R8/W06: 06-14-1995 Mud Island Amphitheater, Memphis, TN

[rowjimmy]

doh.  Lesson learned.  Never look at the master list while really stoned and late at night.   :lol: I could of sworn I didn't see it, but I just checked the list again, and sure enough it is there. 

The master list had:

Last Edit: Today at 08:12:28 am by rowjimmy

so I probably missed it when I made that list and you only see it now because RJ updated it this morning.

ah.   :-D

This is correct.

oh, and re this pic: FUCK YEAH!

[blatboom]

no Scent of a Mule!?!

Relax.  As part of me being a good host this weekend, Scent of a Mule will be on repeat the whole weekend for you.

well, this has backfired..

[G. Augusto]

Noice choice.
We all knew you were just messing with us, anyway.

[pnchundi]

so what the hell is this weeks show?

[sophist]

Noice choice.
We all knew you were just messing with us, anyway.

This is correct.  August knows. 

so what the hell is this weeks show?

That string cheese box set.   

[pnchundi]

this wookie is so confused...

[G. Augusto]

this wookie is so confused...

06-14-1995

[pnchundi]

after i read this a couple of times, i guessed the 95 show.  thanks a

[mbw]

the sound on this lossy source is nutso.
neumann's, i presume?

[PIE-GUY]

Agreed. This possibly the 5th source I've had of this show (first two were different XLII's). This is far and away the best sounding source. Anybody have a source this good for the Fleezer?

[sophist]

lossless link in OP. 

the sound on this lossy source is nutso.
neumann's, i presume?

Yeah.  It is from that google spreadsheet that has been circulating.

[Alumni]

Listening to:

Phish
6-14-95
Mud Island Amphitheater
Memphis, TN

Source: Neumann RMS 190i (no other source info given)

Set One:

Don't you want to go (to Kill Devil Falls? -ed): I don't mind these straightforward rockabilly(?) tunes. And this one is more playful than my chihuahua. Nice opener. And for an off-the-wall opener, I'm really surprised at how tight it sounds. Always nice to hear Page hammering the keys...

Gumbo: Page really nails the piano outro. Nice version.

NICU: Another "anticipation" song. Well-played, but leaves me wanting something to chew on.

Mound: Such a tease. I always get psyched for Dogs stole whenever they play this.

Cavern: Solid version. Weird to hear midset, but it happened a lot that tour.

Possum: Always nice to hear a well-played Possum. This one's got a bit of a "summer spacecamp" gloss. Thumbs up.

ATR: Didn't recognize it when Fish started up. When was the last time this was played? Always wondered why this one didn't get the OhKeePa treatment (as in ATR>Possum). Kind of a strange lead-in to:

Grace: wasn't listening on headphones, so it sounded a little like a mid-set encore break. Crowd cheered, got quieter, and then cheered loudly again before the start of

Horse > SITM: nothing much to say. Heresy, I know, but I'm not big on this combo. It's nice enough as a relaxation tune after something intense or an out-of-your-gourd tripfest.

Spock's: Not complaining, but was looking for a stronger pick-me-up leading out of ATR, Grace, Horse>SITM...

Split: ...and there it is. Only complaint (if you can call it that) is that I was really still enjoying it when Trey went back to the main "Melt" theme. Didn't want it to end that quickly. Still, a really nice way to close the first set.

Misc thoughts: Definitely a fun, well-played set. I was wandering around the apt, and it kind of lost me for a few minutes in the middle. Cranked the volume to SOAMelt and sent the dog running to his kennel. Sorry little guy. If that one's scary, maybe I should be in the car when I play set II tomorrow  :lol:

Threaten me with AC/DC bag, and I'd say something like a B. By which I mean a typically solid first set. The next night, for example, has that extra something to reach "A" territory. But I don't really want to argue first set grades. On to the main course:

Set II:

2001: Doesn't matter how many times I go back and listen to 93-95 shows. I'm always a bit taken aback at first by the old arrangement. Sort of like a multitrack recording gone wrong. Where is everyone? Okay, there's Fish . . . Oh, and there's a note from Mike..... This one is preceded by some nice (but short) space noise and an odd bomb or two from Mike. And then it's right down to business.

Poor <3: Of all the possibilities running through your mind - all the transcendant jams that a 2001 opener might portend - admit it, Poor Heart isn't high on the list. But the letdown only lasts a moment. This version of PH is just too irrepressable. And they blitz through it in just over a couple minutes.

Tweezer: Meh.

