Here goes-

Set One:
Golgi - Hey! I have a ticket stub!
Divided Sky -
Memorandum
TO: Young People Who Think 2009 Phish is the Tits
FROM: Reality

Subject: Divided Sky

It has come to my attention that some people believe that Phish may have played a version of Divided Sky in 2009 that is above "passable". Please refrain from stating such foolishness until you have listened to one of many "proper" versions of said song. One exemplary performance worthy of note would be that of July the Second from the year, Nineteen Ninety-Four. It has excellent playing on the part of all four band members and energy enough to power Manhattan.

Sincerely,
Reality

Guelah - Excellent version... properly otherworldly.

FEFY - Love it. trey gets all trilly with his soloing, at moments, along with the wailing bends...

Mule - mmhmm

Tweezer - Rocks. Well, it jams nicely and gets tense and weird but never slows down. By 9mins it's a rawk jam but even that takes some slight detours. Nice version that doesn't fuck around. Breaks down into

> Lifeboy - pretty song. Nice placement after the Tweezer.

Sparkle - hillbilly boogie!

Tweezer Rep. - great closeout for the set.


Set The 2^nd
Also Sprach Zarathustra -  1974 Grammy Award winner for Best Pop Instrumental Performance, as heard on the Album "Prelude" by Eumir Deodato. Actually, Deodato's version was longer.

> Mike's Song > Simple > Mike's Song - Me, I get annoyed when Simple supplants "I Am Hydrogen" but these early versions didn't do that. They're also short. Pretty good Mike's with the Simple sandwich taboot...

> Jerusalem, City of Gold - ok.

> I Am Hydrogen = nailed. gorgeous.

> Weekapaug Groove - Trey quickly gets off groove and starts fiddling around atop the band's relentless rocking. I like it. Love the "antelope" action in there. Then shit gets real crazy. Been you to have any feedback, mang? Moar 'lope jamming and it's really locked in jamming too. woah... 2001 teases in the 9min department. rawkin version here. All on point all the way.

McGrupp - Oh shit, the set isn't over? Good placement. Page really kills on this.

Maze - Certified Ripper.

Sample.

Slave - Nice version.

Highway To Hell - rawk.


Encore:

Rift - Nice version.


Great great show. the whole Mike's Groove was very entertaining and I really enjoyed the first set, too.

This one gets an "A".

Quote from: rowjimmy on January 21, 2010, 02:08:24 pm

Memorandum
TO: Young People Who Think 2009 Phish is the Tits
FROM: Reality

Subject: Divided Sky

It has come to my attention that some people believe that Phish may have played a version of Divided Sky in 2009 that is above "passable". Please refrain from stating such foolishness until you have listened to one of many "proper" versions of said song. One exemplary performance worthy of note would be that of July the Second from the year, Nineteen Ninety-Four. It has excellent playing on the part of all four band members and energy enough to power Manhattan.

Sincerely,
Reality

 
Mr President, its time from those young kids to get a dose of reality. - Homer Simpson

 

Memorandum
TO: Young People Who Think 2009 Phish is the Tits
FROM: Reality

Subject: Divided Sky

It has come to my attention that some people believe that Phish may have played a version of Divided Sky in 2009 that is above "passable". Please refrain from stating such foolishness until you have listened to one of many "proper" versions of said song. One exemplary performance worthy of note would be that of July the Second from the year, Nineteen Ninety-Four. It has excellent playing on the part of all four band members and energy enough to power Manhattan.

Sincerely,
Reality

lol

alpine was pretty hot though 

Golgi: To close out the set.

Divided Sky: And right away in the 2 spot.  Quality composed section.  Then followed by a real hot jam.  Love what Trey does at ~9:50.  Subtle, graceful and awesome.  Some very minor flubs, but nothing that diminishes the awesomeness of it.

Geulah: A nice follow-up.  Sweet and tasty sequence by Mike around 1:40.  The Asse Festival section is played nice and tight (nice, tight ass)

Fast Enough For You: I'm not normally a fan of this one, but this is a particularly good version.

