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"The Ballad of Curtis Loew" is the story of a lonely old guitarist whom the narrator, as a young boy, would pay to play the blues from Lynyrd Skynyrd’s 1974 release, Second Helping. It was only performed live once by the original Lynyrd Skynyrd lineup, prior to the October 20, 1977 plane crash that killed band leader Ronnie Van Zant and five others.

Watch The Ballad of Curtis Loew on YouTube Lynyrd Skynyrd – "The Ballad of Curtis Loew" – Second Helping

The first known Phish performance of “Curtis Loew” took place on 4/29/87 at Nectar’s. From then through 10/30/90, "Curtis Loew" was a regular in the Phish repertoire. The song was then not heard from again until 3/14/93 (302 shows) when the band dusted old “Curtis” off during the soundcheck and then played during the gig. It was played two more times and then was again buried after 8/2/93.

“Curtis Loew” remained one of the most frequently requested covers on tour through the hiatus and all the way up to Phish's breakup in 2004. For many eager fans, hearing the song at an occasional soundcheck (for example, at Big Cypress in 1999) only made matters worse. Then at Fenway Park on 5/31/09, Phish rewarded many fans' patience with a breakout performance after an absence of almost sixteen years and 625 shows. Happily, the Fenway version was not a one-time bust-out, and "Curtis" has eased his way back into a very light rotation – check out 8/13/10 Deer Creek, 5/29/11 Bethel Woods, 7/26/13 The Gorge, or 8/1/14 Orange Beach, AL.

Watch The Ballad of Curtis Loew on YouTube Phish – "The Ballad of Curtis Loew" – 8/1/14, Orange Beach, AL. Video by LazyLightning55a