oh kee pah

Okay fine, I guess it's about a week too late for that joke, might have been able to pull it off last week when Phish surprised us with a mid- Wednesday summer tour announcement. The massive phan hack of Phish.com that went down the day before is probably what really sparked the release,  but I'm sure next time- be it a second leg or Labor Day run- they will secure the backend of the site so that kind of date testing can't go on. In any case, we're going to have to wait it out, and isn't that half the fun?

Maybe not so much, so without further ado (as if you haven't seen 'em already) Phish  summer tour 2011 will kick off June 7th and 8th in Worcester, MA, hop down to Bonnaroo on the 10th, back up for a 3 night run at Atlantic City's Bader Field, and south again to Virginia  for Father's Day weekend. Then they work their way through Cincinnati, Burgettstown, Cuyahoga Falls, ending with two nights in Nobelsville and two in East Troy, WI. To close the (hopefully first part of the) tour, New Yorkers get a special five nights, July 3rd and 4th at Jones Beach (though as a dry venue this was kind of an insensitive pick on Phish's part) and a glorious Friday to Sunday run at the beautiful Saratoga Performing Arts Center. As a displaced New Yorker with a full time job 5 hours away and a SPAC enthusiast, this is, to say the least, painful. However, many lucky heads will get to be part of many special shows up and down the east coast in the earlier parts of the summer, and hopefully the west coast will see some love too.

Umphrey's is finally getting to the west coast after what seems like an endless nationwide tour. They sold out the Filmore Friday night (3/9) and the Georgia theatre in a few weeks, but if you're in... basically anywhere in the United States, you can catch an Umphrey's show and probably should. UM Bowl in Chicago took longer to sell out than predicted, but ballots go out soon for the lucky fans who get to pick the sets. Umphrey's is truly a fan-oriented band, taking more and more steps to include the fans in band decision. For the upcoming sUMmer school festival, they've released an updated syllabus that includes 4 full sets, theory classes, business classes, open jams, private lessons, and more amazing opportunities for budding musicians and mega Umph fans alike. 

To add icing to this already delicious cake, earlier this week the band announced another special show, called True Hollywood Story, An Intimate Acoustic Afternoon. Unplugged and on bar stools, the band plans to simplify fan favorites and give all the juicy background details of their favorites at the Hard Rock in West Hollywood this upcoming Friday. Capacity is very limited, so if you're in California, get your ticket soon for this amazingly special evening. Can't make it to the west coast? Fankix is streaming the show on Facebook for free in the weeks following. 

Furthur is keeping things pretty cool right now, and after the announcement of Phil and Friends separate from Bob Weir, Bruce Hornsby, and Branford Marsalis at the All Good Music Festival, they had us nervous about a Furthur tour this summer. Only two days after Phish dropped their early summer plans, Furthur announced a short run in July and two dates in October without making any sort of fuss about it. The emphasis seems to be on their solo projects for the most part, even though their efforts have to be spread across everything. Team Weir also announced a free webcast of Bob performing with Trey's favorite indie group The National in support of Head Count, the youth voting activism group. Broadcast from TRI Studios on March 24, the event will also feature a round table discussion with John Perry Barlow between sets. Phil and Friends is winding down from a quick run, and gearing up for a good couple dates in the near future, so check out oh kee pah's Set Lists & Other Stuff to see what they played, and come back for another wrap up next week!

   

This show featured Trey performing with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Scott Dunn conducting with orchestration by Don Hart.

Set One: First Tube, Water in the Sky[1], Divided Sky[1], Brian and Robert[1], Goodbye Head, Guyute[2], Let Me Lie[1], Stash

Set Two: Time Turns Elastic, If I Could[1], You Enjoy Myself

Encore: The Inlaw Josie Wales[1]

Notes: 
[1] Trey on acoustic.
[2] Trey first on acoustic, then electric guitar, before returning to acoustic.

[setlist source: phish.net]

Media:
Rolling Stone: Phish's Trey Anastasio Performs with the Los Angeles Philharmonic
LA Weekly: Review
Concert Confess: Review

 

Set One: Catshot > Bridgeless > Walletsworth, Prowler > Got Your Milk (Right Here), Through the Cracks^, Tribute to the Spinal Shaft > Intentions Clear > Bridgeless

Set Two: Bright Lights, Big City, 1348^^ > Breathe, Phil's Farm > Day Nurse > Phil's Farm, Push the Pig > Resolution > 1348

Encore: The Floor

Notes
^ first time played, original (Jake)
^^ with Dr. Feelgood tease