again.  It was pretty much a none stop roller coaster ride of kick ass songs and great playful jams.  Wilson got things going with a little crowd participation straight into Meatstick with Japan lyrics, something I remember them doing frequently during 2000 after they went to Japan for several shows.  I Saw it Again was next up and during the remainder of the set lyrics would be interjected into various songs, in fact they did an I Saw it Again reprise after Jumpin’ Jack Flash.  Old school songs Piper and Ghost flowed effortlessly from the boys as they played a new debut, Jumpin’ Jack Flash by The Rolling Stones.  At this years Halloween concert in Indio, CA their musical costume was Exile on Main Street by the Stones.  They even played two Stones songs for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon as part of that shows week long tribute to the Stones reissue of Exile on Main Street album.  That was a kick ass song that literally had people jumping out of their seats.  Then back to I Saw it Again with things cooling off a little with Contact.

I couldn’t believe the set so far and welcomed the short break while they figured out what to play next.  Thankfully they picked a great song as the set closer, one that has a tradition spot here, YEM.  So far on this tour I had not heard it and it was a good 20 minute space odyssey.  Well actually it didn’t get to spacey, but it did have alternate lyrics from I Saw it Again (“Boy man I saw it again”) with some great lead guitar work by Trey and a slight hint of leading from Mike.  It ended with the traditional vocal jam and accompanying light work from Kuroda.  The bombed dropped at the start of the set finally exploded with the high energy lights and vocals.  After the short ovation period, it was so weak from the lawn I thought they would never come out, they busted out Fire and knocked the shit out of it for four minutes.  Jimmy would have been proud.

After this kick ass show I drove home in amazement.  Of the four shows (previous 1, 2) I saw this was certainly the best.  There were several bust outs and songs that are not generally played.  The selection of songs that are more often than not played were killer and accompanied the set perfectly.  I loved the playfulness of I Saw it Again lyrics in various songs and the reprise of it after the debut of Jumpin’ Jack Flash, that was just brilliant.  The following day when the show was available from Live Phish I immediately purchased it and have listened to the full concert numerous times.  What a great show, in fact a great summer tour, a very solid performance from the band and one of the best in years.  Currently they are on hiatus before hitting the Greek Theatre in Berkley for three night and a mini-festival at Telluride Town Park .

Set 1:
01. Walfredo
02. Mellow Mood
03. Stealing Time from the Faulty Plan >
04. The Divided Sky
05. Tela
06. My Soul
07. Ginseng Sullivan
08. Sample in a Jar
09. Bathtub Gin
10. Brian and Robert
11. Run Like an Antelope

Set 2:
01. Wilson >
02. Meatstick >
03. I Saw It Again >
04. Piper >
05. Ghost >
06. Jumpin’ Jack Flash >
07. I Saw It Again >
08. Contact
09. You Enjoy Myself

encore:
10. Fire

Notes:
This show featured the first Walfredo since September 30, 2000 (131 shows). Jon on bass, Trey on keys, Mike on guitar, and Page on drums.  Antelope contained Brian and Robert teases, a It Was a Very Good year tease from Trey, and an alternate “Michael Esquandolas” lyric. Meatstick contained Japanese lyrics. Jumpin’ Jack Flash was a Phish debut. Piper, Ghost, Contact, YEM and Fire all contained Saw it Again quotes. YEM also contained Jumpin’ Jack Flash teases and, in the vocal jam, quotes of Saw It Again and Surfin’ Bird (The Trashmen). The lyrics to Fire were changed to “Let Jon Fishman take over.”

Disney's Magic Kingdom

Photo Gallery

Several months ago my Dad and Pat came up with a great idea, a family vacation.  They had banked a timeshare form last year and using the one for this year, they where able to get two rooms to accommodate the entire family.  The next question was where to go?  With two grand kids they decided on Orlando and a trip to Disney World.  Pat has always wanted to take her grand kids there, but it was a a challenge as Ty just turned one and Ellie is almost three.  Ty definitely wouldn’t remember the trip at all, in fact he slept through most of it.  But Pat was not sure how much longer she would be able to walk around the parks.  So it was decided the reward of the trip outweighed the grand kids being to young.  I can say all the kids enjoy the trip, even the adult kids.

