Project Hood

Taking a break...

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 13:03:12 -0700

With regrets, I will be shutting this blog down for now (think of it as heading to that glowstick war in the cyber-sky, if you like). I have no specific plans of getting it going again, at least any time too soon. My life has become too busy to give this project the attention I feel it deserves.

Photo by Dave Vann - 5-28-11 - Bethel, N.Y. Phish played the...

Tue, 31 May 2011 20:53:00 -0700

Photo by Dave Vann - 5-28-11 - Bethel, N.Y.

Phish played the first Harry Hood of 2011 over the weekend at their 3-night tour-opening stand in Bethel. One of the goofier Makisupa Policemans ever played segued absolutely seamlessly into Harry Hood #298. I will get a video up once a good one emerges.

Trey talks about improvisation in Guitar World

Tue, 31 May 2011 18:51:49 -0700

Trey talks about improvisation in Guitar World

12-18-99 - Hampton Coliseum - Hampton, VA. There is no audio for...

Fri, 27 May 2011 12:59:19 -0700

12-18-99 - Hampton Coliseum - Hampton, VA.

There is no audio for the first 1:00 of this video but the entire Hood is there.

Date: 10-12-91 Location: Roseland Theater - Portland, OregonSet...

Fri, 27 May 2011 12:26:01 -0700

Date: 10-12-91

Location: Roseland Theater - Portland, Oregon
Set Placement: set 2 of 2
Time: 10:33
Section A: 1:58
Section B: 3:24
Section C: 5:11
My Rating (out of 5): 3.25

Notes: Section A is rather mundane and though a bizarre guest appearance by Artis the Spoonman on… well… the spoons manages to set this version apart from just about any Hood ever played, there’s just something lacking from this rendition. Or perhaps it’s actually the spoons that kind of ruin this one for me. Sorry Artis.

Side note: Phish played this venue about eight months before this show, only it had gone through an ownership and name change since then. What was once called the Starry Night had been renamed the Roseland Theater (and is still called the Roseland today).

6-22-00 - AmSouth Amphitheatre - Antioch, TN. This video...

Wed, 25 May 2011 10:30:09 -0700

6-22-00 - AmSouth Amphitheatre - Antioch, TN.

This video features section C only and the band is joined by bluegrass legends, Robbie McCoury (banjo), Ronnie McCoury (mandolin), and Sam Bush (fiddle).

Date: 10-6-91 Location: Cochran Lounge - Macalester College -...

Wed, 25 May 2011 10:14:00 -0700

Date: 10-6-91

Location: Cochran Lounge - Macalester College - St. Paul, Minnesota
Set Placement: set 2 of 2
Time: 12:25
Section A: 3:11
Section B: 3:25
Section C: 5:49
My Rating (out of 5): 4.75

Notes: Minnesota’s first taste of Hood was a very good one. The intro is stretched out more than it had been in about seven months and the section C jam is on point and stretched out as well giving Phish heads the longest Hood since 5-6-90 at Toad’s. All around, a very solid performance, and my favorite Hood of ‘91.

Outside Review: by Rachelle on Phish.net:

The show was GREAT!!!!!!!! There were only like 300 people there and it was someplace that was SO familiar to me. It was a very intimate feeling. They started out with a killer Suzy and into Foam. It took a while, but everyone ended up dancing!! Being here in the Midwest not very many people had heard of Phish and a lot of people were really skeptical of the show. It was definitely a success!!! The majority of people loved it!!

Date: 8-3-91 Location: Larrabee Farm, A.K.A. “Amy’s...

Tue, 24 May 2011 10:45:00 -0700

Date: 8-3-91

Location: Larrabee Farm, A.K.A. “Amy’s Farm” - Auburn, Maine
Set Placement: second encore
Time: 11:38
Section A: 2:51
Section B: 3:24
Section C: 5:23
My Rating (out of 5): 4.5

Notes: My favorite Hood of ‘91 to this point. Section A is opened up more than it had been recently, almost always a plus, section B is tight though perhaps not 100%, and the jam in section C sparkles. Overall 1991 Hoods tend to be rather ordinary but this one is anything but.

Outside Review: by Charlie Dirksen of Phish.net and the Mockingbird Foundation fame:

Oh, to have been at this show! A friend of mine heard about it and told me about it, but no, I didn’t go. What a dumbass I was. I had “to work.” Like that was ever more important! ;^[ Phish won’t be around forever, folks.. see ‘em while ya can. This Harry closed a great show (it was the second encore, after some scary DOL “tunes” … I’m convinced he’s just an entertainer, like Fishman.. he couldn’t possibly be singing stuff like this seriously.. or, well, I guess he’s serious about joking..). The first seconds of this Hood are cut on my copy (the opening drums from Fish). Very Police-Message in a Bottle-esque as usual. Some spacey sustain from Trey, some piano noodlin from Page, some massive funky stuff from Mike, and some very eggae-ish, yet somewhat jazzy and chaotic stuff from Fish. A great opening segment, in other words. It ain’t boring..!

