First of all, the sound quality of the tape is sublime. Seriously...one of the best tapes from 1989. Sadly, the quality of the audio has one major detractor that many other lesser-sounding shows do not have: It fails to mask the slopfest that plagues the occasional 1989 Phish show.

The Ya Mar is okay, but it all mostly unravels after that. The Mike's Groove in particular is a complete mess and the Suzy is loose and sloppy. Fee contains numerous vocal flubs, and segues awkwardly into an almost-jazzy La Grange, which is interesting and is actually worth a listen. The show closes on a standard run of songs, and despite an egregious cut and some nice bass notes from Mike right before LTJP, there's not a whole lot else to say about this show.

Maybe it's a result of listening to all these 1989 shows in a row, but I'm definitely ready for the band to move into new territory in 1990. I know it's all historical context, but there's a reason the 'early days' shows aren't all in heavy rotation. It's because they're not all that great. There are some gems, but this is not one of them.

Going with 2 stars here.

I agree with the first review about the lackluster 1st set, which is all that's on phishtracks and phish.in. However, I DO recommend downloading this show from The Spreadsheet to listen to the second set.

Dinner and a Movie > Bundle of Joy > Possum is a bizarre and fun unusual trio of songs, and the Possum is played with some extra zest. Happy Birthday is played in a funky style., ending abruptly in the middle of the second go-around. Lizards is played very well, as is an extra bouncy Bag, where the band gets quiet at the start of the jam and then builds it back up. And then in walks David Bowie, guns ablazing. This is a very, very good Bowie. It starts off with a brief, impromptu full-band surprisingly competent mess-around with Fly Like An Eagle during Fish's high hat intro, but the jam is where it's at. Several times throughout it, one of the JEMP will play a little riff, and then the rest of the band joins in for no more than four measures, before they all quickly leave it behind as they move through a sea of wild lifeforms, only to find another little riff they all pick up on, and then continue exploring. Trey even throws in a Fishin' Hole and DEG tease as if it was part of the song. Most excellent, although be warned, it cuts just before the final notes.

You can hear some funny on-stage banter if you turn up the volume at the start of Contact. Trey seems to say "Contact then Highway then [let's get the f***?] outta here," to which Page laughs.

The crowd brings Phish back out with chants of "We want more!", and You Enjoy Myself is played as an encore for the first known time. After Page, Trey, and Mike all play great solos, the vocal jam is an all-timer that must have sent everyone home smiling, as the band sings the poignant vocal jam lyrics: "Put 'em in the pound when the chicken come to town." Let it be known: Put 'em in the pound when the chicken come to town.

I'm noticing these show reviews are of the SBD / tapes audio.

I was actually AT this show.

I'm that old.

I remember the covers most, and the fact that there was a keg just outside the door behind the stage. The band and 1-2 crew were just hanging out there drinking and smoking with us like regular Joes. Kinda funny to think about that these days. Trey was a big fan of sleeveless cutoff T-shirts and white basketball sneakers with the tongue sticking out back then. Also Fish with the long hair and racquetball goggles was a fun look.

~Nigel

Great SBD recording available for this show! Lots of room ambiance mixed in. This sounds like a matrix to me.

Solid first set. Nice intro to Mike’s tonight with some old school Mike bombs in the intro! The very first Mike’s bomb! While Mike isn’t prominent in the mix it does sound like he has a new effect he’s playing around with tonight in sections.

Set 2 cuts in during Dinner and a Movie. The Funky Happy Birthday to Jennifer Spencer for her 21st B-Day was fun. David Bowie was short and rocking. Tape flip cuts the very end of Bowie. Before Contact Trey says “Contact and Highway then we’re outta here!” This gets a good laugh from Page. The audience starts up a “We want more!” chant before the encore. Nice YEM to close things out. This is the first noted YEM encore.

I would say this show is slightly above average for the era (especially the first set)

Highlights for me would include an excellent peaky Weekapaug Groove, Trey absolutely destroys it! Fee also is a top notch version and has the feel of exactly how the song should sound. Trey also lights his fretboard on fire during GTBT but I don't think that was in the notes