this show is a real winner. it truly offers something for everyone, old school fan and newbie. it is chalk full of so many brilliantly played classics, and on top of all that, it has, in my opinion, the jam of the year in the first set.

the curtain is a very sharp opener here, and it pairs up nicely with a strong melt. in '92, phish had not quite figured this song out yet, so it was not quite up to its potential. none the less, this is a strong early version. poor heart and papyrus are both played well. then trey and page hammer home a really nice maze. like melt, this one not quite at its fullest potential yet; although, maze was further along than melt at this point, jam wise. dinner and divided work well together before a nicely place mound. then this set really starts to get hot. fluff head is played with a truck of load energy and it gives way to one of the best antelopes ever. it starts off fairly straight forward, but the jams shifts into a darker realm. page hits the coolest effect on his keyboard. i don't know how to describe it...if ice could sing maybe. very chilling effect. the bbfcfm that follows is pretty nuts too. musically, it is brilliant. lyrically, it's hilarious. from the "why do i want to kill you" line, it goes to "oh why," repeatedly, to "hawaii" repeatedly, to a brief little tropical/hawaiin scat thing, with some really funny fishman stuff, back into bbfcfm. then, as if that weren't enough, they slam this one back into antelope. killer set closer.

the boys keep the action coming in the 2nd set. wilson starts the set off in rocking fashion before dipping into a very fun version of brother, with a nice trey solo in there. the horse>silent is an excellent breather song...hell, people probably still needed a breather from the antelope. the landlady gets the party jumping again and it dives into a very bouncy take on lizards. page sounds nice on this one. i love mmgamoio, and this is another good version. sloth lights the place up, and it keeps the energy rolling. rift is straight forward, and the love you is nice fun. after spattering some secret language around throughout this show, phish kind of realized that few were getting it. at this point, trey decided to give another language lesson. this is where i find this tape valuable for newbies. even though they don't mess with the language fun as much any more, it is still good fun, and who knows, when they do, you want people to get it! after urging people to spread the tapes with these language lessons around, they push into a nice rowdy possum, of course, chalk full of language play. good possum. contact>fire works as a very good encore to a very fun show.

it is not completely unheard of to have the jam of the night in the first set, but it happens sometimes. tonight is one of those nights. the second set is really strong, despite not having any of the typical early phish big guns in the setlist, tweezer, yem, hood, 'lope (nailed it in the 1st of course), slave, etc. it is just one killer tune after another. a great show for any phish fan.

highlights:

set 1:
the curtain>melt, fluff>antelope>bbfcfm>antelope

set 2:
brother, landlady>lizards, the sloth, lang less>possum

Another of The Phish Companion 3.0's Top 100 shows, this is one I can't really get my head around as a legitimate inclusion in the Top 100 Phish Shows Ever Played, an illustrious distinction that should be reserved for shows more...well, distinct, than this. Nevertheless, this show is extraordinarily well put together, full of fun antics, great setlist picks, and a couple of must-hear Phishy musical moments.

The Curtain is always a fantastic, tone setting opener. This Curtain is impeccably played and followed with a trio of SOAMelt, Poor Heart, and Guelah that were all well played as well. Following the classic opening salvo is only the fourth Maze ever played, and it shows, as the band doesn't seem to be incredibly comfortable with the nuances of the composed section yet, flubbing some notes and playing at a considerably slower pace. Things pick up during the solo sections, though, as the Page and Trey duel delivers some truly melodic playing not usually found in Maze. Unfortunately, this version doesn't quite have the epic build up of tension that Maze has today, but it's still a good listen. As such, I would definitely recommend this Maze, mostly as a curiosity piece but also as a genuinely enjoyable bit of pre-1993 Phish to listen to. Dinner and a Movie followed right behind Maze, and featured some hilarious audience participation. I enjoyed this Dinner while it lasted, it wouldn't be long until America's favorite pre-nuptial ritual would become a rarity at Phish shows. (1992 was the last year Dinner and a Movie has been played more than four times.)

