Phish - Waiting For Columbus (2010)
In 2010, fans were laser-focused on one band and one band only for Phish’s Halloween costume: Led Zeppelin. Rumors of 'Led Zeppelin II' or 'Led Zeppelin IV' were flying as the band descended on Atlantic City for a three-night run. The band put the Zeppelin rumors to bed by performing an epic 'Chalkdust Torture' -> 'Whole Lotta Love' -> 'Chalk Dust Torture' on 30th October, and they played 'Ha Ha Ha' afterwards, essentially laughing at the crowd for all the rumors, and marking one of the Phishiest moments in the band’s history. The show’s second set would go on to feature snippets of 'Heartbreaker', 'Ramble On', 'Thank You', and 'Stairway To Heaven', further cementing the joke for fans and band alike. The following evening, on Halloween proper, Phish performed 'Waiting For Columbus' by Little Feat - an out-of-left-field choice for sure, but one that perfectly fitted the band’s vibe. Phish was joined by a five-piece horn section that evening as well as legendary percussionist Giovanni Hidalgo, who expertly added to the sound. The band switched instruments on 'Willin'', with Page McConnell picking up the bass, Mike Gordon moving to piano, Trey Anastasio playing drums and Jon Fishman singing lead vocals, and the four musicians then moved to the front of the stage for an a cappella arrangement of 'Don’t Bogart That Joint'. The show also featured many standout moments, including excellent renditions of 'Fat Man In The Bathtub', 'Dixie Chicken', and 'Time Loves A Hero', but the clear winner of the evening was a raging version of 'Spanish Moon' that left the Boardwalk Hall in awe of Phish’s abilities. The band have since said that when performing this album in its entirety they weren't so much trying to make note-perfect renditions of the songs, but their aim was to engender the same sort of vibe that Little Feat used to get at their concerts, and if that was what they wanted then I think they pulled it off.
Track listing
01 Join The Band02 Fat Man In The Bathtub03 All That You Dream04 Oh Atlanta05 Old Folks Boogie06 Time Loves A Hero07 Day Or Night08 Mercenary Territory09 Spanish Moon10 Dixie Chicken11 Tripe Face Boogie12 Rocket In My Pocket13 Willin’14 Don’t Bogart That Joint15 A Apolitical Blues16 Sailin’ Shoes17 Feats Don’t Fail Me Now
Oooo, nice. Looking forward to this one. I've only recently gotten into Little Feat so I haven't gone real deep with them yet but the more I listen the more I kick myself for not giving them a chance earlier. Thanks as always.
ReplyDeleteAs I said earlier, this is the first Phish Halloween show that I tried, and have probably played it more than any other. Little Feat are a great band and all the songs are superb, so they couldn't really go wrong with it. Hope it turns you on Little Feat themselves.
DeleteIf you're looking for ideas. You should look into some unreleased tracks of Steely Dan's "Two Against Nature." Someone found a alternate track list and artwork. Here's a link.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.reddit.com/r/SteelyDan/comments/dt3ws9/two_against_nature_alternate_tracklist_and/
Thanks for the heads-up, and I do like a bit of Dan. Can't find the actual recordings so will have to hunt around to see if they exist.
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