Originally Performed By | Neil Young |
Original Album | Tonight’s The Night (1975) |
Appears On | |
Music/Lyrics | Neil Young |
Vocals | Trey |
Phish Debut | 1998-07-26 |
Last Played | 2023-10-13 |
Current Gap | 44 |
Historian | Phillip Zerbo (pzerbo) |
Perhaps a window into the feelings that come with the fame Phish has found, “Albuquerque” reflects on the time-honored notion of escape that permeates many musical genres: rock, blues, soul, even pop: “I’ve been starving to be alone / and independent from the scene / that I’ve known" and "I’ll find somewhere where / they don’t care who I am.”
“Albuquerque” debuted in Dallas on 7/26/98. Despite three guest appearances by Neil Young with Phish that year (Farm Aid on 10/3/98, and Neil Young’s own Bridge School Benefit at Shoreline on 10/17 & 10/18/98), Phish hasn't performed the tune with its original artist. In 1998 the song was performed acoustic on four occasions: Farm Aid, Bridge School, 10/20/98 for Sessions at West 54th and the “mini acoustic set” 12/28/98 at MSG. Trey also performed the song solo, acoustic, sitting in at Salt Lake City’s Dead Goat Saloon for an open mic night on 11/1/98 – on the night between performances of Velvet Underground’s Loaded and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.
Phish, "Albuquerque" – 10/20/98, Sessions at West 54th, New York, NY
Shelved for over a year, it was revived at about three in the morning during The Show at Big Cypress. This version included a key lyric change that belies the tenor of the song, but was so appropriate for the event: “So I’ll stop when I can, find some cheesecake and country ham.”
After Big Cypress “Albuquerque” has been performed only a handful of times, including 9/14/00 at Darien Lake (Live Phish 03), 11/21/09 in Cincinnati after a 115-show absence, and 12/28/10 in Worcester.
Phish, "Albuquerque" – 12/28/98, New York, NY
Phish.net is a non-commercial project run by Phish fans and for Phish fans under the auspices of the all-volunteer, non-profit Mockingbird Foundation.
This project serves to compile, preserve, and protect encyclopedic information about Phish and their music.
Credits | Terms Of Use | Legal | DMCA
The Mockingbird Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by Phish fans in 1996 to generate charitable proceeds from the Phish community.
And since we're entirely volunteer – with no office, salaries, or paid staff – administrative costs are less than 2% of revenues! So far, we've distributed over $2 million to support music education for children – hundreds of grants in all 50 states, with more on the way.