On Thursday, Jerry Greenfield (Jerry from Ben & Jerry's) visited where I work to scoop ice cream for all the employees and share some hilarious stories about the birth and eventual loss of his company. He talked about the trials of trying to sell ice cream in Burlington in the winter when it was 20 below and let us know about Ben's penchant for cooking octopus over an open fire. It was fun to hear our founders and Jerry trading stories about two Vermont based businesses that were started by people who had no grand designs and no idea what they were doing really. It was also fun to get out of work for an hour and eat a giant bowl of ice cream.
Listening to Jerry made me think of my short lived infatuation with Phish, that much reviled Vermont institution who, even though much of their output bores/bugs me, I love dearly. They're a bunch of dorky guys who are so totally obsessed with music and being goofy that I can't help but hold a special place for them in my heart. Back in 1999 & 2000, I had a chance to see Phish twice and loved the shows, especially the second of the two. Instead of the noodlery that they were famous for, at this stage in their career, Phish seemed more interested in exploring waves of sound and playing long, spacey interludes than simply "jamming" which is a word that typically makes me gag.
Due to various reasons (burnout, personality conflicts, a high consumption of non-prescription drugs) the band has had various hiatuses and reunions since then. They recently announced a 10 day tour this summer and I would love love love to go see them at one of the shows. Say what you will about their fans, their music, their song titles, etc. but they know how to put on a show and any band who consistently plays 3 sets a night for upwards of 3-4 hours is alright in my book. As I said, I don't love everything they do and the whole tailgating, burrito eating, "I need a miracle" element of the fanbase can be annoying but for someone as fascinated by Frank Zappa, musical exploration and prog rock as I am, they push many of the buttons that make me salivate and beg for more. Jimbama is also looking to luck into a ticket because the man's got a hacky-sack jones like nobody's business.
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4 comments:
agreed!!! i don't care what anyone says about phish and even though i don't really listen anymore- except for a trip down memory lane- i went to a zillion concerts- listened to a ton of music and had the sickest time. proud to be a phish phan in the late 90's for sure!!! had no idea about the summer tours hilar!
i think we need to find a way to go to this show together. if you bring the hacky sack i'll bring that liquid sunshine.
i went to a Phish show circa 1998 and though i get what you are talking about, it was one of the more miserable music experiences ever, for reasons i won't go into here.
jamie, why were you even at a phish show?
was that on their famed butterfly train/phish miracle of 98 tour?
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