Live for Live Music contributing writer David Melamed examines Phish’s potential choices for their Halloween Costume set this year at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ. He gives his Top 10 Album Choices and why there is a chance that any one of the following albums could wind up making the cut. We give you Part One, with Part Two to follow.
One of my favorite aspects of the Phish concert experience is unpredictability. We have all spent many-a-tailgate trying to guess the opening song, only to find that we, once again, have never made the right selection. And I really thought they’d open with “Cars Trucks Buses”, too…
With Fall Tour less than a week away, and with Halloween not too far behind it, Phish fans everywhere have begun their speculations. Traditionally, when Phish performs on Halloween, they do so in musical costume – aka they cover a full album of another artist. The tradition began in 1994, when Phish played The Beatles’ White Album to an elated crowd in Glens Falls, NY. To date, there have been six Halloween musical costumes, including The Who’s Quadrophenia and the Talking Heads’ Remain in Light. Additionally, a seventh album cover of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon was performed, as a last-minute decision, to a sparse Utah crowd on November 2nd, 1998.
So, in speculating what this year’s Halloween musical costume will be, clues can only be drawn from past Halloween concerts. Phish usually chooses an album from a band that has influenced them, generally drawing from iconic rock artists. The albums they choose are well-known, generally one of the more popular albums by that particular artist. It is also worth noting that, in Phish 3.0 (aka since 2009), the band has chosen albums where one song was previously part of Phish’s repertoire. “Loving Cup” was a familiar Phish tune long before The Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main Street cover in 2009, and “Time Loves a Hero” was performed six times before Phish covered Little Feat’s Waiting for Columbus in 2010. With these clues in mind, here is part one of my 10 album picks for a Halloween musical costume, in no particular order. Please, please, bear in mind that predicting Phish music is practically impossible, and all educated guesses are welcomed in the comments section.
1. The Grateful Dead – Anthem of the Sun (1967)
While the Grateful Dead and Phish are often categorized together in the broad genre of “jam,” each has a very distinct catalog that is unique to that band. That being said, the Grateful Dead were a major influence on Phish, as Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio was amazed by the community aspect that he experienced at his first Grateful Dead concert in 1983. I wrote about the Dead-Phish connection in my Top 6 Biggest Bust-Outs that Phish Could Play article, seen here. Since The Dead are a major influence of Phish, it stands to reason that they might cover one of their albums for Halloween.
I chose Anthem of the Sun for a number of reasons. Anthem of the Sun is an experimental album, which Phish could easily adapt for their concert. While Workingman’s Dead or American Beauty may have more familiar songs, Anthem of the Sun has longer, psychedelic songs that Phish fans would thoroughly enjoy. Trey is no stranger to “The Other One,” a 17-minute-long suite that first appeared on Anthem in 1967, as he jammed with Furthur on it at the Lock’n Festival last September.
Trey jamming with Furthur – The Other One (9/7/2013):
While Phish has conscientiously avoided Dead music (having never performed a Dead song since 2000), this Halloween show would be the perfect opportunity for Phish to pay homage to their idols without being considered imitators.
2. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Axis: Bold as Love (1967)
The second studio album from the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Axis: Bold as Love, is quintessential psychedelic rock listening. While the songs from this album may be slightly lesser known than those on Are You Experienced, the diversity and depth of the songs on Axis: Bold as Love make this album an attractive choice. Granted, Phish covers a song from both albums (“Fire” from Are You Experienced and “Bold as Love” from Axis: Bold as Love), but Axis: Bold as Love is a more-refined, less-popular album. Plus, well, Phish’s cover of “Bold as Love” always blows me away.
Phish – Bold as Love (6/9/09):
With a mixture of rock and roll riffs, progressive melodies and psychedelic experimentation, Axis: Bold as Love is prime material for a Phish musical costume. The only downside to this album’s chances is the absence of keyboards. The Jimi Hendrix Experience was a bass-guitar-drum trio, so Page McConnell would have to adapt his own keyboard sections for the songs. Not that it is beyond his scope as a musician, but it makes any Hendrix album slightly less likely. Still, Phish would have a lot of fun with songs like “Wait Until Tomorrow” and “If 6 Was 9.”
3. Led Zeppelin – Houses of the Holy (1973)
One of the top picks for the Halloween concert is a Led Zeppelin album. Phish is very strongly influenced by the music of Led Zeppelin, as “Good Times Bad Times” has been a staple of Phish encores for decades. The band has also recently started playing “No Quarter” with some regularity, as the song has appeared five times over the last two years. Additionally, the October 30, 2010 show was heavily Led Zeppelin themed, with a Tweezer medley that included “Heartbreaker,” “Ramble On,” “Thank You,” “Stairway to Heaven,” and a “Whole Lotta Love” tease.
Phish – Tweezer > Whole Lotta Love (tease) > Heartbreaker (10/30/10):
Of the Led Zeppelin discography, Houses of the Holy is my top choice for a Phish album cover. Houses of the Holy lies on the cusp of Led Zeppelin’s evolution from blues-rock roots to a more produced, progressive rock sound. The songs retain the early Zeppelin energy, with a sense of refinement. The album features the song “No Quarter,” with which Phish is already familiar, and fans would thoroughly enjoy hearing that cover in the context of its album. Plus, I know I’d love to hear drummer Jon Fishman sing “D’Yer Mak’er.”
4. David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
David Bowie! David Bowie! While this album may not have anything to do with the Phish song “David Bowie,” Phish’s love for art-rock makes the music of the real David Bowie a potential candidate. The album tells the story of Ziggy Stardust, a persona created and portrayed by Bowie, his meteoric rise to stardom, and his eventual demise. Phish has never played a song from it, but has performed “Life on Mars?” 23 times over the last eighteen years, suggesting that Bowie’s music is well within their reach.
Phish – Life on Mars? (8/12/11):
Ziggy Stardust seems like a better choice than Hunky Dory (which contains the song “Life on Mars?”), perhaps because of the album’s cohesiveness. Each song on Ziggy Stardust is ornate, yet the album flourishes when performed as a unit… a perfect recipe for a Halloween musical costume. Not to mention all of the outer-space themes, upon which Phish could really capitalize in their performance. UB40! UB40!
5. Rush – Moving Pictures (1980)
Phish may not have played any Rush music to date, but, when it comes to musicianship, we all know Phish likes a challenge. Rush is a premier progressive rock band, with intricate compositions that defy rock conventions with cool eloquence. With a number of familiar songs, including “Tom Sawyer” and “Limelight,” Moving Pictures would make an excellent musical costume for Phish. The album also features the instrumental “YYZ,” written in an unusual 5/4 time signature. For top-notch musicians like the members of Phish, “YYZ” and the remainder of Moving Pictures would present quite the challenge for Phish to learn. They are wholly capable, and would easily rise to said challenge, but it is this challenge is what makes this album a potential candidate for Halloween 2013.
Rush – YYZ (album):
Like the Jimi Hendrix Experience, a downside of choosing Rush is that they are a bass-guitar-drums trio. However, Rush’s studio albums do feature some synthesizers, giving Page some starting material. If Phish did choose this album, there would be no shortage of challenging music for the band to play. Fortunately, they’ll be ready for the challenge.
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Stay tuned for the second part of this article, featuring another five seemingly-arbitrary guesses at a Phish Halloween musical costumes. As always, Phish remains playfully unpredictable, building the suspense for what will ultimately be a fantastic performance at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ, on Halloween night. Special thanks to Michael Kozin and Richard Melamed (my dad) for their tireless Phish enthusiasm and insightful Phish Halloween discussions.
–David Melamed