Great write up — love the angle of "flawed album arena rock treatment/overly-analyzed masterpiece impromptu gag." Very phish-y and never crossed my mind.
The official story of how this night happened really only scratches the surface for me. I think there was a bit more going on and that there's a story behind the story. Something happened in Vegas and SLC the night before that made Trey and the guys open to the suggestion from Brad that "You've gotta get them good." Surely Brad had plenty of suggestions for other shows the band completely ignored.
During the acoustic songs on 11/2, Trey goes off with stories about their night at the Dead Goat Saloon — where Mike and Trey played songs with no Phish fans in attendance, just performers at an open mic...When was the last time that happened and has it happened since? Seems like a pretty special night of rediscovering the magic of music + friendship, no? Particularly after their on-stage passive aggressive musical fighting during the Wolfman's on 10/31 — where I believe you wrote Mike kept doing teases trying to find safety and Trey kept rejecting it. And why exactly were they in SLC on 11/1 — not only there, but there in time to wander around town for an open mic night? Not only did Trey walk off stage on 10/31, they all fled Vegas the next morning.
Then in Trey's Harpua narration there are some hints about what might have been bothering him...Jimmy "wanted to go to a concert but couldn't get a ticket." Weren't there stories of Trey being pissed about how many people got shut out on 10/31? Didn't he even make sure free tickets got handed out or is that lore? Additionally, there's narration about how crowded/busy/terrible Vegas was — I always took this as a reference to Trey not having a great time there. Maybe it was drugs. Maybe something else. But something was off for him...walking off stage wasn't just that he had to poop.
And finally you have the juxtaposition of Trey wearing a mask on stage on 10/31 and walking off, a cold gesture to the audience compared to Trey of 11/2, recounting a story from 11/1...Where Trey + Mike got every performer and waiter and bartender on stage to sing Bittersweet Motel...so there was no audience at all in the Saloon, just everyone singing together. What is the polar opposite to Phish halloween in Vegas? Singing at an open-mic at an empty saloon in a Mormon town.
So sure, the 11/2 DSOTM was a great Phish gag to punish fans and make sure we never skipped another show. But I think part of their willingness to do that was also rediscovering the fun, joy, spontaneity, and friendship of being in a band together. I think you see this happen a few more times in the band's career, notably 7/29/03. But I'd be curious to get the full story behind 10/31/98 - 11/2. Not sure we'll ever get it...but I do enjoy guessing.
Didn't realize how long I was writing...lol. Was worried after I saw it I was gonna get a "put down the bong brah." But for some reason I've always been particularly interested in what transpired between the end of set II on 10/31 and the afternoon of 11/2. Drugs could've been involved but I think that probably only scratches the surface too.
multiple accounts allude to Trey asking for a puddle at setbreak 10/31. It came on too hard the third set, so he walked off. The Harpua narration might allude to that a bit. It got too crazy for him.
This was my first PHISH show. I was a freshman in college. We bought tickets the day of, went to Applebee’s for dinner and then walked into the arena. We walked across the arena floor and sat down about ten people back from the stage. Sat down!? There was no one there. That seemed strange to me. At the time I didn’t understand the significance of the show or all that was going on. My dad was a huge Pink Floyd fan and I grew up with Dark Side of the Moon in the background of my life. He named one of the dogs Arrow. The movie The Point was used to teach me life lessons. So when Phish covered Dark Side of the Moon in the 2nd set, I was floored. To learn it was hastily thrown together is fascinating because in the moment it was perfect. I tell people I never really wanted to be a Phish fan, but that night ruined me. They are musical genius. This show now feels like a lifetime ago as I’m a mother of two young kids and a business owner in Denver.
Great write up — love the angle of "flawed album arena rock treatment/overly-analyzed masterpiece impromptu gag." Very phish-y and never crossed my mind.
The official story of how this night happened really only scratches the surface for me. I think there was a bit more going on and that there's a story behind the story. Something happened in Vegas and SLC the night before that made Trey and the guys open to the suggestion from Brad that "You've gotta get them good." Surely Brad had plenty of suggestions for other shows the band completely ignored.
During the acoustic songs on 11/2, Trey goes off with stories about their night at the Dead Goat Saloon — where Mike and Trey played songs with no Phish fans in attendance, just performers at an open mic...When was the last time that happened and has it happened since? Seems like a pretty special night of rediscovering the magic of music + friendship, no? Particularly after their on-stage passive aggressive musical fighting during the Wolfman's on 10/31 — where I believe you wrote Mike kept doing teases trying to find safety and Trey kept rejecting it. And why exactly were they in SLC on 11/1 — not only there, but there in time to wander around town for an open mic night? Not only did Trey walk off stage on 10/31, they all fled Vegas the next morning.
Then in Trey's Harpua narration there are some hints about what might have been bothering him...Jimmy "wanted to go to a concert but couldn't get a ticket." Weren't there stories of Trey being pissed about how many people got shut out on 10/31? Didn't he even make sure free tickets got handed out or is that lore? Additionally, there's narration about how crowded/busy/terrible Vegas was — I always took this as a reference to Trey not having a great time there. Maybe it was drugs. Maybe something else. But something was off for him...walking off stage wasn't just that he had to poop.
And finally you have the juxtaposition of Trey wearing a mask on stage on 10/31 and walking off, a cold gesture to the audience compared to Trey of 11/2, recounting a story from 11/1...Where Trey + Mike got every performer and waiter and bartender on stage to sing Bittersweet Motel...so there was no audience at all in the Saloon, just everyone singing together. What is the polar opposite to Phish halloween in Vegas? Singing at an open-mic at an empty saloon in a Mormon town.
So sure, the 11/2 DSOTM was a great Phish gag to punish fans and make sure we never skipped another show. But I think part of their willingness to do that was also rediscovering the fun, joy, spontaneity, and friendship of being in a band together. I think you see this happen a few more times in the band's career, notably 7/29/03. But I'd be curious to get the full story behind 10/31/98 - 11/2. Not sure we'll ever get it...but I do enjoy guessing.
Great post, David! Love to have a bonus essay in the comments.
Didn't realize how long I was writing...lol. Was worried after I saw it I was gonna get a "put down the bong brah." But for some reason I've always been particularly interested in what transpired between the end of set II on 10/31 and the afternoon of 11/2. Drugs could've been involved but I think that probably only scratches the surface too.
multiple accounts allude to Trey asking for a puddle at setbreak 10/31. It came on too hard the third set, so he walked off. The Harpua narration might allude to that a bit. It got too crazy for him.
This was my first PHISH show. I was a freshman in college. We bought tickets the day of, went to Applebee’s for dinner and then walked into the arena. We walked across the arena floor and sat down about ten people back from the stage. Sat down!? There was no one there. That seemed strange to me. At the time I didn’t understand the significance of the show or all that was going on. My dad was a huge Pink Floyd fan and I grew up with Dark Side of the Moon in the background of my life. He named one of the dogs Arrow. The movie The Point was used to teach me life lessons. So when Phish covered Dark Side of the Moon in the 2nd set, I was floored. To learn it was hastily thrown together is fascinating because in the moment it was perfect. I tell people I never really wanted to be a Phish fan, but that night ruined me. They are musical genius. This show now feels like a lifetime ago as I’m a mother of two young kids and a business owner in Denver.