July 1-3 – Watkins Glen, NY
9th year – Estimated attendance: 30,000
2011 Lineup: The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers Band, The Band . . . oh wait, that was the 1973 lineup. This was all Phish.
Festival Website: http://superballix.com/
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The weather was terrific and the days were beautiful and sunny. Other than the 3:00 p.m. daytime set Saturday, which was a scorcher, it wasn't hard to stay cool all weekend.
The nights were refreshingly brisk – even chilly. After the night sets, the most stylish of hoodies would make their appearances.
The only rain was early Sunday morning – about an hour and a half or so around 7:00 or 8:00 a.m.
Five Highlights
Saturday's second set. Packed with rocking crowd-pleasers like "Runaway Jim," "Axilla," "Birds of a Feather," "Stash," "Heavy Things," "Rift" and "Antelope," this segment made for an incredible start to the second night.
"First Tube" into Fireworks. The fireworks display Sunday night was a very strong cap to the festival. "First Tube" turned out to be an excellent vehicle into the first half of the display, which continued for 5 to 10 minutes after the song ended. A beautiful end to a beautiful weekend.
Saturday's "Tube" beach ball war. Phish opened Saturday's day set with an awesome "Tube" and rolled out dozens of beach balls in all sizes which bounced around the crowd. A fun, silly way to open the day Saturday.
Saturday's "Loving Cup > Tweezer Reprise" encore. It was as good as it sounds. The second and third sets were on everyone's highlight list for the weekend and this encore tied it all together.
Amazing weather. This can make or break a festival (just ask Coventry or Camp Bisco). This weekend's weather was clear and beautiful and made for an amazing, mud-free experience.
The fact that music ended early. Every night we made it back to our campsites by midnight. At other festivals, it's always a riot to party late into the night.
Although it was a shame that the music ended relatively early, it did give us a chance to party late with our neighbors and meet new people around the festival grounds.
Three Surprises
Saturday late-night surprise set. The rumors were thick throughout the night, and at 1:30 a.m. Saturday (technically Sunday), Phish put on an ambient "surprise set." Lacking true coherent music save for a spaced-out "Sleeping Monkey," the set was mostly random noises and riffs with crazy lights and sounds.
AC/DC "Big Balls" cover. Silly and ridiculous in classic Phish form.
"Simple > Bug" on Friday. The drop into "Bug" was unexpected in the middle of Friday's "Mike's Groove." They had a different intro with a funny jam out of "Simple," and the crowd went crazy once they figured it out.
The vibe throughout the festival was very communal and friendly all weekend. Phish being the only draw was probably responsible for bringing people closer as they were all fans of the same band and seeing the same music every set.
During the days, the sun kept everyone mostly relaxed and chill, while the nights were crazy and weird (as you can imagine). Saturday night in particular, after the "surprise set." The grounds seemed to be buzzing with an especially tripped-out, party vibe.
Best Pictures
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| Photo Credit: Alan VanToai |
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| Photo Credit: Alan VanToai |
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| Photo Credit: Alan VanToai |
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| Photo Credit: Alan VanToai |
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| Photo Credit: Alan VanToai |
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| Photo Credit: Alan VanToai |
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| Photo Credit: Alan VanToai |
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| Photo Credit: Alan VanToai |
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| Photo Credit: Alan VanToai |
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Stay tuned for more coverage from Super Ball IX.
What did you think of Super Ball IX? Let us know in the comments below
