Phish Festival 8: Setlists, Reviews, Video, Audio & Exile!

Awesome festie - Runaway Jim > Possum was the bee’s knees… the burble was the sickest thing I’ve ever seen.

Finally listenting to the SBDs from the show and was getting a little nostaligic already and went up to e-bay to see what was left and came across this.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Jim-Pollock-signed-T-Shirt-Phish-Festival-8_W0QQitemZ140362429940QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item20ae40b5f4 

Really funny and had to share.  I love that episode and apparently Pollock does too.

Page’s thing at the end of Squirming Coil from F8 day 2 is so beautiful it’s breaking me down. we were front row for that whole day. i remember Trey just staring at Page when he played it. it sounds too pretty for earth. thanks for the site Todd. i’m a wreck.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkolxIEBg3U

I have been spending a few days editing up the videos, but I thought this was the very first I needed to share. Watch my youtube page over the next few days for some more HD movies of the weekend!!!

I love Gram Parsons and yes he wrote wild horses and influenced the Stones BUT the Exile connect is exaggerated a little, He does not sing on the album..
Not to be a poop but check it yourself:

[5] Contrary to popular belief, Parsons does not appear on the album and was asked to leave Nellcôte in early July 1971, the result of both his obnoxious behavior and an attempt by Richards to clean the house of drug users as the result of pressure from the French police.

[5]  Greenfield, Robert. “Making Their Masterpiece: Exile on Main St.”. Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/therollingstones/articles/story/11569598/the_rolling_stones_making_their_masterpiece_exile_on_main_street. Retrieved 2006-07-06.

Another Exile co-inky dink- Gram Parsons birthday was yesterday. He was Keith Richard’s drug buddy for many years, including the period they recorded Exile. Many credit Gram for the country music (as in real country music) influence on the Stones. That influence is my favorite aspect of the Stones- how artfully they incorporated (re-incorporated?) it into good ‘ol rock-n-roll!

Festival 8 was gr8t. It was a more mature Phish festival than the ones we’ve been a part of in the past: more organized than the Maine ones, with showers and plenty of ‘comfort stations’ for relief; more blessed than Conventry, with the sun and (almost full) moon smiling down at us all weekend long.

Just as Summer Tour has been a great reunion for band and fans alike, Festival 8 was an extension of that nostalgic feeling. I hung out with friends I hadn’t seen in 3-10 years, all ex-east-coasters who now reside on the West. Although time has elapsed our feelings of love and friendship have stayed the same.

And so has the quality of music we’ve come to expect from Phish 3.0. From the very first tune, Party Time, we knew the band was just as happy and excited as we. The rest of the first night included a funky and groovy Moma Dance, a trippy multi-color-lit balloon emerging from the jams of Harry Hood, one of my all time favorite tunes. The mitotic balloon would provide many more hours of entertainment as the weekend progresses.

Despite the heat, the first set of the second night was as high-energy as it reads, ending with Gin-Coil-Jim-Possum-Antelope. I was in complete amazement and disbelief with each subsequent tune, trumping the ones before and knowing what was still to come: the Halloween Set. I’ll admit, I’ve never heard Exile before last Saturday but it was an excellent choice. The band went a lot more blue-grassy and folksy than I thought they would (upon listening to the Stones version I can now understand why). The special musical guests were the perfect addition to fill out the quartet. One main after-effect of the Halloween Set is that it made me crave more Phish, playing Phish. Which I received in the final, albeit short, set of the evening. Starting with another long, developed version of Backwards down the Number Line (a la SPAC), followed by crowd favorites Fluffhead and Ghost, and to cap the evening off, my first Suzy with Horns. Did I mention the fire torches atop those 8 wooden sculptures at the edge of the concert grounds were alight with jams in both Fluffhead AND YEM?! Amazing.

The next day I set out to enjoy the acoustic set in the waxing shade just East of the central Dragon-Tower. The acoustic set was super mellow and chill, even with The Curtain and Wilson as pleasant surprises. The last 2 sets of the weekend were again, full of rhythmic funk and groove that only Phish can deliver More pyrotechnics with the 8 wooden sculptures to round out the fantastic weekend, lighting our way as everyone headed home.

Although I was slightly disappointed at not hearing more rare songs (Tela) which were not played during Summer Tour, I thoroughly enjoyed this past weekend’s festival and cannot wait until Fall Tour. This was a well-planned and executed festival with the music of Phish as the main focus. Alas, we have arrived. Again.

