Relix - Features - On the Cover: H.O.R.D.E 20 Years On

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On the Cover: H.O.R.D.E 20 Years On

The following is an excerpt of the H.O.R.D.E retrospective cover story featured in the April/May 2012 issue of Relix. To read the rest of this cover story, pick up a copy of the issue from newsstands or purchase one online directly from us. You can also purchase a digital copy of the issue or download the issue on your iPhone and iPad via our new iTunes app.

Be sure to check back each Tuesday and Thursday over the next eight weeks for more exclusive H.O.R.D.E. content as we celebrate the traveling festival’s 20th anniversary!

How it all came to pass began with a meeting in the Bill Graham Management’s New York office on a Sunday night four months earlier. Widespread Panic’s John Bell, Spin Doctors’ Eric Schenkman, ARU’s Col. Bruce Hampton, John Popper and a couple of his Blues Traveler bandmates and all the members of Phish came together—with no managers or agents allowed—as they discussed a plan to join forces with the hope that these five club bands could generate a collective interest that would allow them to move into amphitheaters for a few dates. Here’s how the players remember it going down.

John Popper, Blues Traveler:
We all met in a room in Bill Graham’s office and there was a certain reverance. If you’ve ever been in Bill Graham’s anything, there’s a rock and roll reverence—“Oh that’s Janice Joplin’s tambourine, just hanging out right there.”

John Bell, Widespread Panic:
That meeting up in New York was a gas. I’d never seen that before. Everything else now is promoters, agents, managers. They cook up the scenario or you just fit yourself into something like JazzFest or Bonnaroo—which is great—it’s well organized and put together. But we’d been playing with each other for the past couple years opening for each other in different territories and this was young band guys getting together and having their own ideas of what was going on. it wasn’t coming from the management, so it was really hip.

Mike Gordon, Phish:
I remember managers weren’t allowed in the meeting although there were a couple hovering outside.

Popper:
[Phish’s Jon] Fishman wanted to stage a little skit. He said, “I’m going to run out screaming and youguys drag m back into the room that everybody will be like. ‘What the hell are they doing in there?:’” Well, he got really into it take with his “No, no don’t take me back,” and he ripped the door off the hinge.

Col. Bruce Hampton, The Aquarium Rescue Unit:
I remember everybody was really idealistic and we all wanted to do the festival for a ten-buck ticket, which was unheard of. [This goal would be met at most of the shows.]

Popper:
Then, Trey [Anastasio] stands up and goes, “Why don’t we finally just make it something where it’s five different bands, equal billing, equal money everywhere no matter what the audience says?” And we’re all like, “Yes, let’s do this!”

Bell:
Then, Mike Gordon brought out a jar of Vaseline and we all shook hands after ceremoniously dipping our hands in the Vaseline.

Popper:
I still have that jar of Vaseline.

Eric Schenkman, Spin Doctors:
The other thing that came out of that meeting was the idea of the H.O.R.D.E. sword. Popper had someone make a sword, like a Merlin double edged, huge knight sword and every band got one.

Left to themselves during that Sunday night meeting, the musicians devised an idealistic, egalitarian solution but then Monday morning arrived, and wth it came the realities of the music industry.

Read the full cover story by purchasing a copy of the April/May issue from our online store.

Comments

There are 12 comments associated with this post

Ian April 5, 2012, 13:28:59

I STILL have my H.O.R.D.E. shirt from the first time the show came to Raleigh, NC. I get asked about my shirt often, as so many kids today have no idea of the good thoughts and good tunes from that festival!! Thank you all for having the courage and strength to team up to bring us some wonderful memories!!!

Hurley April 14, 2012, 13:26:35

Oh man the memories. I saw my first HORDE tour in 1993 at Trout Air in Minnesota. BT, Big Head Todd, Samples, Panic, and some others. Still have the shirt tour! (of course it doesn’t fit). What a trip, my first festival ever and still doing it 19 years after!

Scott April 19, 2012, 14:22:14

I was at the very first one at Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, ME. It was spectacular, but the sound system was way too small!

Jed April 19, 2012, 14:39:30

I saw the HORDE show at Garden State Arts Center. It was the first time I saw Phish and it was incredible! Their musical chops were mind blowing. But, the thing that sealed the deal for me was the “vacuum freeze” during Cavern. Just before the song ended the entire band remained frozen in place while “the drummer in a polka-dotted dress” came out from behind his drum set dragging an old Electrolux vacuum cleaner and proceeded to “play” a vacuum solo. WHAT THE....??? When he was finished he casually climbed behind his drum kit, clicked his sticks 3 times and the band “came alive” and nailed the last note. I have never been the same again.

Phil April 19, 2012, 14:47:08

Jed, thank you for bringing back that memory. That GSAC show was also my 1st time seeing Phish, as well as the rest of those bands. What a great show. I remember ARU jamming and one guy would put down his guitar and leave, and Michael Houser would come out and jam. Then the bassist left and Schools came out. The two bands changed one member at a time, keeping the jam seamlessly alive as we were transitioned from ARU to WSP!

Richard April 19, 2012, 14:43:08

First time I saw Phish (NJ) , Popper came out and broke Treys trampolin and walked off stage with his head down, felt bad for him. I was so blown away by that young Phish band I made through 2 blues traveler tunes before leaving, I was just shell shocked by Phish (no offense to BT).

Phil April 19, 2012, 14:54:51

Richard – I remember that too! However, I think it was a bit. They had a 3rd tramp for popper and I think it was paper. I do remember Mike miss-jumping on his and landing on his rump. It took him a few minutes to get up again.

Tracy April 19, 2012, 15:00:11

I saw the first H.O.R.D.E. at Red Rocks. Amazing! I wish I had a t-shirt from that show!

Jed April 19, 2012, 15:31:16

I had seen BT at Wetlands many times and was rooting for the “home team” but when Phish had finished their set I knew that there was nothing that could surpass what had just gone down. However, the 30-minute “Mountain Cry” with Warren Haynes that closed the set was pretty incredible even if it fell short of Phish’s mind-blowing performance.

BAZooka April 19, 2012, 15:55:31

CREEPY! What is Mike Gordon doing with a freakin’ jar of vaseline anyway??????????

SuperG April 19, 2012, 16:09:17

That first show at the Cumberland County Civic Center was tremendous. I managed to get in the front for ARU through Blues Traveler, but was too spent for the front row when Phish took the stage. The segue jam with WSP replacing ARU was so cool. This show is when “the bus came by” for me. My drum kit has my bumper sticker from this show, and I still have my Spin Doctors shirt (it doesn’t fit anymore LOL).

scott April 19, 2012, 17:22:26

I remember, well don’t remember a lot, doing the 2nd horde up at Stowe vt to see alman brothers headlining. The Altman were at Saratoga the night before and dicky got arrested, so they needed a guitarist for the Stowe show. Popper filled in for the whole show and it was perfect. I had a tape of it because it’s in the all man history books. So was the following night in great woods ,ma when they got Zach Wilde (ozzy osborne) to play. Too bad the samples fell off the radar, they would fit right in the festival scene now.