Favorite/Best Overall PH Show

Phish Live Shows
#1

The title of the thread pretty much says it all.

Which show would you choose if you could only have one PH show in your collection.

I’m not sure I’ve quite decided, but I’ve got it down to two.

2/28/03 Nassau Coliseum

                 or

2/15/03 Thomas and Mack Center

I’m looking at the setlists, and both shows just don’t have any moments I don’t like, and alot of moments that have blown me away completely…2/28 (Bathtub Gin, Tweezer, and Harry Hood)
2/15 (Wolfman’s Brother, Reba, Run Like an Antelope, Ghost. Harry Hood).

So I’m going to think about this a little bit more and see if I can comfortably single one out as better than the other…

How about everyone else?

#2

Saturday, February 22, 2003
U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, OH

Set I: The Sloth, Dogs Stole Things, Piper -> Weekapaug Groove, Dirt, Scent of a Mule, Walls of the Cave, Mountains in the Mist, Sample In a Jar
Set II: Tube > Bathtub Gin, Friday -> David Bowie, Bug
Encore: Suzie Greenberg
Show Notes: For the first known time, Weekapaug was played without Mike's Song (possibly to bring closure to the Mike's Song a night earlier). Gin included a down-tempo DEG tease.
#3

^ Very Nice, I like that show alot ( I like Winter Tour better than Summer Tour for 03’ I think).

I’ts cool you’re favorite is a little off the beaten path of shows that are generally mentioned as “Best of 03”

#4

this isn’t favorite PH show attended, Will :wink:

imo, no way anything from Winter '03 is best. 2.26 and 2.28 are both very fun shows, but I feel like the band didn’t hit any kind of stride until late summer '03. Both Camden shows are contenders if I can’t pick a festival show… if I can, then this is the best PH show for me:

08/02/03 - “IT” - Loring Commerce Centre - Limestone, Maine

Set 1: AC/DC Bag, Ya Mar > Runaway Jim, Reba*, Birds of a Feather, Meatstick**, Two Versions of Me, Vultures, Limb By Limb, Cavern

Set 2: Down With Disease > NICU -> Brother, Lawn Boy, Discern, Waves^, David Bowie

Set 3: Rock & Roll -> Seven Below -> Scents & Subtle Sounds^^ > Spread It Round, Bug

Encore: Dog Log, The Mango Song

“Set 4”: The Tower Jam#

  • with whistling; **Trey: “we’d like to honor that request” (referring to loud crowd chant for the song), and sung with Japanese lyrics; ^ with ambient jam; ^^ with Seven Below teases. #An all-improvised (and unannounced, though heavily rumored) set from the roof of the old air-traffic control tower, taking place about 2-3am, with special lighting by Chris Kuroda. Featured many teases, accompanied by dancers on rappel lines down the tower’s sides. Thanks to Cody Schibi, Allan Morris, and PhantasyTour for the info.

such sick jamming in this show…

if I can’t pick a festival show, I’d go with 12.29.03 or 7.30.03…although now that I’m thinking about it, I do find it hard to pick an absolute favorite for PH, if I can’t pick IT. Pretty much all of the shows had enough faults to turn someone away.

#5

I definately think I’m in the minority in the fact that I like Winter 03’ so much…

But hey, I can’t argue with my ears.

#6

Thursday, February 20, 2003
Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL

Set I: Rift > Rock and Roll, Guyute, Driver, Waves > Simple, Gotta Jibboo

Set II: Tweezer > Punch You in the Eye > Fast Enough for You, Seven Below, Pebbles and Marbles

Encore: Golgi Apparatus, Anything But Me, Tweezer Reprise

It’s soooo worth $10 at livephish…Some in attendance bashed this show due to crowd energy (I praised it as I was leaving the Allstate) but even Shapiro has this on his Top 10 Under the Radar shows and the band was ON FIRE that night…

RIFT TO OPEN!!! Rock n Roll was actually finished

BEST SIMPLE EVER (Out of Waves to boot!!!)----17min with the last 5min being the sickest Drone Jam ever…

18min Gotta Jibbo

Tweezer is fucking RAGING!!!

Punch>Fast Enough is brilliant and Pebbles to close was just perfect…Heres the link to the Shapiro interview where he mentions this show.

http://www.glidemagazine.com/hiddentrack/opening-up-phish-archivist-kevin-shapiro/

After that it would have to be:
07/19/03 - Alpine Valley Music Theater - East Troy, Wisconsin

Set 1: Sample in a Jar, Reba^, Wilson, Scents & Subtle Sounds, Maze, Driver, NICU* > Ya Mar*, Rocky Top*, Lawn Boy, Julius

Set 2: Piper > Rock and Roll > Seven Below > Prince Caspian, You Enjoy Myself

Encore: Wading in the Velvet Sea

*Leo Trio-1st time ever

Piper was legendary and best PH YEM for sure…I walked out of Alpine utterly melted after that show…

The 1st night would be #3

07/18/03 - Alpine Valley Music Theater - East Troy, Wisconsin

Set 1: Axilla, Rift, Bathtub Gin > Mango Song, Roggae, Discern, I Didn’t Know^ > Dust in the Wind^, David Bowie

Set 2: Down with Disease > Catapult, Bug, Secret Smile, Two Versions of Me, Twist, Character Zero

Encore: Harry Hood

^ w/ vacuum solo

Gin>Mango is the one of the top combos of 2003 for me and that DWD> Catapult is unprecidented…

#7

^ Great pick,

Allright WINTER TOUR 03’!!! Gettin’ some love…I thought I was more alone in my Winter raving…

#8

^^let me guess, Errande, you live in the Chicago area??

