Wednesday, January 29, 2014

To Jazz Fest! Or not.

For a brief moment, after Phish announced they were playing at Jazz Fest in New Orleans, I actually considered attending.

It will be, of course, a special show for two reasons: 

First, it will be a part of a festival and, if their stints at Bonnaroo and their own festivals are any indication, it is sure to be a great time. 

Second, it is their first April show since the Vegas shows that brought the band to its nadir a decade ago, prompting them to call it quits. Goodness knows we need a good April show to push that bad memory out of our heads.

Personally, though, it would be huge for me.  A one-off Phish show at a festival in a state to which I have never been...and it would be my 100th.  

Certainly, they will tour this year and I will hit the three-digit mark, but to mark the 100th with such a unique show would be incredible.

I could not justify it to be within my budget, so I searched for marathons in the vicinity in order to make the expense more worthwhile. I even checked the whole state...and in the surrounding states...but to no avail.  No marathons in the area that week.

Ah well.  I will save myself a grand, I guess.


Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Registered for Marathon XI

During the months of marathon training, sometimes the hardest thing to do is actually pull the trigger and register.


I started marathon training again as soon as I completed my last two 5Ks in December.  I had my eye on an early March race, but could not bring myself to register until I was absolutely sure.


Now, in Week 11 of Hal Higdon's Advanced I training program, I finally did it.


My 11th marathon will be...


<drumroll>


The Lower Potomac River Marathon in Piney Point, Md., sponsored by the Chesapeake Bay Running Club.


<fanfare>


Though I have run in Maryland before (when Phish played at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia in 2011 and 2012), this will be my first race in the state!

Sunday, January 12, 2014

No more ice baths

At some point. I had read that taking an ice bath after a long, strenuous run helps with muscle recovery. For a few years, I had been doing so and it may very well have been helpful.

But I am done with it. The past two times I did it, it was just too cold and uncomfortable. In the past, I could sit in there for 15 to 20 minutes, but lately, all I could manage was 15 to 20 seconds.

So, no more ice baths. We shall see if it affects my weekly long-run recovery. As an extra precaution, I will be upping my protein intake instead. Hopefully, that will make up for it.


Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Did you run today?



If you are a runner in one of the many areas of the country in the midst of yesterday's cold snap, you were inevitably asked that question (and chances are, the answer was yes).

I was asked at least six times, but I stopped counting.

Truth be told, I was happy to be asked so often because I could proudly proclaim each time that yes, indeed, I did run.

Nine miles. At 5 degrees Farenheit. With a wind chill of -20.

You are damn right I ran. I am proud and I will even brag a little.

Sure, my legs felt stiff the whole way, and my fingers were practically numb for the first few miles, and the wind sometimes pushed back so hard it was tough to move forward, and the mucous dripping from my nose froze onto my mustache, and the Gatorade in my bottle turned to slush.

But I soldiered through it - my coldest run ever.

As with every new experience in my eight-year running life, I took it in as an adventure. A story to tell later on.

Plus, I have the post-run selfie to prove it.





Tuesday, January 7, 2014

New Year's Eve with Phish at MSG


It was the night for which I had waited 14 years - finally ringing in the New Year with Phish for the first time since 1999. I was not going to let anything stop me. I took the whole day off from work, ran my (tired) nine-miler, and drove to Hoboken in the afternoon. My brother, who lives there, had a parking pass waiting for me. When I showed up at his door, he took one look at my face and said, "Excited?"


Taking the PATH train to 33rd Street, I got to Penn Station in time for some pre-show eats, then it was upstairs to the Garden for my Section 210 "bar row" seats.


The bar row is at the very top of the section, with unfortunately inferior sound, but an interesting sight line, plenty of dancing room, and a counter on which I could put my belongings. The seat itself was literally a bar stool. Straight ahead, at eye level, was the new Chase Bridge which completely obscured the scoreboard. But the well placed, crystal clear screens attached to the bridge facing our section showed the whole thing - the webcast camera shots, the mini-movies, and the countdown.

 
Any speculation about a Gamehendge set was squashed right away with the "AC/DC Bag" opener. With that, the band continued to play all original songs, both old and new (notably, one of my favorite recent tunes, "Halfway to the Moon"), culminating in an enormous set-ending "Fluffhead" that had me leaping for joy during its entire ending section.

 
The references to Phish's past that came next were hilarious and poignant. Trey Anastasio and Page McConnell posing for a re-creation of the 'Colorado '88' album cover, except the keyboard was actually a huge cake which they shared with the audience on the floor. The mini-movie that followed showed Jon Fishman driving a truck hauling remnants of New Year's past - the hot dog, a disco ball, golf carts, etc. Suddenly the truck appeared on the floor of the Garden and was "driven" into the center of the arena.

