Month: February 2009

Countdown to Hampton: Phish Lands The Mothership

Hampton Coliseum

In just two ONE week, Phish will break nearly five years of silence with a three night run in one of their favorite venues: Hampton Coliseum. Over the next two weeks, we’ll give you a little look back at what makes Hampton Coliseum so special to Phish, their fans, and more.

 

In 1995, Phish announced their fall tour and included an October date at Hampton Coliseum. I’m not sure if the Phish community at large saw this as more than just another show but I certainly did. I spread the word amongst my friends and ordered my tickets. This was a must-see, in my book. We (my girlfriend and I) stayed at the beach with my friend Rob and had a terrific time.

Here’s the setlist:

1995-11-25 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA
1: Poor Heart, A Day in the Life > David Bowie, Billy Breathes > Taste That Surrounds,
Bouncing Around the Room > Rift, Wolfman's Brother, Runaway Jim
2: Timber (Jerry) > Kung, Mike's Song > Rotation Jam > Mike's Song,
My Long Journey Home, I'm Blue I'm Lonesome, Strange Design > Weekapaug Groove,
Harry Hood, Hello My Baby, Poor Heart
E: Poor Heart Reprise, Fire
Show Notes: The first set Poor Heart was the original version.
The second set Poor Heart was the slow, shuffle version.
The Poor Heart Reprise slower, but only a few lines of the song were played.

The thing with “Poor Heart” was pretty crazy. To this day, I have no explanation for that other than the band forgetting that they’d played it. Everything was immaculately played; the feel in the room was incredible; with fans just grooving and having the best time. The “Rotation Jam” was bizarre (and it might not have been “immaculately played” but that’s beside the point) and a real treat to witness. All in all, this was a great start to a long love affair between Phish and the Hampton Coliseum.

Phish '95

That weekend carries with it another hallmark; something that is, personally, more significant than the good Phish show. The next day I learned that I was going to be a father. It was for this that I missed Phish’s next two visits to Hampton.

The first, exactly eleven months after the 1995 show, came in October 1996. This show is good, but not epic. In fact, we’re going to gloss over it almost entirely save for one significant note. Trey made the following announcement from the stage during this show:

Sometimes people ask me what the uh, best rooms that we play are ah, in are. This is pretty much it, for me. Just so you know to answer the question. Good sound. Everyone gets to go where they want on the floor. You can’t beat it.

Not the most eloquent of statements but, it does suggest why they came back again in 1997 and played two of their most renowned shows.

Here’s the setlists:

1997-11-21 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA
1: Emotional Rescue > Split Open and Melt, Beauty of My Dreams, Dogs Stole Things,
Punch You in the Eye > Lawn Boy, Chalk Dust Torture, Prince Caspian
2: Ghost > AC/DC Bag, Slave to the Traffic Light, Loving Cup
E: Guyute
1997-11-22 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA
1: Mike's Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, Harry Hood, Train Song, Billy Breathes,
Frankenstein, Izabella
2: Halley's Comet > Tweezer > Black-Eyed Katy > Piper, Run Like An Antelope
E: Bouncing Around the Room, Tweezer Reprise

Where to begin? The Rolling Stones’ “Emotional Rescue”? Really? That song, from the album of the same name is the Stones’ disco “effort” but here, after an amusingly faithful attempt to cover the song (don’t let the falsetto vocals scare you off, folks,) Phish stretches it out with an additional ten minutes of cow-funk jamming before landing in “Split Open and Melt”. The “Ghost > AC/DC Bag” is a sublime journey with some phenomenal improvisation that simply must be heard to be believed. The “Slave To The Traffic Light” that follows is spot-on too.

Phish @ Hampton

The next night doesn’t mess around either. First set opens with a killer 30+minute “Mike’s Groove” followed by a “Harry Hood”. That’s a pretty great way to spend the bulk of an hour. The fact that set two opened with a 25-minute “Halley’s Comet” does not suck at all. And, when the “Halley’s…” segues into “Tweezer” which then segues into “Black Eyed Katie” also does not even remotely suck. This is awesome stuff, folks. Don’t just take my word for it, check out the reviews at Phish.net: 11/21 & 11/22.

Jump ahead yet another year and Phish (and I) returned to the Coliseum; for two more nights. Continue reading →

Countdown to Hampton: My First Hampton Shows

Hampton Coliseum

In just two short weeks, Phish will break nearly five years of silence with a three night run in one of their favorite venues: Hampton Coliseum. Over the next two weeks, we’ll give you a little look back at what makes Hampton Coliseum so special to Phish, their fans, and more.

Growing up in nearby Virginia Beach, I came to know Hampton Coliseum as a welcome landmark along the highway, signifying our imminent arrival at home. I did not, however, have the opportunity to attend a concert there until after I’d left the area, midway through High School.

 

Spring of 1992 came around and, with it, Grateful Dead tourdates. The initial announcement included the usual run of shows at my local arena, the Capital Center, and I made plans to attend. I believe that my friend Mike, still in Virginia Beach, is the one who let me know that two shows had been added in Hampton just before the Cap Center run. This time, to skirt the ban, the band changed their name to “Bruce Hornsby and Friends”. They also limited sales to local outlets. This made it, in those pre-Internet days, all the more difficult for me to aquire a ticket. Telling my parents that Mike had one for me, I secured permission to drive down for the Friday night show.

On March 6, 1992, I skipped school, and drove to Hampton. As I had no ticket, I was not permitted to drive into the parking lot so, I parked at a nearby hotel. After securing a pizza box top and magic marker, I began walking up and down Coliseum Drive advertising, “$$ for One Ticket.”

Not ten minutes passed before success smiled upon me and I managed to secure a ticket for face value. I ditched my sign and left my car at the hotel (not advisable these days as the hotels are quite diligent about towing non-guest vehicles.) then I hustled into the lot for my second Grteful Dead show. We, of course, had no cell phones back then but Mike and I had planned to meet at the fountain in front of the coliseum. For those who have been there before for a Grateful Dead or Phish show, I’ll pause a moment so that you may recover from your laughing fit.

…

Upon reaching the fountain, I came to realize that ours was not only a silly plan, but it was not even remotely original. The area teemed with Deadheads- all looking for tickets and/or friends; selling food, crafts, or drugs; participating in or watching a large drum circle; or simply wandering aimlessly. I began to worry a little bit as I stood on the lip of the fountain and surveyed the area. With showtime rapidly approaching, I concocted a plan to go in alone and search further during the set break. I scanned the crowd one last time, noting that the drum circle was shrinking and that the flow of the masses had shifted from aimlessness toward the coliseum entrance. Biting my my lip, I set my resolve to go in alone. Continue reading →

Countdown To Hampton: A History Lesson

Hampton Coliseum

In just two short weeks, Phish will break nearly five years of silence with a three night run in one of their favorite venues: Hampton Coliseum. Over the next two weeks, we’ll give you a little look back at what makes Hampton Coliseum so special to Phish, their fans, and more.

I also hope to share with you a little of my own history of shows at Hampton from Phish and beyond.

Let us begin with a little geography and history, shall we? Hampton, Virginia sits at the tip of the southernmost of the peninsulas that jut into the Chesapeake Bay. The region is commonly referred to as Hampton Roads and includes the cities of Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Newport News, and Williamsburg. The distinct, flying saucer shaped, arena sits in sight of Interstate 64 alongside a lake. 

Opened in 1970, the Coliseum seats up to 13,800 and is situated adjacent to a strip of hotels and a relatively new convention center. It has played host to all sorts of events from circuses to monster truck shows to Elvis and The Rolling Stones (who filmed their “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” video there.)

Its renown in the Phish community stems not just from the slew of remarkable Phish shows played there but also from the history of legendary Grateful Dead concedes held in the venue.

The Grateful Dead first played Hampton in 1979 and returned annually for several years. The most notable appearance came in 1989. Due to crowding issues caused by touring fans in 1988, the band was banned from playing in the city. A plan was hatched to circumvent the ban by booking them under the moniker “Formerly The Warlocks”. (The Warlocks was a name used by the band for a short time in ’65 & ’66.) I don’t know for certain if this stemmed the tide of fans as I, aged 15 years and at home in Virginia Beach, knew full well that The Grateful Dead were playing, but the shows went on. Myself, I was not permitted to attend.

Those that did attend were treated to more than stellar performances; the band broke out songs that had long been missing from the rotation including: “Dark Star”, “Help on the Way > Slipknot!”, and “Attics Of My Life”  (which had not been played since 1972!) A longtime Deadhead confided to me in 1995 that those shows may have been “the last, truly, great shows” played by The Grateful Dead. One man’s opinion, to be sure, but an opinion grounded in the experiences of a fan who had been seeing the band regularly since the Summer of 1973.

Stream The Grateful Dead 1989-10-09 from Archive.org

With that kind of mojo surrounding a building, you can imagine that the anticipation levels were high for the next time The Grateful Dead might come to town. We’ll talk about that in the next post; stay tuned.

The Wrens Threatening to Record

 The Wrens

The Wrens are a great band from New Jersey that seems adverse to regular LP releases. By “regular” I mean more than once in five years. After 20 years they’ve released just four full-length albums with the last, The Meadowlands, coming out in 2003. Music magazine, Magnet, has decided to have some fun with The Wrens and their prolific silence and, late last year, began running a regular feature on their website know as “Wrens Watch“. There, they occasionally interview the Wrens’ Charles Bissell. It’s more than a little funny albeit not quite safe for work.

One of the nice bonus items that you’ll find there is a clip from the now-ongoing recording sessions for The Wrens’ next album. (Seriously. They’re really recording one.) You’ll find that in the January 26th entry. It’s a rough track but shows promise of new music that those of us who have been wearing out our copies of Meadowlands have been longing to receive.

Also, be sure to check out the updated website for The Wrens and read about their new single!

Seriously.

A new single.

Did I not mention that earlier? It’s called “Pulled Fences”, it was recorded at Abbey Road, and it’s available on iTunes. 

There’s a bit of a story as to how the song came about but I’ll leave it to the band to explain (via their blog):

 

“So years upon years ago, we swore to a pointlessly bold dare that if we ever got on the Tonight Show or Letterman, we would have to make up a song on the spot – no rehearsal, no cheating, no pre-air band huddle. This is back when Carson still hosted (Johnny not Daly) and for some reason, was our measure at the time for having ‘made it’.

“As if Johnny would have waved us over to the couch to sit next to George Gobel and be congratulated on our gumption.

“Cut to almost twenty years later, we’re invited to perform a few songs for something called the WorldSpace Sessions at Abbey Road.”

 

They’re also threatening to perform at SXSW next month so… watch for that!

I’ll leave you with a fan-produced video for the song, “Boys You Won’t”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZU3ywyEqq8[/youtube]