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- [00:02]
RJ
Hey listeners, I want to tell you about an event this summer. The Roots Rock Revival Music Masters Collective is inviting you to the beautiful Catskills at Full Moon Resort for a four day all inclusive music exploratory experience like no other. It's a week full of incredible music, creativity and connection. There will be intensive songwriting and music making with incredible artists like North Mississippi All Stars, brother and sister band, the Nth Power Taz, Steelin Peaches and more. They'll be showcasing intimate performances every night and hands on workshops during the day. There will also be an amazing wellness tent with meditation, yoga and massage as well as a deeply relaxing scene around the brand new pool. Whether you're a seasoned musician just starting out or simply a fan, they've designed this year so there's something here for everyone. And it's more than just an event. It's an opportunity to connect with the music directly, with artists, play with legends and with the amazing community of people who share your passion. Space is extremely limited because this is a truly personal experience. So don't wait. Grab your spot now. Everything's included. Lodging, meals, workshops, performances and a whole lot of good vibes. This is just the beginning. Artists have started their careers here. Bands have been formed once in a lifetime. Collaborations are witness. You do not want to miss it. Check it out@rootsrockrevival.com helpingfriendly that's rootsrockrevival.com helpingfriendly.
- [01:28]
Brian
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- [02:01]
RJ
Osiris Foreign hey everybody, we are live. This is hfpod. We are back. For those of you who've been waiting, we said we would start at 3:30. It's just a couple minutes past. We are basically more on time than any live music act that I can think of. So thank your lucky stars that we're not, you know, some jam band that comes on an hour after we say we will. We would never do that, would we Brian?
- [02:46]
Megan
Well, fish came on two minutes before ticket time on the 4th of July because of those Boulder NIMBYs that we've been hearing so much about. So that was the most about them.
- [02:57]
Brian
I think you're the only one talking about them, Brian, but you have been talking about them.
- [03:00]
Megan
I mean, that's. I'm still just really annoyed by that whole situation. We're in Colorado. What are we doing? But anyway, aside from that. Yes, this is very responsible jam band podcasting here.
- [03:15]
RJ
Responsible Jim Ben podcasting. Megan, how are you doing?
- [03:19]
Brian
I'm doing great. It's summer. Yeah. I'm working on my tan. You know, hanging out, reading a lot. Yeah. Trying to, you know, roll with the punches when you guys send a whole new way. We're gonna do the show, like, about two hours before we record. So, you know, I'm just, like, going with the flow here.
- [03:36]
RJ
Gotta stay on your toes. That's what it's all about. That's why.
- [03:38]
Megan
Brian, are you saying you want to just keep going song by song? Is that what you want to. You want to go back to.
- [03:43]
Brian
I think you know very well that I don't, but it is fun to prepare for an episode and then get a text that's like, hey, what if we do it this way? I'm like, yeah, that's good. You know, it's responsible jam band podcasting. It's keeping me honest. It's challenging me. I like it.
- [03:57]
RJ
That's why. I mean, that's why before you joined the show, Brian had that intensive curriculum for you. It was all designed to be thrown out.
- [04:05]
Megan
Are you prepared?
- [04:06]
Brian
Yeah, exactly. Exactly.
- [04:09]
RJ
It was called being nimble with the NIMBYs. And Brian. Brian is the architect of it.
- [04:13]
Megan
If we were, you know, like, sponsored by Magic Hat, maybe we could spend a little bit more time preparing for this.
- [04:21]
RJ
It's true. I love Magic Hat.
- [04:23]
Megan
Remember that beer was sponsored by Magic Hat.
- [04:28]
RJ
Magic Hat. Such a beautiful.
- [04:29]
Brian
We should be sponsored by Athletic, the non alcoholic beer. Yeah, I just bought some today. They should sponsor us. Responsible jam band podcasting.
- [04:37]
RJ
Great product.
- [04:38]
Brian
Non alcoholic beer. Right.
- [04:39]
RJ
Magic Hat would be perfect if we were 21. Just kidding. Magic Hat. We're good.
- [04:46]
Megan
Non alcoholic beers this weekend. Well, the same night, Friday night. My dad.
- [04:52]
Brian
Crazy brat.
- [04:53]
Megan
I know, right? We grilled. So I had a beer with him, and then we watched the fish show. So I had another beer. And I realized about halfway through set two that the problem with non alcoholic beer is they still make your gut feel the same way that alcoholic beer does. And the fact that I was just like, what did I like? Did I just, like, eat two pizzas tonight? What is going on here. So I'm going back to Seltzer this shit.
- [05:15]
RJ
Wow.
- [05:15]
Brian
Really? That was the shortest turnaround.
- [05:18]
Megan
I mean, I'm still gonna have them here and there, but it's not gonna be this, like, Friday night. Like, let's kick back a couple of N A's, bro.
- [05:25]
Brian
Yeah, I feel like they're good for the summer when I just feel like it's summer. I really want to have a drink, but I don't want to have an alcoholic drink. So it's good. Or if you're at a show, that's it. I think they're really good at a show. Yeah.
- [05:37]
RJ
Yeah. I mean, you know, we all have different experiences, and that's what's so great about life.
- [05:41]
Megan
And we're here to a great transition into this episode. Nice job, rj.
- [05:48]
RJ
We do have a lot of voicemails, and we just decided that we will do a voice a mailbag episode on Friday. So look out for it on Friday. We're going to go through. We have at least 10 we need to listen to. Keep sending them in. We're just going to spend a little while listening to them and talking about them. So keep them coming. And don't worry, we did not ignore you on purpose. Unless we don't read your. You know, unless we don't listen to your voicemail, and that's a different story. But let's keep them coming.
- [06:13]
Brian
I hope some of them are funny. Are any of them funny? Yeah, they're always funny. They're always funny.
- [06:17]
RJ
I mean, our listeners are the best.
- [06:20]
Brian
Yeah, it's true.
- [06:21]
RJ
They're the best.
- [06:21]
Megan
More or less.
- [06:23]
RJ
More or less. Brian. Brian, would you like to tell. Okay, so we have four shows to. To recap here, we did. Megan and I did the jam base recaps for two of the four. So we have. There's some content out there if you want to read. I did night one, I guess, and Megan did night three. But, Brian, what. Tell us. Tell us how we landed at that long text message from you a few hours ago.
- [06:48]
Megan
I mean, I think part of it is the endless creative process of creating content and creating a podcast. So you don't want to do the same thing over and over again. I think that we're at that point midway through a tour where it's like, okay, okay, are we just going to say, here are the four shows. What were your highlights from night one? What were your highlights from night two? So on and so forth? Like, is that really going to tell us where the tour is, where our thoughts are? On this overall tour. So I took a little bit of a step back or step up into the 10,000, 20,000, 30,000 foot range of what is going on with Fish right now? What is going on with this tour? And we went into this tour, we did a draft preview episode. Two of the things that we pointed out heading in was number one, we're in kind of an unprecedented, consistent high period for Fish right now. What does that mean for a band that is always in evolution and always testing themselves by testing themselves, sometimes working against the grain of what maybe some of their listeners want, but also the fact that we are in a tour where the routing is a bit herky jerky, a bit all over the place. We're making stops in very, very new venues, very new markets before kind of concluding. And we're about to enter into this like wonderful period of Philadelphia, Chicago, New York City and SPAC to close out the tour. All very familiar terrain. But historically, as we've kind of seen, when the band does a tour that visits primarily new markets or has this kind of on again, off again quality to it, like this has had for the first three weeks, four weeks, wherever we're at, I don't know, that tends to impact the consistency, consistency of the play. All that set up to my ears tend to move towards a place where I feel like the band is in kind of active transition right now. And they have maximized a lot of the experimentations that we were hearing definitely through 2021, a lot of 2022. But then really this last two year period in time, since the spring 23 tour, where jams kind of ballooned, there were a lot of segments within those jams where there was a lot of experimentation that would build up to kind of a peak. It would wind down, they would use those themes on the backside to move into a new area, so on and so forth, and boom, we get to 35, 40 minutes. It felt like every three or four shows, 2530 minute jam markers suddenly became like, whatever, just another show, bro, you know? And my thoughts right now is sure you could just keep doing that rinse and repeat over and over again. But Fish always seems to be trying to figure out what is next for themselves. And to my ears, what is happening right now is a almost reduction down to who are these guys? Without a bunch of noise and effects and weirdness. Just as four musicians trying to communicate and play together within the context of still. We're hearing pretty long jams, but it seems to me like we're hearing long jams. In the context of how do we, at a base level, just connect around musical themes and build those, versus how do we experiment as widely and as bizarrely as we've seen in past years, and what does that mean for the band going forward? So I guess, last thing I'll say, we're not going to do like a standard. Set 1, set 2, set 1, set 2, set 1, set 2, recap here. We're going to kind of just like, take this idea that I've put forward, what our responses are, and incorporate various jams that we're hearing these sort of ideas in. Or not. Do we like this? Do we not? What do we think about it? And then kind of compare it to the last couple of years of Fish history, which we all thought were high, high watermarks in the band's. In the band's overall history. And to me, not to bury the. You know, not to give it away right now, but, like, I think this tour is a little bit more to this point in transition and less of, like, a peak period in their overall history. So I know that was like three minutes of me trying to just organize my thoughts. Went to a lot of different places there. Meg, I want to throw it to you. What are your thoughts on all the things I've said? Every single one of them? No, just generally where my head is at right now. Do you agree? Do you disagree? Where do you go with it?
- [11:48]
Brian
Kind of in the middle, I think. I think that there have been some really, really high moments on this tour. And then I also think there's been some inconsistency in terms of flow and incorporating monster jams within that flow. I think of. You know, what I want in a Fish show when I'm being really picky, is that I want it to have massive flow. I want it to have big jams or at least one big jam. And then I want it to have an intriguing set list, set list that maybe plays some things I haven't heard or something that's interesting or puts them together in an interesting way. And I think there definitely have been some shows that have done that. I think Columbus from this week and Charleston Night three, I'm just thinking about this week for examples, have really, really did that for me. But I think there's been some moments when either the new songs that I. I'm sorry, the older songs that they're playing that they don't play a lot sounded rusty or disrupted the flow, or there were versions of some of these shows that had excellent flow and really did a Nice job with playing those rarities, but didn't have that big kind of like tentpole jam. And I think that's fine. And some of those shows worked really well. I think like Charleston Night 2 had such excellent flow that it didn't matter that it didn't have like a huge jam because it did have a lot of jamming anyway. I think the. For me, their interest and focus on lengthy jams seems to really be standing out and something that's very true this year. And also that to me whenever they're doing that it says that they're interested in kind of transcendence and finding that place as an artist that you go when you're not thinking and when you just get to kind of be taken by the music. And we've seen that happen a few times and I think it's been really exciting. But I think they are pushing to get there, which is I think really interesting and works. I think last night's Tweezer is a great example of a jam that goes the distance and is really incredible the whole way through. Has a great narrative arc and it's just really played well. But I do think it's interesting. And I was thinking a lot about last summer because we were talking about this and we really think last summer was incredible. And I was thinking, I looked at my recap notes from last year and like after Dick's and the tour did have a bit of a lull right before and through Mondegrin sections of Mondegrin and right before Mondegrin it had a little bit of a lull and I think that was forgotten a little bit because Dick's was so phenomenal. But I was looking at the numbers for last summer and it was really interesting to me. There was 26 shows summer 20, 24, 92 entries on the jam chart for last summer. So that's three and a half jams per show and there were 18 over 20 minute jams last summer total and 13 bust outs for the whole summer out of 26 shows. So in 2025 so far we've had 13 shows and we have 17 more to go and that includes the September segment. We've already had ten twenty plus minute jams. So we are going to blow past that 18 number from last year and we'll have a few more shows, but four more shows I guess. But I think we're going to blow past that 18 number and we've already had 13 bused outs so far in like half of the tour. So I do think that they are playing More bust outs, more songs that they don't play as often. And even some of the rarities that they've been playing wouldn't necessarily be considered a bust out. But they are played a lot more rarely. But I do think the numbers show that they are reaching in terms of song variety and lengthy jams. And I think we're going to hit the same amount of like average shows per jam. Jams per show as last summer. But I do think it's interesting to look at the numbers and think about what that says about where they're at. They're definitely pushing out of that regular rotation that they hit last summer. I mean, the leading up to Mondegreen that like week or two before were some great shows, but they had a pretty tight song selection at the end of tour. And I think that it'll be interesting to see if they do that this year as well or if they continue like pushing with the bust outs. But I do think that they are working to incorporate stuff that maybe more aggressively than last summer. You know, it's maybe affecting flow.
- [16:02]
Megan
Yeah. And I think that those are two really interesting kind of areas to explore because you're absolutely right from a jamming standpoint and from like a jam time standpoint, like, we're in a pretty unprecedented spot right now.
- [16:15]
Brian
Totally.
- [16:16]
Megan
Like Wednesday night show in Columbus on paper, I think someone would probably look at it and just be like, okay, whatever. And like that's. That's kind of the. One of my, you know, somewhat unformed takeaways from the summer is that, like, the set lists on paper haven't been as like, shocking as we've seen in past years. Like, I think about monda Green Night 1 last year. I think about Bethel, I think about Dick's Night two, night three, some of the Mexico stuff. Last year we have Deer Creek Night, Night 3, Sphere Night 4. Like, we had these set lists that like, I know that everyone says you can't judge a show on paper, but there is something really enjoyable about looking at like an awesome set list. Like, don't tell me that you don't get like a little turned on looking at 111797 on paper. Like you're lying to yourself.
- [17:08]
RJ
You know what I mean?
- [17:09]
Megan
There's, there's times where you're just like, that just looks good. But like, the Tweezer is a really good example of this because the Tweezer is an excellent jam. The Tweezer is very different from that 40 minute tweezer we heard in St. Louis last year. That Jam Is like going everywhere and trying to say so much in 40 minutes. And there's like a peak. I don't have the exact timestamps in front of me, but like there's like a peak around like 25 minutes and then it dies down and gets super weird. And then there's this other gigantic peak around like 37 minutes and it's this band that's just like we play this style and then like we found a wormhole out of here. Now we play this style and then we get out this way and then we play this style. Whereas this tweezer is like a very straightforward, rhythmically induced, tight kind of late night funk, sultry, gorgeous, really, really beautiful jam in a way that like would have been like 15 to 18 minute. Fish jam in very. In earlier eras. The downloads Disease is Basically a type 1.5 jam. Like it really doesn't leave down with disease. My closest comp to it is the 122913 version that's basically like a download disease solo for 20 minutes. It gets a little quiet and then builds back up. And this gets me. I'm going to pause on the bus stats because I want to bring Mr. B into this. Because RJ has been talking about this a lot the last couple of years. The idea of new sounds versus long jams and are we hearing the band try new things? And I felt for a while throughout the best parts of 21, 2324 that we were hearing new ideas, new sounds, new soundscapes, new effects that were impacting the way the band was jamming. And a lot of the jamming right now reminds me of like 2013, 2014, 2015 era fish in that it's like getting back to the root of just purely making music in a room as a quartet. Obviously these are longer jams, like we all know that, but that it's almost like a. We've reached like the outer edges of what we can do with what we currently have on stage. Let's go back, discover what it just is like to play a riff and build a peak as a quartet and see what happens there. And like so, you know, let me just bring you in. Rj, do you agree with that? Do you. Do you hear that at all? I don't want to keep just like I could just keep rambling.