To anyone who wondered why Phish covered Exile:

You need look no further than Gram Parsons. Gram was a major influence on “country rock” - he called it Cosmic American Music. This style was not just a major influence on Exile, but many other Stones albums, including Sticky Fingers. Never mind the Stones, Gram was a major influence on the Eagles and several other artists.

The fact that Phish covered Exile is not a tribute to the Stones, but rather to the man who influenced them and many more- Gram Parsons. Just listen to Gram and you’ll learn to the source of Honkey Tonk Women, Wild Horses, Dead Flowers and more.

Gram hung out with Keith Richards, and he was there for the whole recording of Exile. He can be heard singing background vocals on Sweet Virginia.

Gram’s influence on Phish came through the Stones, but Phish was able to see through the fact that Gram was the source, so they chose Exile not to honor the Stones, but rather Gram.

Gram was not only there for the recording of Exile, he was also there in spirit. Gram often visited Joshua Tree National Park - an hour away from Indio - the venue for Festival 8. Gram felt such a connection to Joshua Tree that he and his manager made a pact that whoever died first would have their ashes scattered in the park. Since Gram hung out with Keith Richards-  he died first, from an overdose of morphine and booze.

His body was meant to be shipped to Georgia so his relatives could claim his estate, but his friends stole his corpse from the morgue, drove to Joshua Tree and buried / burned him there.

Listen to Gram and you will hear a voice that can not be replicated. He sings from the soul with such emotion it will make you cry.

Yo other commenters vying for the CK5 bobblehead, I’m really happy for you and I’mma let you finish, but Noah Z posted one of the best comments of all time.

I am re listening to the Exile set, and I came across this great Stones site were the song lyrics for the whole album are all lined up real nice like. HERE: http://www.keno.org/rolling_stones/exile_on_main_street.htm

When I was there Saturday night I remember being very impressed with the substance of the lyrics. They really coincides with all stories surrounding the bizarre recording process this album went through.
Damn this sounds better every time I listen to it. Im ashamed I never dove into this album before,
Tthanks again Phish for waking me up to the brilliance of this album!

Speaking of coincidences,
this is from Wikipedia/ much earlier this year….

“Universal Music, which has just remastered and re-released the post 1971 Rolling Stones catalog, plans a new remastering of “Exile on Main Street” in a deluxe package for early 2010.”

mighty suspicious if u ask me

I wish I was back in the desert and not in my cubical.  What a great weekend.  Such a great weekend, wow.  Sorry I never made it back to meet Todd and ya’ll, but had to take care of a pal who took too much.

Shameless plug, but I’m trying to have 8 tales in 8 days from this past weekend up at http://concertconfessions.com  Working on tale 3 right now - security. 

Oh and for the record, the fat ass mountie chick in Hunky Dory told me glass was not for the horses, as they can wear shoes.  No glass was just cause they didn’t want glass.

Festi 8 ~Spectacular, above and beyond my expectations!
From the short 15min wait to get in Friday and the Security NOT searching my car because “I trust you”, thats what he said!
Camps/bathrooms/ showers were clean, people were chill.
I liked the timing of all the sets, never felt rushed. Although the trek from Electric Ladyland to concert grounds was blister inducing(almost a mile walk).
THE MUSIC was superb! Really the best they’ve sounded since there 2009 return. Trey seems more serious than ever about performing there compositions powerfully & accurately. Fridays 2nd-Saturdays daytime set and 3rd set were the best for me.
Sundays acoustic set is in a league all its own.Period. Anyone saying this set wasn’t great, shoulda left the crack at home. Did you not hear the Curtain/With?!?!? Gorgeous , glorious music. Treys vocals on the acoustic tunes blew me away, I have not heard him sound that good for years.
The acoustic versions really allowed for the structure of the songs to shine through. Great song choices too, Brian and Robert, Talk, Strange Design, and Wilson, yes Wilson acoustic. Oh and McGrupp was stellar as well.  Page made this all work , grand piano really fattens up acoustic music.
Sat-day-Antelope, Gin, were highlights and 3rd set Sat. Fluff YEM and Ghost, in the same set!!!!

Exile - I think the whole Festival was very recruitment oriented. Meaning you didnt have to be a Phish phan to enjoy. (My wifes never liked Phish and now she does as a result of me dragging her to this fest. ) Exile wasnt my first choice but its a very approachable & fun to dance to album . I think Phish probably hooked in another 5,000 casual listeners over this weekend by making the cover album and weekend very easy to enjoy for everyone.And the acoustic set proved there talent to skeptics by striping effects and amps you see the true beauty of the songs

Thanks Phish for coming out west for this,~ best time ever!!!

