Reba - Finest in the Nation?

Phish Songs
#1

I hear lots of Reba talk from time to time…
It was the first song I heard and still probably one of my favorites… so I started this thread to see what ya’ll think about the song and to post any versions in particular that people should check out or that you think I should check out. .

Right now I’m listening to 8-16-93 Reba… It’s got a really different jam section and peaks big time. The show is on etree and you should check it out, because its a pretty rare show and has a really cool first set.

Which versions do you all think are the finest in the nation?

#2

Halloween 94 and IT are the two I remember most.

#3

02-20-93 Roxy Theater, Atlanta, GA

1: Golgi Apparatus, Foam, The Sloth, Possum, Weigh, All Things Reconsidered, The Divided Sky, The Horse > Silent in the Morning, Fluffhead, Cavern

2: Wilson, Reba, Tweezer-> Walk Away-> Tweezer-> Glide-> Mike’s Song-> My Mind’s Got a Mind of its Own-> Kung-> I Am Hydrogen-> Weekapaug Groove-> Have Mercy-> Rock and Roll All Nite*-> Weekapaug Groove-> Fast Enough for You, Big Ball Jam, HYHU, Terrapin, Harry Hood, Tweezer Reprise

E: Sleeping Monkey

The Wilson, Reba, Tweezer is TOTALLY GREAT PHISH. The shear energy that started the second set is beyond belief. The first set ain’t no slouch either.

During this time of their career, Phish was all about composition, speed, and accuracy. As they matured, they gave up some of this power for more creative jams, but it’s always great to hear them so “on the money”.

bill

#4

Any Reba is great to me. Its my favorite.

#5

My favourite show 11.17.97. (live Phish 11) A perfect Reba to these ears.

#6

reba dipped a ladle, for a taste of her creation, and she knew that what she made would be THE FINEST IN THE NATION

#7

I LOVE THAT ROXY SHOW!

One of the best Reba’s.

Side note:
I love it when they go into Kiss’s
“Rock and Roll all Night”, and yell " Ladies and gentlemen, GENE SIMMONS!"

Such energy in that show. TWEEZER FEST!

The Millennium Reba is pretty good (for me at least. I had a great experience during that song.)

I’ll think of some more.

#8

The ROXY show 1993 is one of the finest Phish shows EVER…

#9

I most definitely agree with greg and maelzoid…

'Ween '94 is at the top of my “Reba” list w/o question, and the Denver '97 version is really tight and crisp. Page is the star of that one, while Mike really shines in the halloween '94 version.

Also, peeps should check out 5/16/95 Lowell for a somewhat unusual-sounding version where Trey does some odd things with his notes

#10

awesome…

halloween 94 is probably my favorite as well. .
it just locks that perfect groove right away and mike plays some really sick low notes… and the peak is perfect.

as far as 11/17/97 reba goes… ehh…
it has many great moments but i feel like it never really gets to where its trying to go and fishman totally cuts trey off for the ending. you can hear trey laugh about it before they start train song up.

the IT reba is a pretty awesome post hiatus reba and its the only one i get to watch on a big screen. =P

The Roxy Reba is probably number 2 on my list.
But the Roxy show is just fantastic anyway.

For a different take on Reba, check out Gorge 98 (7-17-98 set one)
Its probably the only permagroove Reba jam i know of.
But its pretty cool… Mostly a page and mike jam with Trey funking out.

#11

I actually dream about the Roxy Reba…I really love any version from '95 though…that was a very creative year for those Reba jams, and the composed section is so tight…5/16 really does stand out as one of my favorites for sure.

#12

yeah halloween 94, 5/27/94, 7/8/94

basically i love '94

edit:hey doc, next thread can we get opinions on some great versions of slave?

#13

4/9/94 binghampton has a great reba you should check out then.

and 4-13-94 beacon theatre.

oh … and nye 95 is stellar. although trey butchers the middle section. cant wait to hear that jam on the new release … !

#14

There’s only 1 “Slave to the Traffic Light” people should hear…I think I’ve mentioned it on at least 5 separate ocassions… once you hear it you will feel the same!

#15

I love the 5/8/93 Reba. I’ve always felt it’s an underrated Reba…I like post-hiatus phish more than a lot of people do but I’ve never been a big fan of the IT Reba…Such a great tune man, so many great Reba’s. I have the Darien Lake 2000 Reba in my head but I can’t claim it as better than certain others…Just such a great tune.

#16

Like good wine vintages, there are some periods for Phish songs that I like better than other periods. I kind of believe that certain songs required a certain youthful attitude that Phish obviously lost to a degree as they matured themselves. I think Reba is one of those songs, so I love pretty much most of the Rebas between 93 to 95. The later ones were always a little too slow and controlled for my taste.

Weekapaug Groove was another song that fits into a “vintage” preference for me. I love the WGs from this same period because of the breakneck speeds they could attain on most of these performances. Oddly enough, I think the Mike’s Songs got better with age. I love the slower, darker, more deliberate Mike’s that developed toward the second part of their career. I think they were much more creative than some of the chaotic Mike’s early on.

Gad, I could go on and on, and I didn’t even bring up the Foams of the early nineties. Now those were choice performances also.

#17

My top three: (CANT BELEIVE THEY
RE NOT MENTION YET)

8/16/93 - Amazing, three diffresnt jam parts, and a incredible finish w/ wailing Trey!

8/14/96 - Killer show and killer reba, the jam is laid back and then fish shifts into high gear and the jam become ultra POWERFUL (DO NOT OPERATE HEAVY MACHINEARY WHILE LISTENING TO THIS ONE)

8/17/96 - Absolutely gorgeous, not to much tension and release, Although its long and magnificeintly beautiful- MY FAV.

#18

fone, i agree with you on the mike’s thing.
i tend to listen to later mike’s songs (97-98) because they really took their time with the jam and it grooved so much tighter.

and i mentioned 8-16-93 when i started the thread.
its like… .19 minutes right? definitely the most jammed out reba i know of… and i think very few people have heard it.
right on.

#19

Reba jams are the greatest jams of any that Phish play. They are each different in their own way also. Halloween 95 was awesome. It,which i forgot about, but later reminded when the DVD came out was also very rememberable. Great song!!

#20

I like all Rebas but I really enjoy the IT Reba. It is very flowy and tasty. I only wish the didn’t delete the ending on the IT dvd. DOH!