Phenway Park

April 7, 2009 9:01 PM

It's official: in another blockbuster announcement, Phish has announced they will play a single show at historic Fenway Park on May 31.

Phish's website features a very cool video featuring the Fenway Park organist, who happens to be this guy, the brother of a good friend of mine from college (who himself, FWIW, is the A&R guy for SonicBids. You guys owe me one.). In addition to his part-time gig as the organist at Fenway, Josh also works as a law librarian at Harvard, which means he's smarter than you or me or most people we know.

And he plays a mean Tweezer. I smell guest gig with Page at Fenway ...

posted by LilBucner (46 comments total)

Aren't they playing a lot of shows this summer?

The organist is neat though.
posted by smackfu at 9:04 PM on April 7

yes, they're doing a full summer tour. but this is the first (and only to this point) show they will play in Fenway Park, which is historic when any band plays that gig (last one was Bruce Springsteen I believe). That makes it awesome.
posted by LilBucner at 9:06 PM on April 7

Phish is an American band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jam sessions, exploration of music between genres, and its "fiercely loyal fans."

Your favorite band sucks. No really.
posted by nola at 9:13 PM on April 7 [16 favorites has favorites]

May 31? Why not 4/20?
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:15 PM on April 7

GYOB
posted by dydecker at 9:17 PM on April 7

I was a Phish fan when I was a kid.

There, I said it.

Anyway, I'm not sure this is FPP material.
posted by paisley henosis at 9:18 PM on April 7

Good Christ.

It's a concert. It's not HISTORY any more than my dog farting is. I mean please, get some perspective. Also, note that this isn't pressreleasefilter.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 9:20 PM on April 7 [2 favorites has favorites]

which means he's smarter than you or me or most people we know.

You know you're on Metafilter, right?
posted by kuujjuarapik at 9:21 PM on April 7 [1 favorite has favorites]

I sort of accidentally saw a Phish show in Prague once. It was pretty great, all told.
posted by BrodieShadeTree at 9:22 PM on April 7

Well, I was glad for the head's up. Thanks lil'bucner (hopefully no relation).

Woah, wait a minute. Did someone say their dog FARTED?
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 9:25 PM on April 7 [1 favorite has favorites]

I saw a Phish show one time at a festival in Japan. I couldn't understand why suddenly there were all these American white people in the audience hugging each other and shit. Then the music started...oh, they're a noodle band

I lasted one song. Which granted was twenty minutes long though
posted by dydecker at 9:26 PM on April 7 [4 favorites has favorites]

All kidding aside, I'm thinking I should flag my own comment. Just cause you don't like some group dosen't mean you have to crap on a post. For my part I'm sorry. but Phish really does suck, just sayin'
posted by nola at 9:26 PM on April 7

Yet another Fenway concert I'd surrender a limb to avoid. At least it's not The Police, I guess.
posted by Mayor Curley at 9:27 PM on April 7 [1 favorite has favorites]

You know you're on Metafilter, right?

Oh, please.
posted by kid ichorous at 9:28 PM on April 7

I know as soon as this thread is closed, I'm going to come up with a witty rejoinder, but I won't be able to post it, but now, when I am able to post, I can't come up with it, and…bother.
posted by paisley henosis at 9:30 PM on April 7

Jimmy Buffet, Bruce Springsteen, The Police, Phish... do you think a non-white person has ever been to a concert at Fenway?
posted by Mayor Curley at 9:31 PM on April 7 [2 favorites has favorites]

Wow Mayor Curley, I was building a General Robert E. Lee 20 story robot to burn Boston to the ground in righteous confederate vengeance, but now that I see you hate both Phish and the Police I just want to have some sick yankee/rebel love child with you. I'm gonna need some time to think, alone, and by myself.
posted by nola at 9:37 PM on April 7 [1 favorite has favorites]

Mayor Curley: "Jimmy Buffet, Bruce Springsteen, The Police, Phish... do you think a non-white person has ever been to a concert at Fenway?"

