A lesser known show from the month of December ’95, this one from Cleveland rips. A double Beatles encore on the anniversary of John Lennon’s death, was the icing on the cake of a psychedelic roller coaster ride. The second set featured extended improv in the form of a set-dominating “Tweezer” with a “Kung” chant in the middle. Following what seemed to be a set ending Reprise, the band droppd into a thrashing Antelope to close. Check it.
I: Sample in a Jar, Poor Heart, Simple > Runaway Jim, Fluffhead, It’s Ice, Acoustic Army, Prince Caspian, Good Times Bad Times*
II: Also Sprach Zarathustra > Tweezer > Kung > Tweezer > Love You > HYHU, The Squirming Coil, Tweezer Reprise, Run Like an Antelope
E: Come Together**#, A Day in the Life**
*Dedicated to “the man in the dragon pants” (Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin). **Encore played in remberance of John Lennon’s death on 12-08-80. #First time played.
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VIDEOS OF THE WEEKEND:
“Boogie On Reggae Woman” 9.18.00 Blossom Music Center, Cleveland
“Maze” 9.18.00 Blossom Music Center, Cleveland, OH
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SUMMER ’09 RUMOR MILL:
A few new things have been thrown in my direction lately. Since Bonnaroo is in early June (11-14th), Phish may do one tour in June, around these dates, and a second tour in August. I have not heard anything about the length of either tour. Though I have been told they are going to hit all their classic amphitheatres, and not exclusively in multi-night format. Those six hour night-long drives may not be a thing of the past! The Red Rocks, Gorge, Shoreline, and Alpine stands that have been reported all seem to fit this format. I haven’t heard anything about the east coast yet, but you can predict those shows yourself.
This two-tour format would make sense in light of the second rumor I heard from a different source, that Red Rocks will be the four nights of 7.30 – 8.2 As always, stay tuned, and don’t believe anything until you see it on Phish.com!
DOWNLOAD OF THE WEEKEND: 12.8.95 CSU Convocation Center, Cleveland, OH < LINK A lesser known show from the month of December ’95, this one from Cleveland rips. A double Beatles encore on the anniversary of John Lennon’s death, was the icing on the cake of a psychedelic roller coaster ride. The second set featured extended …
We all love Phish for their ability to rearrange our realities with improvisational jams channeled from the ether. The transportive nature of their music was the central reason that Phish became such a musical phenomenon and a central part of our lives. Traveling to places deep within, riding the rapids-filled river of Phish music, we were able to discover things about ourselves, our friends, and the world around us. We learned to believe in Phish and trust that their musical maze would lead us where we needed to go. Yet, between these extended periods of cosmic improv, Phish possessed a completely different side. They wrote great songs. I’m no longer thinking of improv based pieces, but the classic Phish songs that we all love, that are the same every time out. After seeing twenty, fifty, or hundreds of shows, these songs became “filler” in the evening, as they were consistently taken for granted as breathers before the next huge adventure.
Yet, not everyone had an older sibling or friend usher them into “the scene,” and these songs that later became less relevant to our show experience were once central in lassoing our interests away from hip-hop, alt rock, metal or whatever we were into at the time. You may not remember the first time you heard “Bouncin’ Around the Room,” but you remember how you felt. Enchanting and different- the harmonies were so rich and the melodies sang in your head for hours after. The percussive beat and the singing in rounds added to the intrigue, and then it was over. Hey, this was pretty good.
One day, maybe in a parents’ car, high school party or dorm room, someone put on “Sample In a Jar.” Wow! This was pop rock taken to a whole new level. The guitar sounded so warm and inviting, and the grooves just felt right echoing inside of you. The verses sounded just as cool as the chorus, and that big peak at the end got you every time. You began asking your buddy to play that song each time you saw him.
At some point ,”Fee” provided an introduction to Phish’s narrative lyrical nature. Listening to the tale of Floyd, Fee and Millie, you couldn’t help but be tickled by the absurdity of it all. Floyd, the chimpanzee tried to court Millie away from the weasel only to being sliced on the nipple by Millie, herself, and fall to his aquatic death. Fee’s life was saved and their romance lived on. Listening to the details, the music simultaneously narrated the story, complementing the words perfectly- pretty clever these Phish guys were.
