Phew. I’ve had one crazy summer! My sincere apologies for the radio silence. Moving to a big city will do that to a guy. For those that don’t know, I’m now officially a resident of Brooklyn and I couldn’t be more excited. Although there are ton of reasons to get excited about living in NYC, one of the great parts of my new spot is the sudden expansion of my concert calendar. Earlier today, I did a quick perusal of my options this Fall and was in shock at all the possibilities. Admittedly, free time, finances, and a need for sleep will certainly be getting in the way of those possibilities, but for the most part, I’m basically a kid in a fuckin’ candy store of rock’n'roll. Hooray NYC live music!
While I’m already looking ahead to the Fall concert calendar (and liking what I’m seeing), I can’t quite move on without a little reflection on my summer. Although things were nuttier than hell for me, I still managed to hit some good shows, including four Phish concerts when all was said and done. From all that I witnessed in person — along with a heavy bout of listening sessions — I generally liked what I heard. I think the band hit some serious high notes along the way, including some killer improvisation.
As a result, I thought the best way to get back into the live music blogging world was with one my favorite LMB past-times: creating new Live Music Blog podcasts. So in honor of Phish’s triumphant return to the summer stage –- and to me being lucky enough to enjoy much of it in person — I’ve pieced together a DJ-style mix of what I consider to be some of the band’s best improvisational moments from their 2009 summer shows. As with previous mixes, I’ve cut right to the “meat” of the improv by splicing together only the jam sections and leaving out the vocal and main song segments.
There was some pretty top-notch jamming this summer, so this one clocks in at just over an hour. Although I think I’ve covered the key highlights, I am sure there are still plenty of other gems out there that I missed. So if I somehow neglected your favorite jam segment of the summer, I apologize. There was a lot of material to sift through! Either way, take a listen and make sure to drop us a comment with your impressions or share your personal favorite jams from the summer tour. Most of all, enjoy!
Live Music Blog.com Podcast #065 [mp3]
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Best of Phish Summer ’09 Improv
Tracklist:
8/7/09 Sneakin’ Sally “Gorge Jam,” Pt. I
6/7/09 Camden Fee
8/7/09 “Gorge Jam” Pt. II
8/7/09 Gorge “Light”
8/14/09 Hartford Down w/ Disease
8/7/09 Gorge Bathtub Gin
8/1/09 Red Rocks Down w/ Disease
8/8/09 Gorge Rock’n'Roll
6/7/09 Camden Tweezer
6/18/09 Burgettstown Tube
6/7/09 Camden Sand
All original audio tracks sourced from various audience sources (bt.etree.org, phishows.com, etc..). If you want to check out the soundboards, head on over to LivePhish.com and grab ‘em.
