A friend was listening to the 7/12 GCH show from this same venue today and of course it brought this gem to mind. I'm going to have to politely disagree with Tim, this is FAR from average, no matter what era you prefer or what your benchmarks for greatness are.

Some reasons for this may include: the venue (Trey remarks during the second set how happy he is playing in this room, and how great the crowd is), the sound (it's one of the most perfect early audience recordings I've ever heard), the setlist (I'm aware that many shows from this year featured a lot of the same tunes, heavy on the Nectar stuff but hot damn if this show doesn't feature a near-perfect flow in both frames), the playing!

I'm not shy about my preference for early to mid-90's Phish. Much of this has to do with set and setting: I was in my formative psychedelic years when I discovered these guys. But just as importantly, this particular incarnation of the band, with Trey's ridiculously knotty jazz metal tone, and Mike's newly minted Languedoc bobbing and weaving, Page's electric piano cutting through everything like a hot butter knife. And Fish, this LSD-addled poly-rhythmic freak? The band would get tighter, sure. They refine their sound is '92 and add the baby grand in '93. By 1995 they'd be a throbbing gristle machine. But I kinda prefer the wildness of 1991. It's a little messy, it's chaotic, and the pell-mell nature of the playing lends itself perfectly to these songs.

God I miss these slower, sludgy Wilsons. They remind me of my favorite doom metal bands, if only until the verses kick in. But the crowd roars its approval (who is that whistler?) and this is the first moment I think the band can feel their energy. They respond with Divided Sky and let me just say, I'm not sure there was a better year for this song. Check out 10/6/91 for another absolutely shredded version.

Things just ratchet up another notch with Split Open and Melt. They fall immediately into a hey-hole filled jam on the normal changes, letting the space drop out completely before crashing back in together. This kind of locked-in listening permeates the entire show. Add in those tones I mentioned and the result is a band that's operating at an incredibly high jazz-band level but ripping shit up like a Bay area thrash outfit bent on destruction. This Llama fucking swings.

What can I say about this second set? It helps to know that I agonized and fawned over every note from the moment I heard it in Gabe Lang's bedroom. His neighbor was friends with the original taper and a handful of this dude's tapes made their way back to Ohio and into our grubby resin-stained hands. We only had the second set but Lord Jesus what a set it is. They come out the gate with the Bowie gun blazing. The intro and teases are so menacing! And when the beat does drop, Mike's bass threatens to drown the room. Trey is on fire with this one, even that super long descending lick is flawless. His playing from this time period always makes me think he had something to prove. I love it. And if anyone can tell me what he's saying under the second echoing chorus, I'll buy you a soda.

The riff that Trey builds at the start of this Bowie jam is so rad. The rest of the band picks up on the dynamics of it so quickly, falling right in behind him to create a syncopated series of roller coaster crescendos. Again, that near-telepathic level of listening, it's all over this set. The full-band stop appears out of NOWHERE, perhaps signaled by the Charlie Chan but this was pre-Secret Language. Baffling but so cool to hear.

This is my favorite Ya Mar hands down all time. Mike's fretless sounding solo as Trey comes in with his chording to start, Trey's first solo with Fish cowbell accompaniment, it's all just perfection. King Sunny Ade would be proud. Page's organ has never sounded more ballpark. I can smell the peanuts and hot dogs! I honestly think this is one of Triscuit's greatest achievements in guitar soloing. And the whistler, whoever you are, your perfectly timed zing during Trey's happy birthday quote, I fucking love you, dude.

A few more things to mention: the Bag is nuts. Some of the wildest Trey soloing I've heard. Discordant doesn't do it justice. He sounds possessed. Maniacal. Demented. And they get it all done in 6 minutes. Whoever said length matters?

Mike's bass tone, not to beat a dead 'Doc, it's so huge in this Hood. He stepped on the pedal briefly during the Melt intro, but he must have turned something up because when he comes in, the riff he unleashes is insane. It's some sort of octave I think, with maybe a flanger? Either way, it rules.

Only these guys would encore with an 8 minute jazz standard and just shred it to pieces. Slinky, sultry, funky and just perfectly Phish. They never should have shelved this one.

Oh and they came back out for a double encore. I'd say both band and fans alike were above-average stoked on this one.

Beautiful audience recording for this show! It has a nice warm sound to it. I’m curious where the mics were located for this gig. Big thanks to John Redmond for another amazing audience pull and to Arty for the fabulous mastering job on this one!

The show kicks off with a great one-two punch, Curtain>Wilson. Both making their first appearance this year. No Wilson callout on this version. A flawless Divided Sky transitions nicely out of Wilson. The jam features a cool little Buried Alive tease which Trey has been doing quite a lot thus far this tour in numerous songs. Long pause after Sky. Split Open was the perfect song to break the silence! Fantastic early version of SOAM! The first version of Fee this year is up next and segues nicely into a fiery Buried Alive. Tape flip after Mango. The beginning of The Sloth is clipped. Fun version of DaaM that almost goes off the rails but they hold it together nicely. They pause briefly at the conclusion before launching into a lively version of Magilla. A red hot Llama closes out a pretty impressive first half.

Bowie starts off set 2 with an erie Sound of Silence tease. Solid version! Longest version of Bathtub up to this point. First Ya Mar of the year. Solid version. After Guelah Trey mentions that Keene has been the home of many debuts and says it’s one of their favorite spots to play. Oh Kee Pah>AC/DC is fantastic!! Horn is teased before launching into another stellar Hood! Let’s Go is still Henrietta’s theme this tour. Henrietta pulls out the Heavy Artillery (Shop-Vac) for the first hanging (no hands) vacuum solo according to Trey. Trey gives a shout out to Zero Man after Terrapin. Zero Man is back again! A smokin’ pint sized Chalk Dust closes out the second set. Before the encore Trey thanks their crew of four…Andrew, Peter, Chris and Paul. Caravan makes an appearance for the first time this year. Nice version. Humorous BBFCFM! Fish urges the audience to get very very quiet before counting off “1,2,3,4!!” lol The second encore is pretty straightforward. However, the show is top shelf!

