FAQ
Nearly one
million served!
| This remnant will be replaced soon. The FAQ is back, with a new design! Ok... how about some examples of band babble? Here lie "little snippets of Phish Banter - those hilarious
moments during a show when one of the boys says something that's
so wierd and funny that you just burst out laughing and make all
your friends listen to it. These little moments are just as much
a part of a Phish show as the music (well, that might being taking
it a bit far, but you know what I mean) and I thought I would make
a place to collect those moments so people can come read a few,
have a laugh, and put their favorite banter for all to enjoy. If
you've heard some banter that you think is worthy, write it out
and send it [in]. Include the date, venue, and who is talking if
you can figure it out. ...everyone will get credit for what they
submit. ... Note: Shelly Culbertson has requested that 'uh'
and 'um' be left out of banter transcriptions as it is not necessary
and usually only makes the speaker sound unintelligent. Please take
this into consideration. I am in the process of editing banter that
was previously submitted." -- Jake Morrill Chronological Index
The whole/actual list10-30-85 (setlist) - During intro to the first Harry Hood ever:
submitted by: Rob
Thorne
04/01/86
- SneezeBloodEyeball at Liont's Festival of Fools:
submitted by: Rob
Thorne
08/29/87
- Marley Banter at Mead Ranch, Shelburne, VT - Set 1
Marley: Woof, Woof, Woof Trey: Marley, Marley, Marley, Marley, calm down... Marley: Woof, Woof Trey: Marley..Hey, come here submitted by: Rob
Thorne
08/06/88
- Baked in Telluride:
08/08/88
- Run like Fishman:
8/8/88 The Moon, Telluride, CO - Set II Background: At some point Fish walked into the club and the band reamed him for not showing up on time. Fish told them what had happened to him and, during Antelope, Trey informed the crowd of what took place in this manner Trey: Rye, Rye Rocco..Marco Esquandolas, been you to have any shpleef, man....[Run, Run chorus begins]...[said in an mocking, almost angry, tone in almost synchronous timing with gearshifts] leave town and walk towards the mountains in the distance, assume that you'll be back by 10 O'clock, walk farther into the distance naively thinking that you could climb the mountains, climb the mountain before you, pay no heed when your 2 friends each take a hit of acid, walk over the mountain and decide that you'll cut back the long way by climbing, climb down towards the beautiful valley below which has pretty flowers growing everywhere, Oh No, realize that there is a 2,000 ft cliff in front of you, start to shit your pants when you realize the sun's going down, decide it's time you too should eat a hit of acid, turn around and realize that you have to climb all the way back up the mountain, start climbing up the mountain but wait, it's to dark, you might fall, realize that the other 3 band members are making absolute fools of themselves playing the "Jazz Odyssey, finally making it to the top of the mountain and realize that you've got to get back to the bar in the next 10 minutes and realize that there is only one thing left that you can do..[Band]You've got to run like an Antelope, out of control(x4)...[Antelope closes] Mike: Thank You Trey: Thank you very much Mike: Good Night Trey: We'll see... Fish: Good night ? Trey: ...you in Burlington submitted by: Rob
Thorne
09/24/88
- Window -> Jar:
(Pre-Lizards) Trey: We are proud to say that the window is now ajar. Mike: Once a window, now a jar. submitted by: Rob
Thorne
04/14/89
- Important Banter:
Before Contact: Trey: [very serious] This is a very important philosophical tune. Guy in crowd:FREEBIRD!! Trey: [very serious] Please, pay heed. After Contact Mike: Thank you! Thank you! ... And If I could take this moment to say that you know we play a lot of gigs throughout a lot of places but Johnson State...We hold a dear spot in our hearts for Johnson State. It brings a tear to the eye! Trey: But what you don't know, is that we have a special affinity for Johnson State because we OWN Johnson State. And all of your tuitions are going right into our pockets. So you might as well just throw all your money up on stage right now! Cause we're gonna get it in the end, if you know what I mean. There's nothin' like gettin' it in the end...every once in a while. submitted by: Jake Morrill
04/20/89
- Oom Pa Pa!:
Divided, Walk Away, YEM>SOAMelt, Lizards, Mike's>H2>Week, Love You, Harpua After Love You Trey: Sounds to me like the song you want to hear begins with an "oom pah pah." This song is called "Oom Pa Pa." "Whipping Pa!" (laughter) "Whipping Pa Pa!" Mike: "Whip Pa Pa!" etc... (More with Trey explaining the hand signals for "whip-pa-pa," "whip-pa-post," and "hoom-pa-pa."). Harpua begins Trey: This story is about an especially mean, ugly, grumpy bull dog. Not like my dog, who is a nice little golden retriever, but, true story: did you know that last week my dog was shot in the ass by some obnoxious person? (Page and Mike laugh). It's true! It's not supposed to be funny! But anyway, Harpua was NEVER shot in the ass. (laughter). Mike: He was never shot in the ass. Trey: Harpua was never shot in the ass. So one day Harpua was walking along with his NON-SHOT ASS wagging in the air, towards town where Jimmy lived. And Jimmy in the meantime was sitting on his non-shot ass in front of the TV in his house, slowly petting the non-shot ass of his cat. (Mike (?) meows). His cat...with his special cat...his cat laying on the ground in front of the TV with his non-shot ass in the air. And this was NO NORMAL non-shot ass. This was a SPECIAL non-shot ass. This was a beautiful white non-shot, non-bloody ass. Mike: Let's hear it for non-shot ass!!!! (Band goes into Non-shot ass jam. "Non-shot ass" is sung with a march-like melody behind it. All 4 are singing along. REALLY funny). -Regular Harpua narration- Later in narration: Trey: Harpua looked at the cat and he says to himself.......... Mike: "Holy shit." (quietly) Trey: He said to himself, "Oh my God" (with English accent).....(Build up to Poster's name): "It's the one and only...it's....My god! My God! My God! My god my god my god my god..etc Mike: HIS GOD!!!! (while Trey continues to yell "My God!"). This goes on for a while. Anyway, Trey EVENTUALLY yells Poster's name, and Harpua proceeds in a very playful manner. Funniest Harpua I've ever heard; this is a great show for banter. (It's also the show where the fire alarm goes off during Fluffhead). Anyone know the story about what happened to Marley? Who would shoot that cute dog? submitted by:Ethan
White
05/06/89
- The Tire Song:
[after Weekapaug] Mike: Thank you! Trey: Thank you. Page: Mike's Song, and the Weekapaug Groove. Mike: Weekapaug, Rhode Island. Trey: Weekapaug, Rhode Island. And that's the beginning of the trip here. So we took off, we're in Weekapaug Rhode Island and it's time to move on from Weekapaug now to...lifting off from Weekapaug...you guys up there on the top there...taking off...and of course, we're lifting off and we're heading for...GAMEHENDGE. Oh my god, it's Gamehendge! We're leaving...we're leaving Weekapaug, Rhode Island...and there in the distance you see it, it's Gamehendge, we're coming towards it. And off in the distance, there's a fairground. There's a fairground, at the edge of Gamehendge, and there's all these weird animals and stuff and creatures walking around...unit monsters, spotted stripers, multibeasts. There they are...we're walking through the fairground through this weird midway and over in the corner, there's a little girl, standing... [Esther, The Sloth, Possum, Bold As Love] Page: Thank you. Trey: Thank you...Alright, thanks. So, uh, now were gonna do one here. This is another Gamehendge song, for those of you who might not know that. Drunk guy: The tire song! The tire song! The tire song! Trey: [Deep voice] The tire song. Band: all laugh Drunk guy: cheers Trey:[deep voice] The tire song. Page: laughs [Band talks to each other, can't tell what they're saying] Trey: Okay, we're not going to do the tire song, right now. No, we're NOT gonna do the..WE'RE NOT GONNA DO THE TIRE SONG [breaks down laughing]. [Still laughing] Oh my god...no tire song... [Regains composure] Alright, no really, this is another Gamehen...how's everybody doing up there, uh, in the top there? Don't fall or anything. Page: Don't drop anything on anybody's head....We'll get to the tire song [laughing]. [as Trey says the rest] No, we'll get to it, we'll get to it. Trey: Ok, no really, no, no really, this is another, uh, this is another Gamehendge tune. We're takin' it to Gamehendge. We're taking it out to Gamehendge. This guy's waitin' for a song here, he's gonna get it, he's gonna get it [laughs]. 1,2,3,4... [AC/DC Bag] submitted by: Dan
