Category: reviews

Laugh When They Shoot You — Rochester, NY 02.09.1993

Phish — Auditorium Theatre — Rochester, NY 02.09.1993

I  Bowie, Bouncin’, Poor Heart, MFMF>Rift, Wedge, CDT, Esther->Maze, Golgi

II  PYITE, Mike’s>H2>Paug, Weigh, MSO>Sample>BBJ, Stash>Lizards, HYHU>Bike, Grace

E  Cavern>Rocky Top

Okay, first things first. I listened to this show a few months ago and must have been distracted because my notes on it are that it was a wholly underwhelming show that was lacking something to take it from “well-played midweek affair” to “can’t miss musical experience”. The reality is that while this certainly would have been a much better way to spend that Tuesday night than whatever else you had going on in 1993, it never really elevates past that even if it was better on second/third relisten than my initial notes told me. And that’s… okay.

I should have known from the fact that they opened the show with Bowie that there was more than meets the eye here. In the long history of that canonical tune there have been only 12 shows opened with Bowie (of 432 total appearances). This one was the sixth ever and first since 1991; there would be three total in 1993. In being an opener, this one had a slightly looser feel at the start with Trey messing around with some chords that harken to Buried Alive and Page/Mike doodling away while Fish kept down the hit hat game. There’s a SL call (Oom Pa Pa) before they break into the song in earnest and then it is off into an exercise of building tension before the big release at the lead peak. This isn’t a world beater version by any means but it is telling in the developmental process that leads from these early ’93 Bowies up through ’94 and eventually to the epic psych meltdown mindscratchers of ’95. Nice way to kick off the show too. After that there’s some crowd-moving filler with Bouncin’, Poor Heart before they triple dip on the Rift tunes with MFMF>Rift, Wedge. Of course, there’s the acoustic intro to MFMF and the then common dark breakdown at the end before they head into speedier waters with the title track of their current release. Then we have another [slow] Wedge and a fiery but quick CDT (there’s actually some unique phrasing by Trey mid-jam here but it only lasts a few bars before they head back towards the safety of the song) before a fun Esther->Maze combo stretches the set out and provides both the strong storytelling that is Esther (not to mention some more SL with Simpsons and Random Note signals here as well as some ‘Charge’ teasing from Page, all in the intro) and the shred aerobics of Maze. Golgi caps the set as it does and we are off to setbreak to figure out how to reinvent the post-industrial rust belt cities like Rochester that can no longer rely on the manufacturing base that once made them great. Or we could get nachos. Nachos it is!

Punch You in the Eye starts off the second set with a bang as this one is definitely better than the first attempt after its long break. Still not quite there yet but nice to hear the kinks being worked out on stage for this tune which would stay in the rotation for the most part from here on out. A relatively rote Mike’s Groove follows and things are going along true to form until they hit the Weekapaug. Right after the lyrics end and they head into the jam Trey is taking a different tack, alternating unique leads with lines that are at least reminiscent of the Paug theme and the rest of the band follows along in kind. In truth, this jam stays more in the Paug realm than going elsewhere but the way they play with the theme is interesting enough in its own right to consider this a version you should at least pay attention to. And one thing we will find over the course of this tour is that there are definitely some songs that they play with more than others, which makes sense of course due to the structure of such songs, but the way they do this with Weekapaug time and again is interesting considering what the song has become here in latter day Phish. From there we have the final Rift album tour debut with Weigh getting weird here after ten previous appearances in 1992. This is followed by the first My Sweet One of the year, a song you will hear a LOT more of as we go forward as they would pair it with BBJ, double it up in encores with Amazing Grace and other tunes, or just add it to the bluegrass bits tossed around in one show or another. This one eventually leads to BBJ after a segued stop in that new hot single that some wiser than I thought might spur a version of the “Touch Heads” that flocked to the Dead after Touch of Grey became something of a hit. Fortunately (for several reasons), this didn’t happen with Sample. So after that subsequent BBJ we have a late second set Stash that dives fully into the open waters of the deep end with a captivating, at times quiet subtle jam that comes back to the main theme before heading off into Lizards without the return to the normal end and the ‘maybe so, maybe not’ section that provides resolution to the song. After a nice, clean visit with our friends the Lizards we have Fish Fun Time for the first Bike of the year and then the fifth Grace of the year (first time not in an encore slot! woooo!) to close the set. Cavern>Rocky Top are our encores tonight and then it is off towards the Finger Lakes region for the next night’s show at the Smith Opera House in Geneva.

So here again we have another one of those midweek shows that is probably not going to change your world upon hearing it but offers a few gems amidst an otherwise uneventful though well played show. Nothing here is ending up on a best of all time list but (as we are finding) this whole show is table setting for much bigger things yet to come. Plus you have a very well engaged crowd that gets the Secret Language cues, contributes lyrically when Trey leaves them space (e.g. for the “Please don’t do that!” line of Stash), and is definitely bringing the energy throughout. Hey, like I said, what better things would one have to do in the early 90s in upstate New York than to spend a random Tuesday night with Phish? For takeaways from this show I’ll say you should spin the Bowie, Esther->Maze, Weekapaug, and Stash. Onward and upward…

I Seem to Forget Half the Things I Start — Washington, DC 02.07.1993

Phish — Lisner Auditorium, GWU — Washington, DC 02.07.1993

I  Suzy>Buried Alive>Poor Heart, Ice>Sparkle, Forbin’s>Mockingbird>Rift, IDK, Melt, Fee>Jim

