PHISH to perform on the marquee of the Ed Sullivan Theatre tonight

[Mike Dow]

For their final "Late Show with David Letterman" appearance, Phish will perform atop the marquee of the Ed Sullivan Theatre. : (from Phish.com)


PHISH ON BROADWAY
When Phish plays the Late Show with David Letterman on Monday night, they will perform from the top of the Ed Sullivan Theatre marquee (about two stories up from the street) at 53rd and Broadway in New York City. The band will perform their first song at the end of the Letterman taping. After the show ends, the band will perform an additional 20-25 minutes for fans.

The best place to watch the band perform will be on the far side of the street opposite from the Ed Sullivan Theater. The band will not perform UNTIL 6:25 PM. PLEASE DO NOT SHOW UP ANY EARLIER THAN 6:15 PM.

(I wouldn't be surprised if "Get Back" was played tonight. Probably not on Dave's show but in the 20-25 minutes of additional music, it could make an appearance. They have never played it before but it sure would be appropriate! If only Ringo or Paul were in town to drive by in their limo, lower the window, look over the top of their sunglasses and say..."It's been done!" :)

By the way, the final shows, scheduled for August 14th and 15th in Vermont are now officially sold out.

[Beatlelennon65]

I need to see this! Looks like I will watch Dave tonight and look for the boot in a couple of days. Video of the concert would be nice! Maybe they will include it in a future final tour dvd!

[JohnG]

btw....while watching Phish perform on Letterman last night..my wife asked me what song did they do that was a hit. I couldn't answer her.

Did Phish ever have a hit song in their 20 years together?!?

Will Phish ever release a Greatest Hits collection and what songs would be on that collection?

The only song I can think of that was relatively a hit was "Bouncing Around The Room"

[Mike Dow]

.

Did Phish ever have a hit song in their 20 years together?!?



No. The band did not want a top 40 hit. After seeing what happened to some of their contemporaries such as The Spin Doctors (they scored big at about the same time Phish signed with Elektra in 1992), they were concerned that having "the big hit" would ruin their career. In 1996, they pulled the track "Strange Design" from the lineup of "Billy Breathes" because they were concerned that Elektra might put it out as a single which could have resulted in "the big hit". They decided to release the studio version on a UK CD single for "Free".

While they never did have a top 40 hit, they had plenty of tunes which reached the public's awareness via AOR, and AAA stations. (example: Fast Enough For You (RIFT 1993), Down With Disease (HOIST 1994) Sample In A Jar (HOIST 1994) Wolfman's Brother (HOIST 1994)
the live version of Bouncing Around The Room (A LIVE ONE 1995), Free (BILLY BREATHES 1996) Character Zero (BILLY BREATHES 1996) Birds Of A Feather (STORY OF THE GHOST 1998) Heavy Things (FARMHOUSE 2000)

They have not had a studio "best of" although 20 volumes have been released of the Live Phish series. This series contains 2, 3 or 4 disc sets of complete shows from the 80's through the hiatus in October 2000. Since they returned in late 2002, every show has been available via download from LivePhish.com. In 1999, the band released "Hampton Comes Alive" a 6 disc live set featuring 2 complete shows from November 1998. Previously, they issued a 2 disc set called "A Live One" recorded at various venues in 1994. The title allegedly came from the common request from fans..."when are guys going to release a live one?" Plus...the fishing pun..."hey, you gotta live one there!"

I've heard that Elektra would like to have a best of set late this year but I doubt the band would be too thrilled by it. Even though Phish does not owe the label any more albums, it's probably something that will happen eventually. What would be on it? All of the tunes mentioned above plus (my guess..."You Enjoy Myself " and "Contact" (JUNTA 1988) "Lawn Boy" (LAWN BOY (1989) "Chalkdust Torture" "Cavern" (A PICTURE OF NECTAR 1992) "Tweezer" (Nectar 1992) "Rift" (RIFT 1993) "Waste" (BILLY BREATHES) "Strange Design" (see above) "Round Room" (ROUND ROOM 2002) "The Connection" (UNDERMIND 2004). If I were choosing the tracks, I would choose the live version of "Chalkdust" from A Live One as well as the 11-17-97 version of "You Enjoy Myself" (one of the band's favorite shows, too).

In addition to the above tracks, they have many unreleased studio tracks from the 80's to the present. They could easily release a boxed set of unreleased studio material.

[Evan L]

Mike,

Don't forget such seminal Phish tunes as "David Bowie" and "You Enjoy Myself"(studio version); though not hits, they would need to be on a "Best Of" to give a more complete picture of the band.

The performance on the marquee was fun, it actually made up for a less-than-usually-good Letterman show.

Evan

[GregY]

If anyone wants a copy of the audio of Phish's performance, have at these BT sessions:

Source 1 (http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=5521)

Source 2 (http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=5506)

Some pictures here (http://www.deviousgelatin.com/phish.php)

[JohnG]

thanks for the reply Mike......though I was never a big fan (I do have their live cd "A Live One").....a Best-Of collection would be welcomed by someone like me who needs an overview of the band.

[Mike Dow]

Thanks for the links Greg! Much appreciated. :righton:

[Jimbo]

Just for the record, there is a European Phish comp from 1996 titled Stash which I believe is OOP. I also have a promo-only comp that I picked up several years ago.

[Mike Dow]

Just for the record, there is a European Phish comp from 1996 titled Stash which I believe is OOP. I also have a promo-only comp that I picked up several years ago.

I forgot about that one Jim. Yes, it was a comp to promote Phish's 1996 European tour.
Man, you DO have everything!

[Aggie87]

I've got Stash as well, and think it's a pretty good overview of their music to that point in time:

1. Down With Disease
2. If I Could
3. You Enjoy Myself
4. Fast Enough For You
5. Scent Of A Mule
6. Split Open and Melt
7. Maze
8. Sample In A Jar
9. Bouncing Around The Room
10. Stash
11. Gumbo

If they release a compilation, it should be two discs - you could include tracks from the later albums and flesh out the above a bit more as well.

[Beatlelennon65]

Bathtub Gin is pretty cool.