If you follow me on Twitter, you know that a signing session was planned at the opening of the Melkweg. I arrived very early and was first in line, soon joined by Stephen, the Vita guy that I met the previous night. He also is the one who bought the poster number 1!

When the doors open the members of Dark Star Orchestra, moe. and Keller Williams were here. They were nice and happy to be at Jam in the Dam. Lotus arrived also but no sign of Mike Gordon. We were very disappointed, especially Stephen who brought his bass to get it signed!

Anyway, the rest of the evening was great with a Phish cover from Keller, a sit in by the same man during the amazing moe.'s set and a great Mike show closer.

 

Just a quick review from Amsterdam where the first night of Jam in the Dam took place yesterday at the Melkweg.

I arrived early and had to wait until 7 to finally get my Pass and enter the Melkweg. I rush to the store to grab the limited edition poster that will be sign by the bands tomorrow. I got number 2 of 300! As we can freely come in and out with our pass, I rush back to my hotel just behind to get free of the poster, jacket and hat before the show.
I sat in front of the stage beside a guy playing with a PlayStation Vita. We ended up talking during all the evening, he's an american guy living in Amsterdam since 2009. During the wait I managed to lost half of my photo camera's batteries bellow the stage! I finally got another one from Brad, one of the taper.

The show started at 8 with Lotus . The band was simply amazing! They jammed furiously and they even played what I knew them for at the beginning : 2 themes for the video game Zelda .
Then, came the man because of whom I'm here : Mike Gordon. I finally got to be at a Phish member show and it was awesome. This band knows how to jam! We got great covers and long solos. I even witness my first Phish song live and it's one of my favorite : Meat. At the end of the show, I managed to grab the setlist and take a little break before going to the smaller room.
Dark Star Orchestra was ending their first set when I arrived and they came back a few minutes later. I don't know every Grateful Dead song so most of the show was new for me. They stretched most of the songs with lengthy jams and solos. I really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward for Friday show where they will recreate the Dead show in Amsterdam from 1972.

Of course, I'll write more about those nights when I'm back in France and post the pictures I took with my real photo camera. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter as have a free WiFi access inside the Melkweg for live tweeting!

Here is my final (?) schelude for Jam in the Dam next week. I'm pretty sure it won't stand still. but the goal is to see all Mike Gordon shows and at least one show of the 4 other bands.

I'm a little bit disapointed that Mike doesn't have more that 1,5 hour each night while moe. have 2, Lotus have 2 on the last night and Dark Star Orchestra 3 or 4 hours !

Earlier this week, I finally found a good deal on Groupon to book an hotel in Amsterdam for mid-march. Now I know where my family and I will sleep during Jam In The Dam !

I'll choose the flight next week between the one taking of from Lyon or from Geneva...

And then, the schedule will goes like this :

• 14 March
  • Lotus
  • Mike Gordon
  • moe.
• 15 March
  • Keller Williams (of if I don't like the first 30 minutes, Lotus)
  • Dark Star Orchestra (first 2 hours only)
  • Mike Gordon
• 16 March
  • Mike Gordon
  • Dark Star Orchestra
  • (end of) moe.

 

 

 

Later tonight, I'll be watching my first Phish concert live at it happens. Yes, I'll be in my living room, chatting with Holger, during the webcast of the New Year's Eve show at Madison Square Garden, New York.

Holger has been live-facebooking during the first 3 nights. You can seen what happened and follow us tonight on EU Phans, Phish Phans in Europe page on facebook.

 

See you tonight ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last but not least, Phish has just released today an archival show from 20 years ago exactly !

31th December 1991, Worcester Memorial Auditorium, Worcester, MA.

Here is the official announcement followed by a last minute chrstmas gift.

Phish had a busy year in 1991, signing a record deal with Elektra Records and touring coast-to-coast for a total of more than 130 shows including a fourteen-show tour with a three-piece horn section and the first unofficial Phish festival at Amy’s Farm. That summer Phish also recorded their third studio album, "A Picture Of Nectar". White Crow Studios in Burlington, Vermont provided the backdrop for Nectar’s namesake with engineering duties covered by Kevin Halpin and Jon Altschiller. While Jon was still getting his start as an engineer, he was also a fan and was among the dozen-or-so tapers at The New Aud for the band's New Year's Eve concert. Thanks to his work on Nectar, Jon was allowed to set up his microphones inside the front-of-house position. He also managed to snag a then-rare soundboard patch from FOH engineer Paul Languedoc.