II  Llama, FEFY, MMGAMOIO, Reba, Tweezer>BBJ, Glide, YEM, Coil, IIOHAB>Reprise

E  Grace, Contact>BBFCFM

After a fine pair of shows in New York City, Phish headed to the nation’s capital for the fifth show of the Spring ’93 Tour which also happened to be the fifth consecutive night the band took the stage. This show would be the last (of two) times the band would play this venue at George Washington University, graduating (ha!) to larger rooms on subsequent visits to the area, including the New Year’s Run ’93 appearance at Bender Arena (at American University) just a few months from this date. It is something of a scheduling oddity that they dipped down to the mid-Atlantic region for this one show before heading back to upstate New York and Pennsylvania over the course of the next several shows and then eventually following the lines headed south for good about a week on from here. But all that being said, we have here the first Sunday night show of the tour which is always something in its own right, right? Plus there are several tour debuts and a bunch of teases to go along with the high energy that both the band and crowd bring to the table here.

The band wasted no time in getting a head start of bringing that high energy to the forefront as they came out gunning in the first set, dropping the first Suzy Greenberg of the year to get the dance party moving before doubling up on the openers with Buried Alive. This butts up right to the Poor Heart that followed and here we see something that becomes a pattern over the course of this tour with the band stringing three and sometimes four songs together with no break to start the first set. Now, most of these are not full segues but rather those quick transitions that happen so frequently in Phish sets. But the sum effect is that they get themselves warmed up with a few energetic songs and also get the crowd amped and moving and itching for more. After these three we have Ice>Sparkle and here five songs in we have yet to experience a dull moment even if all of these are light on jam and heavy on the peanut butter. After bringing it all up thus far Trey takes the opportunity to hold the first real Storytime With Trey session, playing Forbin’s>Mockingbird and weaving a quite intricate tale in the process. I could go through and write out what he said here but my synopsis will be a poor facsimile of his words so I’ll just suggest you get into whatever headspace makes you most open to these stories and spin this visceral yarn. All I’m gonna say is that I think Trey was really liking how “pea stew” sounded because he says it like 100 times. So good luck with that head trip. And then after working through a decent Mockingbird they go right into Rift before yet another IDK (this is the 3rd in 5 shows) with Fish (ahem, “Tubs the little beast boy”) on trombone. A snappy take on Melt stays firmly in the box before they close the set with Fee>Jim. This Jim has a nice little jam and some crowd participation (clapping?? WTF? where are the woos???) during the breakdown before Trey solos but overall it is about what you expect from the song at this stage. And then we are off to the setbreak to look for political celebrities in the crowd and chat about political-y type stuff like manifest destiny, the Iraq war, and the changing nature of the American Dream in the latter part of the 20th century. You know, kid stuff.

For the start of the second set Trey mentions that this is indeed a special night as he has apparently found one of those celebrities in the crowd, motioning to Chelsea Clinton here at her first concert and offering a dedication of the impending Llama to her even though she would have been about thirteen at the time and was most definitely not in the audience. There are some added chuckles as they false start that Llama (a telling joke about the dedication in its own right…) due to Trey’s amp not being on but then they attack the song with fervor in getting everyone moving again after the break. The second Fast Enough for You of the tour precedes the first My Mind’s Got a Mind of Its Own (a personal favorite cover of mine) and then we have the first real jam highlight from this night with our girl Reba stepping into the second set. This one has a little SL (Simpsons – right before the whistling), a somewhat unique jam that deserves to be heard, and some alternate lyrics with “baguette” replacing “bag it”. So funny. And then they head into Tweezer for the combo punch, provoking dreams that don’t exist about a massive jam when instead we get some Gumbo teases, a jam that begs to get extended, and a quick dive sideways into BBJ. Dang. Well, it is ’93 so you shouldn’t expect more than what you got. Oh well, but at least they throw another Gumbo tease in the BBJ. Glide bridges us to the next opportunity for the set to really elevate and this time they do not disappoint with a compelling YEM that includes a VJ that heads into a bit of ‘My Darling, Clementine’ before resolving. A pretty Coil comes up next and you can really tell here that Page is enjoying having the piano on tour by the way he takes on the solo. Nothing earth shattering, but he is doing more here than he was in the later ’92 versions which aren’t bad, but lack the color of the piano. Next we have another tour debut for Fish Fun Time (sans HYHU tonight!) as he comes out for If I Only Had A Brain, vac’ing it up as always. They take this directly into the Reprise closer and then we have another special moment at the start of the encore as Trey dedicates Amazing Grace to his sister Kristy (on her 30th birthday), who is in the crowd, and gives her a bouquet of flowers. This is particularly poignant now considering that this is the sister to whom the song Joy references and who sadly lost her battle with neuroendocrine cancer in 2009. As always, Fuck Cancer. After this touching moment they capped the night with two more tour debuts in Contact>BBFCFM and then we are off into the capital city night.

Here in the fifth show of the tour the band is clearly still getting their feet wet but by now the playing has solidified towards being decidedly crisp and energetic no matter what the song. This show has a variety of flavors for fans to enjoy but lacks a definite-must-hear-at-all-costs song or segment that would push it to higher classification for repeated listens. There are, however, some great takeaways here to spin before the band finally gets a night off to head back up towards Rochester. Definitely spin the Forbin’s>Mockingbird, Reba, Tweezer, and YEM but add in Jim if you are feeling charitable too.

