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Phish's 'Dinner and a Movie': What's Gamehendge? Here's a brief rundown of the band's fictional universe

Phish recently streamed one of only four live sets dedicated to the Gamehendge universe, which was originally played at a July 8, 1994, show in Great Woods, Massachusetts

The iconic jam rock band Phish started trending on social media recently after they live-streamed a special setlist as part of their 'Dinner And A Movie' (DAAM) weekly concert series. The premise for the weekly entertainment spectacle is simple as it's been designed for their fans who are currently stuck at home due to the coronavirus pandemic, promising viewers a Phish concert along with a recipe for a delicious dinner every week. The band recently posted their recipe for a traditional home-cooked dinner, saying, "This week, Page shares a favorite summer recipe from home: Chicken on a Stick, a basil vinaigrette, a side of roasted mushrooms, a vegan Alfredo sauce for pasta." The band then followed that up with an ice cream sandwich treatment, courtesy of Ben and Jerry. 

But what really made Phish a trending topic on Twitter was when they revealed what concert they would be streaming on the night of August 4. The band had previously revealed that they would be broadcasting one of only four existing sets dedicated to the fictional Gamehendge universe, which was originally played at a July 8, 1994, show at the Great Woods Center for the Performing Arts in Mansfield, Massachusetts. Phish previously tweeted, "Tonight's Dinner And A Movie features Phish's July 8, 1994 show from Great Woods. The full show will play for free at 8:30 PM ET at http://wecast.livephish.com. Our beneficiary is @HeadCountOrg, a nonpartisan organization that promotes participation in democracy through music."

This revelation set the Phish fanbase abuzz, since the mythical world of Gamehendge has long being a popular topic of discussion among the band's worldwide fanbase. To make matters even more momentous, despite Phish themselves making numerous references to the Gamehendge universe over the years, they've only played four sets dedicated to the magical realm. These four shows were on June 26, 1994, a March 22 show in 1993 and a March 12 show in 1988. As one fan declared on Twitter, "I can’t believe they’ve been hanging on to this footage this long. It’s true it’s never been released right? #phish." 

So what exactly is Gamehendge then? The answer comes steeped in plenty of celebrated Phish lore, and as one wise Phish fan noted, it's simply not possible to casually explain Gamehendge to the casual music lover. Let's try and give it a brief overview nonetheless.

Gamehendge was first referenced in 'The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday' aka TMWSIY, a concept album written by Phish frontman and guitarist Trey Anastasio in 1987. Many fans have since come to accept the epic piece as an unreleased Phish album, and it is still a highly prized collector's item since only bootleg recordings of the project exist. The record explores the magic land of Gamehendge as a nine-part story, with spoken-word narrative interludes included in between the nine songs of the saga.

It is here that we meet the primary protagonist Colonel Forbin, a retired military man who enters the fictional realm of Gamehendge and retrieves a document called the Helping Friendly Book from Wilson, the evil dictator of that land. There are plenty of other major characters as well like McGrupp, Colonel Forbin loyal dog, the wily Tela, a love interest of Forbin's who is also a spy for Wilson, and Rutherford the Brave, the head knight of the Lizards, a hapless race who had their Helping Friendly Book stolen by Wilson in the first place. Plenty more characters like the great god Icculus, a hitman called the Sloth, creatures called the Multibeasts and the Famous Mockingbird also make appearances, and you can read all about them by clicking here.

Besides the TMWSIY record, Phish has made numerous references to the Gamehendge world in numerous songs since then, including tracks like 'Llama', 'Punch You in the Eye', 'Icculus', 'Axilla' (parts 1 and 2) and 'The Divided Sky', just to name a few. Even the band's Mockingbird Foundation, which is funded by Phish fans, is a reference to the winged character from the Gamehendge saga. So credit goes to Phish for knowing how to treat their fans like royalty during a serious dearth of great music, and the band gets even more props for managing to create such a magical, fantastical realm — it's the gift that keeps on giving.