We tried to warn you, so hopefully you’ve book your hotel rooms and malnourished your dog. It’s official as of 3:20AM EDT, Phish will play it’s first public show in 4 years, 6 months, 19 days on March 6 at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia as part of a three night stand at the magical venue. Now comes the hard part: securing tickets to be one of the 13,800 standing inside when they hit the stage to kickoff the post-Breakup era.

PHISH HAMPTON 2009 from Phish on Vimeo.

Trey, Mike, Page and Fish are sensitive to the fragile state of the economy and have priced tickets at an incredibly reasonable $49.50 each. Tickets go onsale on October 18 at 10AM via Ticketmaster and “ticket requets” are currently available at this site. The band plans to announce additional touring in 2009 early next year.

So we’ve got roughly 22 weeks. Or 5 Months & 6 Days. 157 days etc. before Phish will play shows 13, 14 and 15 at the Hampton Coliseum.

Most played song at Hampton? Mike’s Song, Harry Hood & Weekapaug Groove share that honor with 5.

Most common songs not yet played at Hampton? Golgi Apparatus, Suzy Greenberg, Reba, The Lizards, Fee, Sample in a Jar, My Sweet One, Uncle Pen and Fluffhead.

READ ON for the setlists and some video footage from every Phish show played at Hampton…

All setlists via Phish.net’s Helping Phriendly Book

11-25-95 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA
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1: Poor Heart, A Day in the Life-> David Bowie, Billy Breathes, Fog That Surrounds, Bouncing Around the Room, Rift, Wolfman’s Brother, Runaway Jim

2: Timber (Jerry)-> Kung-> Mike’s Song*-> Keyboard Army-> Mike’s Song, Long Journey Home**, I’m Blue I’m Lonesome**, Strange Design-> Weekapaug Groove, Harry Hood, Hello My Baby, Poor Heart^

E: Fire#

*With rotation jam. **Acoustic. ^Slow shuffle version. #With “Poor Heart” tease before the beginning.

10-25-96 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA
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1: Ha Ha Ha, Taste, Makisupa Policeman, Maze, Billy Breathes, Mound, Guelah Papyrus, I Didn’t Know*, Stash, The Squirming Coil

2: Tube, Prince Caspian, Timber (Jerry), TMWSIY-> Avenu Malkenu-> TMWSIY, NICU, Free, Strange Design, Harry Hood, Cavern, The Star Spangled Banner**

E: Johnny B. Goode

*Fish introduced as “Morton Charleston Heston”. **A capella.

11-21-97 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA
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1: Emotional Rescue*-> Split Open and Melt, Beauty of My Dreams, Dogs Stole Things, Punch You in the Eye-> Lawn Boy, Chalk Dust Torture, Prince Caspian^

2: Ghost-> AC/DC Bag-> Slave to the Traffic Light, Loving Cup

E: Guyute

*Rolling Stones cover (first time played). ^With digital delay loop jam.

11-22-97 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA
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1: Mike’s Song-> I Am Hydrogen-> Weekapaug Groove, Harry Hood, Train Song, Billy Breathes, Frankenstein, Izabella

2: Halley’s Comet*-> Tweezer > Black Eyed Katy > Piper > Run Like an Antelope**

E: Bouncing Around The Room, Tweezer Reprise

*Before they started the set, the crowd chanted the beginning of “Destiny Unbound” (in hopes that the band would play it). Trey acknowledged the chant by saying that he couldn’t hear what was being sung; that it sounded like some kind of “death chant”; and asked if this was the point in the show where they do the human sacrifice. No “Destiny Unbound” was played or teased. **With “Mike-O-Esquandolas” (instead of “Marco”).

11-20-98 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA

1: Rock ‘n’ Roll Part Two*, Tube -> Quinn the Eskimo -> Funky Bitch, Guelah Papyrus, Rift, Meat -> Stash, Train Song, Possum, Roggae, Driver**, Split Open and Melt (1:28)

2: Bathtub Gin^ -> Piper, Axilla -> Roses are Free, Farmhouse, Hold Your Head Up > Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It^^ > Hold Your Head Up, Harry Hood > Character Zero (1:05)

E: Cavern+ (0:04)

*First time played (Gary Glitter cover); two minutes long; also teased on 12-31-94. **Acoustic. ^With “Rock and Roll” tease. ^^First time played (Will Smith cover from his album “Big Willie Style”; vocals by Fish, reading from cue cards and leading the crowd in arm waving; with vacuum solo. +With Carl “Gears” Gerhard on trumpet.