12.29.03 – photo: Matt Collins
Soon, your interest was peaked and you turned to a bootleg. You had been told of this Gamhendge story, and when you heard “Lizards,” a new world opened- not only to Colonel Forbin. This was the song that hooked me and I needed to know more. The fairy tale magic combined with Trey’s sublime super-emotional guitar in the second part, had me wanting to discover what Phish were all about. The verses, the chorus, the musicianship- everything! Who was this band, and why was I listening to Use Your Illusion all the time? (n.b. They are great albums!) Before long I found myself at a Phish show and the rest is history.
While everyone’s path to Phish was different, at some point, these anthems, with no jamming whatsoever, played a significant role in our love for the band, and perhaps still do. Maybe it was the quirky lyrics and multi-faceted music of “Golgi Apparatus” that caught our ear first. Or possibly, “Picture of Nectar” was the initial song you were jonesing to hear- oh yeah, they call that one “Cavern.”
The fact is, those five-minute songs are as Phishy as twenty-minute “Tweezer”s. These songs that so often got ignored in our later days of being a fan were just as much a foundation of Phish’s success as “You Enjoy Myself” or “David Bowie.” Not everyone could latch onto intricate psychedelic journeys right off the bat, but if those twenty minutes were surrounded by “NICU” and “Sparkle,” it all became more palatable. And even though you were at your two-hundred and seventy-fifth show, the band always understood that there were many present for the first time.
As we sit on the brink of Hampton, creeping closer everyday, the fact is that there will be a whole new generation of Phish fans once we step back into the freezer. Kids who were twelve, thirteen, and fourteen when Coventry happened, and have spent the last few years listening to shows and posting online, are dying to experience Phish for the first time. There will also be those who will be those who will be discovering Phish for the first time ever, like we did so many years ago; some with no knowledge of the band’s music at all. As they always did, Phish will play to entire room in Hampton, mixing new and old school “singles” in with their improvisational adventures. Yet this time around, when Bouncin’, Golgi, and Sample boom through the PA, they will sound a little bit sweeter, and a lot more meaningful. They will be sonic blessings whose musical paths will bring us back to a time long ago, while introducing others to their future. Anyway you cut it, they will be magic to our ears.
Here we have a crispy DSBD of a free show in Phish’s hometown during the Summer ’91′ tour with The Giant Country Horns. This show marks the first performance of The Doors’ “Touch Me,” and features bust-outs of “Frakenstein” and “Flat Fee” after 217 and 348 shows, respectively. Amidst a tour of standout shows with the horns, the band was ripping as the next night would be their a classic show in Keene, NH released as Live Phish 19.
I: Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > Suzy Greenberg, The Divided Sky, Flat Fee, My Sweet One, Stash, Lizards, The Landlady
II: Dinner and a Movie > Cavern > TMWSIY > Avenu Malkenu > TMWSIY > Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, HYHU > Touch Me*, Frankenstein
E: Contact > Big Black Furry Creature From Mars
With The Giant Country Horns.*First time played.
We all love Phish for their ability to rearrange our realities with improvisational jams channeled from the ether. The transportive nature of their music was the central reason that Phish became such a musical phenomenon and a central part of our lives. Traveling to places deep within, riding the rapids-filled river of Phish music, we …
As Phish evolved through the ’90s, one of the most enchanting qualities surrounding their shows was the sheer spectacle of it all. Between the size of the crowds, the loud mind-bending music, and the fantastical light show, it felt as though we opened the door to Oz every time the lights went down. Creating a parallel reality at their shows, we felt as if were entering the Phish dimension walking through the portals of basketball arenas. The band, more than anyone loved a spectacle. One need not look farther than their New Years’ shows and festivals to prove that. Whether it was riding a giant hot dog or torching a massive piece of communal art, the greatest show on earth sometimes included much more than music. One such time was the somewhere between the 2nd and 3rd of August at IT in Limestone, when Phish put on perhaps the greatest spectacle of their career.
photo: Russ Kahn
It had been rumored all day that the annual “late night” set would take place atop the air traffic tower that still stood on the defunct Air Force base. By the time the show happened, everyone all but knew this would go down after the show, and it seemed a hell of a lot cooler than jamming on a moving truck or the Great Went’s “disco” tent. Nonetheless, the show happened and all was jolly in post-show partyland when we began to see a light from atop the tower and could hear sound in the distance. Moving quickly to the tower, we were greeted with an empty field that soon filled, in a sort of “real-time-lapse” film. Barely visible, Phish bellowed dissonant noise from the sky as smoke poured off the tower against the red concert lights.
Although we knew all day this would happen, it was still utterly surreal- nobody knew it would look like this! As the band progressed into some more developed madness, it became apparent that they would jam extensively from the darkness of the night, and from the dark side of the universe, as if composing the score of a psychedelic war movie. And the music was dirty. Wasting no time with composition, the band aimed an arrow at the heart of experimentation and hit a bulls eye. Exploring dark, dissonant, and noise-like textures, the band created a sort of evil doppelganger to their more melodic and broadcasted sound check. Something that seemed pulled from a dream sequence, Phish continued improvising on the most menacing abstract planes, creating music that transcended anything one could hope for from a song-based jam. Delving deep into the cavern of experimental sound, the band raged an hour of music that was the highlight weekend. Artistically reaching natural peaks and grooves, the band stood as silhouettes, as smoke, light and sound poured from atop the tower. Now this was a spectacle!
Leave it to Phish to take it a step farther. As if this wasn’t enough psychedelia, about two thirds of the way through the sinister sonic experiment, white sheets fell, covering all visible sides of the tower as three dancers from the Bay Area’s Project Bandaloop began performing acrobatics at the top. They began to gradually descend in front of projected patterns as Phish slowed down, trying to match their music with a beat-less texture. Amorphously improvising amidst their own late-night circus scenery, Phish had outdone themselves once again; leaving nothing behind them but a trail of smoke and light in the night sky.
As the weekend of IT concluded Summer ’03, Phish had returned. Killing a festival at the end of their “return-to-glory” tour, things sat well as we left Limestone. Little did we know in a year, it would be done. Yet, as we dispersed from tour, with so many new magical memories in our head, none were more indelible than The Tower Set. As night turned to day, and day back to night, that feeling of standing in a pit of musical mayhem, with colorful smoke and music bellowing from the heavens, did not soon fade. The exclamation point on a summer of renewed exploration, The Tower stood as a reminder of what was and what could be.
The second of two shows at UMASS, this show stood out among the first week of December ’95. The first set contains a great “Free,” and “David Bowie,” while the second set is strewn with classic ’95 improv. A 20+ minute excursion into “Bathtub Gin” ends in “Keyboard Cavalry,” while a 15 minute Scent lands in “Lifeboy.” To top the show off, Phish played a magnificent “Harry Hood” that stands out among the best of 1995. Trey’s guitar run through the Leslie speaker (usually used for organ) creates the most haunting tone. Enjoy this classic!
I: Horn, Chalk Dust Torture, Fog That Surrounds, Lizards*, Free, Esther, David Bowie, I’m Blue I’m Lonesome
II: Poor Heart, Bathtub Gin > Keyboard Army, Scent of a Mule > Lifeboy, Harry Hood, Cavern
E: Theme From the Bottom, Sweet Adeline
*Dedicated to Dick Vitale.
As Phish evolved through the ’90s, one of the most enchanting qualities surrounding their shows was the sheer spectacle of it all. Between the size of the crowds, the loud mind-bending music, and the fantastical light show, it felt as though we opened the door to Oz every time the lights went down. Creating a …
The fall of 1999 was a special time in the Phish universe. The band had a more rigorous schedule than any fall since 1995, featuring 38 shows split into two tours. The initial longer tour would traverse the country during the month of September, while the latter two-week run would focus on the northeast in preparation for the most anticipated event of the Phish’s career- Big Cypress. Throughout this December run, there lived a sense of uncontrollable momentum, building to the crest of the 21st century. Each show, each jam, each groove inched closer to the band’s ultimate night-long destiny. A renewed excitement oozed infectiously during an outstanding run of shows, as the band and their community careened toward the millennium.
12.2.99 Auburn Hills, MI
The previous three years had led up to this point. From the time Phish shifted their playing to a slower, more groove-based style in early ’97, the band had consistently refined and evolved their sound, adding new musical textures each tour, while focusing less on others. If ’97 brought the funk, ’98 brought ambient psychedelia, and ’99 brought searing soundscapes strewn with dissonance and distortion. Finding a balance between these elements, Phish entered this December run having notched copious dark adventures over the the year’s two tours. Building towards a musical peak in congruence with the change of time, there existed a sense of something greater than usual on this tour- a sense that we were all riding the similar wave of fate. As the world braced itself for Y2K and a goodbye to the 1900s, our course was for the Everglades, as we prepared for what would surely be the most significant event of our Phish lives.
The proverbial ball was pushed off the top the hill on the second of December in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Launched by a phenomenal Bathtub > 2001 >YEM, we were off. It all seemed so close now, a few weeks of shows, Christmas time, and then we would all follow the lines going South. But there was some business to tend to first. Minus an off night on 12.10 in Philly, Phish created a fortnight of sparkling memories that took us through the Northeast, while making stops in the Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic.