- [20:00]
RJ
No, no, you couldn't, you couldn't. Sorry, sorry. You don't have any thoughts left?
- [20:07]
Megan
Nothing. They're gone.
- [20:09]
RJ
I think that like the two things that, that I would comment on first is just the. I think what's most interesting about the last few years is those like, you know, five to six minutes of a jam, usually at the end, sometimes in the middle, toward the end where it just goes like into a weird ambient space where it feels like they're. They're really kind of just like sitting in that. Sitting in that space, you know. And I think, yeah, I think we're here like a little bit less of that on this tour. Like that the thread jam from last night, Megan, like you said that that kind of has that where. Because to me that. That's where it like feels like they're completely kind of at peace and patient when they can just like kind of fuck around without thinking about what's next. But yeah, that. Down with disease. It's an interesting example because I think there's. It does kind of just keep. It goes back and forth kind of between the, the dark and the. And the. The peaks, you know, and it just kind of like goes back and forth like that. It is like up and down like that for a while, but the band of. Of it is. Is pretty narrow, you know. Like there's not a ton of really big diversions. And I guess that is that. That definitely. I think so. Those parts at the very end, when it starts to get weird, like the life saving gun from Columbus, there's like a part of that when it sounds like kind of like if you're at a Spotify playlist and that's like ambient groove, you know, and there's like five minutes where it's just like. Yeah, mostly Trey and Mike like doing this ambient groove and it's like, it's really cool. And sounds. I think that's like a sound that I don't necessarily hear very much in jam. So I think there are little moments. The other thing, I think just based on what you're talking about, the bus stats, I don't really like, you know, I don't really get it, you know, but I think there's like something to it because I. I think that they're. They do like the sightless escape from the first night of Charleston, like very unexpected and then, you know, cool jam emerges. So I guess that's the reason to like play these songs that they don't play very much. But there's been a lot of kind of rough songs, you know, and it. Yeah, but I feel like that means something. And I don't know if it's. If it's about being impatient or if it's about like trying to dig in more to the catalog to Find more opportunities. I don't really know.
- [22:31]
Brian
Yeah, well, I wonder. I wonder if. Because the jamming, there's not been a lot of post peak jamming, which I think leads to those spaces that you're talking about. Rj, Almost all of the jams lead to these explosive peaks. They're really tray led. They're incredible. Like that Ghost from last night. My God, like that peak is just unbelievable. But because they're not following through on the other side of that or not deciding to stay in that kind of yards after catch situation, I think we're not getting a lot of that ambient space. And maybe that is the space when they tend to find the new sounds or the weirdness. And so I think maybe that is why they're bringing in some new songs to kind of push them. I think the thread, like you said, is a great example because it's a song they rarely play. It's only been played eight times. And that led to like the most interesting jamming last night, I thought. Even though I thought the Tweezer and the Ghost were my favorite parts. But that jam was one of the best jams we've heard on the tour. It was just really interesting and diverse, like right away, in a short amount of time. So yeah, maybe because they're not sitting in that space after the peak, there's less, you know. And I think when Trey's playing so lyrically and so his phrasing has just been so incredible that he's just riding these peaks and, and they're. And they're kind of finishing after them because they're so high. I don't know.
- [23:45]
RJ
It's interesting maybe. Okay, how about this theory? Maybe it's that at least on the bust outs, like Columbus was a great example of like the life saving gun jam had these really cool moments. As I mentioned, the Wave of Hope has this like five minutes that's like so emotional and powerful and like swirling guitar from Trey. But then they played like, you know, Strawberry, Letter, Petrichor, Waiting All Night. None of those songs were like anyone really knew what was going on. So it's sort of like it was almost like 2004 or something. You know, they get into these jam spaces but then the songs are kind of like, wow, like, like I was thinking like, who, who suggested to play these songs? Because it's like try. Yeah, but it's like clearly they didn't like run through them all together, you know, So I don't know.
- [24:32]
Brian
Is a choice in. At a concert.
- [24:35]
RJ
Yeah, yeah. It's just Like, I don't know. I said that in the jam bass thing. But, like, is it like, now we're back to. It's all about the energy and we're not really worried about, you know, these. I don't know, I'm just. I'm curious about why. Why all these songs that, you know, are not super well practiced and then, like, does that allow for them to just do, like, the things that they do in these jams that are pretty awesome?
- [24:58]
Megan
I think there's also something about the choice of the bust outs that they're playing because a lot of these songs are being played. And I think a lot of people are at least like, in my texting circles of Fish fans are like, oh, my God, this song hasn't been played in 150 shows. Like, it, like Devotion to a Dream. Someone made a comment about that. Like, I completely forgot that. That's like, I remembered that song. I had no idea that song had not been played since 2016. That was crazy. Yeah, that was like a capstone song coming out of wingsuit. I know that it's got a lot of, like, angry, angry. Like, made a lot of Fish fans angry. That song, I personally have kind of a soft spot for it. I'm like, dude, you guys just celebrated your 30th year and are like, there's no realistic pathway for us to have gone to a college that no longer exists and be multi millionaires who just literally live out our dream. Like, write a song about it. It's okay, you know, like, if people are. If people are going to, like, be standing Joy. I can stand devotion to a dream. You know what I'm saying? But, like, I think because the last period that we had a ton of big bust outs was fall 2021, and fall 2021 made our top 25 tours list. A list that RJ is wearing on his. On his bottom.
- [26:19]
Brian
That looks good. That looks.
- [26:21]
Megan
Doesn't that look great?
- [26:22]
RJ
Look at that. Look at this.
- [26:23]
Brian
Look at the colors. God, it's such a soft T shirt, too. Such a soft T shirt.
- [26:27]
RJ
So soft. So soft.
- [26:30]
Megan
But that tour included a lot of bust outs of fish mythology. You know, songs like and so to Bed, the. What was it like, the squirrel joke that they kept making? The. Hi, how are you? Good. You know, that whole thing. There was a harpua on that tour. Like, there were a lot of moments where, like, a song was busted out and it felt like something people had been chasing for a while. And I think a lot of these bust outs, if you will, petrichor Waiting All Night, for example, from Columbus. Both are pushing 120 plus shows. Both have not been played in multiple years. It kind of hits like, it blows you away that Alpine 2022 was 120 shows ago. What the hell? That feels like it was just yesterday to some of us. Or we're just endlessly never forgetting the bum.
- [27:26]
RJ
Do you mean the best David Bowie since 13 or whatever?
- [27:31]
Megan
But so, like, I think to your point, rj, they're reaching back in the catalog. And I think, Meg, you're saying this as well, perhaps for inspiration, but also in a way that is not like. Like, summer 2012 had a ton of crazy busts. There was a shaggy dog for the first time since 1995 on that tour. Those were bust outs that when they happened, the entire fan base collectively kind of lost their mind. And there are those bust outs still out there. But. But what's also happened is over the last 15 years, Fish has written 100 plus songs and a lot of those songs have fallen by the wayside. So I think to one, something you said earlier, Meg, summer 2024, one of its strengths was this wild and unpredictable and like, oh my God, they're still pushing at the edges type of jamming that we all heard show after show after show. Even in that run that you referenced, Bethel has an amazing night one, an incredible Kill Devil Falls in Night two, an amazing ACDC bag. You saw Mondegreen Night one, We will not hear. You saw the Secret set from Mondegreen as well. We will not hear the Green Night.
- [28:38]
Brian
Three, also great too.
- [28:40]
Megan
Also great. Okay, One day set with a black T shirt on, sweating in the sun does not make it a festival. But like, what we're trading that for this year is a more wide open catalog, but also a more wide open catalog that contains songs. I guess, for a lack of a better way of saying it, I don't think anyone's really asking for, but the band is clearly, like, looking for that inspiration. And one of the things I keep thinking is like, has there been a new jam vehicle that has emerged since what's going through your mind last summer?
- [29:17]
RJ
No.
- [29:18]
Megan
No, I don't think so.
- [29:19]
Brian
No.
- [29:19]
Megan
Like, it's kind of like a wave of hope. Set yourself free, Tweezer disease, like life saving good is starting to emerge. I thought the Columbus version was the strongest version. But that also gets back to kind of this jamming style I keep thinking about, which was, let's all get into a very solid groove and then we will play over that groove. It's very 99 in 2000. In that sort of standpoint.
- [29:46]
Brian
Yeah. I think the diversity of jamming is very different from last. I think that stood out from last summer, definitely.
- [29:53]
RJ
Yeah. Yeah. Where did you guys hear, like, the most interesting things? I've mentioned a couple that I heard over the past four shows.
- [30:03]
Megan
I mean, I think the most interesting, strongest jam of the summer thus far is still the Austin Golden Age from Night One, which did a lot of what we were talking about from a awesome standpoint from last year. And then in the middle part of that jam, it, like, breaks apart and is really weird and scronky and industrial, and it builds to the kind of peak Megan was talking about that, like, Trey can play these peaks that are so heartfelt. So, like, his riffing is so strong, and he just, like, pulls the band up with him, and that kind of has everything that we're. That I'm looking for in a lot of cases in the jamming right now. That was my most interesting stuff. That was obviously, the 40 minute what's going through your mind had some really interesting stuff in it, but those are kind of where I heard it. What about you guys?
- [30:57]
Brian
I mean, I think the Tweezer Ghost from last night is. The Tweezer is definitely not super diverse, but if you're going to have a jam that has a really strong narrative arc to a triumphant peak, it's a perfect example of how they're doing it. Well right now, just transitions are really effortless. I think they're using a lot of their tricks, like, they're using effects really strongly in that jam, and that Mike and Trey are using it to kind of. They're really good at standing out from the jam, kind of evolving out of the sound and having that center stage moment with their effect, but then pulling back and kind of talking to each other while they're doing that, which I think is really a 4.0 trick in a way that's beautifully done in this jam. And there's just a part of that jam that's so beautiful. It's, like, about in the middle of it, and it's just absolutely stunning. You know, Paige has that, like, soundscape, and then Trey is soloing over it in this really lyrical way that just shows how incredible his phrasing is right now. And then I think the fact that they transition into the ghost with the jam underneath it, and then the ghost just leads to this absolutely massive peak. And I love when, to me, those two jams sound really connected. And I think that's like the best is when you can kind of keep the intentionality, I guess, of a jam through the next song and build on that in a way that's really interesting. I also loved, like you said rj, the Wave of Hope from Columbus. I think that was just an incredible jam. I also think there's two rarities that were played this week that were really strong, and they're both Paige songs, Jesus Just Left Chicago and Walk Away. Paige's vocals are just so on point right now at a time definitely when I think, especially the beginning of this tour, Trey had some vocal issues. He sounds a lot better now, but Paige sounds better than ever and he delivers incredible performances in both of those songs. And I think Walk Away too, also from last night. Just so powerful and played so well and really just a celebratory triumphant peak at the end of that. And I think it's cool when they can play songs they don't play a lot and play them really, really well. And I think those are two examples of that.
- [33:07]
Megan
I just have one. I want to comment on this thing that Jordan Werthmeyer asked because I had never thought about this and this is actually really fascinating. He said, I believe that what's going through your mind was their Last debut, Grand Rapids 24. I think you guys were there. I think there's a bluegrass artist there as well.
- [33:22]
Brian
I saw a little bit of that guy that week, but yeah, twice. Just a little bit of him a couple times. Yeah.
- [33:26]
Megan
He didn't invade the show in any sort of way.
- [33:28]
Brian
He just both nights came out. Yeah.
- [33:33]
Megan
And then he asked has there ever been a year that they have not debuted a song? And I just double checked. He's absolutely right. The last debut that has original debut is it's going through your mind August 7, 2024, last year and I just looked back to the start of the summer 2023 tour. These are the songs that have debuted and have over. Let's call it eight versions played. Okay. It's not that long. Oblivion with 20 versions played, Ether Edge with 10, the well with nine, Pillow jets with 13, Monsters with 10, Life Saving Gun with 13 and what's going through your mind with 10. Those are kind of the last like new batch of songs that have come about since the start of the summer 2023 tour, which I don't have it exactly in front of me because I just thought about this. But you'd have to go back to like 2010, 2011, 2012 era fish for this few amount of new songs to emerge and immediately Take hold. Like all those songs we kind of expect to hear now on a various run or over a course of like four or five shows. What's going through your mind is going to hold down a set 2 jam at some point. If you see F5 times, life saving Gun is going to be there. Monsters is going to like root its way into the middle of the second set and just like firmly plan itself there and have like 10 people being like David Gilmore, you know, like it's going to happen. But we haven't heard anything since then. Any new songs that have. That have emerged and I've got to imagine they're still writing. I've got to imagine we're going to hear these new songs. But maybe to RJ's question, originally, part of the reason that we're digging up these old songs is like they worked for 10 shows and then fell out of the rotation or didn't work, but you know, like they were there. Is there something that we can resurrect here and kind of inject some new blood at this point in time?
- [35:44]
Brian
Well, I think also one thing we learned from Top tours and also looking back at my notes from the last two summer tours is that new songs are definitely fuel this band in terms of jamming. And so it is interesting. Evdude has like a comment on here that they have too many songs, which sometimes I agree with, and maybe they need to pump the brakes on new tunes, but I don't know if I think that that's the right thing because of the type of jamming that we want. I just think that when they write new songs, they tend to be super inspired by them and it takes them new places as a band. So I don't know. It's interesting to think about, but that's. I'm so glad Jordan brought that up because I didn't realize that. And it's. That's really interesting because I think the last two summers, thinking about how many were debuted summer 23 and what a huge impact that had on the band. It's. It's interesting to think that they're. If they are not writing right now or if they're. Yeah, they're not. They're not bringing them out. It's fascinating. They do have a lot of songs, but I think they need new ones a lot.
- [36:42]
RJ
Yeah, yeah, there's.
- [36:44]
Brian
There's some they can get rid of. I. I have a list if they want them.
- [36:51]
RJ
Well, definitely don't say it because if you say the list then they'll just. I know Become heavy rotation. Okay. So.
- [36:58]
Megan
Well, it's never in the list.
- [37:01]
RJ
There's a lot of comments in the chat about. About the jam bass pieces that Megan and I wrote, which is. Thank you for your compliments. Also, someone earlier, Greg, said that he's coming to Philly tomorrow from San Diego and definitely going to hit up our event on Wednesday.
- [37:19]
Brian
Yes. Say hi.
- [37:20]
RJ
Thank you.
- [37:20]
Brian
That's awesome.
- [37:21]
RJ
Thank you, Greg. We will be in the lot on Wednesday afternoon. Right now it's like half likely that it's going to rain and so, you know, we'll see. I think there are tents. I know that Dean who puts this on.
- [37:32]
Megan
It's.
- [37:33]
RJ
It's very professional. It's going to be great. Um, there are tents. You might get wet. If you get wet, then you dry off later. It's just how it goes. Um, but we're. We're looking. You know, it's going to be. Could potentially be stormy that day, which then we would have to obviously move through stormy weather in order to see us through.
- [37:53]
Brian
You know, what happens when there's bad weather is Fish plays great shows. So I think that's true. But I think Glenn's point here is hilarious about how they're giving us long jams and bust outs and we're complaining about it. It's just. It's classic Fish fan behavior. But I agree. I. I have a list of songs they could bust out like Ain't Love Funny or Melt the Guns or other songs like, they could play me in Ikyulys. I've never heard one. Or A Catapult, you know, but I bet I'm. I don't even want to say what I think I'm gonna get at the man because I don't want to curse myself. But it has been mentioned in the chat already and I just know I'm gonna get it.
- [38:27]
RJ
Well, we need our friend. Matt is coming to his first show in a while tomorrow and he was texting me earlier about, you know what, What? I. If I had any predictions and I said I didn't have any predictions right now because I haven't talked about the last four shows, but we will do. We should do a prediction corner for Matt at the end of the episode.
- [38:45]
Brian
I love that.
- [38:47]
RJ
Okay, so they play at the man next two nights. We'll be there. Okay, what else? I mean, what else do you guys got on on the past four nights?
- [38:55]
Megan
Well, I. I have two things, and one just emerged in the chat, so I do actually want to bring it up because it is an interesting question and it's an interesting, interesting. I can't speak now. It's an interesting thought. Michael Myers. Unsure if this is the undead version or just, you know, the actor. Just a guy with the name. The vacuum needs to come back in the rotation, then we are all set. A laughing emoji. But I do. It is an interesting point. This is something that our good friend Jonathan Hart once discussed. I remember this at the end of the summer or the spring 23 tour, which we are now officially calling a tour because it's on the Top tour T shirt. Some of us were gushing over the run. Some of us were excited about it. Some of us thought it was a good run. One of Jonathan's points was that it was not. It did not have as much humor in it as what we tend to get with like peak fish runs. And it is something I have noticed the last couple of years is this band is less funny in concert than they used to be. Which I don't necessarily like. I'm not complaining here. I'm just pointing it out. Like, they are not doing like weird catapults in the middle of weird gems. They're playing a lot of weird music that in the past would like go into a catapult. They're not doing hyhu. Hey, let's take the piss out of Fishman for 15 minutes. The last harpua, I believe was the animal show. If it has happened since then, someone tell me because my brain is broken.
- [40:39]
Brian
But like, oh, that was a long time ago. I don't think I realized that. That's crazy.
- [40:44]
Megan
I want to double check it while I'm speaking and RJ can. No, sorry. It was 12 hours, 31 minutes and 23 seconds. My God. But it was what led us into game Hench. But like, you know, my point is like, we're just not seeing as much of that fish goofiness that throughout their history. Even a show like 1230 97, which I consider the best fish show that has ever happened, that show midway through, amidst deep jamming, amidst crazy bust outs, amidst wild hijinks, has like at its heart one of the funniest and most heartwarming moments in all fish history. When Tom comes out, they sing 500 miles and then they start realizing that they can sing Hannibal Lecter over the beat. And like, there's that like just in the moment. These are the funniest dudes in the room. They've got the mic and you are just like laughing your ass off at them. Like, I remember my brother in law went to Hartford 2009. And of course, I mean, talk about a show that's fun to read on paper. My God, talk about a show that like blew the Internet up when it happened in August 2009. Were you at that show?
- [41:56]
RJ
Yeah.
- [41:57]
Megan
My God. Jesus Christ. And I remember texting with him after, I was like, what was it like in the room? And his response was like, it was one of those just classic old school fish shows where the band is just like basically hosting a stand up comedy event in the middle of a rock concert and everyone is laughing and screaming and having the best time. And that's definitely something that's missing right now. And who knows why I'm not, you know, someone out there can be like, this guy is just bitching about fish. No, I'm just like, I'm pointing out the obvious. This is just happening right now. And like, what do you guys think about that? Do you think that that is something that needs to come back at this point during the tour? Do you think that it's okay that they're taking a little bit more of like a self serious approach to their concerts right now than in the past?
- [42:47]
RJ
What does every USAA member have in common?
- [42:50]
Megan
Family. We're one big family who supports the.
- [42:53]
Brian
Military community and their eligible families. And if you, your parent or spouse served, you could join our family and save big on auto insurance. Visit USAA.com join today to check your eligibility.
- [43:06]
RJ
Membership, Eligibility and product restrictions apply and.
- [43:08]
Brian
Are subject to change. USAA means United Service Automobile association and its affiliates. San Antonio, Texas.
- [43:17]
RJ
Hey, it's Paris.
- [43:18]
Brian
You know, I love sparkly things, right? Like stars. Duh.
- [43:22]
Megan
And thanks to Hilton and auto camp.
- [43:24]
Brian
I just slept under them. Picture me serving looks by the fire outside my luxurious Airstream making s' mores with the kids. While a national park is our backdrop. The great outdoors meets Hilton hospitality. That's hot.
- [43:40]
Megan
Explore all the new ways to stay@hilton.com Hilton for the stay.
- [43:48]
Brian
I tend to think that maybe they're in that super deep jam. Headspace is not really a place to like pause everything and have Fishman come out and, you know, sing an Aerosmith song. Like, I don't know. Or I just think maybe, like it's not. But it's not where they are as much anymore. I think they do take their music so seriously now and they always have. But I think that their music is so kind of. I don't know, I guess it's always been that way. I was gonna say like rich and sophisticated and layered. And it to me, I Think whenever I see them, like, searching for these big jams, it just. I said this earlier, but I do think they're looking for transcendence. And I don't know how much that aligns with humor, and maybe it does when you're young, because you can just do so much when you're young, effortlessly. But I don't know. It's an interesting thing. I think that the inclusion of a lot of Trey's newer songs, and I'm talking about the last, like, 10 years, they are more serious, and they are more heartfelt, and they are more genuine. And I think sometimes, you know, I was in the car today, and my daughter, who's going to her first show on Wednesday, we were running a bunch of errands, and I was playing fish, and she was actually listening, and that was exciting, and she didn't have a lot to say, but she was laughing with me because I was singing, like, Soul Planet with her, and I was like, yeah, this is, like, my favorite band's lyrics, you know, and it's just kind of funny because they're. They're very. You know, it's love and light. It's just a different vibe. I don't know.
- [45:17]
RJ
Yeah, I mean, I think, like, the typically, like, I'm not, like, a huge fish humor person. Like, I've been at a lot of these shows, like, funny stuff is happening, and I like. I think it's. It's, like, fun, but I don't, like, necessarily think it's funny, but. But I do think it typically indicates, like, relaxation or comfort. Right?
- [45:38]
Megan
Yeah, that's right.
- [45:39]
RJ
That's, like, the idea. So if that's. I don't think that's missing. So it feels like maybe they're just not feeling the need for it for whatever reason. Because I do think some of those tours where they didn't do it much, like, felt, like, more tense, you know, like, they're.
- [45:55]
Brian
I don't feel any older ones, or.
- [45:57]
RJ
There were, like, a couple at the beginning of 3.0 where they didn't do a lot of banter and stuff, and it kind of felt like. It just felt too, like, tightened up.
- [46:08]
Brian
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [46:09]
RJ
This doesn't feel like that to me.
- [46:11]
Brian
No, I. I don't think they need it anymore. Like, to me, it served a big purpose when they were younger, and now it's just nostalgic, I think.
- [46:19]
RJ
Well, I see. I think it'll be bad. I think one of these shows, like, in the next six shows, or however many are left into her, one of them Will that will happen?
- [46:27]
Brian
Like, it'll just be vacuum spack, probably.
- [46:29]
RJ
I think it'll just be like goofy, you know, like you'll get ass handed and then like Trey will start making fun of Fishman and then it'll go throughout the show and like something will happen. Like, I don't. I would be surprised if the entire tour went by where that wasn't like a feature of at least one show.
- [46:45]
Megan
Especially with how the tour is finishing. Like the man the home. They've only played the United center once. But like they do. They do like Chicago, they do like the Midwest. That will be a pretty big weekend run. But then like Forest Hills. New venue but still New York City in the summertime. Very different breed of nimby, but you know, some NIMBY hanging out there who are probably impact the curfew.
- [47:07]
RJ
10 o' clock curfew. That's awesome. God.
- [47:10]
Megan
Yeah.
- [47:10]
Brian
I mean, I know old people. Like, I'm pumped, man.
- [47:14]
RJ
Don't get me wrong.
- [47:15]
Megan
I was like, why are we doing 8 o' clock start time still? Like, what the is going on? I got home, I was in bed after each Boulder show at like 11:45 at night. It was me.
- [47:26]
Brian
And that's crazy.
- [47:28]
Megan
Unbelievable. But yeah, I mean, because to your point, RJ, there were definitely some early 3.0 tours where it kind of felt like something was potentially wrong with the band because. And like 2.0 was very much like this. Like Trey was just not talking to the audience. And that conversational breaking the fourth wall type of stuff has always been a part of the band's history. But then there was also like summer 2012 is very fondly remembered not so much for the jamming until later, but for like the tucking jokes that were. That like hung around throughout the entirety of June. That was also a tour that had a ton of bust outs. I think they went into that tour planning to break the annual song total mark that they had set a couple years earlier. So there was just rarities, random stuff. But that kind of came at the expense of the type of stuff that we heard last night, which was a 76 minute long segment of music not fully connected, but like set your soul free. Tweezer Ghost, Golden Age. Like that is a complete set of music right there that was not happening in 2012. So there is maybe a bit of a trade off. Maybe it's age, maybe it is. I don't know. It's just. It was an interesting observation. I do really want to just shout out Alex here in the chat who is referencing New Year's Eve, what's going through your mind as a humorous moment. I think that that's what you're doing here. When you added that. I appreciate it if that's. If that's not what you were intending. Sorry for misinterpreting the comment, but I appreciate that the edm, what's going through your mind as an example.
- [49:07]
Brian
I love that. I don't care.
- [49:09]
Megan
I actually like it. I thought it was really, really cool that the band was like, this is a modern type of festival music that we are just going to attempt. And I thought they did a pretty good job on it.
- [49:23]
Brian
Alex is confirming that it was a joke.
- [49:27]
Megan
Well done. Well done, sir.
- [49:29]
Brian
Funny.
- [49:29]
Megan
I hope that makes up for my British accent last week.
- [49:32]
RJ
Oh, man.
- [49:34]
Megan
One other point that I have is about Saturday Night show. I found it really interesting. Okay. Do you want to know why? Of course.
- [49:44]
RJ
You want to know why?
- [49:45]
Brian
That's night two, right? Right, Brian?
- [49:47]
Megan
It was night two of Charleston. Yeah.
- [49:49]
Brian
Okay.
- [49:50]
Megan
This show reminds me so much of a summer or fall 2013, summer 2014, summer 2015 show. And I feel like if you had taken this show back in time, people would lose their minds over it.
- [50:09]
Brian
Incredible flow.
- [50:11]
Megan
It's great flow. It's a really good set list. The plane is awesome. Like, the first set of this show in MoMA, Destiny and Plasma and bathtub gin are just like some locked in. I'm going to throw this idea out. And then Paige brings something back, and then Mike has an idea. And they are jamming within these songs without extending them. The second set, near 20 minute Mercury. Huge 13 minute Soul Planet. Really, really well played, Harry Hood. But none of it goes, like, super deep. It's like the band is. And you hear this a lot when you go back and listen to fall 2013 especially, the band is playing without relying on their effects. They're just playing the songs and they're extending the songs, but they're just like, kind of playing them. It's just like four guys in a room without all the effects boards in front of them. And. And of course, there are weird sounds. There's stuff going on. But, like, this show to me exemplifies where we're at in this tour. That this band, in my interpretation, is trying to just get back to the root of what it means to be a quartet again, which I think will long term be a really cool thing and will lead to new ideas. But I've been thinking about that a lot since the show happened, because while I like this show a lot I thought it flowed really well. I thought it was a good, really rocking show. Would been awesome to be there. It doesn't necessarily have the, like, deep, atmospheric, weird plane that I tend to move towards. That like, made me just fall so hard for all of 2024. Fish.
- [51:53]
RJ
Yeah, I liked. I mean, I really liked the second set of that show only because it was. None of it was deep, but, like, you know, Mike's like, kind of classic. Mike's groove to the mics was a little bit stretched out. You know, the Mercury was. But it was just. They were all just kind of like grooves that they got into. But. But it flowed well. I thought the Soul Planet, like, got weird right away, which is cool. Like, I thought there was some interesting flow to that. To that show. But I. But I agree with what you're saying.
- [52:25]
Brian
There definitely was. And I think even, like, things like the mics groove to me, like that Wikipog has, like, they kind of modernize the Wekapog peak. It has like a synth filter from Trey and it just sounds really cool. And it's like just the usual Weka Po, but it sounds like really modern in a way, which I think is awesome. But then there's no kind of jam that you. In that show. I was going back through this week listening to, like, my favorite jams, and there wasn't really one that stood out from that show, even though I agree. I think the show is awesome. It has, like, such great flow. But I think there's a lot of. A lot of jams on this tour that are like 12 to 18 minutes that aren't necessarily don't stand out particularly, which is interesting because they're playing a lot of them and I don't know if it's because they're searching, but I would say there's more. I mean, there's going to be a lot of jam charted songs from this tour that aren't 20 minutes, but also, like, are a little bit. Yeah, they're just almost like you were saying, Brian, they're more like type 1, type 1.5 jams. It's a lot of those.
- [53:26]
RJ
Yeah. Yeah, I. I think, Brian, we're. We're. We're getting back to maybe. I thought that I wasn't hearing as much new stuff now that we're, like, talking through it. And I was listening to some stuff this afternoon. Again, I think maybe we're here. I'm hearing, like, slightly more new stuff than I did like earlier this year, but. But I feel like it's much shorter and in. In smaller doses.
- [53:58]
Megan
I. The newest style and sounds I feel like I've heard this year. And I'd be curious if you agree with this. I still think the most, like, groundbreaking jam of the summer tour thus far was the Twist from Manchester. Yeah, like, that gets out there. The way that Kodi uses the lights during that is a very, very new technique that, like, kind of like flowy, like it looks like wings. He did it during the Everything's Right in Boulder as well. The most out there jam of those three nights. Do you agree with that or is there someplace else that you're hearing this?
