Plinko Funk Test Print

Here's the first print for the Plinko shirts. You know what that means....they will be headed to me very soon, and to you very soon after that. Please, no requests, as this was a pre-order only. If there are any extras, I will put them in the Odds and Ends section.

Front

Back (color is the same, just darker picture)

The End of Leg 1 - 2011

2012 Charger

Setting out without our son this time, we decided to do the last three shows of the Southern Run as our shows this year. Unless there's some kind of miracle, these would be the only shows we would catch until next year. After securing another Undercover-Look-Alike rental, our group of three set out Friday morning for Charlotte. It was nice, again, watching folks change lanes when we were in the left lane...just in case. We headed for our friends' house, then the lot. Like 2010, there was little hassle, and a great mellow attitude in the lot. We were in lot B near the VIP lot and were able to hear the Dog Log soundcheck fairly clearly. I'm hoping that's not as close as I will get to hearing one. We had a lot of fun with our friends, new and old, and a few I was getting to meet for the first time.

Vending on Friday

We planned on driving right through after the shows, and though we missed some after show shenanigans, this proved to be a good strategy for us. I had been listening to the streams and had caught what I was able to of the Alpharetta simulcast, but I was still really happy with the sound and with the energy on Friday night. And a rare Mike's Song opener doesn't hurt either. The first set highlight was definitely the Forbin's / Mockingbird, though like many others, I kinda miss the stories full on stories.

That being said, every time I catch a show in Charlotte I am usually ( as I said to a friend later that weekend ) put back in my place as a Phish fan.

Second set would have been enough to talk about with the Rock and Roll > Ghost > Free that featured some fantastic jamming. But, after a solid Reba, I was treated to my first Icculus, and a fun one at that featuring some great banter about a local musician ( David Mayfield) being Icculus and how we needed to read... well, you know. The tight YEM was another highlight for me.



After the show, we headed for the car for a beverage or two, and I donned a bathrobe for laughs. As I stood in front of some friends, a firework shell went sideways and shot towards all of us. The shell hit my bathrobe, saving my leg from burns, and then bounced harmlessly under a car and went out. The jury is still out, but we're pretty sure the robe saved us.

We arrived in the middle of the night in Raleigh and crashed. After some coffee and pre-gaming the next afternoon, we headed out for some barbecue. We hit the lot at about 4:30 and parked back near shakedown. In the past I can remember Raleigh as being extremely strict and at times downright unpleasant before the show. These last two years have been great. There was still a lot of undercover activity, but they didn't really want anything to do with us...just the people selling beer. More good times with friends, and I got to meet a few more PT and Twitter folks.

Raleigh was a really fun lot, though it seemed a lot hotter than last year. It looked like we were going to get hit with storms like Alpharetta did, but after some decent vending, and meeting some great folks, we packed up in light drizzle, and it seemed to pass us over. Raleigh only held one first for me and that was Been Caught Stealing. It was a lot of fun to hear. However, as a whole, it was still another solid show. Solid, but different from the night before. I really began to notice Kuroda's new additions to the lighting rig. The three additional round panels in the back a well as the increased details projected onto the big screens added a layer of depth to the stage I really enjoyed.

"Can you have all these people sit down?"

During the first set, we witnessed an entertaining show within a show, as the folks in the box seat directly in front of us tried to have fun. The couple was asking the management if there was anything that could be done about the pot smoke, and at one point asked if the people in the box seat in front of them if they would please sit down so they could see the show. Poor folks didn't really look like they were having any fun at all.

Scattered, Smothered, Covered

This time we hung out for a little bit longer after the show. Having a prime location, there was no rush to get out and sit in traffic. We picked up another passenger and it was my turn to drive. The mission at hand was to find food. After a short bit of driving what happened next was a huge surprise. We stumbled upon a brand new, completely empty, super clean Waffle House. This was unheard of. They were literally waiting to help us. Trip highlight? Maybe. Awesome? Yes.

We arrived in Portsmouth at about 4am and wound down to finally crash about 5am. Once we had a few hours of sleep, we set out again for food. After getting rained on trying to get a table at the Beir Garden (which was kind of fun) we wandered down and had a decent meal at Roger Brown's. The service was a bit overwhelmed, but the food was good.

Then, we headed to find the rest of our friends and get ready for the show. We lucked out and got in the same parking garage as everyone else. I wasn't really set on vending this time, but I had a few shirts with me. I felt like relaxing. We hung out near the harbor and watched the boats. Once it got closer to showtime, we headed to the venue and then got rid of our extra for face. Yes, for face.

It really made a fan happy, which prompted us to be asked by another passing couple "Wow, did you just sell that for face??" Yes we did. It's hard to believe that practice is rare.



So many folks I knew were there, and that will be the main reason I will hold this show as one of my favorites. Besides the special Father's Day narration in the Harpua opener...besides a first set new Springsteen Cover honoring the late Clarence Clemmons...nevermind probably  the best Crosseyed and Sand I have ever witnessed...the reason I will hold this as one of my favorite shows is that at one point on the back corner of the lawn, I turned and realized I knew almost everyone there. So many great friends I have met through this crazy circus, and they were all there with me. It couldn't have been a better time.

We then headed off for the boat party.

What Do You See?

A man and a woman are sitting in a field staring up at the sky. They are watching passing clouds and trying to see what shapes they look like. This goes on peacefully for a while. They mostly notice simple shapes...cats, dogs, flowers...until the shapes start becoming more difficult to associate with something recognizable. As the clouds became unfamiliar and more difficult to categorize, the couple began coming up with much different perceptions of what they saw. One would experience joy and elation at finding a Dragon, while the other would see pure disappointment that it was simply a Log.