Mielcarz
05/28/89
- Ian's Farm:
Someone?: "There's a announcement to be made [Fish interrupts]" Fish: "We need a volunteer for a keg run!" Guy in audience, who I have heard at other Ian's shows, who is probably Ian himself (Mr. Sharpless, your learned opinion??) ( "Ian" says, from off stage): "Welcome Lulu to the show." Trey: "We'd like to welcome Lulu to the show first of all." Page, wistfully: "Lulu, Ian's mom." Trey: "Second of all, those of you who feel you won't need to poop in the next hour or so, we'd like you to go on a keg run." Ian (comes to mic): "Atta Boy." Another guy from the aud, Guy #1, who also comes to the mic: "We have the money. We need a sober driver, and a pickup truck." "Ian" (intoxicated): "No Dee-Wee [DWI] allowed let's get a driver up for a keg run. Let's go let's go let's go!" (some guy, maybe Fish.. off-mic): "Your mother. Send your mother for the keg run." Trey (on mic, in highpitched cutesy voice): "Who are you marley. Marley marley marley marley how are you where are you over here marley marley come here" Fish (on mic): "I think those extremely sober men over there are trying to say that they want to drive down [laughs]" Guy #1 (on mic): "I will supply the pickup truck for someone I deem sober." Fish (on mic): "I'm sober. [long pause] Hey-uh. I'll drive. I'm sober. Not that that makes a difference. [cackles]." End of Set 1 submitted by: Charles
Dirksen
More from Ian's Farm... submitted by: Brian
Messing
Still more... Trey: So this is how you mountain people live, huh? submitted by: Suzanne
Allison
10/20/89
- Split Open and Do-over:
No Dogs Allowed, Walk Away, Dinner/Movie,I Didn't Know*, AC/DC Bag*, Donna Lee*, SOAMelt*, Hood*, Swing Low Sweet Chariot Jam*, In a Hole* E: LaGrange *, Slave* * w/ Russ Remington and Dave Grippo on Saxes We join the band during SOAMelt, where they break into the acapella harmony, "We breathe deep..." portion of the song. Music tails off, Fishman does the count out... Band[acapella]: "We breathe deep, in a steam dream, and plunge below the water line.....pause, everyone trails off in a jumbled mess" Trey: We should just do that again, that, I can't stand it. This is, like, the coolest thing we were gonna do all night, and the lights went off and they couldn't read the fuckin' music, so, we're just gonna do it again. Sorry, I'm so psyched for this, the fucking lights went off. Argh laugh.... Fishman begins the SOAMelt drum intro from the top Trey: Let's just go back to the beginning...make sure the lights don't go off Chris. SOAMelt from the top submitted by: Franklin
C. Malemud
Before Funky Bitch Trey: While he gets this mic cord ready, I want you guys to help us out with this little gag we want to play if you will. Okay, let me explain this to you: we had this light his name was Tim and he played harp, he used to come up and jam with us once and a while. He wasn't that good but...he had a lot of fun...just hang on, hang on. Anyway he left us and we have a new light person with us named Chris and this is what we want to do. Paul our soundman is taping this whole thing so what he's done now is turned off the tape while I explain all this to you, and when John (Popper) starts playing what we're gonna do is we're gonna introduce him as Chris so we can give Tim this tape and say "Chris is picking up the harmonica, he's getting pretty good here's like a tape of him playing" So when you guys yell you gotta yell (screaming) "Alright Chris!" (stupid laughter by Trey) Tell me when you're ready Paul...cool...(paul now taping)Okay we're gonna get our light man Chris Kuroda up here to play some harp with us.Here he comes! (John Popper comes out) Lets hear it for him Chris Kuroda our light man. Funky bitch is played Trey: Chris Kuroda! Jesus left chicago is played Page: Thank you! John Popper: Better get back to those lights. (leaves) Audience member: Chris sucks! Another Audience member: What you will! Trey: What you will. Contact is played while Wilson is being chanted Mike: (in deep voice) Thank you very much. Bowie played Trey: Thank you...very much. We'll see you uh...nevermind. Blues Traveller up one more time give it up. Thanks a lot. submitted by: Ben
Grossman
Page Caleb Snyder, your license is on my piano. (Pause) Your wallet is at the front door. Trey Your life is in our hands. submitted by: <PwrGull420@aol.com>
05/04/90
- Boy Scout Anthem:
During "Carolina"... Fish: [sings, with rest of band singing normally] "Nothing could be finer than to be in HER VAGINA in the morning" [Song ends] Fish: I had to, I had to, just once. Just once, I had to sing the Boy Scout anthem. submitted by: Dan
Mielcarz
11/04/90
- :
Mike: We'd like to play another song for you. Trey: We got the disco lights on here, now. Mike: We're gonna do a little disco number for you... Contact submitted by: Rob
Thorne
03/17/91
- The Bear Story:
Trey: We're going to do some of the newer stuff for you. Guy in Crowd: Old days! Trey: Old days? What do you want to hear man? Let me ask this guy here. What do you want to hear from the old days? Guy: A Jimi Hendrix song. Trey: A Jimi Hendrix song? Maybe later. If it's an original tune we'll do it man, we'll take a request. How about mike? Where's mike man? Do you want to make a request? Mike (not Mike Gordon): Slave. Trey: Alright we're going to do mike's request here. Thanks mike. A telluride contingent over there. [people sceaming] are all those people from telluride? [more screaming] I just want to say that we're hoping to recreate our first Colorado experience. It was [to the band] three years ago? Like three summers ago [to the band] or maybe four summers ago? Four summers ago the first time we ever came to Colorado it was our first road trip. We got offered a gig in Colorado at Telluride at the Moon or I mean actually at the Roma, at the Roma. Warren Stikmee it was at the Roma. We ended up playing at the moon, but we were playing in Burlington and we had all these gigs at our local bar Nectars that we always played at in Burlington. So we decided we were going to go out on this tour. This guy was going to book us this big Colorado tour all these gigs and we told everybody in Burlington you know 'we're going on tour.' [said with spiccoli accent] it was our first tour we were all excited and so we had our going away party gig at Nectars one night. You know we said good bye and everybody came out to say 'yeah kick off the tour!' and the next morning we got ready to go we called up and it turned out that it had been narrowed down to one gig where we'd be playing for the door in Telluride. See we were going to drive all the way out to telluride for this gig so the next night we ended up... we weren't going to go. We went back to Nectars embarrassed you know standing there like 'well we're back. we didn't get to go.' The next morning we decided to go anyway. So we got out to Telluride and we played for like a week staight every night at the Romato about twenty people. It was the same twenty people every night. Mike was one of them. It was great. It was amazing. So we're hoping that maybe next summer or something we can go back out and do it again. Fishman(?): For the door. Trey: Play for the door. Audience member: We're waiting for the first california show. Trey: Thats next week man. I can't wait. Anyway here's Mikes request. From the old days. Audience Member: Tell another story. Trey: Another story? I'll tell you what. Maybe we'll get fish out here to tell one of his stories. He's got some great ones man. Alright here's what we'll do. we'll do this song, then we'll get Fish out and maybe if you guys egg him on enough he tell you the story about the bear. He knows some good jokes too. The Jamaica Joke is one of his favorites. Begin Slave submitted: Rob
