I had missed a couple of chances so this ended up being my first Phish show. It holds a special place in my heart for many resons. When I walked in the first thing I noticed was the free bread and soup line to my left. I had never seen a band provide dinner before the concert. I guess that's where Dinner and Dancing w/ Phish came from.

I had Junta and Lawn Boy along with a few live tapes, but realy didn't know what I was in for. By SOM I raelized this was something special. By Bathtub Gin (around the time my dad showed up) I knew this was a band I wanted to see a lot more.

Yeah I went to my first Phish show with my Dad. Partially because it was a school, night and the only way I could go was if I could leave when he decided it was time. The other reason is that my Dad was the kind of guy who was right at home at a Phish show, although I know he enjoyed JGB at Hartford more. He told me during the beak that the guy checking tickets just let him walk in, so I still have an intact ticket from that night.

So there I was, chillin w/ my Dad at Phish. It's Ice was and always has been an amazing song. After Bouncin They closed the set with Possum and the most jamming of the night so far.

The Tweezer second set opener set the mood for a frantic, but classic set. Sparkle is a song I loved the first few times I heard it, but after 10 times or so, it gets old. This being the first I was into it. Next was a tight version of Tube. Then the manic energy started to pick up again with a great version of Foam that included a good amount of screeming at the end. I don't know if the time or the wild end to Foam prompted my Dad to signal for the exit. But I convinced him to wait a couple more songs. The intense Mike's Song Jam was not really encouraging, but I am Hydrogen cam through and we made to Wikipaugh.

I was somewhat bummed to find out I had missed Fee, The Sloth and The Squrming Coil, but I'm grateful for this first show and the memories.

First set seems pretty average. Highlight I guess would be Possum (I was glad to see someone caught the "For Love of Money" tease). 2nd set, though, is pretty darn good, I think. Starts off with an excellent, ripping Tweezer. Really good Tube, too. There is some flubbage at the start of Foam, and then toward the end something really crazy ass happens with the vocals when Trey starts to sing, like an effect gone haywire. This sets Fish off with some crazy screaming and makes for quite the unusual Foam ending. Mike's is good, and I think Mike is doing the bassline from "Rapper's Delight" but I'll need to double check that. 'Paug is decent. Another weird vocal thing when Trey yells "ONZE!" in Sloth, I wonder what that is. Coil is pretty shaky, but the I Didn't Know should be heard! Extreme vocal wackiness, especially towards the end, and before Fish's vacuum solo, Trey goes "Henrietta, Henrietta, Henrietta yeah, yeah, yeah, suck that thing, suck that thing, brother!" Awesome. Crazy intro to MSO, too, and ya always gotta be glad for a Glide! Enjoyed this quite a bit, so I'm going 4 stars. Check out the I Didn't Know for a laff!

This is another one of those shows that stands out for the hyper, almost manic energy, similar to 11/8 in Tuscaloosa (see my review). First and foremost, Mike slappa da bass with an extra fervor on almost everything that calls for it, namely Melt, Fluffhead, Tweezer, Foam, Weekapaug, and Cavern. Where he's not slap-happy, he's a tease machine: The O'Jays' For the Love of Money in the beginning of Possum, two separate teases of Chic's Good Times during the Mike's jam (the latter of which, he's joined by Fish, who provides a nice disco beat), and he's the driving force behind the Barracuda tease in MSO, even channeling a bit of Jaco or Victor before they start the verses.

The energy comes through in the vocal stylings of Ya Mar, Foam (here possibly spurred by a hot mic), MSO, and especially I Didn't Know. This one is not to be missed.

For whatever reason, the boys were majorly hopped up this evening and obviously having a ton of fun. And to our benefit, it really comes through. One need only listen to the crowd after the Tweeprise to know how appreciative they were.

Starts off as a sloppy show first set. Mike is sick and is the focus of teases all night. Second set gets really good. Foam starts the screaming matches. IDK is one of the funniest i've heard so far.

Decent SBD source for this show with a healthy amount of bass in the mix.

The tape kicks off with the soundcheck. Shaggy Dog is playful, complete with some alligator/crocodile silliness, before cutting about a minute in. It picks back up with what sounds like a Shaggy Dog jam. Page asks Fish to drop into the Cavern drumbeat, which launches the band into a fun little blues jam.

Golgi, which had closed out four of the last shows, flips the script tonight by opening the set. Melt gets a nice jam, Fluffhead is spot on, and after a tape flip Llama comes in blazing. Gin holds strong, Ice has a cool middle section, and Possum closes the first frame in fairly straightforward but spirited fashion.

Set two kicks off with a standard but always infectious Tweezer. Foam is a highlight with an inspired ending, followed by a sharp Mike’s that finds Cactus teasing Rapper’s Delight. Groove absolutely rips! “Make!!” There’s a tape flip after Fee. The opening of Sloth is clipped and the sound quality dips for a bit, with another splice after Coil, but luckily no music is lost. I Didn’t Know is especially fun, and the playfulness carries into MSO with a little Barracuda tease. About a minute into MSO the sound clears back up. Tweezer Reprise caps a lively set. Before the encore, Mike says something during Glide that sounds like “ten,” though it’s hard to tell. Cavern follows and closes the night on a high note.

Side note: this second set was one of my very first cassette boots back in the day. Always a trip revisiting sets I haven’t spun in 30+ years. lol