John Popper Guests With Phish During ‘M’ Set On This Date In 1996
By Scott Bernstein Nov 15, 2016 • 7:00 am PST
Blues Traveler frontman John Popper sat-in with Phish a number of times between 1989 and 1996, but has yet to grace the stage with the foursome since November 15, 1996 at the Kiel Center in St. Louis. On that fateful night in St. Louis Popper added his signature harmonica to the final three songs of the evening.
In a precursor to the antics we’d see play out at Dick’s runs many years later, Phish focused on songs either starting with the letter “M” or containing a word in the title with the letter “M” for the vast majority of their second set in St. Louis on November 15, 1996. Popper emerged as the quartet was debuting a cover of “Mean Mr. Mustard” by The Beatles and started wailing away. He stuck around for a quick but nasty “Weekapaug Groove” and the evening’s “Funky Bitch” encore. Watch the entire second set from the Kiel Center below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HMMNMQD3gUHere’s footage of just the “Mean Mr. Mustard” and “Weekapaug”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcZAE1P0HSISet 1: Wilson > Divided Sky, Bouncing Around the Room, Character Zero, Punch You in the Eye > Prince Caspian, Ginseng Sullivan, Train Song, Chalk Dust Torture, Taste > Cavern
Set 2: Makisupa Policeman -> Maze, McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters > Split Open and Melt, The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday > Avenu Malkenu, My Mind's Got a Mind of its Own > Mike's Song, Sleeping Monkey > Mean Mr. Mustard [1] > Weekapaug Groove [2]
Encore: Funky Bitch [3]
Mimi Fishman addressed the crowd before the show and noted that the band was donating a portion of the proceeds from the show to charity. After Sleeping Monkey, Trey announced that the show was brought to you by the letter M (referencing all the second-set songs with “M”-titles) and the number 420. This show marked the Phish debut of Mean Mr. Mustard, complete with a John Popper (cloaked in a cape and hobbling with a cane to the roar of the audience) cameo as the “dirty old man.” Popper stayed on stage to lend his harmonica to a very short Weekapaug closer and Funky Bitch encore.
