Monday 03/18/2013 by phishnet

THE ULTIMATE PHISH NERDGASM PART 1: THE SELECTION SHOW

by Mockingbird Foundation Volunteer Chris Glushko

(Note: Mockingbird Foundation volunteers often participate in Type II Cast Phish podcasts. For this particular episode, we thought we would cross-post it to the Phish.net audience to allow them to chime in and play along. Special thanks to Steve Olker for producing Type II Cast. As always, if you enjoy the content here, please donate to The Mockingbird Foundation. Plus, don't forget to preorder The Phish Companion, 3rd Edition.)

NERDS!If you’re reading this, you probably consider yourself somewhat of a Phish nerd—someone who gains an unhealthy amount of pleasure in discussing best songs, shows, sets, venues, cities, lyrics, compositions, recordings, jams, lights, and more. With that said, we decided to hold the ultimate Phish nerdgasm, a 64-team March Madness style tournament to determine the best Phish jam of all time. Now, this is nothing new to the Phish blogosphere. We’ve all seen Phish March Madness brackets before, and I’m sure we’ll see them again. But we wanted to make ours just a little different. We did so by taking ourselves way too seriously. And I knew that if there was one person to take on this project with, it was fellow Phish.netter, Mockingbird Foundation volunteer, and list-maker extraordinaire, Steve Paolini.

At first, Steve and I tried picking the best 64 jams of all time. That proved to be an exercise in futility. Just try to name the best 64 jams ever. I dare you. You’ll most likely end up with a battle of 1995 vs. 1997 with an eternal amount of Ghosts and Bathtub Gins. So, we figured we needed to set some ground rules.

Rule #1: The tournament will cover 1993 – 2012 and each year must have at least two entries (automatic qualifiers)
This rule gave us some diversity from different eras and made sure years like 1996 and 2009 at least had some representatives in the big dance. It also led to some brutal arguments over what jams received the automatic qualifier from each year. More on this in the podcast.

Rule #2: No more than five versions of a single song
Let’s call this the “Ghost Rule.” We wanted as much diversity and interesting matchups in this tournament as possible. And with only 64 spots available, nearly half of the entries might have been Ghost, Gin, and Tweezer without this rule.

Rule # 3: No more than two versions of a single song from one year
This came into play when looking at 1995 YEMs, 1995 Mike’s Songs, and 1994 Tweezers. Once again, diversity was the goal.

Rule #4: Segues are permitted, using common sense. However, all songs in the segue count toward the yearly and total song limits
This rule is pretty simple. When you talk about the 7/22/97 show, you talk about the DWD->Mike’s, not the DWD or the Mike’s. The same holds true for the 12/29/95 Bathtub Gin->The Real Me->Bathtub Gin. We needed to make it clear that combinations count.

Rule #5: No limit on the number of qualifiers from each year
We felt the rules we created already gave us enough diversity, so why penalize 1995 and 1997 even more.

Rule #6: No more than one entry per show
Let’s call this the Big Cypress rule.

Now that we had our ground rules together, it was time to make the bracket. Over the next three weeks, we put together a list of more than 150 jams from 1993 – 2012. We listened to all of them—every single one. At first, we agreed on most entries. But things soon got ugly. We found ourselves in a struggle to protect our favorite jams and make sure they made it into the tournament. Countless texts and emails ensued. We were two grown men—both with families and careers—who were treating this project like 10 year old boys arguing Manning vs. Brady. It was great. Once we nailed down the 64 entries, we loosely seeded the jams, focusing mainly on the top and bottom seeds of each region. After all, if we spent too much time on the seeding, all the drama of the tournament would be lost.

Listen to the podcast at Type II Cast

View the evaluation spreadsheet

**Click the image below to view the bracket**

Click to view the full bracket
Click to view the full bracket

So that’s where we stand. Check out the selection show podcast for break downs of who made the cut, who missed the cut, and some of the best matchups in the field of 64. Stay tuned for Part 2 where the competition begins. In the meantime, let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Did your favorite jams make the cut?

