This is a good 1991 show. Highlights of the first set for me were It's Ice and You Enjoy Myself. This is one of my favorite early YEMs; Trey RAGES in this one. The vocal jam, based on "Salami," is pretty funny, too. The Set 2 opening Brother is nice, as is the Reba. The jam in Reba takes no time to heat up and gets into the "peaking section" quickly. If nothing else, listen to the YEM, it's great.

Possum also contains a Random Laugh signal.....i bought the New Orleans Relief livephish MP3s. i just finished listening and it's already one of my favorite shows from '91 and i only heard the second set! haha idk if the first set may be strong or not, but i will definitely try and get the whole show to see for myself

This isn't a review but just some helpful guidance on finding the SBD for set 2 on LivePhish in case anyone goes looking for it in '91 or in albums and can't find it there. Browse to 1996 and select the "New Orleans Relief" show from 4/26/96. Set 2 for this '91 show is the filler at the end. Enjoy!

This is a pretty sweet Fall '91 show that features some really strong playing from all members of the band. Though only Set 2 was released on LivePhish, it's certainly worth checking out the first half of the show on Relisten (or wherever you get your tape goodies). Among some very solid performances--including a few of the new tunes!--this YEM is an absolute heater. Trey's solo section in particular ascends to crazy heights from a laidback but stanky start. Fishman helps facilitate some real gnarly jamming, playing with subdivisions and driving the energy forward with monstrous momentum. It's Ice and Runaway Jim also feature some great soloing from Page and Trey, respectively.

In Set 2, things really take off. Clocking in at only five and a half minutes, this Brother wastes no time navigating to shrill, dissonant, jam space. It's very impressive the energy they achieve in such a compact song. In a similar vein, the Reba jam accomplishes some crazy beautiful moments despite making up less than half the tune's runtime. Including splashes of harmonic clash and a great soaring finale, this is certainly a notable performance for this early period in the band's career (check out 7/14/1991 for another great '91 Reba). Tube also grants some tight leashed greatness, as Page absolutely wrecks the keys on this version--would've loved to hear it go for a bit longer.

Then Aquarium Rescue Unit joins Phish on stage--always a sign of greatness to come. This David Bowie, featuring some wild bass slapping, unhinged scatting from Col. Bruce Hampton, and utterly frenetic guitar dueling between Jimmy Herring and Trey, is beyond face-melting. The band sets into a swanky groove more akin to a YEM than a Bowie fairly early on, sowing the seeds of chaos. A very Type II breakdown ensues, followed by the reaping of a faster Bowie outro that bursts through the stratosphere around 11:30. For the love of God, listen to this Bowie.

The Love You jam is pretty unique, and a breath of fresh air compared to the other performances as this one contains a bit more musical improvisation than novel goofiness. Finally, a tease/signal heavy Possum wraps up Set 2 with great ferocity (continued in the Fire encore). Something about that bayou water...the boys were absolutely shredding this show.