And There I Saw to My Surprise — Two Nights at the Roseland — New York, NY 02.05-06.1993

Originally I was going to separate these two shows into separate posts but it kind of makes sense to group them together here, considering this was the first “stand” the band played on the Spring ’93 Tour. I’ll handle each show in turn and then we will get to the big picture as well. But I’d be remiss to not first note that this classic venue that was once a skating arena is no more, having closed in April 2014 (after Lady Gaga had the final residency) to make way for yet another 50+ story building here in Midtown. Progress never sleeps, right? With that, let’s strap in because this one is a tad lengthy…

Phish — Roseland Ballroom — New York, NY 02.05.1993

I  Llama, Guelah, Rift, Melt, Sparkle, PYITE, IDK, Poor Heart>Reba, Bowie->Vibe of Life->Bowie

II  Curtain>Tweezer, Horse>Silent, Paul & Silas, Ice, YEM, HYHU>Love You>HYHU, Coil, Reprise

E  Grace, Cup

On the first night of their stop in New York City Phish opened up with a fiery Llama that gets the rowdy crowd going in what will eventually end up being one of those “Page Shows” we used to note excitedly while filing out of the room back in the day. Guelah then slides into its familiar second song first set position (get used to it. this song was played in 30 of the 71 shows that make up the spring tour) before we have Rift, a tune that benefits well here from Page’s new baby grand piano. Next up is the first opportunity for the band to stretch their metaphorical legs a bit with Melt but this one is wholly in bounds and pretty short at that. The renaissance for this song was still about two months away and we will get to listen to that all happen on stage as we move forward here. A fast Sparkle then precedes a massive bustout of PYITE, a tune that had gone 414 shows between appearances. This version is a tad shaky which isn’t really surprising all things reconsidered, but its appearance is notable as they would then begin a pattern of alternating this song and Landlady (not always in consecutive shows). It is an odd thing to have them playing what amounts to two pieces of the same thing concurrently as in most cases when they have had songs that eventually became larger suites (think Fluffhead>Fluff’s Travels with all of the various parts that make it up — Clod, Who Do? We Do!, The Chase, etc.) they ceased to play the parts once the whole had been begotten. Quite frankly, I know there are many who would love the return of the freestanding Landlady but that is a discussion for the comment section. Note that during this version Trey takes the time to teach the crowd The Storm Dance and even notes that the faster playing they typically use for Landlady messes him up a tad. IDK (“Tubs” “Beast Boy” actually attempts to play an oversized picture of Otis Redding, which obviously does not translate well to the tape and seems to just confuse the crowd) and Poor Heart serve as filler in this set in getting us to the first Reba of the year, one that takes a patient path through the jam segment with Trey adding color to the relaxed vibe of the rhythm section. This is followed by the set-closing Bowie which includes some SL (Random Note, All Fall Down) as well as a little taste of Storytime with Trey as they throw the Vibration of Life in the mix before leaving the Bowie intro. This is only the fifth (of 22 total) time they evoked the green beams of the universal vibration of life so it doesn’t really get the reception I think Trey was seeking but it does provide a nice interlude upon which to lay down those aforementioned secret language cues. From here we get the balance of the Bowie (complete with the echo vocalization that the song now lacks) and a Bowie jam that gets out there in that way we love with the band toying around with the rhythm of the jam as they work their way towards the big finish. And with that we are off to setbreak.

This night the second set would kick off with the beloved old school combo of Curtain>Tweezer and this version is a keeper at that. After nailing the Curtain they take the Tweezer out for a bit in a jam that hints heavily at ‘Funkytown’ at times. Ok, so maybe this isn’t a ’95 mindfuck Tweezer jam or a ’98-99 space odyssey but it is worth your time. Horse>Silent, P&S provide a bit of a break here before they dive back into the bigger stuff with a nice Page-led Ice and eventually YEM. And let’s just note here that you will see an obvious pattern form over this tour where the major jam vehicles alternate on a 2-3 show basis with Mike’s Groove and perhaps a “minor” vehicle such as Reba or Stash typically being played opposite of Tweezer and YEM. Obviously they break the pattern occasionally — and often this results in the more notable set/show having been played — but for the most part this is the format we have (along with some other patterns more related to the straight ahead tunes. Keep in mind that this is before the true “open jam era” that would begin in earnest later in ’93 and really springing to life in ’94 and ’95 so a song like Weekapaug actually did have some notably unique jams that could almost carry the set which is relevant when simply perusing these setlists and trying to make comparisons to the way the songs are played today. But let’s get back to that second set here…

From the first notes of YEM it is apparent that this is a song many came to hear. The crowd immediately provides positive feedback to the band and the band responds in kind with an engaging and complete take on the composed section of the song, particularly with a stunning ‘Nirvana’ section and a great Bass & Drums that leads to another interesting VJ that culminates with the choir ending. Page rides this choir theme on the organ before starting up HYHU and Fish then comes to the front of the stage for his pretty much nightly thing to sing Love You and suck some vac while also bantering about the crew (notably, he calls Brad the “chairman of the boards” since he is sitting in a chair by the soundboard, a nickname that will eventually be linked to Page). Once he is back at the kit we get the first Squirming Coil of the tour and here is where Page really gets to use his new toy to great effect, stretching out the end solo as he tinkles away at the keys of his real live actual piano. But I will say that whoever thought it was a good idea to start a synchronized clap thing during Page’s solo really needs to reevaluate that line of thinking. There will be many instances of crowd-generated clap routines over the course of this tour but this might be the most oddly placed one. At least the others accompany the song to some degree. Geez. The expected Reprise closer comes next and then we get those two new tunes again for the Amazing Grace, Loving Cup encore combo.

