PHISH, WEDNESDAY 09/27/1995
CAL EXPO AMPHITHEATER
Sacramento, CA
Soundcheck: Funky Bitch (one and a half times), Jam, The Fog That Surrounds

SET 1: Wolfman's Brother: Standard.

Rift: Standard >

Free: Nicely jammed! Has some length to it coming in at 9:12.

It's Ice: Gets pretty sinister there for a moment or two, nice and creepy. >

I Didn't Know: Henrietta on Trombone.

The Fog That Surrounds: Trey – “Some of you may think you know this song, but you don’t.”

Strange Design: Standard

Chalk Dust Torture: Standard.

The Squirming Coil: Awesome Page solo, feel like this is one of the longest I have heard?

First set summary: I would venture to say that this is a solid opening set of the tour. Free and Coil both caught my ear and would he happy to listen to both again in the future.

SET 2: Cars Trucks Buses: Debut.

AC/DC Bag: Nicely jammed, has a bit of length to it.

David Bowie: Page and Trey are amazing at creating tension here in the early going. This is a very solid Bowie to my ears; has everything I have come to want and expect of this song over the years. Really good jam.

Billy Breathes: Debut.

Keyboard Army: Debut.

Harry Hood: This Hood is going along as you would expect when it sort of takes a left turn onto a darker path and lingers here for a bit. It then goes back to what you would expect of a Hood jam and has a nice peak. Then when you would expect it to start the wrap up process, it meanders back into a mellow, spacy jam and then ends. Leaves you wanting more and a bit of a head scratcher, and if I recall correctly, the same feeling that the Spokane Hood left me with.

Hello, My Baby: Debut and dedicated to Pete Schall.

A Day in the Life: Standard

ENCORE: Possum: Definitely a ’95 face melter, highly recommended!

Second Set Summary: Pretty cool set, yet uneven. Bag, Bowie, Hood, and Possum all have replay value. Lots of debuts. This show only rates as a 2.8 on .net which seems quite harsh. To me this is a nice, average show for the era. It has something for everyone and for my money – 6 tunes that I would go back and listen to. Good tour opener on one of the best tours ever. Let’s get the show on the road indeed!

This tour opener brought the first performances of The Fog That Surrounds, Cars Trucks Buses, Billy Breathes, Keyboard Army, and the Phish debut of Hello My Baby (which was dedicated to Pete Schall). I Didn’t Know featured Fish on trombone. Trey teased Slipknot! in David Bowie. Harry Hood was unfinished. Possum contained Johnny B. Goode teases from Trey.