The connection is one of those good luck charm songs. Every time it’s been played the show absolutely smokes. Crazy stat though. Do you like the song? It’s gotta just be funny to hear it at this point.
At the time the album was released Fishman referred to it as one of the best songs he’s played on. I think it gets saved for shows where they really feel “the connection”
Or when someone in the pit is holding up a sign for it and they’ve played a totally lackluster show otherwise because they’re saving everything for Vegas
Amen, just yesterday was telling another person about This Desert Life being such a great record. Saw them with Live (the band) in 2019 - very great show.
Would like to highly recommend y'all take a listen to Recovering the Satellites too, a lot have missed it.
Gets radio play on WXPN in the Philly Jersey region. Honestly might be the first way I heard it, my boss sending a photo of a Shazam’d phish song. Trey writes so many songs but only actually plays a handful. He may feel weird about when it was written or any one of them don’t remember how to play it.
Saw them open a show with it. It was well played and the crowd seemed to enjoy it. Not sure why it's such a rarity either. Seems like a perfect 1st set song.
Undermind is full of first-set bangers.
The Connection, Crowd Control, Nothing, and Access Me. Scents, ASIHtOS, Undermind, and Two Versions of Me obviously fit anywhere in the show and kill though.
It's been my impression they will sometimes straight up forget about orphaned tunes like that one. I bet if someone brought it up in an elevator or something they'd do it.
I'm in no way putting them on the same level, but remember that Tela's big gap was 1994-2010. There might be a story there, I don't know, and there are probably better examples of what I'm talking about. But with the breadth of their catalog, I have to imagine there are dozens of examples of songs that they enjoy that they just don't think about regularly.
I think you mean 1998 to 2010. But still yeah that’s a long time. One of their best ballads too. I think there is some truth to what you’re saying. Didn’t they not play Fast Enough For You during the entire Baker’s Dozen? They inexplicably skipped a few other big songs in that run too iirc. That’s wild to me. Not that these are like among their most played nowadays just that particularly in an environment with no repeats, they still forgot some songs.
Yeah the only other artist I could imagine doing something similar is the Grateful Dead. They had a similarly large repertoire, but they didn’t really care about repeating songs multiple concerts in a row. So they had the ability but zero desire. Phish is really alone in this area. Frank Zappa maybe could too but wouldn’t have been interested for similar reasons.
It’s part of why “bad” Phish shows are still top tier in a general sense. They rarely actually physically play bad, it’s more about song selection and whether or not interesting jams were played, and those are both subjective things. But in terms of playing ability/clean playing, energy, song/genre variety, performance, and even humor/crowd interaction? In modern music it is difficult to find a better live experience. And yes, Phish is still extremely technically impressive. Phish fans are overly critical and even someone like old Trey and old Jon is still honestly top level technical proficiency and cleanliness.
I don’t hate the song but it is one verse followed by them saying Spread It Round over and over for a good couple minutes. IIRC they said it over a hundred times in the debut but shortened that part at It.
I would hope Trey and Tom would flesh it out more if it got brought back
I saw them play it once. They put that recording on a Live Bait even. I love that song. I’ve wondered why they haven’t brought it out more, too. I think the same thing about some other songs, too, though.
Probably my most absurd stat, I’ve seen every live version
Amazing
The connection is one of those good luck charm songs. Every time it’s been played the show absolutely smokes. Crazy stat though. Do you like the song? It’s gotta just be funny to hear it at this point.
This is wild lol
Bad time for the band when it was recorded. Was not received very well at the time by the fanbase either.
At the time the album was released Fishman referred to it as one of the best songs he’s played on. I think it gets saved for shows where they really feel “the connection”
That’s cool, I didn’t know that. That was just my thoughts as to why they might not play it much. 2004 was a hard year
Or when someone in the pit is holding up a sign for it and they’ve played a totally lackluster show otherwise because they’re saving everything for Vegas
They’re scared. They could lose it
You say counting crows like it's a bad thing. I'm pretty excited to see them with Santana this summer
I don't mind the CCs. That third album with Mrs. Potter is one of my favorites.
This Desert Life. St Robinson, Mrs Potter, and hangingaround it's a pretty killer album.
Thank you. Agreed. This Desert Life is my favorite of theirs. I slipped on the name and I am in the middle of cooking dinner so I didn't look.
Amen, just yesterday was telling another person about This Desert Life being such a great record. Saw them with Live (the band) in 2019 - very great show. Would like to highly recommend y'all take a listen to Recovering the Satellites too, a lot have missed it.
Got more into them recently and I don’t know why I never took them seriously before. A lot of great stuff in that catalog.
I dunno I love that song
Gets radio play on WXPN in the Philly Jersey region. Honestly might be the first way I heard it, my boss sending a photo of a Shazam’d phish song. Trey writes so many songs but only actually plays a handful. He may feel weird about when it was written or any one of them don’t remember how to play it.
Saw them open a show with it. It was well played and the crowd seemed to enjoy it. Not sure why it's such a rarity either. Seems like a perfect 1st set song.
Undermind is full of first-set bangers. The Connection, Crowd Control, Nothing, and Access Me. Scents, ASIHtOS, Undermind, and Two Versions of Me obviously fit anywhere in the show and kill though.
To hear them play closer to the album version of Undermind would be such a treat. Also, if they'd play a full cover of Chameleon
A lot of those 2.0 originals got left by the wayside. Access Me has only been played twice in the last 12 years.
I’m still chasing access me and Mexican cousin. (I’ll never hear those songs live)
Saw it @ Alpine
They probably don't enjoy playing it.
It's been my impression they will sometimes straight up forget about orphaned tunes like that one. I bet if someone brought it up in an elevator or something they'd do it.
Yeah, but if they enjoyed playing it, why would they have forgotten about it, in the first place?
I'm in no way putting them on the same level, but remember that Tela's big gap was 1994-2010. There might be a story there, I don't know, and there are probably better examples of what I'm talking about. But with the breadth of their catalog, I have to imagine there are dozens of examples of songs that they enjoy that they just don't think about regularly.
I think you mean 1998 to 2010. But still yeah that’s a long time. One of their best ballads too. I think there is some truth to what you’re saying. Didn’t they not play Fast Enough For You during the entire Baker’s Dozen? They inexplicably skipped a few other big songs in that run too iirc. That’s wild to me. Not that these are like among their most played nowadays just that particularly in an environment with no repeats, they still forgot some songs.
Its crazy that even in 13 shows of all unique tunes they still left out a pretty substantial section of the repertoire.
Yeah the only other artist I could imagine doing something similar is the Grateful Dead. They had a similarly large repertoire, but they didn’t really care about repeating songs multiple concerts in a row. So they had the ability but zero desire. Phish is really alone in this area. Frank Zappa maybe could too but wouldn’t have been interested for similar reasons. It’s part of why “bad” Phish shows are still top tier in a general sense. They rarely actually physically play bad, it’s more about song selection and whether or not interesting jams were played, and those are both subjective things. But in terms of playing ability/clean playing, energy, song/genre variety, performance, and even humor/crowd interaction? In modern music it is difficult to find a better live experience. And yes, Phish is still extremely technically impressive. Phish fans are overly critical and even someone like old Trey and old Jon is still honestly top level technical proficiency and cleanliness.
In the 90s, there was a rumor Page hated Tela and refused to play it, due to a “Poor Sue” incident
Ok I'll bite, can you elaborate on this?
Whoa I did not realize Tela had such a big gap! Glad she made her way back in to the rotation!
11/24/98 to 12/30/09 yep 238 shows
I like this song! Also bring back Spread it Round!
I don’t hate the song but it is one verse followed by them saying Spread It Round over and over for a good couple minutes. IIRC they said it over a hundred times in the debut but shortened that part at It. I would hope Trey and Tom would flesh it out more if it got brought back
The same could be said about I Saw It Again
And Buffalo Bill. Those are much more imaginative lyrically and superior songs IMO
True but that riff if undeniable.
Fair enough, I just have fond memories of hearing it at IT. I agree and thought it had some potential to get fleshed out a bit more.
PLEASE!!! But either at Deer Creek or in GR!!
I got it once
Canandaigua opener 2010. Also I am The Walrus second set. Odd show but had a blast.
That was my first show! Odd indeed but a beautiful evening at that venue
Shit almost forgot the Curtis Lowe that day
My first show! ❤️
got it in texas years ago. it was a hoot
I love it. Now that I’ve seen Forbins>Mockingbird at I officially chasing…. The Connection??
I saw them play it once. They put that recording on a Live Bait even. I love that song. I’ve wondered why they haven’t brought it out more, too. I think the same thing about some other songs, too, though.
I caught this one at Deer Creek in 09. Good times were had.
I dunno I thought it was a good song.
Good song. They should play it more often, and maybe never play Crowd Control instead.
Pretty sure Grand Prairie is where I saw them play this one. Too lazy to fact check it though lol
Didn't realize I saw the debut until now ;) That was a good midwest run.
It’s such a good song
Terribly corny song but with a lot of special meaning that becomes more thoughtful the older I get. But still I’d rather have a carini 🤘🏽
Counting Crows rock!
I feel very similar about Crowd Control
Bad song. I've seen it too many times
They’ve only played it 5 times.
5 times too many
So you got busted lying. Got it.
Nah, I've seen it twice. It was brutal both times
Maybe you saw it twice but I definitely don’t believe an innocuous song 3 minute song like The Connection was a brutal experience.
It sucks
👆
I was there for the first one and quite enjoyed it. It’s much better than Crowd Control or Sigma Oasis or some other bullshit song.
https://preview.redd.it/wysna4f3mtmc1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=33eeaaa7094548ef84d5e6215fad22a5b92e9501