WNEW | Where Rock Lives

WNEW Rock News: Phood Phor Phish Phans

According to their website, Phish will be releasing a new album later this summer called Joy, their first studio album in five years.

Appearing on JEMP Records, the set was recorded in New York this past spring with producer Steve Lillywhite, who's also worked with U2.

The last track, Time Turns Elastic, has been available at iTunes since late May. The site added that the track listing for Joy is as follows:

1. Twenty Years Later
2. Backwards Down the Number Line
3. Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan
4. Light
5. Joy
6. Sugar Shack
7. Ocelot
8. Kill Devil Falls
9. I Been Around
10. Time Turns Elastic

Check here for ticket info on late summer Phish dates, including multi-night sets in Washington and Colorado.

A.M. Nuggets: More Springsteen Ticket Woes Leave Fans Ducatless

After a disastrous start to the public on-sale for Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band's summer tour face in February, more trouble surfaced this week involving TicketsNow. A number of fans who bought premium seats to the June 18th show in Washington, DC found out this week that they actually had no seats at all, after a snafu at TicketsNow allowed phantom seats to be sold.

Have you experienced ticketing woes lately? Found it impossible to get those U2 tickets, or Phish at Fenway Park? Tell us about it... Better yet join us at Bonnaroo next month where you can get Phish and the Boss all in one weekend. No ticketing problems here.

A.M. Nuggets: Phish To Play Fenway Park on May 31st; Add Jones Beach Date

Is there anything this band can't do? Phish fans are already on top of the world right now, with the triumphant reunion of the band at Hampton in March, the release of the exquisite Clifford Ball DVD box set (win that here), and with their takeover of this year's Bonnaroo looming.

Now comes the news that Phish will play Boston's storied Fenway Park on May 31st, to kick off the summer tour. Incredible! They've also added a third night at Jones Beach (Tues. 6/2) to satisfy the enormous demand for tickets to their shows on the beach. Another ticket lottery is underway already, with public on-sale for the new dates on 4/17 (Jones Beach) and 4/18 (Fenway). As always, good luck people. We're now only 7 weeks away!

A.M. Nuggets: Win A Copy of the Phish: The Clifford Ball - 7 DVD Box Set

WIN THE PHISH: CLIFFORD BALL DVD HERE

America's phavorite jamband just put out the most phantastic DVD. Phish: The Clifford Ball instantly transports you to August 1996, right in the front row at the band's first major camp-out festival - the one that set the mold for what would become Bonnaroo, Rothbury, Mountain Jam, etc. The seven disks in this box set capture every note that was played in Plattsburg, NY that weekend, and includes great behind-the-scenes conversations with key players like Phish manager John Paluska.

One of the coolest moments is the "flatbed jam" which follows Phish as they snake through the campground at 4am playing from a flatbed truck, trailed by the up-all-night crowd who can hardly believe what they're seeing.

This is a must for any Phish fan, whether you were there that legendary weekend or not. Click here for a chance to win a free copy, or if you can't wait just buy it now. What better way to get ready for Bonnaroo?

A.M. Nuggets: Phish Tickets On-Sale Today, Tomorrow for Late Summer Dates

Phish fans across the country are involved in the ticket frenzy once again, with tix for their 4-night Red Rocks run having gone on sale yesterday. Several more dates go on sale this morning, including shows at The Gorge in WA, the Darien Lake and Saratoga PACs in upstate NY and the infamous Merriweather Post Pavilion in MD. Head to Phish's ticketing page for full info.
There's also that other little show they're doing in Tennessee in June (actually two shows). Tix for that bonnaroondoggle are already on sale.
Good luck everybody. See you at Jones Beach!

A.M. Nuggets: Willie Postpones Shows, Phish Adds Dates, Prince Has a Secret

Willie Nelson seems to be under the weather this week, postponing a handful of shows in Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas scheduled for this weekend. With the tour schedule Willie keeps he deserves a few days off - here's hoping he turns out ok and ready to tackle all his big summer appearances (like the just announced Rothbury Festival).
Phish has added a bunch more dates to the later end of their summer tour, hitting Red Rocks in Colorado for a four-night stand in July, as well as a two-nighter at the Gorge in WA. Curiously they also added four more Northeast shows for late summer, hitting Buffalo, Saratoga, Hartford and Columbia, MD in mid-August. Online ticket request period has already begun. I guess those rumors about the Hollywood Bowl were just rumors - too bad.
Prince is in the touring news too, announcing three secret LA shows with three separate bands, all designed to promote his new website and album-download scheme. No one knows where the shows are or who he's playing with (he says three different bands), but given what I heard about his post-Grammys concert these should be barnburners as well.

A.M. Nuggets: Allmans Rolling Through Beacon Run, Special Guests Abound

As expected it's been an all-star turnout for the Allman Brothers Band 40th anniversary run at the Beacon Theatre. Page & Trey from Phish, Buddy Guy, Boz Scaggs, Levon Helm, and Jonny Winter have joined ABB on stage, as have Robert Randolph, members of Los Lobos, Taj Mahal and Bruce Willis. Here are a few clips of the top guest spots so far:

Rejoice, They're Back! Phish Ticket Presale Is On (Lottery-Style)

You've no doubt heard by now that Phish will officially hit the road this June for a 10 date tour. More dates are coming/expected/rumored/ but what's already confirmed is pretty sweet for us in the Northeast. And then there's Bonnaroo... Me, I'll go nuts if the Hollywood Bowl rumor is true. I saw Petty there two years ago, with the sun setting over the Hollywood  Hills, it's pretty incredible even without the music.
Here's all the info on the Phish ticket pre-sale, official on-sale, and the dates themselves.

Phish will perform ten concerts this coming June. The shows kick off with a two night stand at Jones Beach in Wantagh, NY June 4-5 and wraps up at Alpine Valley in East Troy, WI on June 20-21. Stops along the way include a return to the Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis on June 16 and the band's first show at the Asheville Civic Center in Asheville, NC on June 9.

A limited number of tickets are available directly through Phish Tickets' online ticketing system at http://phish.portals.musictoday.com. The ticketing request period is currently underway and will end on Saturday, January 17th at 11:59AM EST.

Tickets go on sale to the public beginning Friday, January 30th at 10AM EST. For full show and ticketing information, please visit the Tourdates page at Phish.com.

    PHISH SUMMER TOUR 2009

06/04 - Nikon at Jones Beach Theater - Wantagh, NY
06/05 - Nikon at Jones Beach Theater - Wantagh, NY
06/06 - Comcast Center - Mansfield, MA
06/07 - Susquehanna Bank Center - Camden, NJ
06/09 - Asheville Civic Center - Asheville, NC
06/16 - Fox Theatre - St. Louis, MO
06/18 - Post Gazette Pavilion - Burgettstown, PA
06/19 - Verizon Wireless Music Center - Noblesville, IN
06/20 - Alpine Valley - East Troy, WI
06/21 - Alpine Valley - East Troy, WI

Video Classics: 'Auld Lang Syne'

To honor WNEW's legendary Firecracker 500, every day we are highlighting the music that populated the 1991 and 1996 lists, with classic videos, live performances and little-known facts about the songs and how they came to be...

The final Video Classics of 2008 isn't so much about celebrating a song or video, but a band that normally wouldn't appear in this space. In fact, the band in question doesn't have a single song on either the 1991 or 1996 Firecracker 500 lists. Many have heard of them, but have rarely, if ever, heard them. The band in question is Phish, and if you're not one of their many devoted fans, its likely the most exposure you've ever had to them is on New Year's Eve.

Founded at the University of Vermont in 1983, Phish's four members jammed together for over 20 years before taking a hiatus in 2004. From their inception they received little radio play, little attention from the record companies, and almost no exposure from MTV (a must for any band wanting to make it big in the '80s). Nevertheless, the band developed a strong following by word of mouth (and in later years, by viral marketing over the web and through web-based communities). The Phish fanbase shows a level of dedication that rivals that of fans of the Grateful Dead (to whom Phish is sometimes compared), known for travelling great distances to follow the band about as they toured festivals.

When they were active, Phish gave notable concerts on Halloween (where they would traditionally cover the music of another band) and on New Year's Eve. Their New Year's Eve 1995 concert at Madison Square Garden (one of many memorable concerts by the band on that day and in that venue) was considered by the band one of their best ever, and has been hailed as one of the best concerts of the '90s. The video below, taken in Miami, shows Phish's last New Year's countdown and rendition of Auld Lang Syne before their 2004 hiatus. Fans of the band can look forward to a very happy new year, however, as Phish has announced they will play at least three reunion shows in 2009.

Have memories of this song or the Firecracker 500? Add your thoughts to the comments below or take a look at Video Classics past...

A.M. Nuggets: New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Announces Lineup, Leaves Key Slot Open

Another year, another ridiculous lineup for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. This is the granddaddy of all the modern festivals, it takes place over two weeks, and doesn't stop when the fairgrounds close each night at sundown. No, that's when the real action starts, in the bars and clubs all over the Crescent City. Every year when my friends and I go down we hit club shows that start at 11pm, 2am, even 4am and that's every night.
This year should be no different, with headliners Aretha Franklin, Dave Matthews Band, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, James Taylor, Wilco, Spoon and Earth Wind & Fire sure to draw huge crowds. The lineup is so long and diverse it's not even worth typing here - check it out for yourself here.
One interesting tidbit for you conspiracy theorists out there: look at the lineup for Jazzfest's second weekend and you'll see a large TBA right after Franklin's headlining spot, clearly leaving room for a major act to be added. Privately I've been holding out hope that Phish would fill that spot, but with the Bonnaroo rumor reaching almost-true status, perhaps this TBA is reserved for someone else.
Any other Jazzfest devotees out there? Chime in and tell me what you think of this year's lineup, and who should fill that TBA spot.

A.M. Nuggets: My Morning Jacket Cancels Europe Tour; Phish Tickets On Sale Tomorrow

Word is that MMJ frontman Jim James is recovering from the injuries he suffered on-stage in Iowa last week, but the band has still been forced to cancel their upcoming European tour. Here's the statement from the band:

It is with great regret that we have to announce the cancellation of My Morning Jacket's up-coming tour to Europe due to injuries suffered by Jim in Iowa City.  For the fans who have purchased tickets, we would like to extend our gratitude for your support and understanding. Our hope was to merely postpone the tour, but as our scheduling does not allow that to happen in the immediate future, we feel it is best to cancel this tour in hopes of re-scheduling at some point.

We would also like to say 'thank you' to all the fans who have reached out to Jim with their well-wishes as we all hope for his speedy and full recovery.

The two dates at the Chicago Theater have been rescheduled for December, and the New Year's Eve show at Madison Square Garden is still on (click here to win tix).

In other show news, I don't know a single soul who got Phish tickets in that lottery. Did you? So that being the case, please kindly do NOT log on tomorrow morning for the general on-sale. There's only so many to go around.

Phish Returns! Hampton. March. Three Nights.

This just in: Phish will re-unite to play three shows at the Hampton Coliseum in Virginia, March 6-8, 2009. Check out this video announcing the shows:

PHISH HAMPTON 2009 from Phish on Vimeo.

There's a lottery system set up to reserve tickets ahead of the the public on-sale on Saturday 10/18. Go here for your chance to grab some tix.