Some 70,000 fans braved soggy conditions to reach the remote and muddy fields of Coventry, proving once again that Phish fans will travel anywhere to see their heroes play.
During the last set on the final day, guitarist Trey Anastasio altered the lyrics of fan favorite "Wilson" as a clear message to the faithful.
"You can still have fun."
But many fans were left wondering: Are there any more Phish in the sea?
"Phish stood alone atop the jam-band scene," says Jonathan Cohen, news editor for Billboard.com. "From a music standpoint, Phish was offering something no other band was. Any new contender has a lot to live up to."
So who will ascend to the throne now that the kings are gone?
Here's a short list of the most promising players:
The String Cheese Incident
Formed in 1993, this Colorado quintet has built a massive grassroots following by playing hundreds of shows a year.
Their 2003 release "Untying The Not" drew critical acclaim for stretching the boundaries of the band's eclectic blend of bluegrass, funk and reggae.
The String Cheese Incident recently announced three New York City shows leading up to New Year's at Radio City. This is big for them and clearly patterned after Phish's New Year's events.
moe.
They don't have videos on MTV, hits on the radio or platinum albums, but these upstate New Yorkers have developed an army of support with a true do-it-yourself attitude.
These big players of the festival scene score points by offering fans nearly instant recordings of their stellar live performances.
Moe. was one of the first bands to allow fans to plug into the digital soundboard feed at their concerts.
Widespread Panic
Formed in 1985, these musical troubadours have been around nearly as long as Phish.
Their trippy Southern-rock inspired live shows have garnered them a legendary reputation in the jam-band scene.
After making a successful recovery from the 2002 death of founding member Michael Houser, Widespread Panic chose to take all of 2004 off.
Their return could mark the reign of a new king.
The Dead
"I love going to see The Dead," says Allyson Wolfe, a veteran of 30 Phish shows. "I am grateful to have that to look forward to."
Jerry Garcia is gone, but the remaining members of The Dead are still a force to be reckoned with.
Old Dead-heads are blending with the new, and they remain a top concert draw.
These old-school icons could get a bump now that Phish is not there.
Ween
This unconventional rock anomaly is a bit of a wild-card.
Ween is hardly your prototypical jam-band, but they have made recent crossover appeal by playing festivals like Bonnaroo.
They boast a 10-album catalogue every bit as eclectic as Phish's and their three-hour shows have caught the eye of jam-band kids.
The duo has also managed to build a fervent worldwide following by touring nonstop, and allowing fans to openly tape and trade their shows.
Their 2003 album "Quebec" was the band's highest-charting entry on The Billboard 200 (No. 50) to date.
― Gear! (Gear!), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 05:44 (twenty-one years ago)
― Free the Bee (ex machina), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 05:51 (twenty-one years ago)
http://www.wtv-zone.com/moe/moesboomerabilia/images3/hippies.gif
― Gear! (Gear!), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 05:52 (twenty-one years ago)
― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 05:55 (twenty-one years ago)
― autovac (autovac), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 06:23 (twenty-one years ago)
― lemin (lemin), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 06:37 (twenty-one years ago)
None of the above bands will bebefit, however there will be an enormouse rise in the number of parrotheads.
― lukey (Lukey G), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 07:36 (twenty-one years ago)
― jhgf yuio, Tuesday, 21 September 2004 07:49 (twenty-one years ago)
― AaronHz (AaronHz), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 07:59 (twenty-one years ago)
― AaronHz (AaronHz), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 08:01 (twenty-one years ago)
― strom (strom), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 10:03 (twenty-one years ago)
If there is a God, nobody.
― Elvis is Dead, Tuesday, 21 September 2004 12:03 (twenty-one years ago)
― brock (brock), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 12:13 (twenty-one years ago)
― Mark (MarkR), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 12:20 (twenty-one years ago)
― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 12:26 (twenty-one years ago)
― Mark (MarkR), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 12:32 (twenty-one years ago)
― Free the Bee (ex machina), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 12:57 (twenty-one years ago)
it'll probably just be the usual Disco Biscuits elevator-core
― Space Is the Place (Space Is the Place), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 13:47 (twenty-one years ago)
― TOMBOT, Tuesday, 21 September 2004 13:55 (twenty-one years ago)
I d/led the new MMW because I liked some of their older stuff back in the high school days, and they were always the band that when jambanders said "but they're not really a jamband, they just get lumped in because we like them but they're actually not one! we have diverse taste! we also like Talking Heads", I came closest to believing them.
