Phish writing songs about the enormity of what they created, and the requisite baggage that comes with it, can perhaps be traced to some sentiments in Down with Disease. But there is no questioning that Vultures was widely interpreted to illustrate what my editor ScottyB eloquently referred to as “The inmates running the asylum.” A theme reiterated six years later with Crowd Control.

Part of the massive batch of tunes premiered during the Summer of 1997, Vultures was an instant rarity that was played only 27 times by Phish (compared to say it’s first-cousin Limb by Limb, played 90 times). Unofficially debuted at the residence of Brad Sands and Pete Carini on June 6, it would be played first publicly seven days later in Ireland. It was played 10 times on stage before it was brought back into the shop for a little rearranging and to add a third vocal section with new lyrics. Also popping up after the reworking was the playful use of slashing one’s throat not only with a razor, but sometimes a potato. Though never released on a Phish studio album, Vultures appeared both on the Bearsville Studio Sessions and the Trey/Tom disc Trampled By Lambs and Pecked By The Doves.

And what we’ve got for you now is a full-length clip of Vultures from Phish’s upcoming DVD Walnut Creek – set for release on August 5. Available exclusively through Dry Goods is the Left Nuts Bonus CD included with every pre-order. The 2-DVD set features over 2½ hours of 5-camera footage with 5.1 Dolby Surround or optional stereo sound.

That’s enough foreplay. Here’s the World Premiere of Walnut Creek’s Vultures: