Tuesday 09/09/2014 by phishnet

SATOSHI COMES TO AMERICA - SUMMER TOUR 2014

[Editor’s Note: We’d like to welcome guest blogger Satoshi Sakuraba - DH.]

I went to see Phish's 2014 summer tour in America from July 2nd to July 14th. I saw eight shows in two weeks at SPAC, The Mann, and Randall's Island. It was my longest trip in America so far, and the shows were very exciting. I liked SPAC3, Mann2, and Randalls3 because Phish seemed so focused. Also, I met a lot of my friends and hung out with them. I was happy to meet them.

SPAC – July 3
This is my favorite venue because the lot is the best, I'd been there two times before. I stayed at Phanart Pete's place in Albany, NY. I was surprised they opened with "Farmhouse." Actually, I didn't remember the show because I drunk a little moonshine in the parking lot and I had heavy jet lag. I passed out during the last part of the first set. I took an energy pill when they began the second set. It was so good. "Bathtub Gin," "Limb By Limb" and “Winterqueen” were the most impressive tunes. "Winterqueen" had an extremely beautiful melody. As you know it was composed by Trey and Tom Marshall. I went with Phanart Pete and Phootdoc to Putnam Den after the show, and enjoyed drinking, dancing, and eating pizza.

SPAC – July 4
My 3rd July 4th show, Happy Birthday America!! I tried to sing "The Star Spangled Banner." "555" was powerful. "Reba" was rhythmical, I danced. I felt that phans love for the band. One of my favorite tunes, "The Squirming Coil," was perfect as set closer. I was impressed with Page's solo. Beautiful. If Fish had not shouted his part it'd have been very good. Thanks Fish, I love you. It was a perfect first set after “Moma," I didn't like “Moma." I felt "Fuego" (20min) would transform this tour when I heard it.

SPAC – July 5
Pete, Scott, John, and I went to Dinosaur BBQ in Troy for lunch before the show. They opened with "Crowd Control." It was a good opener. "My Friend, My Friend" was beautiful, but Trey didn't play it well. It's okay, Trey! I was excited to hear "Foam" and "Divided Sky." I listened to "Wading in the Velvet Sea" and “David Bowie” carefully. The band concentrated well. They played "David Bowie" perfectly. The second set was so great. I can't describe how good those tunes were. "Carini," "Waves," "Wingsuit," "Piper," "Fluffhead," " Slave to the Traffic Light," and "You Enjoy Myself" were perfect.

I felt so HAPPY to hear “YEM” at SPAC, I love that venue.

The Mann – July 8
They played "Fuego" for about 26 minutes in the second set and it was amazing. I was impressed with just "Fuego" this night. It had a long jam, I thought there were some stories in the long jam. They did not just play, they made a story. "Tweezer" > "Ghost" > "2001" > "Harry Hood," and "Tweezer Reprise." I was blown away by them. I went to a post-show with Pete in downtown and met so many friends.

The Mann – July 9
Pete, Scott and I went to Dalessandro's and had hoagies for lunch. We met Stu and Erica there. They are my good friends. I didn't think my balls would fly this night, but it happened during the second set. They opened with "Chalk Dust Torture." "Wingsuit" was the most impressive tune this night. I was a little baked and tweeted some weird shit. The second set was amazing. It was exciting as SPAC3.

Off Day
Pete, Scott, and I went to Federal Donuts. It was my first experience. I ate four donuts. It was too much. I usually have one or two donuts in Japan. American stomachs are much bigger than Japanese I think. After that Pete and I drove to New Jersey.

Randall's Island July 11, 12, 13
Randall's Island was a very beautiful venue, so I couldn't believe that I was in NYC. The moon floated in the sky. My American friends drove me there from New Jersey. Most of the people brought their own chairs, picnic sheets, and their children played there. It was typical peaceful day. It was good!

I thought Phish played well at Randall's. "Steam" > "DwD" > "Golden Age" > "Limb By Limb" were great in the second set on July 11th. "Carini," "Ghost" > "Wingsuit" and the encore, "Joy" and "First Tube," were great on July 12th, too. Personally, July 13th was the best. The first set and second set were amazing. They played a 28-minute "Chalk Dust." Also "Tweezer," "Wading in the Velvet Sea," and “Slave to the Traffic Light” were perfect. I'd already lost my balls at The Mann before. I was baked during the show. I wanted to stay there as long as possible.

In my opinion SPAC3 was the best night this trip. "Carini," "Waves," and "Wingsuit" > "Piper" > "Fluffhead." Speechless. I've seen Phish 47 times in five years. Seeing Phish was my main purpose. I also wanted to meet my friends and make new friends. Many phans were so nice to me, even though I'd never met them before.

I completely forgot to say, even though I'm living in Japan near Tokyo, that it was not easy to go to America. To go to see Phish in America I needed to take a vacation for more than seven days. Maybe most Japanese phans have a problem, but I think going to see Phish in America is worth it for us. If Phish plays in Japan again, it'll be worth it. I don't know how many phans there are in Japan. Are there about 2,000 or 3,000?? I wasn't there, but Phish sold out a 3,000-seat venue in Japan. I think there aren't a lot of phans in Japan. Most of venues don't allow smoking inside, and they don't have a parking lot, so vendors can't sell stuff. And can't sell food.

I don't know who wants to go to Japan from America. If they come to Japan again, Japanese organizers will bring the venues of less than 5,000. I'd like to see Phish at a small venue in Japan, if they came back again to Japan someday. Tickets will probably 8,000yen each night (about $80 or $100.) Maybe.

One of my friends go to see Phish every tour. Other friends go there once every other year. Most Japanese phans go to America just for Phish, they spend a lot of money and time. I do too. I was happy to hear rumors that Phish would play again in Japan. It was just rumor. But I was excited when I heard that rumors. A lot of Japanese phans have been waiting for them since 2000.

Japanese Phans Love Phish!

I'll continue my trip looking for my balls.

To all my friends, all phans, and Phish: Thank you very much.

If you liked this blog post, one way you could "like" it is to make a donation to The Mockingbird Foundation, the sponsor of Phish.net. Support music education for children, and you just might change the world.


Comments

, comment by HollyHood
HollyHood Sakura! Awesome!
, comment by hdorne
hdorne "They did not just play, they made a story."

Satoshi gets it. Great write-up, sounds like a great time!
, comment by sushigradepanda
sushigradepanda great write up. always nice to get a fresh perspective.

"whatever you do, take care of your...balls?"
, comment by Fluffhead
Fluffhead Fall tour bustout: Big Ball Jam
, comment by bertoletdown
bertoletdown This is magnificent. Love Satoshi and his flying balls.
, comment by Trey_Talks
Trey_Talks Looks like someone got a good old down home dose of the lardly american diet eh?
, comment by HeadyBrosevelt
HeadyBrosevelt this may be the best write up i have ever read on phish.net. well done. i have lost my balls at shows.
, comment by CreatureoftheNight
CreatureoftheNight I am very happy to see this on the front page. Great job Satoshi!!
I have seen Japanese phans at shows ever since 2000. Maybe not every show, but definitely every tour. Many struggle with English, but not with navigating tour and making quick friends on the road. I can't even imagine coming to a foreign country, not knowing the language or even alphabet, and trying to follow a band around the country. Truly an accomplishment on its own. Satoshi also shows us that everyone's experience and peak moments happen at different times and reasons. On the other hand, most of us lose our balls at some point!
, comment by Lee_Fordham
Lee_Fordham We love Satoshi's balls!
, comment by SleepyHouse
SleepyHouse This was awesome. Glad you made it over.
, comment by kidrob
kidrob This is so awesome!
, comment by SageDabbler
SageDabbler this is great! I love SPAC too Satoshi!
, comment by lysergic
lysergic "I was baked during the show. I wanted to stay there as long as possible." Happens every time. Glad to hear you had a good trip, Satoshi!
, comment by Pnchundi
Pnchundi Best review of the tour!

Thank you
, comment by troutins1
troutins1 You should have gotten the Mac & cheese @ dinosaur.. My favorite thing to eat there!
, comment by Ez_and_not_so_Fast
Ez_and_not_so_Fast I also have the opinion that SPAC 3 was the best show of your trip, Satoshi.

And I know how difficult it can be when going to America, traveling around and partying and having a fun time. We're all very happy and thankful that you came. I am confident that we would all really like to go to Japan to see Phish sometime. It would be very fun.

I'll look into the finance box just to check my status, maybe we'll see you in Osaka!
, comment by RobPJohnson3
RobPJohnson3 OK, what do we need to do to have Satoshi review every show from now on? We should do a Kickstarter campaign to bring him back for Fall tour. Come on people, let's make this happen.

I met some Japanese fans in October 2000 at Shoreline, the last shows before the first hiatus. Most of them didn't speak any English, and I sure don't speak Japanese, but we got along perfectly :)

Domo arigato Satoshi!
, comment by phishatmsg
phishatmsg Amazing! I ran into Satoshi a couple times this tour, always happy and loving this band - Nice to read this review!

The balls have flown!
, comment by forbin1
forbin1 great read..

glad you had a great time..thanks for sharing your experience...
, comment by Drummerboy1x
Drummerboy1x One of the best reads. So positive! Glad you had a great time buddy! Phish is the best. I was at all the SPAC shows and have a very similar opinion. SPAC3 was awesome!!. I don't know though, I kinda liked Fish screaming in The Squirming Coil (but thats just my opinion).
, comment by thebosher
thebosher Wow, this is awesome! Great perspective on the shows, really enjoyed hearing how you found a way to enjoy every show. Thanks for the read!
, comment by Skiguy
Skiguy Sick Phrend! Glad you had a great time ! Now fall tour for ya? West coast is much easier for you to get to. See ya Phishin'
, comment by LightsWentOut
LightsWentOut Probably the best review/recap on .NET. It is a privilege to see Phish from this perspective.

Thank you!
, comment by melt_the_tek9
melt_the_tek9 I love this review, it is one of the most honest I've ever read on here!

July 4 2010 at Alpha, we met a great new friend in the lawn pretty much on accident by warning her and her friend to not sit on chewed bubblegum (we all still laugh about this). They then told us that another friend of theirs earlier that day at the show was outside the venue and a cab pulled up. Out came a Japanese phan that had just gotten to the venue from the airport from Tokyo; and goal was to fly to ATL and go straight to Alpha for the show. This was the only show he wanted to and had time to see. Problem? He had no ticket!!! He flew to the dirty South only to see Phish from halfway around the world, on the country's birthday, on tour closer, with no ticket. Show had sold out a few weeks before, too. So this girl's friend said, "here, take my ticket! I saw last night and had a blast with my friends and you should see tonight for the effort!!!" She miracled him on the spot, he lost his balls (not sure on this, but its likely) and got in the show.

The point here? Japanese phans rule. Period. They are dedicated phans in ways I can understand yet barely grasp. A guy we met at Bill Graham in '12 did the whole Japan 2000 tour. He said he'd still never seen such respectful and attentive audiences like that before. He brought up that they know when to doubt when its bad and shine when its great. Be still when the band plays low and thoughtful, and applaud when its done. And above all, they were insanely happy the whole time at every show. My kind of crowd :)

Satoshi, I would love to see shows with you man! And yes, if The Phish ever goes back to Japan, my wife and I will be there regardless. Thanks again for your story!!
, comment by Destiny_Bound
Destiny_Bound 聡は本を読んでいます!
, comment by JahNuhDead
JahNuhDead おつかれさまでした。
, comment by Destiny_Bound
Destiny_Bound Satoshi has read the book!
, comment by JahNuhDead
JahNuhDead @JahNuhDead said:
おつかれさまでした。
Otsukarasamadeshita.
, comment by smoothatonalsnd
smoothatonalsnd "I was a little baked and tweeted some weird shit."

LOL
, comment by GmG720
GmG720 Great review Satoshi!
, comment by MDosque
MDosque Very cool perspective - great write up and I loved hearing about it. I was at both Mann shows and I agree - night 2 was awesome! Even that late Mike's Groove had some serious smoke. Safe travels...
, comment by GottaJibboo
GottaJibboo Dalessandro's has the best cheesesteaks in the entire world. This is not an opinion, it is a well known fact. I hope you experienced a cheesesteak and not a hoagie there. Also Federal Donuts fried chicken is overrated, but their donuts are legit.

Nice recap on your experience, I enjoyed the read.
, comment by grapeapplepies
grapeapplepies Satoshi, you rock. It's not easy for a guy like me who lives in America to make it to more than one stop on phish tour. It's expensive. You came from Japan to see severa!!😊 it's fun to listen to shows again and hear a section that lead up to another part which gave birth to that part. I love how phish songs evolve live!
, comment by theothr1
theothr1 Hats off!!!!
, comment by sakuraYEM
sakuraYEM I love you guys, thank you for your response. If you guys go to fall tour we'll see in SF and Vegas.
so If you have my balls I'd be glad to get them.
, comment by TheAbsurbBook
TheAbsurbBook Did Satoshi write this by himself? If so, that's very cool.
, comment by sakuraYEM
sakuraYEM Of course I did, Thanks @TheAbsurbBook said:
Did Satoshi write this by himself? If so, that's very cool.
, comment by RoundMound
RoundMound Best review ever.
, comment by toddvoss
toddvoss For those who loved Satoshi-san's journey....check out this link to a truly wonderful and dedicated french fan who waited years to get together the cash to come see Phish in the US . And he came in fall 2013! and he was at the Reading show! Happy ending folks.

http://www.bouncingaroundeuroom.eu/post/2013/11/27/Dancing-and-raging-my-first-Phish-show.aspx
, comment by sakuraYEM
sakuraYEM @toddvoss I know him, He's a good guy.
, comment by Jenks77
Jenks77 Fall Opener:

Big Ball Jam > Simple.....

