Jam Chart for Simple (74 entries)
| Date | City | Timing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-05-27 | San Francisco, CA | 3:48 | Crazy debut version, out of "Mike's Song," naturally. |
| 1994-06-17 | Milwaukee, WI | 3:45 | Entertaining version with "OJ" reference, plus they quoted "Simple" quite a bit in the "Hydrogen" (and "Harpua") of this show, too. |
| 1994-06-22 | Columbus, OH | 1:22 | Crazy medley, where "Simple" is played to the melody of the Allman Brothers' "Midnight Rider" at one point, and segues back and forth to "Catapult" and "Icculus" in a must-hear "Mike's Groove." |
| 1994-06-22 | Columbus, OH | 3:54 | -> in from "Catapult," as this "Simple" medley of songs continues. -> to "Icculus." |
| 1994-06-22 | Columbus, OH | 1:52 | This concluding section of "Simple" follows a classic performance of "Icculus" and -> to "Mike's Song." |
| 1994-10-31 | Glens Falls, NY | 8:26 | Taking the outro jam up a big notch from 10/29/94, this version includes a switch from major to minor mode towards the end that creates good tension. Simply put, this is the first enchanting, gorgeous version. |
| 1994-11-16 | Ann Arbor, MI | 32:47 | This is what "Type II" is all about, folks. Stunning. Magnificent. Released by Kevin Shapiro on "From the Archives" #17. |
| 1994-11-25 | Chicago, IL | 14:14 | Another phenomenally improvisational version that is also, like 11/16/94, must-hear. |
| 1994-12-06 | Goleta, CA | 8:19 | Cool jam with Page on the clavinet! |
| 1994-12-08 | San Diego, CA | 9:23 | Badass funky jam! -> to "Catapult." |
| 1994-12-08 | San Diego, CA | 1:47 | -> in from "Catapult." The funky "Simple" jam winds down and -> to "The Lizards." |
| 1995-10-02 | Seattle, WA | 9:21 | Rocking outro turns serene and dreamy, then grows creepy and dissonant, and > to "Keyboard Army." |
| 1995-10-27 | Kalamazoo, MI | 8:53 | Very different jam, rocking at first but with descending and unusual harmony from Page, then becoming very spacey and > to "McGrupp." |
| 1995-11-09 | Atlanta, GA | 7:28 | Excellent and very rocking version, with Trey on the mini percussion kit, but in a great way. |
| 1995-11-21 | Winston-Salem, NC | 9:25 | Teases of Maze, Bowie, Possum, Day in the Life, and Bowie again. Very long, funky percussion jam, with Trey on the "mini kit." |
| 1995-12-16 | Lake Placid, NY | 7:02 | Short but sweet. A high octane "Simple" nicely -> to a great "Weekapaug." |
| 1996-10-16 | Lake Placid, NY | 15:45 | With Trey on the "mini-kit" Page grooves around quite a bit on organ. |
| 1996-10-21 | New York, NY | 11:57 | Funky version with Trey on the "mini-kit." -> to "The Horse." |
| 1996-10-26 | Charlotte, NC | 16:13 | Awesome version. Following the standard outro jam, Trey jumps to the mini percussion kit, while Page jams with his keyboard toys including the Moog and B-3. Mike and Page produce some excellent jazzy and funky sounds. -> to "McGrupp." |
| 1996-10-31 | Atlanta, GA | 15:03 | With Karl Perazzo on percussion, a great rhythmic and funky groove grows out of "Simple" before groovily returning. -> to "Swept Away." |
| 1996-11-08 | Champaign, IL | 18:09 | Following the conventional "Simple" outro, another Page-led jam develops with Trey on the mini percussion kit. Then Trey takes over, leading a fiery guitar-based jam. |
| 1996-11-18 | Memphis, TN | 16:37 | A rhythmic, staccato-like jam briefly emerges from the standard before shifting to a Trey-led, soaring and "HOSE"-filled finale. The jam finally settles and -> to "Swept Away." |
| 1996-11-29 | Daly City, CA | 13:38 | No mini percussion kit here. Instead, Trey hits on a theme that the band jumps on and rocks. Wonderful version, remarkably different from most. -> to "Sparks." |
| 1996-12-06 | Las Vegas, NV | 18:31 | A must-hear version for "Simple" fans, and part of a huge "Mike's Groove." A stretched-out but conventional version until after ~11:40 where the jam soars into a pulsing, upbeat groove that mostly (but gloriously) stays within the "Simple" harmonic structure. |
| 1997-08-16 | Limestone, ME | 10:39 | -> in from a fantastic "Wolfman's Brother." A bit quirky, this mellow "Simple" jam includes a jam on the "Theme from the Odd Couple," turns bluesy, and -> to "My Soul." |
| 1997-12-02 | Philadelphia, PA | 9:45 | Features a Trey and Page duet. A gorgeous, must-hear version which -> to a must-hear "Dog Faced Boy" which -> to a must-hear "Ya Mar." |