 
With a simple stage setup on top of the truck, it recalled the "flatbed jam" from Clifford Ball, but more specifically echoed the band's bare-bones staging from its club days in the '80s. The set-break music was entirely from the early '80s (Eddy Grant, Duran Duran), setting the tone for the band to emerge on the truck and play a set that could have easily been from Nectar's in Burlington, Vt. Among the early gems was "Fuck Your Face", my first time seeing them perform it. It is still rare, though thankfully not absent as it was from 1988 through 2009.

 
During "Icculus" in that set, Trey, in his usual fervor in speaking about the fictional "Helping Friendly Book", kept referring to "the message" and how some people still had not gotten it. It became clear to me that "the message" was that Phish is what it is because it has always been Phish. Set list jokes, cover songs and albums, special guests, theatrics, and gimmicks are actually peripheral to what comprises the band we love.

 
We spent three days on Twitter, buzzing with theories and speculations about what zaniness was in store for New Year's Eve, and we forgot that the best thing Phish could give us was Phish. They did it on Halloween, and yet we still did not get "the message".

 
And so, in a strange but necessary reversal, that wrapped up the New Year's shenanigans which usually take place at midnight and into Set III. When they came back out and played "Character Zero" into midnight for a balloon-and-confetti drop so huge it had to be done in waves, the party was then re-focused directly on the original music of this extraordinary band.

 
Kicking off the New Year was "Fuego", easily the best track from the band's upcoming album. To my ears, it sounds like Weezer meets Emerson, Lake and Palmer. I am probably the only person that thinks so, but regardless of that, it still sounds 100 percent like Phish.

 
Perhaps the mass of balloons flying toward the stage was a bit distracting because this version of the instant classic was not nearly as good as the Halloween debut. But it still rocked the party in a big way, leading into yet another in a four-year streak of amazing renditions of "Light". And finally, they seem to have ironed out the sloppy kinks in the coda of "Twenty Years Later" a song that has continued to grow on me.

 
A co-worker recently asked me if Phish had a signature song and I told him it was most definitely a 10 to 20-minute little ditty he has never heard called "You Enjoy Myself". They saved it for the end of Set III as their 30th anniversary came to a close. It was wonderfully well-executed, excellently jammed, and included some funkier-than-ever dancing from Trey.

 
What followed was a 15-minute video montage of Phistory - photos and flyers of their very first gigs to the pics of the recent Halloween show. It was emotional, bringing back a lot of memories, including a bunch of "I was there!" moments, and showed the long, wild journey of this strange little band from Vermont.

 
The encore included another of my favorite songs of the recent era, "Show of Life", which played beautifully as a coda to the festivities and, for one last joke, "Grind", during which each band member recited, in days, how old he would be for their 60th anniversary in 30 years.

 
As we exited, a photo of Phish as old men showed on the screen, requesting that we "save the date" for their 60th anniversary show on Dec. 31, 2043. I doubt they will really be playing when they are 80, but it seems to me that Trey  got "the message" too - the band he broke up for five years is back to stay, for as long as they can still do it. And Phish will forever be Phish.


Message received.




Sunday, January 5, 2014

Phish at MSG, Night Three, Dec. 30

I always leave Monday as an optional rest day, but I do not use that option very often. I typically will walk instead of run, to help with my recovery from the previous day's long run. Last week, I took the rest day.

I had gotten home around 1 a.m. and had to be at work at 9:15, then go to Secaucus train station directly from work in order to get to the show on time. By the start of the show, I was already exhausted. There was no time to run that day, and even if there was, it would have been awful.

December 30 is an important night for me in Phishtory. Of the 366 dates in a year, it is the one on which I have seen Phish the most (seven times), including six of their eight at Madison Square Garden on that date, the first of which was 1994. I was in the front floor section for that landmark show.

Though there was no disappointment with this year's 12/30 show, it might be the weakest of the run. "Punch You in the Eye" was rough around the edges, "Kill Devil Falls", "Gotta Jibboo" and "Mike's Song" never seemed to reach their full potential, and darn it, I still do not like "Yarmouth Road". A straight-ahead new pop tune, "Devotion to a Dream", was good though not the kind of song that makes for a highlight.

But when it was hot, it was on fire. One of the two new songs that seem to be instant fan favorites, "Wombat", (the other being "Fuego" which was saved for New Year's Eve to no one's surprise) was played with delightful energy, if not with the precision of its debut, nor the Abe Vigoda dancers. 

"46 Days" absolutely rocked the house, "Ghost" brought the funk and a slick segue into "Weekapaug Groove", and a relentless streak of jams in "Simple", "Harry Hood" kept me dancing the night away in Section 223LWC. 

The "LWC" stands for "lower wheelchair" which means I was in the front of the 200s, on the side of the stage, with tons of dancing room because the walkway has to be wide enough to fit wheelchairs. I assure you, I used all the extra space to its fullest.