@Noah Z
I had some weird happenings on Sat also but sounds like a tad of paranoia , there were large groups in similar costumes but I dont think there in-cahoots with the general store :)  (u get 40K people together on psychedelics and theres gonna be some coincidences)  My wifes cell-phone started flashing 666 for no reason. It WAS Halloween!
“Strange things are afoot at the circle-K”-Ted Theodore Logan

For me the choice of Exile was perfect.  Anybody who’s listened to the Stones for a long time (and I’ve listened to them religiously since I was very young) knows that this is their best album.  It took me a while to realize this when I was a kid and was so taken with the songs on other albums, but as a complete album Exile is hands down the best.  I actually was hoping they’d go for something spacier (Electric Ladyland), but hearing Exile was a dream come true. 

On another note:

@ Noah Z - If you are serious and you actually thought you saw those things I am in all seriousness going to recommend you either consider seeing a doctor, or reconsider your use of certain drugs, especially if these are recurring feelings.  If your not serious then the joke’s on me.  Drugs can trigger a little paranoia, but they can also trigger latent mental illness. If they’re causing these sorts of experiences, then the question you have to ask yourself is what benefit you are really getting from them. I’m in no position to diagnose anyone, but the degree to which you’ve taken stock in what you saw I would find worrisome.  There may have been some isolated instances of people fucking with you, but there is no way there was an orchestrated effort on the level that you describe.  The fact that you are now sober and still unsure of what you saw confirms it for me. I’m not saying you should panic, just be prudent and cautious and find someone you can talk to.  Sorry if I sound like a downer, but this comes from experience.

Now taking orders for t-shirts:

“I Survived The
Time Turns Elastic
Bathroom Rush
of Festival 8”

Man, was THAT ever a madhouse!

@Andy from Beavercreek, OH

I think most people reading these posts would agree that you’re the idiot.  If you want to call someone out on a post, at least make some sense.  Better yet, don’t call people out on their posts.

I am sitting here at work and istening to alot of the songs from this past weekend as I toil away. I can’t help but think that to this point that was the most fun weekend of my life. The three shows were 68-70 for me and I cannot really say they were the best ones but they had to be damn close. Everything was just so spectacular. From the ease of getting in and out, to the cool people I met from the west coast, to the weather and the venue. It was so apparant that the boys are truly practicing and the future once again is very bright. Thank you to everyone including the band for a great time. See you all in Charlottesville and beyond.

@ getagrip - haha this is like tee-ball.

“I’m amazed at the commentary on the threads here.  What some people are pleased with, what others are disappointed in.  I hope Phish doesn’t read any of this (i’m sure they don’t) because they’d probably want to kill themselves knowing what a bunch of candy-arses are following them around the country.”

HILARIOUS!!!!  Your very next comments are:

For anyone that was hoping for, anticipating, or disappointed that Thriller was played I can only say - do you even know this band?  Its history? Its abilities?  Its musical legacy?  Whoever wrote that Esther ending was a powerful statement didn’t hear them play it.  Just my opinion - but they struggled with it in Red Rocks and again Sunday.  I’m all into the “classics” if you will - but would rather hear them experiment with new material if its going to be mediocre.

Dude, you’re an idiot… you are one of the very “candy-arses” (candy-arses?  Really?  Again, you’re an idiot.) that you are trying to call other people on here.

And, yes, Exile on Main Street was the worst set all weekend.  It was the material… not the performance.  And your argument about it being a great choice because of the southern rock, delta blues, gospel, etc. is stupid.  It was a musical COSTUME.
I dressed up on Halloween as Mr. T once, not because I wear gold chains, drove a van with a red spoiler on top my entire life, had a mohawk or am black.  In fact, I’ve not done nor am any of those things.  Costume: look into it.

8 blew my mind, and I’m still trying to convince my friends I’m not crazy. Did anyone else notice weird things going on starting Saturday? In particular
1) In the entrances to the lots, the same people would stand in place and say things about missing people, trying to induce a feeling of disorientation. The same folks would also try to get in between groups of people in large crowds.

2) When walking on the long pathways near the polo field, folks walking nearby would eavesdrop and then later someone would begin talking about your previous conversation topics. Also, when I turned away from security to take the long way around for, cough cough, no reason in particular, people walking nearby began talking about things like being caught for shoplifting, other groups were talking about security guards. Now this is normal talk, but it was said in a very deliberate and intentional manner, and in some cases not with the best acting.

3) When trying to smoke in electric ladyland, a group of folks moved over to us and started deliberately coughing in an apparent attempt to get us to move. That had occurred earlier when sitting in the back of the big screen movie field.

