On Wednesday evening, Sept. 11, Maggie Rose took her current No One Gets Out Alive tour, the namesake for her 2024 album, to a particular Burlington, Vt. haunt known for its early Phish history. While the location was a first-time play for Rose, it held familiarity for bassist Mike Gordon, who not only spent time there in his early years but has become a repeat arrival, sitting in with the next generation of jam-adjacent acts.
Last night’s highly prized sit-in conjured covers pulled from two distinct archives. After stepping out midway through the set, Gordon initially lent instrumental support on the Bee Gees’ 1976 disco classic, “You Should Be Dancing,” with Rose taking on the lyrics, boogying, and less than a minute in, stepping aside and letting her guest step forward and show up his funky bassline with Saturday Night Fever opulence.
Addressing the crowd, Gordon said, “The ironic thing is that I played this song on this stage over 90 years ago,” before a sprawling rendition of Allman Brothers’ “Whipping Post.” Unlike the previous cover, which has not been played in full by Phish, despite a 1985 Nectar’s-era jam known as “Night Fever,” Gregg Allman’s classic was familiar terrain, performed with frequency in the ‘80s, and unleashed in total during the band’s July 25, 1999 concert at Deer Creek.
Tapping into her own Phish history, Rose credited her husband, Austin Marshall, with providing her the tools to get into the Vermont foursome’s music. Telling Relix, “I owe that to my husband. We’ve been together 10 years, married almost eight, and I became a big fan by proxy. I think he’s been to maybe 80 shows in his life, and now I’ve been to at least 25. I think my initial reaction was, “Where have I been all these years? This community is so loving, and the rabbit hole goes so deep on how much you can nerd out about this band.” Their music and musicianship is definitely something to be admired. So I felt like I had unlocked this little secret that so many people are in on. [Laughs.] It was a cool discovery to make in my mid-20s.”
Read our 2024 interview with Maggie Rose. Scroll down to watch videos from last night’s sit-in.
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