The show, still relying on nothing but original songs, had two surprises at the end. After "Cavern", which is usually expected to end a set, Trey Anastasio seemed to not want to stop the party, so he quickly went over to Jon Fishman and called for "First Tube" (*see correction in the comments section*), the funky instrumental number that Trey often uses as the closer for his solo shows. The next surprise was a gorgeous "Slave to the Traffic Light" in the encore slot.

With so many of Phish's big jams already played, what was left for New Year's Eve? Lots of crazy speculations were abounding - an all covers show or set, crazy special guests - but we still had not gotten "the message". And the message was that this was all about Phish, by Phish, for Phish phans.

It would become abundantly clear the next night.

Chilly, rainy 17-miler and Night Two of Phish at MSG

"Train in everything so you can race in everything."

That is my mantra on days like last Sunday, but I have to admit, my resolve was put to the test. In the first half of my 17-mile run, I kept waiting to warm up, but the relentless pounding of the cold rain kept me in a constant state of chilly discomfort.  My lightweight cotton gloves were soaked and provided neither warmth nor dryness, my shirt - polyester but heavy - dragging me down.

In the second half, knowing things would not get better, I pushed the pace for the sake of finishing sooner, hurting with every step. My hands, by the end, were so frozen it took several minutes to get my apartment key from my pocket and maneuver it into the lock. I barely had any feeling in my thumbs and fingertips.

If you plan on running in those conditions, do not let the temperatures in the 40s fool you. Dress warm and with protective layers of non-absorbent fabrics. And run fast.

By the time I somewhat recovered and got on the train to New York City for Phish, it was already almost showtime, so it was straight to Section 109 (side stage, awesome view, excellent sound) with my $10 beer in hand. (Really, MSG? Ten bucks for a beer?)

In addition to the band's 30th anniversary, 2013 is also the 20th anniversary of their excellent album 'Rift' and I suspect they have been acknowledging that all year, seemingly playing more songs from it and more often, with the exception of "The Horse" which was abandoned in 2012. On this night they played three, including what might be the best version on "It's Ice" ever, if not the most adventurous.

"Ice" was coupled with "Gumbo" which also featured uncharacteristic jamming into strange territory. And the set-closing "Walls of the Cave" (still my favorite 2.0-era song) was shaky at first, but concluded with a fantastic and rocking climax.

And yet, with all that, the set highlights had to be the brand new "555" and "The Line". Name another band whose fans get thoroughly excited over new songs and do not treat them as bathroom or beer breaks. Go ahead. Try.

Still, as exciting as new Phish is, the second set - all classics - on Dec. 29 was easily the best of the four nights.

The set-opening "Down With Disease" wound its way through glorious melodic, rhythmic and key changes which were excellent but not unusual. What knocked us over was how, 20 minutes later, after exploring so much space and getting so far away from the main theme, Trey Anastasio managed to bring back the original melody and knock it back into the original key for the first chorus-ending version of the song since...who knows? Altlantic City 2012?

And that was only the beginning of a 70-minute set that included a mere six songs, concluding with a monstrous "David Bowie". The band was on fire for this set. One for the books, no question. Still not a cover song to be had, but if this is what Phish sounds like when they rely in their own material, then give me more of it.

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Phish at Madison Square Garden, NYC, Dec. 28


As a 20-year phan, I have done my share of mini-tours, seeing well more than four *shows* in a row, but never four *nights* in a row. The only time they have done that in the past couple of decades is New Year's Run. This year, I finally landed tickets to the whole magilla. Let me tell you, for a 39-year-old with a job and a running schedule, it is quite a challenge to the stamina. Like a Phish marathon.

Saturday's show was excellent. We would not know it yet, but the theme of the four-night stand was Phish itself.  This sounds silly, but was actually quite poignant. It was their 30th anniversary and, building on the precedent set on Halloween by playing their own as-yet-unreleased album, they approached the milestone by celebrating their own music, history and fans.

This was not clear yet on Night One, so when they played no covers and bashed out heavy hitters like "Tweezer", "Seven Below", "Sand", "Piper", "Run Like an Antelope", "Free" and "Steam", we already started specualting what they would be saving for New Year's Eve.

I was in Section 119 of the newly renovated Garden and the sound was fantastic - loud and clear - though the dancing room was a bit lacking. My shins are still sore from the constant whacking against the seat in front of me. But it was impossible for me not to move with such a showing of quality and consistency in the jams and the precision in the playing. The band was off and running, firing on all cylinders. 

The celebration of Phistory began subtly - the return of the "secret language" signals from 1992 and the guitar duel reminiscent of Sept. 30, 2000 - but it was the tight, focused playing that was most memorable. "Steam" was the MVP jam of a night full of top-notch chops and the re-introduction of the brand new "Monica" (a decent pop song) and "Waiting All Night" (intoxicating in its repetition and dreamy vibe) kept things fresh.

This was only the first night. When I got home at 2 a.m., I wondered what would be in store over the next few days, but I also wondered how the heck I was going to run 17 miles before the next day's show.