This was my first West Coast Phish show. The atmosphere is so much different out here as compared to the rabid Northeast to which I was accustomed. Is it the water? Is it the air? More likely, the inherent mellowness is due to the seemingly unnatural abundance of the diggety-dankest of specimens of the Jah herb in this part of the world. I mean, after all this is (as proclaimed proudly by the second runner-up entry in the recent contest to suggest a new Oregon state motto) Oregon - œ A Place To Grow.

This relaxed vibe permeated both the room and the song selection throughout the first set. Exceptions to this rule, and high points of the first half of the show, were a rather high-velocity "Reba" and a way out of control "Antelope" that closed the set with maximum overdrive. The "Antelope" hinted at things to come, and I almost felt sorry for my new roommate in anticipation of what was about to befall her in the second set.

During setbreak we hooked up on the smoking porch overlooking the Willamette River with a couple of the Highlanders that were in attendance. Two bombs later we moved back inside to set up shop for the second set. Over the course of the next hour I watched as my roommate's brains were turned to mush. Sure, she had seen Phish in Indiana in 1994. But I don't think she had paid much attention.

The "2001" was pure space theta-wave induction resulting in deep hypnosis; the "Sparkle" was a sonic jackhammer that probed the cerebral cortex; "David Bowie" was devastatingly dense with hairpin twists and turns yanking the mind hither and yon. My roommate was momentarily lulled back into a false sense of security by the familiar "A Day in the Life," slightly amused by the trampoline bouncing in "You Enjoy Myself", but then completely terrified by the vocal jam that followed. She exclaimed "I feel like I am being abducted by aliens, you people are all fucking crazy, get me the fuck out of here!".

I complied, helping her down the stairs to a telephone so she could phone a friend for advice, then returned to my seat for a soulful "Loving Cup" and a ripping "Suzy Greenberg." The opening notes of "Ginseng Sullivan" sent me on my way back down to find out what had become of my roommate. She had recovered but definitely needed to leave. "Cavern" was the perfect capper to a hilarious evening. Whatever you do"...take care of your shoes.

I brought a nay-bob to this show (who I love dearly). A die-hard Deadhead, she wasn't too keen on Phish, but I'd gotten some comp tix, and she was curious. "A Day in the Life" blew her mind, but it wasn't enough to convert. Me? I'd converted so long before that each show just seemed more icing on an already thick cake. "Please, sir, I want some more."

This was my 1st Phish show ever! As a die-hard Deadhead, who refused to listen to any other bands beside the Grateful Dead during their existence, could not believe how good Phish was!

I must give kudos to two friends, Matt C. & Merri R., for convincing me to check them out. I went on a summer tour with them following the Dead. Both were adamant that I check out Phish. Finally, Phish came to Portland, OR while I was living there for a short period of time. I had 1 Phish CD - A Live One as my education of Phish thus far. Therefore, you could imagine how I felt after this show was over. Here is my review of what I could VIVIDLY remember of this show almost 17 years later...

Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon! What can I say, Phish is playing in the same building as the 1976-77 NBA Champions Portland Trailblazers who I remembered watching Bill Walton (well known Deadhead who seen the Dead over 600 times!) bringing the Trailblazers back from the dead down 0-2 to the Philadelphia 76ers to 4 straight wins capturing the NBA Championship! Therefore, it was the 1st time I've ever stepped into the Coliseum...

Poor Heart was the 1st song of the show. I thought I was seeing a bluegrass band? That changed when AC/DC Bag came on. HOLY PHUCK! I did not expect the tenacious jamming toward the end of the song and felt like it went on for 10 minutes. All Things Reconsidered, no memory of it at all. It's the only time I have ever seen this song in 164 shows. Probably won't recognize it the next time if the band ever play it again. Bouncing was on A Live One and knew this song. It was a nice treat (at the time). Didn't know a single song for the rest of the set.

Second Set, Theme song from 2001 was familiar and short. I remember David Bowie (could not stop singing DAVID BOWIE!) as it was well played. Loved "A Day In The Life" as a Beatles Fan (who isn't a Beatles fan??)! You Enjoy Myself was spacey as Trey used to have a synthesizer keyboard/drums equipment that he would take a drum stick and bang on it to give the equipment a boooiiinnnnggg song repeatedly. It was interesting. Loving Cup was another familiar song I knew and it was a blast/treat! Suzy Greenberg was another song I've heard previously.