Divided Sky feels rather truncated (the length of the infamous 'pause' is negligible at best, despite the fans' best efforts to get them to play Possum), but is never underappreciated. Trey customarily rips this Divided Sky jam, and provides the first bona fide highlight of the evening. An early, weak Mound >s into Fluffhead, a welcome surprise given the band's infrequent propensity to play multiple composed songs in the first set. This Fluffhead is right in the pocket, and totally hits the spot at this point in the set, and features an amusing "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" tease at the end that carries into the start of Antelope.

You've almost certainly heard this incredible Big Black Furry Antelope From Mars (it was released on Live Bait 6) and if not, I (and everyone else) highly recommend it. It's certainly a rip-roaring good time, featuring dissonant playing up the wazoo, a great -> BBFCFM, hilarious Hawaii and Three Stooges antics, secret language of the Get Back, Complete Stop, and Simpsons variety. I mean, damn, this Antelope is something special to behold. This is Phish at their at their most wild and uninhibited! They are completely out of control here in the best possible way! I can't talk this Antelope up enough, just go listen to it!

The second set of this show is undeniably songy, and if it were played today everyone would almost certainly hate it due to lack of jams, despite the incredible song selection (a thought which amuses me greatly). Seriously, the big jams are nowhere to be found, but there a myriad of interesting things going on in this set. One of the longest versions of Wilson ever has "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" teases and gets so quiet at times you can barely hear it. The Brother that follows is a beautiful mess. Similarly to Maze and Mound, the Horse > Silent combo features a bit of early-version jitters. A sentence beginning with nondescript versions of Landlady and Lizards and a new tune, My Mind's Got a Mind of Its Own follow, is punctuated nicely by The Sloth. (I take back what I said earlier, by the way, phans might be s**ting their pants for the privilege of adding Brother, Landlady, Lizards, MMGAMOIO, and The Sloth to their stats!)

The second half of the set brings us the newly (and mercifully) redone Rift. It's hasn't quite reached its blazingly fast peak yet (and honestly, they've play it faster in 2016 than they play it here), but if you've heard the old version of Rift, you'll recognize what a relief it is for the song to finally be up to speed. More antics follow this pretty well-played Rift in the form of Cold as Ice, Henrietta's new walkup music. The ensuing Love You features Fish introducing the band members and taking a hard-earned bag-vac solo, which is something you don't see every day!

The centerpiece of the second set is the final song, a Possum that includes instructions to all the different secret language signals the band was using at the time! Absolutely nobody who considers themselves a phan should go without hearing these instructions, just in case Phish ever decides to bring back secret language. Be prepared, everybody! A fitting Contact with Mike on accordion/Fire combo sends the Campus Club crowd home happy.

Killer early show, one of the best examples of how great Phish was becoming before our (your, their) very eyes.

Highlights: Maze, Divided Sky, Antelope, Wilson, Possum
My rating: 4.5/5.

Set 1 is on my short list of all time favorite Phish sets. This Fluffhead has somehow become the one against which i measure all others. The Antelope/BBFCFM sequence is simply incredible. The whole set is just really fantastic.

This is a crazy show, lots of fun. Great setlist, great Antelope jam, lots of teases and secret language. Love You is great!
Definitely worth a listen.

Great song selection meets great playing. The Antelope jam is probably my favorite '92 moment. The show is a must hear.

In my old Pharmer's Almanac from '98, this was the 13th ranked best Phish show of all time. It's kind of crazy how much things have changed in the last 20 some years. I wore this tape out when I was first getting into Phish - it was maybe my third tape. The Fluffhead, Antelope->BBFCFM->Antelope, Brother, and Possum are all classic '92 fare. Awesome show from an awesome year.

