When it comes to the first song back, there are so many ways to go. It has to be a nerve-wracking first few tunes out there for those guys after almost four years away from the stage as a group. So I don’t think we will see anything way out of the comfort zone.
Let’s break it down a little bit and take a look at a few likely contenders for the March 6 opening debut of post-Breakup Phish…
The Likely Choices:
According to the Phish stats page run by that guy with all the Zs, Y and Xs in his name, there are the most common show openers along with how many times they have opened a show:
1. Runaway Jim – 80
2. Chalk Dust Torture – 75
3. Buried Alive – 59
4. Llama – 51
5. Golgi Apparatus – 49
Any one of them is certainly a candidate. But of the five, I think Chalk Dust Torture is probably the safest pick. Runaway Jim is probably right in the mix too but sometimes can take a little while to get going whereas Chalk Dust tears it up from the start. It gets the crowd moving right away and Trey called it his favorite Phish song to perform live in an Entertainment Weekly article back in August, 2000.
Buried Alive racked up its numbers in the early ’90s and would be a surprising, but not unwelcome, choice. I hadn’t thought of Llama till I recently watched the 12-6-96 Vegas DVD where they absolutely nail it. It certainly rocks and gets the crowd moving but something tells me it’s a little too short to kick things off. Golgi was pegged by many for the 12/31/02 show opener with people offering everything short of a kidney to have a ticket stub in their hand. Certainly would fit here too.
The Perfect Choice:
All Things Reconsidered:
Opened show 2 times
What says it better? Four years after calling it quits for the second time, the band has certainly reconsidered. Besides the irony of the title, this rarely played, complex instrumental, if played correctly, could make a joint statement on preparedness and bust out potential. It’s been 311 shows (2/23/97) since this one has been played so chances aren’t strong but to me, it would be a throwback to the cleverness that arose when some thought went into the set list.
The Emotional Choice:
Curtain (With)
Opened show 17 times
The last song most of us heard Phish play was that forced version of The Curtain (With) that served as the cherry on top of the disastrous mud pie that was Coventry. A tight, well-played version would be a good way to start the process of erasing those memories.
The “All In” Choice:
You Enjoy Myself
Opened Show 6 times
Played 472 times total, nearly 100 more times than it’s closest competitor (Mike’s Song – 378), YEM would certainly be the band’s way of pushing all its chips into the middle of the table early in a high stakes game. With a quick start and some of the best build-and-release in the band’s catalog, the arena would shake at its foundation if they walked out and nailed a YEM.
The Déjà Vu Choice:
Piper
Opened Show 5 times
When we did this last time, we packed Madison Square Garden for New Years Eve 2002-03 and Phish eased into their first comeback show with Piper. At first it was hard to hear over the screams for “lights out” what the choice was but an understandably uneven version of Piper was the first live product of post-Hiatus Phish. Seven Below stole the show that night but the energy in the building for Piper was off the charts.
What do you think Phish will open with in Hampton on March 6? Be sure to enter the Tour Opener Contest at Phantasy Tour and let us know what you chose by leaving a comment below…
88 Responses
Stash
-Classic Phish
-The clapping will be a ‘we never left’ moment right away, -Was it for this my life I’ve sought?
My top two choices:
Runaway Jim
Tube
dudes…
I’m sticking with my “My Friend My Friend” opener request.
followed up by some nasty, dreadburning HEAT!
PYITE. Mark it down.
DAVID BOWIE!
Back on the Train…hello?!
YEM all the way, total tongue in cheek nod Trey’s comments about the song.
gonna have to go with YEM
~as Luke says… “All In”. Very aggresive choice that would put the pressure on the band
~make up for the bothced Hampton 03′ version
~Trey’s left nut comment
~it’s fucking YEM and it would test the structural integrity of Hampton
Mound. “It’s time, time, time for the last rewind..
yes, I also think it’s going to be PYITE
golgi or simple
Nah…I’m really going with Down With Disease. It’s got the crasy psycho bass opening and of course,
“when I think it’s time to leave it all behind, I try to find a way but there’s nothing I can say to make it stop.”
gotta say i think golgi is the one. all those ticketless people.
Harpua, with one hell of a story in the middle
they need to recreate the coccoon scene (2 coccoons instead of 3 obviously) from spinal tap while covering Rock N Roll Creation. THAT would be an opener.
PYITE
I hope they play something very old like alumni blues.
Mikes > Simple > I am Hydrogen > Weekapaug
Sparkle (the pressure builds)-
Wishful thinking
Fluffhead – just because
I’m thinking it probably won’t be SPOCK’S BRAIN or GLIDE II.
Gotta go with JP.
The best opener Phish ever had…PYITE
Just always sets the stage for a killer show.
The Boys are back in town opener in Hampton –
very similar to the Foreplay> It’s been such a long time opener when they finally came back to Great Woods in 99′
I wouldn’t be surprised if they bust-out something none of us has heard before – Time Turns Elastic? Or maybe something new they’ve worked-up/will in the next few weeks?
It would be a lil deflating in one sense, but conversely it’s a fresh start – why not come out of the gates with something new and fresh? I’ll gladly settle for YEM though…
then Chaldust
a chalkdust reprise > Chalkdust would be pretty f’in crazy though. remember, NEVER, underestimate these 4 guys. In my adventures with the band 98 shows from 95-00 I’ve seen some stuff i never would have expected
Dog Faced Boy
Get into the Groove -Madonna
OR I’m with ‘Back on the Train’
Free
PYITE
Tweezer
I mean one of the three, not in that order. And I’d like to throw in Chalkdust and I also agree with Erik’s The Boys Are Back in Town, which I had thought of awhile back, that it would be funny and exciting.
I was actually thinking the other day that Free would be a pretty good opener. Relatively simple, soaring lead line, appropriate chorus, and NASTY breakdown in the middle to really get things going. I’d be very ok with that.
“I feel this feeling I forgot.”
Back On The Train
I’m going with the safe bet: Destiny Unbound
PYITE or Curtain. Also, Moma Dance?
DWD > Mikes
Jennifer Dances
Seriously though, agree with Jeffrey above, YEM would be great especially after Trey’s comments about the song.
i can’t believe more people haven’t said pyite, that would be my ideal opener, get the crowd goin
Gotta go with
Glide…
I’m a little shocked nobody has mentioned Bathtub Gin. I came real close to including it in the column – I think it has a pretty good shot. Trey loves that “…and we love to take a bath” singalong
Oh Ke Pa
GOLGI…..ticket fiasco!
FLUFFHEAD!
Who gives a damn what they play, a bunch of sell outs who have become exactly what they didn’t want to be: a nastolgia act.
Whoo Way TO GO!
I’m going to guess DWD. It would be an epic song that would get the crowd pumped and has instant recognition. The lyrics also have speak of the disease that plagued the band…
The theme from Welcome Back Kotter > YEM > Divided Sky
Meatstick….
I wonder if the bands discussed it yet…..
Bowie*&$#>
*long intro
& w/exploding pinatas hung from Hampton ceiling
$ w/”all fall down” signal
# Dude of Life joins the band onstage and announces his retirement from music
Maybe a Walfredo?
I’d like DWD too, or:
Tube>
First Tube>
Fresh Tube>
Last Tube>
Tube reprise
I’m all about a classic Buried Alive opener!!
This seems like the right choice…
AC/DC Bag
“Let’s get this show on the road!”
ac/dc bag – fully agreed ^^^ adamb.
moma dance on saturday
Curtain is the obvious choice, but I am calling Golgi.
SEVEN BELOW!
WiiiillSon!!!!
Dada….Dada!
ScottyB & Co – can we get a “Phish: Predicting the Fishman Tune @ Hampton” post?
Wilson
SAW IT AGAIN!!!
treyfirmed
Tweezer Reprise > YEM !!! All the way
This fits with the necessity for high octane. has a slow build and gets loud enough to hear over the crowd and is a huge release for all the tension that will have been building for months. Then once everyone shuts up they can lay down the shit. Then they will open set 2 or sat night with tweezer.
Maybe it’s just the tons of Rock Band I have been playing, but if they were gonna open with a cover I say Journey’s Foreplay/Long Time. Good jamming opportunity at the opening of the song, followed by a VERY true opening line, “It’s been such a long time”!
auld lang syne
Simple
Hey Dickie that’s not Journey it’s Foreignor. And as for an opener it would have to be Peaches & Herbs “Reunited” and it feels so good.Or Buried Alive > Tube.
maybe even T.C.B. BY B.T.O. I know Homer would like that.
guess the opener and win $100 (or more!!)
here’s the list of so far > >
Song List & Confirmed Bidders:
Makisupa Policeman – unclejohn
You Enjoy Myself – messengerbird
2001 – Heather
Wilson – Scott (aka WhatstheUse?)
The Curtain With – August
Chalk Dust Torture – caravan2001
David Bowie – Freya
Runaway Jim – Aaron
Run Like an Antelope – birdman
Down with Disease – Ryan
Tube – Ali
The Curtain – chriskovach
Mike’s Song – Steven B
Destiny Unbound – Worm
Golgi Apparatus – blatboom
Simple – mandi
Punch You in the Eye – cactusfan
Piper – Hicks
Bouncing Around the Room – Barret
AC/DC Bag – adam B.
still plenty of great songs choices left to bid on.
only $5 to join.
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=451778458
DIVIDED SKY- an epic classic that was not played at coventry. It would lift the coliseum off the ground!!
Im hoping for a YEM or Fluffhead, but whatever they play lets make that arena erupt!!
foreplay>long time is neither journey or foreigner, its boston. 2001 or Wilson.
If an asteroid crashed at Hampton would anyone hear it?
i call my minds got a mind of its own into chalkdust into i saw it again…
Tweezer> Peaches> Runaway Jim> NICU, Gensing, Curtis Lowe
Destiny Unbound…
Meatstick
I had a dream the other night that I was there and they opened with a suprising Gumbo followed by Taste. That being said my prediction is AC/DC Bag, I just feel it.
birds of a feather > destiny unbound
Peaches!!
Anything but Velvet Sea or Bouncin’
Willson. To hear 30,000 phans singing “Willson”!!! forgetaboudit
N2O.
with—>rift…pick up where they left off.
okay, maybe too heady..then a possum with that build at the begining would be killer.
psyched to get this show on the road.
I think that creativity is being way overlooked here. I understand that it has been a while but we are talking about some spectacular musicians, I completely expect the lights go down and then we hear something that they have never played before. My guess is a cover to the likes of comfortably numb.
YEM
Free. I’m floating in the blimp alot, I feel a feeling I forgot…. I feel no curiosity, I see the path ahead of me! A Rebirth is a great way to start phish 3.0
Peaches En Regalia, though…
Drove to the North where the oceans freeze, spent FOUR LONG years on the open seas!
And if I were to awake into a dream…
Oomm pah pah Oom pah pah Oom pah pah ahhhh…..
Led Zep’s Rock n Roll
Fluffhead?