I think this a fantastic show all around. The Runaway Jim opener is above average as it builds lots of tension and has a nice release. Guelah Papyrus is good as usual, and a great Reba follows. The beginning of the jam is quite beautiful and has a strong finish. Fee's extended outro quickly turns menacing, which sets the table for a phenomenal SOAM. August 93 had many great SOAMs and this is one of the best. The jam maintains great intensity as it swings from different tempos and moods. August 93 was a really good month for It's Ice too and this one doesn't disappoint. The end of It's Ice crescendos into the drum beat of Hood. Harry Hood is a nice treat in the first set, and Golgi wraps up a great first set.
Set 2 begins normally enough with 2001, but the Bowie that emerges at the end of 2001 is great. There's not much down time in the jam. It's ferocious from start to finish. Lifeboy is a nice cool down after Bowie and Rift brings the energy back up. Page digs deep in Jesus Just Left Chicago, both on vocals and the piano. Trey responds with an inspired guitar solo, as well. Frankly, Mice and Bats with Baby Gramps is strange, but it's interesting to hear once (and only once). A ripping Chalk Dust ends the second set well, and the a Capella Free Bird encore is both impressive and humorous. Give this show a listen, you won't be disappointed.

The last stop before closing out what might have been the greatest month in Phistory, this show, especially the first set, represents to my ears the most complete synthesis of what that month means to a dedicated listener to The Phish from Vermont. Every song therein is tinged with a golden hue, starting with a knarly Runaway Jim which more or less begins a stretch to start the show that is among the greatest beginnings of any ever before. Every song through Split in the opening sequence is worthy of mention, a couple of them in huge ways. How the band came back to a second set is a feat of mental stamina that belongs in the record books, and it's nothing to slouch at itself. There's nothing not to like, even the tapes sounded great. A must-hear show for passionate ears.

Okay, so I'll be the first to admit it. I didn't even know about this show until the LivePhish release this week. Wow... I was missing out. Reba-Fee-SOAM and Bowie are out of freaking control! And Free Bird never, ever hurts... right? Thanks LivePhish. Glad to put this show on my radar and into my permanent rotation. Now I'll have to listen to the rest of the month (since the reviews are so good).

I just saw Primus and the Chocolate Factory last night in the very venue this show was played at. Every time I’m in the Schnitz I always fantasize about what it would have been like to see the Phish From Vermont there. Such an awesome venue. Not to big, not too small (though the balcony is pretty darn steep). Anyway, just thought I’d give this show, a personal favorite of August ’93, another listen and review today in honor of having been there again.

This is one of those few and far between (even for 1.0) shows where the first set is better than the second set. I think I just personally like the jamming selections in the first set better. In general I prefer Melt over Bowie, and Reba over JJLC (which is a pretty stupid comparison, but there’s nothing really left to compare Reba to). It’s also worth note that nothing ever reeeaally goes type II in this show. There’s lots of instances of quick little dissonant step-outs, but they’re all just short little tension builders back to that songs' normal jamming fodder.

But really, this show rocks. Check out every song that crosses ten minutes. And the check out everything under ten minutes. They were on point this night. Esther, Lizards, and Freebird certainly don’t hurt either!

This show certainly goes against the grain that truly excellent shows need "The Big One." Certainly recently few shows crack the lofty rafters of phish classics without a big jam or unique event. Those will be hard pressed here. This show is just flat out played well from start to finish. The slightly extend SOAMelt leads the pack a shade under 15 minutes, hardly close to all time lengths. Jim sparkles as a tone setter and the first set hood rocks in thrilling fashion.

The second set is just filthy. 2001 gets things going (if too brief) but the Bowie here is top notch and certainly an elite pre-94 rendition. After a nice cooldown duo JJLC kills it with Page in particular putting forth a superior effort.

A great show that maybe isnt even the best of the month (or week!) but one definitely worth a listen.

The other reviews have covered most of the highlights; I would only add a rave for the excellent version of Esther that manages to maintain the energy of the set. IMO, the first set is just a touch stronger than the second. While Harry Hood is usually placed at the tail end of a set to add emotional gravity, it's placement in this first set is only as a sorbet to follow the seven delicious courses that preceded it.

Another sweet Free Bird closes the show, the only non-electric tune of the night. No bluegrass or jazz standards on the setlist, either. It must've been cool to witness the boys sing and play songs unamplified back in the theater days, but I don't always find it to be comfortable listening. This show is definitely easier on my ears.

(posted to rec.music.phish in 2002)

I am listening to the 8.26.93 SOAMelt while making a mix for someone to run
to. It's proving very difficult for me to type this as it is so hard to sit
still while this is going on!

The jam out of the Fee before this is pretty great, even given that this is
the end of August 1993 (and if you don't feel the awesome wave of awe and
reverance that every true fan should when hearing any 8/__/93 reference,
please, _please_, do yourself a favor and become better acquainted with this
magical month!), and part of that tremendous West-Coast week taboot, it
almost seems to foreshadow the impending madness...