Merk
Post-Slave Trey: Thank you. [HYHU begins; onstage laughs] Here he comes ladies and gentlemen...here he comes now...the man with, the man with the stories...the hardest man in show business ladies and gentlemen...the man who's gonna tell you the story about the bear ladies and gentlemen...Henrietta, let's hear [HYHU ends] it for him...[onstage chatter] Fish: Alright, look...This is you know, they're just ragging on me because I can't keep my mouth shut on long hauls...Anyway... Trey: Fish... Fish: ?[mumbles something] Trey: ...if you don't feel like telling the story about the, ah, bear you can tell the story about getting lost in the mountains. Fish: ?, well, I could tell you this one other story... When, when we did go out to Telluride the first time. Aww, alright you want to hear the bear story? Okay there's, there's two bear stories. One, one bear story is in the Adirondacks. Page: Let's just hear one bear story. Fish: Okay, we'll hear one bear story. I don't know which one I like better, well [onstage chatter]...this is, this is bad and this is true and you know no one believes me but this, this sucked. I was, I was, all right. I was hiking the Adirondacks and it was near this place, Long Lake, and there was, and there was bushwhack. I'd been bushwhacking through you know it was like, ah, about 6 days of bushwhacking and, ah, [background music for a few seconds]...bushwhack music here...So, we ?, I came out on the trail and I, I started hiking around. It was like, you know this, there was a hill and there was a bend and a whole bunch of trees and shit and in the Adirondacks they don't, you know, you don't have to have bear...[Mike plays some theme music(?Peanuts?)]...bells or anything like that and, ah, [chuckles]...so, so I'm hiking along and I come across this bear and it was a black bear. That which you normally aren't, they, they climb trees really but their normally, you know, not mean or, they're really like cats or something you know and run away. They don't, they don't want to meet you any more than you want to meet them and, uh, so this bear was a female bear and she was mad and she I swear and she and she looked at me and I knew right away she was mad. So [chuckle]...I had to, I had to drop my...I took my pack off and I was very calm about it and I took my pack off and I kind of, you know and I started, you know they tell you, your run in with them. Take your pack off and you walk backwards and that kind of thing. Well, I started walking backwards and this bear just started walking toward me and then like started trotting toward me and, you know, ah, and then it didn't look happy and she was eating too, which is another thing. When they stop eating and then come after you there's something wrong. So, all right, so I ran up a tree. I ran up this tree and I can't climb trees for shit but I did. I climbed this tree and I, ah, went up this tree it was like a, it was not like a very wide tree but I was up this tree and I was about 15, 20 feet off the ground and this bear was fat and she couldn't climb all the way up this tree and it was like kind of a, well she couldn't tear it down either which was, you know. I was sitting in this fucking tree and, and you know and I'm sitting there and this bear is really mad and she's clawing at the bottom of the tree and she's [Fish does his best bear imitation]...she really doesn't like me and there's this whining sound. I hear this whining sound and I [Trey makes sound whine noises w/ the 'doc]...look up and there's this a cub in the tree. I'm in the tree that her cub was in. So I am sitting there and I had to sit there and this climbing sound and this mother bear clawing and the little bear on top and I sat there for 3 hours. I sat there until I and it was on a hill sort of and I could kind of see the, er, trail and these people were coming up the trail and I started screaming and yelling, you know, [Fish does an imitation of his yelps]...you know and they couldn't make out what I was saying. I was saying, you know, don't come up here there's a bear up here, go get a ranger. So they started hiking away and, ah, they eventually understood me and they went and I sat there like for another hour and then the ranger came and they shot the bear with a dart and they put her to sleep and I climbed down and I don't know the little, the little baby bear. They get the little baby bear down and the mother bear is lying on the ground unconscious and we all walk away very, you know, and that was the story but I don't, I almost. No one died, nothing died, it was a happy ending. It was a good one and it was a good scare...all right...anyway...What a long gig [Aud. member yells "Honey love ya"]..Thank you, thanks. [HYHU begins] Trey: Henrietta, ladies and gentlemen. The hardest man in show business. And now driving one person to leave the theater. [HYHU ends; An aud memeber yells "No dogs allowed"] That's got to be Eric [chuckles]..Am I right? It's Eric... Fish: ? Trey: Eric has been watching us, following us, watching us play for years now and he always requests the same song. Fish: And we've never played it for him. [snickers] Trey: Hmm, we've played it once for him. Mike: And tonight Trey: We're not gonna play it for him Fish: Tonight [makes a wailing noise] Page: We're not gonna play it for him. a few moments later Trey: I could tell you another quick story about, about Fish. Now that, now that he's come up here. This is it, just to finish up the Telluride story. When we were in Telluride we played for the first four nights or something at the Roma. [Trey asks band, "Is that right"][?? response] No he had his dress...[Someone asks a question] No, he didn't get the dress out of the free box but he got some other clothes out of the free box. Fish: It was brand new, then. Trey: That dress was brand new when he got it. Okay, so llet me tell yo the story. So there's Fish, so we get to the gig every night around 10 and we just left the equipment set up because we were playing in the same place. So one morning Fish decides to go hiking with two friends of ours who were of questionable intent. Charlie, my friend and um, they go waltzing up into the mountains in Telluride and so we don't see them for the rest of the day and then we get to the gig around 10 and we're supposed to go on about 10:15 and Fish doesn't show up. People are starting to get worried. People in the club are starting to get worried, they ask "Where is he" and we say "Well he climbed up into the mountains with some friends" and of course by this time it's dark. So everybody starts saying, well that you know, "They shouldn't be up there at dark, it's really pretty dangerous" and you know, the guy's from the east, they've never been in mountains like this before and we're like "No man, no man, don't worry". So it's getting to be like 11. Finally we had to start playing. So we played the first set without him, just the 3 of us. We did the Jazz Odyessey [Laughs]...Where I play the drums and still no Fish. So we take a break. We take a long break, you know, 15 minutes or something. No Fish. Played another set without him. Two sets so far without him. Finally about 1 O'clock [chuckles] the doors open up and Fish comes walking in, in through the door with this big bundle of flowers, big wide eyes, comes walking through the door. [laughing] So we played a couple more songs and ended it. Ah, yeah what a guy....What's that? [aud member requests Chalkdust] Yeah, I'll play that one [Tells the rest of the band]....Okay, we're gonna do a, now that we did some old stuff, we're gonna just do new stuff to end thee, ah, evening here.