A great early show from 1992 (especially Set 1!) and only the 5th show into the Winter/Spring Tour. This is considered one of the bands best early tours, especially as they tear across the west coast in mid-April. But even in March things were heating up. There are debated GOAT versions of Phish classics like Fluffhead and Antelope, and some great readings of newer songs that would eventually make it on the Rift album (Maze, Mound, The Horse>Silent, Rift). The technical prowess of the band is on full display, and they are still playing small enough rooms to indulge in funny stuff like the secret language and Fishman extravaganzas on a daily basis.

Phish comes out of the gates strong with the Curtain. It is perfectly played, and sets a great tone for the show. Immediately out of The Curtain comes the SOAM drum beat. At this point, to my ears, you can hear what separates 1991 from 1992. The band seems so relaxed, yet so tight and in the pocket. The sound (system) has improved, and the band just has a fuller sound in general than previous years. For me, it's why I enjoy 1992 so much, cuz it really is the band taking all they've learned from the past 5 years, and combining it into a well-oiled machine. They are still such a young band, but their sound is maturing, even if it takes another year for them to start breaking their own boundaries. Anyway, SOAM is played very tight and as they enter the jam, things heat up. Things stay in the pocket with Gordo really thumping away on the bass line. Trey's maturing, yet still nasty, tone is on full display here, as he builds tension against the band’s groove. At the 6.5 min mark, things start to grow thick under Trey's repeating guitar line, Page hammers away, and Gordo starts walking the bass underneath, until Trey trills to a peak, perfectly in sync with Fish. A great energetic take!

Next comes a well-played Poor Heart (albeit a little slower than other, better, versions) and Guelah Papyrus, which is executed nicely, but nothing extraordinary (They sure did like this song pre-94). Up next is Maze which is the first new song of the bunch. This version is played pretty much by the book, but that's fine. Trey and Fish are a little more subdued during the verses, not popping off aggressively each time they hit the lyrics, but as they enter the jam, Trey wakes up and shreds this one in classic machine-gun style, though, in general, it is all a little tentative in comparison to versions to come. However, Maze truly was an instant classic Phish song, even during its debut tour performances, and this version is highly enjoyable, if only for its newness, and it seems, to my ears, like a pleasant surprise for the crowd.

The band next treats us to the oldie but goodie, Dinner and a Movie. The song is its great self, with added energy of Trey's screams, and the Ahhs from the crowd are very enjoyable as well. They next jump into an average take on Divided Sky. The crowd shouting Possum during the break is comical, as you wouldn't hear that in 3.0, but back in the early nineties, Possum was a highly requested song, and often played with some of the highest energy of the night. Anyway, the Divided Sky itself is standard good, nothing too special or memorable.

Up next is the 2nd new song, this time from Mikey, with Mound. Fishman starts it off, his snare tone sounding great IMO, and the claps from the band/crowd making a meager performance. The band enters, Fish changes the drum beat, and we are off and running through the song proper. The music is fine, but the vocals are still developing at this point (Trey/Page harmonies in particular are not as well-executed as in later versions). The band successfully navigates this difficult tune, and rewards themselves with jumping into, whatdoyaknow, another difficult song! Fluffhead is a definite highlight from set 1, and is often referred to as the GOAT by many. The song is played with both emotion and precision, and the tension built throughout the composition is truly appreciated once they hit the Arrival section, which has some of the best energy release I've ever heard! Though it's Trey that gives us that peak we love (and of course the Yellow Brick Road tease at the close, starting many OZ references), Mike is the MVP throughout IMO. This is a keeper for sure! "Ssssccchhheck it out" for yourself.