Big Cypress – photo: Andy
Over these shows, Phish wove tales of mastery with their fully developed “millennial” late-’99 sound. Often favoring tonal color and dissonance over solo melodies, Trey enhanced his playing during this year and come these shows, was in full throttle, using jams as his personal canvas for abstract art. Page followed this trend, favoring effect laden washes and psychedelic sounds that complemented Trey’s avant garde creations. Improv often passed through periods of groove before climbing into these intensified, distorted realms, catering to the most prevalent song of the run, “Sand.”
A depiction of a dark reality, “Sand,” debuted only months earlier at The Gorge, had already grown into a Phish staple. All five versions of “Sand” played in these two weeks were immediate tour highlights. From the millennial madness of Cincy and Portland, to the half-hour dance party in Providence; from the best version in Raleigh, with Trey using his mini-keyboard better than ever, to the “2001 > Sand” marathon that opened the last set at Hampton, this song was the unanimous MVP. As these renditions continued to grow in stature, it felt as though they were building to something. If we didn’t know where this momentum was leading at the time, in the wee hours of the first day of 2000, we discovered.
12.18.99 Hampton, VA – photo: Chris Heppner
As Mike’s bassline pounded through the speaker towers, we knew we were in for something special- something we had been feeling for so long. Phish initiated the most extended and sublime exploration of groove in their career, resulting in forty-five minutes of absolutely to-die-for music. Comfortably achieving complex places previously untouched, the band tore through the darkness with some of the most driving rhythmic music of their career, “Sand > Quadrophonic Toppling.”
Along this concise path of musical ascension, 12.11 in Philly and 12.16 in Raleigh proved to be two of the best shows of the year. With a second set that was hard to reckon with, The Spectrum’s show brought the heat in the ridiculous triumvirate “Sally > Ghost > 2001.” With some of the best improv of the tour, this was truly a space-aged sock hop. Both the “Sand” and the “Tweezer” from Reynolds Coliseum upstaged anything the band would drop at Hampton over the next two nights. Both are colossal pieces of quintessential late-’99 improv, defining the style of music I have tried to describe.
The tour also saw the band’s return to the Phishy venue of Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland Maine for the first time since 12.11.95. A two night stand in the intimate venue boasted two great second sets- the first highlighted with a gorgeous ambient exploration of “Bathtub Gin” and the second by the aforementioned “Sand” and a very atypical “Piper” jam.
Quite fittingly, the last two shows before Cypress took place at Hampton. The building that grew to symbolize Phish’s psychedelic power, would host the band one last time in the 1900s, a two-night stand that brought the year to a head. What started with a big “Bathtub Gin” at Bonner Springs had led up to this, as the band stepped out for their final set. Gratifying the crowd with the “2001″ that everyone had tasted the previous night during post-Moma jam, Phish launched into an almost forty minute carnival ride of “2001 > Sand,” the ultimate pairing of Phish-generated crack grooves. The audience delighted in the overwhelming non-stop party. Closing the set with a heavy Mike’s Groove, Phish provided yet another journey into the shadowed forests of space before resolving with a tour ending Weekapaug> Buffalo Bill > Weekapaug.
And that was it. Cypress was less than two weeks away. A brief visit home with our families, and into the nether world we would go, knowing not what to expect from Phish’s greatest mystery yet. As the entire community celebrated the holidays and prepared for the ultimate, anyone who had seen this run of shows knew the band was ready. All things were set for the ride of a lifetime.
To celebrate the nine year anniversary of this climactic run of shows, I have put together an extensive compilation of tracks from these two weeks. Highlighting at least one jam from every show of tour, “Miner’s Picks: December ’99″ totals ten hours of can’t miss psychedelic relaxation. The tracks and links are below!
Post your own memories of December ’99 in Comments below!