There was a lot when Dave Matthews Band played at Fenway.
posted by lilkeith07 at 9:38 PM on April 7

One phish, two phish,
red phish, phish blue.

No, wait....
posted by pompomtom at 9:44 PM on April 7 [1 favorite has favorites]

I smell guest gig with Page at Fenway ...

that smell? its just that dog over there, farting a noodle
posted by mannequito at 9:47 PM on April 7

yawn
posted by ChickenringNYC at 9:53 PM on April 7

sort of tangent... can anyone point me to a Phish jam that matches the chemistry (ahem) and elegance of Truckin => Epilogue on Europe '72? I mean, I know millions adore Phish, and I've tried several recommended cuts, but all I get is a sense of several very self-satisfied prog-rockers. I'm admitttedly ignorant though. Thx'n'dvance.
posted by msalt at 9:58 PM on April 7 [2 favorites has favorites]

Uh oh, a music post that's not P4k indie rock or anti-label alt distribution!

stuff [a certain kind of] white people like
posted by naju at 10:11 PM on April 7

So, what was the previous 'blockbuster announcement'?
posted by pompomtom at 10:13 PM on April 7

I hate Phish
posted by mert at 10:14 PM on April 7

You know I've avoided ever listening to Phish at all for years now. I'm going to go and have my first ever piece of Phish.
posted by awfurby at 10:14 PM on April 7

Q. What did one Phish listener say to the other when they ran out of drugs?

A: "dude, this music sucks"
posted by Jon_Evil at 10:15 PM on April 7 [3 favorites has favorites]

This post is full of itself and technically competent, yet devoid of substance.

Hey, I can see why you like Phish.
posted by hpliferaft at 10:24 PM on April 7 [3 favorites has favorites]

14 minutes in, I'm still listening to the same song! And it's really really boring. OK, no Phish for me.
posted by awfurby at 10:28 PM on April 7

> Q. What did one Phish listener say to the other when they ran out of drugs?

A: "dude, this music sucks"

1970 called; it wants its Grateful Dead joke back.

1970: "Naw, it's cool...both of those bands suck."
posted by The Card Cheat at 10:40 PM on April 7 [1 favorite has favorites]

"Phish has announced they will play a single show..."

If this is true -- the fact that it's only one show -- then clearly, this is good news.

And might I mention to any Al Qaeda out there that Fenway Park is an attractive, significant terrorist target in its own right, and that security at a Phish show is, by definition, a laughable exercise?!

Kill off all the Deadheads dirty hippies Phish fans in one fell swoop, and it would be like the good ol' days again!
posted by markkraft at 10:43 PM on April 7

It's official: in another blockbuster announcement, Debbie Gibson has a new song! That's right people, A NEW SONG!!!!

(Whew! Gotta catch my breath! Like ***so*** totally excited! Gonna go now and squeal like a little girl while reading all my old Tiger Beats!)
posted by markkraft at 10:50 PM on April 7 [1 favorite has favorites]

"And he plays a mean Tweezer. I smell guest gig with Page at Fenway ..."

That's not a tweezer, it's a roach clip. And *everyone* knows what you'd be smelling at the Phish concert, hippie...
posted by markkraft at 10:56 PM on April 7

Phish's website features a very cool video featuring the Fenway Park organist, who happens to be this guy, the brother of a good friend of mine from college (who himself, FWIW, is the A&R guy for SonicBids. You guys owe me one.).

My cousin's college room-mate is the friend of another guy who lives in the Fenway ... and likely knows the brother's second cousin of your good friend who most likely knows the organist at Fenway Park. They might have shared drinks (or, more, heh-heh, in the reeds, or at Ramrod/Machine).
posted by ericb at 11:11 PM on April 7

WTF?
posted by ericb at 11:12 PM on April 7

You guys owe me one...

