Tuesday, 07/29/1997
Desert Sky Pavilion, Phoenix, AZ

Set 1: ThemeTheme From the Bottom, Beauty of My Dreams, Gumbo, Dirt, Sparkle, Ghost, Swept Away > Steep > Loving Cup

Set 2: Olivia’s Pool, AntelopeRun Like an Antelope > Velvet SeaWading in the Velvet Sea, Twist -> Taste, SampleSample in a Jar > Rocky Top, CoilThe Squirming Coil

Encore: Possum

Thursday, 12/28/1995
Worcester Centrum Centre, Worcester, MA

Set 1: SOAMeltSplit Open and Melt, Gumbo, CurtainThe Curtain > Julius, Guyute, Horn, Rift[1], FEFYFast Enough for You > Possum

Set 2: TimberTimber (Jerry) > ThemeTheme From the Bottom > Wilson[2] > Buried Alive > Tweezer[3] -> IDKI Didn’t Know, Uncle Pen, SlaveSlave to the Traffic Light

Encore: Fee[4] > TweepriseTweezer Reprise

[1] P.A. went out.
[2] Johnny B. Goode tease.
[3] Mike practiced part of what would become the Bass Jam the next night.
[4] Trey sang verses through megaphone.

Notes: The P.A. went out during Rift, causing some giggles when Page sang “and silence contagious in moments like these.” Wilson included a Johnny B. Goode tease. During Tweezer, Mike practiced part of what would become the Bass Jam on the following evening. Trey sang the verses of Fee through a megaphone.

Setlist and description courtesy of phish.net

Set 1: Julius, Dirt, NICU, Dogs Stole Things, GinsengGinseng Sullivan, Water in the Sky, LxLLimb By Limb, SOAMeltSplit Open and Melt, Billy Breathes, Possum

Set 2: PYITEPunch You In the Eye, Ghost[1] > SampleSample in a Jar, YEMYou Enjoy Myself[2] -> Rocky Mountain Way Jam > CDTChalk Dust Torture[3]

Encore: Frankenstein

[1] On Your Way Down tease.
[2] Jeopardy! theme tease and SOAMule-like jam segment.
[3] Rocky Mountain Way teases.

Notes: Ghost included an On Your Way Down tease. YEM included a Jeopardy! theme tease and a very unusual, SOAMule-like jam segment. Chalk Dust included Rocky Mountain Way teases.

Sunday, 08/04/1996
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO

Soundcheck: Character Zero, Poor Heart (half speed), Caravan, Jam

Set 1: Chalk Dust Torture, Funky Bitch, Guyute, Fee[1] > Split Open and Melt, The Mango Song, The Sloth, Maze, Loving Cup

Set 2: AC/DC Bag, Reba, Scent of a Mule, Sample in a Jar, David Bowie, Sweet Adeline, Slave to the Traffic Light

Encore: Theme From Star Trek[2], Rocky Top

[1] Trey sang verses through megaphone.
[2] Phish debut; performed solo by Page on theremin.

Notes: Trey sang the verses of Fee through a megaphone. The Theme from Star Trek made its Phish debut at this show and was performed by Page solo on the theremin.

Tuesday, 08/06/1996
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO

Set 1: Makisupa Policeman, Rift, Suzy Greenberg[1] > Simple, Theme From the Bottom, The Lizards, Dinner and a Movie, Horn, Run Like an Antelope[2]

Set 2: The Curtain > Tweezer[3], Prince Caspian, A Day in the Life, Big Black Furry Creature from Mars, Hold Your Head Up > Purple Rain > Hold Your Head Up, Harry Hood[4] > Tweezer Reprise

Encore: Johnny B. Goode

[1] Simple tease.
[2] “21 year old Phish Fan Marcus Esquandolas” was substituted for “Marco Esquandolas.”
[3] Norwegian Wood jam.
[4] Debut of “Hood” response chant.

Notes: Note the “This is Red Rocks, This is the Edge” quote from Trey during the break in Rift. The quote was a reference both to U2’s Live: Under a Blood Red Sky album and Trey’s similar remarks on the Junta-released version of Icculus. Suzy included a Simple tease. The phrase “21 year old Phish Fan Marcus Esquandolas” was substituted for “Marco Esquandolas” during Antelope in reference to a fan’s quote in a newspaper article on the disturbance in Morrison the day before. Tweezer included a Norwegian Wood jam. Harry Hood featured the debut of the “Hood” response chant, initiated by Phish.netters and advertised on flyers handed out at the Red Rocks shows. Among other ideas, the flyers encouraged fans to shout: “Hood” after the band sings “Harry.” It began to rain in the second set; the band responded with Purple Rain, and Chris Kuroda showed the stage in purple lights. The performance of Simple from this gig appears on the Carved in Stone CD benefiting The Rocks Fund, dedicated to the rehabilitation and preservation of Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

Wednesday, 08/07/1996
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO

Set 1: Punch You In the Eye, Sparkle, Stash, Ya Mar, Gumbo, Taste, Lawn Boy, Ninety-Nine Years (and One Dark Day)[1], Hold to a Dream[1], Doin’ My Time[1]

Set 2: Runaway Jim -> Gypsy Queen -> Runaway Jim, Free, Colonel Forbin’s Ascent[2] > Fly Famous Mockingbird, Possum, Life on Mars?, You Enjoy Myself, Hello My Baby

Encore: Bouncing Around the Room, Golgi Apparatus

[1] Phish debut; Tim O’Brien on mandolin, acoustic guitar and lead vocals.
[2] Narration had Trey tell of giant iguana that would take the crowd to Mars to view the life there.