Weeeee've got Saaatoshiiiii
He's lost his Balls
They're flying somewhere in the sky

What is a band w/o satoshi
he tweeted something weird
Everyone eats 4 donuts too
, comment by LostSailor1974
LostSailor1974 Mmm....chocalate Satoshi balls...
, comment by TwiceBitten
TwiceBitten I did basically the same tour. What a blast. Wish I'd met you.
, comment by skr213
skr213 I don't think I've ever read a review with so many one-liners that I know I'll be repeating for a long time:

"I didn't think my balls would fly this night."
"If Fish had not shouted his part, it'd have been very good."
"I thought there were some stories in the long jam."
"I was a little baked and tweeted some weird shit."
"American stomachs are much bigger than Japanese I think."
"I wanted to stay there as long as possible."
"I'll continue my trip looking for my balls."

Awesome. Just awesome.
, comment by jackl
jackl This post reminds me of my taping days and my Japanese friends in the tapers pit with whom I shared patches and um, other stuff, and made friends by the universal language of pantomime, pointing and grunting (and laughing).

I have a shot of one taper's rig from his website that I somehow managed to keep in my photo collection for its novelty value. This is from Big Cypress.

Image
, comment by jackl
jackl Try this:

Image

or go directly to http://i.imgur.com/bEliWRl.jpg
, comment by jackl
jackl At link, look closely at "Our Usual" lower right. It's made of glass, and is not part of the taper's rig proper.
, comment by DrSFJones
DrSFJones I happened to be listening to the Bowie from 2000 06 11 Hibiya Outdoor Theatre when I loaded up this page. :)
, comment by CitizenDick
CitizenDick Who doesn't like "MOMA"
, comment by elephant
elephant great post. thanks for coming to America. thanks for sharing your trip details with us. good luck with everything! hope to meet you in Japan in the near future for some Phish shows!

stay well.
, comment by FACTSAREUSELESS
FACTSAREUSELESS very entertaining read. I also thought that SPAC3 and Randalls3 were the best shows of this run, and two of the top 5 shows of the summer.

I felt that my top five so far this year were: Dicks3, Randalls3, Portsmouth2, SPAC3, MPP2, in that order. Really enjoyed the perspective shared in this piece, especially including the pre-post and in-between show experience, which adds great color to the musical analysis by providing needed context.

Thanks.
, comment by SevenBelowZero
SevenBelowZero "I wanted to stay there as long as possible" actually made me tear up a little, as I feel the same way often at shows. Awesome recap man! Glad you could come by, and we'll be looking for your balls~ er, I mean if I happen to see your balls I'll let ya know!
, comment by PhaninJapan
PhaninJapan I am also a phan in Japan, though I am an American who has lived in Takasaki, Gunma for 10 years teaching English (and am currently at my job listening to the Dick's run). First, I wanted to applaud Satoshi for his dedication. It is not easy to travel all that way! Second, your English is great. I can only hope some of my junior high students can write so well in the future and even better if somehow they became Phish phans! Anyway, great write-up and glad you had such a good time!
, comment by sakuraYEM
sakuraYEM Thank you guys so much for read my article, and I greatly appreciate Drew Hitz, and Phishnet.
They gave me a chance to write this. ARIGATOU GOZAIMASITA!!

I really want to go to Miami, also I' d like to take my daughter there who is addicted to Disney world. so crazy. she doesn't like Phish, She really doesn't feel like seeing Phish's show.

I definitely visit San Francisco and Vegas for phish's fall tour, but it'll be a short trip of course.
My boss will retire on September 25th who always allowed to take a long vacation for my trip, even though New boss won't take me a long vacation I don't know.

Thanks
, comment by PhanArt
PhanArt I am the proudest Phish sensei
, comment by sakuraYEM
sakuraYEM @PhanArt I know you are my Sensei in America. I'm looking forward to learning new words when I see you.
, comment by SageDabbler
SageDabbler Hope satoshi is doing well!
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Support Phish.net & Mbird
Fun with Setlists
Check our Phish setlists and sideshow setlists!
Phish News
Subscribe to Phish-News for exclusive info while on tour!


Phish.net

Phish.net is a non-commercial project run by Phish fans and for Phish fans under the auspices of the all-volunteer, non-profit Mockingbird Foundation.

This project serves to compile, preserve, and protect encyclopedic information about Phish and their music.

Credits | Terms Of Use | Legal | DMCA

© 1990-2024  The Mockingbird Foundation, Inc. | Hosted by Linode