December '95

[rowjimmy]

how come the transition into and the weekapaug aren't talked about as much as this mike's?  they are equally as amazing!

I think it's pretty widely discussed as a significant moment, not the least because it's the first ever Mikes > Weekapaug.

[WhatstheUse?]

I'm in! I've been entirely consumed by working on my own music this year and have listened to zero Phish outside of a few DAAM's/Beacon Streams so I need to get back in the game.

Anyhow, off to listen to 12/1 for the first time...

I want to shame you, but the truth is I'm just jealous you get to hear this show for the first time.

I'm at the end of set one right now, and this is just about as close to perfection as you can get, IMO. The opening Buried Alive > DWD could arguably be the greatest one/two punch to start a show ever - Trey absolutely destroys his guitar on those solos. Easily one of, if not the best, type-1 Diseases ever.  Just perfection, I don't think Trey hits a single wrong note and he hits all the right ones - every note in his solo has purpose.

Theme is fantastic.  Poor Heart is FAST and ferocious like it should be played - bonus points for Fishman on the wood blocks during Mike's solo. Wolfmans is.... new.  Chalkdust is a rager.  There's almost not much specific to say about the set -- they are just crushing every song and the pacing is on point. I'm up to Stash and I don't think they've stopped for more than 2-3 seconds between songs.  Claaaasssssic Philosophy/Science/Religion narration. Mmmmmmmm chocolate.  Trey interestingly enough didn't nail Mockingbird like I anticipated he would... but.... not too bad, he gets a pass this show.

Stash is dark, dissonant, DENSE, heavy and just plain fucking awesome. Trey hits the Leslie for a bit, Fish hits the china cymbal about 15 times in a row = climax is achieved.  What a jam.  By the way, for those who don't play drums -- Stash is possibly the single hardest Phish jam to emulate. Think about it.... there's no back beat.... there's really not even snare drum...... it's not even a beat that repeats.... it's just Fishman dancing around the cymbals and adding in little fills and toms here and there.  Even when it hits it's highest peak..... he's usually just playing High hat and Ride cymbal, there's no back beat! It's so unique and so impossibly difficult to emulate.

Alright, that was fun. Set two coming up.

[Hicks]

Getting to play the 12/1 DWD on Guitar Hero was super fun, definitely one of the best type 1 versions. 

[WhatstheUse?]

What Trey play between 5:18-5:30 in this Mike's Song is just bonkers.  :crazy:
and then what he plays at 10:42 .......which ultimately launches the jam into the next section.... is just everything I love about Trey.
Goodness gracious, and there he is again at 4:10 in Weekapaug with just the sickest melody you could ever play (is that a tease?)

It can't be said enough how important the pacing of a show is - and this show succeeds in a rapid pace! Every single song smashes into the next.... Even when they played Suspicious Minds, I couldn't decipher a moment where Trey switched to the drums.  They are just relentlessly beating you over the head with music.  There's about a 30 second gap between the end of HYHU and Bowie and that's the longest time there's been no sound all show. Oh, and the Bowie smokes in traditional mid-90's fashion.

Well, I didn't initially intend to smash through this entire show this morning, but here we are. It was just too good to stop. Looking forward to revisiting all these shows. I miss Phish. 

[anthrax]

PHISH, SATURDAY 12/02/1995
NEW HAVEN VETERANS MEMORIAL COLISEUM
New Haven, CT
Soundcheck: Funky Bitch (half-speed)

SET 1: Prince Caspian, Runaway Jim, Mound > Guelah Papyrus, Reba[1], My Sweet One, Free, Taste That Surrounds, Bouncing Around the Room, Possum[2]

SET 2: Also Sprach Zarathustra > Maze > Simple -> Faht[3], Tweezer > A Day in the Life > Golgi Apparatus, The Squirming Coil, Tweezer Reprise

ENCORE: Bold As Love

[1] No whistling.
[2] All Fall Down signal.
[3] Fish on acoustic guitar.

Reba did not have the whistling ending and Possum included an All Fall Down signal. Faht featured Fish on acoustic guitar. Tweezer contained Take Me to the River teases and Squirming Coil contained a Carol of the Bells tease from Page.

a 240 mile drive and we're at our next stop.  i'm not super familiar with this show, so i'm looking forward to diving in this morning.  as i look at the attendance numbers, mar is totally right.  a lot of the venues are about the same size.  this place holds just over 10,000 people.  this night was sold out at $18-$22 tix.

don't forget this monster tweezer dsbd is on the FTA #14 from festival 8 - thanks again to khalpin for this awesome spreadsheet!

[Caravan2001]

PHISH, SATURDAY 12/02/1995
NEW HAVEN VETERANS MEMORIAL COLISEUM
New Haven, CT
Soundcheck: Funky Bitch (half-speed)

SET 1: Prince Caspian, Runaway Jim, Mound > Guelah Papyrus, Reba[1], My Sweet One, Free, Taste That Surrounds, Bouncing Around the Room, Possum[2]

SET 2: Also Sprach Zarathustra > Maze > Simple -> Faht[3], Tweezer > A Day in the Life > Golgi Apparatus, The Squirming Coil, Tweezer Reprise

ENCORE: Bold As Love

[1] No whistling.
[2] All Fall Down signal.
[3] Fish on acoustic guitar.

