Phish - Chilling, Thrilling Sounds Of The Haunted House (2014)

After taking a few years off from Halloween shows, in 2013, Phish returned with a shw that confounded their audience. Instead of covering a classic album in full, they chose to cover their future selves, by playing a full set of material that they were about to record in the studio for their next album 'Fuego'. Some fans saw this as the end of a much-loved tradition, but in what will go down as the most creative of their musical costumes, Phish surprised damn-near everyone the following year with a unique cover of 'Chilling, Thrilling Sounds Of The Haunted House' from Walt Disney Records. The album is split over two sides, one containing short, spooky stories, and the other holding a variety of sound effects to match the narration. Phish took this album and rolled with it, creating brand-new compositions while using the sound effects as samples and/or inspiration. The band opened the set inside a haunted house, with a makeshift cemetery, full moon, and lots of zombie dancers surrounding them. When the walls of the house eventually blew off, it revealed the band members in white tuxedos and zombie makeup, performing in close quarters while totally jamming out a full set of new instrumental material. There is a video available of this show, and it's worth seeking out as the set and dancers certainly add to the atmosphere, while the performance itself demolished everyone’s expectations, and re-opened the door to one of the band’s most beloved traditions.

Track listing

01 The Haunted House
02 The Very Long Fuse
03 The Dogs
04 Timber
05 Your Pet Cat
06 Shipwreck
07 The Unsafe Bridge
08 The Chinese Water Torture
09 The Birds
10 Martian Monster