1,2,3. Bathtub Gin > 2001 > YEM12.2 II Auburn Hills, MI
4. Sand12.3 II Cincinnati, OH
5. Limb By Limb12.3 II
6. Split Open and Melt12.4 II Cincinnati, OH
7-10. Mike’s > Meatstick > H2 > Weekapaug 12.5 II Rochester, NY
11. Halley’s Comet 12.7 I Portland, ME
13,14,15. Baththub Gin > Simple, Free12.7 II
15. Run Like an Antelope12.8 I Portland, ME
16-19. Sand, Dirt, Piper > Dog-Faced Boy12.8 II
20,21. David Bowie > Have Mercy12.10 II Philadelphia, PA
22-25. Sally > Ghost > 2001 > Disease12.11 II Philadelphia, PA
26,27. Drowned > Prince Caspian 12.12 II Hartford, CT
28. Sand12.13 II Providence, RI
29. Free 12.15 II Washington, DC
30. Reba 12.15 II
31. Sand12.16 II Raleigh, NC
32,33. Wading In the Velvet Sea > Tweezer12.16 II
34,35,36. Moma Dance > jam > Bug12.17 II Hampton, VA
37. Split Open and Melt12.17 II
38. Harry Hood12.18 I Hampton, VA
39. Tube12.18 I
40,41. 2001 > Sand 12.18 II
The fall of 1999 was a special time in the Phish universe. The band had a more rigorous schedule than any fall since 1995, featuring 38 shows split into two tours. The initial longer tour would traverse the country during the month of September, while the latter two-week run would focus on the northeast in …
With all of the holiday hubbub, the anniversary of Worcester’s tremendous three-night run to close Fall ’98 passed right on by. Each of these shows had their own tour highlights, peaking with the last set of 11.29. Yet, when looking back at the most famous of these shows- the 11.27 “Wipe Out” saga- we see the band using all aspects of their repertoire to craft an ultimately Phishy evening. Many people remember this night fondly for different reasons, and it is the holistic combination of these reasons that mark this night special in Phish history, and illustrate why the live Phish phenomenon appealed to so many people.
When recalling this night, many remember the segues in and out of The Surfaris’ “Wipe Out” as the highlights of the show. Much like Deer Creek’s “Moby DIck” show in 2000, the band continued to integrate teases of the song many times after it was performed at the beginning of set two. Musically joking around, the consistent reprise of “Wipe Out” drew in the casual fans with a funny reference point, making even the local “one-show goer” feel part of the inside Phish experience.
Another way Phish integrated quirky humor into this show was the “Chalk Dust Torture” medley, featuring transitions in and out of The English Beat’s ska classic “Mirror In the Bathroom,” “Dog Log,” “Buffalo Bill,” and “Sanity.” By infusing their rock anthem with a first-time cover and three bust-outs, everyone in the building ballooned with enthusiasm from this zany segue-fest. The irony behind this musical segment is that it merely represents twenty minutes of a three hour show, yet it is this short, somewhat gimmicky section, that most fans immediately recall. No doubt fun and invigorating to witness, no musical blip in this section extended beyond five minutes. The improvised verses of “Mirror in the Bathroom” clocked in at exactly 58 seconds, while the other rarities of “Dog Log,” “Sanity,” and “Buffalo Bill,” were short composed pieces, sought after due to their elusiveness, not their musical journeys. Don’t get me wrong, hearing Phish twist unexpected classics out of their jams is always exciting, but that’s not the reason I see Phish. The reason I go to see this band is evidenced by everything that happened after this popular set-opening segment Phishiness.
After the dust had settled, and people had scribbled down the out-of-the-ordinary setlist, the real music began. With the opening notes of “Mike’s Song,” Trey initiated almost an hour of ungodly improv. Balancing out the humor and quirkiness of the first part of the set, Phish dug in for what would be a spectacular rest of the show. The Mike’s jam opened as if the band had something to prove, with Mike pounding away some slammin’ bass lines. The whole band jumped into this primordial musical soup, creating smooth yet militant marching grooves. Pumped up, themselves, from the wild beginning of the set, the band sat into the rest of the show with a sense of vigor and purpose.
Playing with the sharpness of a razor and the momentum of an oncoming rhinoceros, Phish navigated the dark textures of the Mike’s jam, bouncing the building more significantly than any previous moment in the show. Gathering a full head of steam, the band built a thick soundscape that grew in intensity as Trey dug into his sack of psychedelic sorcery.
photo: Jamie Huntsman
As the bombast of Mike’s trailed away, an uncharacteristically ambient transition into Hydrogen unfolded. Hovering in an abstract musical space before descending into the classic melodies of the song, Phish lent a pensive and evil tone to the aftermath of this Mike’s jam. Fishman carried the backing beat of Hydrogen as the rest of the band evoked an eerie palate of psychedelic effects, stirring an improvised musical stew. Dropping gradually into Hydrogen, the provocative entry point provided a stark comparison to the melodic musical interlude.