[Some fans voice there opinion] Page: [In the background]Are we supposed to stop? Trey: We're kind of... Fish: And you hate the new stuff already. Trey: ...already over...You know, it's interesting, people, people ask like why we stop or why we don't play longer and stuff like that. I gotta tell you that it's, there's always a limit at the club. They tell you exactly what time you have to get off the stage, so we always push it right to the end, you know.[aud member says ?] Alright, we'll move off. Okay, but this is, ah, this is called Chalkdust Torture. Some of you might have heard it already but it's pretty new, and it might be on an album because we're making a new album right when we get back from this tour. Here it goes...[>Chalkdust] Encore Post-Lawn Boy [Aud. member makes a request Trey: I haven't played that in so long that I think that I might not do justice to it. mumbling Trey: Ok, here we go... Fish: Look, I have to correct one little part of that story..the reason I was late was not because I was..out of my mind or anything..It was because we went down the wrong side of the mountain and we decided we'd take a different creative route and went down the wrong side and hit a sheer cliff and had to go all the way back up and the wide eyes was because I had an extra boost of energy to get back up the mountain..Yeah, and that's the truth[chuckles] Page: Thank you so much for that story Fish... Trey: It wasn't just the flowers it was the way he was looking at them when he walked in the door...They're all like limp you know and he said he had picked them hours before and he couldn't put them down, you know[Laughs] Fish: They were nice flowers..??[>La Grange] submitted by: Rob
Thorne
03/22/91
- :
During Fishman's solo screaming in "Suzie Greenburg" Fishman: What a bitch!! submitted by: Randy
Bee
After Fee Trey: As we fade out here..?..even though we weren't planning on it. We should bring..[HYHU begins]..the one and only Henrietta to the front of the stage because...I think that if you guys yell loud enough he might be able to tell you a funny joke... ladies and gentlemen...Henrietta!!![HYHU ends] Fish: I'm not telling any funny jokes..This isn't funny... No...there's nothing funny about this. Mike: This is serious as a heart attack. Fish: This is serious as all hell.{some ?? mumblings) Trey: Maybe if you yell loud enough Fish will tell the Prison [Fish and Trey chuckle] Joke. Fish: Alright, the Prison Joke. This is, this is good... Anyone ever heard of John Fox...Alright, well there was this tape we got you know, you know we're driving miles and miles and [*] miles and we ?, everytime you stop at one of those, ah, you know, those 24 hour marts and everything and gas. They, everyone, was looking over the tapes and they have this thing like "Truckers Comedy", you know, volume 1 and volume 2, volume 3. They all say, like rated x, adult humor and stuff. But, so there's these just tapes of dirty jokes. So there's this one really, pretty funny one, there just like this 1/2 pint guy and [**] ah, how did it go.....Alright, you know, okay so I've only, only heard this joke like once or twice..but, ah, alright so there's this really small guy, like ?, skinny and everything. He was small and he goes to jail.. and he's in this, this, you know there's all these huge guys, you know, in line to go into prison. Then, ah, there's this, they put him in a cell with this huge guy. He's like 250 lb. guy, you know, huge monster of a guy and all day he's like really, you know he's like really afraid and he's like timid and hanging in the corner and, ah, you know, everything goes okay, you know, no one's, no one gets hurt or anything. So they go to bed, go to sleep. He's sleeping in the top bunk, the little guy and the other guys sleeping in the bottom bunk and, ah...about 3 O'clock in the morning the big guy downstairs, he wakes...pokes at the bottom of the bed he goes(in a deep voice) "Hey, wanna play house? I wanna play house," and he says, the guy goes, "You wanna be the man or the wife?" and the [Fish chuckles] and the [chuckles again] and the little 1/2 pint guy's like(in a wimpy voice), "I wanna be the man" and he goes (deep voice) "then come on down here and suck your wife's dick!" [Laughs] Alright, well alright, alright, third person joke. It's all in the delivery [HYHU begins] that's why I'm not a comedian. That's why I play drums and I, I play the vacuum cleaner. That's about all I know, but, ah, I guess some other time. Trey: Henrietta, ladies and gentlemen, Henrietta!! Fish: Alright, I'll... Trey: The one and only Henrietta, ladies and gentlemen Fish: The subtlest vacuum cleaner solo ever. [*]= Mike starts playing the bass line to Jesus left Chicago [**]= Mike stops playing JLC submitted by: Rob
Thorne
07/14/91
- :
Before Reba Trey: Yet at the same time I feel overdressed because it IS National Nudist Week, ladies and gentlemen....let's get naked. submitted by: Charlie
Ittner
08/03/91
- :
Right before The Curtain Someone: Saying something to the effect that the band should hurry up, what's taking so long, etc. Trey: "Hey man, you try to remember all this stuff!" [laughter] submitted by: Chris
Intagliata
10/06/91
- Henrietta:
Post-Brother Trey: Uh, that was called 'Brother' and that's a new song and that was dedicated to the guy who offered us $10,000 dollars to play a different song tonight....Wherever you are out there. Fish: C'mon up, wherever you... Trey: Anytime you want to come on up and give us the money... Fish: Yeah, cash, hard cold cash... Trey: Cash and we'll play it...(a few seconds later) Trey: Well, uh, Mike has broken a bass string, so what do you say, what do you say we get, the one and only...Ladies and Gentlemen [HYHU theme begins] let's get him up here for a quick ditty while Mike changes his bass string....Henrietta, ladies and gentlemen..Let's hear it for him... Fish: I hate this fuckin' song...I just want you all to know the only reason they play that song is because I hate it...[HYHU ends]... Fish: Now, when in doubt... Trey: Fish hates... Fish: When in doubt... Trey: ...alot of different songs and that one he hates the most and that's why it has become the Henrietta theme song... Fish: That's right...All I have to do in this band is say I hate something and it'll be done. Trey: Forever...It used to be La Bamba but now it's... Fish: Okay..My... Trey: Hold your head up Fish: Mother always said to me "when in doubt son, vacuum". So... ???: A wise woman...[a few seconds later Terrapin begins] Set 2 During I Didn't Know (prior to Fishs' solo) Trey: He's back ladies and gentlemen, you know, maybe before he starts playing his trombone...maybe, maybe, just maybe. This is a very special occasion tonight. Before he starts blowing his trombone, this is, we consider this a special occasion. We won't tell you what that occasion is. We will say that last time we where in this area, ah, we played at...Carleton College and some of you might remember that Fish got up. We made Fish get up and tell a joke and it was absolutely the stupidest joke ever. I don't know you guys where there. You remember, you remember the punch line. I'm not gonna tell you. Alright, well maybe this time he can redeem himself. So we're gonna try and get him to tell another joke and maybe this time he can redeem himself in the area because most people around here think that he is a pretty bad joke teller but let's see what he can do ladies and gentlemen. Fish: Alright...Why did the Siamese twins go to England? To let the other one drive for awhile.[>Trombone solo] submitted by: Rob
Thorne
10/19/91
- Mimi Fishman:
