Phish is a rock band which formed in 1983 in Burlington, Vermont, United St… Read Full Bio ↴Phish is a rock band which formed in 1983 in Burlington, Vermont, United States. For most of their career, the group's lineup has consisted of Trey Anastasio (guitar, vocals), Page McConnell (keyboards, vocals), Mike Gordon (bass, vocals) and Jon Fishman (drums, vocals, vacuum cleaner).

The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a rigorous touring schedule that draws a famously dedicated fan base. Their music blends elements of a wide variety of genres, including funk, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, folk, country, jazz, blues, bluegrass, and pop. Phish were part of a movement of improvisational rock groups, inspired by the Grateful Dead and colloquially known as "jam bands", which gained considerable popularity as touring concert acts in the 1990s.

After 15 years of performing together, Phish went on hiatus in 2000. They resumed touring in December 2002, but disbanded in 2004 after a farewell performance at their Coventry Festival in Vermont. They reunited in March 2009 for a series of three consecutive concerts played in the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia, and have since resumed performing regularly.

Although the group received little radio play or MTV exposure, Phish developed a large following by word of mouth during the 1990s, particularly through fan-record tapes of their concerts, which circulated for free online with the band's permission. While often compared to the Grateful Dead, Phish finds their roots in styles such as jazz, funk and alternative rock as opposed to the Dead, who were more influenced by folk, country and blues.

Each Phish concert is different in terms of the songs included and the order in which they appeared, and (for many songs) in the way in which they were performed. Also unique to Phish are their large summer festivals which draw upwards of 70K people to remote areas in Maine and New York State as well as close to 100K for their epic Millennium Show in the Everglades of South Florida.

Along with Bob Dylan and The Beatles, Phish were one of the first bands to have an Internet newsgroup - rec.music.phish - launched in 1991.

In regards to Phish, Rolling Stone magazine proclaimed "Given their sense of community, their ambition and their challenging, generous performances, Phish have become the most important band of the Nineties."

Windy City
Phish Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

in the basement once again, its to the depths, i hope i find a rope
looking up the basement window, watching all the shadows, and the snow
hoping that this windy city keeps debris from blanketing my show

the stations there upon the chair, i watch his boxes turn from grey to green
the sound of sirens disappears as i turn down the sound on my t.v.
if you got a question please direct it to the number on your screen

hell comes to receive me now
signals retrieve me now
onto the screen right now
help me to see

in the car the engine starts to charge imparts a feeling onto me
in my mind i think its time to let this thing unfold or let it be
hoping that this memory is more about the future i can see

hell comes to receive me now
signals retrieve me now

onto the screen right now
help me to see

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Phish’s “Windy City” suggest a sense of isolation as the singer peers out of the basement window watching shadows and snow, hoping that the windy city will keep debris from “blanketing” his show. The sense of isolation is further emphasized with the image of the singer watching television where the sound of the sirens disappears as he turns down the sound. The lyric also provides a sense of tension as the singer hopes that the memory is more about the future that he/she can see. The line “hell comes to receive me now” creates an ominous tone, adding to the sense of tension and expectation.

The song “Windy City” is perhaps a reflection of the band’s desire to incorporate new sounds and styles. Over the years, the band has experimented with a variety of genres, from rock to jazz and even country music. The song seems to incorporate elements of electronic dance music (EDM) alongside rock and jam band genres. It has been performed by the band over 90 times since its debut in 2009, and fans regard it as a favorite.

Line by Line Meaning

in the basement once again, its to the depths, i hope i find a rope
I find myself back in a dark place and I hope I can find a way out.

looking up the basement window, watching all the shadows, and the snow
I'm looking up through the small window and I see the shadows and snow falling outside.

hoping that this windy city keeps debris from blanketing my show
I hope the windy city will prevent outside forces from affecting my performance.

the stations there upon the chair, i watch his boxes turn from grey to green
I sit in my chair and watch as the devices in the room transition from inactive to active.

the sound of sirens disappears as I turn down the sound on my t.v.
I remove the sound of the sirens from the background by muting the television.

if you got a question please direct it to the number on your screen
If you have a question about what's going on, call the number displayed on screen.

hell comes to receive me now
I am facing a difficult situation or decision.

signals retrieve me now
I need help to navigate this situation.

onto the screen right now
I am looking for guidance or answers, possibly from a screen or technology.

help me to see
I need clarity or insight to make the right decision.

in the car the engine starts to charge imparts a feeling onto me
As I start the car's engine, I feel a sense of energy and motivation.

in my mind I think its time to let this thing unfold or let it be
I am considering whether to take action or let events unfold on their own.

hoping that this memory is more about the future I can see
I am optimistic that this experience will help me prepare for what's to come.

Contributed by Aiden Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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