4) During the movie field set, people with absurdly large costumes and props stood in front to block views. This also appeared to happen during the acoustic set.

5) During the acoustic set, besides the intentional blocking, people were acting out the purchases of items and pretended to put things in their pockets. I was sitting over by the sign language area for this one.

6) During the 3rd halloween set, some of those costumes were definitely professionally done and it seemed that there were choreographed “invasions” of people.

7) At the general store by the farmers market on sunday, (and several vendors in electric ladyland shakedown sat night) they oddly seemed to be out of whatever you asked for first. At the store, they took my girlfriends order, then deliberately avoided me for a few minutes while trying to rearrange muffins, pick up napkins ‘accidentally’ dropped, and seemingly sold 4 packs of cigarettes to other customers, each of which the initial brand was not in stock, yet all were different.

These are a few examples of the weirdness, there were plenty more. In isolation any of them seemed normal, but all together and the fact that it was halloween, can anyone else confirm the weirdness and my sanity?

My highlight of F8: seeing a fat guy dressed as Chris Farley the Chippendale’s dancer. Couldn’t stop laughing. Okay, in all seriousness it was the venue. Absolute pristine facility! It made the shows even more enjoyable, which I didn’t think was possible. Superb job to everyone responsible. I can’t thank you enough!

http://www.youtube.com/user/McNastyShasta

All except for Set II of first night will be or is posted.  Stupid chick kicked my tripod and f’d my gear.

Security guy tried to gank my memory card after second set of the last night.  Phortunately for all of us, I switched my memory card before he arrived and all he got was an empty storage.

It’s O-Phish-al : Festival 9 - Breckinridge, Colorado

http://news.aol.com/article/breckenridge-colo-legalizes-pot/525589

Festival 8 was great.  I went for the music, the people, the scene and a free donut.  Unfortunately, I missed the scene and the donut.  I’m not too concerned about the donut but the scene was disappointing.

I didn’t feel the entrepreneurial spirit that existed in the past.  It appeared that the vending was very formal being organized by the venue or Phish’s organization.  Perhaps it is that the entrepreneurs from the past have found alternative lifestyles in the last five years?  Or, perhaps the organization has gotten a bit greedy and squash the little man trying to make a few bucks.  Whatever it is, it’s a shame because I always enjoyed the creativity within the shakedown.

That’s my two cents.  However, I might as well add that I was talking to a cop who helped us get a jump on Sunday and he told me that someone was stabbed in the venue at the show Sat night (a dispute between friends) and they confiscated 15 tanks from one of the campsites (ouch).

wow. i have to admit, i skimmed the comments. but i just can’t understand the constant complaining, and i consider myself a critical person.

a few things. i traveled across the country. this definitely makes up for coventry in my book. i had no problems getting water. i got my pollocks :), with only 2 hours in line. the scenery & weather were beautiful. kuroda with lots of toys at his disposal are always incredible. i agree, i hate laser pointers. glass is bad for horses, a seemingly small cut can end their career, or result in them being put down. had an interesting chat about it with the mounted security.

my favorite comment all weekend, from a local police officer: “this has to be the most beards i have seen ever in one place. seriously. maybe they are on to something.”

i took this picture of my doughnut & coffee, which i enjoyed getting up early for. how could you sleep in when there is noontime phish?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/livemusicblog/4066054056/

thanks for the great weekend. see you out there!

this is for “Travis Cooke”

I HATE LASER BEAMS

i’ve got stickers if your interested…..

.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

smell my mule!

when we pulled in at 4pm on friday the guys a distributing wrist bands said the crowd was at 45k and they were expecting 70k by saturday night. did anyone notice how fricken quiet it got when they played’ “Secret Smile” at the end of the acoustic set? or was i just high? it was freakishly eerie. you could hear a mouse fart on the moon. it was soooooooooo silent. i thought it was incredible. just fantastic.

