Those NYC concertgoers going to the May 31 and June 1 Phish shows at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel can skip the drive, traffic and hassle and jump on the Rocks Off "Party Bus."

According to Rocks Off, "We are running an air-conditioned, bathroom-equipped, sound system & flatscreen-rockin party bus from NYC to and from the shows, so you don't need to worry about finding a ride, staying sober, dealing with the scumbags on public transportation (or the crowded-ass shuttle buses back to the NJT station after the show), or even learning where the hell "Holmdel, New Jersey" actually is. Really, all you've gotta do is buy a ticket, show up, stumble into and out of the venue, and we'll take care of the rest - don't that sound like it's worth a little money spent on your peace of mind? (And not having to draw straws to see which one of your friends has to stay sober at a Phish show)."

Tickets are $49 plus shipping (mail for only 25 cents) for each night. More information and links for online ordering is available from the Rocks Off/TicketWeb website here. The bus will run to and from the Hammerstein Ballroom - 34th Street and 8th Avenue. Boarding begins at 4:45pm, and the bus will leave at 5pm PROMPTLY.

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Andrew Duch at the Headstash site has written a thought provoking article about how technology will change the Jam Band scene.

Duch sees a decline in "organic" roots rock music like the jam band genre, in favor of electronica and DJ based music. He also considers the implications of RFID wristbands and smartphone apps to allow cashless festivals and friend finding features. Interactive shows and enhanced couch tours also could be part of the future if bands embrace and facilitate the technology, like audience taping, instead of fighting it.

Food for thought.

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Fifty. Hard to believe, we've been doing this for nearly a year but here we are. And, for those of you keeping score, the Blog has won a grand total of four times. 4 for 49... those are Jorge Posada numbers! Where's my $13m? Sadly, even Posada is doing better than the Blog (if you don't count hints... we should count hints; factor those in and it's the Mystery Jam equivalent of OBP). Now that I've bored the hell out of all the non-baseball fans out there, let's get on with Mystery Jam Monday L. Just like every week, we will be playing for an MP3 download courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. The rules haven't changed: you need to correctly identify the song and the date to win. Post your guess in the comments. One guess per person per day (with the second “day” starting after I post the hint). The hint will come on Tuesday and the answer will be posted on Wednesday. Good luck...

Tuesday Hint: Five meaty minutes of Mystery Jam goodness and you noobs still need a hint?!?!? Ok, this should help... the show is from Vermont.

Wednesday Answer: 7/23/88 "Curtain With" -> "Dave's Energy Guide" -> "Curtain With." Congrats to possum17 on his (HINT AIDED!) victory. We'll be back on Monday for MJ51...

MP3 Downloads Courtesy of LivePhish.com

Maybe we will unleash the people on the town and let them handle it. We didn't bring the people to the area."

Roy Howard, one of the owners of the "Yasgurs Pharm" campground in Bethel, speaking to a reporter about the Town's plans to potentially prevent the campground from hosting Phish concertgoers at the upcoming Bethel Woods shows on May 27-29.

According to published reports, the campground owners have taken reservations for an estimated 1,300 cars, exceeding the maximum number of permitted campers under the Town's ordinance, as well as potentially violating a previous court order not to promote festivals at their site, the site of the original 1969 Woodstock festival.

The Town of Bethel and the operators of a popular campground on the original site of the 1968 1969 Woodstock festival seem to be squaring off about the definition of a "camping party".

The Town ordinance limits the number of permitted "camping parties" per separate parcel of land to four. The owners of the Woodstock Revival campground have already taken reservations for 1,300 vehicles and 3,000 people for their five parcels. Things may end up in court soon.

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Yesterday, GlowStickWars.com debuted a new "Pick Up Sticks" program. Fans attending Bethel Woods can place an order online for concert-friendly glow sticks (Show Sticks) and pick up their order at the concert. Just buy 2 or more tubes at GlowStickWars.com using promo code BETHELPUS; your order will be discounted by 10% and free shipping, and all orders will be available for pick-up each day on the lot, from the time the gates open until show time. Each day they will tweet, email, and post to Facebook their exact location. The second best part is that, if you miss your pick up, or even miss the shows for any reason, GSW will issue you a 100% refund - no questions asked. The best part is that 10% of every purchase is donated to The Mockingbird Foundation.

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The Blog is back with Mystery Jam 49. Just like every week, we will be playing for an MP3 download courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. The rules haven't changed: you need to correctly identify the song and the date to win. Post your guess in the comments. One guess per person per day (with the second “day” starting after I post the hint). The hint will come on Tuesday and the answer will be posted on Wednesday. Good luck...

Tuesday Hint: I think @Icculus has taken care of this week's hint. Careful... it's subtle.

Wednesday Answer: Congrats to Choda (another three-time winner!) for correctly naming the 5/6/93 "Tweezer." See you all on Monday -- Mystery Jam 50 awaits...

MP3 Downloads Courtesy of LivePhish.com

At a private meeting with Watkins Glen residents near the festival site, Schuyler County Sheriff William Yessman and WGI racetrack President Michael Printup told neighbors that the festival organizers and local officials were prepared to deal with the crowds and traffic efficiently, according to an article in the (Elmira NY) Star-Gazette.

The Sheriff told the neighbors "not to expect another 1973", referring to the "Summer Jam" that year with the Dead, Allman Brothers and the Band and the estimated 600,000, mostly ticketless, who showed up. As a result, large outdoor concerts were banned in Schuyler County until last year. Sheriff Yessman said that he's "done more planning on this event than any other event I've been involved with in my 26 years on the job". The planning included attending Coachella last year to observe security operations and to monthly meetings that brought together representatives of emergency services, law enforcement, WGI and the Phish promoters.