| 1997-12-09 | State College, PA | 29:32 | The jam that emerges begins subtly, then grows some legs as Fish and Mike kick the funk into gear before morphing back into a quiet, contemplative jam. Extremely improvisational version. Seamless segue sounds at first like a move to "Bowie" but becomes "Timber" instead. |
| 1997-12-28 | Landover, MD | 13:27 | Jam begins in traditional fashion but eventually there's a somewhat inexplicable key modulation from Trey. A very unusual version that also includes Page on clavinet for a stretch. |
| 1998-07-10 | Barcelona, Spain | 24:11 | Fairly straightforward "Simple" jam becomes spacey for a stretch, then takes off into stratospheric, rocking and guitar-driven improvisation. |
| 1998-07-21 | Phoenix, AZ | 11:23 | -> in from "Mike's." A gorgeous straightforward jam eventually dissolves into ambient space and -> to the debut of "Bittersweet Motel." |
| 1998-08-12 | Vernon, NY | 13:52 | A bluesy jam emerges at 9:00 on the back end of the standard outro. An unusual version which > to "Rift." |
| 1998-11-06 | Madison, WI | 13:03 | And... another gorgeous jam that eventually dissolves into serene space. |
| 1998-11-21 | Hampton, VA | 15:21 | The straightforward jam is galacticly beautiful. |
| 1998-11-29 | Worcester, MA | 20:40 | The jam swiftly breaks from the melodic and blissful standard to a high-power and dissonant one. |
| 1998-12-31 | New York, NY | 18:31 | Follows "Auld Lang Syne" with the sounds of balloons popping on stage. The initially straightforward jam grows rocking and dissonant, then eventually calms to a quiet space. |
| 1999-07-08 | Virginia Beach, VA | 10:24 | This version ends akin to Coil, with each member of the band having left the stage until only Page was left, soloing. |
| 1999-07-31 | Niigata, Japan | 12:48 | Trey shreds and deploys effects, before a closing jam occurs (which is nothing like "Simple") during which Trey introduces the band ("Barney Rubble on the drums"). Insane version. |
| 2003-02-20 | Rosemont, IL | 18:09 | Orchestral in dimension. Astounding jam that at times moves beyond standard "Simple." |
| 2003-07-09 | Mountain View, CA | 10:25 | Seamlessly weaved in from YEM ->. In a sense, a paradigmatic version with a gorgeous, melodic jam. |
| 2010-08-06 | Berkeley, CA | 15:30 | Intensely melodic, gorgeous, charming version that gets repetitious and nearly transcendent. |
| 2011-01-01 | New York, NY | 11:34 | Glorious version that, while not departing particularly far from the typical "Simple" structure, does have a unique closing coda-like structure that almost sounds like a new song. Rave reviews from fans. |
| 2011-07-01 | Watkins Glen, NY | 14:20 | A straightforward but delicately played "Simple" fades away, leading to 6 minutes of '99-esque space. |
| 2012-06-23 | Burgettstown, PA | 9:21 | The typical jam breaks into a short dreamy, lightly pulsing abstraction, before settling into extended transition space and > to "Light." |
| 2013-07-13 | Columbia, MD | 8:38 | Much more of a rocking outro jam than the standard with solid Trey who develops a great riff. |
| 2013-12-30 | New York, NY | 10:24 | Essentially straightforward, but the outro jam is a little different than the norm, is nicely played, and includes teases of "The Line," "Fuego," and "Magilla" from Page. |
| 2014-08-29 | Commerce City, CO | 21:50 | The Rhythm Department gets the credit for propelling this jam beyond the standard and into a rocking and increasingly euphoric groove that recalls several standout '96 versions. Then Fish, Page and Mike drive the jam into a funky and rhythmic realm. |
| 2015-07-22 | Bend, OR | 13:46 | The typically joyful "Simple" jam makes a turn to the Dark Side, as Trey leads the band into a stark exploration with a somewhat Pink Floyd-like tone. Listen for Mike's approval bell. |
| 2015-08-21 | Watkins Glen, NY | 11:08 | The Magnaball-opening "Simple" wastes no time in getting the festivities underway. After some standard jamming in the typical chord progression, the band opts not to resolve to F and instead stays in B-flat, churning out a fuzzy, pulsating groove led by the rhythm section. |
| 2016-09-03 | Commerce City, CO | 15:48 | For the second time in three years, the Dick's "Simple" is a real treat. Some great melodic delay work and alien noises from Trey provide a backdrop to interwoven melodies from Page and Mike (who also drops some bombs of approval), and Fish finds a fun marching beat to lead the way. |
