The venerable quest has begun, as a formerly weary traveler, newly refreshed thanks to a draught of caramel caffeine, departs one city on his way to another.
The journey, though, unlike adventures experienced, say, during
the crusades, will be drab, colorless, without blood or beast or plunder.
But the prize, similar to the chalice -- the Holy Grail -- will,
while not imbuing the pilgrim with eternal life, bring him undying splendor: New
Year’s Eve with Phish at the newly renovated Madison Square Garden.
A jam-seeking hero etches himself into Phish lore.
In light of the recent announcement that Trey will embark on an orchestral tour this winter, I thought it might be wise to present clips of the four symphonies he will perform with.
Usually know for hosting
its own festivities, Phish recently began headlining mainstream music and
art festivals -- perhaps as an effort to appeal to a more varied fan
base. Since its 2009 revival, the band has played at Bonnaroo, Austin
City Limits and Outside Lands.
Phish had said that it
planned to take some time off from touring after its New Year's Eve run at
Madison Square Garden. But this latest bit of news points to a possible summer
tour.
As in life, there exist certain
rites of passage within the Phish community.
Your First Show
Here, you experience what made the
band a success -- what your Phish friends have persistently told you from the
onset:"You have to see
this band live, man."
No matter during summer, winter or
fall tour, no matter at Madison Square Garden, Hampton Coliseum or Red
Rocks Amphitheater, regardless of song selection, dancing space or
drug availability, regardless of crowd energy, police temperament or hippie
presence, this show will act as a point of comparison for every other, whether
you see five more or 100 more.
Your First Festival
It's your twenty-first birthday,
your learner's permit, your first kiss. It's camping with 30,000 to 70,000 of
your best friends. It's two to three days of Phish, of Trey's machine-gun
solos, Mike's bombs, Page's funky missiles and Jon's strategic back beat.
After your first Phish festival, all
other music festivals -- Bonnaroo, Coachella, Wormtown -- will feel terribly
stale.
Your First New Year's Eve
Historically, December 31 has
brought consistently epic Phish performances. In 1999, in the midst of the Y2K
scare, Phish played from midnight to sunrise in front of 85,000 people -- the
largest gathering that New Year's night.
Your First Halloween Show
No other band, past or present, does Halloween quite like Phish. Donning a musical costume, the quartet becomes, for one memorable set, another band. In 2009, Phish covered "Exile on Main Street" by the Rolling Stones.