Printup noted that the 60,000 cap was less than the NASCAR events at the track and that the WGI is experienced in handling large crowds and traffiic. The article also stated that WGI had filed a 400 page Environmental Impact Statement regarding potential impacts and mitigation of the Phish and other festivals WGI plans to host at the racetrack.

It would appear that, easy access wise, Superball IX will be more like Festival Eight at the Coachella site in Indio than the hours backup-ed, traffic-clogged festival gates at Limestone, ME, The Big Cypress Seminole Reservation, and the "Newport State Airport" in Coventry, VT. Sounds like good news to me!

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BETHEL — The Town of Bethel has imposed a fee on property owners who plan to allow campers on their property this summer as it braces for thousands at the three-day Phish concert on the Memorial Day weekend.

The Town Board recently passed a $50 fee for a temporary camping permit.

Supervisor Dan Sturm said the town has no plans to amend its camping or noise ordinances but will have town code enforcement officers inspecting known camping sites during the weekend to ensure that property owners are complying with the pre-existing laws.

The camping permit was also passed to help the town keep tabs on the camping sites that weekend.

"We are not looking to fine people, but we do have an obligation to protect neighbors and property owners, and to enforce our code," he said.

Bethel law restricts the number of campsites to four per parcel. "

From an article "Fee imposed for Phish camping" by Victor Whitman in the (Middletown, NY) Times Herald-Record (5/8/11)

"Goddard College, a tiny Vermont school that thrived on the counterculture of the 1960s, is back, with the highest enrollment in 30 years, says its new president who will be inaugurated on Saturday [May 7].

The college, which has turned out famous alums such as playwright, director and screenwriter David Mamet, actor William H. Macy and members of the rock band Phish, was on the brink of closing in 2002. It decided to end its full-time on-campus housing and programs and focus on programs that let students spend short stints on campus but do their studies elsewhere.

Now, the college's mostly older students spend eight days on the campus each semester and do their studies off campus working closely with faculty. Enrollment has grown from about 100 students in 1981 and 500 in 2002 to 804 this past fall.

"It's back to take a leadership position at a time when we are in desperate need of thinking differently about education in this country," said Barbara Vacarr, president since July.

"And Goddard has always done that."

The school now has 125 faculty -- up from 75 in 2002 -- and its first 10-year accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges."

From an article in the Portland (ME) Press Herald (5/7/11).

According to the Phish.net FAQ and /people, Page studied at Southern Methodist University from 1982 through the spring of 1984, when he transferred to Goddard College. There, he recruited Trey and Fish (and earned $50 for each in a 1986 recruitment drive which helped save the school). Page graduated in December 1987 and wrote his Senior Study “The Art of Improvisation” under the guidance of Karl Boyle. He now holds a bachelor's degree in Arts from Goddard.

Trey received a Bachelors of Arts degree from Goddard College (fall 1986 to spring 1988), where he wrote The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday for his Senior Thesis.

Fish transferred to Goddard College In the fall of 1986 and graduated in spring 1990, where his Senior Study was titled “A Self-Teaching Guide to Drumming Written in Retrospect.” Fish also holds a bachelor's degree in Arts from Goddard.

Mike is the only non-Goddard Phish alumni; he remained at the University of Vermont and graduated in 1987 with a bachelors degree in Arts.

Phish fan Ryan Hartigan writes that he works "at the nonprofit, The Seeing Eye, the oldest guide dog school in the world for people who are blind. We are currently holding our annual online fundraising auction, and I managed to get in touch with Phish for a contribution to the auction catalog. They donated an incredible, limited edition poster from the Camden 2010 summer shows and each signed it. My wife and I had it professionally framed and hope it will raise some good money for The Seeing Eye."

The poster is on auction here at the Bidding for Good website site.

The Blog is back with Mystery Jam 48. Just like every week, we will be playing for an MP3 download courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. The rules haven't changed: you need to correctly identify the song and the date to win. Post your guess in the comments. One guess per person per day (with the second “day” starting after I post the hint). The hint will come on Tuesday and the answer will be posted on Wednesday. Good luck...

Tuesday Hint: Don't know if this will help, but I booked my flight for Tahoe yesterday and couldn't be more excited...

Wednesday Answer: Congrats to ghostboogie for correctly guessing the 12/28/97 "Runaway Jim." See you all next week...

MP3 Downloads Courtesy of LivePhish.com

Yes, Greyson Schwing provides fast service to his clients. But that isn't why he named his Milford web design, management and hosting firm Antelope Networks.

"I'm a huge Phish fan, and they have a song, `Run Like an Antelope.' I like the song and also that the business name is kind of an inside joke. It's all about the music for me.''

From an article in the (Bridgeport) Connecticut Post "Antelope Networks keeps web side of business running smoothly" by Frank Juliano, Staff Writer (4/28/11).

Read more: http://phi.sh/~iPlgik

Looks like it's time for Mystery Jam Monday Part the 47th. As we do every week, we will be playing for an MP3 download courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. The rules haven't changed: you need to correctly identify the song and the date to win. Post your guess in the comments. One guess per person per day (with the second “day” starting after I post the hint). The hint will come on Tuesday and the answer will be posted on Wednesday. Good luck...

Tuesday Hint: Another week, another unnecessary hint...

Wednesday Answer: Ladies and Gentlemen, we officially have our first three-time winner. Congrats to RebeldyNugs for nailing the 9/11/00 "Piper." The Blog will return next week with yet another Mystery Jam...

MP3 Downloads Courtesy of LivePhish.com