Before the first set, Trey introduced Mike as “Lou Reed.” After Foam, Trey mentioned how happy he was to be playing at Prescott College, which, he announced, is very similar to Goddard. I Didn't Know featured Fish on trombone. The Bowie intro contained three Charlie Chan signals as well as Oom Pa Pa, Simpsons, and Random Laugh signals. Bowie subsequently contained another Charlie Chan signal and a Tritone Down signal during the jam and maniacal screaming from Trey and Mike during the end segment. After Bowie, Trey introduced “Fern,” who read poetry during the setbreak. Fish was introduced as “Showboat Gertrude” before Terrapin; he explained that the name is derived from that of the Indian singer Shobha Gurtu. Tube was played for the first time since November 16, 1990 (111 shows). Memories and Sweet Adeline were performed without microphones.
Debut Years (Average: 1987)

This show was part of the "1991 Fall Tour"

Show Reviews

, attached to 1991-10-24

Review by westbrook

westbrook This is a really fun show from the early years. The band is clearly very comfortable and having a great time at this show as evidenced by all the banter with the audience. Trey remarks how Prescott College reminds him of Goddard and then says something to the effect of "I've haven't been in a room with this many weirdos since Goddard. It's great. It's like being back home."

The source from the spreadhseet is SBD with a cut during Divided Sky. Trey and Page are really out front in the mix. Fish and especially Mike could be higher but it's not terrible.

The jamming in this show is very focused and to the point. I guess you could call it concise. It's a more stripped-down approach as opposed to the later 90s style, but this is Phish boiled down to its purest form.

A few notes
- Tube and Slave bustouts. This is the first Tube with the blues breakdown before the final verse and the last Slave until the big return on 8/6/93.

- Highlight of the show is TMWSIY>Bowie. Great intro and jam. The end screams (literally).

-Trey shreds in Weekapaug.

- Fish during HYHU "I hate this fucking song, I hate it more every time"

-Encore is missing the a capella songs

Again, this is a really fun show with lots of banter/name-calling and energetic jamming. If nothing else, give a listen to the TMWSIY>Bowie segment.
, attached to 1991-10-24

Review by AZJefe

AZJefe This was my first show...
So of course it gets five stars!!!
And today is my 26th Phishiversary!

Tiny historic ballroom, $3.50 tickets, just a few hundred people, and just about as high energy, zany, and fun as I'd ever had.

Absent from the show notes is that the "poetry" read by Fern was, in fact, erotic poetry. Very erotic poetry. Trey was blushing.
I lost my tape years ago, so I can't comment on the integrity of the playing. But it doesn't matter...the show was off the hook- everyone agreed, including the band.
So much fun.
Thank you Phish
, attached to 1991-10-24

Review by GitDown

GitDown Listen to this show, if for nothing else (and I haven't gotten to the 2nd set yet), the awesome full-on segue from TMWSIY outro into Bowie. Excellent.
, attached to 1991-10-24

Review by SplitOpenAndMule

SplitOpenAndMule Not adding much to the other reviews, but another voice to say that this show has great energy all throughout. A lot of more-or-less typically awesome 1991 playing, but everything from TMWSIY through Slave is some of the best playing this fall tour up to this point. Proper spaciousness in Mike's, Hydrogen, and Slave, and totally on-point, dialed shredding in Weekapaug and Bowie. The bustout energy of Tube is through the roof, and the segue from TMWSIY>Bowie is very excellent and exciting for this band at this stage in their career. Listen to this show :)
, attached to 1991-10-24

Review by thelot

thelot This show features a super crisp SBD source with a beautifully balanced mix. It sounds like there’s one cassette gen in the lineage, but it still outshines the Santa Cruz dSBD overall in clarity and depth.

Trey sets the tone right away, joking that the band is all fueled up on one of Fern’s meals and poetry readings — so they’re more than ready. He then playfully introduces Lou Reed on bass. A tight Oh Kee Pa into Suzy kicks things off and gets the room buzzing. Foam is well played and full of precision. Afterward, Trey draws a fun parallel between Prescott College and their alma mater, Goddard, saying, “I don’t think I’ve been in a room with so many weirdos since Goddard — it’s great, it’s like being back home again!” He gives shoutouts to Allen Cole and Doug North, longtime Goddard friends. Stash rips with typical fire. Ya Mar is solid, with Mike hilariously calling out for Cleo. There’s a cut at the beginning of Divided Sky, and unfortunately, a decent chunk of music is missing — but what remains is pure lift-off. During I Didn’t Know, Fish plays his bone “like he’s going into China, Showboat Gertrude!” The Goddard vibes are in full swing by now, and the band launches into a gorgeous TMWSIY > Avenu > TMWSIY > Bowie combo. The Bowie is absolutely scorching — a total mind-melter that could’ve converted any first-timer on a head full. During set break, Trey invites Fern to the stage to read a few poems, adding to the night’s offbeat magic.

Set two kicks off with a rock-solid Mike’s Groove, with Groove in particular hitting some especially sweet spots. Tube makes a surprise return after nearly a year on the shelf (last played 11/16/90), and the first Slave of the tour — only the second all year — follows. It’s a beautiful version, played with heart. A standard-but-sweet pairing of DaaM and Bouncin’ comes next, leading into a classic moment: Trey introduces Showboat Gertrude to the stage, and Fish gives the backstory behind the name while reminding us (again) how much he hates HYHU. They wrap the show with a tight and energetic Possum. Before the encore, loud whistling erupts from the crowd, prompting Trey to quip, “I’ve never heard such loud whistling in my life — my dog is going crazy back there!” Unfortunately, Memories and Sweet Adeline are cut from the tape, but all in all, this is a great-sounding source and a killer show from top to bottom.
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