Phish Weekend in Chicago

Description

"Phish's Chicago Adventure: Unpacking the Three-Night Run"

Larry Mishkin talks about his experience at a recent Phish concert in Chicago. He mentions the uniqueness of this Phish show and focuses on their cover songs, specifically mentioning their cover of Talking Heads' "Remain in Light" album and the way Phish adds their signature jamming style to it. Larry also discusses a rare cover of Neil Young's "Albuquerque" and the joy of seeing a band like Phish covering classics. He mentions the fan culture at Phish concerts, including the prevalence of nitrous oxide vendors in the parking lot. He shares his experience over three nights of the concert and highlights the setlist from each night. Larry also talks about Phish covering Little Feat's "Spanish Moon" and its significance, given that it's a rarely played song by Phish.

.Produced by PodConx

Deadhead Cannabis Show - https://podconx.com/podcasts/deadhead-cannabis-show

Larry Mishkin - https://podconx.com/guests/larry-mishkin

Rob Hunt - https://podconx.com/guests/rob-hunt

Jay Blakesberg - https://podconx.com/guests/jay-blakesberg

Sound Designed by Jamie Humiston - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-humiston-91718b1b3/

Recorded on Squadcast

Phish Weekend in Chicago

October 13 – 15, 2023

United Center

Today is the Phish covers which were spectacular

Play amazing covers by incredible artists – sometimes they dig deep into the other performer’s catalogue to pull out rarities. Other times they cover the hits. This weekend featured some great examples.

INTRO: Cross Eyed and Painless

Phish Cross Eyed and Painless 2023 10 13 Chicago Illinois - YouTube

2:00 – 3:40

October 13, 2023, Second set, out of Tweezer and into Light.

Who doesn’t love a cover of a Talking Heads tune, ANY Talking Heads tune. But this one is special. Second song on Remain In Light, one of the greatest albums of all time. Released on October 8, 1980 by Sire Records, the band’s fourth album. Last Heads album produced by Brian Eno.

Phish debuted the tune on October 31, 1996 at the Phish Halloween show at the Omni in Atlanta, GA, covered Remain In Light as their Musical Costume

Played 62 times overall

They really jam it out in a way the Talking Heads did not.

Always well received and this show was no different

Last played on August 4, 2023 at MSG, 7 shows ago

SHOW #1 Albuquerque

PHISH : Albuquerque : [NEIL YOUNG] : {4K Ultra HD} : The United Center : Chicago, IL : 10/13/2023 - YouTube

:50 – 2:18

October 13, 2023, First set, out of a killer Ghost and into Saw It Again.

Beautiful Neil Young tune from Tonight’s The Night released in 1975

The song sees Young returning to a theme that has filled his music from very early on: the vapidity of fame. It's something he seems to struggle with even more than most other musicians. Or, at least, it's something he's chosen to sing about more often than most. It may in fact be the most common theme of all his music, besides obvious stuff like heartbreak and love.

In "Albuquerque," Young is thinking about renting a car and driving from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Santa Fe, just to be alone and "independent from the scene." He never tells us why he's in Albuquerque to begin with, but he does tell us he wants to roll a joint and rent a car and stop to eat some "fried eggs and country ham."

The "country ham" bit is kind of interesting, because country ham is a food popular in the southeast, not so much in the southwest. It's probably just a simple oversight on Young's part, but it may also reveal another common thread in Young's music: the escape into rural simplicity as a cure for the craziness and fakeness of modern day life.

Phish first played this song on July 26, 1998 at the Starplex Amphitheatre in Dallas, TX.

Played a total of 17 times

Last played on June 11, 2011 at Merriweather Post Pavillion outside of D.C., gap of 457 shows

SHOW #2: Spanish Moon

PHISH : Spanish Moon : [LITTLE FEAT] : {4K Ultra HD} : The United Center : Chicago, IL : 10/15/2023 - YouTube

:50 – 2:05

October 15, 2023, Second set out of Pebbles and Marbles and into A Wave of Hope

Little Feat cover, one of their most popular tunes.

From the album, Feats Don’t Fail Me Now, released in 1974

"Spanish Moon" was written and sung by guitarist Lowell George, who was a creative powerhouse in the early years of Little Feat. The song is about a fictional place called the Spanish Moon - a seedy club with whiskey and bad cocaine, but a girl singer that made it worth it. There are many dangers at the Spanish Moon, but the ones likely to do you in are the women.
Lowell George was an excellent storyteller and created the Spanish Moon from his imagination, but he lived through the vices he describes in the song, especially cocaine. Around this time, his addictions were starting to overpower him, his health started failing, and he developed hepatitis. Feats Don't Fail Me Now was the last Little Feat album where he was clearly the leader; his contributions to the band slowly tailed off, and in 1979 he released a solo album. While on tour supporting it, he died of a heart attack at 34.