HYHU theme [post-Oh Kee Pah] Trey: Ladies and gentlemen, that special moment of the evening has arrived..because not only are we about to bring to the center stage the one and only...First of all, let me tell you that Henrietta is dead ladies and gentlemen, dead and gone. You'll never see Henrietta on the Phish stage again..but let me tell you that he has been replaced by the one and only, Showboat Gertrude...ladies and gentlemen, assisting Showboat Gertrude tonight will be the one and only Missus Gertrude herself... Showboat Gertrudes' mother from Syracuse, NY, lets hear it for her[HYHU ends] Fish: Whew, this is a special moment for me..This is my mother Miriam Ruth...and I am proud to say she has taught me everything I know about playing the vacuum cleaner and everything else too. Mimi: But not cleaning. Fish: No, No [chuckles] Alright. Trey: Maybe, ah [chuckling]...we won't get into it...I was gonna say maybe we could get a few stories out of Mrs.Fishman. Maybe about the times she caught Fish in his bedroom [laughs] Fish:[loudly protesting] NO, NO Mimi: No Fish: No, I'm sorry, No, we're just gonna have to censor this right here. Okay, I never had a bedroom and I was never in it. So I'm gonna sing you a love song and my mothers gonna play the vacuum cleaner lovingly, too[>Terrapin] submitted by: Rob
Thorne
II: Tweezer, My Sweet One, It's Ice, Chalkdust, Eliza, Mike's> I.A.H.> Weekapaugh Groove, Take The A Train, Tela, Cavern, Poor Heart, Tweezer Rep. E: Love You, Stash How can you go wrong with a Fishman encore? The HYHU theme quiets down, and Fishman settles on doing Love You, by far my favorite Syd Barrett tune to hear Henrietta do. Fish does the band/crew introductions, including the following one shortly before his vaccum solo... Fish:...and lest we not forget the man in the back...selling T- shirts, and doing things like that...talking to you, being nice to you, loving you, kissing you, hugging you, the one the only - Andrew Fishbeck! OK...Syd Barrett wrote this song... (Love You gets wrapped up, but instead of HYHU, the guys break into something different...) Trey: You're probably wondering what that last little outburst of music was and why we weren't playing the traditional Henrietta theme music...(HYHU tease from Page)...well, the reason we started playing that old Argent song as Fish's Henrietta theme music is because he hates that song more than any other song ever written...except La Bamba. (La Bamba tease from Page and Mike)... Fish: Well, there's a few more... Trey:...so we decided that it was only apt that it become his theme music. But tonight, to let up on it, we decided that we'd play "Pusherman" by Curtis Mayfield, because he likes that song. But that's it...it's back to Argent from now on. (mumbles to the band about what to do next). OK, we're gonna play this last song, this is a request from some friends of ours from the Phish.Net...I don't know if you guys know what that is but it's a computer network set up around the country, and you can hook into it, and these people, uh...so this is a request...we're honoring requests...(feedback) sorry about that...1, 2, 3... (Stash concludes the first encore. According to the Helping Phriendly Book, there is a second encore, YEM, that does not appear on my tape.) submitted by: Tim Wade
11/14/91
- Roll like a Cantaloupe:
II: Dinner & A Movie, Roll Like A Cantaloupe, Fee, Paul and Silas, It's Ice, Glide, Tweezer, Take the A-Train, If I Only Had A Brain, Lizards, Tweezer rep. E: Bouncin', Good Times Bad Times Dinner & A Movie opens the second set with many a Smells Like Teen Spirit tease, and even some "oooohs" and "aaahs" from the crowd. Antelope picks up on the heels of Dinner & A Movie. During the pre "Rye, Rye, Rocco" jam, Trey fades in and out singing "Hello, hello, hello, hello..." ala Kurt Cobain. Finally Trey, gets around to asking if you have any spike, and then... Trey: Set the gearshift for the high gear of your soul!...then walk through the doors of the supermarket...wander past the frozen food section...go past the baked goods...slowly walk by the personal products...meander slowly past the magazine section...step slowly by the courtesy counter...walk towards the produce section...slowly go towards the fruits and vegetables...lift the small, round, fruit in your hands...you got to Roll Like a Cantaloupe, Out of Control!!! (Song finishes as Roll Like a Cantaloupe) submitted by: Tim Wade
TREY: Thank you...OK, uh, before we go any further here, I just wanna tell you guys a little story, this is a very interesting...you guys can - if you wanna give me a little old time back-up music, that's cool here, 'cause this'll only take a minute...this is really an incredible story here that, uh, takes place in this very room. This starts in 1908...my great grandfather graduated from this school in 1908. (cheers) Ok..(Trey chuckles...Page is starting to chord out Satin Doll)...OK, let's see, uh...so my great grandfather graduated from here in 1908, he was a dentist, uh, orthodontist/dentist, he was the first dentist ever to use, uh, nitrous oxide in this state (BIG cheers)...so..._very_ popular guy, let me tell ya, very popular guy...well he went on to have a, uh, daughter, and that daughter of course was my grandmother, my grandmother who I just talked to yesterday on the phone, told me that - oh, by the way, there's some cousins of mine here, also, there they are down there, so they already know this story, but the rest of you don't know it...my grandmother, um, many years ago, this was back in the thirties, um, every Saturday night, she said, literally hundreds of times, she came into this room to dance, she saw Duke Ellington here, and all the other orchestras used to come to town, um...right here...uh, this is, I think it was 1926, as far as I know, so she used to come here every Saturday, she met my grandfather, danced with him right where you guys are standing, probably went outside, who knows what happened, but the next thing you know my mother was born...and, uh, my mother wasn't born in this state, and then she moved to the east coast...I was born...and, here I am, back here, and the incredible thing is that you're - I wouldn't be here, if my grandmother hadn't danced on this very floor, with my grandfather, to Duke Ellington... (cheers)...and neither would you, I suppose, I mean you'd be in the school but you wouldn't be here...so it's a pretty incredible story, and here we are back here, and now I wanna - oh, yeah, and one other thing she told me, it's a funny thing, they used to drink near beers during prohibition, but just so everybody knows, she said everyone thought that all the people in this state, all the kids were so nice 'cause they drank more near beer than anywhere else...uh, the thing was they were all pouring bootleg alcohol, and she says she'd pour out half the beer and fill the rest with this...then you're talkin'...dance out on the floor and whatever would happen, so now we're gonna play one here, if Page will, uh, do the, do the honors for this, now that you've started us off, we're gonna play one for my grandmother, who isn't here tonight, but, but...just, if you can picture that, years and years back, this is the kind of thing they were dancing to, and feel free to grab a partner next to you and, swing your honey across the uh, floor there... As you can gather, Page, Mike, and Fish have gotten Satin Doll started up behind this story, and now the Chairman does the honors...what a great story. =) submitted by: Tim Wade
03/20/92
- Cousin:
Just before Mike's Song Trey: Help me. I'm melting and I can't solidify. Laughter and applause from the appreciative audience Someone (probably Fishman, in "Wicked Witch" voice): MEEELTIINNG! submitted by: Jonathan
Laughlin
12/30/92
- Cousin:
Awesome show. Anyway after an awesome YEM Trey starts playing the opening melody to TMWSIY. Mike: I'd like to send this one out to my cousin, Julia Gordon. Trey: I'd like to send this one out to my cousin, Tom. Page: I'd like to send this one out to my cousins Bill and Deb, Bob and Sue also (unsure about names Page says) Mike: I have other cousins. Trey: We'd like to send this one out to all of your various cousins. Page: And to those of you who are cousins. Trey: To those of you who are cousins we send this one out to you. Trey: Cousin Mike: Cousin TMWSIY intro music stops...they wait for page. Page: Cousin? submitted by: Stansbman3@aol.com
