Phish Announce Super Ball IX

Mar 31, 2011 by Eggs

Sensational. Mind-blowing. Fantabulous.

These are all words with the same amount of letters as SUPER BALL IX.

It’s Phish’s biggest. Ball. Ever. So big we can’t. Contain it. In one sentence. Super Ball IX, Phish’s ninth festival, will take place July 1-3 at Watkins Glen International. Located amidst the rolling hills of central New York’s Finger Lakes region, the site offers an abundance of campsites and is just a short drive from numerous Northeastern cities. Super Ball IX will mark Phish’s first-ever festival performance over July 4 weekend, and the first major music festival held at Watkins Glen since 1973′s legendary Summer Jam. It is also Phish’s first-ever performance at a facility with “Watkins” in its name.

Tickets for Super Ball IX go on sale this Monday, April 4th, at Noon ET at http://superballIX.portals.musictoday.com. Onsite camping is included in the price of admission. Like previous Phish festivals, the event will include numerous activities, attractions and art installations in addition to a series of performances by the band. Camping and travel packages will. Be. Available. (Sorry, hard habit to break.)

Super Ball IX continues a tradition that began with The Clifford Ball in August of 1996. Rolling Stone observed, “It was definitely groundbreaking…there was a real story; that in an age of corporate sponsorship, this completely home-grown thing happened that was different from any other concert.”

Anyone purchasing Super Ball IX tickets will receive a free MP3 download of each set the band plays during the weekend from livephish.com, where they’ll be available shortly after Phish finishes lip-syncing steps off stage.

SuperBallIX.com and Phish.com will be your main source for all things Ball. We’ve posted the first wave of information about the festival and will continue to update with Travel info, FAQs, Guidelines, Event Info, the hottest celebrity news, and much much more, so keep checking back.

If I didn’t already have 9 billion other plans this summer, I would definitely be in attendance at this festival. I had the chance to catch Phish on the 3rd and 4th of July last year, and it was undoubtedly one of the best weekends of my life, so add another day and a few more sets, and this is guaranteed to be quite the hoe-down. Lucky east-coast bastards!

SXSW 2011 Post-Mortem: Migas’ Top Sets

Mar 31, 2011 by Migas

I can remember SXSW this year because, for the first time, I didn’t take full advantage of the free day party booze. I also woke up on a couch every night (instead of an alley, as in years past) so I actually have something to report beyond missing possessions. Personal perspective: This was the best of the five SXSWs I’ve attended. It was EXTREMELY Houston oriented, with tons of friends either performing or partying throughout. I get to see Houston bands all the time but it was a special thing to witness several of them playing major showcases to a completely different audience, but with an equally positive response. Houston drives a Dodge Stratus. Houston is big-time stuff. Read on for my top sets of SXSW 2011:

The Big Dance Brings Kings Of Leon, The Hold Steady, Sublime And More To Houston This Weekend

Mar 28, 2011 by Eggs

This coming weekend, the 2011 NCAA Men’s Final Four will be making it’s way to Houston for the first time. In conjunction with the major sporting event, Houston will be hosting a series of free concerts downtown, in and around Discovery Green park during what is being called The Big Dance. Friday finds performances from the newly rejuvenated Sublime with Rome as well as whiskey-fueled rockers The Hold Steady. Saturday will be an earlier day, but still finds Kings Of Leon, at the top of their game, headlining, while Robert Randolph & The Family Band supports earlier in the day amongst others. Sunday is country day at the Big Dance, featuring headliner Kenny Chesney with additional music from Pat Green and Uncle Kracker. Read more for the rest of the list of bands playing The Big Dance.

SXSW 2011 Post-Mortem: Bacon’s Top Sets

Mar 27, 2011 by Bacon

We maaaaaaade it! Another SXSW has come and gone, and yeah, I’ll be hyperbolic – BEST SXSW EVER. This year was a clusterf*ck of awesomeness: uber-crowded streets, sloppy days and wandering nights, uh… RIOTS, Houston ownage both onstage and off, and my first time doing all 4 days since college. Eggs has already covered a couple of of my favorite performances, so be sure to read his review for another take on some of the shows. Read on for my favorite sets of SXSW 2011.