In 2001, during Phish’s first hiatus, the organization devised a long-overdue revenue stream by releasing entire remastered shows in 3-4 disc packages. They would call the series “LIVE PHISH,” and it would highlight stellar shows from the band’s career. While most of the shows chosen are certainly quality choices, I have often wondered why other gems were left out. While it is difficult to argue against any of the choices (except 7.8.00 Alpine?), a strong case can be made for some other shows to be remastered and sold. Here are a few. (You can download each by clicking the link.)
12.6.97 The Palace, Auburn Hills, MI < LINK
To this day, I have no idea why this show has not been remastered and released. Someone needs to call Phish headquarters and inform them that they missed the boat with this one. Arguably the best start to finish show of Phish’s beloved Fall ’97 tour, this show is straight fire. With some of the most adventurous and creative improv of the fall, this show vaulted into my top five Phish experiences ever before I had caught my breath after the show. Both sets came correct on this night, with set two being one of the outright highlights of post-1996 Phish.
The first set seemed like it started in reverse, opening with the patented set closers, Golgi and Antelope. As the Antelope dropped, the band entered into their Fall ’97 dance grooves, and the show was off and running. A well improvised “Bathtub Gin” made way for a creative segue into “Foam,” a relative rarity at this point. The end of the set brought a smoking “Maze” along with some non-jammed Phish classics.
The second set was another story all together. Opening with one of the best Tweezers ever played, the band sat in some dinosaur funk before Trey opened up the universe with one lick of his guitar. (If you know this jam, you know that lick.) The band progresses into some of the greatest playing you’ll ever hear, locked-in and launched for the spiritual realm. After this psychedelic space travel wound down, the band transitioned into the furious groove-based jamming of “Izabella.” Without stopping once, the band played the entire set weaving one song into the next. When they were done, everyone in the building knew that was IT. This is a definitive piece of Phish history, and no soundboard has ever leaked. I’m still waiting for this one to pop up in Pollack-covered silver case.
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 (single song downloads, Paul’s rmstr)
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6.30.98 Den Gra Hal, Christiana, Copenhagen < LINK
In a three-hour welcome to Europe’s Summer ’98 tour, this show kicked off the two week party in proper fashion. Taking place in a small barn in Scandinavia under a purple night sky, Phish tore apart this venue for three nights straight. This first show, however, had no slow points from the opening “Limb By Limb” to the closing “Mike’s Groove.”
This special show marked the debut of “Moma Dance,” “Roggae,” “Brain & Robert” and the reworked Ghost, and was infused with magnificent improv around every corner. Opening with Limb, Ghost, the band wasted no time in jumping into some full-on improvisation. (Coming off the Island Run, one can understand the band’s desire!) Soon to follow was the first set combo of “Tube,” “Stash > Cities.” Okay, the band meant clearly business here! Carrying on for considerably longer than usual, this initial frame also included a “Guyute,” “Funky Bitch,” and a closing Bowie. The explosion of the first set had the crowd buzzing as they drifted outside into the cool Copenhagen summer night.
The second set continued in the pattern of the first- lots of big jams! They came out with the debut of “Moma Dance,” reworked after the surreal 12.30.97 encore, complete with instructions on how to do the Moma “dance.” After tearing through the third ever Birds, the band sat into a impressive segment of music that read,”Wolfman’s > Frankie Sez > Antelope.” Combining divergent styles of precise music, this portion flowed quite well, with standout versions as bookends. After continuing with “Yamar,” “Ha Ha Ha,” the band ripped into a club-grooving rendition of “Mike’s Song.” A well-paced version that allowed all band members to shine in the musical space, this Mike’s provided a fierce highlight at the end of a superb evening. (Obviously the 7.1.98 “Tweezer >2001” would be the filler on this release!)
I: Limb by Limb, Ghost*, Water in the Sky*, Bouncing Around the Room, Tube, Stash > Cities, Roggae**, Guyute, Beauty of my Dreams, Funky Bitch, Train Song, David Bowie
II: The Moma Dance**, Birds of a Feather, Wolfman’s Brother > Frankie Says > Run Like an Antelope, Lawn Boy, Ya Mar, Ha Ha Ha, Mike’s Song > Swept Away > Steep, Weekapaug Groove
E: Brian and Robert**
*rearranged **debut
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12.7.95 Convention Center, Niagara Falls, NY < LINK
From the storied month of December ’95, the only Live Phish release, excluding New Year’s, is Binghamton. While the “Halley’s > NICU” jam highlights the show, with the support of the somewhat forced “Timber > Tweezer > Timber,” there are a slew of shows from this month that leave this one in the dust. One such show, often overlooked due to its proximity to Albany’s 12.9 edition, is 12.7.95 at the Niagara Falls Convention Center.
With top ten versions of “Split Open and Melt,” “Reba,” and “Mike’s Song,” this show is chock full of maniacally tight late ’95 jamming. One of the best-ever Split Opens began the second half, and set the course of dizzying improv that would follow. Needing a breather directly after the opener, a stop in “Strange Design” led into a developing version of “Taste (That Surrounds).” The connected playing in the Split flowed right into this jam, providing one of the most inspiring 1995 renditions. Tapped in and not letting up, the band took an upturn to bliss with a stirring and quickly-paced “Reba.” Absolutely firing from note one, this jam plainly illustrates why December ’95 is such a revered month in Phish history. And then a thirty-minute “Mike’s > Weekapaug” topped things off in perfect fashion. The urgent and demonic textures of the twenty-minute Mike’s lifted the venue to an psychedelic peak. Favoring the more improvisational second jam that was scrapped in later years, the band creatively sculpted a masterful Mike’s that outshines many of the more popular versions from this month. Skipping any interlude and jamming directly into Weekapaug, the band delivered the audience a superbly executed surprise segue to end the night.
All of this and I haven’t even mentioned the first set. The two pairings of “The Curtain > AC / DC Bag,” and “Demand > Rift” provided some alternative spice to the opening frame before they delved into a mid-set Slave and the then-rare “Guyute.” Bursting with energy and chops throughout the night, this one is a deserving candidate for the treatment of Fred Kevorkian (the engineer who remasters these releases.)
I: The Old Home Place, The Curtain > AC/DC Bag, Demand, Rift, Slave to t