- [54:45]
RJ
Yeah, I think that's. I agree with that about the jam. I think that, like, those couple pieces that I mentioned earlier, like the Light Saving Gun from Columbus, there's just like a really interesting two or three minute thing where it's. It's almost like what Megan, I think you were saying earlier, which is that, like, I've heard, like, Trey and Mike kind of like getting in this, like, kind of dueling kind of thing, but not in a way that's like Son of a Mule, but like, more like they're just. They're just going back and forth in a way that is really, like, kind of interesting and sounds cool. So. But those are in, like, you know, smaller chunks. I don't know. I have to go back to that. That Manchester run. Cause there's, like, there. That's where the. What's going through your mind was 45 minutes or something, right?
- [55:32]
Megan
Pittsburgh, right after. But yeah, and that's also one that's got a couple minutes in there. I think she's mentioned that, like, especially, like, around, like, I don't know, 23 to 28 minutes, where it's just, like, very strange. And it definitely sounds like this is a jam kind of in line with what RJ was mentioning, that it's kind of winding down and going to fade into something, but they're just like, trying to just play it out and then it has another 15 minutes on the back end of it. So, like, I've definitely heard it. I do also think, you know, this tour, I don't want to harp on this, but, like, I'm just. I feel like I'm just calling balls and strikes here. This tour feels like pre Boulder and post Boulder in some ways, whereas Boulder was its own thing. It was like this mini gathering in a gigantic stadium that had some impact, let's just say, on the band's playing. And the jamming was much tighter and much more focused around rock peaks. Whereas outside of that there has been more experimentation. But even since then, what really shocked me about this last week was like the wave of hope, the piper, the disease, the parts of the life saving gun, the mercury for sure. And then parts of the tweezer last night are to me they feel more like exercises in how do we just connect as a band rather than incorporating all these effects. And one thing, I should have said this at the top. We texted a bit about this, but this is something that really stuck to me out to me last night. If you watch the webcast in the Wolfman's Brother, there's like something that happens in there that I don't, I don't feel like I've ever seen before. At least I've webcast a lot of shows as RJ knows. I love, love to webcast. It's my favorite thing in the world. You know that too. But you know RJ doesn't like to webcast. Like I get to like. It's our one point of division here. During the Wolf mans, Trey like stops and looks at Mike and Fish and like waits for them to get in the pocket. And it's like he's almost like not conducting the way he does in tab, but he's like, I want to build this slowly. The two of you need to get on the exact same page together. And then we will get into it and there's like a 22nd moment where he's just like looking right at them and waiting for them to be right there in the pocket. And then once he feels confident that they're good, he starts riffing and they slowly build this jam back up again. It felt like this, almost like band practice. Almost like in the moment. Let's make sure that we are on the same page because we can go out and we can play a 45 minute jam in our sleep and we can just like, new idea, boom. Pull that in. All right, what can we do to that? Let's go. Let's do this. All right, let's peak this. Let's see what's on the backside. Like how do we just play music out has a foursome and see what happens in the simplest possible connection. You saw it, you know, a song later in the thread, he was looking right at Paige throughout that entire jam and then looking back at Fishman to make sure like we're all on the same page here because we want to play this one singular groove and make this one singular groove work. It's all over. That life saving gun. That life saving gun finds A groove and does nothing else for, like, six minutes. And I love it. I don't want them to, like. I want that to, like, continue. I love that. But it's a very different approach to jamming than we've heard over the last couple of years. And it just strikes me that something is. Something is afoot within. You know, the band, they're always creative, they're always thinking, they're always trying to break things down. And so, like, what. What is happening right now?
- [59:23]
RJ
I think that in that. I think it's the twist from New Hampshire there. There's a lot of these jams that I think, like, become much more open and unique, sound wise. When Trey has, like, a kind of responsible but expansive use of his effects, you know, where he's just like, he introduced. Because Mike and Paige will get on that, like, if Trey starts and then it turns into this, like, swirling kind of, like, cool soundscape. But if Trey kind of keeps it more straightforward or just keeps, like, kind of chord vamping, like he's been doing a lot in these jams, I think that kind of, like, keeps everyone slightly more, like, in the 1.5 direction. And when Trey, like, kind of unlocks it, then it, like, they just get out there. So I feel like he's kind of like, maybe even more the key to that. To that kind of sound that you're describing happening. But maybe he always is.
- [60:16]
Brian
It seems to me he's been really in the driver's seat, though, on this tour as far as, like, leading the jams.
- [60:20]
Megan
Yeah, Yeah. I mean, he is playing incredibly well right now.
- [60:25]
Brian
I mean, he sounds, like, unbelievable. His tone and phrasing, it's just. Just. It's insane. I mean, you almost start to take it for granted. It's so good.
- [60:33]
Megan
And it's. It's very. I mean, go back, listen to even some of the Bakers does and stuff that we all rightly praised when it happened. There is a much more timid approach to soloing from Trey in those jams than right now. And he is able to string together ideas for. For as much as I would have loved some of these, like, big blowout jams in Boulder, like, the. The thing that made those shows, you know, continue to, like, you know, be really compelling in the moment was. And like, 7 4, set 2 is a perfect example of this. Trey is just running the show there, and he is just playing in a manner that evokes confidence and an ability and, like, clear practice over the years that has built up to make him a better guitarist. Than he was 10 years ago. It's wild. It's. It's absolutely insane that we're at this point.
- [61:28]
RJ
Yeah. As I told you guys earlier, I texted you that I'm. I'm seeing Fish tomorrow for the first time in, like, eight months, and I'm excited to be reminded that, like, no matter what happens, it's still the best time.
- [61:39]
Brian
Yes.
- [61:40]
Megan
Ever.
- [61:42]
RJ
What do you guys think is gonna happen at the Man? Do you have any predictions, hopes, fears, predictions? Let's go with that.
- [61:52]
Megan
But I think we're going to get a set long Mule Duel. Duel. We're going to open the Son of a Mule, go into the duel, spread it out. Everything is going to be in amidst the Mule Duel, and then at the end of it, they're going to close it out.
- [62:06]
Brian
The Mule Duel.
- [62:08]
RJ
Please, God.
- [62:08]
Brian
Nightmare scenario. I mean, I've been a little concerned that we're going to get a time turns elastic dropped into, like, a third quarter at the Man. You know, it's like this beautiful venue that was.
- [62:22]
Megan
I don't think they're ever playing that in front of a audience again.
- [62:25]
Brian
Symphony. You don't think so? Because I've seen Fish play it live, and it was. It was intense.
- [62:30]
RJ
It's hard.
- [62:31]
Brian
Yeah. Yeah. So hopefully. Hopefully that won't happen, but it just feels. I didn't. I didn't finish, too. Yeah, you have. Oh, wow.
- [62:39]
RJ
We thought you had just webcasted.
- [62:41]
Megan
Not just webcasted.
- [62:41]
Brian
Yeah, exactly, exactly. You've seen more Fish than I have recently. I won't. I've. I'm. But I will see five of the next seven shows, so I'm. I'm down to hear something amazing. But just like RJ said, whatever happens, I'm gonna. I'm gonna love it in the moment and talk shit about it on the pod, so. Can't wait.
- [62:58]
RJ
Well, yeah, My soul is up. If they play more. You guys know. God, I can't wait.
- [63:03]
Megan
In the middle of. In the middle of. More like, Trey's solo, he just sees a couple balls flying around the crowd, and he just, like, you guys want to do it again? And, like, they busted out, and you guys, like, we. We were there for the big ball jam.
