The Dude Of Life
The Wetlands Preserve
New York, NY
2/5/1994

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.

Disc 1
1. crowd
2. Fat Albert theme ->
3. Tightrope Walker
4. Self
5. Bitchin' Again +*
6. TV Show *
7. Family Picture *
8. Trials and Tribulations *
9. Revolution's Over *
10. tuning/banter - Page appreciation
11. Sexy Sadie (Beatles cover)
12. Ain't No Free (NRBQ cover)
13. Francella
14. banter - Phil Aber's original country tune
15. Home Is Where You Are
16. Dahlia ->
17. Fishman drum solo ->
18. jam ->
19. Lucy In The Subway

Disc 2
20. Diamond Girl (Seals & Crofts cover)
21. Living After Midnight (Judas Preist cover)
22. Crimes Of The Mind
23. encore break
24. I Feel Good
25. Ordinary Day
26. crowd

* = 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

A rundown of my previous BARN archival releases (all can be found on archive.org except as noted):
BARN1 - Col Bruce Hampton and the Code Talkers at Bret & Joyce's wedding 9/17/2005
BARN2 - Col Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit (w/guest Warren Haynes for all of set 2) Wetlands 11/20/1993
BARN3 - moe. Wetlands 7/8/1995
BARN4 - Dan Bern Bottom Line 7/31/1998 (late show)
BARN5 - moe. Birch Hill 10/31/1996
BARN6 - moe. Maxwells 1/20/1996
BARN7 - Dan Bern Central Park Summerstage 9/19/1997
BARN8 - Dan Bern, Bottom Line 8/1/1998
BARN9 - moe. Bayou 4/5/1997
BARN10 - moe. Irving Plaza 4/4/1997
BARN11 - moe. AKA 9/7/1995
BARN12 - Yolk AKA 9/7/1995
BARN13 - Robert Walter/Johnny Vidacovich/James Singleton/Donald Harrison Preservation Hall 4/30/08
BARN14 - Phish Las Vegas, NV 10/31/1998 (on bt.etree.org)
BARN15 - Phish Great Went @ Loring AFB, Limestone, ME 8/16/1997 (on bt.etree.org) - by request
BARN16 - Phish Great Went @ Loring AFB, Limestone, ME 8/17/1997 (on bt.etree.org), includes orchestra set - by request
BARN17 - Phish Red Rocks Amphitheater, Morrison, CO, 8/4/1996 (on bt.etree.org) - by request
BARN18 - Phish Red Rocks Amphitheater, Morrison, CO, 8/6/1996 (on bt.etree.org) - by request
BARN19 - Phish Red Rocks Amphitheater, Morrison, CO, 8/7/1996 (on bt.etree.org) - by request
BARN20 - Phish Red Rocks Amphitheater, Morrison, CO, 8/5/1996 (on bt.etree.org) - by request
BARN21 - God Street Wine, Irving Plaza, NYC 6/24/1993
BARN22 - Leftover Salmon, Wetlands, NYC 10/1/1994
BARN23 - Anders Osborne, Manny's Carwash, NYC 11/5/1997
BARN24 - Anders Osborne, Manny's Carwash, NYC 11/6/1997
BARN25 - moe. Pool Party, Morganville, NJ 6/2/1996
BARN26 - Widespread Panic, Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ 11/7/1992 (on bt.etree.org)
BARN27 - Stew ["Passing Strange"], The Turning Point, Piermont, NY 4/6/2003 (on bt.etree.org. dimeadozen.org)
BARN28 - Stew ["Passing Strange"], Joe's Pub, New York, NY 5/22/2003 (on bt.etree.org)
BARN29 - Percy Hill, Lion's Den, NYC 3/16/1996
BARN30 - Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Irving Plaza, 8/3/1995
BARN31 - Percy Hill, Wetlands, NYC 6/8/1996
BARN32 - Bad Livers, Mercury Lounge, NYC, 11/15/1999 (opening for Leftover Salmon)
BARN33 - Bad Livers, Mercury Lounge, NYC, 11/16/1999 (opening for Leftover Salmon)
BARN34 - G. Love And Special Sauce, Central Park Summerstage, NYC 6/18/1995
BARN35 - The Band, The Great Lawn, Central Park, NYC 5/16/1993 (on dimeadozen.org)
BARN36 - The Band, Mountain Stage Radio broadcast, Charleston, WV, recorded 4/4/1996 (on dimeadozen.org)
*** Start of New Orelans Jazzfest Appreciation mini-series (note that BARN13 technically belongs in this series) ***
BARN37 - Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk, Tipitina's, New Orleans, LA, 5/5/2008
BARN38 - Steve Kimock Band, Tipitina's, New Orleans, LA, 5/6/2001 (2AM show)
BARN39 - The Funky Meters, Tipitina's, New Orleans, LA, 5/6/2001 (11PM show) (on bt.etree.org)
BARN40 - Anders Osborne, Tower Records instore, New Orleans, LA, 5/7/2001 (on bt.etree.org)
BARN41 - Joe Krown Trio w/Walter "Wolfman" Washington, Russell Batiste + special guest Mike Gordon, Tipitina's, New Orleans, 5/5/2008
BARN42 - Russell Batiste and Friends, The Howlin' Wolf, New Orleans, 5/1/2008 (on bt.etree.org)
BARN43 - Global Noize, The Howlin' Wolf, New Orleans, 5/1/2008 (on bt.etree.org)
BARN44 - Deep Banana Blackout, The Howlin' Wolf, New Orleans, LA 5/6/2000
BARN45 - Bela Fleck And The Flecktones, The Saenger Theater, New Orleans, LA 5/5/2000
BARN46 - Medeski Martin And Wood, The Saenger Theater, New Orleans, LA 5/6/2000 (on bt.etree.org)
BARN47 - String Cheese Incident, The Saenger Theater, New Orleans, LA 5/5/2000
BARN48 - Soulive, House Of Blues Parish, New Orleans, LA 5/5/2001
BARN49 - String Cheese Incident, Cajun Queen Riverboat, New Orleans, LA 5/3/2000
BARN50 - New Mastersounds, House Of Blues Parish, New Orleans, LA 5/2/2008
BARN51 - Funky Meters, Bonnaroo, Manchester, TN 6/13/2003
BARN52 - George Porter And The Runnin' Pardners, Village Underground, NYC, 5/19/2001
BARN53 - Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Tramps, NYC 10/29/1993 late show
BARN54 - The Meters, Tramps, NYC 5/15/93 late show
BARN55 - The Meters, Tramps, NYC 10/29/93 late show
BARN56 - Wild Magnolias, Wetlands, NYC 2/10/2000
*** end of New Orelans Jazzfest Appreciation mini-series ***
BARN57 - Blues Traveler, Livingston Gym @ Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 4/17/1993
BARN58 - Phish, Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, CA, 10/29/1998
BARN59 - Jazz Is Dead, Bottom Line, NYC 2/7/1998 (late show only)
BARN60 - Grateful Dead, Cal Expo Amphitheatre, Sacramento, CA 5/27/1993
BARN61 - The Dude Of Life (w/Trey Anastasio and Jon Fishman for entire show, plus Page McConnell for a bunch), Wetlands, NYC 2/5/1994