| 2016-10-22 | Alpharetta, GA | 16:01 | The first "Simple" of Fall Tour picks up right where Dick's left off. The jam moves to dark but mellow space, and after some probing, Trey finds a magical riff that he just won't let go. By the 11 minute mark, his bandmates have all hopped the gravy train and the gearshift is set for Interstellar Overdrive. Fishman aptly suggests "Saw It Again" in the post-peak decompression, but Trey has other ideas (> "46 Days"). |
| 2017-07-15 | Chicago, IL | 27:11 | A wide-ranging improvisational monster that moves from low-key grooves to powerful heavy rocking to a "Timber (Jerry)"-esque tribal zone to a majestic major-key finale with some lovely Trey trills. Must-hear stuff, no ifs, ands, or buts. |
| 2017-08-06 | New York, NY | 25:28 | A multifaceted capstone, assuredly anchoring the final show of the historic Baker's Dozen run. Luxuriating in each movement, the playing morphs from dark, electro-funk, to brighter, swinging, groovy fun, and then to appropriately celebratory hose. The final winding down is a fitting glaze for this big doughnut. |
| 2017-09-02 | Commerce City, CO | 13:32 | After running through familiar ground, the jam gets rocking, then gradually settles down into some lower intensity grooving, including some nice Page/Trey interplay. Lacking a peak or other point of punctuation, the jam seemingly winds down over several minutes. |
| 2018-07-20 | George, WA | 14:40 | Quickly leaves blissful "Simple" jamming behind and steadily gains intensity with a dark undercurrent en route to a rocking peak and then returns to the song's riff to close. |
| 2018-07-27 | Inglewood, CA | 10:36 | Gets beyond standard "Simple" in a hurry, first taking on a more rocking vibe and then traversing a groove producing themes reminiscent of the Island Tour Roses before spacing out and > "Ghost". |
| 2018-10-21 | Hampton, VA | 19:54 | A creeping late-night stroll accented by a descending progression and mysterious Trey soloing then smoothly transitions to bliss and ignites at minute 17 for a joyous, trill-filled peak before slamming back into "Simple" to end. |
| 2019-06-25 | Bangor, ME | 19:32 | The typical outro dissipates into spacious twilight and then very gradually heats up while retaining its late-night feel as Trey's riffs get more rocking en route to a peak. A funky staccato section caps the jam before > "Piper". |
| 2020-02-23 | Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico | 15:31 | Departs "Simple" with an "Under Pressure" tease and smoothly coasts through multiple short-lived grooves before another tease ("In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida") sets the table for the final climb. |
| 2021-07-28 | Rogers, AR | 14:13 | -> out of "DWD". The playing grows delicate at first, then Trey switches to a heavier tone and effects start flying. The jam grows nastier and more atonal, with Fish really going to work, as things get sludgy and strange in a way reminiscent of certain Summer 2003 jams. Resolves into a surprising but superb -> into "Fuego". A real harbinger for "Simple"'s glorious Summer 2021. |
| 2021-08-06 | Noblesville, IN | 23:31 | Why we travel from points far and wide to Noblesville, Indiana. Pick a timestamp. 6.37 finds Trey alighting upon a lovely, carefree vibe. Jump to 10.35, and the band is moving through a passage of gnarly, tripped-up disco funk. 12.45 finds Trey (and listen to Page!) working his pedals like it's 1995. Or something. 15.15 features Trey shearing sound, the band deep in psychedelic play that makes recent Melts blush (the focus / the cohesion). Pick a point and it just might be your favorite .... Before the band, taking a victory lap, returns to simply sing us back home. |
| 2021-09-05 | Commerce City, CO | 8:38 | Launches a tremendously fun segment and lays down the musical bones that carry through to -> "Catapult", back to "Simple", and later "Meatstick". |
| 2021-09-05 | Commerce City, CO | 3:42 | -> from "Catapult" as the off-kilter robo-funk continues until > "Meatstick". |
| 2021-10-16 | San Francisco, CA | 12:02 | A kaleidoscopic outro of interweaving delay riffs then shifts at 7:00 to a pumped-up syncopated groove, drawing similarities to "Simple's" 1996 heyday. |
| 2022-02-26 | Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico | 12:57 | At 7:30 a sweet, easy-going bluesy groove takes hold (think "Spooky") and brings the jam to a close -> "SaSS". Not a style often seen, but wonderfully employed here. |
