Bittersweet Motel is a 2000 documentary film about the rock band Phish directed by Todd Phillips. With him covering the band's summer and fall 1997 tours, plus footage from their 1998 summer tour of Europe. The documentary ends with The Great Went, a giant two-day festival held in upstate Maine that attracted 70,000 people.
| Bittersweet Motel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Todd Phillips |
| Starring | Phish |
| Cinematography | Elia Lyssy |
| Edited by | Alan Oxman |
Release date |
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Running time | 82 minutes |
The film's title comes from a Phish song of the same name, which is featured at the end of the movie.
Songs
editMost songs that appear in the film were performed live unless noted. Eight cover songs are featured in the film, including the rehearsal and debut of Ween's "Roses Are Free" from their Chocolate and Cheese album. Two other notable debuts captured in the film are an early version of "Sleep" (played solo by Trey on his Languedoc guitar for the cameras which would later appear on their 2000 album Farmhouse) and a soundcheck of the band performing what was at the time the new faster-arpeggiated version of "Water in the Sky" that would be seen later that year in studio form on their 1998 album The Story of the Ghost.
The song list does not follow the order in which the scenes were shot. "The Great Went" appears as the climax of the film, though in reality, it was the first footage that Phillips shot for the movie.
| Order Of Appearance | Song | Date | Venue | Original Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brian And Robert | 7/2/1998 | The Grey Hall - Freetown Christiana, Copenhagen Denmark | Phish |
| 2 | Roses Are Free | 12/11/1997 | Rochester War Memorial - Rochester NY | Ween |
| 3 | Down With Disease | 12/11/1997 | Rochester War Memorial - Rochester NY | Phish |
| 4 | Waste | 12/11/1997 | Rochester War Memorial - Rochester NY | Phish |
| 5 | New Year Countdown > Auld Lang Syne > Tweezer | 12/31/1997 | Madison Square Garden - New York NY | Phish > Traditional > Phish |
| 6 | When The Circus Comes | 7/9/1998 | Zeleste - Barcelona Spain | Los Lobos |
| 7 | Water In The Sky (soundcheck) | 6/30/1998 | The Grey Hall - Freetown Christiana, Copenhagen Denmark | Phish |
| 8 | Frankenstein | 7/8/1998 | Zeleste - Barcelona Spain | Edgar Winter Group |
| 9 | Wilson | 7/8/1998 | Zeleste - Barcelona Spain | Phish |
| 10 | Hello My Baby | 7/9/1998 | Zeleste - Barcelona Spain | Traditional |
| 11 | Punch You In The Eye (audio only; background music during "On the Way to The Great Went" montage) | 12/11/1997 | Rochester War Memorial - Rochester NY | Phish |
| 12 | Character Zero | 8/16/1997 | The Great Went - Limestone ME | Phish |
| 13 | The Squirming Coil | 8/16/1997 | The Great Went - Limestone ME | Phish |
| 14 | Simple | 8/16/1997 | The Great Went - Limestone ME | Phish |
| 15 | Also Sprach Zarathustra | 8/17/1997 | The Great Went - Limestone ME | Deodato |
| 16 | Loving Cup | 8/16/1997 | The Great Went - Limestone ME | The Rolling Stones |
| 17 | Art Jam | 8/17/1997 | The Great Went - Limestone ME | Phish |
Additional off-stage performances include:
Brian and Robert (rehearsal and performance) July 2, 1998 - The Grey Hall, Freetown Christiana, Copenhagen, Denmark
Birds of a Feather (rehearsal) March 1998 - Unknown House, Burlington VT
Sleep March 1998?- Trey's Barn, VT
Love Me (Leiber and Stoller) (backstage rehearsal Mike and Trey) December 31, 1997 - Madison Square Garden, New York NY
Bittersweet Motel (backstage - Trey, Page, & Tom Marshall) July 8, 1998 - Zeleste, Barcelona, Spain
The following performances were not featured in the film but were included as bonus footage included on the VHS and DVD releases:
Punch You in the Eye (bonus track 1) December 11, 1997 - Rochester War Memorial, Rochester, NY
Big Black Furry Creatures from Mars (bonus track 3) December 11, 1997 - Rochester War Memorial, Rochester, NY
Dirt (bonus track 4, after Page interview) December 11, 1997 - Rochester War Memorial, Rochester, NY
Maze (bonus track 5) December 11, 1997 - Rochester War Memorial, Rochester, NY
Lawn Boy (bonus track 8, after Page interview) August 16, 1997 - The Great Went, Limestone ME
Home media
editThe film was released on DVD and VHS on March 6, 2001. Both formats feature extra footage, including uncut live performances of Punch You in the Eye, Maze, Big Black Furry Creature from Mars, and Lawn Boy, as well as additional interview sequences that didn't make it into the film. The DVD edition also includes the original theatrical trailer and an interview with director Todd Phillips and offers Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS Surround Sound. The film is presented in its original 1.85:1 Theatrical Aspect Ratio however the DVD is not anamorphic.
Personnel
edit- Trey Anastasio - guitars, vocals
- Page McConnell - keyboards, vocals
- Mike Gordon - bass, vocals
- Jon Fishman - drums, vocals