Friday, October 12, 2012
Upstate NY running
New Jersey has no shortage of hills. Every run I do includes some, and every long run involves big ones (small mountains, really).
But in upstate New York, the mountains are large and there is nary a bit of flat land, even along the eastern border by the Hudson River.
The morning after a raging night of Phish, I plotted out a 13-mile run from Glens Falls, where I was staying with Karen, through the surrounding areas. And this route was chock full of quad-busting uphill climbs and calf-killing downhills.
Throughout these rolling hills, though, I got to see a lovely bit of New York country. I passed a Six Flags amusement park, a centuries-old cemetery, and some lovely neighborhoods.
Of course, it was tough to enjoy all that because not only were the hills difficult, but the heat was punishing. It was the early afternoon on a hot July day and there was no escaping the sun, save for the shade of a few tree-lined roads. I would have loved to have gotten out earlier, but that is the life of a runner on Phish tour - you stay up late and you run after noon.
After the run, it was a shower, then Denny's for dinner, then back to SPAC for the last show of that leg of Phish tour.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
The magic of Phish at SPAC, July 7
There is something special about the Saratga Performing Arts Center.
Maybe it is the woodsy setting in upstate New York. Perhaps it is because it is Trey's hometown venue (he lives pretty close to there, last I checked). Or maybe it is just the fun-to-say acronym. But every time Phish plays there they seem to deliver a memorable performance.
My first experience at SPAC was the first of Phish's two shows on the 2004 "final" tour (I remember it being referred to as "Back to Back at SPAC" - see how catchy the name is?). I recall dancing to some incredible jams, especially in newer songs like "46 Days", and kissing my girlfriend during a beautiful "Wading in the Velvet Sea" encore, which was her favorite Phish song.
Though we did not attend the second show, I remember listening later on and enjoying the hot jams as well as Page's dad singing "Bill Bailey".
In the 3.0 era, I had not yet been back to SPAC. And even though I have listened to every single show of the past three years, certain things stick out about the SPAC shows - like Tony Markellis' guest appearance on bass, allowing Mike Gordon to jam on guitar along with Trey on "Sand", and the totally dubby breakdown of "Makisupa Policeman" with Trey repeating "SPAC" (it is all about the name!!)
The magic of SPAC seemed to be there at the first show of this year's run, which I did not attend but listened to the following week, and it definitely continued on night two.
Driving with Karen from New Jersey, we made great time getting up to the area. We checked into our hotel in Glens Falls (site of the first Halloween musical costume show!) and headed down to Saratoga. All the great memories came flooding back as we made our way into the venue.
This was my 84th show, so I promised Karen that I would not force her to be squashed in the front of the lawn and that we could relax wherever she wanted. She is not a Phish fan but she came along for fun of it. She had gone with me to two of the MSG '09 shows, but I wanted her to experience the outdoor Phish experience.
We were in the middle of the lawn when Phish opened with "Grind", the first time I had ever see them do it barbershop-style (I was witness to the acoustic Trey/Tom version on 12/30/98). But Karen decided to hang back in the "family zone" as the set went on. From there, she played with some of the small children as I enjoyed the first few songs.
A few beers and some big jams later, we were in the middle of the lawn again, dancing up a storm. Even Karen could not help but shake her groove thing during "Bathtub Gin" (to my delight).
Unfortunately, something she either inhaled or ingested did not sit right with her and during set break she started feeling ill. So I had a whole different experience for set two - sitting at the back of the lawn. And you know what? It was kind of cool. As "Down with Disease" raged into "Blister in the Sun" we just enjoyed the vibe and Karen was happy to hear something familiar.
Normally, the triple dose of funk of "Boogie On Reggae Woman", "Golden Age" and "2001" would have me dancing my ass off. But instead, I listened intently to the jams as they wound around and ebbed and flowed. And since you can not see the stage from the lawn, I watched as the colors emanated from the pavilion.
The "Blister in the Sun" theme continued throughout the set and we laughed as we caught each reference Trey made in "Scent of a Mule", "Mike's Song" and "Weekapaug Groove". And during "Contact" we talked about my niece, Julianna, to whom I sang the song incessantly when she was a baby (at two years old, she was even able to sing it!).