We had direct flights out of National Airport early on Saturday, one think I have learned about air travel is fly early and direct.  After arriving in Orlando we got three rental cars and headed to the Marriott Cypress Harbour resort.  Arriving long before check in, only one room was available, if we waited we could get two rooms next to each other which really worked out.  My brother and his girlfriend arrived later that afternoon, unfortunately they could only stay till Wednesday before heading back to the real world.

Tyson after a long day

One thing was made clear early in the planning stages of the trip.  We didn’t have to do everything as a family, however we must all get together for a family dinner every night.  A very small price to pay considering plain tickets, hotel, park entrance fee, and most of the food were paid for by the folks.  Each couple took turns cooking one night with everyone else on cleanup duty.  The first night, Saturday, Nancy and I got selected to cook our meal, fajitas.  Being a time share the room had a full kitchen which we put to good use every night.  That first night 9 adults and 2 children crowded around two tables we put together and had our first of many family dinners.  I was seated at the head of one table and it was a great feeling looking down the table seeing the entire family together, the first time in a long time, all enjoy the food Nancy and I cooked.  That is a memory I will not soon forget.

Sunday everyone brook off into their own groups to do what they wanted.  Nancy, Bobby, Tracy, the kids, and I took the day off after our travels and spent most of the day at the pool.  Any other free time was spent simply lounging around the hotel room.  Sometimes doing nothing is all I want to do on vacation.  Not till Monday did we start hitting the parks, and we hit them hard.  Everyone went to Magic Kingdom on Monday, even got our must-have family photo in front of the castle.  Tuesday was Bobby and Tracy’s wedding anniversary so the two of them, Matt, Nancy and I went to Hollywood Studios for a day of adult fun while the grand parents watched the kids.  Wednesday was another family day at Animal Kingdom after my Dad dropped off my brother and his girlfriend at the airport for their plane ride home.  Ellie loved the safari ride and Ty did a lot of double finger pointed, a sign he likes what he sees.  Thursday the group slimmed down to just Nancy, Matt and I as we visited Epcot.

rain soaked first day

I would say that the Magic Kingdom was probably my favorite park.  It is by far the largest with the widest selection of rides, all the way from the classic It’s a Small World and Space Mountain to the more modern Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.  Nancy and I spent most of the morning in Tomorrowland with it’s many interactive rides.  The Buzz Lightyear ride was cool, you get to shoot all sorts of bad guys that give you points.  After a quick snake, most of us headed back to the hotel for lunch and a quick nap.  I quickly learned that the mid-afternoon nap for youngster is very important, if they don’t get their nap they become angry.  After a few hours we headed back just in time to get caught in a serious rain storm.  Just as we got onto the tram the heavens opened up and drowned us.  By the time we got into the park there was no point in staying undercover, so we walked to the back of the parks to get in line for rides.  When the lightning stopped and the all clear was given it was a breeze getting onto some rides.  We stayed late that night for the SpectroMagic Parade but left when it was finished for fear of getting caught in the rain once again.  I really wanted to see the fireworks display, but waiting till 10 just wasn’t going to happen.  There was a huge storm rolling in and we got to the car just before it started raining.

at Epcot

Hollywood Studios was a close second.  The rides here are more geared towards adults and the shows are more extravagant.  Plus it was just a lot of fun to hang out with Bobby, Tracy and Matt all day at the park.  We fast pass most of the rides so we didn’t have to stand in lines.  The Tower of Terror was cool along with the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster next to it.  Nancy actually like both of these even though the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster did three loops.  We took in a couple of shows including the Indiana Jones, Studio Backlot Tour, and Lights, Motors, Action.  The Indiana and Backlot both ask for volunteers and would you believe both times Nancy and Tracy got picked to be extras.  For the Backlot they had parts in a Pearl Harboresq production.  They had to act “crazy” and got soaked in water.  For the Indiana Jones show they both got cast as citizens in the market.  They didn’t do anything, but they certainly had a good view of the entire show.

