Jam band glossary
The words fans use, in plain English, with real examples from the shows.
What is a jam band?
A jam band is a band whose live shows are built around improvisation: songs stretch, change and run into each other, so no two shows are the same. Fans follow tours, trade recordings and track every setlist. The scene grew out of the Grateful Dead; Goose, Widespread Panic, Phish, Billy Strings, Umphrey's McGee, moe. carry it on.
Bust-out
When a band plays a song it hasn't played in a long time. Fans count the gap in shows. Example: Umphrey's McGee went 1957 shows without The Empire State, then played it on Jan 21, 2022 (per allthings.umphreys.com).
Segue (>)
When one song flows straight into the next without stopping. Setlists write it with a > sign: "Song A > Song B". Example: Goose has taken Seekers on the Ridge pt I straight into Seekers on the Ridge pt II 58 times (per elgoose.net).
Type I and Type II jams
A Type I jam improvises inside the song's own chords and structure. A Type II jam leaves the song behind and goes somewhere new, sometimes for twenty minutes or more, before landing back in the song or in another one.
Jam chart
A fan-kept list of the standout live versions of a song, with notes on what makes each one special. Example: 42 versions of Wysteria Lane are on elgoose.net's jam chart.
Debut, FTP
The first time a band plays a song live. Setlist sites mark it FTP (first time played). Example: Goose's most played original in our game, Arcadia, debuted on Nov 21, 2014 at O'Neill's Irish Pub & Restaurant in Norwalk and has been played at 221 shows since (per elgoose.net).
Gap
How many shows it has been since a band last played a song. A big gap means a bust-out may be coming.
Couch tour
Watching a band's shows on a livestream from home instead of in person.
Tapers
Fans who record shows on their own gear. Many jam bands allow it, and the recordings are shared for free; it's a big part of how the scene grew.
Deadhead, phan
A Deadhead is a Grateful Dead fan. A phan is a Phish fan.
The lot
The parking lot scene before and after shows, where fans hang out, trade and sell food and shirts. At Dead shows it was called Shakedown Street, after the song.
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