Ken Kesey Sent Phish’s Darien Lake Story Off Course

Phish had a story to tell at Darien Lake on August 14, 1997. Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters helped derail it.

During the second set’s “Colonel Forbin’s Ascent” and “Fly Famous Mockingbird” sequence, Trey Anastasio altered his narration to introduce the visitors. Kesey, dressed as Uncle Sam, began an extended spoken performance while the band moved through “Frankenstein” and a jam. The Pranksters had been traveling across the country on their Grandfurthur tour.

The expected return to “Mockingbird” never arrived. As the guests left, the improvisation settled into a groove and led to “Camel Walk” instead. The band’s own archive records the swerve in detail: a fictional adventure handed over to real counterculture visitors, then abandoned because the music had found somewhere else to go.

Explore the Darien Lake Amphitheater venue guide.

Sources: Source