:wink:

#9

Yep, City of Big Shoulders…I work smack dab in the middle of Downtown and live on the NW Side of the city…

#10

Winter 03’ was sick, sick sick!!! I think Trey got a tad burnt during the Summer and it did begin to affect the music…

2004 was silly…I was not that impressed with 04’…

#11

SPAC '04 imo.

Then, I don’t really have as many '03 shows as I oughtta, but I keep going back to the SPAC Piper.

#12

yeah SPAC are the only 04 shows worth considering just because the jamming was so good there

#13

I think one thing I really love about the Feb/March’03 shows is that they are incredibly solid for the time. And some real gems throughout as well.

I am a big fan of 2003, and 2004 is one of my least favorites… And I believe that first “real” tour of 2003 is the best stuff they played post-hiatus.

MSG/Hampton lit the candle, a candle that maybe only last 6 months or so :-X

So yeah… I enjoy Winter’03.

#14

08/11/04 - Tweeter Center (a.k.a. Great Woods), Mansfield, MA

1: The Divided Sky, Suzy Greenburg -> Down With Disease -> Prince Caspian -> Scent of a Mule -> Tears of a Clown* -> Scent of a Mule, Mexican Cousin
2: Run Like an Antelope# -> Also Sprach Zarathustra -> Golgi Apparatus, Waves -> Tweezer -> HYHU -> Terrapin** -> HYHU*** -> Timber (Jerry) -> Sample in a Jar

Notes: *With special guest picked from the audience on vocals; **Fishman on vocals vacuum; ***Trey and Fishman drumming; #unfinished

The Divided Sky opener was awesome, followed by a really fun, energetic Suzy. The Tears of a Clown debacle was funny, although I’m not sure how it translates to a recording.
The 2nd set Antelope(unfinished)->ASZ opener melted my face when I heard it. Just an all around fun show, IMO. Plus, how can you not love a show with so many arrows? :smiley:

#15

Can’t say I enjoy much after IT in terms of 2003.

2004 is hit or miss.

That said, if I had to pick ONE to get my vote for favorite/best overall PH show…I’d agree with Hank. First day of IT. But it does have the advantage of an extra set.

#16

^ How about if you had to pick a conventional two set show?

I’m not against your picks for IT, but I figure I’ll play devil’s advocate a little bit…

And one of the reasons I like Winter 03’ so much is because I think they play as an equal unit more than the rest of PH. My thoughts are maybe they wanted to make sure they were especially tight, solid, and consistent for the first tour back so no individual in the band took alot of risks or really pushed the envelope. As a result the band really has some of its best interplay between the members during all of PH in my opinion.

#17

Oh, I definitely love a lot of what winter 2003 has to offer. I just really like the first day of IT.

As far as a 2-set show goes, I really enjoy 7/30/03 (yes, even with the ghey encore).

#18

Okay if I were to pick one set to have it would be this:

12/29/03 American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL

Set II: Rock and Roll> Twist> Boogie On Reggae Woman> Ghost> Free, The Divided Sky, Good Times Bad Times

Now picking a show is a little harder… one of these two.

06/19/04 Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY

Set I: Reba, Runaway Jim, NICU > Scents and Subtle Sounds1, Wolfman’s Brother, Walls of the Cave > David Bowie

Set II: Song I Heard The Ocean Sing, Piper2 > Gotta Jibboo > Limb By Limb, Cavern

Encore: Wading in the Velvet Sea

06/20/04 Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY

Set I: Rift, Julius, Won’t You Come Home Bill Bailey1, Waves, Gumbo, Water in the Sky, Horn, Poor Heart, Drowned

Set II: Seven Below > Ghost > Twist, You Enjoy Myself

Encore: Good Times Bad Times

Also, the 20th anniversary show does not get enough credit, it was such a HUGE show.

#19

2/28/03- for the breakout of Destiny and Soul Shakedown, a great Gin, a beautiful rockin euphoric Tweezer (one of my favs of all time) and i like choice of encores.

#20

i’m gonna bring in some love for summer '04. it’s like the ugly child who at least needs some attention (whether deserved or not) to keep its self-esteem at a life-sustaining level

i think i’ve said this before in other threads, but this may have to be my fav PH show

6/24/04 - Verizon Wireless Music Center, Noblesville, IN

1: Loving Cup, Cities -> Back On the Train, Vultures, My Mind’s Got a Mind of its Own, Down With Disease -> Rock and Roll

2: Tube, Run Like an Antelope, The Wedge, Timber (Jerry), Prince Caspian -> Simple, Walls of the Cave
E: The Squirming Coil

Notes: “Walls” contained a tease of “Disease” toward the end.

the Tube & Antelope are phenomenal