This is, largely, one of those shows that would today be referred to as an “energy” show where the jamming is limited but the songs are played well and the crowd is fully engaged. But if we do that then we will have people arguing back and forth because one person was there and feels the show is getting slighted by those only listening on tape and surely they don’t get what happened that night and then there will be some negative comment that hurts someone’s feelings about what was a transformative experience for them and then we have to do the whole dance around Attendance Bias and whatnot. Honestly, I’d like to avoid that aspect of modern phishlife if we can so we will just move right along then to tell you that the takeaways from this first night at the Roseland are Reba, Bowie->VOL->Bowie, Curtain>Tweezer (because why avoid the introducing piece?), YEM, and Coil.

Oh, and because we are here we should also note that after the show Mike and Trey went over to The Ritz to join in on what would henceforth be known as The Ritz Power Jam to help out on a few tunes at the end of the second set. They would be part of Spanish Moon, Watchtower, and the Gloria encore. Really, if you have never heard this tape check it out. Warren Haynes, John Popper, Noel Redding, Leland Schliefer, Chuck Leavell, Bernie Worrell, Jaimoe, Jerome Brailey, and Marc Quinones make up the band. Add in the Trey/Mike + DMB on Watchtower and there’s a heck of a lot of musicians involved. I definitely wore out the tapes on that one way back when.

Now on to night two!

Phish — Roseland Ballroom — New York, NY 02.06.1993

I  Golgi, Foam, Wilson, MFMF, Maze, Horn, Divided, Lawn Boy, Wedge, Bouncin’>Antelope

II  CDT, Mound, Stash, Adeline, ATR, Mike’s>H2>Paug, Lifeboy, Uncle Pen, BBJ, HYHU>Lengthwise>Buried Alive, Possum

E  Fire

If the Friday night show was an “energy” affair, then this one would definitely be considered the “Saturday Night Special”. This is also the fourth night (of five total) in a row that they played and even though this is a much younger band at the start of the tour it does show a bit that they were a tad weary by the time they hit the stage for this one (and the late night sit-ins and other partying that occurs in NYC surely had some impact as well). Now, these five night runs weren’t rare at this time so after a while you just accept that they are going to happen and keep that in mind for perspective but as this is a much younger band they don’t seem to have a lasting impact or are always at play when trying to figure out why the band isn’t connecting as well as on other nights.

With all of that said, this is still a solid outing for the band for Spring ’93 showcasing the variety of the songbook, the high standard level of playing, and some guest sit-ins taboot taboot. Things get off well enough with the first Golgi of the year and a second song Foam (pretty much this song’s standard slot when not occupied by Guelah) that brings things up a bit in the energy department before we have the first Wilson of tour. Now, if you know your phishtory you know that this is pre-crowd involvement for this song (that really didn’t take off until later with the 12.30.94 version being The Moment for the song — and the version that ended up on A Live One) so it is quite subdued from the song we know today as the bombastic anthem it has become. There’s even room for some SL (Random Note, Simpsons) in the pause before the “blap boom” ending section. Next up is MFMF and its old acoustic intro before a shredder Maze that features a nice organ solo from Page before Trey takes a few laps around the fretboard. Horn (finally!) makes its appearance as one of the last Rift songs to be played on this tour (remember, Weigh is still a couple of shows away and Mound would show up later one this night) before a quite well received Divided fills the room. Lawn Boy (with Trey taking the solo) and Bouncin’ sandwich a very nice take on Wedge where Page really shines on the piano, bringing this “slow” version closer to the modern iteration of the song. Finally, a rousing Antelope sends everyone to the setbreak on a high note to discuss current events and various forms of literature and other art while waiting in line with the other freaks to unload their bladders.

