Pepsi Arena

Albany, NY, USA

Top Rated Shows

Highest rated shows at this venue by Phish.net users:

Date Rating
2009-11-28 305 votes 4.5016/5
1995-12-09 216 votes 4.5000/5
1997-12-13 227 votes 4.4846/5
1997-12-12 225 votes 4.3111/5
2018-10-16 477 votes 4.1258/5
2000-09-09 119 votes 4.0756/5
1999-10-09 125 votes 3.9760/5
2000-09-08 99 votes 3.8283/5
2003-12-01 170 votes 3.7529/5
1998-11-25 104 votes 3.7019/5

Top Reviews

Highest-rated reviews from shows at this venue:

2018-10-16 by TwiceBitten 74
Thought this show had a heck of a lot of heart. The combination of the cancelled Curveball crowd, tour opener energy, super lit Northeastern indoor wookery and that sick looking old school banner ("highest ever") lead to a very energetic crowd for a Tuesday night. This size room is perfect for...
1999-10-10 by CanadianPhan 28
This was without a doubt my craziest Phish experience. My cousin and another buddy cruised down from Hamilton, Ontario for the two nights. It's about a 7-8 hour trip. My cousin and I had tix but our buddy did not. He was able to wrangle some in the lot. After night one, we didn't have a...
2018-10-17 by yam_ekaj 25
This was a solid Phish show. Highlight was absolutely the monster first set chalkdust. incredible, must-listen phish, in my opinion. Rest of the set was very good; a fun energy, great song selection (sucker for NICU, the SOAMule was so fun), and some good jamming during wolfmans, steam and gin....
2018-10-16 by maxhog 24
Average-to-great show on paper, but the music here is incredible. Moma Dance was a high-energy opener and absolutely set the mood for the rest of the night. Tube had some fantastic type 1.5 jamming, Free has a fun Trey/Mike duel (I got flashbacks to MPP1 Martian Monster- WOW!), and the...
2009-11-28 by Icculus 24
Right at 3:41 when the jam in 7Below starts, you know Trey is on IT for this version, the finest 7Below to date. While he kinda noodles around a bit in the first few minutes of the jam, above strong accompaniment from Mike, Page and Fish, he starts taking off around 6:45 and soaring. At 7:40 or...
2018-10-16 by Slewfoot 23
Grrrrrrrrreat show last night! I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect. I was hoping for a good show and a good time with friends, nothing more. Instead I got an incredibly memorable night with both...the first set had a ton of confidence from the get go. I always love Moma as an opener and the...
1995-12-09 by kevinAreHollo 19
I think it's only fair that people get to see the silent jam. http://www.youtube.com/user/silverchair97#p/u/29/LzxHNsaqsAA
2018-10-17 by User_38901_ 18
I will pop in here to agree with JakeMaye and also add that (1) the Steam was very scary and dissonant and then dropped back into the 3rd verse sooooo smoothly and (2) this Mercury is maybe my favorite ever. Super dark funk in the jam section which served as a very enjoyable precursor to the...
2009-11-28 by waxbanks 18
There's plenty to say about the titanic twofer that opens Set Two, but it's worth posting separately just to point out that the Albany versions of Stealing Time, Foam, Split, Vultures, and Jibboo are all very very fine, and the show contains best-of-3.0 versions of Wolfman's Brother and (I'd say)...
2018-10-16 by vtspeedy 15
The crowd during pregame was unusually amped, I thought, and I mentioned to a friend that it all had a feeling like the Worcester 2012 tour opener - small Northeast city, classic indoor venue, big excitement. And so it came to pass. Moma Dance opener gave everyone a chance to settle in but...

Notable Jam Chart Performances

Individual jam chart entries from this venue:

2018-10-16 Twenty Years Later (14:25) Set 2 Noteworthy
A sick and twisted, evil monster. At first, it sounds like the band is content to tinker with the basic song. But at about 8:00, Fish and Mike hook up and develop a high-power, pulsing and driving base. Chaos ensues, as spacey effects, unusual keyboards, and sick Mike create a throbbing, mind-blowing sensory assault.
2009-11-28 Seven Below (24:30) Set 2 Noteworthy
Probably the King of "Seven Below"s! Initially, the jam sounds reminiscent of a mid-90's "Bathtub Gin" jam. Around the 7:50 mark, they briefly bring it back to the "Seven Below" theme. After that, they delve into darker realms, moving seamlessly for the next 20 minutes between dark and triumphant passages of music. Eventually, this one gives way to a "Ghost" that is loaded with "Seven Below" teases. If anyone asks what jam from '09 they have to hear, tell them to reach for Albany's" 7 Below->Ghost" first!
2009-11-28 Ghost (22:25) Set 2 Noteworthy
Festive post-tryptophan aerobicize flanges into crystal elves riding bullfrogs down to the hypersonic neon metallic dragon boat races. [A multi-section improvisational juggernault. This jam travels far, and little of it sounds like familiar "Ghost" territory. Eventually the jam builds to a rocking firestorm.]
1999-10-10 You Enjoy Myself (26:20) Set 2 Noteworthy
TWO AWESOME JAM SEGMENTS!!!! (No B&D, no VJ.)
1999-10-09 Also Sprach Zarathustra (20:08) Set 2 Noteworthy
Killer intro that creates one of the most upbeat, grooviest dance parties Phish has ever thrown down. So much goodness.
1999-10-09 Limb By Limb (13:55) Set 2 Noteworthy
Excellent version with strong playing. The jam hits usual peak indicating the song's finale - then at about 8:30 breaks into a low-key groove that works its way back to the "Limb" theme with a soaring peak.
1997-12-13 Ya Mar (18:24) Set 1 Noteworthy
At about 8:30, the opening chords are replayed, and the band breaks into a funky, upbeat 10 minute jam of exceptional quality. Must hear. SBD recording "From The Archives" available.
1995-12-09 You Enjoy Myself (34:09) Set 2 Noteworthy
An incredibly melodic and beautiful jam segment makes this among the finest and most adored YEMs in Phish history. Also a "silent jam" and Shaft quote. Vocal jam includes quotes from a talking Beavis and Butthead doll. (No B&D section.)
Somewhat dark grooving, with strong Mike emerges from the song proper. The sentiment brightens with a warmer tone, before returning to darker, more rocking place.
Following the instrumental bridge and final verse, a pleasant, upbeat groove takes hold. Gradually, the energy in this jam increases to a celebratory peak, before finally returning to "CDT" to conclude.
Retains an understated intensity throughout and after 7:30 takes on a graceful, ethereal feel, coalescing at 9:30 with a truly beautiful sequence of soaring guitar and deep impact bass. Around 11:30, a Page-led groove is introduced which brings things to a close with a slick -> "Cities".
Regardless of your impression of this song generally, this version deserves a listen. Featuring heartfelt, emotive play and strong communication and interplay, the band, especially Trey, is clearly "in the zone" here, and fans are rewarded with an exceptionally strong version, a cathartic relief following the insane "Twenty Years Later" which immediately preceded.
2018-10-16 Tube (10:27) Set 1
Page digs into his bag of tricks at 4:15, layering synthesizers on top of the groove, and later Trey takes charge as the jam becomes more rocking and peaks.
Very brief jam, but an excellent one.
Shorter, yes, but it's well-played and packs a lot of the punch that older versions did. This is what "Timber" is supposed to sound like.


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