A Journey to the Mondegreen Festival: Phish, Family, and Festivals Past

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A Festival Odyssey: Phish, Mondegreens, and Moments with My Son

Larry Mishkin reflects on his recent experience attending the Mondegreen Festival, a Phish festival in Dover, Delaware, with his son and friends. He shares his enthusiasm for the event, highlighting the performances and the significance of certain songs, including "The MoMA Dance" and "NICU," which have deep ties to Phish's history and fan culture. Larry provides a detailed history of Phish festivals, from the Clifford Ball in 1996 to the most recent Mondegreen Festival, noting memorable moments, attendance figures, and unique aspects of each event. The episode also includes a brief discussion on the 60th anniversary of The Beatles' performance at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver, Colorado. Larry expresses his excitement about attending the festival with his son and reminisces about the special bond they shared during the event.

MONDEGREEN

Phish

August 15 – 18, 2024

The Woodlands

Dover Delaware

Band’s 11th festival, NOT counting Curveball set for 2018 that was canceled at the last minute due to contaminated water supply due to heavy rains and flooding.

Nine year gap between MagnaBall in March, 2015 and Mondegreen, biggest gap between festivals in band’s history.

INTRO: Moma Dance

Night One, August 15, 2024

First Night, First Set, First Song (into Back On The Train)

Phish @ The Woodlands, Mondegreen Festival, Dover DE 2024-08-15 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Track #2

2:31 – 4:05

By: Anastasio/Fishman/Gordon/McConnell/Marshall

Played:

First Played: 6/30/98 in Copenhagen, Denmark

Most recent: August 15, 2024 (Mondegreen)

Current Gap: 3 shows

The title of “Moma” is another example of Phish Phonetics, cleverly transforming the moment ends lyric into a reference to a display of “The Rhombus” at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).

Mondegreen: are they saying, “The Moma Dance” OR “the Moment Ends”??

SHOW No 1: NICU

Night One, August 15, 2024

First Set, 6th song (out of Roggae and into A Wave of Hope)

Phish @ The Woodlands, Mondegreen Festival, Dover DE 2024-08-15 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Track #7

3:00 – 4:56

By: Anastasio/Marshall

Played 156 times

First Played: 3.6.92 at The Music Hall in Portsmouth, NH

Most Recent: August 15, 2024 (Mondegreen)

Gap: 3 shows

Has any Phish song had as many names with as many explanations as “NICU”? At its debut in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Trey introduced the song as “In an Intensive Care Unit.” Shortly thereafter, the name was changed to “NICU,” which some considered a play on a line from the backing vocals in the chorus (“and I see you”) and others noted was the abbreviation for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Shortly thereafter, the “controversy” began, as controversy can only begin among rabid Phish fans. Some called the song “And I See You.” Some stuck with the original “In an Intensive Care Unit.” Other interesting theories developed, including one from the Internet where a fan noted that the elements Nickel (NI) and Copper (Cu) are side-by-side on the Periodic Table and that the title “NICU” may thus be a reference to nickels and pennies or, more likely, small change.

Title is a Mondegreen for “And I See You”

Music News (from Mondegreen)

Matthew’s crew: Matthew, me, Donny, Jake, Dave and Seth

Michigan Crew: ???

NYC Crew: Max & Jess, Joey and Darby, Darby’s brother, Brad and Sam, Dan the drummer (and?), Dude from Florida and girlfriend (??), Tesh,

WHO ELSE SHOULD I MENTION?

CLEVELAND CREW: Kevin, two buddies? Aaron Anyone else?

