A Journey to the Mondegreen Festival: Phish, Family, and Festivals Past
Description
A Festival Odyssey: Phish, Mondegreens, and Moments with My Son
Larry Mishkin reflects on his recent experience attending the Mondegreen Festival, a Phish festival in Dover, Delaware, with his son and friends. He shares his enthusiasm for the event, highlighting the performances and the significance of certain songs, including "The MoMA Dance" and "NICU," which have deep ties to Phish's history and fan culture. Larry provides a detailed history of Phish festivals, from the Clifford Ball in 1996 to the most recent Mondegreen Festival, noting memorable moments, attendance figures, and unique aspects of each event. The episode also includes a brief discussion on the 60th anniversary of The Beatles' performance at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver, Colorado. Larry expresses his excitement about attending the festival with his son and reminisces about the special bond they shared during the event.
MONDEGREEN
Phish
August 15 – 18, 2024
The Woodlands
Dover Delaware
Band’s 11th festival, NOT counting Curveball set for 2018 that was canceled at the last minute due to contaminated water supply due to heavy rains and flooding.
Nine year gap between MagnaBall in March, 2015 and Mondegreen, biggest gap between festivals in band’s history.
INTRO: Moma Dance
Night One, August 15, 2024
First Night, First Set, First Song (into Back On The Train)
Track #2
By: Anastasio/Fishman/Gordon/McConnell/Marshall
Played:
First Played: 6/30/98 in Copenhagen, Denmark
Most recent: August 15, 2024 (Mondegreen)
Current Gap: 3 shows
The title of “Moma” is another example of Phish Phonetics, cleverly transforming the moment ends lyric into a reference to a display of “The Rhombus” at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).
Mondegreen: are they saying, “The Moma Dance” OR “the Moment Ends”??
SHOW No 1: NICU
Night One, August 15, 2024
First Set, 6th song (out of Roggae and into A Wave of Hope)
Track #7
By: Anastasio/Marshall
Played 156 times
First Played: 3.6.92 at The Music Hall in Portsmouth, NH
Most Recent: August 15, 2024 (Mondegreen)
Gap: 3 shows
Has any Phish song had as many names with as many explanations as “NICU”? At its debut in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Trey introduced the song as “In an Intensive Care Unit.” Shortly thereafter, the name was changed to “NICU,” which some considered a play on a line from the backing vocals in the chorus (“and I see you”) and others noted was the abbreviation for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Shortly thereafter, the “controversy” began, as controversy can only begin among rabid Phish fans. Some called the song “And I See You.” Some stuck with the original “In an Intensive Care Unit.” Other interesting theories developed, including one from the Internet where a fan noted that the elements Nickel (NI) and Copper (Cu) are side-by-side on the Periodic Table and that the title “NICU” may thus be a reference to nickels and pennies or, more likely, small change.
Title is a Mondegreen for “And I See You”
Music News (from Mondegreen)
Matthew’s crew: Matthew, me, Donny, Jake, Dave and Seth
Michigan Crew: ???
NYC Crew: Max & Jess, Joey and Darby, Darby’s brother, Brad and Sam, Dan the drummer (and?), Dude from Florida and girlfriend (??), Tesh,
WHO ELSE SHOULD I MENTION?
CLEVELAND CREW: Kevin, two buddies? Aaron Anyone else?
Hot and humid/ AC units
Tents v. RV’s/bathrooms/food/water and ice/maintenance
Storm – cut Sunday short
Modern weather technology – good and bad
Just like 2022 Sacred Rose Festival
Secret Set on Aug. 16th second night
Driving 12 hours each way
SHOW No. 2: I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove
Night 3, August 17, 2024 – Second set opener traditional Mike’s Groove>Theme From The Bottom
November 11, 2012, MSG, NYNY
Mike’s>Chalk Dust Torture>I Am Hydrogen>Weekapaug
Phish | 12.29.11 | Mike's Song → Chalk Dust Torture → I Am Hydrogen → Weekapaug Groove - YouTube
15:44 – 17.43
I Am Hydrogen
By: Daubert/Marshall/Anastasio
Played: 350 times
First: April 6, 1985 at Finbar’s in Burlington, VT
Most Recent: August 17, 2024 (Mondegreen Night 3)
Gap: 1 show
The story of “I Am Hydrogen” is a love story. Conceived by Tom Marshall and Marc Daubert around 1984-85 on piano and acoustic guitar, they brought their creation over to Trey’s house, where it was recorded. Trey added a harmony to it on his electric guitar, and the “Hydrogen” we have come to know was born. Initially intended for Tom, Marc, and Trey’s band Bivouac, “Hydrogen” ended up in the Phish lineup and made its debut, all alone, on 4/6/85. After a few years, it became the connector between Mike’s Song and Weekapaug Groove.
Into
Weekapaug Groove
By: Anastasio/Fishman/McConnell/Gordon
Played: 523 times
First: 7.23.1988 at Pete's Phabulous Phish Phest in Underhill, VT
Most Recent: August 17, 2024 (Mondegreen Night 3)
Gap: 1 show
“Weekapaug Groove” takes its name from the town of Weekapaug, located on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in southwestern Rhode Island. According to Mike, the song’s lyrics (“Trying to make a woman that you move, sharing in a Weekapaug Groove”) are meaningless. As Mike said in a 9/9/97 interview with Parke Puterbaugh:
“So we came back to Boston [from Weekapaug, after playing a gig there at a yacht club], and I guess we were in the van or the Voyager we used to drive in, and that song “Oh What a Night<stron
United States