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Comments

, comment by pauly
pauly No, where's my Worcester Jim? 11-29-97
, comment by Mr_Incompletely
Mr_Incompletely well done
, comment by Spirit
Spirit neat!
, comment by Spirit
Spirit but meh on the 2012 pics
, comment by newbornelph
newbornelph Me and a buddy have a standing debate about the 2/28/03 Tweezer vs 9/1/12 Light. I was at the 2/28/03 show and it was WILD! By the looks of the bracket, they have a decent shot at a head to head, although a couple other Tweezers could stand in the way. That 12/6/97 Tweezabella is a SUPER strong jam.
, comment by chooglincharley
chooglincharley hmm...no 2/28/03 Gin?

neat idea though.
, comment by ProfJibboo
ProfJibboo Not one Sand? Really?
, comment by Phart_Door
Phart_Door 6/28/00 Gin a 10 seed? Should be a six at least.
, comment by guyforgetOPT
guyforgetOPT Nice job, guys. There are some questionable seedings -- like 11/14/95 Stash ranking lower than, e.g., 8/19/12 CrosseyedFest. And arguably the top 4 jams of '97 didn't even make the bracket (2/17 Carini, 7/23 Ghost, Went Gin, 11/22 Halley's). But there are a lot of good choices, too. It'll be fun to see this play out!
, comment by TheEmu
TheEmu I'm so glad the 8/16/93 Reba made the dance. I don't think it'll make the Sweet 16, but it's still awesome.

Hopefully I'll get a chance to listen to the rest of the selection show tonight. This kicks so much ass.
, comment by LawnMemo
LawnMemo Love this and great great job!
Just quick thought on Ghost. First love the "Ghost" rule!

Prague, although quite the fan favorite doesn't hold a candle for the Copenhagen Christiana 07/06/98 http://lawnmemo.com/the-daily-ghost-31/ . That would have been my pick for 98 Ghost.

The other that should have at least gotten a mention would be Portland Meadows 09/12/99 http://lawnmemo.com/the-daily-ghost-54/ .

I agree you HAVE to have Radio City, Denver, and Seven Below> Ghost for 2009. I think 06/26/04 Boogie> Ghost is a great choice for 2004 leaving only one spot. So really you did a great job, just those two versions above are next in line for me.

Thanks for doing this and so much fun!

LawnMemo
, comment by guyforgetOPT
guyforgetOPT Interesting call on Copenhagen over Prague, LawnMemo. And surely 9/12/99 should've been considered. To this list of strong-considers I'd add 8/3/03 and 7/1/97.

I agree that 5/22/00 and 11/17/97 should've been shoo-ins. Personally, I would've swapped out 11/28/09 for the Gorge Gin, to free up another Ghost spot. And dropped 6/26/04. My final 5:
5/22/00
11/17/97
7/23/97
8/3/03
7/6/98
, comment by Chop
Chop Ghost and Gin were the two absolute toughest to narrow to five. Also, not everything we considered made the spreadsheet. We realized that there were some versions that we eliminated early on, that we forgot to add (e.g. the 7/2/98 Ghost b/c we felt if any Ghost from Europe 98 would make it, it had to be Prague).
, comment by jakec
jakec Nothing from Bomb Factory 94?
, comment by jakec
jakec @jakec said:
Nothing from Bomb Factory 94?
nm, just read the segue rules ;) cool stuff guys!
, comment by MiguelSanchez
MiguelSanchez man, what a bitch!! i have to pick between 2 of my favorite jams i've seen in the 1st round..creek '97 cities and van andel '98 halley's
, comment by mathyou
mathyou 8/5/11 Rock and Roll-> Meatstick to go all the way.

And if not, this is dumb. :0)
, comment by mathyou
mathyou Also the first Carini (2-17-97 Amsterdam) Contains one hellofa jam. http://snd.sc/YkM2bS
, comment by HarborSeal
HarborSeal Great job, great podcast, great list!

That said, I think the 12/7/99 Halley's is severely underrated and that it belongs on the list. Honestly, I'd rank it ahead of 3 out of the 4 SECOND seeds (all except 11/26/94), never even mind the other qualifiers. It's a stunning piece of improvisation, which I consider the best overall jam from 1999, and if it were up to me, it would go VERY deep in this tournament.