Hot and humid/ AC units

Tents v. RV’s/bathrooms/food/water and ice/maintenance

Storm – cut Sunday short

Modern weather technology – good and bad

Just like 2022 Sacred Rose Festival

Secret Set on Aug. 16th second night

Driving 12 hours each way

SHOW No. 2: I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove

Night 3, August 17, 2024 – Second set opener traditional Mike’s Groove>Theme From The Bottom

November 11, 2012, MSG, NYNY

Mike’s>Chalk Dust Torture>I Am Hydrogen>Weekapaug

Phish | 12.29.11 | Mike's Song → Chalk Dust Torture → I Am Hydrogen → Weekapaug Groove - YouTube

15:44 – 17.43

I Am Hydrogen

By: Daubert/Marshall/Anastasio

Played: 350 times

First: April 6, 1985 at Finbar’s in Burlington, VT

Most Recent: August 17, 2024 (Mondegreen Night 3)

Gap: 1 show

The story of “I Am Hydrogen” is a love story. Conceived by Tom Marshall and Marc Daubert around 1984-85 on piano and acoustic guitar, they brought their creation over to Trey’s house, where it was recorded. Trey added a harmony to it on his electric guitar, and the “Hydrogen” we have come to know was born. Initially intended for Tom, Marc, and Trey’s band Bivouac, “Hydrogen” ended up in the Phish lineup and made its debut, all alone, on 4/6/85. After a few years, it became the connector between Mike’s Song and Weekapaug Groove.

Into

Weekapaug Groove

By: Anastasio/Fishman/McConnell/Gordon
Played: 523 times

First: 7.23.1988 at Pete's Phabulous Phish Phest in Underhill, VT

Most Recent: August 17, 2024 (Mondegreen Night 3)

Gap: 1 show

“Weekapaug Groove” takes its name from the town of Weekapaug, located on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in southwestern Rhode Island. According to Mike, the song’s lyrics (“Trying to make a woman that you move, sharing in a Weekapaug Groove”) are meaningless. As Mike said in a 9/9/97 interview with Parke Puterbaugh:

“So we came back to Boston [from Weekapaug, after playing a gig there at a yacht club], and I guess we were in the van or the Voyager we used to drive in, and that song “Oh What a Night” came on the radio. You know that one? That awful Four Seasons song? We just constantly listened to songs and changed around the words as to what they might sound like. I always had a particularly hard time hearing lyrics anyway, so I always would sing a song on the radio, sing along with the wrong words. So the bridge of that song goes ‘Oh I-I-I trying to something,’ but I was singing it, ‘Oh I-I-I trying to make a woman that you move,’ which means nothing, 'sharing in a Weekapaug groove.’ So we all just started singing that, as complete nonsense: ‘trying to make a woman that you move.’ It never occurred to any of us that it had any meaning, ever. There was a period of time that we were singing it, and I used to just yell out the lyrics, between singing them I would just yell them out as if I was preaching them, just to sort of make it more ironic that they have no meaning.”

SHOW No. 3: Yamar

Night 4, August 18, 2024 – First set 10th song out of Stash and into Timber

August 17, 1996, Clifford Ball, Plattsburgh AFB, Plattsburgh, NY (1st Phish Festival) into It’s Ice

Phish-Ya Mar-Clifford Ball (youtube.com)

0:13 – 1:45

By: Cyril Ferguson

27th November 1951 - Cyril 'Dry Bread' Ferguson was born in Nassau, New Providence, Bahama Islands.

Ferguson was a Bahamian musician and entertainer. He composed songs in the genres of goombay, calypso and Bahamian pop music.

Some of his more popular songs include: Ya Mar, Sunshine On My Body, Bahamian Music and Don't Squeeze The Mango.

Ferguson died of complications related to diabetes on 9th April 2009.

“Ya Mar” resides as a favorite in the hearts of many fans. It represents one of Phish’s few forays into calypso and is among the most playful and danceable songs in the band’s repertoire. And anytime Trey screams for Page to take the reins – “Play it, Leoooooo!” – the crowd is apt to go wild. Page’s nickname actually comes from this line in the original, where The Mustangs urged their own piano man to step into the spotlight. The title seems to reference the slurred interpretation of “your ma,” as the singer recounts the disdain his lover’s family has for him. Phish put their own unique stamp on it by often changing the “no good pa” lyric in the chorus to mimic their own “oh kee pa” phrase.