Acoustic Army: OK, that was a lame attempt at humor. As far as I can tell, AA is AA. Back to Tweezer.
Hemingway version: Yes. I do think it's that good.
Tolstoy version: Most of the time, I'm sort of a Goldilocks fan: not too short, not too long, just right. In Tweezer terms, maybe that translates to New Haven. I'm perfectly happy to divide 60 minutes of music into 3 20-min segments, and I can be a bit dubious of super-extended stuff. Sometimes, the destination just doesn't warrant the investment. Sometimes it does, but the journey is occasionally painful. In musical terms, if not political ones, maybe that makes me a conservative Pauger. But sometimes it does work, and you're glad the band has the patience to try these experiments. And day-to-day habits aside, I'd have to admit it's those triumphs that keep me talking about this band, 10 years (close enough) since my last show.

I've listened to too little Phish for too long to remember: were the pre-Ebeneezer "ch-ch" vocals a regular thing? Cause they're cool. Anyway, this Tweezer turns dark early. Some malevolent notes from Page around 7 mins, but this one doesn't really take off for me until about 12 mins. Thy jam for a bit and then around 20 mins, it's back to the Tweezer theme for the close. Or not. I'm not going to try and note every shift from 20-50:00, but I did really enjoy the space theme mid 20s, the crescendo leading up to 40 mins, and the filthy jam near the end was a great finish.

WMGGW: Great placement. Can't think of a better way to end the set.

Encore: Perfect. I really like the old Simples, Rocky Top was a natural, and Tweeprise was mandatory. You can really hear Fish pounding away on this recording. Nice.

Great set.

Maybe an A- for the show (on a tough scale).

Hope y'alls don't mind the interruption. Had a good time doing these a couple years back...

[khalpin]

Don't You Want to Go: Nice opener. I'd love if they'd bring this one back. I always thought they did a good job with this tune. Not flashy or anything, but a fun tune.

Gumbo: Been getting a lot of these, this round. Standard version.

NICU: Good first set sing-along tune. Also, standard.

Mound: As usual, the crowd can't clap on the beat. I'm a Mound fan and this one is tight and the vocal harmonies are on.

Cavern: A rare mid-set spot here.  Standard.

Possum: Well-played version. Builds up a ton of energy.  I'm sure all in attendance ate this up.

All Things Reconsidered: One of only two times played in '95.  Played a bit on the slow side, but still nice and tight.  I'm a big fan.

Amazing Grace: Another rare mid-set spot.  Sans mics.

Horse>Silent: Does its thing.

Spock's Brain: I never got this tune.  I usually don't mind dissonance, but something about this one.  Can't put my finger on it.

Split Open and Melt: Speaking of dissonance...  This one wastes no time.  Trey repeatedly hitting that note shakes up the rhythm.  Gives it an edgy feel.  Then they just go at it.  Mike sounds particularly good on this one.  Real nice version and a good way to end the set.

A well-played first set, with the opener and closer being the highlight.


2001: Always a worthy opener even though it's an earlier version.

Poort Heart: Not my first choice coming out of 2001 but it works.  Tight and with good solo spots.

Tweezer: I don't think I've ever been able to listen to the entire thing in one sitting.  Not by choice.  It's longer than my commute and I almost never have an uninterrupted hour.  In the interest of keeping the review for this one 1000 words or less, a couple points.  Their patience really shows in this one.  They don't rush anything here.  I LOVE where this one goes about 12 minutes in with that Ramba feel(I think it's the ramba, anyway).  Just a ridiculous portion there.  Trey's on fire and it totally rips.  After that, it really gets out there and then they go back to the Tweezer theme but they just can't end it.  It builds and recedes for another 5-10 minutes but is a little aimless.  Then ~29:00 it gets to an almost Floyd-like mellow segment.  I almost envision them going into Us and Them.  The Slave to the Traffic Light jam comes next.  It's almost annoying that it's not actually Slave, because you want them to play it so bad while hearing it.  The next sequence flows so smooth and subtle that you can't really pick out where it starts.  You know when it ends, though.  Trey hits a sour note and they abandon that section.  It's not over, though.  It takes a minute, but they've got more in store!  A I/IV jam comes next.  Then another jam that just takes its time getting going and the next thing you know, it's going full force.  Great way to finish off.  5000 hippies just had their minds blown.

Acoustic Army: A nice cool down, while everyone tries to pick up remnants off ground of what was once their heads.

WMGGW: This, too, is very much welcomed by those in attendance.  Good placement and a good way to finish off the set.

Simple: Can't say that I'm a big fan of this one in the encore slot.  Your pretty much gauranteed that there'll be no jam involved whatsoever.  Right into:

Rocky Top: Tennessee.  Go figure.

Tweezer Reprise: Perfect ending.

So, the first set is pretty much all short, composed songs and the second set is almost a straight hour of pure improv.  Kind of like putting all your eggs in one basket.  It was fun to revisit this one again.  It's almost like you have to give this show 2 ratings, though.  One for the Tweezer and one for the rest of the show.  Without the Tweezer, this would get a B, but the Tweezer makes it an A-.  It's just a monster.

