It’s the weekend, you have some download time, so I figured I’d feature three of my favorite shows from three different years. Below you will find descriptions of them and a link for download. They’re not exactly dark horse selections, but if you don’t have a good copy of them, you can re-up here. Cheers- here they are.
12.6.97: The Palace at Auburn Hills, MI: Arguably the best show from Fall ’97, or of all time for that matter, this show needs no introduction. With a great two sets, and a second set that is within the elite ever, this show at The Palace was a defining moment for Phish. With a set one opener of Golgi, Antelope, and featuring a Gin > Foam, this frame merely set the table for the band to tap into the divine and absolutely slaughter the second set. Tweezer>Izabella>Twist>Piper- some objectively best-ever Phish. The Tweezer, certainly one of the top versions ever played, merges dinosaur funk with the astral plane; it is a masterful piece of music. You probably have this, but if you don’t. click download now; do not pass GO and do not collect $200!
I: Golgi Apparatus, Run Like an Antelope, Train Song, Bathtub Gin > Foam, Sample in a Jar, Fee, Maze, Cavern
II: Tweezer > Izabella > Twist > Piper > Sleeping Monkey, Tweezer Reprise
E: Rocky Top
I: Axilla (I)*, Stash, Farmhouse, Taste, Sleep**, Albuquerque**, Driver**, Tube, Golgi Apparatus, Good Times Bad Times
II: Carini > Wolfman’s Brother#, Birds of a Feather, When the Circus Comes, Quinn the Eskimo > David Bowie
E: Been Caught Stealin’
*With “Axilla (Part II)” ending. **Acoustic (played on a “mini-stage” setup to the side of the main stage); “Sleep” preceded by a “Wish You Were Here” tease. ^With glowstick war. #With long ambient jam, during which three people in green accordian worm/caterpillar suits appeared from the back of the stage and crawled around slowly onstage for the rest of the set.
7.23.99 Polaris Amp. Columbus, OH: An explosive second set is the reason this show is up here. Amidst a summer tour with so many great shows, this sequence of Ghost > Free, Birds is some of the most bombastic stuff from the month. A standout Ghost in a summer that featured many, this one took in a direction of heavy groove. With a thunderstorm brewing, this militant Ghost echoed out from the pavilion into the dark skies above. Sliding into a Free that brought the show up a notch, with Trey lunging and jumping with the jam, the venue felt as if it was bouncing wih the music. Totally massive Phish. The Birds that followed was a meandering and exploratory twenty minute jam that was both intricate and resolved with a darkly triumphant section. Enjoy this one- especially if you have never heard it.
I: Ya Mar, NICU, Back at the Chicken Shack, Punch You in the Eye*, Fast Enough for You, Get Back on the Train, Davie Bowie, Strange Design, Possum
II: Ghost > Free, Birds of a Feather* > Meatstick##, Fire
E: Bouncing Round the Room, Rocky To
*Trey on small keyboard ##Trey, mentioning that the world record to be broken with The Meatstick Dance is 74,000, announces that the millenium shows with be in Florida.
(ANYONE HAVE AN EXTRA HIGHER GROUND? I HAVE PORT CHESTER, ALBANY, AND BOSTON TO TRADE)
