Top/Bottom 3 Shows Attended

Phish Live Shows
#7

6.26.04 set 2 got a lot of hype? hmmm. I think that Piper deserves some hype (especially the last two minutes, before they segue into Hood–HEADY), but I have major issues with that set. First of all, the minute they started boogie on, I surmised that they would -->ghost–>free, just like they did on 12.29.03. And then Trey teased ghost right away in Boogie On, and I knew it. That’s never happened to me at any other Phish show. The ghost jam was OK, but Free was botched. The Friday after Free really let me down. I’m OK with a breather song, but NOT FRIDAY!! Please.

I GREATLY enjoyed the previous night’s set 2, but I don’t think it transferred as well on tape. Some people said the 7below was long and boring, but I love it. The slow buildup is worth the time! The segue into Buffalo Bill is sick. What really makes 6.25 set 2 awesome for me is the Mike’s song. Definitely my favorite post-hiatus Mikes (which unfortunately isn’t saying much). It doesn’t stray very far from usual Mike’s territory, but the jam is perfectly tight and energetic. I was slightly disappointed with them not jamming out YEM, and instead playing an incredibly standard 2001.

I’ll stop rambling now.

#8

mine were all special, i don’t want to rank them

at the time, i thought 11.29.03 wasn’t very good; but i’ve been relistening to it and it ain’t as bad as i remember. the Twist Around is pretty good and the Character Zero is probably the most rocking version of the song i’ve ever heard, live or on disc

#9

11-29-03 was the only time i REALLY wanted to leave during setbreak.
a

#10

TOPS:

12-31-99 @ Big Cypress, Florida. My last Phish show and nothing will ever beat it. NOTHING!

8-28-93 @ Greek Theatre, Berkeley. My second show. My first YEM. My first Antelope. Fish singing Purple Rain. The fucking GREEK THEATRE! Nuff said.

5-7-94 @ The Bomb Factory, Dallas. Home!!! Back where I grew up. Stayed with my fam briefly whilst following the band back West. All my friends were there. Acoustic Ginsing and Dogfaced Boy! Tweeeeeezerfest!!! Strong blotter acid. That leads me to my bottom shows…

BOTTOM:

05-08-94 @ The Backyard Bee Cave, Austin. Wasn’t a bad show persay. It was okay. I just wasn’t blown away like the night before. Maybe it was the hangover and the drive down to Austin. Stayed in Austin an extra day with friends, then headed to LA to catch up with the band on the way home to Oregon.

07-26-98 @ Starplex Amphitheatre, Dallas. Very medocre show. So mediocre, that I forgot most of it in the following years. My Wife had to remind me of it recently, so I started a thread here about forgetting most of actual shows you attended. Listened to it recently…meh. it’s okay

06-08-95 @ some shitty little arena in Salt Lake City. Shitty rain. It was supposed to be at that outdoor amphitheatre outside of SLC (short term memory loss here…I hate Utah) but the venue changed at the last minute. Travelling to the show from Oregon only to figure out a venue change. Suckage. But the next two night at Red Rocks made up for it. (I think it was the next two nights…where’s that Helping Phriendly Book at…)

#11
  • top -

1998-12-29: rock and roll -> funky bitch -> pyite opener kicks it off nicely. solid split and good placement of songs in first set. free, limb by limb were some of the better versions of these songs at the time. 2001 -> boogie on, yem is one hell of a way to finish out an already strong second set. prob one of the top 5 2001 out there. divided sky, as an encore, is as rare as it gets.
1999-12-31: no explanation necessary
2000-07-11: see above. the entire 3 night run was epic in my mind.

  • bottom -

coventry (as a whole): energy was in the crowd but unfortunately not on stage. good split and slave which were the two songs i hoped to hear since they werent played at great woods.
2003-07-12: at least the backround was amazing. could have been distracted by this but, after looking at the setlists, i remember it being average at best.
2003-07-07: weak for a tour opener but glad to see a TMWSIY

some of the early '03 shows werent that amazing but im still glad i did the phoenix -> gorge run (only west coast shows i saw)

#12

I think my worst were:

12-12-95 (I was really disappointed that night; meeting point of high expectations, bad seats, low energy from the band, song selection that i wasn’t crazy about)
12-13-99 (I don’t even remember that show much!)
8-11-2004 - my only post-hiatus show, albeit a decent one

now my best …

5-17-1991 is up there. I like it more all the time.
12-31-1992 … just great memories … my first decent sounding live phish recording (WBCN FM broadcast), and i wore it out. still love this show.
7-08-1994 (it’s between that & 12/29/94).

But really it’s hard to pick top shows … I saw about ten or fifteen early nineties shows, and they’re kind of hard to choose from. 5/10/92 was one set, and kind of unremarkable, but I have really fond memories of that show, for example. And the Campus Club 3/13/92 is hard to defeat; I dunno. My first 20 shows are tied for first place, okay?

#13

You saw some classics hosemaster! I can’t believe you were present for 7.8.94. I’m so jealous. Did you have pretty good seats in the pavillion for that night? 7.9 ain’t a shabby show either. Its pretty good, actuallly.

#14

Yeah I’m definately a lucky bastard when it comes to Phish shows … I was on the lawn, and we got drenched during the beginning of set II! My wife was 7 months pregnant with our first son too. I’m so glad I chose 7/08 and not 7/09! A lot of my friends went to 7/09 and skipped 7/08.

I actually never really enjoyed 7/09; Lifeboy probably had a lot to do with that. Never liked that song. Plus it just can’t compete with the 7/08 setlist. But I wasn’t there, so I’m sure to be biased.

I did have good pavillion seats for both '95 Great Woods shows though.

And for three of the four Campus Club shows I saw I was like, right in front of Trey. You had to be early & slightly pushy, but it wasn’t too hard.

#15

the 7.8.94 Stash may be the best thing ever

#16

Top:
07/15/00
02/22/03
07/23/03

Bottom:
09/20/00
02/21/03
07/21/03

#17

That Stash actually made me nervous at the time!

I thought to myself, what could be the reason for THIS kind of energy? I remember speculating that maybe they were angry at somebody. Seriously. Kind of sounds like an expression of frustration in places.

I remember showing my tape of that to people, making them listen to that Stash just to underline that Phish was crossing into Bizarre Territory.

#18

i envy you greatly horsemaster. 7/8/94 was the show that i really “got it” after i heard…im not sure ive ever seen a better setlist

#19

glad to see a fellow Ohioan on here :slight_smile:

#20

Of the 4 shows that I went to, it goes like: (from best to worst)

9-29-99 Memphis
8-12-04 Camden
8-15-04 Coventry
8-14-04

Pretty self explanatory really.

#21

Top shelf:
11/02/98
9/14/99
9/9/99

Weak Sauce:
Coventry
Vegas Run '04

#22

i love vancouver '99!
talk about underrated.
its funny, for '99 being a hit-or-miss year, their tour openers for both the fall
and december were pretty damn solid!
a

#23

Hell yeah, that vancouver show was great!
The vibe in the room was extatic. Anticipation was very high! And the boys followed through with a spectacular show!
Good times.

#24

top 3:

12-11-95
7-2-94
clifford ball

bottom 3.

the above mentioned 12-12-95… complete opposite of the night before.
8-10-04 (thought 8-11-04 was much better)
12-7-99… I got a jenny dances

#25

Can’t do it! Too many to think about.

#26

^c’mon B! you can pickem! Just weed out the first 100 or so… then narrow down the next 50 and work from there :smiley: