Relisten

1:43:44

Taper:

Scott Bernstein and Brendan O'Neill

Transferrer:

Scott Bernstein

SHNID:

DudeOfLife1994-02-05.tlm170.flac16

Source:

Audience DAT

Lineage:

Original Recording: Neumann KM184 (in the tapers' corrall) -> Sonosax -> Teac DAP20 (@16/48) -> digital patch -> Denon DTR-80p (m) Master DAT playback: Sony R500 -> Sound Devices 722 (@24/48) Mastered: Soundforge Pro 10.0b - *All file manipulation in Soundforge done at 24 bits* Sample rate conversion 48khz to 44.1khz using iZotope 64-Bit SRC set higher than "Highest Quality" setting w/anti-alias filter. 24 bit file then processed with SOX 14.3.1 (as recommended, keeping the file at 24 bits during the processing) to remove pre-emphasis which was applied by the Teac A>D converter. Then back to Soundforge for volume normalization and dithering back to 16 bits using using iZotope MBIT+ with Ultra noise shaping, High dither settings. Tracked in CDWav.

Taper Notes:

View Notes* = w/Sofi Dilloff on vocals
+ = w/Page McConnell on keys

Original DAT Recording by Brendan O'Neill & Scott Bernstein.
Transferred, Mastered and tracked by Scott Bernstein Aug-Sept 2010.

Taper notes:
BARN61 is truly a classic gem from my collection.  I had the pleasure of attending a TON of shows at the sadly lamented and now long gone Wetlands Preserve, but unlike the many many nights I spent there which sorta blend together, this particular night stands out among a select few shows that really left a deep impression on me.

Setting the scene -- it was extremely widespread advance knowledge that Phish (who had already well outgrown the size of this venue about 2 years before and were about to play *3* nights at The Beacon Theater which holds more than triple what this venue held) was going to be backing The Dude Of Life at this show.  So anticipation was very very high among a certain crowd, and everyone HAD to be there, including plenty of people who I'm sure drove some great distances to be here.

As a youngster of 24 at the time, I wasn't thinking ahead and skipped buying advanced tickets to this show, which, coincentally would have been my opportunity to have seen moe. who Brendan had been hyping up to me (as they were opening or possibly the 2nd of 3 bands on the bill?).  I got down there plenty early (early enough to have enough time to get set up before moe. went on) and was confronted, at a relatively early hour by Wetlands standards by a line around the block with hundreds of people in it.  Mind you this is February 5th, and it was bitterly cold out.  Wetlands was very slowly letting people in (their policy was to let the non-presale ticketholders in slowly while letting the advanced ticketholders scoot right in).  So I'm waiting and waiting in the frigid weather, and a lot of time passed by -- I knew I'd already missed moe.'s set, and I'm still about 20-30 people from the front.  I knew that if I didn't get inside soon, there was no way I was going to be able to get inside and patched out of Brendan's rig before the set started!  Suddenly just because he was feeling pity on us I guess, the doorman at the front door started tossing out music trivia questions, with the prize being the privilege of being pulled out of line and into the venue!  (You still had to pay, but at least you got into the show and out of the cold...)  I forget what the first trivia question was, but the second trivia question was "What was the first Genesis album that was released after Peter Gabriel left the band?"  Now this question was MADE for me, having been a huge Genesis fan since High School!  A few other people closer to the front of the line tossed out guesses "And Then There Were Three" (good try, but there was a 4 piece version of the band first), "Abacab" (flat out wrong...), and then I got my chance -- "Trick of the Tail" I blurted out and was led inside! Possibly the only time in my life that my obscure prog rock knowledge has paid off.

Inside it was as packed as packed can be -- painfully so -- people were packed into the small space in front of the stage (the venue capacity was calculated based upon the entire space of the venue, of which only a small proportion was actually in front of the stage).  And the immediate transition from being bitterly cold to being packed like a sardine in almost unbearable heat was striking to say the least.

Anyway I managed to make my way inside and over to the tapers' area, patched into Brendan, and 16 years later -- you get to hear this absolutely smokin' recording.  I know that The Dude Of Life is sort of an acquired taste to some and a not-so-acquired taste to others, but here is half of Phish backing him for an entire show....with a 3rd Phish member onstage for a significant portion as well.  There is a lot of variety in the songs, a country original by one of his bandmates, and lots of interesting covers thrown in for good measure....

Enjoy!

Scott