11-21-98 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA

1: Wilson -> Big Black Furry Creature from Mars, Lawn Boy, The Divided Sky*, Cry Baby Cry, Boogie on Reggae Woman -> NICU, Dogs Stole Things, Nellie Cane, Foam, Wading in the Velvet Sea, Guyute, Bold as Love (1:25)

2: Sabotage -> Mike’s Song -> Simple -> The Wedge, The Mango Song -> Free -> Ha Ha Ha -> Free, Weekapaug Groove (1:04)

E: Tubthumping** (0:04)

*With glowstick war during the pause. **First time played (Chumbawamba cover from their album “Tubthumper”); with Tom Marshall on vocals and Carl “Gears” Gerhard on trumpet.

12-17-99 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA
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1: Piper, Meat, Sparkle, Gotta Jibboo, Punch You In The Eye, When the Circus Comes, Water in the Sky, Twist

2: Birds Of A Feather, The Moma Dance* > Bug, Jennifer Dances, Split Open and Melt, Character Zero

E: My Old Home Place, The Squirming Coil > Loving Cup

*With “Birds of a Feather” tease.

12-18-99 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA
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1: Harry Hood, Back at the Chicken Shack, Dog Log*, Tube, Heavy Things, Get Back on the Train, First Tube, The Inlaw Josie Wales, You Enjoy Myself

2: Also Sprach Zarathustra**, Sand, The Horse -> Silent In The Morning, Possum, Mike’s Song -> Simple -> Weekapaug Groove -> Buffalo Bill -> Weekapaug Groove

E: Ya Mar, Sleeping Monkey

*Dedicated to Paul Languedoc; possibly played for a front row sign; after, Trey says, “in fact, he [Paul] likes that one so much, we’re gonna play it again!”; band plays a few seconds and stops. **”Do You Feel Like We Do” (Peter Frampton) tease (a banner was hung from the upper level requesting the song, which may have been played during the previous night’s soundcheck). Trey called Page “Bob Mayonnaise.”

1-2-03 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA
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Set 1 (1:31): Chalkdust Torture*, Bathtub Gin, It’s Ice**, Back on the Train, Round Room***, The Horse > Silent in the Morning, Stash, Water in the Sky, Character Zero
Set 2 (1:12): 46 Days -> Simple# -> My Friend My Friend, Limb by Limb, Thunderhead##, Run Like an Antelope ###, Cavern
Encore (0:05): Mexican Cousin^
Notes: Show began at 7:44pm. Second set began at 9:55pm. Post-show music was “What’s Going On.” * - with digital delay loop jam about 12 minutes in; ** - prior to “It’s Ice,” Trey jokingly said: “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s Tom Hanks!” (referring to the appearance of Page’s brother Steve as “Tom Hanks” on New Year’s Eve), and during the song a spotlight hit Fishman, who stood up and did a little dance; *** - first time played, and with many balloons in the audience; # - “Bebop/skyscrapers” verse flubbed; ## - first time played; ### - lyric was “bid you to have any spliff”; ^ - first time played.

1-3-03 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA

Set 1 (1:15): Tweezer -> Theme From the Bottom, Foam, Pebbles and Marbles*, You Enjoy Myself**
Set 2 (1:11): Birds of a Feather, Wolfman’s Brother, Makisupa Policeman***, Axilla, Twist -> Free, All of These Dreams#, Possum##
Encore (0:08): Contact###, Tweezer Reprise
Notes: Show began at 8:13pm. Second set began at 10:11pm. Paul Languedoc was not manning the sound board, and Trey made a point to stop at the monitor board to speak with the engineer on his way to the stage before the first set. * - first time played; ** - with a false start (Trey stopped the band and made a comment about practicing, then re-started a moment later), and with a vocal jam based on the name “George Takei” (the actor who played Mr. Sulu on Star Trek); *** - lyric was “woke up this morning … about 3 o’clock this afternoon… ‘fatty’,” and “Waffle House” and “Hooters” were mentioned in the singing toward the end of the song; # - concert debut (only previously played on Letterman); ## - toward the end, Trey hands his guitar to Page (who plays it from his normal seat, doing things like playing behind his head, etc.), Mike hands his bass to Trey, Mike picks up the “B” and “AH” cymbals (traditionally used during “Crackin’ Rosie”), and the song ends; ### - Trey says: “Ladies and gentlemen, Al Gore!”, also with a Page solo/breakdown and a Mike solo/breakdown. (More details will be sought on the “Possum” antics.)