It sounded EXACTLY like the last album of theirs I bought (Combustication?) and was not interesting at all. I rarely delete mp3s, but for this I made an exception.
― Comme personne (common_person), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 14:10 (twenty-one years ago)
― briania (briania), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 14:15 (twenty-one years ago)
― Comme personne (common_person), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 14:18 (twenty-one years ago)
― j.lu (j.lu), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 14:22 (twenty-one years ago)
― brock (brock), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 15:04 (twenty-one years ago)
No, it won't be Ween, because you can't dance to Ween, and dirty hippies enjoy dancing.
― billstevejim, Tuesday, 21 September 2004 15:09 (twenty-one years ago)
― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 15:10 (twenty-one years ago)
― Jeff-PTTL (Jeff), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 15:15 (twenty-one years ago)
― Velveteen Bingo (Chris V), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 15:15 (twenty-one years ago)
DMB still have to play europe and the like. jam bands are never very big in europe, so they get big in america.
and moe has the experience playing to that crowd and the funny name, etc.
― david day (winslow), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 15:19 (twenty-one years ago)
― billstevejim, Tuesday, 21 September 2004 15:22 (twenty-one years ago)
― snazz, Tuesday, 21 September 2004 15:31 (twenty-one years ago)
― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 15:42 (twenty-one years ago)
― latebloomer (latebloomer), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 15:50 (twenty-one years ago)
― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 15:51 (twenty-one years ago)
― Guayaquil, Tuesday, 21 September 2004 16:45 (twenty-one years ago)
my dream is that it would be the disco biscuits but seeing as they only play 2 shows every 3 months, that ain't happening.
― jimmy_tango, Tuesday, 21 September 2004 17:10 (twenty-one years ago)
― peter smith (plsmith), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 17:13 (twenty-one years ago)
― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 17:20 (twenty-one years ago)
― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 17:46 (twenty-one years ago)
― peter smith (plsmith), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 17:50 (twenty-one years ago)
― kyle (akmonday), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 17:53 (twenty-one years ago)
― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 18:41 (twenty-one years ago)
― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 18:48 (twenty-one years ago)
― Big Eyes, Monday, 31 January 2005 15:31 (twenty-one years ago)
(i could name many more, but that would force me to dwell on something i don't ever really need to think about again)
― lemin (lemin), Monday, 31 January 2005 16:02 (twenty-one years ago)
― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 31 January 2005 17:05 (twenty-one years ago)
If any band, in all of time is anywhere near as eclectic as Ween, it sure as hell aint Phish.
― David Allen (David Allen), Monday, 31 January 2005 17:22 (twenty-one years ago)
It sort of is. Phish was pretty damn eclectic and I can't think of anyone else who would be moreso other than Ween.
― Big Eyes, Monday, 31 January 2005 17:44 (twenty-one years ago)
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 31 January 2005 17:45 (twenty-one years ago)
*GASP* dan, noooooo......
― lemin (lemin), Monday, 31 January 2005 17:48 (twenty-one years ago)
There was a diagram in SPIN a few months back: it was a food pyramid, and within each food group, it listed the horrifyingly many jam bands named after foods in that group: shit like String Cheese Incident, Deep-Fried Pickle Project, and many more.
― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 31 January 2005 17:52 (twenty-one years ago)
― God Ween Phish: The Oneness, Monday, 31 January 2005 17:57 (twenty-one years ago)
Chocolate and Cheese is a reference to fondue.
There is no doubt in my mind that, given the opportunity to have a Ben & Jerry's flavor dedicated to their band, the brothers Ween would insist that the ice cream be brown no matter what it tastes like.
