Take a stadium full of stoned revelers and America's premier jam band and what do you get? One mad party, that's what. Recorded at VirginiaÕs Hampton Coliseum during two concerts in November 1998, the six-CD Hampton Comes Alive documents Phish giving their hacky-sack-kickin' crowd exactly what they paid for: numerous covers, umpteen fan favorites, and lotsa previously unreleased tracks.
If you're not a fan of Phish's eclectic originals, you may still enjoy their choice of covers, which include Gary Glitter's "Rock And Roll Part 2," Will Smith's "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" (preceded by Argent's "Hold Your Head Up"), the Beatles' "Cry Baby Cry," Stevie Wonder's "Boogie On Reggae Woman," Chumbawamba's "Tubthumping," and Hendrix's "Bold As Love," among others. While most of these covers sound like Phish worked them up 20 minutes prior to performance, this is not a band for whom perfection is necessarily a prime directive. Phish do deliver immaculate versions of their own "Guyute," "Lawn Boy," "Meat," "Piper," and "Big Black Furry Creature From Mars," for starters.
Ultimately, a must-have for fans only, the uninitiated should check out The Story Of The Ghost (1998) and A Picture Of Nectar (1992) to see what this Phish can really do. One thing though, where are the Peter Frampton covers?
All recordings courtesy of Elektra Records and Who Is She Music (BMI). ÒFarmhouseÓ and ÒDogs Stole ThingsÓ written by E. J. Anastasio and T. Marshall. ÒBathtub GinÓ written by E. J. Anastasio, and S.Goodman.