1-4-03 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA

Set 1 (1:13): Llama, Boogie On Reggae Woman, Roggae, Maze, Anything But Me*, Ya Mar, Saw it Again, Bouncing Around the Room, Split Open and Melt
Set 2 (1:17): Rock and Roll, Mike’s Song -> Mist, Weekapaug Groove -> What’s the Use -> Down with Disease -> Fast Enough for You, Also Sprach Zarathustra**
Encore (0:10): Friday*
Notes: Show began at 7:58pm. Second set began at 10:01pm. Paul Languedoc appears to be back at the sound board. * - first time played; ** - Trey thanks fans and talks about how extremely blessed they are to be able to share all of this with them each night, also Trey, Mike and Page each take an individual “big rock ending” vamp before the band ends the song together.

8-9-04 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA

Set I: Chalkdust Torture, Bathtub Gin -> Runaway Jim, Walls of the Cave, Loving Cup

Set II: All of These Dreams, Limb x Limb, Lifeboy, Crowd Control, Seven Below > Stash -> NICU, Bug, Contact > Character Zero

Encore: David Bowie

Show Notes: A “Fluffhead” tease preceded “All of These Dreams.” Trey teased “Mary Had a Little Lamb” in “Seven Below,” and the end of which he said a few words about his guitar tech Brian. “Contact” had a jam on “Little Drummer Boy” near the end. Trey briefly teased “Dave’s Energy Guide” in “Bowie.” (Thanks to Charlie, Marcie, Craig, Phil N, Hershcel, Charlz, ZZYZX, and others in J rows 12-18; and the NC Krewe!)

Finally, let’s look back at the two letters that kicked off the breakup…

Last Friday night, I got together with Mike, Page and Fish to talk openly about the strong feelings I’ve been having that Phish has run its course and that we should end it now while it’s still on a high note. Once we started talking, it quickly became apparent that the other guys’ feelings, while not all the same as mine, were similar in many ways — most importantly, that we all love and respect Phish and the Phish audience far too much to stand by and allow it to drag on beyond the point of vibrancy and health. We don’t want to become caricatures of ourselves, or worse yet, a nostalgia act. By the end of the meeting, we realized that after almost twenty-one years together we were faced with the opportunity to graciously step away in unison, as a group, united in our friendship and our feelings of gratitude.

So Coventry will be the final Phish show. We are proud and thrilled that it will be in our home state of Vermont. We’re also excited for the June and August shows, our last tour together. For the sake of clarity, I should say that this is not like the hiatus, which was our last attempt to revitalize ourselves. We’re done. It’s been an amazing and incredible journey. We thank you all for the love and support that you’ve shown us.

Dear friends,

As we wind down the Phish career, it is done with both great joy and great sadness. The joy comes from remembering the incredibly good times we’ve experienced, the successes we’ve enjoyed, and knowing that even in our closing we are honoring the band. The sadness is obviously driven by the fact that something I love will not be a part of my life anymore. To me, we have been the greatest band in the world and have had the greatest fans ever.

I still love the music we make but the situation feels different to me now. I guess in my heart I’ve known for a while that something had to change, but it wasn’t until this last weekend that my feelings really began to coalesce. I’m old enough now that I am able to look to the future without feeling that I need to balance it with my past. I find it ironic that half of my life has to go by before I am able to focus solely on the future. As a member of a successful rock band, it seems that every aspect of my profession encourages me to extend my youth as long as possible. Don’t get me wrong, I like feeling young, but more importantly I need to be honest with myself.

The pressures and schedule of this work can take its toll personally as well as creatively. As someone who has recently been through a divorce, I know how traumatic change can be. But, I also know that if you are able to let go of things and embrace change there is the potential for incredible personal (and creative) growth.

If I sound unusually candid in this statement, I am able to do so because in my mind I’ve already moved on to the next phase of my life. This is a feeling I believe I share with Trey. I have a four-year-old daughter and there is nothing more important to me than being with her. Come August, I’m not going to have to tell her how many days ‘til daddy comes back from tour. Combine that with my perception that the band’s vitality is not what it once was, and it’s easy to see how my mind quickly begins to move in one direction instead of a hundred directions all at the same time.

I will miss it incredibly, but I have no regrets. The pride that I feel for the band, our fans, the organization and all of our collective accomplishments is overwhelming. I love you all and know that we wouldn’t be here without you.

Thanks again.

Sincerely,
Page McConnell