Phish Near Halloween Set: "Purple Rain," MGMT Still Contenders

On Halloween night tomorrow in Indio, California, Phish will once again put on a "musical costume" at Festival 8 and revive their Halloween tradition of performing another artist's album. We've kept on an eye on the Vermont jam band's art gallery of album covers on the Festival 8 site, where Phish have been systematically killing off potential albums as candidates for the Halloween set.

Get into the Halloween spirit by checking out photos of rockers in costumes.

Favorites like Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run, Nirvana's Nevermind and, most recently, Michael Jackson's Thriller have all been eliminated, leaving just eight classic albums unharmed, one of which will be performed by Phish tomorrow night:
• David Bowie - Hunky Dory
• Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
• Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
• King Crimson - Larks' Tongues In Aspic
• MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
• Prince - Purple Rain
• Radiohead - Kid A
• Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street

From the outset, Rolling Stone predicted that Purple Rain will be picked, while our readers — who had hoped for OK Computer — might instead get Kid A. However, the dark horse all along has been MGMT's Oracular Spectacular, an album one person in our comment section swore would be the band's choice on October 31st even before it appeared on the Festival 8 site. According to JamBands.com, Trey Anastasio teased MGMT's "Kids" during a soundcheck yesterday, October 29th. A sign of things to come? We'll find out tomorrow night.

As Rolling Stone previously reported, past Halloween sets from Phish have featured the Beatles' White Album, Talking Heads' Remain in Light, the Who's Quadrophenia and Velvet Underground's Loaded. In addition to the musical costume set, Phish will play two sets tonight, three sets tomorrow and a trio of sets on Sunday to wrap up Festival 8, including an early bird acoustic set complete with donuts and coffee. Rolling Stone will be in Indio this weekend for all the phestivities, so keep it here all weekend.

Related Stories:
• Phish Announce Fall Tour, Hint at "Born to Run" For Halloween Set
• Phish Tease Fans With Halloween Cover Options: Nirvana, MGMT
• Phish Announce Festival 8 In California, Bring Back Halloween Cover Band Tradition

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Song Stories

“1999”

Prince | 1982

“I don’t consider myself a great poet,” Prince told Rolling Stone. “I just know I’m here to say what’s on my mind.” In the case of the apocalyptic party anthem “1999,” he was worried about then-president Ronald Reagan’s foreign policies. The song’s melody is based on a riff borrowed from the Mamas and Papas’ “Monday, Monday,” and Prince originally envisioned the first verse with three-part harmony but later split the vocals between himself and members of the Revolution. Because Warner Bros., with whom Prince was locked in a contractual battle, owned the original’s masters, Prince rerecorded the song and appropriately released that version in 1999.

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