When they start singing Harry, they sound a bit tired.. ;) Long
f*cking day!! AGH!!! I DIDN’T Gooooooooo!!!!! Oh well. I have a SBD-7 of this show, which doesn’t sound nearly as hissy as it should (was an upgrade for me, too, when I got it many moons ago). This opening segment is fine, really, but you can tell, given the few somewhat slip-ups in the pre-ThankYouMrMinor segment, that they were pretty damn tired for this.. but they were still giving it one hell of an effort! I would think it would sound much much MUCH worse.. but it is actually quite good. Jam segment comes in around 6:20 or so (not precisely). Trey doesn’t start this with the usual genteel noodlin.. he kinda funkily grooves first.. and then begins the quaint toolin around. He almost teases the Linus and Lucy theme in here, perhaps unconsciously. ALMOST (he doesn’t play it.. don’t get excited.. that version is 4/18/92, reviewed below). Yet another beautiful jam segment. I’ll say no more, and leave it to someone more inspired. Damn. I’m speechless. If this is the boys when they are tired.. christ. Ends at 11:48-ish.

3-24-92 - part 2 and including Cavern (Flood Zone - Richmond,...

Tue, 24 May 2011 10:01:39 -0700

3-24-92 - part 2 and including Cavern (Flood Zone - Richmond, VA.)

For part 1, click here.

3-24-92 - part 1 (Flood Zone - Richmond, VA.) Part 2 can be...

Tue, 24 May 2011 09:59:00 -0700

3-24-92 - part 1 (Flood Zone - Richmond, VA.)

Part 2 can be found here.

11-2-96 - Coral Sky Amphitheater - West Palm Beach, FL. This...

Mon, 23 May 2011 16:56:00 -0700

11-2-96 - Coral Sky Amphitheater - West Palm Beach, FL.

This whole show was released officially by the band, purchase it here.

Date: 7-14-91 Location: Townshend Family Park - Townshend,...

Mon, 23 May 2011 16:49:00 -0700

Date: 7-14-91

Location: Townshend Family Park - Townshend, Vermont
Set Placement: set 3 of 3 (set closer)
Time: 10:30
Section A: 2:23
Section B: 3:22
Section C: 4:45
My Rating (out of 5): 4.5

Notes: The whole band plays a few lines of the Final Jeopardy theme near the beginning of section C. It’s hard to tell which member initiates the tease as each member seems to pick up on it so quickly that I almost wonder if it was discussed beforehand. This is the best Hood over a several month period not because of the brief Jeopardy reference and certainly not because section C explores uncharted territory but because Trey absolutely shreds this solo, you know, like a Guitar God tends to do every now and again.

Outside Review: by Matt Laurence on Phish.net:

This is no ordinary park, mind you, but a lush green bowl of trees and sunshine and water and vast plains of greenly stretching lawn with a well-secluded miniature-golf course hidden right in behind where the stage was located. I had heard tell of rain all weekend, and that’s what I expected. It rained everywhere else in the world on Sunday. The universe was gray…except for Townshend, VT, where the clouds parted and vanished altogether, leaving the undulating, sweaty, joyous crowd dancing, singing, and basking in the glorious heat of the day. All around on a plain of grassy wilderness were hundreds and hundreds of people doing all those things that people do when placed in a setting of ultimate perfection, just before the purpose for existing in that moment becomes fully clear.

10-21-95 - Part 2 (Pershing Auditorium - Lincoln, NE.) For Part...

Fri, 20 May 2011 09:38:52 -0700

10-21-95 - Part 2 (Pershing Auditorium - Lincoln, NE.)

For Part 1, click here.

10-21-95 - Part 1 (Pershing Auditorium - Lincoln, NE.) For Part...

Fri, 20 May 2011 09:38:00 -0700

10-21-95 - Part 1 (Pershing Auditorium - Lincoln, NE.)

For Part 2, click here.

Date: 5-17-91 Location: Campus Club - Providence, Rhode...

Fri, 20 May 2011 09:18:00 -0700

Date: 5-17-91

Location: Campus Club - Providence, Rhode Island
Set Placement: set 2 of 2
Time: 10:48
Section A: 2:21
Section B: 3:19
Section C: 5:08
My Rating (out of 5): 3.75

Notes: Although the boys had settled into a rather “cookie-cutter” approach to Hood around this time (compare recent section timings), this was the tune’s debut in Rhode Island, and you can feel the energy in the crowd on this night (even through the heavy generational hiss of this recording). Page shines throughout (not surprising— it was his birthday) and Trey’s solo seems perhaps a tad more inspired than some of the versions played earlier in ‘91.

Side note: Carl “Gears” Gerhard played trumpet on various songs throughout the night, though not on Hood, which leaves this version as the only Hood with horns.