First set is standard and well played, without too much going on of note. Melt is good not great, and the Dinner & A Movie gets flubadiddled into an interesting acapella section in the middle. The Magilla is probably my first set highlight, as it is high-energy and up tempo with a hopping drum solo. Second set has some interesting things going on, with a good Bowie including Charlie Chan-induced silent jam and an enjoyable Ya Mar that matches the first set Magilla for pep. The Bathtub is another early deconstruction wonk, but it gets broken ALL the way down and then just clunks to a stop. I actually found it more interesting than the standard-issue deconstruction Bathtubs, but it still isn't anything to seek out. The AC/DC Bag is kind of interesting, with the stop/start jamming. You also have a solid Hood, and decent versions of Chalkdust, Caravan, and BBFCFM (Die! Die! Die!) When it's all said and done, though, interesting/decent/solid = average, so this = three stars again.

Tonight, we have a special night from Spring ‘91. A defining year in Phish history; it was a period of great musical exploration, combining latin rock with classic jazz, an excellent time for their music. The setlist looks great on paper, and the sound quality is pretty great for the time period.

The Curtain is one of, if not the best 1st set opener. I always use this one to pump myself up for any show. The lyrics are just perfect. This version is a little sloppy (I mean sloppy in the best way possible), but this is a defining trait of this show as a whole; a lot of it is very free-form, leaving you with a very strange experience > A smooth transition into a standard Wilson. Lots of energy, Trey seems really excited > a fairly freeform Divided Sky, Trey nails the peak. This Melt is extremely chaotic, mostly due to Trey’s weird poly-rhythms; he’s intentionally playing the notes at the wrong times, which leads to a very confusing, hectic jam. Very fun. Fee is very standard, but picks up at the end, and goes into -> a strange Buried Alive, Trey does some weird jamming throughout. Still, very fun. Mango Song is extremely jazzy, but otherwise standard. Page has a lot of fun in the ending segment. We cut to Sloth, which has a little extra mustard than usual. Next, we have a weird Dinner and a Movie, which also has a lot more mustard than usual. Magilla is jazz at its’ finest; everyones’ solos are amazing, especially Fish’s, Buddy Rich-type stuff. Llama is a punch to the gut, just a lot of energy and power in this one. Fish goes absolutely crazy. Perfect set closer.

Bowie starts off with a dissonant, unsettling intro with a cool Sound of Silence tease from Trey. This Bowie is akin to lightning in a bottle; not figuratively in the sense that it’s a guaranteed hit, but in the sense that it feels like they are trying to contain their power in the jam, but are ultimately unable to control their energy, which leads to an unusual jam for Bowie. At one point, there’s a full stop, but then it jumps right back into the action. Unexpected and awesome. They try out some new stuff with this one, and it makes for a very unique version. Check this one out, for sure. Bathtub Gin is standard, but has a cool, creepy outro. Mike is really good here. Ya Mar is great. Mike does some cool stuff in the intro, and Fish ROCKS the cowbell during/after the second verse. A cool Happy Birthday tease by Trey after the third verse; I just really like this whole solo. This is a short, but fun version. This baby version of Guelah Papyrus is standard, but very well played. My Sweet One is fun > a solid version of Oh Kee Pah, I love Fish and Mike in this one > a very hyped up Bag. There’s some excellent interplay between Trey and Mike, and many full stop-go moments. The band never gives you time to catch up, they’re always two steps ahead. This one’s pretty short, but oh-so good. Mike starts up Hood with some Earth-shattering playing, and continues to be the main source of power throughout the first half. But soon Trey takes over at the jam, and starts the section with a lot of energy, adding more rhythm in his playing than usual. The jam is very energetic overall, and takes no time getting to the meat. This is an extremely cheerful Hood overall. Let’s Go keeps up with this tour’s gag > a surprisingly strong Terrapin. Fish’s solo is great, and he even sings the entire third verse through his new vacuum, making for a strange, noteworthy version. Trey acts quite violent towards the drum kit all-throughout > wrapping up with Let’s Go. Chalkdust is standard, but very angry. Great way to close a set.

This faux encore begins with Trey sharing some words about his excitement, specifically about Fish’s new vacuum, and some kind sentiments toward the Phish crew. Fish then starts up one of the greatest jazz tunes ever created, Caravan. The band all jump in, and what entails is a jam that Dizzy himself would compliment. Everyone has their time to control the jam, and the interplay between each member is simply stunning. It’s gritty, but sophisticated. Structured, but free-form. I love this one a lot > an ultra-demonic BBFCFM. Mike sounds like he finally snapped, and he takes out all his rage on the audience. Fish plays the voice of reason, and tries to get everyone to be silent, but is shut down by Mike’s unadulterated fury. Spectacular.

Mike remains in control in the real encore, which begins with a pleasant and excellently played Contact. Golgi is standard, but a perfectly suitable way to end an encore.

This show is just wild. Some very, very weird jamming all-throughout. One might would call this one a veteran show, as it would scare off any newcomer trying to get into the band. Check out the Bowie, Bag, Hood, and Caravan > BBFCFM. Listen to this one under extreme caution. Great stuff.

https://youtu.be/4UrSzuzfusY?si=quGoxSBGkge9H4WE
I was able to locate the video footage online for the Phish show on February 15, 1991 at The Colonial Theatre in Keene, New Hampshire. This show is very good I enjoyed the video a lot. I hope you enjoy this footage as much as I did and find it helpful.