Count Down to Phish at Hampton, Day 4

We're entering the home stretch of the days leading up to Phish's reunion at the Hampton Coliseum. I've had my head down lately and haven't updated The Wagger, but this week marks the return to Total Coverage I've been waiting for ...

There's been a lot of chatter out there about the inherent problems with Ticketbastard, hotel reservations along The Hampton Strip, and various other gripes and grievances related to the Hampton run and Summer Tour 2009, so I won't go into them here. What I will focus on in the ensuing days is sharing some of me favorite tour memories -- good and bad -- posting links to the best entries from the vast wasteland of Phish-related blogs out there, as well as any relevant newspaper coverage.

To get the juices flowin' -- yours and mine -- here is a link to the complete unedited 1992 Phish Mtv interview, as posted over at Jamtopia.

Phish's "hometown" newspaper, the Burlington Free Press, ran an article on Sunday declaring Phish has returned but the scene has changed. I'm not sure how much the parking lot festivities will be different, but I know that I have changed since Summer Tour 2004 (my last show was Saratoga Springs, and we were blessed that day with a 40-or-so minute Piper --> Gotta Jibboo). It goes without saying everyone has been able to focus their efforts, especially financially, elsewhere since Phish stopped playing, I just hope this return to the stage doesn't bring with it hordes of people who are not there for the music at all. Wishful thinking???

Mr. Minor (always an entertaining read) has some information on his blog about where you can score a copy of each Hampton show as soon as possible. Apparently it's being done in such a way that, if you are patient and can stay off of PhantasyTour.com or other sites where the setlist will likely be posted in real time, you can download a "No Spoiler" copy of the show, without song names attached, and be as surprised as everyone lucky enough to be inside the MotherShip.

Good idea. I think I'll get onboard.