Another Friday means another ten jams to cap the week. The orange song titles are download links. Enjoy!
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“Reba” 6.19.95 I
After posting this show earlier this week, readers have been raving about this first set “Reba.” A gem of Phish’s first performance at Deer Creek, this dynamic, multi-peaking version often goes overlooked in favor of the second set. Trey straight annihilates this piece, working in close conjunction with Mike. Check it out – it’s a great way to kick off Friday.
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“Seven Below” 2.20.03 II
Phish took liberty in Chicago on their first tour back from hiatus, playing three of their best jams of the run up to that point all in one night. After a scinitillanting first set “Jibboo”and a dark, dissonant trek through “Tweezer,” the band played the first stellar version of “Seven Below” late in the second set. Moving through multiple mini-jams, this piece winds it way through many series of grooves into an alluring piece of improv.
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“Tweezer” 12.2.95 II
Expecting a groove session? Think again. This “Tweezer” is one for the ages, but not for its thick, gooey textures. When listening to this jam, the term “balls to the wall” has never seemed more appropriate. For this blistering musical jaunt, make sure to buckle your seat belt before digging into this one.
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“Black-Eyed Katy” 11.23.97 I
Ahhh, good ol’ Fall ’97 – when “The Moma Dance” wasn’t even a thought in the band’s mind. Starting in Vegas’ tour opener, Phish broke out this instrumental crack that kept the community fiending for funk all tour long. Though many versions of “Black-Eyed Katy” brought the molasses, this one from Winston-Salem is my personal favorite.
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“AC/DC Bag > Gumbo” 9.14.99 II
In honor of all the “classics” I have featured this week, here is one more, non-negotiable, jam for the annals of Phish history. In a undersold gym in Boise, Phish broke out both “AC/DC Bag” and “Gumbo” for the first time in Fall ’99, creating an immortal combination. Between the transcendent, soul-tugging playing of “Bag” and the dinosaur funk in “Gumbo,” anyone who drove straight to Shoreline from The Gorge have been kicking themselves for years. Another one bites the dust; this is epic Phish.
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“Harry Hood” 7.31.03 II
Following the lead of Charlotte’s 30-minute version a week earlier, Phish once again went huge on “Harry Hood” in Camden’s final show before IT. Taking the divine build out to realms uncharted, the band’s willingness to take any song anywhere became wholly evident by the end of summer ’03. Always overshadowed by Charlotte’s groundbreaking rendition, this “Hood” has plenty of its own to offer.
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“Ghost” 8.6.97 II
This version came smack in the middle of the funk revolution of summer ’97. Following an extended commute from The Gorge to St. Louis, Phish threw down some smoking jams in The Gateway to West. This extended “Ghost” comes in a long line of highlights from this evening, a night which has always been a dark-horse considering the magnitude of the surrounding shows. This “Ghost” represents the definitive sound of summer ’97 – raw, unpasteurized, cow funk.
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“Split Open and Melt” 8.10.97 I
One of the most unique “Splits” ever played provides our second piece of Deer Creek history this Friday. Creating an avant-garde musical mixture in the first set,Phish donned their sorcerer’s cloaks, sculpting a piece of improv that will leave your brain drooling. Additionally, this version has long been hailed for its nod to Hendrix’s “Third Stone From the Sun.”
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“David Bowie” 11.26.94 II
Everyone knows the exhaltation of A Live One’s “Slave,” but few realize the demonic journey that led to such heights. Arguably, the most insane of all the colossal “Bowies” during Fall ’94, this jam defines an improvisational era in Phish history; a true psychedelic beast.
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DOWNLOAD OF THE DAY:
6.30.00 The Meadows, Hartford, CT < Torrent
6.30.00 The Meadows, Hartford, CT < Megaupload
The first of two nights in Hartford during the summer of 2000, this show boasts two strong sets highlighted by a under-the-radar first set “Tweezer,” and a second set combo of “Halley’s > Mango > Twist.” This long awaited reader request goes out to Jon “Willowed” Bailey, aka Jack Bauer.
I: Ha Ha Ha > AC/DC Bag, Tweezer > Runaway Jim, Sneakin’ Sally through the Alley, Ginseng Sullivan, Guyute, Golgi Apparatus, Tweezer Reprise, Possum
II: Halley’s Comet > The Mango Song > Twist, The Inlaw Josie Wales, Back on the Train, Makisupa Policeman, Farmhouse, Sleeping Monkey, David Bowie
E: Cavern
Source: Neumann ak40s > Neumann lc-3 active cables > Neumann km100s > Audio Magic Presto II XLRs > Apogee AD-1000