I was blown away, didn't realize it then, that I would surpass my beloved Grateful Dead in # of shows. I thought I would never see another band 128 times as I did with the Dead, but Phish gave me the hook that I never took off...

https://forum.phish.net/forum/permalink/1377926730

Portland, Oregon was one of the first West Coast locations to welcome and support Phish in the early 90's. The tapes from the first few Phish shows in Portland aren't the highest quality, but were still well circulated at the time, and demonstrate how the band appreciated the responsiveness of the audience. Phish pulled off a classic April Fool's joke during a two-night stand at the Roseland Ballroom in the Spring '93, and the shows from August '93 and July '98 have been officially released by the band. Other Portland shows since then like 9/12/99 and 10/19-20/21 have been well-received by phans, but I can't help but root for this plucky show from down the homestretch of the Fall 1996 tour. Why? Just Because.

Phish played a terrific run of shows in the Midwest between 11/6 and 11/19, but the band seemed to lose their momentum in the huge ice storm that coated the Northwestern U.S. on the 20th and 21st. However, the band was apparently able to rebound from a border crossing into Vancouver, during which (according to phish.com) "Trey and Fish got to know Customs Agents at the border". A Sunday show at Portland's Memorial Coliseum may have been easy to overlook for many on tour at the time, but reviews claim that the scenes both inside and outside the venue were very pleasant that night, not unlike shows in the area in 3.0. (I wonder if those Customs Agents requested the Loving Cup played during Portland's second set?)

2001 had earned a reputation as a lead-in for many dynamic jams, so the transition into Sparkle has probably caused many Phish jam fans to go cross-eyed. But both songs were also CK5 showcases, and it is worth closing one's eyes and imagining the colorful craziness above the stage as one listens to the band race each other to the end line. Speaking of racing, the Reba in the first set so fast and furious it would have made Paul Walker proud, and the Antelope first set closer is determined not to be left in the dust either. A Poor Heart > AC/DC Bag > All Things Reconsidered opening trio is certainly unusual, but impeccably performed, with Trey stretching out during AC/DC Bag and demonstrating his astonishing facility for creating melodic and harmonic tension during the solo.

SET 1: Poor Heart: Standard. >

AC/DC Bag: This one definitely has something extra, properly ripped – very impressive – Trey keeps taking it higher and higher. Whew buddy! >

All Things Reconsidered, Bouncing Around the Room: Standard. >

Reba: Played extremely fast out of the gate. This is a really good version. Not quite great because it doesn’t have that signature moment or peak. But great all band jamming and they just keep going and going when they could have wrapped it a minute or two earlier.

Character Zero, Strange Design: Standard. >

Taste: Awesome Taste!

I Didn't Know: Because tease by The Beatles at 1:58.

Sample in a Jar: Standard.

Run Like an Antelope: This jam is white hot, extremely intense version. Definitely a must hear!

SET 2: Also Sprach Zarathustra: Really, really long intro jam here – first notes are not even struck until 8:30. Awesome jamming. All-timer 2001. >

Sparkle: Why? >

David Bowie: A very cool theme is constructed right around the ten-minute mark. They don’t stay with that much more than 45 seconds or so, but it does catapult them into an intense, high velocity jam. They crush this one folks, highly recommended!

Day in the Life: Standard. >

You Enjoy Myself: The Note is perfect. Loud and strong. Page leads a long funk jam while Trey is on his drum kit. Some cool effects in here but the Chairman is definitely throwing down in here. 12:20 Trey back on the doc and his intent is immediately clear: seek and destroy. This eventually leads into an enormous peak along with a sustained note from Trey that melts like butter into B&D.

Loving Cup > Suzy Greenberg: Pretty cool segment, Cup obviously rocks and the transition to SG is cool. Suzy jam has a little extra heat on this night, Page really rocks it out.

ENCORE: Ginseng Sullivan: 7 times played as an encore, and this was the second to last time. They also played this at the last show in Spokane and like at that show, Trey admits Norman Blake was the author of Ginseng, not Tim O’ Brien. >

Cavern: Standard.

Summary: Definitely a solid show. This and Vancouver by now have helped ease the memory of Spokane. Reba, Antelope, 2001, Bowie, and YEM all have replay value. Look at that list! This show is sneaky good. Let your guard down for a second, throw this one and let me know. Am I wrong? I like this one a little more than .net which is at 4/5. I am good at 4.1 out of 5.