Happy Birthday Page McConnell: 2008 ‘Nightline’ Playlist

Keyboardist Page McConnell turns 55 today, as he was born in Philadelphia to parents Jack and Mary Ellen on this date in 1963. McConnell officially joined Phish in September of 1985 and the current lineup was locked into place starting with a performance at Hunt’s in Burlington, Vermont on May 24, 1986. Page came aboard at a crucial time in the band’s development and he has been a key part of the Phish sound ever since. His distinctive voice, instrumental skills and improvisational talents helped the group grow into the preeminent jam band with a devoted legion of followers. Phish continues to forge their own path having played a historic and unprecedented 13-show residency at Madison Square Garden in New York City last year in which they didn’t repeat one song. The group will soon embark on a 24-show summer tour and announced plans for a fall tour earlier this week.

Each member has thrown in their own influences to create Phish’s signature musical stew. The long-mothballed “Playlist” segment on ABC late night news program Nightline featured artists talking about their influences and sharing a list of the songs they like most. McConnell participated in an installment of “Playlist” that aired following the release of his self-titled debut studio album in 2007. While video of the segment is currently unavailable on the internet, an article that includes the keyboardist’s playlist which was published on January 5, 2008 remains on the network’s website. The list of ten songs gives an interesting insight into Page’s musical development.

Page’s father Jack McConnell, who died earlier this year at age 93, was an avid fan of Dixieland Jazz. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree as the keyboardist selected Louis Armstrong’s “Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?” for his playlist. The next selection is “Amoreena” by Elton John, a song Page performed once with Phish in 1997 and numerous times as part of the trio Vida Blue and with his short-lived eponymous group. “I learned the song ‘Amoreena,’ which I think I heard for the first time when I saw ‘Dog Day Afternoon,'” McConnell told Nightline in reference to the 1975 film. He added “Amoreena” is “a really pretty and fun song to play. You never know where your influences are going to come from, or where you’re going to find your inspiration.”

McConnell selected the Beatles’ 1968 single “Lady Madonna” for the compilation. Paul McCartney’s barrelhouse piano figure is at the heart of the Fab Four’s hit. The fourth song on Page’s playlist is “Getting In Tune” off The Who’s 1971 Who’s Next. Nicky Hopkins plays the gorgeous piano part that opens the Pete Townshend-penned song. An unconfirmed Phish.net setlist from a Vida Blue show that took place in New Haven, Connecticut on April 13, 2003 notes Page covered “Getting In Tune” during a solo portion of the concert. The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy For The Devil” also made the cut. “I was probably most influenced by the music my brother was listening to as I was growing up,” Page told Nightline in reference to Steve McConnell. “He was a big Beatles fan and a big Stones fan, and eventually a fan of the Grateful Dead, and all these things sort of rubbed off on me and got passed down.”

Jimi Hendrix’s “Bold As Love” is the first song on Page McConnell’s playlist that Phish has played more than once. The band’s first known version of the song from the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s 1967 album Axis: Bold As Love took place on July 7, 1988. While Phish has gone as many as 318 shows without performing “Bold As Love,” the group covered the tune as recently as August 4, 2017. McConnell handles vocals on the quartet’s renditions. Jazz is a strong influence in Phish’s music and the genre is covered in the playlist by Page’s pick of the title track from Miles Davis’ 1969 album In A Silent Way. He also selected one of Frank Zappa’s signature tunes, “Peaches En Regalia.” Like “Bold As Love,” Phish started covering “Peaches En Regalia” in the ’80s and last performed the Hot Rats track during the Summer of 2017.

The keyboardist also discussed the influence of the Allman Brothers Band on both his and Phish’s sound with Nightline. “Growing up, the song ‘Jessica’ was … one of the first songs I learned of theirs. That had a big influence on me,” Page said in reference to the Dickey Betts-penned instrumental. The version of “Jessica” on the Allman Brothers Band’s 1973 album Brothers & Sisters features an iconic piano solo by Chuck Leavell and made McConnell’s playlist.

Nightline asked Page to select a Phish song for the list and “when pressed” McConnell went with “You Enjoy Myself.” Trey Anastasio composed “YEM” during a trip to Europe shortly after Page sat-in with Phish for the first time on May 3, 1985 at the University Of Vermont’s Wilks/Davis/Wing Dormitory. It’s a fitting selection not only because “You Enjoy Myself” is the song Phish has played most over the years, but because “YEM” marked a huge musical evolution for the band that led to co-founding guitarist Jeff Holdsworth leaving the group. Here’s what Anastasio had to say about the dynamic to Richard Gehr for The Phish Book:

Page joined the band about the same time I wrote “You Enjoy Myself,” and we had a band practice in the little red house on King Street right across from the Harry Hood plant. I’d brought in sheet music with some of “You Enjoy Myself” on it, but Jeff was against it, while Page and the other two were totally into playing it. It was a defining moment and we knew something would have to give. I’d always felt something significant could come out of the band, but I think Jeff considered it more of a fun weekend thing. So when I added learning charts to the equation, he was like, “Forget it.”

The version used in the playlist below is a stunning live rendition Phish played on Halloween ’95 that spans 40 minutes. Listen to the ten songs on Page’s 2008 Nightline playlist: