I’m up to Rift and this show starts off with a bang. As Katie (or possibly someone else) mentioned, Buried Alive openers are quite the treat.
And the intro to Possum is loaded with secret language… The first of which caught me off guard. An excellent jam leads into a solid Its Ice.
A good Bouncing shows off Treys vocals may be a bit low in the mix.
But this Split Open and Melt is one that I love. Early Melts are the best Melts in my opinion.
And wow does the second half of the first set not disappoint. I love the little spacey jam they used to do somewhat regularly from Fee into Maze. And this Maze is an absolute smoker. Trey really showing off his chops to southern California.
A great Forbins with a fun narration of the boulders and trees and boulders and trees tumbling down. A quick Mockingbird tease from Gordon before heading incredibly smoothly into Icculus, and back into a near perfect Mockingbird. Antelope came raging to close out the set. Nothing out of this world, but straight forward and lots of energy.
Second set someone calls for a Sanity (sounds like an audience member), and gets their wish. The contrast between the slowed down ending and the lightning fast Llama intro is quite a treat. And this Llama delivers. It is like the band was in agreement to play this one relatively straight forward, but constantly peaking with energy. Much like the first set Maze, Trey really shines during this one. Lizards is a perfectly placed cool down spot… and the rest of the set review will be coming later.
Just got through the first set, and really got my vintage Phish juices flowing. I love the raw energy, the silly Trey just brimming with enthusiasm. Love it. Unfiltered Phish at its best.
Man that Buried Alive opener is just bursting at the seams, I love it 
Early-Mid 90’s Possums are the shit - they had so much fun with the intro, wish they would do that more today.
Mike is an All-Star on this Ice…wow. Bass is just thumping and he’s the one driving the song. The breakdown section is nice with some great jamming.
Bouncing is a pee song…sorry 
These old Melts are awesome. Did I hear Trey ask Mike if he wanted fast or slow right before they start?
Is it just me or did they fuck up the beginning to Rift? I happened really quick and they recovered well but I think it kinda affected the first minute or so and then it was like they made up for it in a big way. Great version.
To ditto someone else, the 2nd half of this set is crazy good. That’s the kinda segue of songs you would expect to see close out a 2nd set. Just straight awesomeness.
Holy Mikes Song. This thing absolutely smokes from beginning to end. The Weekapaug is no slouch either. Horn>Poor Heart is a nice resting place after that madness.
Unfortunately the set kind of takes a resting pace at this point. Fishman song was good with fun banter. But the three acapella songs was just a bit much for me in a row. Suzy tried to bring some of the bands energy back… But it may have been taken out already. The crowd was definitely into it though.
And well a Sleeping Monkey encore… I’ve just never been too into this song… But it was enjoyable.
Overall thoughts. The first set is the meat and potatoes of this show. And the second set started off just as strong, but just couldn’t quite bring it on home for me. But that Mikes Song… Yowza!!
^ took the words outta my mouth
Love the Mike’s! Get’s into an actual jam, not just a vamp to solo over.
This Weekapaug has always mystified me. It’s got an Esther vibe to it, with the light and airy ethereal volume swells. Trey’s tone sounds like it’s make of wispy clouds.
I also agree that the first set is the meat of this show. It’s Ice jam is real cool, and the Forbins/Icculus/Mockingbird is so well done. I never noticed all the little jazz cliches that is the Mockingbird licks. 92 is arguably my favorite year of Phish for that raw in your face energy and shredding, as well as the audible smiling from Trey’s singing/speaking.
^Yeah, that was the last time they really brought such, uh, … labor-intensive material to the stage too. They were debuting all the Rift material that year. Looking forward to revisiting this show, I do not remember the Mike’s/Paug.
What I do remember from this show, after years of not hearing it, … is:
“ROCKS! TREES! BOULDERS! ROCKS! TREES! BOULDERS! ROCKS! TREES! BOULDERS!”
Great show if you love Mike. Bass is way high in the mix. Love the first set. This might have been one of my first tapes…
I despise Mike, and I assume most Phans do too. Why do you think we all try to move as far Page side as possible? I like to turn the bass all the way down when I listen to Phish. I just come up with my own, more straight forward basslines in my head. I mean he’s not even playing a rhythm half the time, it’s all just a bunch of spaceship gobblety gook (not racist) if you ask me.