“Loving Cup”- Halloween set at Festival 8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1bsxFqLuMg

Todd - great site.  I’m amazed at the commentary on the threads here.  What some people are pleased with, what others are disappointed in.  I hope Phish doesn’t read any of this (i’m sure they don’t) because they’d probably want to kill themselves knowing what a bunch of candy-arses are following them around the country.  For anyone that was hoping for, anticipating, or disappointed that Thriller was played I can only say - do you even know this band?  Its history? Its abilities?  Its musical legacy?  Whoever wrote that Esther ending was a powerful statement didn’t hear them play it.  Just my opinion - but they struggled with it in Red Rocks and again Sunday.  I’m all into the “classics” if you will - but would rather hear them experiment with new material if its going to be mediocre.  What I really can’t believe I’m reading though are posts that suggest that Exile was “good” “just ok” “the low point of the weekend”!!!  This was the most artistic project the band has attempted in YEARS.  They put their stamp on the comeback with this performance and clearly spend 100’s of hours researching, improvising, and meticulously constructing the set.  What will it take to please some people?  Is there a serious argument to be made that any of the other albums that made the Final 8 would have been better?  More suitable to Phish’s abilities and talents?  Of course not.  Exile is one of the great albums in rock history.  Period.  It encompasses rock, gospel, soul, delta blues, country -  All styles that Phish has embraced throughout their storied career.  It made complete and total sense that they played Exile.  Breath deep and appreciate the moment for what it was.  They come few and far between these days.  Beautiful weather, beautiful venue, beatiful music - come on people.  Embrace it.

What an amazing weekend!  Thank you Phish and thank you phamily.  I know perhaps the turn out was a bit lower than they expected but from a phan experience, I think it was for the better.  No traffic, no long waits for bathrooms,  no crazy wookies….nice and mellow—West Coast style!  I would say the one area that could have used some improvement was cooridination w/ the day lots.  When we rolled in Friday, we parked w/o anyone searching anything in our car—a good thing for sure!  But, we were never told where to get our wristbands.  So when we got to the entrance for first set Friday, we had to do all the way back to the main gate to get them.  Then they closed a gate from Hunky Dory camp that was a short cut back to the day lot.  We had to walk what seemed like miles around to get back to the car.  That was really my only downside to the whole event.  I thought the band sounded great all weekend, despite a few flubs.  And the art!  I loved all the fire sculptures, the Coil, the lights, the LED baloon, the palm trees… so much eye candy I was trippin’ w/o the hallucinogens.  This was definately one of my all time best concert/festival experiences.  I hope they do it again sometime.

Great to be able to keep in the loop for Fest8 through all the web coverage, live streams, etc. since I couldn’t make it myself.  Just listening to the final set again and I’m really pleased with it.  Some things I noticed/observed as an outside observer, since that seems to be a theme here now:

- Some great jams throughout all the sets all weekend, but the last couple sets have some amazing highlights in Jiboo (yes, I know!), Reba (despite the trainwreck at the transition), Maze, Free, LxL, Theme, Mike’s, and Slave
- Ending with Esther was quite a powerful statement, in my mind.  Opening at Hampton with Fluffhead, ending the summer with an Esther encore.  This band is serious, and their willingness to tackle (and embrace) these types of songs is really promising.
- The acoustic set was far, far more enjoyable than I was expecting.  I know I’m not alone in this sentiment.
- The Exile set was…  good.  I agree with the HT review that basically sums it up as extremely tight, well rehearsed, polished, and enjoyable.  But yeah, not exactly super-memorable in my opinion, save for a few highlights like Torn & Frayed, the transition into I Just Want to See His Face, and Shine a Light.
- Page was trooper despite sounding like his voice was not 100% towards the end.
- Was it just me, or was the trumpet player consistently off on his high notes?  Kinda bugged me, I found it distracting listening to that set, but overall the horns were a fun addition, added a lot of depth to the music.
- I seriously hope someone catches on to how rabid this fanbase is for some sort of high quality simulcast for this fall and/or New Year’s.  I haven’t formed an opinion about the 3-D movie release.  In some ways it sound disgustingly cool, but in other ways I’m a little confused by this band of mine jumping in the same boat as the U2’s, JayZ’s, and the Jonas Brothers of the world.

Anyways, thanks to everyone for keeping the internets alive and teeming with phish over Halloween

Everything about the weekend was absolutely perfect. The weather, the mood, the lot scene, the relatively lax security (as long as you weren’t a dumb ass). The ONLY thing that I had a problem with over the ENTIRE weekend was the DUMB ASSES WITH THE GREEN LASERS. I would rather there be 50 nitrous tanks being let through security than one f**king laser pointer. They were all over the screen, all over the glowing balloon displays, all over EVERYTHING. Let CK5 do his f**king magic and take your lasers to a damn Bisco show.

They didn’t touch the palm trees though. And Kuroda had those palm trees grooving as hard as I was.

Oh yeah - the search on the way in. That was really something. I had no idea glass was strictly verboten and was not about to throw out all the tasty beer we brought. Got 4 cases of good beer plus a nice bottle of tequila into the fest in a Prius. Had to use the Jedi mind trick.

