Phish has played a total of three shows on November 4th in their career from 1990 forward, and as it turns out all three carried quite a bit of meat to them. In Fall of 1990, on Phish’s first true tour, November 4th brought the band to Fort Ram’s Nightclub in Fort Collins, Colorado—a show that circulated widely on Maxells back in the day. The last of a five show Colorado run, the band finished their visit to the Rocky Mountain State in style. Come Fall ’94, Phish wound their way to Onondaga War Memorial Auditorium in Syracuse, New York—the same venue they visited during Fall of 2009. November ’94 is a legendary month in Phish history, and this was the third show. Their last November 4th show came at McNichols Arena in Denver, Colorado, on the heels of Utah’s half-empty “Dark Side” extravaganza. This week’s Friday playlist is assembled solely from these three shows, each spaced four years apart. While perusing the selections, the vast differences in style are obvious as Phish continued to add new aspects to their ever-expanding satchel of sorcery. Enjoy the tunes and the weekend!
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“Harry Hood” 11.4.90 I
A pristine, old-school version of Phish’s uplifting and spiritual classic.
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“Mike’s > Simple > Mike’s > Tela > Weekapaug” 11.4.94 II
A raucous sequence from Onondaga War Memorial in Syracuse, New York.
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This sequence is a vastly overlooked highlight of Fall ’98. The band masterfully blends this monster “Piper” jam seamlessly into “2001,” creating a powerful segue into the spacefunk.
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“Manteca -> Caravan” 11.4.90 II
A jazzy combo from back in the day. Trey playfully teases “Woody Woodpecker” in “Caravan.”
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“Slave to the Traffic Light” 11.4.94 II
A gorgeous set-closing rendition from Syracuse.
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“Bathtub Gin > Ya Mar” 11.4.98 I
This cathartic “Gin” and rhythmically intricate “Ya Mar” combined to form the centerpiece of the first set in Denver ’98—the set after Utah’s Dark Side freak-fest.
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“The Asse Festival” 11.4.90 I
Before “Guelah Papyrus” existed, there was “The Asse Festival.” Check out the early-school precision to this tune.
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“Frankie Says -> David Bowie” 11.4.98 I
The band displayed their Fall ’98 ambient jamming as they migrated from “Frankie Says” into “Bowie.
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OLD SCHOOL MEMORIES: Few fans in the present-day Phish community carry the veteran tour experience and perspective of having seen—essentially—the band’s entire career. Some of these old-school tour heads still frequent shows with the same enthusiasm they had twenty years ago, and my friend, Todd, is one of them. Check out his blog, “Back In My Day,” chronicling early show experiences from a different era of Phish. Providing a glimpse into the early scene that so many of us missed as youngsters—he was at Amy’s Farm—Todd’s posts provide vibrant, personal anecdotes of a time gone by, not to mention musical analysis, streaming highlights and downloads of the shows he reviews. When you have some time on your hands, get lost in his writings—they are informative and engaging accounts of shows that many of us just know as analog classics; they are a lot of fun to read! Check it out!
