On Halloween, Pink Talking Fish hunkered down at Burlington VT’s Higher Ground, where they debuted a new concept, PTF WTF?! – Pink Talking Fish Plays Whatever The F-ck They Want. The quartet’s first set consisted of their classic mix of Pink Floyd, Talking Heads and Phish cuts while the second set offered a blend of brand-new cover selections, with Dave Grippo from The Giant Country Horns joining in the festivities as well. The four members of Pink Talking Fish dressed for the occasion, too. Bassist Eric Gould was Syndrome from The Incredibles, keyboardist Steve Learson from The 5th Element, guitarist Cal Kehoe was Pikachu from Pokemon and drummer Zack Burwick was The Great Pumpkin.
At the start of their show, Pink Talking Fish opened things up with the theme from Halloween, before segueing into Phish’s proven twist on Beastie Boys’ rap-rock anthem “Sabotoge.” Kehoe also provided an official introduction to the night and explained the evening’s unique theme. Of note, they performed the early Phish epic “David Bowie” on what is believed to be the 40th anniversary of the song’s debut.
The ensemble kicked off their second set with Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It” and then launched into Joe Jackson’s “Steppin’ Out,” which served as a connector throughout the remainder of the show. The band moved through a multitude of their favorites as the set progressed, including material by Paul McCartney (“Band on the Run”), MGMT (“Time to Pretend”), Smashing Pumpkins (“1979”), Billy Joel (“Scenes From An Italian Restaurant”), Pearl Jam (“Better Man”), David Bowie (“Magic Dance”), Kinks (“Lola”), Warren Zevon (“Lawyers Guns And Money”) and The Beatles (“I am the Walrus”). They offered a few fresh mashups as well, including a swirl of Hall & Oates’ “You Make My Dreams Come True” and the theme from Duck Tales, an AC/DC combo of “Thunderstruck” and “It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n Roll),” where Burwick sang “What The Fuck” instead of “Thunderstruck,” and Phish’s “Carini” and Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.” Meanwhile, area hero Grippo sat in on “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant” and “I am the Walrus,” and Learson came out front to sing on, fittingly, Hey Steve’s “I Am Steve.” A lone encore of Prince’s “Purple Rain” brought the festivities to a close.
Up next, Pink Talking Fish will perform at Laguna Beach, CA’s Ivan’z House Live on November 12.
Here’s a look at the night’s setlist
Saturday October 31, Higher Ground in Burlington VT
Set 1:
Halloween Theme* >
Sabotage >
Psycho Killer
My Friend My Friend >
Careful With That Axe, Eugene >
My Friend My Friend
Money** >
Cities
David Bowie >
Pigs (3 different ones) >
David Bowie
Set 2: WTF?!
This Is How We Do It >
Steppin’ Out
Time To Pretend
Band On The Run
Lawyers Guns And Money
Magic Dance
Thunderstruck/Long Way To The Top Mashup
Scenes From An Italian Restaurant**
I Am The Walrus** >
Steppin Out Interlude
1979
You Make My Dreams Come True/Duck Tales Mashup
I Am Steve >
Steppin’ Out Interlude
Lola
Better Man
Carini/War Pigs Mashup***
E: Purple Rain
(*)w/ Intro by Cal Kehoe
(**)w/ Dave Grippo on sax
(***)w/ Cherub Rock tease