My other points of disagreement:

- the 10/31/94 Reba, which I would sub in for the 10/20/94 Hood in a heartbeat.

- the two mega-Tweezers from Summer 95 - 6/14 and 6/22 - both deserve a slot, in my opinion. I know, I need to cut two Tweezers for that, and that's not easy, especially if we need to give 2/28/03 a slot. I would definitely cut the 11/23/94 Tweezer for one of those two.

- either Wolfman's or Stash from 11/30/97. I think either would fit nicely in place of the 12/30/97 Bag.
, comment by jaredprox
jaredprox @pauly said:
No, where's my Worcester Jim? 11-29-97
Shocked that 11/29/97 Jim missed the cut. Maybe it's a tape (lol "tape" ;) versus being there thing. But...This Jim delivered what many of us phantasize about: Phish just jamming for an hour straight. Kid's in the Centrum screaming "Go! Go!" and the band just going. Sweating. Blowing from the gut.

This Jim may not have been the best musical jam, but experientially, it stands alone.
, comment by colforbin310
colforbin310 Love it. Great on the diversity. But easily would've swapped in 7/16/94 or 11/12/94 for the 10/20/94 Hood. 11/22/94 funky bitch should've made the cut. There is no other jam remotely similar to it and it is amazing and awe inspiring. and awesome. but sweet bracket nonetheless
, comment by Bob_Loblaw
Bob_Loblaw 12/29/94 Bowie or Tweezerfest would be an obvious 1st. But it like to see something different maybe some '95 or '97 jams.
, comment by whatstheuse324
whatstheuse324 Great job, I think I was at about 11 of these shows. Really happy 6/28/00 Gin made the list, the 14th minute of that song is one of the best moments of my life!
, comment by languaDOC
languaDOC No pull for the 7/10/99 CDT?
Probably the only phish jam that makes time stand still
, comment by n00b100
n00b100 I've never wanted a real-life 16 over 1 upset more in my life than I want the 11/2 C&P-> Antelope to defeat the 12/29/94 Bowie.

Seeing the 8/10/97 Cities but not the Hood (which I'll probably end up writing an essay about someday) made me very, very sad.

If I had to put money on the winner, I'd lay a fiver on the 11/17/97 Ghost, the 12/9/95 YEM, or the Riverport Gin. The dark horses: the 5/22/00 Ghost, Tweezabella, and The Real Gin.
, comment by guyforgetOPT
guyforgetOPT @n00b100 said:
Seeing the 8/10/97 Cities but not the Hood (which I'll probably end up writing an essay about someday) made me very, very sad.
100% agreed. That Hood doesn't get nearly enough love. An absolutely gorgeous, inspired performance that's unlike any other version.
, comment by TheEmu
TheEmu @n00b100 said:
I've never wanted a real-life 16 over 1 upset more in my life than I want the 11/2 C&P-> Antelope to defeat the 12/29/94 Bowie.
Not gonna happen. Providence Bowie is Final Four bound.
, comment by phunky58
phunky58 Glad my scents from 7.30.03 made it. where is the wormtown stash? thx for puttn this up though i could see how hard it would be to select these tunes.
, comment by phunky58
phunky58 one jam that absolutely should be on this list is the Camden 99 Chalkdust!! 1 of the best jams the boys ever layed down imo. it could actually beat every jam in the field but thats jus my opinion
, comment by n00b100
n00b100 @TheEmu said:
@n00b100 said:
I've never wanted a real-life 16 over 1 upset more in my life than I want the 11/2 C&P-> Antelope to defeat the 12/29/94 Bowie.
Not gonna happen. Providence Bowie is Final Four bound.
Yeaaaaaaaaah, I know. Don't have to like it, though. :/

3.0 also took a beating, now that I think about it.
, comment by Ravinus
Ravinus 12/31/99 should read Melt> Catapult and it should make it to the Final Four
, comment by PunkDwarf
PunkDwarf Dick's Sand gave me a reason to believe again. Am I crazy or does this defining moment in 3.0 not deserve a spot?
, comment by HarborSeal
HarborSeal OK, here's harborseal's final four (personal preference, not prediction):