The second frame starts with CDT (similar to two shows ago) before the first Mound of the year pops up to keep things quirky. Then a now-rare second set Stash fills the third slot and if you are thinking “holy shit! second set stash! that must jam!” then you would be largely incorrect as this one stays at home for the most part, though they do build some nice T&R along the way. Oddly, they take things way down next for a mic’d take on Sweet Adeline and then ATR before ratcheting it back up for the obvious Mike’s Groove we knew was coming. Things start of hilariously enough with Mike doing the “this is MY song” bit before they take the jam out for a dark turn or two. A somewhat out of tune Hydrogen is next before they dive headlong into a dynamic Weekapaug that includes an extra verse and some type II jamming, giving a bit of a glimpse into where this song was at the time considering that in some cases the Paug jam could elevate a set in a way the rote rocker quite simply does not do anymore. Next we get the second Lifeboy ever and this one is maybe a little more poignant that the debut but still lacks the deep pathos this song would deliver as it became a more regular member of the rotation. A quick run through Uncle Pen precedes Fish Fun Time which on this night includes Fish refusing to tell the Prison Joke (don’t worry, it’ll come out later in the tour) and a few rounds of Lengthwise including a verse about burning your finger from holding up a lighter for too long before they transition directly into Buried Alive. John Popper comes out to add flavor on this tune and stays on through the set closing Possum and here I will just say that the subject of the relative merits of sit-ins is on full display here. Back in this time Popper was a big gun on the scene (particularly in NYC and the area) so it was not unusual for him to join in here. What you get here is largely what we all now know his harmonica playing to be which is to say that some appreciate it and others really don’t. I’ll argue that he adds to the Possum but really just clouds the issue a bit on Buried Alive. Then for the encore the debate can go further as they start up Fire only to stop twice after jokingly not being able to play the song before they bring out Noel Redding to sit in on bass. Popper is also there (Trey gives him the first solo) and Mike gives way to join Page on the keyboards and while including one of the original players on the song it is just an okay take without any major benefit in the long run, as in “holy crap have you ever heard that time they did Fire with Noel Redding and John Popper?!?” yeah, it’s fun to hear but just doesn’t really elevate much. So then everyone is off into the night to find other nefarious goings on to attend to with their Phish buzz in full effect. Which is interesting to joke about considering that Fish would sit in with Shockra over at The Wetlands for a couple of songs, playing vac on one and playing drums while reading from a Sun Ra book on another. They also encored with Fire which is nice. But that’s all really just anecdotally relevant to the larger topic anyway.

For your takeaways on this night let’s include The Wedge, Weekapaug, and that Possum. Sure, there aren’t a lot of high highs here but the tour is early…

— —

So where does this stand put us? These two shows point out the benefit of a band that plays and practices together a lot, as the playing is quite strong and energetic no matter what song they are playing. In a way, the playing is so sharp that when they do slip up it is almost UNnoticeable as it almost seems planned (if that makes sense). Part of this is the youthfulness of the band and their mastery of both instrument and the music being played but a lot of it is simply the level of connection and communication they have forged amongst each other. There is still a long upward trajectory to be heard on this tour but here only four shows in it is clear that the band is feeling good and sharing in the energy their fans push back to them. There is excitement in knowing what is to come here as these shows don’t even really scratch the surface of where we will be in a few short months. And that is a wonderful thing to look forward to…

Simple Smiles and Good Times – Providence, RI 02.04.1993

Phish – Providence Performing Arts Center – Providence, RI 02.04.1993

I  Axilla, Foam, Bouncin’, Maze, FEFY>ATR, Stash, Lizards, Sample*>Glide>Antelope

II  CDT, Wedge, Mike’s>TMWSIY>Avenu Malkenu>TMWSIY>Paug, Lawn Boy, Uncle Pen, BBJ>HYHU>Lengthwise>HYHU, Hood, Cavern

E  Grace, GTBT

*1st time played

For the second show of the Spring ’93 Tour Phish was in Providence, RI at the wonderfully ornate PPAC (Providence Performing Arts Center) which has been the home to a wide variety of shows, films, and other events since opening in 1928. This one would include another debut, some teases, and a bevy of jams worth your time. As the second show of the tour it is mostly made up with first time appearances from the majority of the songs played here but there are a couple of tunes that get repeated — and these are the ones you’ll hear quite frequently over the course of this tour. This is different from the band we know today considering that it is now highly rare for the band to play the same song(s) in consecutive shows (unless we are talking about the Reprise fun from Hartford/SPAC in 2010 or the Fuegoization of America over the course of the Summer 2014 tour).

So on this night the festivities would begin with a few warm up numbers, getting both the band and crowd loose with Axilla, a bouncy take on Foam, and Bouncin’. Then they fired up Maze for the Trey shred as well as some nice Page work on the organ. After this they brought it down a notch for FEFY>ATR and both of these are about what you’d expect. This three pack of Rift tunes takes the total count of tracks played up to ten (of the 14 unique songs on the album – the 15th tune being the second Lengthwise — a tune which would show up later in this show). The final few tracks would get sprinkled into the next few shows with Mound and Horn popping up in the 02.06.1993 show from The Roseland which we will cover shortly and Weigh waiting until 02.09.1993 in Rochester. But now back to this show… After this Rift material we have the first true highlight of the night as they would take Stash out for its first ride of the year. Trey catches on to a repetitive lick that he uses to drive the jam forward, building that wonderful tension along the way until they hit the release button at the peak to great effect. This song is going to be featured a lot by the band on this tour, particularly in carrying the jam load for many first sets, and as we go forward you will be able to note how they work to take this song deeper out seemingly every time they play it. Lizards provides the calm following this jam and this version is pretty okay. But hey, there’s a major super big time debut that follows it so perhaps they were just anticipating that one. And what was that epic debut? Only the second track from Hoist to hit the stage in as many days: Sample in a Jar! Yes, that’s right, everyone’s favorite attempt at making a marketable single was birthed this night in Providence and let’s just say it isn’t the most memorable version ever but that kind of goes without saying because we are talking about Sample here, aren’t we? After flooring the crowd with that amazing musical display they would end the set with Glide>Antelope which works quite well probably mostly due to the band taking Antelope out for what would be the second open jam of the set. There’s even the first example of Secret Language of the tour in this one, with the Simpsons signal showing up here post jam in the lead up to the ‘Rye Rye Rocco’ section. And with that we are off to setbreak to enjoy the fun visuals of this old theatre.