The band wastes no time and jump right into a historic Antelope, with Mike continuing to tease the Wizard. Trey cues the Simpson tease, and the "Doh!", but the crowd doesn't know what hit them (they may not all be in on the secret language...yet). Antelope continues, and we quickly slide into the Em jam. Things start to get interesting right away, as Page and Trey repeat syncopated notes against each other, with Mike playing the closest thing to melody, and Fishman just slinking along in the back. The jam becomes more tense and especially swirling, feeling like Dorothy herself is getting sucked up into the tornado. At the 6 min mark the swirling nature reaches its climax, with Trey nailing long ascending and descending runs, and hitting a quick peak at 6:40 mark bringing the band back into more standard 'Lope territory. But then surprisingly, as if the storm has cleared, the band breaks down at the 7:20 mark. It's kinda like the end, but not really, cuz someone is chanting/screaming, and then Trey randomly comes back in firing with a highly distorted lead. But, alas, they break it down again, more chanting/screaming, and then Trey treats us to some nice reverse delay/echo parts, the band breaking down around him. We end in a slow yet chaotic jam, with Page playing chromatic organ leads over top. All of a sudden the band starts to speed up, and we are in BBFCFM!! "Oh why?" repeated from Gordo at 1st chorus comically becomes "Hawaii" and then "How are ya?" (in a kinda RI accent), then Trey suddenly cues the band back into the closing part of the Antelope jam. But, of course, the band slows things down again, as if they are going to go to the end of Antelope, but Gordo keeps bringing back the BBFCFM lyrics ("Why do I try to kill you?") Then Trey again brings us back to the 'lope jam one last time, which finds itself into the end of the song proper-like. A Simpson's signal at the end really says it all ("DOH!"). What a mind fuck! A fantastically strange and exciting way to end the 1st set (one of the best of the year IMO).

Set 2 opens with some pleasant, jazzy noodling, then Over the Rainbow teasing, adding to the Wizard of Oz nature of this show. Then Trey quickly jumps into Wilson, the rest of the band falling in behind him. More Over the Rainbow teases follow, jabs and stabs by each band member, then the classic Wilson chant. From here, the boys run through a standard reading of Wilson, and immediately dive into Brother. Brother gets a Hawaii reference from Trey before jumping in to shred this solo to pieces. This Brother is not extraordinary, but a very good, high energy version. Up next is The Horse > Silent, which is a new tune at this point, and gives Trey a chance to give a shout out to "Matilda" in Horse. Silent is well played, even if, like Mound, the harmonies are still getting smoothed out, finding the voice that brings us to our knees if you will. Regardless, this song is a great addition to Phish's "slow song" category.

After a short break, Phish busts into The Landlady, which gets the crowd moving. The band provides an energetic ending to the tune (with a typical big Fish fill) and lands right in the start of Lizards. The band immediately locks into this version, which goes through the typical motions to much success. The crowd claps fanatically before the final section, which entertains Trey and Fish as they know it will be difficult for them to play along with the clap. The crowd ceases, and we are treated to an excellent rendition to the close. Phish then jumps into My Mind's Got A Mind Of Its Own, which is also a new cover tune, with Mike taking the lead. This one is very well-executed, and seems to me to be a reference to the crazy Antelope from Set 1, and also a hat tip to the Scarecrow from OZ.

The 3rd Gamehendge song of the set comes in next. The Sloth features some excellent interplay from the band, as they float through the changes and feels. The reworked version of Rift is next, and is executed nicely. Fun to hear the song change from the slow and misguided infant 1990 versions to the one we know and love today (see http://phishtracks.com/shows/1990-04-28/rift if ya wanna spin the old version).

After Rift comes Fishman's part of the show. For this, he picks the "old standard" Love You which is fine, but kinda wished they had stuck with the Wizard of OZ theme and done If I Only Had A Brain, but that's OK. The bagpipe adds to the comedy, with proclaiming "Isn't this a fucking great invention?!" Then he "feels like suckin", so he plays the vacuum over a fun groove. Fish wraps up the tune and retreats to his cold as ice throne.