East: 12/29/94 Bowie dominates, with only the 11/23/97 Gin even putting up a fight

Midwest: 12/9/95 YEM, winning a nailbiter over Stashteca in the Elite Eight

West: 12th-seeded 12/31/95 Weekapaug -> S&S wins cleanly

South: The top-seeded 11/28/94 Tweezer ekes out a victory over another upstart 12 seed, the 7/2/97 Stash

FINAL FOUR:

12/9/95 YEM dispatches the 11/28/94 Tweezer with ease

BONUS NIT FINAL FOUR: 6/14/95 Tweezer, 10/31/94 Reba, 12/31/95 Mike's, 6/22/95 Tweezer; then the FLeezer over NYE 95 Mike's in the finals
, comment by thehurricane
thehurricane I would have liked to have seen more 3.0 in the mix i.e. the uic pavillion undermind> waves
, comment by TheEmu
TheEmu I do think the Hampton Halley's should have made the cut, though. Better than the Dallas Gin, easily.
, comment by TheEmu
TheEmu @colforbin310 said:
Love it. Great on the diversity. But easily would've swapped in 7/16/94 or 11/12/94 for the 10/20/94 Hood. 11/22/94 funky bitch should've made the cut. There is no other jam remotely similar to it and it is amazing and awe inspiring. and awesome. but sweet bracket nonetheless
Also agree on the 11/22/94 Bitch> Jam> YSZ.
, comment by HighClassWook
HighClassWook Where do we vote?
, comment by jdub77
jdub77 Daunting task to seed 64 of the greatest jams of all time. Great job. The only glaring omission for me is 9/14/00 Drowned. The Suzy was fantastic to end that set 1 but no way does it compete with the quintessential Millenial monster that was Darien Drowned.

Curious to see/hear how this plays out.
, comment by mfhgreyboy
mfhgreyboy While I can't even begin to imagine how hard this must have been, I will add my surprise that 7.10.99 CDT is off this list. That's a travesty. That's a top 20 for me (easy), let alone 64.
, comment by KarlDilkington
KarlDilkington Very surprised no Went Gin. Personally would have loved to see 11/30/97 Wolfmans, 7/10/99 CDT and 7/23/97 YEM -> Rocky Mountain Way
, comment by MrJones
MrJones Nice work!

I don't envy the job of picking the top 64 and I'm excited to see this play out. I won't quip about this jam or that not making it as I'm sure a readicculus amount of thought has gone into it.

I dig .net a bit more now...
, comment by andrewrose
andrewrose I would have really liked to see a Phish.net wide poll instead of a tournament style elimination game. I understand the appeal of something like this (it's fun to root for your jam and see it advance, etc), but what are we left with when it's done? 64 jams might be hard to come up but it would have been really interesting to have .netters submit a weighted list, and average out a Top 100 jams list from them.

I also get why the rules imposed in question make sense for the tournament, but really if there are 6 Bathtub Gins in 97/98 that are better than most 2004 jams, while not throw them in the mix?

Here are some jams I would have included, rules aside..

12/30/93 Mike's
12/31/93 Harry Hood
7/6/94 Reba
10/23/94 Harry Hood
8/17/97 Bathtub Gin (shocked this didn't make it)
7/23/97 Ghost
8/1/98 Tweezer
8/11/98 Runaway Jim
8/3/98 Halley's Comet
7/10/99 Chalk Dust
12/7/99 Halley's Comet / Bathtub Gin
12/31/99 Down with Disease / Sand-> Quadrophonic Topplings
6/14/00 Twist> Jam-> Walk Away
6/24/00 Tweezer
6/20/04 Ghost-> Twist
8/31/12 Chalk Dust
, comment by andrewrose
andrewrose @HarborSeal said:
Great job, great podcast, great list!

That said, I think the 12/7/99 Halley's is severely underrated and that it belongs on the list. Honestly, I'd rank it ahead of 3 out of the 4 SECOND seeds (all except 11/26/94), never even mind the other qualifiers. It's a stunning piece of improvisation, which I consider the best overall jam from 1999, and if it were up to me, it would go VERY deep in this tournament.

My other points of disagreement:

- the 10/31/94 Reba, which I would sub in for the 10/20/94 Hood in a heartbeat.

- the two mega-Tweezers from Summer 95 - 6/14 and 6/22 - both deserve a slot, in my opinion. I know, I need to cut two Tweezers for that, and that's not easy, especially if we need to give 2/28/03 a slot. I would definitely cut the 11/23/94 Tweezer for one of those two.

- either Wolfman's or Stash from 11/30/97. I think either would fit nicely in place of the 12/30/97 Bag.
Agree with you entirely on the 12/7/99 Halley's. But don't touch that 12/30/97 Bag. If it were up to me I'd have that jam vs. 12/31/99 Melt-> Catapult in the final (and yes the Catapult should be listed!).
, comment by Real_out_casty
Real_out_casty would like to see an only 94 tourney or 95 or 97
the big 3 in terms of peak years, imo
, comment by phunky58
phunky58 camden 99 chalkdust is not on list and def has the fire to beat ever jam in this field
, comment by tomwom51
tomwom51 What about 12/30/12 Carini?
Or 12/31/93 Hood?
, comment by bl002e
bl002e Glad to see the love for the 12/7/99 Halley's, which is every bit the 9/14/99 Bag's equal.

The 12/11/97 Disease would be my other addition to the field. Trey absolutely shreds the first half, while the second half is one of those Phish jams that sounds impossible not to have been pre-composed.
, comment by CrateDigger34
CrateDigger34 In a titanic clash, Gin (7/29/98) knocks off YEM (12/9/95) for the championship! If this were a basketball game, it would have went to overtime.

As far as burst bubbles, I'm very partial to Ya Mar (12/11/97). Maybe the best opener ever and it wold have made a deep run in my bracket had it been given the chance.
, comment by HarborSeal
HarborSeal @andrewrose said:
Agree with you entirely on the 12/7/99 Halley's. But don't touch that 12/30/97 Bag. If it were up to me I'd have that jam vs. 12/31/99 Melt-> Catapult in the final (and yes the Catapult should be listed!).
I love the MSG Bag, I just love other jams more. I think it's an excellent specimen of Fall 97 Phish, but I personally find jams like the 11/17 DWD -> Olivia's Pool -> JBG -> JJLC, 11/22 Halley's, 12/3 Bowie -> Possum, 12/12 Piper, and the jams on the bracket more powerful.

, comment by AlbanyYEM
AlbanyYEM There's just no way the 12.6.97 tweezer and the 12.9.95 YEM should be in the same field of 16. That just ruined it for me.
, comment by mikh2wg
mikh2wg I was really glad to see my 7/15/99 Melt make it up there. The second set of this show never gets the recognition it deserves, IMO. The way they went back to the jam from Kung was one of the coolest things I've ever seen them do live. That's why I'm betting on this one to go all the way. Just like I'm pulling for VCU to go all the way. What can I say? I'm a dreamer.

GO RAMS!!

KUNG HAVOC LIVES HERE!!!

, comment by fromsliptofall
fromsliptofall


This is awesome. Someone should make upload all the versions from the tournament. Someone less lazy than myself.
, comment by thumpasaurus
thumpasaurus Thank you boys for the opportunity to geekout and get our phish underminds ready for tour season. Thank goodness you didn't have five heads around this thing. Love this idea and can't wait for part 2 to begin. However surprised about stashteca and west palm 96 seeding. When listening to the tapes of 95 UCF shortly after that show went down down and seeing and listening to them many times since that moment, my only feeling about the jam potential of this band is that the darkness, the presence held particularly at the end of manteca, is to me the most precious sound I have ever heard them create. As for west palm, I was there. But maybe you set those seeds for the upset potential involved (sorry nerdgasm). Nice work fellas. Think you have many folks excited during the phish offseason
, comment by careful_w_that_axe_Miller
careful_w_that_axe_Miller Really cool, must of taken some time; thank you for the fun - its a helluva play list
, comment by phactor
phactor 4/5/98 funkavern 7/10/99 chalkdust phan.
, comment by tweeeeeezer
tweeeeeezer love the idea, but that list is god awful.