Fast forward to 2010 when Jon returned to work with Phish on the road as LivePhish.com remote engineer and the seeds were sown for the release of this classic show. Twenty years later, Jon combined his audience and soundboard DAT recordings to create the matrix for The New Aud release. Mastered by Fred Kevorkian, this unique source is a proper document of the show, combining the qualities of both sources and harnessing the electricity that characterized this special performance.

For your listening and sharing pleasure...please feel free to download and share (by stream, download or broadcast) the following track from this archival show:

Tweezer>McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters
https://rcpt.yousendit.com/1327822594/d06bfb7f7fd5866ba5c024d40fd5c35c

Setlist:
12/31/91 Worcester Memorial Auditorium (The New Aud), Worcester, MA

Set I
1. Possum (8:25)
2. Foam (8:11)
3. Sparkle (4:33)
4. Stash (9:00)
5. The Lizards (10:03)
6. Guelah Papyrus (5:46)
7. Divided Sky (12:42)
8. Esther > (9:49)
9. Llama (4:47)
10. Golgi Apparatus (4:56)

Set II
1. Brother (6:12)
2. Bouncing Around The Room (3:43)
3. Buried Alive > (2:28)
4. Auld Lang Syne > (0:52)
5. Runaway Jim (7:37)
6. The Landlady > (3:27)
7. Reba (11:30)
8. Cavern (4:53)
9. My Sweet One > (2:28)
10. Run Like An Antelope (10:35)

Set III
1. Wilson > (6:50)
2. The Squirming Coil > (7:33)
3. Tweezer > (13:13)
4. McGrupp And The Watchful Hosemasters > (8:10)
5. Mike’s Song > (7:42)
6. I Am Hydrogen > (3:04)
7. Weekapaug Groove (7:09)

Encore:
8. Minkin Appreciation (1:26)
9. Lawn Boy > (2:30)
10. Rocky Top > (2:36)
11. Tweezer Reprise (3:16)

 

What about the gift ? I have two livephish.com codes to download a free show of your choice. You can use it to download tonight NYE show, of the one from 20 years ago, or any show you want ! Just leave a message here with your new year's resolution and the two first will win.

 

Happy New Year !

Here are the results of the contest started last week to win the new Phish 7 CDs boxset Hampton Winston/Salem '97.

There has been 2 comments and only 1 tweet.

 

Here are the list of the people who entered the contest and the random number choosen by random.org

 

And the winner is... Stashrock48 !

 

Here is a video of Hally's Comet with the audio coming from the boxset.

It's here ! The new cd-boxset from Phish, Hampton Winston/Salem '97, is at home and playing...

But I have a copy for you to win by just leaving a comment here to tell why you're interrested in this boxset. You can also tweet the following line to double your luck :

Win the new @Phish 7CDs Boxset at #BouncingAroundEuroom http://tinyurl.com/BouncingGiveAway @YomeNetSan

Winner will be randomly choosen among comments and tweets made between now and Friday 16th December 13:00 (France time). This contest is open to european residents only.

To make up your mind, listen to AC/DC Bag -> Slave to the Traffic Light and Mike’s Song -> Harry Hood -> Weekapaug Groove.

 

Version française ici : http://tinyurl.com/ConcoursGamusik

After buying my 3 days pass and before buying plane tickets and booking hotel room, here is the detailed schedule for each evening of Jam In The Dam 2012 !
Time has come to make a good planning in order to see all three Mike Gordon shows and at least one show of all other acts : Lotus, Dark Star Orchestra, moe and Keller Williams.

You sure may already know but Phish will release a 7 CDs/3 shows boxset in december. Pre-order packages are already on Dry Goods and livephish.com.

I'm totally new to these 3 shows (Hampton Coliseum 11/21-22/1997 and Winston-Salem 11/23/1997) because at the time, I've know Phish for only 3 mounth and I thought they were disbanded for long. Later I listend to every Phish era, including 1997 but strangly enough I've never been aware of the fame of these concerts.

This morning, I listened for the first time for the Mike's Groove played at the beginning of the first Hampton show and my ears actually melted ! It's so full of groove and funk ! Mike's Song only has 4 distinctive jams, one of it based on a heavy Black-Eyed Katty tease ! The segue to Hydrogen is so smooth you don't hear it coming.

You can find this 64Mb/35min mp3 here.

In the midst of their legendary fall 1997 tour, Phish stopped in Dixie for two shows in Virginia and one in North Carolina.  The 1997 Hampton Coliseum shows were the band's first two-night stand at Hampton Coliseum – a venue they have played a total of fifteen times including a two-night stand in 1998 (released as Hampton Comes Alive) and a trio of reunion shows in 2009.  The shape and feel of the venue have earned it the nickname “The Mothership” among fans.  The next show after Hampton 1997 took place at Lawrence Joel Veteran's Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina - another familiar venue where Phish also performed in 1994, 1995 and 1998.

These three shows were a memorable triad for the band and fans.  They are among the most requested shows for soundboard release from the Phish Archives and make up a compelling slice of the twenty-two-show tour that stretched from Las Vegas to Albany.  The Hampton/Winston-Salem 97 shows were packed with notable renditions of classics including “Split Open And Melt”, “AC/DC Bag”, “Slave To The Traffic Light”, “Mike’s Song”, “Halley's Comet”, “Tweezer”, “Run Like An Antelope”, “Stash” and “Bathtub Gin”.  The band also showcased a wide variety of newer covers from the debut of the Rolling Stones' “Emotional Rescue” to Del McCoury's “Beauty Of My Dreams”, Jimi Hendrix's “Izabella”, Clifton Chenier's “My Soul” and even an impromptu take on War's “Low Rider” (sandwiched inside a blazing “Down With Disease”).  The Hampton/Winston-Salem 97 shows also showcased newer originals like “Dogs Stole Things”, “Ghost”, “Piper” and the brand-new-for-fall instrumental “Black-Eyed Katy”, which is the only song repeated on the release.  More than what was played, the sheer heights of these performances are what made them special and built their acclaim.

The Hampton/Winston-Salem 97 shows featured Phish at an emotional peak of execution and flow.  The band was hooking up at every turn, taking chances and dropping musical surprises for each other and the audience.  Throughout these shows, Phish seized most every opportunity to lift and expand their repertoire while maintaining a raging dance party at every turn.  The audience magnified this explosive energy, spinning the shows into a ball of psychedelic, funk-infused live Phish for the ages.  Paul Languedoc’s stereo “soundboard” mix re-mastered by Fred Kevorkian funnels the energy of these special shows to listeners' ears nearly fifteen years later.  Hampton/Winston-Salem 97 contains all the music played over these three shows for a total of 45 songs - over 8 hours of music - including never-before-heard material from soundchecks at both venues.  The 7-CD boxed set (also available as downloads at livephish.com) slated for release December 6, 2011 is a must-own collection for any Phish fan.

11/21/97 Hampton Coliseum - Hampton, VA
Disc One
Set I:
1. Emotional Rescue > (17:44)
2. Split Open And Melt (13:44)
3. Beauty Of My Dreams (3:27)
4. Dogs Stole Things (4:48)
5. Punch You In The Eye > (9:13)
6. Lawn Boy > (3:45)
7. Chalk Dust Torture (9:16)
8. Prince Caspian (10:33)

Disc Two
Set II:
1. Ghost > (15:48)
2. AC/DC Bag > (25:49)
3. Slave To The Traffic Light (12:32)
4. Loving Cup (7:39)
Encore:
5. Guyute (11:19)

11/22/97 Hampton Coliseum - Hampton, VA
Disc Three
Set I:
1. Mike's Song > (17:04)
2. I Am Hydrogen > (4:31)
3. Weekapaug Groove (14:52)
4. Harry Hood > (18:05)
5. Train Song (3:06)
6. Billy Breathes (7:05)
7. Frankenstein > (4:48)
8. Izabella (5:58)

Disc Four
set II:
1. Halley's Comet > (25:59)
2. Tweezer > (5:58)
3. Black-Eyed Katy > (12:41)
4. Piper > (7:53)
5. Run Like An Antelope (13:38)
Encore:
6. Bouncing Around The Room > (3:52)
7. Tweezer Reprise (4:06)

