Phish for lunch, this Hump Day afternoon -recorded at Lounge Ax in Chicago on November 9, 1990 – and preserved for posterity by Aadams Jacob for the AJC project at Archive.org.
If you’re a fan, you no doubt already have a copy of this concert in one form or another.
This one is for the readers who have no idea who Phish are (I know, there are at least one or two of you) – From Phish’s website:
This was Phish’s second and final show at Lounge Ax. It was a 1-set opening slot for Alex Chilton. Suzy Greenberg had a theme from Bonanza tease. You Enjoy Myself had alternate lyrics – “food” instead of “God.” YEM contained Charlie Chan, Oom Pah Pah, and Random Laugh secret language, and Cheap Sunglasses teases. Possum included a Dixie tease plus Charlie Chan and Random Note secret language in the intro. The Lizards (which Trey called “a song of love” while Page teased the Wedding March) was dedicated during the intro to then-Chicagoans Jim and Esme Pollock who were celebrating their anniversary.
Phish formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman, and keyboardist Page McConnell. All four members perform vocals, with Anastasio being the primary lead vocalist. The band is known for their musical improvisation and jams during their concert performances and for their devoted fan following.
Phish’s music blends elements of a wide variety of genres including funk, reggae, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, folk, country, jazz, blues, bluegrass, electronic music, and pop. The band is part of a movement of improvisational rock groups, inspired by the format of the Grateful Dead‘s live performances and colloquially known as “jam bands“, that gained considerable popularity as touring concert acts in the 1990s. Phish has developed a large and dedicated following by word of mouth and the exchange of live recordings. As of 2020, the band had sold more than 8 million albums and DVDs in the United States.
Okay – now you know. Grab a sandwich, relax and crank it up and enjoy!