it's all opinion, but there are far and away too many 1.0 jams that should be on that list. wayy too much 2.0 and 3.0.
, comment by tweeeeeezer
tweeeeeezer @tweeeeeezer said:
love the idea, but that list is god awful.

it's all opinion, but there are far and away too many 1.0 jams that should be on that list. wayy too much 2.0 and 3.0.
Ah. Didn't realize there was a series of brackets. I take this back.
, comment by RKuncewitch
RKuncewitch @newbornelph said:
Me and a buddy have a standing debate about the 2/28/03 Tweezer vs 9/1/12 Light. I was at the 2/28/03 show and it was WILD! By the looks of the bracket, they have a decent shot at a head to head, although a couple other Tweezers could stand in the way. That 12/6/97 Tweezabella is a SUPER strong jam.
my first show ever... good to know one of 5 best bowie's was in there
, comment by WayIFeel
WayIFeel This is awesome. I printed up the bracket and I'm doing my own selection but I will follow your selection bracket too to see how close my picks were with yours.

I started with the 8&9 seeds so far and now working on the 6 & 11 seeds. Just finished listening to the 12/31/99 Melt now I have to listen to the 4/2/98 Twist. This is going to be a tough pick.
, comment by lumpblockclod
lumpblockclod You think you guys hate the list now, wait 'til you see the results!

Seriously, though, understand that this is really an impossible task and if we were going to put together a new bracket today, we might change some of our picks. It's one thing to compare different versions of songs or different jams from the same year, but when you start trying to decide which is "better" between, say, the Mud Island Tweezer and the 8/10/04 Birds, it really comes down to what you ate for breakfast that morning. They're so different. But, even though it is an impossible task, we really did take it seriously. I can't tell you how many times I've listened to these jams back to back in the name of declaring a "winner." Clearly not everyone is going to agree with all of our choices.

Thanks for the feedback! Part II should be up at typeiicast.com in the next few days.
, comment by WayIFeel
WayIFeel @lumpblockclod said:
You think you guys hate the list now, wait 'til you see the results!

Seriously, though, understand that this is really an impossible task and if we were going to put together a new bracket today, we might change some of our picks. It's one thing to compare different versions of songs or different jams from the same year, but when you start trying to decide which is "better" between, say, the Mud Island Tweezer and the 8/10/04 Birds, it really comes down to what you ate for breakfast that morning. They're so different. But, even though it is an impossible task, we really did take it seriously. I can't tell you how many times I've listened to these jams back to back in the name of declaring a "winner." Clearly not everyone is going to agree with all of our choices.

Thanks for the feedback! Part II should be up at typeiicast.com in the next few days.
Keep up the good work. Whatever the results are this is still awesome.

Image

"I think it's really tragic when people get serious about stuff. It's such an absurdity to take anything really seriously ... I make an honest attempt not to take anything seriously: I worked that attitude out about the time I was eighteen, I mean, what does it all mean when you get right down to it, what's the story here? Being alive is so weird.
, comment by pauly
, comment by Choda
Choda Yeah, it's a lot of Phish for only 64 slots. Did the Murat 93 Gin make it? It deserves some love or the 4/3/98 Weekapaug but I understand the rules. The 11/29/97 JIM was HOSED! The 11/22/97 Halley's is better then the 11/11/98. I like the 4/2/98 Twist made it. The 12/31/93 Hood deserved some consideration. Cypress could have filled half a bracket. This should get fun.
, comment by whrdina
whrdina Is there anyone with the speedy skills (and the files) to make an interactive bracket? I'm not thinking fancy- just a bracket that will play the corresponding jam if you click on it. That would be amazing!
I, sadly have neither the skills, the time, or the files- but if I could wave my magic wand!
This is an awesome list- I'm normally a 'whole show' guy- so it's super fun to go and listen to these amazing jams in isolation.
, comment by coryschu
coryschu Great work - sounds like an intense, fun, labor of love.