| 2022-04-23 | New York, NY | 19:08 | Initially an upbeat jam that pleasantly bobs along until a switch is flipped around 13:30, launching into a segment of terrifying power and space-age effects -> "Egg in a Hole Jam" |
| 2022-04-23 | New York, NY | 1:20 | -> Trey pulls out of the "Egg in a Hole Jam" with a deft return to the "Simple" riff for a triumphant conclusion to a mind-blowing segment. |
| 2022-06-01 | Charleston, SC | 23:09 | Multi-faceted shapeshifter cruises through an array of styles ranging from heavenly bliss to industrial funk, eventually ascending to a sizable peak and then briefly returns to "Simple" to close. |
| 2022-07-20 | Philadelphia, PA | 14:50 | > from "Soul Planet." Jam begins in familiar melodic territory...but then the band rips a portal in space and time, finding themselves back in the psychedelic murk that occupied the previous set's "Split Open and Melt" jam. Mike and Fishman consistently challenge the rhythm as Page's textural work and Trey's low octave synth effect punctuate the whole affair. The Phish machine churns into a pulsing, monstrous polyrhythmic jam that grooves like a mutha and pulls off a nice -> into "Light." |
| 2022-08-06 | Atlantic City, NJ | 12:42 | An "Under Pressure" tease shakes things loose, allowing for a wispy, cyclical jam to take hold, which ratchets up moderately before an eerie alien outro possibly setting up a > "2001" but instead > "BDTNL". Quite a nugget of improvisation. |
| 2023-04-17 | Berkeley, CA | 19:09 | -> from another MASSIVE, must-hear Bay Area "Tweezer". The tempo is slow at first, then picks up as effects from multiple band members are toyed with. A change at 11:15 sends the jam to a gloriously rollicking place. The play from Trey is anthemic as the band takes a proverbial victory lap after dropping an hour of seriously impressive improv. The joy from the stage is audible. Things eventually wind down before > "Rock and Roll". |
| 2023-08-25 | Saratoga Springs, NY | 21:53 | -> from an expansive "AWoH". This multi-sectioned journey initially takes off in a minor key and plants its flag there as Trey's looping and Mike's cascading high octave wash apply density and complexity. The grooves grow polyrhythmic before coalescing into a dark, intense, effects-laden attack. A seemingly composed rhythm shift then leads the band towards anthemic territory with fluid Trey playing, before yielding to an extended passage of midnight-dark ambience to close. Fantastic. |
| 2023-12-28 | New York, NY | 14:01 | A tale of two "Simples". Providing a great contrast from a notable "Mike's", the band drops quickly into less by way of bebop to traverse more bucolic terrain. A welcome approach, the version rewards repeated listens-given that the extended improvisation is ineffable-before Trey subtly signals a change, leading the band with unusual, restrained soloing that builds but doesn't break. |
| 2024-02-24 | Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico | 17:34 | This show-opener allows the band to stretch their jamming legs with a version that fluidly transitions beyond typical "Simple" and finds a spunky, synth-backed groove over which Trey riffs thematically before a final turn towards bliss and then -> "Sanity". |
| 2024-07-27 | East Troy, WI | 40:20 | This mammoth jam never drags or seemingly missteps while flowing so well that it may come across as deceivingly simple and stands as one of 2024's most illustrative testaments to the supremely complementary modern-day play style. More notable for the overall journey than individual moments as it reaches out in myriad directions and successfully latches onto practically each one. Longest "Simple" ever. |
Jam chart versions are selected because of improvisational and other characteristics that distinguish these from typical versions of the song.
The jam chart team has highlighted some versions with a yellow background; these are the versions the team believes to be especially improvisational, or otherwise notable.
A purple date indicates that you were in attendance.
The jam chart team has highlighted some versions with a yellow background; these are the versions the team believes to be especially improvisational, or otherwise notable.
A purple date indicates that you were in attendance.
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