12/11/94
- Meat:
Fish I didn't know you worked Mike I go out to eat, what do I do.. FIsh Do you eat meat? You know meat's bad. You shouldn't eat meat. 02/13/93
- Delaware:
Before Lawnboy Trey: Hey I have an announcement to make here from the building manager....it says here for your own safety, the aisles must be cleared. laughing Please, help the ushers out here. We just want to thank everybody for coming out here and making our first Delaware gig ever. It's such a great arena. applause We're going to get Page out here to sing a little song in honor of our first Delaware gig. We'd like to sing this song for the whole state of Delaware. Lawnboy begins After Big Ball Jam Fishman: as HYHU ends Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much. Wow, there's alot of people here tonight. We're going to see if we can get a little sing-along going here. This is a very nice song, rather, it's sort of a sad lament. It's where I'm left out naked on the plank. I wish. I can get arrested for that these days. Drunk girl seated right next to me: I want to see you naked! (you can't hear this on my tapes, but I *distinctly* remember this) Fishman: I love you, too. pause I formally apologize for drinking water in front of you all, but we gotta have it up here. Now whenever you all care to join in, I'll start this song then kind of back away and we'll all sing along. And then I'll do a vacuum cleaner solo, but you all have to keep singing. I'll do it while you're singing. Wait--let me get my note. Lengthwise begins Fishman: after vacuum solo I'm sorry, but I lost the beat. Lengthwise ends submitted by: Steve
Cunningham
05/03/94
- Brain Farts:
Before the Oom Pa Pas of Harpua starts, Fishman begins the first beats of Harpua (which are of course are supposed to go after the Oom Pa Pas, because after all - what is a song without Oom Pa Pas). After making this mistake... Fishman: I want to formally apologize for that false start. This happens to me, you know? Brain Farts. Then some unintelligible stage banter Trey: "OK, Fish wants to play this one so we'll play this one. (then, in a whisper) It's been a while since we played this one. Oom Pa Pa, Oom Pa Pa, Oom Pa Paaaaaa-aahhhh, then Fish comes in at the right spot and off we go for a killer Harpua with the narration having Jimmy listening to Cream's "Sunshine of You Love" and Stevie Wonder's "Sunshine of My Life" at the same time. Same set has Allison Krauss sitting in for "If I Could." Goot Stuff Mon. submitted by: Scott
Eidam
05/04/94
- Baby Banter:
Ending Lyrics of "Run Like an Antelope" Trey: I just found out a couple of minutes ago that, uh, my best- one of my best friends from home is, this very second, giving birth to, uh, a new baby, and that last jam was dedicated to you, new baby, wherever you are, and I'm gonna give you this tape, and I hope that you, uh, live your life, uh, like that jam. (pause) Rye, rye, rocco. Kelly's new baby, I think you should name your baby Marco Esquandolas. Yeah, Marco Esquandolas Carnavero. Alvenu tahamaney... spike. Mon! submitted by: Sam
Kusnetz
07/03/95
- Bette Midler:
The band is just starting Lizards when Trey forgets the lyrics. He tries to recover but he can't. The crowd goes wild, and Fishman teases, "Maybe you need a teleprompter." The crowd goes wild and Trey eventually charges into BBFCFM. submitted by: Sandy
Pyle
11/28/95
- Bette Midler:
Post-Free Fishman: Ladies & Gentlemen, this evening..We have a man that I want to make a very, very special dedication to. It's time now that after 12 years in this band that I come clean. I'm not a creation of my own will. I am a creation of this mans' will. I and everything that I am and everything I have done is because of his operation of the strings of my puppet being in his hand...[Wind Beneath My Wings, dedicated to Col. Bruce Hampton] Post-Wind Beneath My Wings Trey: Ladies & Gentlemen, Henrietta, and his father Bruce Hampton. Mike: That was a touching event. Trey: It's kinda hard for me to get going again cause I'm still wiping the tears from my eyes [laughs]...[Antelope] submitted by: Rob
Thorne
11/29/95
- Nice Fee:
Here, Trey forgets the lyrics to the last verse of Fee (seems he does that a lot =), like half the verse...they Jam the end of Fee out in a truly unique fashion, and Trey is heard to remark: TREY: "That's the abridged version, for those of you that were wondering...the Reader's Digest version...the original was banned in book stores all over the country...it was all that nipple slicing part, they thought it was bad for America's youth...we're gonna breed a generation of teen-agers going around slicing people's nipples with envelopes...next time I sing it I'll have them jump off the boat voluntarily so there's no violence." With that, Fee finally fades out very prettily... FISH: (sung) Yeah... TREY: The nice version. Ironically, they then jump head first into Split Open & Melt. submitted by: Tim
Wade
12/14/95
- :
Makisupa Policeman Trey: I woke up this morning...looked at the clock. It read 1:11. Turned over, Kadhafi in my bed.....so I smoked a joint with him. submitted by: Allen
Andy Lee
08/06/96
- Red Rocks:
During the break in Rift Trey pauses, steps back, waits, steps forward nodding his head..."This is Red Rocks, this is the Edge." [calmly] -the place goes nuts... During Antelope: after a semi-funky breakdown, Trey..."21-year-old Phish Phan Marcus Esquandolis..." [in reference to a phan's quote in a newspaper article describing the previous nights events in Morrison] submitted by: hplc@geocities.com
During the pause in RiftTrey: [Pauses, steps back, waits, steps forward nodding his head] This is Red Rocks, this is the Edge. [calmly] During Antelope Trey: 21-year-old Phish fan Marcus Esquandolis. [in reference to a phan's quote in a newspaper article describing the previous nights events in Morrison] submitted by: Jeff
11/16/96
- Lee Fordam:
La Grange, Runaway Jim> Vibration of Life > Kung > Catapult, Axilla I, Harry Hood> Suzy Greenberg, Amazing Grace E: American Band (at the end of a dark, spacy Jim...) Trey: OK, when Fish stops playing the drums for here for a second...cut it out for a second there Fish, thanks. Um, what we're doing right here, this is a little thing called the Vibration of Life. (cheer) We're havin' such a good time tonight, just to tell you how much I like these general admission shows where you guys are all walkin' around, there's no seats...isn't that great? So, um, what we're gonna do here is we're gonna give you the vibration of life, and what it is is that the, uh, theoretical universal glue is a vibration that beats at about 7 1/2 beats per-second, so what we're gonna try to do is to do is we're gonna try to give you this vibration that beats at about 7 1/2 beats per second and it's gonna tune you up with the energy of the universe and fill you with incredible...energy... you're gonna feel it in your ass and in your, uh... Mike: Solar plexus. Trey: Exactly, yes, you can feel it everywhere, so get ready to feel it. This is the vibration of life, uh...this is written by God, we didn't write this one. (VOL for about one minute, then Trey starts chanting Kung. A wicked Kung ends, 2:50 later with Trey over on his drum kit. Mike starts singing Catapult after another 45 seconds. Catapult wraps up with a jam I just can't explain with words, 5:45 after VOL started. Axilla I ensues...) (spooky ending of Axilla starts up...insert vocal fills from the others along with Trey...) Trey: Don't shine that thing in my face man...Kuroda...Kurodaaa!!! Tof...Toffa...stop shining that fucking thing in my face!!! Toffer!!!! Steve...Petrol!!!! Lee Fordham!!!!!! Fish: (screaming): Leeeeeee Fordhaaaaaaaam! Trey: Leee Fordham!!!! Fish*: Just a trip to cuba, man...I wanna take a trip to Cuba man...Oh, I wanna go on a trip to cuba...I wanna go on a trip to Cuba... Trey*: A trip to Cuba...trip to Cuba with Lee Fordham!...with Lee Fordham!...