Ellie is so cute

Wednesday was another full family day, minus my brother and his girlfriend who where on their way back home at this point.  We all traveled to Animal Kingdom, the park I was most excited about.  Years ago when my brother and I went with my mom and Norman to Disney World, this park was closed while the finishing touches were put on it.  The big attraction here is the safari ride in the back of the park and it was really cool.  The way they take you through the park is unique in that you don’t feel its a “ride” so much as an experience.  We saw a ton of animals just being animals, doing their own thing.  The one roller coaster they have, Expedition Everest, is different.  At one point you go backwards and there are a ton of high speed turns, using the fast pass it took no time at all to get on this ride.  I must say however the Kali River Rapids was pretty lame, skip this one if you can.  Bobby was talking all sorts of smack to Nancy and I, saying we were going to get soaked on the ride, turns out the raft turned just right down the plunge and got Bobby and Tracy soaked.  I wish I could have seen more of the nature trails and animal exhibits but I couldn’t get anyone else to join me.  We had already walked 10′s of miles and no one wanted to walk more than they had to at this point.  We ended the day with the Finding Nemo musical and it was actually very entertaining for everyone.  When it ended Nancy, Matt and I had had enough and we ditched out about 3pm with everyone else not far behind us.  The whirlwind trip was starting to catch up to everyone.

our nightly poker game

Our last day at the parks Nancy, Matt and I headed to Epcot.  I will admit this this is probably the least exciting park Disney has to offer.  There are not a whole lot of rides, mostly educational demos and of course you have the 11 nation World Showcase around the lagoon.  We road Test Track and did Soarin’ which was really neat, you fly over various locations in California and the chair you sit in takes you up as you watch the scenery on a 90′ screen with the chair shaking in sync with the visuals.  You even smell oranges while flying over the orange grove.  The one ride I did myself was Mission: Space.  This uses a centrifuge to simulate the g-forces associated with a rocket launch and trip to Mars.  Pretty cool but I felt funny when I was finished.  I knew that was spinning around but the screen I was watching was telling my brain I was traveling in a straight line, just weird.  I didn’t feel sick or anything, just funny is the best way to describe it.  After Mission: Space we headed out of the park for lunch, I know it weird considering all the national food to choose from.  But we saw dark clouds coming and I was really craving some BBQ.  Lucky for us we where in the restaurant when the heavens once again opened up for a mid-afternoon thunder storm.  This was certainly the heaviest rain all week, we literally couldn’t see across the street it was coming down to hard.  Matt and I ate our fill of BBQ and had desert on top of that.  We headed back to hotel for a quick two hour nap.  After waking we headed back to catch the IllumiNations firework/laser/water show in the lagoon.  Everyone said it was the best of all the parks nightly shows and I would agree.  We had a great spot on the back of the park and I was amazed by the entire 12 minute show.

Nancy and I at the Tree of Life

After four straight days of parks we all agreed Friday would be a relaxing day as we attempted to catch up from the 25-30 miles we walked in high humidity with soaring temperatures.  Matt, Nancy and I headed to a local putt putt where I schooled them in how to play, my Dad mostly napped, and everyone else was pool side.  Later in the afternoon we hatched a plan to meet at Downtown Disney to take the folks out to dinner.  They picked this Irish restaurant, Raglan Road Irish Pub.  Here we got some traditional Irish food and saw some live music with Celtic dancers on a small center stage.  I highly recommend the bangers and mash, yum.  Taking the folks out for our final night was the least we could do to show our appreciation for them taking us all to Orlando for a week long vacation.  Plus, no one wanted to cook that night, let alone clean up the mess before we had to leave on Saturday morning.  As a night cap we played one final round of poker.  Each night we played Texas Hold’em with a $5 buy in.  The late night poker seasons were fun.  I unfortunately never won, in fact Matt won 3 out of the four nights we played for money.  That lucky bastard!

Getting home was a non-issue.  The flights where on time and getting back to the house was a breeze.  I slept a little on the plan and took a nice long nap that afternoon after having some lunch with Nancy.  We even headed to bed early.  Thankfully there was nothing we needed to do on Sunday so that turned into a lazy day around the house, catching up on sleep.  This is certainly a vacation I will not soon forget.  It was wonderful hanging out with the family.  Our last night in Orlando we even talked about the next family trip in two years.  I am pulling for the Pacific Northwest and I think Tracy is for that as well.  Thankfully we have almost two years to decide where the next trip will be.