Patiently working their way through the serenity of Hydrogen, Phish opened the first breathing point of the entire set. The slowed pace of this Hydrogen made it all the more poignant surrounded by powerful improv on either side. While Mike’s Song usually anchors a Mike’s Groove, Weekapaug stole the show on this night. With a blistering jam followed by a reprise section of improv sculpted from Phished-out psychedelia, this Weekapaug would carry its weight in Worcester.
photo: D.Kirk
The initial jam displayed four musicians chugging together on mission to bring musical catharsis to the enthralled crowd. With fast-paced communication, each member of the band contributed equally to this break-neck version of Weekapaug. Moving from uptempo soloing into some heavy clavinet and wah-pedal funk, Phish found their way through multiple sections of virtuoso improv. At the end of the Weekapaug, the band kicked into double and triple time, speeding up the composed ending of the song.
photo: Barry Brecheisen
However, as the band collectively held the final note, Trey bust right back into the sprinting Weekapaug jam, and the band was off and running at a manic pace. Rhythmically rooted in the composition, this jam did not take long to build texture and begin to divert from the song’s musical path. Mike began to solo as Trey used a distorted tone to complement his quickened patterns. This section quickly developed into the best music played by the band all night. Taking on a course of its own, this improv got into some syncopated, Talking-Heads-esque grooves before entering abstract and down-tempo territory. Jams like this, that grow seemingly out of nowhere, are the stuff that long-term highlights are made of. Creatively assembling a unique musical puzzle, the band cultivated this jam into some crazy territory before using it as a bridge to a set ending Antelope.
As Phish initiated the song that everyone knew would end the set, adrenaline coarsed through people’s veins as they realized the second half of the set read “Mike’s > Hydrogen > Weekapaug > Antelope!” As the delicate musical depiction of an Antelope grazing the plains for food gave way to the aggression, the show spun as one. Page opened the jam with some menacing piano licks as the band hopped right into briskly moving grooves. The firey jam channeled the energy in The Centrum, creating a patient, funky and intricate piece of mastery. Clocking in at sixteen minutes, the band gave this Antelope plenty of time to run wild before corralling it. Without getting overzealous and chaotic, Phish crafted one of the best Antelopes of the tour using sinister and well-paced communication. Page absolutely killed it on the piano the entire time, complimenting Trey’s blistering lines and a tightly glued rhythmic pocket.
As the Antelope peaked, moving into the ending breakdown, people caught a hold of their minds, realizing what they had just witnessed over the past hour, rendering the Chalk Dust / “Wipe Out” segment a distant memory. Yet, as Phish does, they brought the show full circle, finishing with another chorus of “Wipe Out” out of the Golgi encore.
11.27.98 was a classic evening of Phish. Combining so many elements that define why they are the greatest musical act on the planet, this night in Worcester literally had something for everyone. This defines yet another aspect of Phish’s greatness- their ability to play to many different audience demographics during one show- or even one set. Whether you wanted bust-outs, imposing psychedelic jams, random covers, or classic Phish, everyone walked away happy from this night ten years ago.
I: Funky Bitch, Ya Mar, Carini, Runaway Jim, Meat, Reba, The Old Home Place, Dogs Stole Things, Vultures, When the Circus Comes, Birds of a Feather
II: Buried Alive, Wipe Out, Chalk Dust Torture* > Mirror in the Bathroom# > Chalk Dust Torture > Dog Log > Chalk Dust Torture > Sanity, Buffalo Bill, Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove*, Run Like an Antelope
E: Wading in the Velvet Sea, Golgi Apparatus > Wipe Out
Let’s take it back 13 years to the day for the second show of December ’95. This one, in my hometown, contains an all-time favorite “Tweezer” (don’t expect any funk in this one), a ripping “Maze,” and a first set that reads like a classic canon of Phish songs with a few newcomers crashing the party in “Prince Caspian” and “Free,” and Fog.
I: Prince Caspian, Runaway Jim, Mound, Guelah Papyrus, Reba, My Sweet One, Free, Fog that Surrounds, Bouncing Around the Room, Possum
II: Also Sprach Zarathustra, Maze, Simple, Faht, Tweezer, A Day in the Life, Golgi Apparatus, The Squirming Coil, Tweezer Reprise
E: Bold as Love
With all of the holiday hubbub, the anniversary of Worcester’s tremendous three-night run to close Fall ’98 passed right on by. Each of these shows had their own tour highlights, peaking with the last set of 11.29. Yet, when looking back at the most famous of these shows- the 11.27 “Wipe Out” saga- we see …