Scent of a Mule: It being summer '94, this was still pretty fresh.  Nice mule duel.

Tweezer: Here we go.  Some quick, frenetic trills by Trey & Mike to kick off the jam.  Builds up a good amount of tension over the next couple minutes leading to a small peak ~7:50.  Eventually slows down to finish out.  Good compact Tweezer.

Lifeboy: Some more Hoist material as the crowd gets another breather.

Sparkle: standard

Tweezer Reprise: A great way to end any set.

A nice first set, filled with real solid playing.  Let's see what the second set holds.


2001: Obviously prior to when they would jam this one out.  Nice opener.

Mike's: This one's nice and dark.  It sounds like they're really having fun with this one....this one pretty much being a hometown show for Trey and Page.  Right into:

Simple: Early version with somewhat of an alternate bass line.  It's been a while since I've heard such an early version that didn't have OJ references.  Right back into Mike's with a full head of steam.  Oh yeah, that's the stuff!  Into Yerushalayim Shel Zahav, which is always a treat.

Hydrogen: Well played, beautiful version.

Weekapaug: Mike comes in on fire!  Trey starts out the jam with some interesting playing.  Then three minutes in, they totally turn things sideways.  Everyone's in sync there.  Quick Antelope tease there and back to the Paug.  Then they take us out into a crazy land of elves, gumdrops and general craziness before returning yet again to the Paug theme.  With 2001 teases to finish off.  Great ending!  Great Weekapaug.  It's all over the place...in a good way.  Show highlight, so far.

McGrupp: Wow.  This 2nd set setlist is pretty killer.  Tightly played McGrupp played very enthusiastically.

Maze: They're just not letting up.  Serious heat here.

Sample: You know it's a hot set when Sample is the "cool down" song.

Slave: Really nice version of this one.  Continues the "well played" theme.  Great build, great release.

Highway to Hell: Seems a pretty fitting end to the set.

Rift: First time ever in the encore slot.  Only time it was ever a one song encore.  You can see why that's so.  It feels like the show isn't over yet.  But they leave the stage anyway.  Played perfectly.


Great show!  Really energetic.  Really well played.  Great setlist.  Quality jams.  Damn, they were good in '94.  Weekapaug was the highlight for me.  Definite "A" show right here.  Nice pick, Chris.

My third show and the one that finally hooked me.
Let me preface this review by letting you know exactly how high I got before this show.
Mind you, I was 14 and had some killer shows lined up that month (07-02, Jones Beach & Sugarbush), so I decided to rage out with my brother and his friends.
Anyway, I couldn't hang with the 17 year old crew, and I puffed down a little too hard in the lot.
If you've ever been to GSAC, there are a bunch of park benches that line the lawn outside and I decided to chill out under one of them for about an hour.
This was my first experience with drug-induced fear.

On to the show!

I was good by the time we got in, just needed some time to chill outside.
We sneaked down to some nice pav seats, which was a first for me.
As for the SSB, I have ZERO recollection of them playing it over the PA at ANY show I've seen at the venue. Weird...

Golgi - Some space and wah beforehand and we're off. Last time it had opened a show was 04-12-1993.

Sky - Trey has his UIC version and this is my version. It was somewhere during the extended "nirvana" section that I got IT. A few tears had welled up and I was experiencing the complete opposite feeling that surrounded right outside of the venue. This was not only one of my top Phish moments, but one of my top life moments. Truly a fantastic version that overflows with effortless energy. Right up there with 06-17-1995 and 08-02-1998.

Guelah - Some more wah and cool accentuation during the intro. Little extra space after the Asse, too.

FEFY - Nice placement with a really confident solo that was hard to find after '94.

Scent - From the album "Pickles?! I though you said Chartreuse!"

Tweezer - Some meat! Great Ebineezer section. This is a killer example of what they could do in such a short time period. It kind of encapsulates all the craziness of a Fall '94 version but in 11 minutes. Also, this one is so different than the next version on 07-06, which is a whole 'nother beast.

Lifeboy - Two long, slow tunes actually work well in this set due to their placement.

Sparkle - ::no notes::

Reprise - Only the second time it had closed a first set up to this point. Kinda sending a message of "It's On."

2001 - A real throwback to the short 'o9 versions. Huh?

Mike's - Slammed right into it. It's On! Trey is extra playful during the intro including some more wah. Was that an HBO Theme tease during the jam? Plenty of dissonance and chaos >>>

Simple - I knew that they had been playing a new song on this Tour but had never heard it. Everyone thought it was called "Cymbals" for a bit. I like these early versions in that they were still kinda writing it as they went along. >>> Mike's >>>

Yerushalayim - With a H2 fakeout. 1/2 I caught this one. ::makes a colorful sign::

H2 - Pretty sweet transition into this one.

Week - Pretty much what this show is known for. There is a sweet modulation and minor key change that sparks the Antelope section. This one is another snapshot of Summer '94 in that it plays itself like a crazy Tweezer. No song was safe! Kinda of an odd yet passable transition back into the main 'paug theme with some 2001 teases. For 11 minutes, this one really runs the gamut.

Ms. Grupp - Trey does a long run during the intro. Super quiet version and the crowd is pretty respectable for most of it. Not a fan of the tune, but this version is pretty darn stellar.

Maze - I like this late in the set. This is kinda set two of set two. What can I say about a '94 Maze? It RIPS!

Sample - I think I had already grown tired of this tune at this point...

Slave - This jam shows fantastic restraint and spaciousness by the band which was hard to find in these big sheds. The crowd, again, is being really quiet for most of this. Big jam and peak.

Hell - No stop signs.

Rift - 1st and only time as an encore until 07-10-1993. Trey can't keep up!

This is one of my special shows.
It gets an A+.
a

yeah, I'm upping my grade of this show from an A- to an A......there is nothing minus about this show, except for it is minus all things suck.....

2 July1994 - Garden State Arts Center - Holmdel, NJ


I

Golgi - home show for Page and Trey, "I saw you...", nice Fish, love the dreamy section near 2:38, crowd loving it, great way to get those stragglers inside, into

Divided Sky - not far from ground zero(the Rhombus), not a piece of great change built in but certainly energy and intention reflect, this version comes out very intent, Mike and Fish locked in fast but solid, love the ambient aquatics that lead off the nirvana-like section, somewhat extended by Trey, a little over 2 weeks after his epiphinay at UIC on 18June1994, still in the zone, nice subtle variations by Page, key-key by Fish back into it, nice organ work by Page, Trey cuts in nicely w/ a little bit of feedback and sustain, this segues well into the first crescendo, almost electro stoccato at times during outro jam, sky-church Trey, charging, Mike sounding a tad flat surprisingly, nice sonicism overall to end into

Guelah - nice transition, wha Trey, funked up Mike, strong improvisational twists early on, solid AFest, nice brief space, while not as crazy as the 14June1994 version this one is still very solid, into

Fast Enough For You - inspired by EC's "Tears In Heaven", purple hues, Trey leads in at 3:17, absolutely love '93-94 versions, stately solo work by Trey, Trey digging deep and coming up succesful, TA is God, into

Scent of a Mule - knee deep in Hoist, Page leads in at 2:00, solid playing(if you really dig this tune check out the 2Nov.1994 masterwork), tempo increases every cycle, nice vocals into

Tweezer - nice flow, jam kicks in at 4:28, Trey's tone sounds superb in this jam esp. this year of '94, strong group jamming here, strong angled playing, Trey all over his 'doc, not a lot of space earlier on but a solid chunk groove, Stash like intensity, weird '94 style dissonant mini peak, Trey letting it all hang out, industrial wash, Page's organ giving direction, Trey w/ a metal-esque riff, cool outro in that Fish was hitting it preety dam hard, near segue of HYHU, aborted into mellowness of

Lifeboy - nice segue both in key and ambiance, esp. after that industrial beast of a jam, notably a song that a good friend of mine could not stand back in our "getting high listening to Phish bootlegs" days, nice twinkle of a tune into

Sprakle - cranking the E back up, simple but effective into

Tweeprize - nice set bookend, triumphant 4th!