(something I can not understand...) (*Alternating...) Fish: Fishing trip! Trey: Petrol!!!! Fish: Fordham!!! Trey: Take in the Lion King.... Fish: Fordham!!!.... Mike (sung as Fishman starts Harry): Leeeeee Fordham... (About :50 into Harry) Fish: Yeah... Trey: Cuba...I can feel it baby...I can feel it... Fish: Is this the kind of music they play in Cuba? (First Harry at 2:40...) Trey: Harry... Crowd: Hood! Trey: Harry... Crowd: Hood! Trey: Where do you go when... Trey: Lee... Crowd: Hood! Trey: Leeee... Crowd: Hood! Trey: Where do you go when... Trey: Lee... Fish: Fordham!!! Trey: Leee! Fish: Fordham!!! Trey: Where do you go when.... (you get the idea there...) (Insert glorious Hood here. For those who like sustain, I have never heard a longer sustain than is contained in the closing jam. Nearly three solid minutes jamming on one note. Kinda scary. This is a segue-ending Hood, into Suzy with LaGrange and Axilla teases...) (first Fishman vocal fill...): Oh, a neurologist...Lee Fordham's a neurologist, you know...yeeeeooooowww!!!!!! (second Fishman vocal fill...): Lee Fordham forgot my name once...I was very...HOT!!! (third Fishman fill...): Chris Kuroda's a neurologist, too...I...he's rather good, actually...hah...AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! To get the full effect of this show, you just have to hear it. It is certainly one of the most unique sets I own (like you can qualify uniqueness). Although the band gets really goofy, they still play extremely well. This show comes highly recommended to those who like a little wackiness with their Phish! submitted by: Tim Wade
03/01/97
- Pierre:
After 'Wolfman's Brother' Trey says some cool things about the venue then Fan: THANK YOU! Trey: Uh, what's that? Fan: THANK YOU. Trey: Oh, thank you. Fan: That was fuckin' beautiful, Mike! Trey: Ok, eew. Mike, he likes the way it sounds there. laugh Mike: Well, I know. laughter submitted by: Jonathan
Healey
07/09/97
- Pierre:
Set II: DWD > My Soul, Cars Trucks Buses, YEM*-> Ghost* > Poor Heart* E: Ragtime Gal *w/ Bela Fleck and the Flecktones (during the spacey dissonance before Mike hits the bass intro to Disease) Audience member: Haagen Dazs! Trey: Haagen Dazs! [5 second pause] Where's Pierre? C'mon, Pierre, where are you? Don't anyone else put your hands up except Pierre. Yes! Let's hear it for Pierre! [audience cheers] PIERRE! [Page makes some sound effects] Pierre from Haagen Dazs, the second best ice cream in the world. You know, Pierre, after we've said your name so many times from onstage I hope that when Ben & Jerry's opens a store in Lyon that you're gonna quit you're job at Haagen Dazs, and work there! [During the YEM jam, several minutes after Bela & the Flecktones came onstage. They bring the jam down low so Trey can speak...] Trey: Pierre. Are you out there? Where's Pierre? Put your hands down now, I can't see Pierre. Where's Pierre? Pierre, where are you? Okay. Pierre, you may not know who you're listening to. Just so you know, that man over there playing that synth-axe drumitar... His name is Future Man. ["Future Man" (Roy Wooten) plays a short drum solo on the Drumitar] Of course, the man who's now gonna groove with him for the next minute, sitting right next to him is none other than - are you ready Pierre? The Greasy Troll. The Greasy Troll! Let's get the Greasy Troll and Future Man together here. [A two minute drum solo follows with Fish joining Roy]. Trey: This man over here, who's joining in now with the Greasy Troll and Future Man, layin' it down, layin' it down in Lyon, for Pierre, this is for Pierre, on the bass Victor Wooten. Victor Wooten! [Victor jams on the bass for a minute or so. Funky.] Trey: Joining in here with Victor Wooten, sitting over here, adding the higher voice, Mr. Jeff Coffin [sp?], on the tenor saxaphone. [Jeff joins in and solos a bit] Trey: And of course, the other person who you haven't been introduced to yet, Pierre, completing Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Mr. Flecktone himself, Bela Fleck on the banjo. [Bela joins in and the AMAZING jam that follows segues seamlessly into Ghost] [As they're holding the closing chord of Poor Heart to end the set:] Trey: Thank you! PIERRE! PIERRE! PIERRE! [audience joins in chanting] PIERRE! PIERRE! PIERRE! [etc.] [After the song ends] Trey: Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, thank you, Pierre! Thank you! [before the encore, the audience starts chanting Pierre again, and Phish returns to the stage] Trey: Where's Pierre? Come on up here, Pierre. Pierre! Pierre! submitted by: Jesse
Appleman
This is an excerpt from Benjy Eisen's BathtubGinFile #27. Besides containing some Banter (which is pretty rare these days), this is one of the best Gin's I've heard. Benjy's review of it is one of the best of read too, so check it out. Benjy probably wouldn't mind some thanks for all his hard work either (hint hint). At 18:08 the jam drops for a Trey narrative that goes a little something like this: "Thanks everybody, welcome to the, uh, first show of the North American Tour. It's good to be back!" Then he chants, with fists pumping- "U S A! U S A!" Nobody continues chanting....Fishman says very faintly, "You can do better than that" but the problem at the time was that nobody understood what Trey was chanting...at least no one in my section (Front section, Fish's side). The other problem is that I'm not sure anyone would *want* to be chanting this...at least not at a Phish show. BUT by the way Trey laughs while chanting, it's pure humor and come to think of it, it would have been rather funny to see 20,000 or so phans chanting "U S A U S A." This is not a political arena here, so Amrit sit back down. The mocking is of arena-rock and not patriotica. Anyway Mike funks along underneath, as does Page and Fish, Trey chiming in chords in between sentences -- "Yes, we do have a lot of new material for you - I know most of you probably know that already - but we did start off the show tonight with four new songs. Just so you get it right, and you make sure that you know all the names and titles of the songs, I, uh, I'm gonna tell you right now. The first song was called 'Ghost'. Um, that was that funky thing that went into the long jam. Ah yes, the second song was called 'Dogs Stole Things' so make sure you get that right. That was the, uh, bluesy number about, um, how your pets, your dogs and your cats, you know, during the day they're sleeping and they're feeling good and everything but at night they come and they try to Steal Your Soul. So you gotta watch out for that. Obviously by the way he is playing they have not stolen Fishman's soul yet!" {Trey turns to Mike and Fish, not directly into the mic.}- "What was after that? What'd we play? [back into the mic.] What was after that? Ah yes, song number three was called 'Piper' and that was that one that build way up, um - 'The words were the words I sailed upon' - This is the last time I'm going to say this, by the way, so those of you who are travelling from show to show make sure you remember this 'cause I'm not going to say this again. I'm only saying it 'cause it's the first show of the US tour... And the fourth song new song you, um, which is one of my favorites, is called 'Dirt' and that was the slow one which is about 'I'd like to live beneath the dirt'. And after that you knew the names of the songs. So we're gonna do one more....and then we're gonna take a break. So don't go away...don't do anything I wouldn't do...or you might end up on the back of the WORM! On the back of the WORM!! Okay, so after this next song we'll see you in about fifteen minutes with alot more music. Thanks." "Popcorn" things at 20:15 or so from Fish...mocking the unability of the Dogs to Steal Things...Fish has been doing James Brown throughout this little song introduction section...after which there is another second or so of the funk and then - bam! Jam ends at 21:32. Nanosecond pause before a jammed out Character Zero starts up. WE'RE ON BACK OF THE WORM, BABY!!!! 07/23/97