Played: 232 times

First: 2.21.1987 at Slade Hall, UV, Burlington, VT

Most Recent: 8.18.2024

Gap: 0 shows

Marijuana News

1. Senator Says Harris Will ‘Be Ready To Sign’ Marijuana Reform Bills If Elected President
2. GOP Senators Claim Marijuana Is A ‘Gateway Drug’ As They Oppose Rescheduling And Legalization

3. People Who Use Marijuana Are Less Likely To Be Obese, New Study Shows

SHOW No. 4: Simple

Night 4, August 18, 2024 – First set second to last song of Izabella and into Golden Age

July 27, 2024, Alpine Valley, East Troy, WI second set out of Sigma Oasis and into The Howling

Phish - 7/27/2024 - Simple (4K HDR) (youtube.com)

0:18 – 1:28

By: Gordon

Played: 209 times

First: 5.27.1994 at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco

Most Recent: August 18, 2024 (Mondegreen Night 4)

Gap: 0 shows

"Simple" was first written and recorded by Mike Gordon in a four-track medium in the Doo-wop style and introduced to the band during the studio sessions forHoist. This version reflected the country and bluegrass writing style of many previous Gordon compositions. The song was left off of the albumand the band showed hesitation in performing it live.

Then, on 5/27/94, “Simple” debuted in a very strange and raw fashion during the “Mike’s Song” at the Warfield in San Francisco. In contrast to the song we know today, the debut version of “Simple” was Mike’s original lyrics sung by the band members over a jam that had emerged from “Mike’s.” Three weeks later, “Simple” was played for a second time at the historic 6/17/94 gig, the same night that much of the country was watching the low-speed police chase of O.J. Simpson’s white Ford Bronco through L.A. This version was significantly reworked and sounded much like the “Simple” we are accustomed to hearing today, with the exception of a minor humoristic augmentation providing the line “We’ve got O.J., cause we’ve got a band.”

Mondegreen: We’ve got a cymbal (simple) cause we’ve got a band

OUTRO: Twee Pri

Night 3, August 17, 2024 – Encore out of YEM into end of show

April 20, 2024, The Sphere, Las Vegas, NV Encore out of A Life Beyond the Dream into end of show

Tvidler 202202 11 by Ryan Maguire (youtube.com)

0:00 – end

By: Anastasio/Fishman/Gordon/McConnell

Played: 321 ties

First: 2.1.1991 at Alumnae Hall, Brown University — Providence, RI

Most Recent: 8.17.2024 Mondegreen Night 3

Gap: 1 show

A "reprise" is a sort of musical afterthought – basically a reintroduction of and variation on the main theme of a piece of music. Thus, “Tweezer Reprise” is a slight variation – a condensation of sorts – of “Tweezer.” As it does on the album A Picture of Nectar, the “Reprise” often follows “Tweezer” in concert, most frequently as an encore song. It is also common as a second set closer following an earlier “Tweezer.” A few times, the “Reprise” has even been spewed out of some long, monster “Tweezer,” serving as the thrilling exclamation point at the end of a raging, set-long sentence (e.g. 5/7/94, 6/22/95).

On occasion, “Tweezer Reprise” has shown up as a surprise in a show where there has been no performance of “Tweezer” proper. Although usually this occurs because the “Reprise” will be referring back to a non-reprised “Tweezer” at the previous night’s show (e.g. 12/30/96’s “Tweezer” was reprised on 12/31/96), the song has been known to appear, albeit rarely, completely free from its Granddaddy counterpart, like on 9/29/99. The most interesting example of this, and perhaps the most unusual “Tweezer Reprise” ever performed, was on 12/8/99, which featured an a cappella version that came out of a “YEM” vocal jam to close the second set. The band later finished off the show with a traditional “Tweezer Reprise” to end the encore. Other interesting versions include 10/27/94 and 10/21/95.

.Produced by PodConx

Deadhead Cannabis Show - https://podconx.com/podcasts/deadhead-cannabis-show

Larry Mishkin - https://podconx.com/guests/larry-mishkin

Rob Hunt - https://podconx.com/guests/rob-hunt

Jay Blakesberg - https://podconx.com/guests/jay-blakesberg

Sound Designed by Jamie Humiston - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-humiston-91718b1b3/

Recorded on Squadcast