[rowjimmy]

1995-06-14
MemPhish!

My kinda pie, right here.


Set 1

Don't You Wanna Go: little gospel tinged rockabilly. only the 3rd time played. Out of five times ever (all in 1995.) I'm gonna call this for 2010 Summer Tour opener. This is a fun dancing tune.

Gumbo: Slow your roll but don't stop dancing! Mike is laying it down thick. Nice Piano outro.

NICU! And you guys wonder why I love 1995... This one is a bit slow. Almost as if it suffers from the Summer heat

Mound - Good Mound. More dancing

Cavern - Good way to bring up the levels mid-set. Rawk!

Possum - Don't settle into your seats yet. We're gonna work that sweat into a lather! Starts with a nice mid-tempo gallop but this one rips.
trey gets up into his solo and gets it a little weird with some twisted tension and some rage. Page also goes off, while Mike & Fish hold it down beautifully. Mike is crisp on this source.

ATR - Sweet!

Amazing Grace - shh!!

Horse > Silent - Lovely.

Spock's Brain - Wacko! Love this tune.

Split - Nice heady shrage on this  Fish is beating the shit out of the drums at the final peak.

[PIE-GUY]

Phish

6-14-95

Mud Island Amphitheater

Memphis, TN

-Set I-

1.Intro (stairway to heaven tease) -  hmmm...

2.Don't You Wanna Go – I liked this tune, but they seemingly replaced it with an original that chugs along similarly (GBOTT) just like they replaced LaGrange with Julius and rarely looked back. Dig it as an opener, though.

3.Gumbo – Of course, you know the band had some tasty Gumbo on Beale St. before the show. Didn't you? We did!!

4.NICU – Phishy, to say the least.

5.Mound – It's time time time.

6.Cavern – Is this set ending already?!?! Not really. Love Mike's bass here, though.

7.Possum – I love the start of the jam – Trey is playing so low and quiet. Perfect. Draws you in. Almost immediately he gets caught in a loop of minor goodness. And by the end of the jam it's all machine-gun all the time! Great freakin' Possumness!

8.All Things Reconsidered – remember when they used to play this tune? I love it.

9.Amazing Grace – can barely hear it – still, this was a pretty big place to pull off a song with no mics. Balls, I say!

10.The Horse >

11.Silent in the Morning – sure, why not.

12.Spock's Brain – I love this tune.

13.Split Open and Melt – solid set closer. A great Melt. Intense and left you wanting more!


-Set II-

1.Also Sprach Zarathustra > always a great set 2 opener.

2.Poor Heart > just warming up for the heat to follow.

3.Tweezer – had to start it over a couple of times. Hard to pay attention! This one goes through so many changes, yet it never bores me. I love how after being so far out there, Trey brings back the Tweezer main theme at around 20 minutes. It sounds like they are going to end it there... then back into the depths. I love the digital delay loop jam here, too. Mike adds some great lines to it. Then the whistling a la Providence Bowie. I was so sucked into this jam on this night. Is that Fishman on Vacuum!! This is no gimmick. This space at it's best! Then Trey gets things moving again but Fish refuses to start any real drum beat. Just higher energy space with Mike all over the place for a while. Finally, at 28+ minutes in a mellow little segment that could have been a track on Siket disc if pulled out of this jam. Similar to the final segment of the Fleezer, but less driven by Page and it doesn't build like the Fleezer segment. It just stays mellow and melds into a Slave-like jam. Absolutely gorgeous! Then the next segment lasts a while and is pure rock for a solid 8 minutes. Doesn't break down again until about the 43 minute mark. What?? I've been listening to Tweezer for 45 minutes without getting bored. This is greatness! And I love how it ends with the loops just going and going while the band sets up for AA.

4.Acoustic Army – Ahh... sounds like summer.

5.While My Guitar Gently Weeps – Great way to close it out.

6.E:Simple – I love it.

7.Rocky Top > There was a time when this seemed like a given when they played TN.

8.Tweezer Reprise – can't complain here either! The 3 song encore is never a given. We were all happy with this one!


OK – This was a crazy fun show. 1st set has some rarities (All Things, Spock's, Don't you Wanna) and was a ton of fun. The 2nd set is all Tweezer – at 50 minutes, how could it not be. Then the encore just rips 3 quick tunes. Perfect for a show that may have lost some people.

Gotta say, this one never lost me. I was rolling like a mad-man on this night. I had just hopped on tour the night before in STL having missed the first few shows out West due to major illness (I was in the hospital). So, this was at the very beginning of what turned out to be an amazing summer tour. I was totally sucked in no matter how far out the Tweezer got, I was enthralled. Greatness. One of my all time favorite shows, but not one I have listened to much since. Thanks for bringing this one back into focus for me!

My kinda pie, right here.