Why? For What?
posted by ericb at 11:16 PM on April 7

Before this gets (rightfully) zapped, BrodieShadeTree, that was a great show, with an especially awesome ACDC Bag>Ghost>Cities, available here.

msalt (and I'm only doing this because you actually asked ... it took years and years to teach myself to not to recommend Phish to anyone, ever), you probably won't find anything that formless from Phish. Their styles are just 100% different-- Phish's jams tend to be way more cohesive. That said, you might want to DL 10.31.98 (one of their "musical costume" shows that they would do on Halloweens). You've got Phish covering all of Velvet Underground's Loaded (which, sacrilege aside, is a great meld between faithful and jammy covering), but the "Wolfman's Brother" in the 3rd set is particularly spacey (forgive me though, it's been a while since I listened to Europe '72, esp. for the Truckin' -> Ep, since the real strong point of that album is the concise songs like "Cumberland Blues," "Brown-eyed Women," "Jack Straw," etc., in a live context ... although they did overdub the live versions, which is why it sounds so crisp). But yeah, one of Phish's strong suits to me was that they had a ton of chemistry, so it's tough to recommend on that. I'd be happy to just list/link to my favorite jams, but yeah, not looking to get mocked tonight.

Then again, why not just watch Neil Young and Phish get all OMG SELF-INDULGENT in '98.

Man, I'm not even a fan anymore, but to this day it makes me twitch to read someone trot out the "self indulgent"/"technically proficient" thing. Since this thread is dying I'll just leave it at that.

Ugh, mods better be sleeping .... don't want that typing to be in vain!
posted by NolanRyanHatesMatches at 11:35 PM on April 7 [4 favorites has favorites]

But yeah, this isn't phantasytour.com, so I look forward to seeing this post here.
posted by NolanRyanHatesMatches at 11:39 PM on April 7

I bet that shit will be heady brah!

*Wanders the lot...Organic vegan heroin...Heady Crack Rocks...Molly...MOLLY...*
posted by schyler523 at 11:50 PM on April 7

But yeah, seriously though, your favorite band sucks chupacabras...

Compare Phish to anything the Grateful Dead did after '74 (with some exceptions in '77 and '79, the Dead had already burned out) , I'll take Phish thank you very much. This completely disregards the fact that these bands are irretrievably linked despite their apples vs. oranges status.
posted by schyler523 at 11:57 PM on April 7 [1 favorite has favorites]

Organic vegan heroin...Heady Crack Rocks...Molly...MOLLY...*

Heh, when Phish played Coney Island a few years ago I was waltzing around LOT and ended up buying a small bowl from a guy from Harlem who sold cheapo glass/pipes. We talked for a bit and finally he asks, "So, I heard I could get some good weed from these Phish fans, but no one is selling weed. I hear people selling pills, acid, mushrooms, and something called heady nugs."

Oh, and as far as cohesion/"spontaneous composition," you might want to search the 2/28/03 Tweezer. Wish I had that on hand right now.

Totally right, although I will say that '77 GD and '97 Phish are about as similar in style as the two bands get. Unless you count '90s Jerry and 2000 Trey flubfests. And even then, Trey could never spectacularly flub like Jerry could ... I don't think Trey ever fell asleep on stage :/
posted by NolanRyanHatesMatches at 12:26 AM on April 8

Ah, who am I kidding, nothing really matters, to me...
posted by schyler523 at 12:27 AM on April 8

Good thing I stopped by metafilter this morning, otherwise I wouldn't have known about Phish playing a show in Fenway Park, which is actually relevant to my interests. Then I read the comments and was overwhelmed by all the butthurt. It's sad, really, that all these people hate Phish so much. You guys really need to calm down a bit and maybe figure out why you feel the need to be such dbags. Sometimes, the back button is better than the post comment button.
posted by knowles at 1:17 AM on April 8

"Actually, my favourite band is fantastic".
posted by pompomtom at 1:41 AM on April 8 [1 favorite has favorites]

I have been told that I look like the guitarist from Phish. Watching part of the video with them and Niel Diamond, evidently I do.
posted by vernondalhart at 1:57 AM on April 8

. It's sad, really, that all these people hate Phish so much

Internet + indifference - (parental attention during childhood) = hate

it's all good, it's only math
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 2:52 AM on April 8 [1 favorite has favorites]