The Mockingbird Setlist File
from the First Edition of The Phish Companion
Compiled and edited by and under the direction of Craig Delucia
The music played at all of Phish's known amateurly recorded performances is listed in this file. This file will provide a reference for the large number of people who trade amateur recordings of Phish's performances.
A History
Documents detailing the setlists of Phish shows have been around since the early 1990's. One such document, "The Helping Phriendly Book" (the "HPB"), was originally compiled via the Internet by Phish fan Shelly Culbertson. The project was undertaken for the free use of fans and out of love for the band. Shelly's HPB was compiled with assistance from John Friedman, Richard Stern and other friends.
Lee Silverman took over the editing and compiling of the HPB for about a year in 1992. Richard "Chip" Callahan, with the help of Shelly and Sean Kennedy, pulled together everything for 1992 and the summer of 1993. In the fall of 1993, Ellis Godard, also known as Ellis of Lemuria, made significant revisions and additions to the document. Updated setlists and show dates, along with corrections and show notes from scores of helpful netters, were added to the file. Special notice should be given to Brian Bettencourt, Mike Pollack, Ben Miller, Harry McQuillen, Joe Rioux, Chris Bingham and Patrick Sprowels, who all made considerable contributions.
A copy of the Godard-edited HPB, dated January 17, 1994, was being used by Charlie Dirksen for his setlist information. Charlie used this document as a base for his own version of a setlist file. He appended the document with setlists for tapes he acquired and corrections from tapes in his collection. With the massive assistance of setlists distributed by Mikey Perrott, which were obtained via a mailing list run by Shelly and Sean, Charlie continued to add more shows to his setlist file. His particular document was compiled separately from the online HPB, which Michael Weitzman and Dan Shoop began to administer after Ellis concentrated on developing other areas of Phish.net.
Late in the fall of 1996, when the Mockingbird Project was in its earliest stages, Dan Purcell assisted Charlie in making significant changes to the document he had compiled. These changes were based on hundreds of Phish tapes gathered primarily from the collections of Dan, Charlie, and Bill Bowman. Also, several rare setlists were gathered from fans Dean Budnick, Matthew King and Jason Rose. It should be noted that the setlists obtained from Dean were from Dean himself and were not taken from the setlists listed in his book, The Phishing Manual.
In January, 1997, Charlie's setlist file was sent to Craig DeLucia. This document became the base for the setlists you see in this document. Craig spent hundreds of hours editing and appending the setlists file into an original format, making song names and abbreviations consistent, and developing show notes. When Craig felt that the document was consistent in presentation and ready for other eyes, he and Charlie assembled a group of eleven fans to further update the document. This group consisted of Craig, Charlie, Benji Eisen, Charles Franz, Herschel Gelman, Matthew King, Phil Nazzaro, Dan Purcell, Jim Raras Jr., Dan Seideman, and Darius Zelkha. These eleven fans remained in constant contact and performed massive and continuous updates to the document, including the verification of older tapes and the addition of show notes for many shows. Since then, many fans have been a part of the Mockingbird working group, and assisted in other ways – they are thanked in the Acknowledgements chapter, at the beginning of this book. If the typical reader could see the extent to which this working group debated and discussed seemingly each and every segue, jam notation, and tease identification, he would most either be very impressed or very frightened!
Why is this particular file not referred to as "The Helping Phriendly Book?" To do so, at this point, would border on being historically inaccurate. Ellis's setlist file from 1994 continued to undergo revisions and additions under the guidance of Michael Weitzman and Dan Shoop. Their file continued to bear the name "The Helping Phriendly Book;" therefore, the name has become synonymous with that particular online setlist file. While the embryo for our project was indeed an older version of the HPB, the setlists you see in this book bear little resemblance to the HPB (currently maintained on-line at http://www.phish.net/hpb), or any other setlist file, except for the common concept of collecting and highlighting the setlists of Phish for all to see and use as a resource.
However, the underlying spirit of both the Mockingbird file and the HPB remains the same. The organizers of both believe that setlists should be available as a reference tool for all fans, and that no fan should profit from their distribution. Therefore, any group that sells the HPB for profit, in whole or in part, would be doing so against the wishes of those who originally compiled it, and those who have lovingly maintained and updated it over the years.
To this end, the Mockingbird Foundation and HPB have had a information-sharing relationship since early 1997. We are proud to count Dan Hantman, current administrator of the on-line HPB, as a member of the Mockingbird Board of Directors and as a member of the setlist file working group. Together, we have produced a community setlists archive which will benefit all fans.
It should be noted that this setlist file is not complete. Because so many early shows went undocumented, the assumption that any setlist project ever was or will be complete is mistaken. This document will continue to undergo revisions through corrections and additions as supporters of The Mockingbird Foundation strive to maintain the most accurate setlist file available. We encourage you to assist us in this effort, because your contributions are both appreciated and critical in making this file as complete as possible.
Of course, there is an inherent degree of subjectivity involved as well. Fans have differing opinions on what constitutes a noteworthy segue, or whether a particular song was jammed, quoted, or teased. We have diligently attempted to use the lexicon and standards that are most accepted in the tape-trading community and among music scholars in general.
The Use of Abbreviations
A debate was held on the merits of abbreviations; using them would have saved us a lot of space in the document and would have left the setlists reading like the conversation at a show. When was the last time you used the full song title "Run Like an Antelope" or "You Enjoy Myself" in a Phish-related sentence? The abbreviations "Antelope" and "YEM" have become more conversationally common than the original song titles, and fans rarely take the time to write out the full titles at a show or on a tape.
Abbreviations, though, are frequently confusing to newer fans. Sure, it is easy to deduce that "YEM" is the same as "You Enjoy Myself." How many newer fans, though, stare at "PYITE," "BBFCFM," "MMGAMOIO," "SOAM," and "WMGGW" and can't figure out what song was played?
After some debate, we decided to eliminate abbreviations from the setlists but to leave them in the show notes. By following this format, the setlists can be considered historically accurate while the show notes can assist newer fans in adapting to the abbreviations that they see on tapes.
Important Note
If you only want to read the setlists to get the gist of what songs were played at a particular show, go ahead and dig right in! To that end, they are self-explanatory; you can feel free to skip the very specific and nuanced information that follows. If you want to fully understand the intricacies and peculiarities of this unique setlist document, all the terms and notations contained therein are explained below. We believe that the segment of the fan population that enjoys the rabid discussion of Phish setlists will appreciate it. Our goals have always been, and will remain, clarity, completeness, and accuracy.
The Use of Segues
For the purposes of this file, there are two different segue notations: "->" and ">." The former refers to an actual segue, or when one song jams fluently and without interruption into another; the latter is used when:
1) One song stops and another immediately starts but there is no fluent jamming between songs;
2) One or more band members begin a new song as the previous song is still ending and there is no transition;
3) Two songs are played that are usually played together but do not actually segue (for example, Mike's Song > I am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove or The Horse > Silent in the Morning); or
4) A song that is typically a "lead-in" song is played (for example, The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony or Buried Alive).
Sometimes, the difference between a ">" and a "->" seems arbitrary or a matter of opinion. For this reason, we considered only using segue notations for actual jam segues (example number one above). Two arguments, though, convinced us that we should list both.
First, on many tapes (especially older, pre-1992 tapes), traders have traditionally noted segues without distinguishing between the two types. However, differentiating fluid, improvisational transitions (ie, the "->" symbol) – which are often among the highlights of a show – from routine transitions (the ">" symbol) gives fans a true feel for what was played and ably communicates the significance of a transition. Second, demarcating routine ">" segues from improvisational "->" segues aids tape traders in determining tape flips. No harm occurs in breaking up an uneventful, purely routine transition between songs. But an improvisational segue should never be carried over from side A to side B of a tape, lest the integrity of the segue be destroyed.