And after that break the band came out with energy, cranking through the first of many fiery versions of CDT that would grace this tour. There’s nothing overly special going on here, just the band crushing one of their classic barn burner numbers and hitting all the notes along the way. Second slot tonight is our new [slow] Wedge and this one is a tad cleaner than the debut from last night while still staying in that swinging, slower vibe. From this point the set would take a much darker turn as the band strung together a biggish Mike’s Groove that clocks in just under 27 minutes in toto. From the start of the Mike’s jam it is clear they are taking this one deep and even in being under eight minutes this version gets pretty grimy before coming back to the end and transition to TMWSIY>Avenu Malkenu>TMWSIY. At this stage NOT playing H2 immediately following Mike’s in the middle of the Groove was extremely rare, having occurred only 17 times up to this point — that we know of. Interestingly, before being a part of the Groove H2 was once paired with ‘Who Do? We do!’ (which would eventually become part of the Fluffhead suite) including a brief bridge jam not too dissimilar to ‘With’. Check out 08.29.1987 for what might be the most fully realized example (and one that also includes the long lost lyrics to H2). Geez, I gotta stop with the asides here. Anyway, after that Man Who sandwich they kick up for the Paug finale and this one is a keeper. First Trey throws in a little TMWSIY phrasing over the Paug groove and then for good measure they drop some of the then quite popular Ween tune ‘Push th Little Daisies’ into the brief vocal jamming that springs forth at the end of the song before the close. This is the only instance of this song being teased by the band that anyone has noticed so it is pretty fun to hear them throw that in there — and it is really just the start of the teasing that would be evident all tour long. After this long segment they cool things down with Lawn Boy and for this version Trey takes the solo. Uncle Pen comes in next for the requisite bluegrass number of the night before the inevitable BBJ shows up to lead us into Fish Funtime. Now we have that Lengthwise I mentioned earlier and Fish really draws this one out with a slower read on the pace in a version that is mostly a cappella before the end and return to HYHU. After Fish returns to the kit he strikes up the first Hood of the year for a straight forward yet engaging take on the well loved tune. There’s a Random Note SL in the intro section and then Trey teases Lengthwise at the start of the jam but otherwise this one is all good Hood. The second set closes with the first (of many) Caverns of the year and then we get our second Grace encore paired with a rocking GTBT to send everyone off into the night.

Overall, this is not a show you’ll probably spin again and again but it is one that has its highlights and points towards the band’s trajectory on this tour. You can hear in the Stash and Antelope that they are setting things up for bigger things, exploring the themes of these songs while also throwing in new ideas along the way. In some sense these early tour versions of the typical vehicles are the band getting comfortable again after the post-NYE layoff and they also are examples of the band members doing things to keep each other on their toes. As the tour progresses we will hear these songs blossom further.

The takeaways from this one are definitely Stash, Antelope, the Mike’s Groove (but at least the Paug if you are counting your phish calories), and Hood. Next stop, New York City!

What a Beautiful Buzz – Portland, ME 02.03.1993

Let’s get this 1993 review thing going, shall we?

Phish – Portland Expo – Portland, ME 02.03.1993

I  Cup*, Rift, Fee>Llama, Wedge*, Divided, IDK, MFMF, Poor Heart>Guelah, Bowie

II  Jim, Ice>Tweezer, Horse>Silent>Sparkle, YEM>Lifeboy, HYHU>Terrapin>BBJ>HYHU, Possum

E  Grace*, Reprise

*1st time played

For their first full concert of the year* Phish took the stage in Portland, ME at the Portland Exposition Building, a multi-use facility that is currently the home for the NBA D League “Maine Red Claws” who are affiliated with the Boston Celtics. This would be the first and only appearance by Phish in this venue as they would play the larger Cumberland County Civic Center (now called the Cross Insurance Arena) on subsequent visits to that fair coastal town. Along with being the tour opener, this show holds the distinction of being the first one where Page had the baby grand piano on stage and part of his rig for touring purposes. And with that addition the band wasted no time in letting Page show off his new toy, one that he would use to great success in several songs during this show.

The first set kicks off with Page tinkling around on the baby grand, throwing in a ‘Call to Post’ tease right before dropping the now-oh-so-familiar chords marking the debut of Loving Cup, a tune that has become a staple in the band’s repertoire. The band excitedly runs through this number in a straight to form take on the song that mainly serves to get the band and crowd warmed up and brush off the dust from the layoff. Next they dive into the first tune from the (then) recently released Rift album, playing the title track. Just a bit of forewarning here, the Rift tunes will be in heavy rotation for this Spring tour – as they should be considering this tour is supporting the release of the album… So after a crisp run through of Rift we have Fee>Llama which is an interesting pairing that has only occurred 10 times in the 275 times the band has played Fee. It isn’t uncommon for Fee to be a lead in for a shredder tune or at least something more up tempo. And because I do this sort of thing, here’s the breakdown for the most likely Fee segue partners over the course of phishtory: Maze (21), Rift (11), Divided (11), Llama (10), Antelope (10), ATR (9), Mike’s (9), Possum (8). Looking forward, almost half of those Llama ones happen in ’93 so there’s that to look ahead to here.