II


2001 - someone in the crowd yelling "Dean for fucking for President!, before the funk, a stage odyssey, into

Mike's - jam drops at 2:28, Trey really on fire, playing in a kind of atypical approach but playing ahead and really killing it, trippy variation back into groove, video game-esque Trey before chordal outro into

Simple - cool jam near 2:37, brief but solid version back into

Mike's - solid finish, cool segue into

Yerushalayim Shel Zahav - a Hoist high point imo, into

Hydrogen - nice continuation of the quiet theme, into

Weekapaug - jam opens nicely at 1:23, nice drop near 3:03, rapid riff by Trey, gearshift quote by Trey, playful improv., nice dissonant series near 5:10, killer Fish kick drum near 6:25, cool descending progression, gay Mike, quick crescending run back into 'paug theme, 2001 teases near 9:30 into crescendo in the same key as 'paug, super solid version.

McGrupp - still 6 days before Mansfield, interesting noodling by Trey before the song begins, this song was butter back in the day, now not so much, cool segue into

Maze - Trey drops in at 5:49, dissonant Trey, spinnig ideas, sculpting air, ghostly, eerie sounds, Trey showing great dynamics, solid version, into

Sample - more Hoist, orange and yellow hues, Trey leads in at 3:10, I remember reading in Guitar World circa 1994 about Trey talking how SRV influenced him esp. in his approach to the solo in Sample,  solid into

Slave - not necessarily a big Slave fan but this version holds its own against any all-time versions,

Highway to Hell - to the next show!, Angus Trey at 2:04, Trey lighting it up, fun Mike, machine gun Trey, classic rock vamp.


E

Rift - nice summation of set 2 having more of a Rift/'93 vibe whereas set 1 was more Hoist/'94.



Overall I really thought this show had some very strong moments.  A solid pick from a very strong period in the bands history.  Trey in particular was on fire esp. in the first set.  Set 1 winners: a super charged Divided Sky, as usual for that era a beautiful FEFY, a preety high energy Tweezer that saw Trey all over it.  Set 2 opened strong and had some definite highlights i.e. Weekapaug but didn't reach the intensity of set 1 imo.  Grade: A-/B+

golgi- good way to whip the crowd into a frenzy
divided- wow, they are straight going for it.  Early sections are well done, and then great back and forth tension release as we build towards the apex.  I really miss the old sustain pedal Trey used- he used to be able to hit that note and just hold it forever. 
Guelah- not unusual for the time, but missed by me
FEFY- page sounds great and this is well placed
Mule- cranking things back up again.  The contrast between the playing in 03 and 94 is so apparant.  They sound so much more youthful, really going somewhere and there is a willingness to take chances.  Fish is flying through the ending!
Tweezer- a bunch of my friends are "over" tweezer complaining that it is played too much nowadays, but just listen to this one and you know why Tweezer is in rotation. 
>lifeboy  Odd, but Phish is odd.  And we like it.  Great rendering of the song
Sparkle- again just flying through this
TweePrise- to end a set? I like this! It creates more of Tweezer sandwich, and the energy is perfect to go into set break

2001> still the old school version, just beginning to be played with
>Mikes- Hell yes! Mike thunders into this one.  Really well played with Trey on the attack
>Yershalayim- more Mike.  Great placement and wonderful contrast to the ferocity of Mikes Song
>H2
>Groove- No mis-steps here.  Just ass kicking!
McGrupp- this song almost brings me to tears.  Love it
Maze- ok, we are approaching something almost epic here.  Page rips early on, but then Trey says, no son, this is how we do it
Sample- crash landing.  Good version though
Slave- ok, its not over yet.   I dont think listening to slave ever gets old
Highway- now we are done. 

rift- doesnt quite work as an encore for me, but they already played 3 typical choices in a row so whatever.  Really high energy too

Great choice.  I dont think I had heard this one before, so it's a real treat.  They were just on fire at this point in summer 94.  The first set is pretty typical, you have your Divided and Scent of Mule, but the early Tweezer and the TweePrise ending is a treat.  Second set just rips.
I am going to give it an A