It had been some time since I'd listened to this, but I know I have raved
about this particular jam before. The energy - the intensity is really more
accurate - and the flow of this jam, the subtle rises and tactful falls in
the tempo, volume and chaos as it develops is truly masterful.

Then the end - oh wow! Modulating up, down, left, right, b, a, select,
start... This is a clever device to heighten the tension, but it's employed
with such grace and virtuosity that any thoughts of this as a "canned"
technique for intensity are quickly lost. You almost feel like you're
listening to the end of Demand, right before the car crash (meaning you can
almost hear the screaming tires and ambulances within the layers). Except
the maniacal, unrelenting sense of drive and escalation combined with the
power of live music at its best is almost enough to rip you apart at the
chakras.

Anyway, just had some thoughts during this 14+ minute monster and thought
I'd sit and quickly type them before the baby wakes up from my constantly
nudging the volume higher.

Any other Melt favorites?

I also wanted to gladly offer any DAT clones of this stupendously insane
show, or if you're really behind the times like me and you'd like a cassette
tape with the following setlist (The so-called "running" mix) then drop me a
line!

Side A Side B
First Tube - 5.21.00 Radio City Crosseyed-> - 11.2.96 W Palm Beach
Poor Heart - 12.1.96 UCLA Antelope - (same as above)
SOAMelt - 8.26.93 Portland, OR Runaway Jim - 8.13.97 Star Lake
Brother - 4.4.98 Providence, RI
Tweezer* - 3.28.90 Denison, OH

*-Debut!

The penultimate show from a legendary tour, 8/26/93 serves as an excellent sample of summer '93. Both sets contain some ridiculously awesome jamming, though Set 1 is a bit more consistent and filled out (as is the case with a few other big shows from this month). This distinction is largely due to the amount of set real estate left for Baby Gramps' sit-in and the HYHU performance, a touch akin to many of the other August '93 shows that featured HYHU, Purple Rain, or acoustic/a cappella sessions that demonstrate novelty over prowess. While moments like these are certainly central to the band's character, and I would never wish them out of this transitional phase into a more matured group, the gag loses some of its initial luster after one listens through enough of the tour--especially when these moments consistently close otherwise fantastical shows and rinse away the taste of the more jaw-dropping jams. Regardless, this show has plenty to unpack and is a fantastic representation of the band at this stage in their career.

Set 1 is fully loaded with noteworthy performances, including a playfully climbing Runaway Jim opener, another Reba that grips the heart in August '93 fashion, a Fee that includes a heavily Type II outro, a SOaM that demonstrates a maturing approach to improvisation involving the entire band with true direction (my god the end of this jam is so fucking sick), and a Harry Hood that really milks the ascent before reaching its glorified acme. The whole band stays on point through the whole set, but I'll give a special shoutout to Page, who shines exceptionally bright--especially on Esther and It's Ice.

Set 2 starts off with that beloved 2001 opener before diving right into David Bowie. Summer '93 has produced many incredible Bowie jams, and this example is no exception. The jam here sticks a little more strictly to the recognizable Bowie elements than the uber-exploratory performance from 8/17/93, with only a few moments that break free of the usual groove and harmonic movement (though Trey works in plenty of nice improvisational riffs that build atop the foundation). That said, any dearth of adventure is easily made up for with an insane ferocity. The energy behind this jam is fucking high octane, and the band definitely deserves the easy breezy Lifeboy that follows. Surviving a somewhat rough Rift, the band dials back in for a KILLER JJLC. Once again, Page is operating on another level, delivering those ZZ Top vocals with grit and swagger before absolutely commanding the room during his piano solo. Trey follows suit, taking the band sky high and then crashing back down to earth. As stated before, the rest of the set's highlights come from the goofy HYHU>Nothin' But>HYHU, not quite as praiseworthy in my book. A strong CDT and Free Bird encore closes the show with an appropriate juxtaposition of pure musicianship against a goof that caters to the band's burgeoning in-group community.

My reaction to this show--upon occasion of yesterday's LivePhish.com archival release--seems to say more about me than about Phish. This is an above-average show, even for a month of Phish that pretty much instantiated nightly Type-II jamming, and there's a wealth of Type II on display here. But nothing stands out to me as being highly exceptional, which may be reinforced by the "tale of the tape" whereby the Setlist Team here at .Net has like 6 or 7 jams as "Noteworthy" but none as "Highly Recommended." I think the jamming in August '93--and to many extents from that point backwards down the number line to the beginning of Phishtory--was far less streamlined than we would find in later years, and for that reason, the jams in this show and the surrounding era feel a bit too angularly mathematical to me (or maybe "technical" or "progressive" are better descriptors.) I guess what I'm trying to say is that the groove aspect of the jams doesn't feel very relaxed to me, which can be either a very good thing in that every one is on his or her toes listening and reacting, or which can be a kind of headful to deal with given the highly precise and complex epic nature of a lot of the compositions one finds in this show. I have difficulty pointing to a highlight, in short, though Jesus Just Left Chicago sounds truer to the ZZ Top original here than any other version I've heard. 4-out-of-5 stars.