11/23/97 Lawrence Joel Veteran's Memorial Coliseum - Winston-Salem, NC
Disc Five 
set I:
1. My Soul (7:23)
2. Theme From The Bottom > (10:23)
3. Black-Eyed Katy (10:55)
4. Sparkle (4:02)
5. Twist > (10:21)
6. Stash > (17:03)
7. NICU (5:48)

Disc Six
set I, cont'd
1. Fluffhead > (15:39)
2. Character Zero (7:34)
set II:
3. Bathtub Gin > (31:57)
4. Down With Disease > (12:01)
5. Low Rider > (7:29)
6. Down With Disease (3:39)

Disc Seven
set II, cont'd
1. Bold As Love (7:57)
Encore:
2. Julius (11:12)

filler: from 11/21/97 Hampton Soundcheck:
3. Hampton '97 Soundcheck Jam (17:53)
filler: from 11/23/97 Winston-Salem Soundcheck:
4. Back At The Chicken Shack (11:21)

 

Well, here we go again - Spring 2003, NYE 2004, Vegas 2004, Summer 2009, NYE 2009, Summer 2010 we now attend Summer 2011 shows. It is really fun to plan your vacation around shows and I always loved the US like I love Phish so for me it is combining two of the most fun things. This time it was a tricky one. From the day they announced the tour I was checking options. It must fit into the whole year planning and ideally should be in an area where we haven't been before. So I was desperately hoping for westcoast shows which haven't been announced in the beginning. Once they have been announced my phantasy went wild. Only problem - my wife started a new job and taking off 3 weeks was not possible. Luckily her boss approved 2,5 weeks so we got to squeeze the trip a little bit. Booking flights, car, hotels, etc was a routine after so many trips. Then about one week before we wanted to start the complete air traffic control in Germany planned a strike on the day we wanted to fly. Only at 10pm the night before a court ruled against the strike and made our trip possible. Then the flight was delayed in Berlin and I got nervous to catch the connection flight from JFK to Seattle. Thank god we catched up some minutes in the air. But immigration at JFK was the worst ever. Tons of passangers got caged into an underground labyrinth with no windows and no restrooms for 1,5h. People started to become aggressive, babies were screaming, kids were crying, men were close to fighting for space. Next horror news was that our flight to Seattle was overbook by 5 people and they were looking for flexible travellers. Of course we were NOT flexible ;)! Finally we made it into Seattle, fell into our hotel beds and tried to get some sleep. Keep you updated about our way to the Gorge...

I just ordered my 3 days tickets for the next Jam in the Dam festival in Amsterdam in march 2012. Of course, there'll be Mike Gordon among the line-up but also Lotus, moe. and Dark Star Orchestra ! 

And the good thing is that this travel to Holland will be a family affair : visiting the great city with my wife and my son during the day, partying with (I hope) some of you reader in the night ! Now I have 9 mounths ahead to plan flights, hotels and visits.

 

All Good and Vision International present the return of Jam in the Dam: a multi-day, multi-room extravaganza held at the legendary Melkweg in Amsterdam, The Netherlands March 14-15-16, 2012.

Celebrating music in an intimate atmosphere, the sixth edition of Jam in the Dam features the music of moe., Mike Gordon (of Phish), Dark Star Orchestra, Lotus and Keller Williams. Each artist will play extended sets all three nights in one of the two concert halls, all under one roof. With this conjunction of musical stars, mind-blowing collaborations are just the beginning.

The music runs from 8:00 pm to 2:30 am. This schedule allows fans to enjoy the wonders of Amsterdam by day and rock out by night. The city’s rich cultural offerings include famous museums and art galleries such as the Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum; cozy pubs and café terraces; open-air markets and trendy boutiques; and of course the legendary coffee shops. This unique opportunity to combine the exploration of a world-class European city with the expansion of musical horizons is what makes Jam in the Dam an experience not to be missed.

Tickets are available starting March 24 at http://jaminthedam.missiontix.com at $225 Early Bird pricing, saving $60 off of the gate. In Europe, tickets will go on sale soon at http://www.ticketmaster.nl, and will be priced at 170 Euro for Early Bird. Single night tickets are available in Europe for 60 Euro.

Travel packages including special perks will be available from CID Entertainment, including options for installment payments. Complete Jam in the Dam festival information and travel support is available online

Source : jaminthedam.com