After some serious shreddery in that Llama Trey takes a little time to mention the Loving Cup debut and how the band has wanted to play the tune for several years but could (would?) not because Page would only do so if and when he got a real piano on which to play the tune. And then with little fanfare they kick off the next debut of this show and second rift tune played, The Wedge, which in this form is similar but not quite the same as the version we know and love today. Heck, it isn’t even the same as the version on the album! This song started more as a swinging lounge-y number that has a lot of Page to it (which works great with that new piano). A clean take on Divided fills the midset here and then we have Fish hopping out front for some trombone work on IDK. Trey then picks up the acoustic for the MFMF intro and after that quick dark interlude we have Poor Heart>Guelah, two tunes you are going to hear a lot during these shows. Nothing special to report on those except perhaps that the end solo section for Trey in Poor heart is a tad longer than modern versions, something that would also continue throughout this tour. The band then caps the set with the first Bowie of a year full of quality versions, opening up the jam a bit in a way that would grow more as they became more comfortable with stretching this one out to deeper waters. This version is almost foreshadowing in that respect, hinting more at what would become of the song than anything.

After the setbreak the band came back with a fiery Jim that allows Trey to show off a bit in the later half. This song is still a bit away from fully opening up as a jam vehicle (which would begin in earnest later in this tour) but the marks are all there and this one shows a good example of the type of musical density they had in their arsenal back then. Next we have Ice>Tweezer and the segue is really more just coincidental placement than full transition. Ice is pretty standard here but the Tweezer does go off the reservation for a bit with Trey intoning some “water your team, I’m a beehive” over the jam, hinting at more to come in the YEM later in the set. Form here they then play a three song segment of tunes, all from Rift and all pretty straight to the album versions, with the sequence going Horse>Silent>Sparkle. The Horse here (as with pretty well all of the versions in this time frame) has Trey on acoustic, something he will toy with over the course of the tour. Following this we get the second jam vehicle of the set with YEM and for this one they simply do not mess around, getting right to the jam and playing around with some ‘My Girl’ teases and Trey replacing the “wash Uffizi…” line with the aforementioned “beehive” lyrics. I must note though that the crowd gets a little excited and there’s some coordinated clapping happening here so, you know, take that for what it is but understand that back then people didn’t have stuff like “wooing” and “Hood” chants to profess their love back to the band yet. They elevate the jam to great heights before dropping into the B&D section for a bit and adding on a vocal jam that again has the “beehive” from Trey before they eventually get to the “choir” ending that was typical of this time period. This heads almost directly into another debut for Lifeboy – which is notable considering this is the first Hoist tune to hit the stage for the band. This version is a bit loose compared to later versions but still evokes that emotional response you expect from the song. From here we have the standard late second set Fish Fun Time which gets the HYHU brackets (just a note, I won’t typically mention HYHU unless there is something unusual about it) and includes Terrapin (including band/crew intros), the crooning ballad from Syd Barrett that Fish appropriated as far back as 1987, along with BBJ (with Trey telling the crowd what to do and Fish on vac) that includes elements of Terrapin before they head into a HYHU jam to finish it all off. After this interlude we get a quite engaging Possum closer that strays into ‘You Don’t Love Me’ territory before Trey takes over to destroy the end solo as Page adds a new variety of color with the baby grand. And so as to not be seen as an afterthought, the encore includes the debut of Amazing Grace before the expected Reprise sends everyone off into the night.

This is a classic tour opening show complete with a varied setlist, several debuts, an energetic atmosphere from band and crowd alike, and some solid playing out of each player. In a way, this show is a lot of table setting as we are introduced to Page’s new toy and a snapshot of many of the tunes that would become staples for the band on this tour and many that would follow. This show is probably not going to end up on anyone’s “best of” lists but it is a worthwhile listen to get a baseline for where this tour would lead the band musically.

Your takeaways from this show if you are looking to skim the highlights are Loving Cup (hey, it’s the debut!), Wedge (gotta check out the first slow wedge), Bowie, Jim, Tweezer, YEM, and Possum. Not too bad for a tour opener!

—

*I say full concert because they had an album release party at the Hard Rock Cafe in Boston on 01.28.1993 where they performed Amazing Grace and Fish donated a vac that still hangs on the walls there. 

Spring 1993 – A Primer

Over the years Phish has put together more than their fair share of lengthy, progressive, crowd-pleasing tours. There’s Fall ’97 (aka Phish Destroys America), Fall/Winter ’95 (a new exploration in mind-bending psychedelia every night!), Europe ’97 (the birth of cowfunk), Summer ’94 (marking the move to bigger sheds and bigger crowds), and of course August ’93 (when the shred-jazz-adelia took root), amongst many others. But along with these well known and oft-discussed tours there are the ones that primed the band for bigger things and where they truly cut their teeth in exploring new ideas, new material, and new paths for elevating the music and the crowd towards achieving those collective moments of communal joy that are so much a part of why we as fans continue to return again and again.

The 71 shows that the band played in the 94 days between February 2nd, 1993 and May 8th, 1993 make up one of these “formative” tours. This nation-spanning tour started in the Northeast before following the lines headed south to a legendary run in Atlanta before the first shows in Florida and then out West with a 10-show run in California along the way before making its way across the Midwest and eventually back to their home base in New England (by way of Canada). Highlighting the songs that made up the then recently released Rift album (the album release party was a few nights before the tour began at the Hard Rock Cafe in Boston), this tour is a bridge between two versions of the band. They had ended 1992 on a creative upswing with the tight, structured style of the past ever so slightly beginning to give way to more exploration in the live setting but were still working towards what would eventually become the next step in their musical evolution with the move towards more open waters that really came to the forefront in the aforementioned August portion of the Summer ’93 tour. Rift was their third album released in just over three years and they now had a palette of more than three hundred songs from which to choose in crafting each night’s setlist, along with all of the other tricks in their bag including Secret Language, references and teases of songs that ranged across all genres of music and the ability to play any style of music that suited their fancy, a lead singer who loved to tell stories, and probably most important of all a fanbase that was growing both in size and in terms of dedication to seeing what these guys would do next.