To close the set, Phish picks Possum (satisfying the phans that screamed for it during Divided Sky) and also giving Trey the opportunity to once again explain the secret language (Trey tests the "All Fall Down" signal and no one falls down, so he must explain again). It's a riot to listen to Trey explain all the signals. Too bad the band got too big too fast and they couldn't see the social experiment truly come to fruition. Trey then jumps into Possum proper. During Trey's solo, he does the Simpsons signal and the crowd joins in. The jam starts build as normal, a Turn Turn Turn tease comes, and according to Trey, the crowd reaction is very weak. Regardless, Trey continues ratcheting up the tension as they move along. The final round is very bluesy and ripping, but not extraordinary, making this an average version made better due mostly to the signals.

The encore is Contact > Fire. Contact is unique (and funny quite frankly) with the addition of Mike on accordion during the intro and outro. Trey then rages in to Fire, which ends the show on a very high note, and has the crowd hooting. Trey absolutely shreds it Jimi style to close the night.

This is a great show from 1992, a perfect combination of technical prowess and antics. Set 1 especially is a must listen for all fans of classic Phish, with Fluffhead and the Antelope from Mars really standing out as all-time versions. Set 2 is great, but not quite the treat as set 1. Happy Phishin'!!

Here's one of those really rare examples of a show where the first set significantly outshines the second. Everything in set one except Melt, Heart and Papyrus is absolutely exceptional and played to perfection. And those three songs are all strong... just not stellar.

The second set, on the other hand, is an example of what I don't treasure in a Phish show... a bunch of disconnected songs with almost no jamming. Brother, Landlady and Lizards are all passable. Possum is a keeper because of the secret language instructions. Otherwise, treat this as a one set show and enjoy the piss out of it!

Crispy SBD source available for this show. Big thanks to Arty for remastering this classic performance!

They kick things off with a solid Curtain>Melt combo. Melt features a killer little jam. Page takes a B3 solo for the first time, having used his electric piano during the solo section in the first three versions of Maze. Still no tension and release during Trey’s solo. The Sky that follows is blistering. Fluffhead is well played, with a cool Follow the Yellow Brick Road tease during the arrival section. This leads straight into the best Antelope up to this point, and arguably one of the best Antelope’s of their career. This Antelope is absolutely bananas!

An inspired Wilson opens set two with fun Somewhere Over the Rainbow teases in the intro. A solid Brother follows. Horse>Silent is still a work in progress, lacking Trey’s guitar trills at the end. Landlady>Lizards makes for an interesting pairing, as does the My Mind>Sloth that follows. Henrietta treats the audience to two solos — one from his new Bag-Vac and the second from his vacuum. The Possum set closer includes another Secret Language lesson, as Trey notes “word has not spread yet since the Portsmouth shows.” Solid but fairly straightforward version.

At the start of the encore, Mike says, “I’ve never played one of these before, it’s high time I start,” referring to his new accordion. Beautiful opening to Contact, and Fire rips to wrap up the evening.

Obv this is an all time show, but I just wanted to add for future readers of the show reviews. This is the Antelope that is used in the Simpsons episode in which they appear. I'm pretty sure that a good amount of the writers and staff are phish fans and were pretty pumped to have them guest on the show. Cool that they used this version.

For your Health!

Fantastic energy and technical prowess on this one, and the audience tape is excellent quality. Folks are right to call out Fluffhead as a spectacular specimen. The composed sections are clean, the solos are vibrant, and the Arrival is triumphant. The Antelope/BBFCFM jam is phenomenal as well. Musical and dissonant, playful and evil, thrashing and patient, dynamic and rhythmic, creative and focused...toss in the Simpsons signal close and you've got one of the best jams of 1992. Very fun to hear the secret language explanation, and Trey's critique of the audience's weak Turn Turn Turn performance on Possum.

Listening to this show now and I just heard a little thing that I want to document somewhere and here seems as good a place as any.

During the last part of the Maze jam, there is a little quote of the Buried Alive riff by Trey (at about 6:12).

This is a great show, BTW. They open with a really energetic Curtain!