Good thing too. My bro and I only managed to score one Foam between us all weekend.

Oh yeah - the crazy side effect of it was that they encouraged people to pull off to the side at the entrance and pound whatever they had in glass bottles. I saw a dude double fisting Jack Daniels, people pounding cases of beer, etc, etc, etc. Some seriously drunk people. I’m not sure saying “Go pound all the booze you have in glass bottles and then drive into the festival” is big picture thinking ;)

Fest8 was a blast. The best part was all the parts where they played Phish music with electric instruments.

Acoustic set was not all that great - really it’s just like regular Phish with Trey unable to do what Trey does and a setlist that would be considered pretty crappy in normal circumstances - mostly ballads (I liked McGrupp and a handful of others). Sorry, but that’s really the way it was to be there. I imagine I’ll like it more on tape, but being there under blazing sun it was just…more ballads.

Exile was the weakest set for all the reasons I expected it would be. Don’t get me wrong - there was a lot of fun to be had and some really awesome tunes taboot (3 or 4). But there was a lot of really normal straight up blues rock, which is, of course, the kind of record Exile is. It was a bit too normal for a lot of the people around me. Not why we see Phish.

The Phish sets were amazing. I thought they were really on. Kind of surprised Halloween didn’t have more weird stuff, but that 3rd set…wow…. and Sunday was fantastic set 2 and 3. I loved Friday too. Sound was killer. It was easy to find a great place for your needs, be they up close and packed in or roomy but still great sound.

Fire towers ;)

No traffic in or out of the fest. i really can’t imagine how it would have worked with twice the people because they barely had enough bathrooms and showers as it was. Food vendors were weak. Farmers market was SO awesome and kept us in good food all weekend. Not enough water, and the thing where you have to buy a special bottle to get water that was then unavailable was LAME. Hydration took a lot more effort than I would have liked. It was overall a lot more monetized than I am used to as an old timer.

But the music, where Phish plays Phish with electric guitar - just so awesome. I miss it already. I had a fantastic time with all you freaky people.

What an incredible experience- of all the Phish festivals I’ve attended (Clifford Ball, Great Went, and Camp Oswego) this was the most well organized. No wait in traffic, plenty of amenities, and seriously tight music all three days. I kept trying to find the Borealis because I thought it was on the leaked map- but I wasn’t disappointed- the burple and metal house with fire bubbling on the ceiling were all the visual stimulation could handle!

Thank you Todd, and all the amazing fans. I’m so grateful we are able to share this music and these experiences.

Yes they put that up there as a joke - Rolling Stones “Steel Wheels” which is not exactly a classic… i have a photo of it somewhere I’ll dig out.

” “Phish is going to play another Costume Set”  on the gigantic projector? before the last set Sunday night…”

I saw this too, it said something about another Stone’s album, but I forget which one.

What a weekend! getting pumped for the Fall

Oh yeah, and how could I forget the palm trees??????  AMAZING!!!!

Just got back home in Dayton last night… Fest 8 was awesome!!!

Although, I must say that after all the broohaha, the musical costume was definitely the low point of the weekend. The best part of them covering Exile On Main Street is… no one has to worry about them covering it as the musical costume in the future!  Seriously, that album is supposed to be the pinnacle classic album by the Stones?  Wow!  Something must have gotten lost in the translation.  Either Phish didn’t do a good job covering it (which I doubt is the case) or it’s just not really that amazing of an album… I know that’s offensive to many of you… I’ll just say I do not think it was a good choice in my humble opinion (especially with so many other good Stones albums available).  But it did teach me a few things:
1) It is ridiculous to even contemplate Phish playing Radiohead or anything modern-progressive.  They just don’t have knack for it, or the desire, it’s one or the other… probably a little of both.  It’s just too far out of their comfort zone.
2) Phish is always going to pick an album they want to play, instead of what their Phans want them to play… AND there’s absolutely NOTHING wrong with that.
3) Phish will always pick what is generally accepted as an inarguable classic (and here I am arguing, haha), over something controversial.
I will keep all three of these points in mind when the specualting begins again next year.
And my disappointment with Exile as the musical costume in no way diminishes the weekend.  It was a very high low-point.  The whole weekend rocked, from meeting the other Phans, to bloody mary’s, to watching Texas Chainsaw Massacre, to the NFL, to all the amazing costumes people wore.  And of course, seeing Phish, and hearing them rock-the-F-out!  Awesome.  Can’t wait to see them again.  And all of you.

