''Live Phish Vol. 9'' was recorded live at the Townshend Family Park in Townshend,

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

on August 26, 1989. When the band begin choosing concerts for the

Live Phish Series Phish is an American rock band noted for their live concerts and improvisational jamming. Audience recordings of Phish's live shows have been traded among fans since the band's earliest days. In addition to numerous studio albums and projects, Ph ...

, guitarist

Trey Anastasio Ernest Joseph "Trey" Anastasio III (born September 30, 1964) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Phish, which he co-founded in 1983. He is credited by name as composer of 152 Phish o ...

required at least one release from the 1980s. This three-set concert, performed late on a summer afternoon in August, seems to be the most fitting representation of 1980s

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...

since almost all of the band's concert staples from the era are represented. ''Live Phish Vol. 9'' marked the first time that "Colonel Forbin's Ascent", "Fly Famous Mockingbird", "McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters" (as filler), and "The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday" had appeared on a commercially available Phish release. This 1989 show saw Phish enmeshed in a

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

phase, as many multi-part epics and large scale compositions are littered throughout, beginning with the show-opening "Fluffhead" suite. At the end of the second set, Anastasio announces that the band is going to "let the sun go down a little" before returning to the stage for the final set, which ends with a blazing version of

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sound ...

's " La Grange ." This concert, one of the longest Phish concerts of 1989, is seen by many fans as a defining record of the band's tightly-structured progressive rock period.

Track listing

Disc one

:''Set one:'' #"Fluffhead" (

Anastasio Anastasio is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name * Anastasio Alfaro (1865–1951), Costa Rican zoologist, geologist and explorer * Anastasio Aquino (1792–1833), Salvadoran indigenous ...

Pollak Pollak is an Austrian surname, and is a variant of ''Polak'' usually of Jewish Ashkenazic origin, it originates as an ethnic surname for Jews between Austria, Poland and Germany. Notable people with the surname include: Athletes * Burglinde Poll ...

) - 15:23 #"Colonel Forbin's Ascent" (Anastasio) - 7:13 #"Fly Famous Mockingbird" (Anastasio) - 7:20 #" Harry Hood" (Anastasio, Fishman,

Gordon Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordon, ...

, Long, McConnell) - 10:21 #"Split Open and Melt" (Anastasio) - 7:13 #"The Divided Sky" (Anastasio) - 12:08

Disc two

:''Set one, continued:'' #"

You Enjoy Myself "You Enjoy Myself", commonly abbreviated to "YEM", is a Phish song written by Trey Anastasio, first played live on February 3, 1986. It is the band's most frequently performed song, having been played at about 33% of their first 1,800 shows. His ...

" (Anastasio) - 14:50 #"Possum" (

Holdsworth Holdsworth was a bicycle manufacturer in London, England. It was created by William Frank Holdsworth, known as "Sandy", and the brand is now owned by Planet X Limited based in Rotherham, Yorkshire. History Sandy Holdsworth took over Ashlo ...

) - 7:18 :''Set two:'' #

"Andy Griffith Theme" (

Hagen Hagen () is the Largest cities in Germany, 41st-largest List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany. The municipality is located in the States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the south eastern edge of the R ...

, Spencer) - 1:53 #"Bold as Love" (

Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

) - 4:59 #"Ya Mar" (Ferguson) - 6:34 #"Slave to the Traffic Light" (Abrahams, Anastasio, Pollak) - 6:20 #"AC/DC Bag" (Anastasio) - 6:41 #"

Donna Lee "Donna Lee" is a bebop jazz standard attributed to Charlie Parker, although Miles Davis has also claimed authorship. Written in A-flat, it is based on the chord changes of the jazz standard "(Back Home Again in) Indiana". Beginning with an unusua ...

" (

Parker Parker may refer to: Persons * Parker (given name) * Parker (surname) Places Place names in the United States *Parker, Arizona *Parker, Colorado * Parker, Florida * Parker, Idaho * Parker, Kansas * Parker, Missouri * Parker, North Carolina *Park ...

) - 4:29 #"Funky Bitch" (

Seals Seals may refer to: * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impress an emblem, used as a means of a ...

) - 5:09 #"Foam" (Anastasio) - 6:34

Disc three

:''Set two, continued:'' #"David Bowie" (Anastasio) - 14:45 :''Set three:'' #

"The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday" (Anastasio) - 3:31 #" Avenu Malcanu" (Traditional) - 3:32 #"Suzy Greenberg" (Anastasio, Pollak) - 6:20 #"Dinner and a Movie" (Anastsio, Pollak) - 3:57 #"Run Like an Antelope" (Anastasio,

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...

, Pollak) - 13:47 :''Encore:'' #

"Contact" (Gordon) - 6:12 #"The Lizards" (Anastasio) - 9:35 #" La Grange" (

Beard A beard is the hair that grows on the jaw, chin, upper lip, lower lip, cheeks, and neck of humans and some non-human animals. In humans, usually pubescent or adult males are able to grow beards. Throughout the course of history, societal at ...

Gibbons Gibbons may refer to: * The plural of gibbon, an ape in the family Hylobatidae * Gibbons (surname) * Gibbons, Alberta * Gibbons (automobile), a British light car of the 1920s * Gibbons P.C., a leading American law firm headquartered in New Jersey ...

Hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct Summit (topography), summit. Terminology The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally con ...

) - 4:50 ''Filler from 9/12/89:'' # "McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters" (Anastasio, Marshall) - 9:29

Personnel

- guitars, lead vocals, narration on "Fly Famous Mockingbird" *

Page McConnell Page Samuel McConnell (born May 17, 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American multi-instrumentalist most noted for his work as the keyboardist and a songwriter for the band Phish. In addition to having been a member of Phish since 1985, ...

- organ, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Bold as Love" *

Mike Gordon Michael Eliot Gordon (born June 3, 1965) is an American bass guitarist and vocalist most recognized as a founding member of the band Phish. In addition to bass, Gordon is an accomplished banjo player, and is proficient at piano and guitar. He ...

- bass, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Possum", "Funky Bitch" and "Contact" *

Jon Fishman Jon Fishman (born February 19, 1965) is an American drummer known for his work with the band Phish, which he co-founded in 1983, and which was, in part, named after him. He is credited with co-writing nineteen Phish songs, eight with a solo cr ...

- drums, backing vocals

References

{{phish 09 2002 live albums Elektra Records live albums