Notes: During Ya Mar, Trey thanked the audience, saluted a Colorado swimmer who won two gold medals at the Olympics, and announced that a special guest would come out later in the set. The last three songs of the first set were all Phish debuts and featured Tim O’Brien on mandolin, acoustic guitar and lead vocals. During the Forbin’s narration, Trey told of a giant iguana that would take the crowd to Mars to view the life there.

Setlists courtesy of Phish.net

Wednesday, 12/31/1997
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

Set 1: Emotional Rescue, Ya Mar[1], My Sweet One, Beauty of My Dreams, Wolfman’s Brother, Limb By Limb, The Horse > Silent in the Morning, The Sloth, Fire

Set 2: Timber (Jerry), Mike’s Song -> Piper > When the Circus Comes > Roses Are Free > Weekapaug Groove

Set 3: Also Sprach Zarathustra > Auld Lang Syne > Tweezer > Maze[2] > Prince Caspian, Loving Cup

Encore: New York, New York[3] > Tweezer Reprise

[1] Auld Lang Syne teases.
[2] Birdland tease.
[3] Phish debut.

Notes: Ya Mar included Auld Lang Syne teases and Maze included a Birdland tease. New York, New York made its Phish debut during the encore. My Sweet One was played for the first time since December 14, 1995 (155 shows).

Setlist courtesy of Phish.net

As the first in a series of postings, may I present this mail order stub from Halloween 1995.

Tuesday, 10/31/1995
Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, IL

Set 1: Icculus, The Divided Sky, Wilson, Ya Mar, Sparkle, Free, Guyute, Run Like an Antelope, Harpua[1]

Set 2: I Am the Sea[2], The Real Me[2], Quadrophenia[2], Cut My Hair[2], The Punk Meets the Godfather[2], I’m One[2], The Dirty Jobs[2], Helpless Dancer[2], Is It In My Head?[2], I’ve Had Enough[2], 5:15[2], Sea and Sand[2], Drowned[2], Bell Boy[3], Doctor Jimmy[2], The Rock[2], Love, Reign O’er Me[2]

Set 3: You Enjoy Myself, Jesus Just Left Chicago[4], A Day in the Life, Suzy Greenberg[5]

Encore: My Generation[6]

[1] Narration from Mike about raccoons. Beat It tease.
[2] Phish debut; Dave Grippo on alto saxophone, Don Glasgo on trombone, Joey Sommerville on trumpet and Alan Parshley on French horn.
[3] Phish debut; Dave Grippo on alto saxophone, Don Glasgo on trombone, Joey Sommerville on trumpet and Alan Parshley on French horn, Leigh Fordham sang Keith Moon’s original part.
[4] Dave Grippo on alto saxophone.
[5] Dave Grippo on alto saxophone, Don Glasgo on trombone, and Joey Sommerville on trumpet.
[6] Phish debut; acoustic.

Notes: Harpua included a story from Mike about a dream about raccoons. The Michael Jackson references continued, as Trey teased the audience by saying that Jimmy was listening to the Halloween album while the band played a Beat It tease. Also, the second set was preceded by a Thriller tease. The second set “musical costume” was The Who’s Quadrophenia and was performed with Dave Grippo on alto saxophone, Don Glasgo on trombone, Joey Sommerville on trumpet and Alan Parshley on French horn. During Bell Boy, crew member Leigh Fordham, clad in a bell boy outfit, sang Keith Moon’s original part. All of the Quadrophenia songs, as well as My Generation, were Phish debuts. YEM was almost 40 minutes long and was preceded by the audience chess move. The chosen fan, dressed as a Wookie, cracked under the pressure and could not choose a move on stage, prompting a quote from Fish that “Wookies can’t play chess.” Jesus Just Left Chicago featured Grippo on alto saxophone; Suzy Greenberg featured Grippo, Glasgo and Somerville. My Generation was performed acoustic. Before My Generation, the crew set up a Keith Moon replica drum set on stage. After the song, Fishman and Trey destroyed the drum set a la The Who. Finally, a stagehand brought out a large plunger. Trey pressed it and set off a huge explosion backstage. This show was officially released as Live Phish 14.

Setlist and description courtesy of phish.net

Here’s some footage I shot of the glowstick mayhem during the Divided Sky pause on Halloween in AC.

Before the encore, but after acknowledging a sign reading “Stage Banter,” Trey told everyone that he would play a brand new guitar that Paul Languedoc had made for him. Phish then led the audience in a “Languedoc” chant.

To see more killer guitars by Paul Languedoc, head on over to languedocguitars.com