Reba did not have the whistling ending and Possum included an All Fall Down signal. Faht featured Fish on acoustic guitar. Tweezer contained Take Me to the River teases and Squirming Coil contained a Carol of the Bells tease from Page.

a 240 mile drive and we're at our next stop.  i'm not super familiar with this show, so i'm looking forward to diving in this morning.  as i look at the attendance numbers, mar is totally right.  a lot of the venues are about the same size.  this place holds just over 10,000 people.  this night was sold out at $18-$22 tix.

don't forget this monster tweezer dsbd is on the FTA #14 from festival 8 - thanks again to khalpin for this awesome spreadsheet!

stoked to dig into this one again.  I'll prob just listen to the AUD all the way through on Relisten.  I was in the 10th row for this one.  One of the shittiest venues out there but it was my local arena growing up (I was 30 miles north of MSG and 30 miles south of this one) so I saw a buttload of shows and events there in 80s/90s.  This might have been the last time I was there.  Then they imploded it.

[rowjimmy]

PHISH, SATURDAY 12/02/1995
NEW HAVEN VETERANS MEMORIAL COLISEUM
New Haven, CT
Soundcheck: Funky Bitch (half-speed)

SET 1: Prince Caspian, Runaway Jim, Mound > Guelah Papyrus, Reba[1], My Sweet One, Free, Taste That Surrounds, Bouncing Around the Room, Possum[2]

SET 2: Also Sprach Zarathustra > Maze > Simple -> Faht[3], Tweezer > A Day in the Life > Golgi Apparatus, The Squirming Coil, Tweezer Reprise

ENCORE: Bold As Love

[1] No whistling.
[2] All Fall Down signal.
[3] Fish on acoustic guitar.

Reba did not have the whistling ending and Possum included an All Fall Down signal. Faht featured Fish on acoustic guitar. Tweezer contained Take Me to the River teases and Squirming Coil contained a Carol of the Bells tease from Page.

a 240 mile drive and we're at our next stop.  i'm not super familiar with this show, so i'm looking forward to diving in this morning.  as i look at the attendance numbers, mar is totally right.  a lot of the venues are about the same size.  this place holds just over 10,000 people.  this night was sold out at $18-$22 tix.

don't forget this monster tweezer dsbd is on the FTA #14 from festival 8 - thanks again to khalpin for this awesome spreadsheet!

stoked to dig into this one again.  I'll prob just listen to the AUD all the way through on Relisten.  I was in the 10th row for this one.  One of the shittiest venues out there but it was my local arena growing up (I was 30 miles north of MSG and 30 miles south of this one) so I saw a buttload of shows and events there in 80s/90s.  This might have been the last time I was there.  Then they imploded it.

Had to after Phish rawked the foundations.

[Superfreakie]

smallish room but the crowd is ROARING

most of the venues that fall were of that nature...part of what made it so special imho...they really found their niche in that sized venue, and the music showed. totally allowed for awe inspiring dynamic shifts...I caught the first 2 weeks of december and it was just glorious.

The thing I remember distinctly about the sound at this run of shows was the drums - booming and deep. For me it had all been theaters prior to this run; I don't think I'd seen them in anything larger than 2,000 people (aside from Red Rocks 95). And although I enjoyed the theater PA sound, I fell in LOVE with the arena monstrosity.   

[khalpin]

By the way, for those who don't play drums -- Stash is possibly the single hardest Phish jam to emulate. Think about it.... there's no back beat.... there's really not even snare drum...... it's not even a beat that repeats.... it's just Fishman dancing around the cymbals and adding in little fills and toms here and there.  Even when it hits it's highest peak..... he's usually just playing High hat and Ride cymbal, there's no back beat! It's so unique and so impossibly difficult to emulate.

Interesting perspective, I never thought of that.

[Marmar]

smallish room but the crowd is ROARING

most of the venues that fall were of that nature...part of what made it so special imho...they really found their niche in that sized venue, and the music showed. totally allowed for awe inspiring dynamic shifts...I caught the first 2 weeks of december and it was just glorious.

The thing I remember distinctly about the sound at this run of shows was the drums - booming and deep. For me it had all been theaters prior to this run; I don't think I'd seen them in anything larger than 2,000 people (aside from Red Rocks 95). And although I enjoyed the theater PA sound, I fell in LOVE with the arena monstrosity.   

Yes. It was the first time we got to actually FEEL Fish's bass drum. Nice resounding THUD to the middle of the chest.

[pcr3]

Well, I just finished 12/1.  Scott is so dead on.  They just bash you over the head with their pace and their playing and just going right into the next song before you can get a breath.  It's fucking relentless.  I fucking love it.  This is fun.

[rowjimmy]

Well, I just finished 12/1.  Scott is so dead on.  They just bash you over the head with their pace and their playing and just going right into the next song before you can get a breath.  It's fucking relentless.  I fucking love it.  This is fun.

Jesus Christ, dude.
How many years have I been telling you that this fucking show rules your face?
You have to take it from a 3.0 noob before you spin it up?
You disgust me.

[anthrax]

even though phish was playing big places in '95, they were still a very niche band.  when i go see a show, it's no secret that a majority of the time i want to be bashed in the face until i scream "uncle."  it's been that way for me since i was in high school, so this mid 90's sound won me over instantly.  however as we get older and phish becomes more accessible, i find a lot of people who have seen more 3.0 shows (or just 3.0 shows) can't take that pace you guys are talking about.  i find it funny, but i get it.  probably why you see mostly dudes at slayer and way more chicks at phish now. 

[khalpin]

probably why you see mostly dudes at slayer and way more chicks at phish now.

:hereitisyousentimentalbastard

[Superfreakie]

Yeah, I didn't think of Phish as a light playful entity this fall. They were fucking evil, bad muthafuckas. It was a battle on a headful; you earned your stripes. A least once a show I'd find myself uttering "this is it, you're past the point of no return, you are truly insane".......and then they'd play something like Mango Song and I'd laugh hysterically at the dark place my mind had sunken to. Good God, I'd give anything to do it all again one more time.  :crazy: