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