― martin m. (mushrush), Monday, 31 January 2005 18:05 (twenty-one years ago)
right, because Ween play Beatles- (at the tip of the iceberg) derived pop-rock using Zappa- (at the tip of the iceberg) derived neo-classical composition styles with prog-psych-fusion jams, plus jazz, reggae, acoustic and electric bluegrass, four part a cappela barbershop harmony, Talking Heads-influenced 'funk', '80s Chicago blues, Zep- (tip of the iceberg) influenced hard rock and neo-metal, folk-rock, samba, faux-post-rock, etc. etc. etc., all with various improvisational techniques thrown in?
― gabbneb (gabbneb), Monday, 31 January 2005 18:26 (twenty-one years ago)
― gabbneb (gabbneb), Monday, 31 January 2005 18:27 (twenty-one years ago)
LONG LIVE WEEN!
― Francisco Monar (fmonar), Monday, 31 January 2005 18:56 (twenty-one years ago)
― Big Eyes, Monday, 31 January 2005 19:01 (twenty-one years ago)
I hope that's true, `cos it's a great story.
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 31 January 2005 19:03 (twenty-one years ago)
― Big Eyes, Monday, 31 January 2005 19:06 (twenty-one years ago)
On the other hand I know that Phish fans will defend "Phish is the most eclectic of all" and other such statements in the face of just about any challenge. Ween detractors will refuse to acknowledge any view that makes Ween out to be anything other than a couple giggling puerile potheads with guitars. So if you're a big Phish fan or a Ween detractor, then nevermind. It's all good. ;)
― martin m. (mushrush), Monday, 31 January 2005 22:56 (twenty-one years ago)
other bands that could do really well on the jam-band circuit if they wanted to: sonic youth. pavement/malkmus. the roots.
― fact checking cuz (fcc), Monday, 31 January 2005 23:05 (twenty-one years ago)
I just meant that Ween regularly included throwaway tracks up until Chocolate & Cheese (AIDS?). Phish's "White Tape" wasn't even meant to be a real release. It was just some stuff they recorded in college. Any Phish-hater could say all of Phish's material is throwaway, but hopefully you get what I mean. That one Ween song about the pumpkin on GWS itself is more throwaway material than all of Phish's [intentional] throwaway material combined. Although I happen to know Phish loved Ween.
― Big Eyes, Monday, 31 January 2005 23:08 (twenty-one years ago)
gabbneb's pretty accurate (except that he seems to have left out Ween's very specifically
I was describing Phish, not Ween
― gabbneb (gabbneb), Monday, 31 January 2005 23:10 (twenty-one years ago)
Aye, I got that, but I was being stubborn and twisting your words because I'm a Ween fan and a Phish detractor! ;)
That one Ween song about the pumpkin on GWS
You mean the really noisy non-song on Pure Guava? That is most definitely throwaway, yes, and the story in it does mention pumpkins. I don't recall any songs on GWS about a pumpkin, though.
I disagree that Ween regularly included throwaway tracks on the pre Choc & Cheese records because I don't think there are any real throwaway tracks on GWS at all. There are arguably a few on The Pod (though part of the reason I like that album is because it's dark and tired and meandering just like having mononucleosis, which both Dean and Gene did when they recorded the bulk of it), and there is definitely one barrage of noise that isn't really a song on Pure Guava. (And I guess "Poop Ship Destroyer" counts as throwaway the way you've characterized it above, although when they do it live it's something else altogether...)
I think, really, this is the crux of the matter.
― martin m. (mushrush), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 00:27 (twenty-one years ago)
― Big Eyes, Tuesday, 1 February 2005 01:00 (twenty-one years ago)
― JD from CDepot, Tuesday, 1 February 2005 01:17 (twenty-one years ago)
― Sandy, Tuesday, 1 February 2005 01:42 (twenty-one years ago)
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 01:56 (twenty-one years ago)
― Big Eyes, Tuesday, 1 February 2005 02:36 (twenty-one years ago)
Barenaked Ladies it is.
― donut christ (donut), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 02:55 (twenty-one years ago)
eh. it's mostly 1,000 people on the east coast(myself included). most of us are completely fuckin nuts though.it's nice that they could sellout and play a spectacular show at the hammerstein this NYE but no way they ever fill a room that size again, what with their lack of touring and sammy(their drummer) leaving.
― jimmy_tango, Tuesday, 1 February 2005 18:35 (twenty-one years ago)