Random photos from the gallery:

Saratoga Performing Arts Center

The second show I was able to see on Phish’s current summer tour. I just saw them at nTelos Pavilion with my friend Jeremy on Tuesday and now I was making the eight hour drive to Saratoga Springs, NY for the first night of a two night run. I was able to score lottery tickets for both shows but was only able to make the Saturday performance.  I would however be back home in time for Fathers Day at my Dad’s house, so it all worked out.

The drive up was pretty uneventful. I got a rather late start but I still managed to arrive in Saratoga Springs at about 6pm. I was hoping for a quick nap but it took over an hour to get into the venue parking lot. I was surprised it took so long as people had been gathering for hours to tailgate. I had read that cops and park police would be making a strong presence at both show, cracking down on drinking in the lots. Being a state park there is no drinking in the lot, only from the vendors inside.  Few people followed the rule and partied anyway, they were not deterred by the police presence as there is safety in numbers. The police report from the weekend does mention several arrests, mostly for drug possession and drinking. I was able to get about five minutes of shut eye before it was time to head inside and try to secure a good seat on the lawn.   Show time was scheduled for 7:30 which means they will start about 8pm for their sold out show on Saturday night.

When the show started just after eight the lawn was jumping. As the band hit it’s first note of the night a large haze of smoke rose from the audience. I just couldn’t believe everyone and their mother was smoking. No literally, there was a couple easily in their 50′s next to me that whipped out a joint and lit up. Security and cops stood on the walkways leading to the upper pavilion and looked down menacingly at everyone, but there was little they could do. They where not about to wade through the crowd to get a couple pot smokers. The crowd was also a little routy. I saw a guy climb up one of the support beams for the walkway. He certainly was a monkey hanging around there, I just didn’t want him to fall and ruin everyone’s fun.

Copyright: Dan Shinneman

The show opened with Tweezer Reprise, something I found out later was very very rare.  It had been almost 15 years since they last did that as an opener.  After the show I started reading how Hersey didn’t have a Reprise and the night before in Hartford they doubled up on the Reprise.  In fact the Coventry Blog has a really good write up about the whole Tweezer Reprise thing, well worth a read for any phan.  It was great to be a part of Phish history, and besides, the show kicked ass even without the whole Tweezer Reprise gag.

Pretty much the whole first set kicked ass.  There were a lot of older songs played that I love to hear including Runaway Jim, Chalk Dust, and one of my all time favorites Bathtub Gin.  I know that during Bathtub there was a glow stick war and surprisingly there was one during Suzy Greenberg too.  There is a the slight pause in the song and Trey then yells “Suzy….Suzy….Suzy Greenberg” there was a giant launch of glow sticks.  In fact the whole performance had several glow stick wars during both sets, I believe there were at least four in total.  It was also great to hear Fluffhead again, I had not heard it in many years and it is always a classic.

Second set was a mix of old and new.  Opening with Rock and Roll there was a great long jam in the middle of the song.  They interspersed several songs off of Joy and even some new new songs, one that had never been played before.  After attending two shows already and seeing the set list from several others, it would appear they are testing out songs for a new album.  I would expect to see something later this year or early next, just in time for a winter tour.

For the encore Squirming Coil started things off and this is always a slow song, but I love the guitar work from Trey.  As the song progresses everyone slowly fades out leaving Page playing by himself.  It is always a great way to end a set or close out a show during the encore performance.  Character Zer0 brought things back to life, just in time to complete the show with Tweezer Reprise….again.  What a great show.  In my opinion things got better as the tour progressed.  I know the SPAC and nTelos shows were less than a week apart, but things just felt much better at the SPAC show.  I have certainly not been disappointed with either show.