Yes, they did announce a second Costume Set on the video screen on Sunday; the screen went on to specify that Phish would be playing The Stone’s “Steel Wheels”

Everyone yell “3:10 To Yuma”

Hey Todd,

I took upwards of 80 videos throughout the weekend on my HD camera. I am excited to share this with everyone. Any suggestions on the ideal medium?

Some are quick 30 seconds clips from songs, others are full on jams and others are just from around the fest.

And will this violate any of Phish’s taping rules or does that only apply to audio?

Thanks for keeping the blog moving!

Was it just me… or did anyone else read “Phish is going to play another Costume Set”  on the gigantic projector? before the last set Sunday night…

I must have been trippin’ ...  please help…

There are no words to describe just how amazing this last weekend was…  in fact the word amazing doesn’t even come close…

Phish Rocks My World!!!

Wasn’t the rumor that after the “Dancing In the Streets” Video that Jagger and Bowie did, that Jagger slept, not with Mrs Bowie, but with David?

We made the 99 Albums Countdown Remix for Phish’s Festival 8! Want to see it? watch it here… http://bit.ly/3CMaFO

the Bowie ad was a joke! rumor is Phish is doing Miami NYE

I called The Breakers Resort phone # on the playbill and asked when David Bowie NYE tickets went on sale… She didn’t know, buy told me to call her back when I find out.  Big Bowie fans in Myrtle Beach, SC.

10 Things We Learned This Weekend

1. If you’re going to brew a beer named after a band and sell it at one of their concerts, you should probably bring twice as much as you think the said band’s fans can drink.

2. AT&T service doesn’t just suck on the East Coast

3. Dave Grippo isn’t on Trey’s speed dial anymore

4. Weekapaug is far from a certainty when they play Mike’s

5. A West Coast festival will bring in half as many people as an East Coast festival.

6. Most Phish fans would trade free coffee and donuts for a few extra hours of sleep in a heartbeat.

7. Sirius would bank if they ever convinced Phish to let Jam_On broadcast each show.

8. Jonathan Schwartz doesn’t think a Playbill stating the band will cover Exile On Main Street is enough proof that Phish will cover that album.What a waste of a call-in show.

9. It is possible to run shuttle service that isn’t a clusterfuck

10. Acoustic Phish is pretty damn sweet. More please.

Great job all weekend, Todd.

The Fest sounded awesome, I bet the underattendance was a boon to everyone who was there.

But I’m hearing that Sunday had only around 25K attendees… that can’t be what they were shooting for.  Methinks this was the first and last of the SoCal fests for the band.

this is my take on the Bowie “hint” The Stones song “Angie” was about
Angela Bowie, David Bowies wife, with whom Mick Jagger had a well
known affair. my .02$

well, now they played the first non costume cover with when the circus

has anyone else noticed that they havnt played a cover aside from the musical costume yet? as i am typing they are playing fluffhead so maybe they will play covers but last night and so far tonight aside from the costume , no covers

Trash it all?!?!?!  As soon as Trey said “this is a hint” and threw down that Bowie, I immediately assumed “it’s not that obvious, and hey, did Bowie supposedly sleep with Mick Jagger?”

See!?!?!  Exile!  I knew it all along!

;)

It is a worthy choice, and I’m proud the boys did the right thing and picked something deserving of the honor.

I’ll be getting my rocks off….

Sharon Jones is confirmed from the looks of that playbill

There is no way that after amonth of arrows axews and knives and assorted mind fucking that Ernie Jr would trash it all by saying that David Bowie was a hint as to the Musical Costume.  Or maybe…I don’t know…the mind fucking continues…

The second set was so good last night, I did take my pants off. And I wasn’t even there.

The second set from last night was so good, I wanted to take my pants off.

I meant UB40 in 2010. What year is it?

Will Halloween 2010 be UB40?

Thriller! Dead? someone always comes back to life in scary movies!
Trick or Treat!!!

Here we are.  First set about to start.  Couldn’t be more psyched.  Let’s do this thing.

Got thru security. It seems like they look at one or two things and if any red flags like hard liquor or glass bottles they will search you harder. I had cans and they checked one bag and nothing so I sailed thru.

Need a piper tonight!

I couldn’t be @ 8, but dammit I need that Kuroda Bobblehead! Go Blue, GO PHISH!!!!!! Gettin wins on the road this weekend. Have fun. Support your team.

A lamentful limerick about missing my first Phish fest.

IT was a BALL when i WENT to the WHEEL.
And of course all my time at OSWEGO was real.
And while Y2K was insane.
COVENTRY was in vain.
But not being at 8 is the most wretched ordeal.

Have fun guys!  Wish I was there.

