bouche Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 Phish is anything but 'Dead' bandJune 30, 1994 - The Ottawa Citizenby Lynn SaxbergAnd don't call fans 'Phishheads'The cluster of fans who follow the Vermont-based band Phish will descend on Ottawa in the next few days in anticipation of the band's performance at the Ottawa Congress Centre on Tuesday.The phenomenon is a lot like a small-scale version of the Grateful Dead's following of Deadheads -- neo-hippies in vans travelling the continent to see their favorite band.Just don't call them Phishheads, advises Phish bassist Mike Gordon."I guess I'm not supposed to call them Phishheads. That sort of connotates Deadheads, he says.Though Phish avoids being tagged a "Dead band, there are similarities, most notably in both bands' approach to their live shows. Both groups make every concert different, never using the same set list and never playing a song exactly the same way twice. Spontanaeity is what keeps it interesting for audiences night after night."It's important to plan some things out, to have a basis or structure to start from (in concert), Gordon says. "But the fruit of it is that spontanaeity -- it ends up being a real celebration of life.Anyone who's seen any of the sold-out Phish shows in Montreal or Toronto in the past two years will understand. The quartet delivers exuberant, lengthy concerts, highlighted by the band members' amazing instrumental abilities and a palpable sense of fun, with on-stage antics that include trampoline bouncing and vacuum-cleaner soloing.Gordon uses a metaphor from Carlos Santana to describe the scene: "It's like Carlos talking about the music already existing, sort of hovering in the air. What he said was the audience is a bed of flowers, music is the water and we're the hose. The best thing we can do is get out of the way and let it flow.Phish's problem in the past has always been capturing that live energy on album. With the latest Paul Fox-produced disc, Hoist -- the most accessible, song-oriented album of the band's five-disc career -- the difficulties were overcome."The main difference (with this album) was that we waited until it was time to record before we learned the songs. We hadn't played the songs live, with the exception of one or two of them."It's significant because after playing songs on stage for a long time and making arrangements that are longer and that feed off the crowd energy, then to take those songs and record them in a studio is always a let-down. This way, the best versions of the songs to date would be recorded on tape for the album.Phish -- which also includes guitarist Trey Anastasio, keyboardist Page McConnell and drummer Jon Fishman -- also made its first video for the song Down With Disease , as well as a 25-minute video called Tracking, about the making of Hoist . It will be available through the band's mailing list in about two months, Gordon says.Tickets for Tuesday's Phish show are $ 20, on sale in advance at TicketMaster outlets, Shake Records and Records On Wheels. For phone orders, call 755-1111. Surcharges are applied to TicketMaster purchases.The first of two sets starts at 8 p.m. sharp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradm Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 a 25-minute video called Tracking, about the making of HoistHas anybody seen this? I couldn't find it on YouTube (after doing a search for "phish tracking").Aloha,Brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcO Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 I've seen it. It's ok, you're not missing much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freak By Night Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 That is like going back in a time machine. $20 tickets? Shake Records and Records on Wheels are long out of business. Unfortunately ticketbastard is still around! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoneMtn Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 I still remember those shows. I vividly remember the massage-circle in the middle of the floor at the Congress Centre, and the boys jumping on their trampolines for Bouncin' 'Round the Room. I think I even remember this article, since we all knew Lynn at that time.Neat blast from the past, for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradm Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 (edited) Uh, the trampolines were during "You Enjoy Myself". They didn't do "Bouncing..." that night.Aloha,Brad Edited October 4, 2006 by Guest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booche Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 Hahaha, StnMtn also remembers going to see the Ottawa Senators play the Toronto St Pats that night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoneMtn Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 Actually I made the whole thing up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollie Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 That is like going back in a time machine. $20 tickets? Shake Records and Records on Wheels are long out of business. Unfortunately ticketbastard is still around! Records on Wheels was at Bank and Laurier, correct?And Shake used to be on Elgin in the strip that now houses the Lieutenant's Pump and then moved to Laurier (near Elgin) before closing shop, right?At least we still have Record Runner... oh, yeah. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 My first Phish show. That date I remember, though I don't rememeber too much from the show itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaggyBalls Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 heard the show on cassette while hanging around with giggles waaay back. the last small phish show...it sounded pretty magical at the time. I've since heard bigger shows that bit the big one for me so go looking for it. wish i were into them at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradm Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 My first Phish show. That date I remember, though I don't rememeber too much from the show itself.I remember it clear as a bell. One thing I really remember is hearing this kind of calliope keyboard playing, and the audience going nuts; this, I found out later, was "Esther". I never saw another one.The "Sweet Adeline" first-set-closer, the a capella stretch in the second set, the "Good Times, Bad Times" encore, heck, even the opening bars of "Rift", the show opener, which was the first Phish music I ever heard, all still resound in my brain. I was on Page side, near the stage, when they started (what I later learned was) "You Enjoy Myself". I saw a guy bringing...what the heck?...trampolines? out...not to mention the vacuum cleaner solo during "Great Gig In The Sky".Aloha,Brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_Evil_Mouse Posted October 5, 2006 Report Share Posted October 5, 2006 "Rift", the show opener, which was the first Phish music I ever heard Likewise. Still have to imagine ever having seen them, though . I look forward to no longer having to say the same thing about Nero, though.... not to mention the vacuum cleaner solo during "Great Gig In The Sky". Pardon?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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