Phish's Super Ball IX, Day Two: The quest for shade

Super Ball IX, Day Two. Beautiful, sunny, another great day. The afternoon set was easily the most chill set I've heard yet. The night sets were jam packed with massive amounts of energy. And then the secret 2 a.m. set - the most fitting description is undoubtedly "trippy." More of an ambient jam than an actual set, the only song played was, fittingly enough for the wee hours of the morning, "Sleeping Monkey."

But back to the day, which can only be described in one phrase: Hot as balls. Who loves the sun? The Velvet Underground posed the question and Phish repeated it in their 1998 Velvet Underground cover set. So who loves it? We do. But only in small doses. Which is why we also love the shade with all our hearts. And with that, my phellow Phishheads, I give you another list...

How to Find Shade at a Phish Phestival

1. Balls. Big ones. The bigger the better, preferably. Stationed around the venue area are big, white, stationary balls. They don't give the most shade - two, maybe three people if you're friendly - but they get the job done. What with the shade they give, one might even call them Super.

2. Super Tall People. The type who don't like to move. At all. Tall people are usually of the skinny and stringy variety, so try your best to scope out a tall person with an unusually large head, or maybe an afro. But you're still bound to be faced with the small shade problem. So your best bet is a cluster of super tall people. Nine super tall people, a.k.a. Super Tall Nine.

3. Trees. Mother Nature's gift and truest sign of love and affection. This one's the jackpot. Large enough for a big group of loungers, and stationary, save the sun's movement of a tornado (but then you've got bigger problems). 

4. Umbrella. Not only for keeping off the rain anymore. Bringing back the fashions of the 19th century, umbrellas are perhaps the most reliable form of shade. It's easily stowed away in a backpack or purse. It can go everywhere with you. The sad drawback is the small space of shade available - only room for one.

5. Night. Mother Nature for the win once again! In true hippie form, she keeps spinning, never gets dizzy, and every half a day gives us a break from the sun. 

Yesterday's setlists: 

Afternoon Set

Tube

Kill Devil Falls

Ocelot

Lawn Boy

Divided Sky

Boogie On Reggae Woman (Stevie Wonder cover)

Camel Walk

Cities

Poor Heart

46 Days

Suskind Hotel

When the Circus Comes (Los Lobos cover)

Timber

Back on the Train

Suzy Greenberg

Monkey Man (Rolling Stones cover)

Evening Set One

Runaway Jim

McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters

Axilla Pt. 2

Birds of a Feather

Stash

Sample in a Jar

Heavy Things

Horn 

It's Ice

The Mango Song

Rift

Scents and Subtle Sounds

Run Like an Antelope

Evening Set Two

Golden Age (TV on the Radio cover)

Prince Caspian

Piper

Tweezer

Julius

Backwards Down the Numberline

Twist 

2001

Also Sprach Zarathustra

Harry Hood

Cavern

Golgi Apparatus

A Day in the Life

Encore

Loving Cup

Tweezer Reprise

Secret Set

Ambient Jam

Sleeping Monkey