I got here on Thursday @ around 4:30ish and got through security within minutes! The guy barely looked through anything, instead asking me if I had any glass, etc! Again, I got through much easier than I thought and much quicker, but I have heard things are different now! Please be careful everyone and enjoy the show!  See you all here!

Early front-runner for the CK5 bobblehead: visorkid.

If anyone can tell Phish to hold off for a while on that first set for me.  I was supposed to be in Palm Springs at 5:53, but now (due to delay) will miss connector in Phoenix and get into Palm Springs at 9:30…kick ass!  Hoping to at least catch a few tunes.  Enjoy the FOAMS and the show.

I am hearing rumblings that alive cooper (in town playing tonight) may factor into the Halloween set. Not sure how I feel about that.

I can’t believe it’s Halloween again!  I love it.  Not only for the slutty costumes, but because it means the Phish festival.  I am very curious to see what everyone wants Phish to cover this year.  I found this website Phish Album Vote
The website shows that the majority of people want Phish to cover Jimi Hendrix, however I would love to see some Rolling Stones.  Rumor has it that Phish added Let It Bleed by The Rolling Stones.  What do you guys want Phish to cover?

for what its worth we got here thursday afternoon and security was cake. They opened my laptop bag, looked at our trunk full of stuff and opened the cooler, saw food on top and sent us through. 5 minutes, tops.

the do lab will be putting up some art installations at festival 8.  the did some of the stage design for coachella and host the annual santa barbara festival lightning in a bottle. 

these guys are a southern california favorite…

check out some of their art here

http://www.thedolab.com/press/?page_id=27

Phish “From the Archives” #14 with Kevin Shapiro
Live from Festival 8
Indio, CA
12:40AM PST 10/30/2009

Party Time (album version)
Possum 12/31/91 (dedicated to Shapiro’s friend Spinner)
Split Open and Melt > Catapult 12/31/99
Bathtub Gin 11/23/97
Lifeboy 10/29/95
Also Sprach Zarathustra > Suzy Greenberg -> Jam 11/13/96
The Squirming Coil 5/8/93

download

(link from PT)

Thriller is now dead… if I looked at the Phish site correctly.

Jamtopia is the best site ever! Best info and news, etc.

I love it, it should win a Noble Prize for awesomeness!

Nice that thriller is dead… Downloaded the soundcheck on my flight which is just about over Ohio.  The 21st century is rad.  The boys sound *ON* ...  I have no idea what is going to be played for Halloween and that’s cool =D Cya guys at the meetup - I’ll be my Maiden T-shirt \m/

So when you’re in doubt and needing someone baby call my line call me anytime!  -Milli Vanilli

Be sure to tell Chewbacca and the other wookies dancing near you that scorpions and rattlesnakes are attracted to pactchouli.  Also, if you happen to find my dog Caspian, please tie him to a palm tree- Ill come grab him after the C-Ville show…

have phun everybody, ill be projecting the stream in HD on the side of my garage and spinning wear marks into my backyard!!!

vk

Thanks for adding that soundcheck, Im not going to make it, so its great to hear it.  They sound great!!

I’m so pumped to be in Cali.  Long flight, several delays, but nothing can bring me down.  Oh yeah - it’s fucking on for realz!

...apparently I am so excited that I’ve begun to use phrases like “for realz”

See you all at the picnic groungs tomorrow!!

Ouch man. Thriller. That hurts.

Festival 8 may be CK5’s masterpiece…

If you don’t know, Thriller was just killed.

Please post your impressions of the entry search.

Cheesecake!

sitting on the runway in houston, going on a 3 hour delay, dying to get in the air and on our way to ontario.  this is torture. flight was supposed to leave at 5:45 and it is now about 9:15 local time. ugh!!!!

Did anyone catch the Starship Trooper tease during the sound check just minutes ago…. can it be?!?!  That would be f’#*ing amazing.

Festival 8 could truly be CK5’s grand masterpiece.

take lots of twit pics

Interesting, the Oracular Spectacular area on the ‘official map’ is the entranceway, and not really a campground, according to the ‘leaked map’.  On that map, that area was numbered ‘3’ and was not named at all, so there’s the ‘missing LP’.

Todd, call me crazy, but I swear they are leaving Thriller alive just to f’ with my head (which is beginning to inflate towards explosion in an exponentially quickening manner).

Enjoy dude, you deserve this fest more than most!

After months of build up, a delayed plane leaving from FL, now waiting for over an hour on the runway after three beers at the airport bar. Phish & CK5 will make it all worth it, even a blown out bladder which I think just happened.