Outside Review: by John on Phish.net:

This show was before the Campus Club was renovated, and it was easily 95 - 100 degrees in that place. People were dumping pitchers of water over their heads!! The power went out during the first song (Chalkdust), and everyone [k]new we were in for a great show.

Date: 5-10-91 Location: Page Commons Room - Student Center -...

Thu, 19 May 2011 12:56:00 -0700

Date: 5-10-91

Location: Page Commons Room - Student Center - Colby College - Waterville, Maine
Set Placement: set 2 of 2
Time: 11:22
Section A: 2:27
Section B: 3:27
Section C: 5:28
My Rating (out of 5): 3.75

Notes: Standard mid-‘91 Hood. Nothing more, nothing less.

Date: 5-4-91 Location: Somerville Theatre - Somerville,...

Fri, 06 May 2011 00:56:45 -0700

Date: 5-4-91

Location: Somerville Theatre - Somerville, Massachusetts
Set Placement: set 2 of 2
Time: 10:41
Section A: 2:21
Section B: 3:19
Section C: 5:01
My Rating (out of 5): 2.75

Notes: A rather subdued version all in all, and though Trey eventually kicks the jam into gear, this Hood just never seems to reach its potential. It seems clear to me that at this point in Hood’s evolution, it’s primed for another shift in focus.

Date: 4-26-91 Location: Hartman Union Activities Center -...

Mon, 02 May 2011 00:38:54 -0700

Date: 4-26-91

Location: Hartman Union Activities Center - Plymouth State University - Plymouth, New Hampshire
Set Placement: set 2 of 2
Time: 11:35
Section A: 2:27
Section B: 3:28
Section C: 5:40
My Rating (out of 5): 4.25

Notes: The empty space and laid back feel of the intro contribute greatly to the overall success of this Hood. Not as aggressive nor as slick as some Hoods, but laid back in the pocket is just where it’s at sometimes. In section C, Trey jumps on board Fishman’s beat to ignite the spirited crowd into a frenzy for the climax of the jam.

Date: 5-2-91 Location: The Chance - Poughkeepsie, New YorkSet...

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 22:52:11 -0700

Date: 5-2-91

Location: The Chance - Poughkeepsie, New York
Set Placement: encore
Time: 10:48
Section A: 1:58
Section B: 3:26
Section C: 5:24
My Rating (out of 5): 3.75

Notes: A solid no-frills standard early 90s Hood.

Side note: Trey explains the Hood encore a few seconds after:

“Thank you very much. I just wanted to say that song… we wanted to play that umm… it may sound a little tongue in cheek but that was dedicated to the Vermont dairy farmers who are protesting Harry Hood… [inaudible]… a little tongue-in-cheek, still a great song but we [inaudible]… hopefully Hood will change its process [?] now… thank you very much.”

Outside Review: by Phil Nazarro on Phish.net:

Speaking of “Hood”s, that’s what the encore was, I believe by request. There were many people screaming what I thought was “hairy” when Phish came back onstage (not only did I not have many tapes then, but Harry was relatively rare). So Trey did a little speech that was lost on me, concerning the Vermont Dairy Farmers. And away we went….

Date: 4-19-91 Location: Nietzsche’s - Buffalo, New YorkSet...

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 11:55:00 -0700

Date: 4-19-91

Location: Nietzsche’s - Buffalo, New York
Set Placement: set 2 of 2 (set opener)
Time: 10:11
Section A: 2:05
Section B: 3:23
Section C: 4:43
My Rating (out of 5): 3

Notes: The shortest Hood in about four years, lending support to the theory that Hood’s ideal placement comes near or at the end of a set, not at or near the beginning of one. If this version suffers from something, it’s merely it’s place in the show. The jam at times represents everything that’s great about this band, and for that I have a hard time rating it only a *3*, but at the end of the day it wasn’t even a set highlight most likely for those in attendance this night in upstate NY, let alone a version that can stand amongst the classic Hoods.

Side note: Before the opening notes, Trey and Page announce to those in attendance that George Foreman had lost his title bout that night to Evander Holyfield.

Trey: “Well I regret to say that George Foreman failed to win the bout tonight… very, very upset about that.”
Page: “He went all twelve.”
Trey: “He went all twelve rounds and uh… he’s still my hero…”
Page?:
Trey: “He almost knocked him out in the seventh round.”

Outside Review: by oongowa on Phish.net.

The door guy who worked this show said that this was the MOST packed the Nietzche’s had ever been. He said that people started showing up very early and there was a line down the block. My guess is that Nietzche’s can hold about 350-400 people at full capacity. Would have been a great place to see them if you could have gotten close to the stage. STILL is a great place to see a show. As per Nietzche’s tradition, whenever a band plays there, they sign their names on the ceiling. If you enter the bar and head to the right by the piano and look up you’ll see where Phish signed. Well, a good amount of it since they covered some of it up when they installed air conditioning!!! Everyone signed their names, Trey wrote “The Gauze Lives!” and someone (Mike?) drew a little guys head.