- :
As Trey creates obnoxious noise at the end of Chalkdust Torture... Fishman: [typical shouting voice] Pepe Le'Pew!!! submitted by: Jake
Morrill
07/31/97
- Inhuman:
Trey: Let's hear it for Fish for trying that inhuman drumbeat. How bout that, huh? Fish: One of these days I'm gonna nail it. Trey: He tried that one in a dress and it didn't work, than he treid it in the suit and it worked. submitted by:Vinnie
07/30/97
- Elvis:
After "Chalkdust Torture" Trey: Thank you! (In a really quick high voice) [editor's note: use your imagination!] submitted by: Andrew
Gadiel
08/14/97
- Elvis:
After 'Treat Me Like a Fool', sung by Mike Gordon Trey: We had to sing one for Elvis, because it's Elvis week... Even if Mike did start it in the wrong key. Sparkle Begins Trey: This number is of course for Elvis as well. He would love this song. submitted by: Jake
Morrill
08/16-17/97
- Great Went Banter:
Pre-set I on Went Radio 88.9 Trey: I went out into the lot this morning in the...cart. I sampled some of your goo balls. The five dollar goo balls are better than the four dollar goo balls. Get the five dollar goo balls. A lttle later, a la Woodstock, Don't eat the brown goo balls. (thanks to Don) Set I: During Makisupa... Trey: Woke up this morning...Goo Balls. Following Chalkdust Torture with some minor flubs... Trey: Thanks, that was kinda like the soundcheck there cause we didn't get to do a soudcheck. We hope you enjoyed it. After an extremely sloppy Punch You in the Eye... Trey: I just have to welcome everybody here one time and we're just gonna keep playing and playing and playing for two days so just get comfortable cause uh...walk around, you know, and thank you all for coming to our Great Went Party cause it's a good one. And we are, I must say this in the Rock n Roll tradition, yes, we ARE the biggest city in Maine. We're bigger than Portland, Maine right now. Not only that, but we are a whole lot cooler than Portland too...sorry to anyone from Portland. Page: No offense to anyone from Portland. Trey: Make sure you check out the, uh...[to the band]what's the name of the bathroom circle thing? Page: The Port-o-let Piazza. Trey: Yes, the Port-o-let Piazza. Fish was naked in the bathtub yesterday to christen it, so anyone who gets into the bathtub at the Port-o-let Piazza (Page interjects: be sure to bathe yourself before you get out) realize that Fish was already naked in that bathtub before you. In other words, I would NOT get in that bathtub. OK, so now we're going to tell you the story of the Ghost. Ghost starts up, with Fishman singing MUCH louder than Trey At the end of Character Zero, and what appears to be the end of the set, Page rises to take his bow and leave stage. Then as if to say, "I'm in charge here. You'll leave when I say you can leave." Trey starts up Squirming Coil which closes the set and makes the over-anxious Page stay longer than everyone. Page: Stick around. Set II: At the end of a fantastic Julius jam... Trey: OK, we're going to, we're going to take another break after this tune and go back-stage and hangout and everybody just keep it cool and we're going to come back and definitely play a third set of strange and weird music for you. So, we hope you guys are having a good time, as good a time as we are cause we're having a very good time. So just like, you know, mill about and do whatever you're gonna do and we're going to be back with a lot more music. And, don't forget to go to [low, growly voice]the disco tonite. MC Neon Cell Gap is going to be there. So thanks a lot. Thank you. Julius finishes up Trey: Take it easy. We'll be back soon. Thank you. Set III: This set didn't have any banter to speak of, but it did include a hilarious Lawn Boy. Page stood up and came to the front of the stage like a professional crooner, and Mike made himself comfortable by taking a seat on one of the speakers (monitors) at the front of the stage. It was nice to see Page ham it up. 8/17/97 The Great Went, Day 2 Set I: A Banter-less set :( Set II: After an amazing Down With Disease, an even MORE amazing Bathtub Gin and a great Also Sprach Zarathrustra (2001), during which the band has done some abstract paining using creatively cut ply-wood and florescent spray paints, Trey has this to say... Trey: OK, so what we've been doing here this weekend is um, an idea that came out of the fact that when we jam up here we always feel like there's, a mutual energy going on between everybody, the four of us and all of you guys, and something is being created. We don't only feel it, we know it. So, a lot of you during the weekend have probably been walking around to the edges and helping paint on pieces of wood. Some of you have done it, some of you haven't, but still there's been wood spread out all over the place and paint and a lot of different people have been painting on this wood. And, while we were playing up here, kind of catching the groove of the show and everything, we did a little painting ourselves (which is right back there now). Can you light that up for a second, Chris? And, the whole idea here, something that we've been wanting to try since last year, and this is going to be the debut of this idea, is to do a mutual piece of art with you guys and us all built into one thing that was represented throughout the weekend. And so, that's it over there, right there is the result of all of you and us together. And what we're gonna do right now is put our piece onto the art to add to the stuff that you guys have painted so that together, and we didn't know what it was going to be...it was completely improvisational, it was supposed to be the same kind of spirit as the music which is that we get up here and we don't know what's going to happen and we just go for it. So...I think it looks pretty good (laughs>. I don't know what it is. So, right now what we're gonna try to do is, if you guys can help, I'm gonna get this thing down (our piece to the art) and hand it to you guys and if you could just pass it over to the thing, there's people over there that will then place it on top and we'll have this mutual piece of Great Went Art. It's for this weekend, and that's it. So, here it comes now, I'm gonna go get the thing and just pass it over that way and we'll have made one big piece of art together. Mellow, art-passing jam begins. Trey: Beautiful. Art-passing music continues After Trey's speech about the energy between us and the band, and the art is complete, Harry Hood begins under a beautiful full moon. As the jam begins... Trey: So, Chris, if you wanna kill the lights we can just look at the moon and the sculpture. As the jam begins to build a few glow sticks begin to be tossed into the air. A few glow sticks soon become hundreds of glow sticks, criss-crossing in front of the stage. The energy between the band and the audience at this point is incredible. Everyone is involved in creating a completely amazing and unique moment. All of this in front of the piece of art created in this very spirit. For me, this set, and specifically this moment, were the highlight of the weekend. This is why 60,000 people drove to the middle of nowhere to see four men play music. So, as Harry Hood winds down... Trey: All right, we're gonna take another break, then we're gonna come back and play more!! So keep throwing those things up in the air because it looks amazing, you just have no idea. Go get some more of those things! We'll see you in a little bit. I just want to say that everyone should hear this set. If you weren't there, I'm sorry. Set III: This was a cool down set. Nothing fancy. Some rarities, but fairly low key. And, alas, no banter. At the end of it all the sculpture was burned to the ground by a giant match. It was a wonderful weekend. submitted by:Jake
Morrill
Great Went RealAudio clips:
Ghost plays and Trey ends abruptly Trey Thank you I hope you enjoyed that as much as |