Yeah, this 2nd set loses me after Poor Heart. Too much quiet after a rocking’ show. I’m pretty sure you can hear someone request Adeline after the first two acapella tunes and then you can hear others plead no more… 
Like others said the Mike’s>Hydrogen>Paug was stellar and I always love a good Horn.
so hey, that tease from Mike before Icculus is Harpua … crazy good Mockingbird. That Ice is a must hear, just for the Mike angle alone. I’m not usually nuts about Melt jams but this one is totally cool right outta the gate.
Mike’s bass is so high in the mix that it’s crazy. It’s really something to have his parts emphasized, and you realize how much of his work only makes it as far as your subconscious.
I love how much Mike you can hear in Weekapaug. So much pop.
Sorry, done talkin about Weekzpug now.
What a good pick, I forgot how much I like this show.
Set one is great obviously, … but you guys gotta be high or something, to be dissing set two. My favorite Terrapin. A really good Lizards. The Sanity with all the boom and pow. Perfect Horn. Poor Heart smokes as well. I just got thru the Terrapin - I think I know the vacuum solo by heart, swear to god.
btw, Sanity and Icculus in the same show, at that date, makes me think it has to do with Junta reissued w/bonus tracks coming out around that time.
I highly enjoyed the first half of set two. After Poor Heart it loses steam though.
There’s steam all over that vacuum jam; you sir, are high.
I was one of the two un-named people he didn’t thank. I still haven’t forgotten.
I just finished the show. I was so damn entertained by that recording, that’s my kind of Phish. Between Trey being a guitar wizard at every turn, to the tight playing & vocals, to the BASS! - I keep forgetting to mention the significance of no pick; all fingers on the right hand - !BASS, cool antics and song choices, … I may never leave this show ever again.
…
Oh, unless I wanna hear Page McConnell again someday. 
^haha, I know. Trey and Mike are so loud and proud throughout this show that I had to remind myself a few times that Page was there. I had to purposefully listen for him in the mix a few times and couldn’t find him.
There is much to be said for an early Phish SBD. Early Phish in general, at that. I guess the combo of the earlier years and a good quality recording. They were younger, rawer, and enthusiastic. The crowds were small, so there are not swells of 10,000 people’s energy pumping them up, more of it is coming from within. Not to say they can’t feed off the energy of a smaller appreciative crowd, but at this stage, and in new geographical territory, they are still looking to prove themselves and they go well beyond proving. Every note, word, beat is as fresh and clear as a mountain stream and has a hard hitting, purposeful feel. The jams are concise, yet complete. They fill you up and lift you up. They are like musical Lembas. A show like this is where Phish earned their place as being utterly beloved and held to the highest regard.
Split Open and Melt. Between Mike and Trey, I could be kept busy all day just listening to this one.
Forbin’s/Icculus/Mockingbird. Never disappoints me, as F/M very well could be my (gun to my head to choose)favorite song/suite. I will say more in the song thread.
The end of Antelope, after the slowdown, was very enjoyable. Quirky and fun.
Mikes>Hydrogen>Weekapaug. What more can I say? I’m in love with the Paug, like Drew. Mike’s and Weekapaug are perfect examples of the musical Lembas.
I’m ok with the end of the second set. It is not as “jam packed,” if you will, but it does a good job of showcasing their diverse talent.
92, last year of the electric piano… Page moving to the Grand is a forgotten evolution in Phish
just wanna take a sec to mention how i love the way Buried Alive fades in
trey’s full on crazy tube screamin sound, so definitive for the era, and so present and forward on SBDs
i felt myself tuning in and out of Possum, but man when Trey lets fly on a few sections its pure shred
mike is annihilating the opening to Split
the mics are reverb-tastic on this night
trey uses the phrase “flipping backwards” inside the Forbin’s narration
weird Icculus without any real build up, feels almost accidental
why is Trey basically retelling the lyrics in Forbin’s?
missing “Aw, Fuck!” language notation in Antelope. also i like this version
never did have the 2nd set on tape, so this is a first time listen
Sanity makes for a pretty crazy opener, especially paired with the Llama that follows
holy shit this Llama is on fire, for type I i’d call this a must hear
the Mike’s is ripping, but i don’t feel like i heard anything surprising; really well played Hydrogen!; Paug is a bit like Mike’s, shredding but expected
pretty great vacuum solo in Terrapin
first time ever hearing Memories… not surprised it didn’t stick, doesn’t quite have the killer moment that the other acapellas Phish performs have, but a nice unexpected surprise to hear