After the show I headed back to the lots to decompress.  It took an hour to get into the lots so I was not expecting to get out any time soon.  I took the opportunity to catch a few zzzs again while I waited for the lots to clear.  It was an eight hour drive up and I had to be back home on Sunday so I started my journey that night after the show.  I drove past Albany and stopped at a rest stop for a few more hours of sleep.  I have slept there before and it is nice to wake up and see other fans sleeping in there cars too.  Plus, they have a Star Bucks inside that really helps get my morning going and prepare me for the rest of the drive home.  Once home it was a a short 6 days before my next show, this time on home territory.  I feel that Merriweather is my base of operations when it comes to Phish.  I saw my first Phish show there and have seen every performance there but the first back in ’92.  With a two night run I was excited.  I was also hoping for a better show than last years which I thought was disappointing.  Six days and counting….

Set 1: started at 8:01
Tweezer reprise
Chalk Dust Torture
Funky Bitch
Runaway Jim
Ya Mar
Sample in a Jar
Axilla
Fluffhead
Bathtub Gin
Suzy Greenberg
ended at 9:18

Set 2: started at 9:53
Rock and Roll
Free
Backwards Down the Number Line
Halfway to the Moon*
Prince Caspian >
Joy
David Bowie
Show of Life
ended at 11:05

encore: started at 11:08
The Squirming Coil
Character Zero
Tweezer reprise
show over at 11:26

Note:
*First time played
This gig featured the first Tweezer Reprise opener since November 9, 1995 (482 shows) and the debut of Halfway to the Moon. Suzy contained a Living After Midnight (Judas Priest) tease. Tweezer Reprise closed both this show and the previous night’s show in Hartford as well, making this the first time since July 16, 1993, that two consecutive Phish shows had each closed with the same song. (Freebird closed both the July 15 and July 16, 1993, shows.)

Over the 4th of July weekend Pat asked around if anyone was interested in seeing Mamma Mia at Wolf Trap.  She is a big fan and I know has wanted to see it for sometime.  A few years ago when the movie came out she was all excited.  Both Nancy and Tracy were in because they loved the movie too, as does my Dad.  I will admit I like the movie, but I was in because the venue was Wolf Trap.  Wolf Trap is the only venue I know of that allow you to bring in your own food and drink, how cool is that.

Mamma Mia at Wolf Trap

With a record breaking heat wave sweeping the mid-atlantic and heat advisers that ran till almost midnight, we packed several picnic baskets and headed for the show.  I meet Nancy at her place and we headed over to Tracy’s house to pick her up and car pool.  We arrived just after 7pm and it was already starting to fill in.  I was surprised to see so many people out on one of the worst days you could imagine.  The fans of Mamma Mia didn’t care about the weather, they wanted to sing along to the music of Abba.

We sat a little off to the right, but we where down low on the lawn.  When the show did start I was surprised by how well I could see.  One of the strange things that I noticed immediately was the entire venue was quite and the lawn remained seated for the entire performance.  Not till the encore did anyone actually get up and dance.  Now and again you would hear people shushing others as they talked, this was a very respectful crowd.  As for the show I was surprised by just how little the set changed.  They managed to portray a small hotel on a Greek island very well with just two set pieces.  These two pieces would occasionally twist around to various angles to produce the desired stage setting.  For my first play it was great.  To me the best part was after the second act the performers all come out to take their bows but stayed on stage to sing a few more songs.  Finally everyone on the lawn and in the pavilion is up on their feet, for the first time all night, dancing and getting into the groove.

The show was very entertaining and it was a great time spent with the family.  We polished off six bottles of wine and an unknown amount of food.  Having carried two coolers to and from the venue I could tell you we ate and drank a lot because they were much lighter when we left.  We managed to be the second to last group to leave the pavilion.  Once the play ended everyone cleared out, some even left before the encore even started.  We all walked back to our cars, said our goodbyes and Nancy, Tracy and I headed back home in the Jeep.  What a cool show, I can’t thank Pat enough for picking up tickets for everyone.

Phish

Day two of my mini vacation with Jeremy down in the Tide Water area of Virginia.  We arrived the night before to see Medeski Martin and Wood at the Norva Theatre for a kick ass show.  Tuesday was Phish at the nTelos Pavilion.  I have never been to nTelos Pavilion before so I didn’t know what to expect from the venue.  I knew to expect a kick ass show from Phish, thus far on the tour they have been on fire!  From the look of things it was going to be a small venue right along the water.  Come to find out while watching Phish 3D I was talking to another fan about the nTelos show.  It was one of only a hand full of shows already sold out, it was just weird that Portsmouth sold out before SPAC and other venues.  I soon found out this show can seat approximately 6,500 people.  I know that number seems like a lot, but that is a rather small venue for Phish to be playing.  They could have played the VA Beach Amphitheatre and come close to selling it out, but I guess they wanted to play somewhere new.

nTelos Pavilion

We spent most of the day bumming around the region, smoking cigars and eating some good food.  When show time finally arrived we headed to the venue not knowing what to expect.  One thing I immediately noticed when we pulled off the highway was the large police presence.  Cops were everywhere in front of the venue and parking garages.  In fact anywhere a group could congregate there where police ready to protect and serve.  We found a parking spot in the local government center parking garage, this was not a good sign, but at least we were close to the venue.  Once parked we headed in to get a good spot on the tiny lawn.

Once past gate security there was little presence inside the venue.  My fear of police/security walking around on the lawn during the show never materialized thankfully.  We and everyone else where allowed to do our thing without being harassed.  With the relatively small lawn we got a good spot nice and close.  Later when I saw Phish at SPAC and two nights at Merriweather I would have killed for the nTelos lawn.  We where able to enjoy the mild temperatures and constant breeze coming off the water all night long.  Earlier in the day the temperatures neared 95 with high humidity.  Thankfully things where much more bearable down along the water.

copyright Paul Costen

The show as a whole was kick ass.  Set one immediately opened with Tube which was a fan request.  I noticed the sign when the lights dimmed and the band walked on stage.  Eventually a small chant grew into a large roar as the crowd yells “Tube” in unison.  Trey banters with the crowd about this chant.  He couldn’t understand what was being yelled, but notes the sign, “you asking for that there.”  Just before they bust out with Tube Trey says “we play requests” and “we are the all request band.” Not one note had been played yet, but I already had a good vibe about the show.

The first set had some great highlights.  In addition to the fan requested Tube opener,  they busted out some classics I love including Moma Dance and Bathtub Gin.  Years ago when I first started seeing Phish these two songs where staples in shows and I grew to love the jams.  They played a Tim Waits cover for the first time ever, Cold Water, and mixed in several slow songs during the set.  The tempo changed regularly which was a little confusing.  For instance they rocked out Kill Devil Falls and followed it up with Slave, Lawn Boy, and Poor Heart.  What?  Then back to kick ass with AC/DC and Moma, then slow.  Ugh.  Despite the short coming it was still a good set and I was impressed, I couldn’t wait for set two.

copyright Paul Costen

After a short intermission set two started with more crowd chanting, this time in response to Wilson.  The second set started with an onslaught of fast paced songs that got the audience riled up.  When they busted out 2001 I felt a chill run down my spin, what a great song.  It was played way to short and lead into Simple, a curious choice to follow 2001 if you ask me.  As the set rolled on things slowly began to wind down, as if the energy initially capped by the giant tent was slowly being released.  When the last song of the set was played, the Beatles A Day in the Life, I was certainly relaxed and thoroughly entertained.  It was sad to see the show come to an end, but at least I had the encore.  They played Heavy Things and First Tube which was really good choices.  First Tube ended with what I like to call the “monster jedi ending.”  Tube opened the show and First Tube was a great way to end it.

The small venue and being right on the water made for a splendid evening.  When the house lights finally came on I certainly thought it was the best show so far of the tour.  Phish was on fire, the jams were tight, and song selection pretty good with a few exceptions *cough* Lawn Boy *cough*.  The band was feeding off the energy of the crowd and I look forward to them returning to nTelos in the near future.

Set 1 started at 7:58
Tube
Kill Devil Falls
Slave to the Traffic Light
Lawn Boy
Poor Heart
AC/DC Bag
The Moma Dance
My Friend My Friend
Cold Water*
Bathtub Gin
Stealing Time from the Faulty Plan
ended at 9:13

Set 2 started at 9:47
Wilson >
Seven Below
46 Days
Idea**
2001 >
Simple >
Joy, Taste
Theme from the Bottom
A Day in the Life
ended at 11:01

encore: started at 11:03
Heavy Things
First Tube
house lights at 11:17