As the afternoon wore on, the couple began to argue. "If you can't see what I see, then you must have no imagination at all!" one was heard saying. "It's as plain as day!" the other would respond, "...everyone on the planet would agree with me, that cloud looks like nothing!" This continued on until before right the sun began to set.

What do you see?

They had gotten themselves so worked up about who was more experienced in cloud watching, and what they were actually seeing that they missed what both would have agreed was the most beautiful sunset of their lives.

Like clouds, Phish's music can be perceived in so many different ways, by so many different types of people. There's no one way to enjoy them, and no one, despite what they would like you to believe, is any more experienced at enjoying the music than anyone else. There are many who are more knowledgeable about titles and statistics, but no one can tell you whether or not you can still have fun.

Jiggs Pick 5 Game

So it'll be time for another rendition of my Pick 5 game. No rules, or stat knowledge needed. I have reposted the "rules" below. On twitter, I will be using the hashtag #JiggsPick5 for mine.

Here's how it works: Pick any 5 songs you think the band will play that night. That's it...any 5. The beauty of this game is that two people can have entirely different lists, and still win. For that reason, a bonus song is picked, with the description being much more general like "New Cover Song:". Of course, it means that if they play a new original song, it doesn't count...and so on. The person with the most songs called in the show wins.

The traditional prize for the victor is usually hashbrowns, but you can substitute your own loot.Oh, one more thing...we only play the game for shows we are going to.

Jiggs on the Road

MPP 2010 (Jiggs)

Well that time is finally here! I really can't wait. Waiting, and watching the tour unfold via social networking, and streams has primed me and I am beyond ready to hit the last three shows of the tour.

I will be tweeting from the road, and as much as my limited technology allows, from the shows. Be ready for mediocre to terrible camera pics, and sporadic tweeting. I am not one of those with a smart phone (or even a reasonably attractive phone) so my tweets will all be one way, and I won't be able to respond to anyone. It's probably best that I not have access to that kind of electronic device anyway. I'll put up the good pictures and video after the run is over.

I will have a few items with me, mainly the Reba pins and the rest of the ASIHTOS shirts, as well as a few other things. So, those links are going to be turned off when I am on the road, and I will put back up what's left. See you in Charlotte!

Come on Down!

The Pre-Order for the Plinko shirts is up! A tribute to the loop/staccato/jam that has earned the moniker: Plinko Funk, this is a 3 color front, 2 color back on Lake Blue Fruit of the Loom. The page will stay active until June 19th. Shirts are expected to ship out to you around the 1st of July, so you should get them by the time you get back from Superball. You're probably going to need a clean shirt for Leg 2 anyway. If you'd like to know more about the phenomenon known as Plinko Funk, Dog Gone Blog has a great write up on it here. as well as some YouTubes.

Order Here.

Twist Shirt Update

Edit: 1.25 from each Twist shirt went to the Mockingbird Foundation. There were only 24 shirts made, so I donated 30.00 today. Thanks for getting one!!

Here are the transparencies for the Twist Shirt. Ready to go.

Here's the 1st screen...

...and the first test print!

Here's the back print...

More Shirts!

So... many of you have noticed by now that I have introduced the Twist shirt. I was inspired last minute and didn't plan on having any with me in the lot this year. I will also be introducing another brand new pre-order shirt coming this Monday that will be Plinko themed. This will also be a pre-order only situation, as I will probably do with all my shirts from here on out. This method allows me to keep making small batches.

I will also be re-running some of the older, more popular shirts by pre-order this summer. These will drop on Mondays yet to be determined. Each one, like these, will last for one week, and then be pulled. If you missed your chance to get one of last years shirts, check the blog or twitter for updates.

There is also a good chance I will be headed to Superball....yet another last minute decision. I may - or may not - have any of these shirts with me. So, if you see something you want, it would be best to grab it during the pre-order.

A thousand thank yous to everyone who continues to support me.

Twist Shirts

Getting on the Tilt - a - Whirl was always hit or miss with me. I can remember enjoying the hell out of it at the fair, and other times there may have been a little too much funnel cake involved. Inspired by the county fair ride, these Twist -a- Round shirts feature a 3 color front/3 color back design. The colors on the example are approximate. The spinning Tilt -a- Whirl car will be smaller and centered between the shoulder blades on the back of the shirt. The text under the car reads simply "Woo!". The design is printed on light blue. Replacement garment colors will be selected for non-traditional sizes. Please no custom colors and no special orders.

I'm changing up the men's shirts and going with a Gildan Heavy (5000) instead of Ultra. The shirt weight is about a half an ounce lighter than what I normally use (5.3), so a nice lighter color, lighter weight summer shirt. The ladies shirts will be Bella (64000L). The long sleeves will be the usual Gildans (2400) that I use. You can Google any of these styles along with "Gildan" to look up sizing charts.

This is a pre-order. I am only ordering enough to cover these orders, and maybe a handful more. These will not be in the lot this summer (unless you wear it to leg 2 shows, of course!). Orders will be open until Sunday, June 12th at noon EST. After that it will take about 10 days for me to get the shirts, and for them to start mailing out to you. That will put them arriving to you sometimes at the end of June. Please check the about page before ordering.

EDIT: Pre-Order for this shirt is closed.