- [63:16]
RJ
We're not gonna do it. It's not gonna happen. But what else is in. I guess what's going through your mind is probably due, right? It's been, like, five shows.
- [63:28]
Megan
Yeah. The last one was Boulder night, too, so. Yeah, I think we're. I think you're definitely gonna get that.
- [63:32]
RJ
I mean, no Tweezer Obviously, no Tweezer the Man. What else can happen? Jam wise?
- [63:38]
Megan
Two times they played the man. 2022 and 2023, they did not play there in 2024, they let Goose take the reins.
- [63:47]
RJ
My wife is still so annoyed by that.
- [63:52]
Megan
2022, we had a really cool tweezer fest one night. 2023, we had an awesome carini one night.
- [64:01]
Brian
That was so good. I was there.
- [64:04]
Megan
What else do we have? We had another big jam. We had a well jam.
- [64:09]
Brian
Yeah. Yeah. That was the night before.
- [64:13]
RJ
That was the night where.
- [64:15]
Brian
We could do that again.
- [64:16]
RJ
We could do that again. Can I just tell you guys really quickly because I haven't told this story in two years that we were standing in the row behind the boxes at the man. And I know a lot of people who work there, and I. And it's funny because if the boxes aren't full, then people just think that it's like an open place to dance. And during that well jam, no fewer than 30 people came in, jumped in the box, started, like, looking. You saw it happening. Someone would come up, jump in the box, look around. They're like, I'm in the box. And then security comes and gets them. Two minutes later, the next person does it. Same exact thing. You're, like, looking around like, hell, yeah, I'm in a box. This is awesome. And the security comes again. Happened during that well jam like 20 times. Until eventually a security guide just, like, stood in the box so that people wouldn't come in. But so that really distracted my. Well, viewing.
- [65:07]
Brian
Okay, well, I have another prediction too. Maybe we're going to get a guitar. Gently weeps because we'd be getting all these Beetles and that'd be fun.
- [65:15]
RJ
That'd be good.
- [65:16]
Megan
That'd be great.
- [65:17]
Brian
Yeah, it's been a little bit.
- [65:19]
Megan
They played Dear Prudence the only time I've been to the man, which.
- [65:23]
Brian
Oh, my God, that would be a great.
- [65:26]
Megan
For me. I mean, I think Philadelphia Fish, they love it. Like, this is the site of the two shows in Summer 95 are awesome. The Harry Hood from Summer 94 is awesome. They just released a box set of two excellent Philadelphia arena shows from 1997, if you didn't notice. Awesome 8 12, 2015. One of us picked it in the draft and didn't win. Still an awesome, awesome show. Regardless what the haters out there say, I think that you can anticipate one of these shows. Well, okay. Because here's. Here's where we're at. Like, I don't think they played a bad show in Charleston.
- [66:15]
RJ
Yeah.
- [66:16]
Megan
I also think that they spread the goods across three shows like we used to expect. If you go to a three night run, one show will probably be really good. One show will be so so. And one show will be totally forgettable. Like that was kind of how 3.0 fish seemed to work. If you went to a two or three night run, you'd see something really great. But you'd also see a show that you're like I'm not. I'm not gonna listen to that anymore. That doesn't really feel like the case anymore. Like they. And I wonder if I have something to do with. With I wonder where the humor fits in. Like the lack of humor fits into all this. The big jams. The jams all sound like everything we've been talking about. There's just like consistency to this that maybe forgive me out there for all my non mentions that are going to happen here but like maybe that's kind of boring. Like just like really good fish. Like really solid fish all the time. Like those highs and lows are slightly missing and I, I don't really want to return to an era where there are those lows. Like you know, I saw a bunch of shows in summer 2014. I don't really want those kind of shows to come back. But I also like it. It is an interesting place to be in where like you just. If you saw those three shows of Charleston, those are three very solid shows to see.
- [67:28]
Brian
Yeah. Like different from 2019 Charleston.
- [67:31]
Megan
Very different.
- [67:32]
Brian
Yeah.
- [67:32]
Megan
You have like a really, you know, pretty good show, pretty solid show. And then like whoa, what the hell.
- [67:39]
RJ
Yeah, the. Just, just the. In terms of the. Yeah.
- [67:45]
Brian
You could take it. You could do some clips from this episode that would really like confute like really make us look bad out of context. So good.
- [67:56]
RJ
Okay. We got, we got from the, from our friend Z6 from his site. The most common songs not played so far in this tour are Cavern Sparkle. Hold your head up. Poor heart Fee. I didn't know my sweet one. It's ice. Funky bitch. Good times, bad times. That's the top.
- [68:13]
Brian
I like Good times, Bad times. Yeah, I think they're funky bitches.
- [68:18]
RJ
Come in.
- [68:18]
Brian
For sure, for sure, for sure. That's definitely coming.
- [68:21]
Megan
Yeah, definitely taking a bathroom break.
- [68:24]
Brian
There's. This is definitely a tour that you want to like check your like least like most commonly played least scene because you're. You could probably get one which is kind of fun and it's nice to know that going in. My daughter has three songs that she really knows. And they're simple Blaze on and Reba and I think she. What if we got a really big simple? That'd be cool. She could get one of those.
- [68:44]
Megan
I think simple and Blaze on are definitely coming.
- [68:47]
Brian
Yeah, yeah, same.
- [68:48]
RJ
Huge simple would be great. Let's just do it. Just do the. Just do the whole thing.
- [68:53]
Brian
And night two, Huge, huge simple, open up set two. Just a monster, like, although make it my longest jam ever. Like 43.
- [69:00]
RJ
Okay, well, we can do that. Unfortunately, our friend Matt, who I mentioned is only coming to Tuesday, so he's gonna miss the huge support. But he'll see something else.
- [69:07]
Brian
Yeah, he's seen a lot though. This. You know, this is Gemma's first show and her first goo show. She saw like a. They opened up with like a 30 something minute echo of a rose set too. So she's ready for big jams. She's ready.
- [69:17]
RJ
That's. Yeah, it's gonna be fun. We will see you guys in the lot on Wednesday afternoon at some point around 3 o', clock, I think. So it's gonna be great. That's where we're gonna be. And we'll be back. We are gonna do our special mailbag episode on Friday. There's no. There's no getting out of it for any of us. There's no excuses. If one of us has to do it by ourselves from a closet, we will do it because we are devoted to you. So keep sending us voicemails and in case you don't know, you can send us a voicemail by calling 484-416-0488. And leave us reviews on Apple. And help people. Help people find the pod. All right, Megan, Brian, anything else?
- [69:59]
Megan
Devotion to the pod Potion?
- [70:02]
RJ
To the pod. All right, see you guys out there. Enjoy your fish.
- [70:06]
Brian
Bye, everyone.
- [70:07]
Megan
See you guys. Osiris. This is Lawrence Lanahan, journalist, musician, and host of Rearranged, an Osiris Media podcast about music arranging. Once a song is written, arrangers make musical decisions that shape how we end up hearing the song. We're not just talking about adding orchestral accompaniment like horns and strings, or doing a cover version of a song. Arrangement can be putting happy music over dark lyrics using samples, recording all acoustic, even tiny decisions like putting an electronic loop into an acoustic song to draw your attention to an important turn of phrase. It's all arranging. Rearranged Episodes are documentary essays where I use arrangements to answer some big questions. Questions like, what is a song and what can a song become? And how can the sound of a song change the meaning you take from it. Listening this way has changed my relationship with music. Tune in to Rearranged and maybe it'll happen for you too. Learn more@rerangedpodcast.com.
- [72:05]
RJ
Osiris.