This Spring ’93 tour sits at an interesting point in the band’s history and is therefore quite interesting to look at in depth since it provides a great opportunity to witness the band as they grew into a new version of themselves. With that in mind, over the course of a series of posts (okay, a LOT of posts) I will be chronicling each show and trying to give some information that I have been able to gather about the set and setting in order to hopefully provide some context about how this tour progressed and led us more to the band that we know and love today. My focus is on the music first but whenever possible I will add color regarding the venues, crowd, and other factors that may have influenced what occurred on each night the band took the stage. And in doing that I think we will be able to see not only the patterns that formed but also the path that this tour forged in setting the stage for some of the much bigger things to come.

As a means of forecast, here are the tour dates of the tour. I invite you to add your own thoughts and memories to help shape the story because one man’s point of view on it is not enough when discussing such things…

PHISH – SPRING 1993 – TOURDATES*

2/3/93 Portland Expo, Portland, ME

2/4/93 Providence Performing Arts Center, Providence, RI

2/5/93 Roseland Ballroom, New York, NY

2/6/93 Roseland Ballroom, New York, NY

2/7/93 Lisner Auditorium, George Washington University, Washington, DC

2/9/93 Auditorium Theatre, Rochester, NY

2/10/93 Smith Opera House, Geneva, NY

2/11/93 Haas Center for the Arts, Bloomsburg, PA

2/12/93 Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie, NY

2/13/93 Bob Carpenter Center, University of Delaware, Newark, DE

2/15/93 Memorial Hall, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC

2/17/93 Benton Convention Center, Winston-Salem, NC

2/18/93 Electric Ballroom, Knoxville, TN

2/19/93 Roxy Theatre, Atlanta, GA

2/20/93 Roxy Theatre, Atlanta, GA

2/21/93 Roxy Theatre, Atlanta, GA

2/22/93 The Moon, Tallahassee, FL

2/23/93 The Edge Night Club, Orlando, FL

2/25/93 The Cameo Theatre, Miami Beach, FL

2/26/93 Ritz Theatre, Tampa, FL

2/27/93 Florida Theatre, Gainesville, FL

3/2/93 Tipitina’s, New Orleans, LA

3/3/93 Tipitina’s, New Orleans, LA

3/5/93 Deep Ellum Live, Dallas, TX

3/6/93 Liberty Lunch, Austin, TX

3/8/93 Sweeney Center, Santa Fe, NM

3/9/93 Pike’s Peak Center, Colorado Springs, CO

3/12/93 Dobson Arena, Vail, CO

3/13/93 Balch Fieldhouse, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO

3/14/93 Paul Wright Gym, Western State College, Gunnison, CO

3/16/93 Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix, AZ

3/17/93 The Palace, Hollywood, CA

3/18/93 The Palace, Hollywood, CA

3/19/93 The Greek Theatre, Redlands, CA

3/21/93 Ventura Theatre, Ventura, CA

3/22/93 Crest Theatre, Sacramento, CA

3/24/93 Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa, CA

3/25/93 Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, Santa Cruz, CA

3/26/93 Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, CA

3/27/93 Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, CA

3/28/93 East Gym, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA

3/30/93 Hilton Ballroom, Eugene, OR

3/31/93 Roseland Theater, Portland, OR

4/1/93 Roseland Theater, Portland, OR

4/2/93 Mt. Baker Theatre, Bellingham, WA

4/3/93 86th Street Music Hall, Vancouver, BC, Canada

4/5/93 HUB Ballroom, Seattle, WA

4/9/93 State Theatre, Minneapolis, MN

4/10/93 Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL

4/12/93 IMU Ballroom, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

4/13/93 Memorial Hall, Kansas City, KS

4/14/93 American Theater, St. Louis, MO

4/16/93 The Macauley Theater, Louisville, KY

4/17/93 Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor, MI

4/18/93 Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor, MI

4/20/93 Newport Music Hall, Columbus, OH

4/21/93 Newport Music Hall, Columbus, OH

4/22/93 The Agora Theatre, Cleveland, OH

4/23/93 Cotterell Court, Reid Athletic Center, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY

4/24/93 Cheel Arena, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY

4/25/93 Kuhl Gym, SUNY Geneseo, Geneseo, NY

4/27/93 Concert Hall, Toronto, ON, Canada

4/29/93 Le Spectrum, Montréal, Québec, Canada

4/30/93 Sports Center, University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT

5/1/93 Tower Theatre, Upper Darby, PA

5/2/93 Tower Theatre, Upper Darby, PA

5/3/93 State Theatre, New Brunswick, NJ

5/5/93 Palace Theatre, Albany, NY

5/6/93 Palace Theatre, Albany, NY

5/7/93 Bangor Auditorium, Bangor, ME

5/8/93 Field House, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH

*Please note that these tourdates do not include other appearances by the band in this time frame that are not considered concert performances, for example the band’s supposed appearance at The Boston Music Awards on April 7th and their two song performance at the Ancient Forests Benefit on April 1st in Portland, OR.