And by the end of the set, Karen was feeling great again. So as we rocked out to the "Sabotage" encore, we headed toward the exit.
Sometimes it is good for seasoned vets to go to Phish shows with newbies because it forces us to experience the show in different ways and to see it through their eyes (and hear it through their ears). And because the show can be downloaded the next day, we can always go back later to scrutinize each note, jam, segue and transition.
At the show, you have got to live in the now, whatever that "now" brings. At SPAC, the magic is there and you feel it, no matter what the circumstances.
Maybe it is the woodsy setting in upstate New York. Perhaps it is because it is Trey's hometown venue (he lives pretty close to there, last I checked). Or maybe it is just the fun-to-say acronym. But every time Phish plays there they seem to deliver a memorable performance.
My first experience at SPAC was the first of Phish's two shows on the 2004 "final" tour (I remember it being referred to as "Back to Back at SPAC" - see how catchy the name is?). I recall dancing to some incredible jams, especially in newer songs like "46 Days", and kissing my girlfriend during a beautiful "Wading in the Velvet Sea" encore, which was her favorite Phish song.
Though we did not attend the second show, I remember listening later on and enjoying the hot jams as well as Page's dad singing "Bill Bailey".
In the 3.0 era, I had not yet been back to SPAC. And even though I have listened to every single show of the past three years, certain things stick out about the SPAC shows - like Tony Markellis' guest appearance on bass, allowing Mike Gordon to jam on guitar along with Trey on "Sand", and the totally dubby breakdown of "Makisupa Policeman" with Trey repeating "SPAC" (it is all about the name!!)
The magic of SPAC seemed to be there at the first show of this year's run, which I did not attend but listened to the following week, and it definitely continued on night two.
Driving with Karen from New Jersey, we made great time getting up to the area. We checked into our hotel in Glens Falls (site of the first Halloween musical costume show!) and headed down to Saratoga. All the great memories came flooding back as we made our way into the venue.
This was my 84th show, so I promised Karen that I would not force her to be squashed in the front of the lawn and that we could relax wherever she wanted. She is not a Phish fan but she came along for fun of it. She had gone with me to two of the MSG '09 shows, but I wanted her to experience the outdoor Phish experience.
We were in the middle of the lawn when Phish opened with "Grind", the first time I had ever see them do it barbershop-style (I was witness to the acoustic Trey/Tom version on 12/30/98). But Karen decided to hang back in the "family zone" as the set went on. From there, she played with some of the small children as I enjoyed the first few songs.
A few beers and some big jams later, we were in the middle of the lawn again, dancing up a storm. Even Karen could not help but shake her groove thing during "Bathtub Gin" (to my delight).
Unfortunately, something she either inhaled or ingested did not sit right with her and during set break she started feeling ill. So I had a whole different experience for set two - sitting at the back of the lawn. And you know what? It was kind of cool. As "Down with Disease" raged into "Blister in the Sun" we just enjoyed the vibe and Karen was happy to hear something familiar.
Normally, the triple dose of funk of "Boogie On Reggae Woman", "Golden Age" and "2001" would have me dancing my ass off. But instead, I listened intently to the jams as they wound around and ebbed and flowed. And since you can not see the stage from the lawn, I watched as the colors emanated from the pavilion.
The "Blister in the Sun" theme continued throughout the set and we laughed as we caught each reference Trey made in "Scent of a Mule", "Mike's Song" and "Weekapaug Groove". And during "Contact" we talked about my niece, Julianna, to whom I sang the song incessantly when she was a baby (at two years old, she was even able to sing it!).
And by the end of the set, Karen was feeling great again. So as we rocked out to the "Sabotage" encore, we headed toward the exit.
Sometimes it is good for seasoned vets to go to Phish shows with newbies because it forces us to experience the show in different ways and to see it through their eyes (and hear it through their ears). And because the show can be downloaded the next day, we can always go back later to scrutinize each note, jam, segue and transition.
At the show, you have got to live in the now, whatever that "now" brings. At SPAC, the magic is there and you feel it, no matter what the circumstances.
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