I respect the 6/24/04 Boogie > Ghost (man, Mike dominated both of those nights @ Alpine) - but could go for one of the beauties from 7/25/99; My Friend > MLT > Whipping Post or Birds.

Looking forward to this - thanks for putting the time in!
, comment by coryschu
coryschu @coryschu said:
Great work - sounds like an intense, fun, labor of love.

I respect the 6/24/04 Boogie > Ghost (man, Mike dominated both of those nights @ Alpine) - but could go for one of the beauties from 7/25/99; My Friend > MLT > Whipping Post or Birds.

Looking forward to this - thanks for putting the time in!
edit - 6/26/04
, comment by nolakid
nolakid Riverport Gin all the way!
, comment by tryptophan
tryptophan @Spirit said:
but meh on the 2012 pics
I thought that the C&P > Light > Sally > C&P was some of the finest of 3.0

Do you disagree? What are some of your top picks from this era?
, comment by buxtonbrown
buxtonbrown Sad that my favorite gem, 7/10/99 Chalkdust, didn't make the cut. Hands down nothing like it. Tight jam for about 8 minutes but you would never guess it was headed into something so magnificent. Around 10 minutes in, they move to something unreal. They never finish the chalkdust, but it doesn't matter. So moving.

I read a Relix interview with Trey a while back. When asked if he ever listened to Phish, he said no, but when he wanted to show someone what Phish was about, he would play this track. After all the years of going to shows and listening to tapes, I still think it might be one of the most inspired and concise jams of all time. Perfection in my mind. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAdJ5cMWya4
, comment by westbrook
westbrook Two of my favorite jams, the Radio City Ghost and the 11/23/94 Tweezer got bounced in the second round. Bummer.
, comment by Tmbgnicu
Tmbgnicu Hampton Halleys is a glaring omission. So is Camden 99 CDT. In a true sense of the word,either one should be top 3 seeds, but this is still fun
, comment by Wilson420
Wilson420 This made me go back and actually give 2003 a retry. Thanks.
, comment by Laidig
Laidig Is there a typo on the bracket for 15) the 8/2/03 Chalk Dust? The phish.net setlist for that date mentions no Chalk Dust...
, comment by Laidig
Laidig There is a typo. You must have meant the Chalk Dust from 8/3/2003.
, comment by PHISHE_1
PHISHE_1 There is no way the OJ show can be overlooked and NOT make the round of 64...this is a travesty and the tournament is fixed from the start, flawed!! Must address this issue immediately.
, comment by unolker
unolker we are working on a spreadsheet with links to the corresponding phishtracks file.

stay tuned.
, comment by needlewithaprune
needlewithaprune Yay! Go Gumbo 8/13/97!
, comment by parrott56
parrott56 With the temptation of the IT Ghost removed (sigh...), I shall be rooting for the Nassau Roses > Piper all the way. Yaaaaaay.
, comment by ttombobadly
ttombobadly The great went '97 Gin has to make the list. I also love the 6/22/00 Gin and would put those two up there as the possible best.

There is a DWD that also never gets any love - 7/7/1999 - it's one of the best 10:30 DWD's I've heard and the play between Trey and Fishman is great. To boot, the encore is w/ Derek Trucks. The 2001 -> DWD second set is great, one of my favorite 2001's as well, very funky and about 20 min.

Also, didn't see any Slave to the Traffic Light...? The 7/4/99 (or 7/3...) is very good. Ghost -> Slave is a great jam.

Just my 2 cents

, comment by buxtonbrown
buxtonbrown 7/10/99 Chalkdust is getting a lot of love on the message board at least.
, comment by unolker
unolker Here is the google doc with links to all of the 64 jams by bracket.

64 Jams

Thanks for all the feedback. Next episode records this week.
, comment by bananaTrees
bananaTrees wow! phish and college basketball, my 2 greatest obsessions in life.

thank you.
, comment by phunky58
phunky58 its still all about the 7.10.99 chalkdust
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