Phish debuted it live on October 31, 2010 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City when Phish’s musical costume was Waiting For Columbus, the famed Little Feat live album.

Phish has performed it live only 3 times

Last before this show was on February 21, 2019 at Barcelo Maya Beach, Riviera Maya, Qunitana Roo, Mexico, gap of 170 shows

SHOW #3: No Quarter

PHISH : No Quarter : [LED ZEPPELIN] : {4K Ultra HD} : The United Center : Chicago, IL : 10/14/2023 - YouTube

1:53 – 3:25

October 14, 2023, Second Set, out of Everything’s Right, into Fluffhead

"No Quarter" is a song by Led Zeppelin that appears on their 1973 album Houses of the Holy. It was written by John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, and Robert Plant. The song became a centerpiece at all Led Zeppelin concerts thereafter, until their final tour. It appears in both the film versions and both live album versions of The Song Remains the Same, released in 1976 and expanded in 2007. It appeared once more in 1994 on Page and Plant's reunion album as the title track. It also appears on Led Zeppelin's 2012 live album Celebration Day, which documented their 2007 reunion performance at the O2 Arena in London. It was re-released on the deluxe edition of Houses of the Holy.

The title is derived from the military practice of showing no mercy to a vanquished opponent and from the brave act of not asking for mercy when vanquished. This theme is captured in several of the song's lyrics. Like "Immigrant Song" two albums prior, it evokes imagery from the Vikings and Norse mythology, with lyrics such as “the winds of Thor are blowing cold.”

Record producer Rick Rubin remarked on the song's structure, "It takes such confidence to be able to get really quiet and loose for such a long time. [Led] Zeppelin completely changed how we look at what popular music can be."

Phish debuted the song on June 1, 2011 at PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ

Phish has performed the song 19 times

Last before this show was on April 23, 2023 at the Hollywood Bowl, gap of 32 shows

SHOW #4 Izabella

PHISH : Izabella : [JIMI HENDRIX] : {4K Ultra HD} : The United Center : Chicago, IL : 10/13/2023 - YouTube

:35 – 1:14

October 13, 2023, Encore

Written by Jimi Hendrix, released on Band of Gypsys, released April 8, 1970

After Hendrix disbanded the Jimi Hendrix Experience in early 1969, he formed Gypsy Sun and Rainbows to fulfill his contract to play Woodstock. This was one of the new songs that he introduced at the festival, after which the guitarist was eager to perfect a studio version. Hendrix recruited bassist Billy Cox, who had played with him while they were in the army and his drummer friend Buddy Miles, for a new ensemble, Band of Gypsys. They recorded this as the B-side to his "Stepping Stone" single for Reprise, but it was quickly pulled after Hendrix complained about the mix. The Band of Gypsys made their live debut at the Fillmore East on New Year's Eve, 1969 and this song was played during their first set.

Phish debuted the song on June 13, 1997 at The S.F.X. Centre in Dublin, Ireland

Phish has performed the Song 17 times

Last before this show July 30, 2023 at MSG in NYC, gap of 15 shows

OUTRO: Loving Cup

Phish Remastered - 10 - 15 - 2023 - United Center, Chicago, Illinois - YouTube

2:34:50 – 2:36:23

October 15, 2023, Second set, out of Evolve, set closer.

Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, released on Exile on Main Street (1971)

Exile on Main St. has grown to be appreciated with time, and this is an example of a song that become more popular later on. In a 2003 interview, Mick Jagger explained: "On the Forty Licks tour, when we were preparing the set list for a show in Yokohama, Chuck Leavell suggested we play 'Loving Cup,' the ballad from Exile on Main St. I didn't want to play the tune and I said, Chuck, this is going to die a death in Yokohama. I can't even remember the bloody song, and no one likes it. I've done it loads of times in America, it doesn't go down that well, it's a very difficult song to sing, and I'm fed up with it! Chuck went, Stick in the mud! so I gave in and put it in the set-list. Lo and behold, we went out, started the song and they all began applauding... Which just proves how, over time, some of these songs acquire a certain existence, or value, that they never had when they first came out. People will say, What a wonderful song that was, when it was virtually ignored at the time it was released." >>

Phish debuted the song on February 3, 1993 at the Portland Expo in Portland, Maine

Interesting because they did eventually cover Exile On Main Street as a Halloween musical costume on October 31, 2009 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, CA, part of Phish Festival 8.

Clearly one of their favorite covers, and a crowd pleaser, played 148 times.

Last played before this show on August 5, 2023 at MSG, gap of 13 shows