''Bittersweet Motel'' is a 2000 documentary about the rock band

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 ...

. The film was directed by

Todd Phillips Todd Phillips (né Bunzl, born December 20, 1970) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He began his career in 1993 and directed films in the 2000s such as ''Road Trip (film), Road Trip'', ''Old School (film), Old School'', ...

and covers the band's summer and fall 1997 tours, plus footage from their 1998 summer tour of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. The documentary ends with

The Great Went Phish is an American rock band formed in 1983, dissolved in 2004, and reunited in 2009. It is one of the most successful live acts in popular music history, forging a popularity in concert far greater than their album sales, radio airplay, or music ...

, a giant two-day festival held in upstate

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

which attracted 70,000 people. The film's title comes from a Phish song of the same name, which is featured at the end of the movie.

Songs

Most songs that appear in the film were performed live unless noted. Eight cover songs are featured in the film, including the rehearsal and debut of Ween's "Roses Are Free" from their Chocolate and Cheese album. Two other notable debuts captured in the film are an early version of "Sleep" (played solo by Trey on his Languedoc guitar for the cameras which would later appear on their 2000 album Farmhouse) and a soundcheck of the band performing what was at the time the new faster arpeggiated version of "Water in the Sky" that would be seen later that year in studio form on their 1998 album The Story of the Ghost. The song list does not follow the order in which the scenes were shot. "The Great Went" appears as the climax of the film, though in reality it was the first footage that Phillips shot for the movie. Additional off stage performances include: Brian and Robert (rehearsal and performance) _{''July 2, 1998 - The Grey Hall, Freetown Christiana, Copenhagen, Denmark''} Birds of a Feather (rehearsal) _{''March 1998 - Unknown House, Burlington VT''} Sleep _{''March 1998?- Trey's Barn, VT''} Love Me (Leiber and Stoller) (backstage rehearsal Mike and Trey) _{''December 31, 1997 - Madison Square Garden, New York NY''} Bittersweet Motel (backstage - Trey, Page, & Tom Marshall) _{''July 8, 1998 - Zeleste, Barcelona, Spain''} The following performances were not featured in the film but were included as bonus footage included on the VHS and DVD releases: Punch You in the Eye (bonus track 1) _{''December 11, 1997 - Rochester War Memorial, Rochester, NY''} Big Black Furry Creatures from Mars (bonus track 3) _{''December 11, 1997 - Rochester War Memorial, Rochester, NY''} Dirt (bonus track 4, after Page interview) _{''December 11, 1997 - Rochester War Memorial, Rochester, NY''} Maze (bonus track X) _{''December 11, 1997 - Rochester War Memorial, Rochester, NY''}

Home media

The film was released on DVD and VHS on March 6, 2001. Both formats feature extra footage, including uncut live performances of Punch You in the Eye, Maze, Big Black Furry Creature from Mars and Lawn Boy, as well as additional interview sequences that didn't make it into the film. The DVD edition also includes the original theatrical trailer and an interview with director Todd Phillips, and offers Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS Surround Sound. The film is presented in its original 1.85:1 Theatrical Aspect Ratio however the DVD is not anamorphic.

Personnel

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 ...

- guitars, vocals *

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, ...

- keyboards, vocals *

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, vocals *

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, vocals

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0168515
Interview with Todd Phillips by Parke Puterburgh
Phish video albums 2000 video albums Live video albums 2000 live albums Phish live albums Films directed by Todd Phillips