The Use of the Words "Tease," "Quote," and "Jam"
A "tease" occurs when a band member briefly hints at a part of another song, usually the melody. A good example is the "Drowned" tease in the July 21, 1997, Bathtub Gin: Page, in the middle of the song, plays the signature "Drowned" piano lick a few times before moving on to other musical territories.
A "quote" occurs when a member of the band vocally quotes another song, or familiar saying, or anything along those lines. See the April 15, 1992, "You Enjoy Myself" vocal jam, where band members quote "Proud Mary." Another popular example is Trey and Fishman's quotes from "The End" during the March 1, 1997, Hamburg "Mike's Song" (subsequently released on Slip, Stitch and Pass). [Note that, in technical music terms, a quote also occurs when a musician plays a complete melody line on his on her instrument but, in the Phish community, the terms "tease" and "quote" have become interchangable for this purpose. Therefore, we have reserved the term "quote" for the instances mentioned above.]
It is in our conservative use of the word "jam" where we differ from other setlist files. In our opinion, Phish is a jamming band and, by their nature, several songs at a show will jam out in some way and any song is subject to jam on any night. It would be silly to label every "You Enjoy Myself" as "You Enjoy Myself" -> "Jam" because, quite frankly, they all do. And it would be too discretionary to label the "best versions" as "You Enjoy Myself" -> "Jam." So, for the sake of brevity and accuracy, we have limited the use of the word "jam" to three specific occasions:
1) A substantial part of another song is played and, usually, some lyrics are sung. For a good example, see the "Cannonball Jam" in the May 7, 1994 "Bomb Factory" Tweezer or the "Wormtown Jam" that took place in Amsterdam in 1997. These jams are considered so substantial that they are listed in the setlist itself.
2) A jam of another song is so true that it deserves to be mentioned. Often, it involves multiple band members locking in on a common theme for a short period of time. Basically, this is a tease taken to another level. Examples include the "Birdland" jam in the July 21, 1997, "David Bowie" and the "Couldn't Stand the Weather" jam in the December 3, 1997, "Drowned." Usually, these types of jams are mentioned in the show notes, and not the setlists themselves.
3) A jam is initiated on its own, as if it were an individual song. These types of jams became more frequent in the summer of 1997. See the "Jam" -> "Slave" on December 7, 1997, the "Jam" -> "Cities" on June 20, 1997, or the "Jam" -> "Timber Ho!" in the popular July 1, 1997, Amsterdam show.
Cross-Referencing
The show notes only reference charicteristics of a show that deviate from the norm. For example, it is not mentioned in any of the notes that "Carolina" or "Hello My Baby" was performed a capella, because these songs are always performed that way. Similarly, it is not noted when versions of "Foreplay/Longtime" are performed acoustic, because almost all versions of this song have been performed that way. Instead, the Great Woods '99 show notes mention that the song was played electric.
Unless otherwise mentioned in the show notes, every version of "Guelah Papyrus" contains "The Asse Festival." Similarly, "Alumni Blues" always includes "Letter to Jimmy Page" and "Punch You in the Eye" contains "The Landlady" unless otherwise noted. To list these songs as, for instance, "Guelah Papyrus" -> "The Asse Festival" -> "Guelah Papyrus" is redundant and incorrect.
Of course, the middle, "sandwiched" songs can be and sometimes are played on their own. Far more detailed information regarding such songs is contained in other sections of the book.
In Closing
All of these details may be too technical for your taste. But the beauty of the Companion's setlists file is that it can be enjoyed on many levels. The casual fan can simply look and see what songs were played on any given date. The passionate tape collector can determine whether he or she should seek out a particular tape based on the setlist and other details of a show. And the segue notations and cautious use of the word "Jam" give the setlists file an original, creative and unique character. We hope you enjoy this setlists file. We also urge you to send us suggested changes or additions, so that we can maintain an accurate, comprehensive setlists repository that benefits everyone in the Phish community, including the band's own archives. Enjoy!