Trey on this Divided Sky:

“We were at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago. And we were playing “Divided Sky,” and we got down to this quiet part where it gets silent. And we were getting quieter and quieter, and then became silence. And I had my eyes closed, and I could feel the crowd, and I started to — because improvising is, you`re trying to translate the — what`s out there already, greater pattern of things. And sometimes it feels like it`s coming through the hole, and you couldn`t play a wrong note if you tried; you`re just floating.

And at that moment, you are in the middle of it, and I started to see those colors, like I`m not kidding, floating around there, and I realized that I could almost — it was silent, but I could see what we were translating. And as soon as I could see them, I started improvising, but I didn`t play anything. I did everything in the sense of improvisation, except for the actual notes, and as soon as I did it, the whole place erupted. It was like, whoa, and just tears started rolling down my face, and it was at that moment that I knew that it was truly bigger than me. It. You know what I mean? There were probably a lot of moments like that, but those two just come to mind. It was amazing.”

The usual strong 1994 first set, more or less - Phish came out for the first frame with a hell of a lot of verve in those days, none of today's occasional time-killing and warmups. The second set is a classic. Peaches, OK fine, but THEN: Bowie jumps off from Page's shy little post-Peaches chords into a soaring 'Mind Left Body' jam. (No, it's not a song, just a standard jam structure common to the Dead and Phish and every other group of musicians that's ever attempted a little free improv.) Through the changes, and the jam is a scorcher in the virtuosic Phish '94 style (clattering non-grooves, Big Weirdness from Trey, silly quotes and teases, the total absence of funk, the whole white-boy limit-case casual-fan-alienating weltanschauung if you will). Both Tweezer and YEM get the sort of big honking guitar-driven cock-rock workouts we don't hear anymore. Which is OK, but damn! These guys put on a great and *deeply unusual* show in those days, and that kind of committed wackiness takes guts - or else a colossal heedlessness. I say it's 'guts' and recommend this show as a shining example thereof, and good day to you then.

Being such a lover of late-90s/2011-12 Phish, it's always kind of weird when I go back and listen to mid-90s Phish, as it might as well be listening to a totally different band. Songs like Wilson (without the Wilson chants, although you can hear a few crowd members giving it a halfhearted shot), AC/DC Bag (not funky??? how can this be???) and DWD are played with a whole different energy, as though Phish had little bets backstage with each other over who could play each song the fastest, with the most verve and ferociousness. Phish 2012 plays with a great deal of energy too, certainly, but this is different - this is energy borne of youth and sheer passion, instead of today's energy borne of experience and a rediscovered love for their craft.

Phish in 1994 seemed to make a habit out of playing insane second sets that make people go "how the hell did THAT work?" and turning them into classics (Bomb Factory, of course; 7/13 and 11/30-12/1 also leap to mind); this might very well be the best of them, and as a fervent Bomb Factory fan it hurts my heart to say so. Peaches kicks things off in seemingly normal fashion, and then things, as they say, take a turn. Bowie appears to be in the offing, but then Trey starts up my favorite moment of 1994, the Mind Left Body (Bowie?) jam, and good gracious is it a fantastic, joyful few minutes. Then Bowie kicks back in, and it's a damn fine version, full of weird teases (Hendrix, sure, but 3 Blind Mice? Really?) and crazed, atonal jamming - maybe my favorite Bowie of them all, when the MLB Jam is taken in. Horn and McGrupp are nice mid-set palate cleansers, and then we get into the *real* meat of the set. Tweezer immediately slips into this really beautiful minor chord groove before the band says "fuck it" and pushes the "hose" button, reaching the rock and roll noise nirvana they would practically make a science 18 months later, before the jam peters out (in a funny manner, to me at least) and they head into an uplifting, lighter-waving version of Lifeboy. Then comes a *punishing* YEM, which starts deceptively quietly before gunning the engines and just ramming maximum intensity riff-driven jams down our throats, then gives us a truly, truly goofy "Spam" vocal jam. Chalk Dust, ferocious as always, closes out the set, and Bouncing > Tweeprise sends everyone home happy. Well, happier.

1994's the year that everything really changed for Phish; this is one of the shows that showed us how far they'd come, during one of the greatest 7-day spans in the history of the band (the OJ show and 6/22 were all in that span - how ridiculous is that???), before Halloween and A Live One moved them to a different level. You want to know what the wild and crazy kids of mid-90s Phish were all about? Here's an excellent place to start.

To this day, this show really gives me the shivers when I throw it on. It was my first show, and a memorable one at that... I was only 16, and had just got home from boarding school for the summer. I remember being SO excited to finally see the boys as I had been grounded for smoking dope the last time they were in town at the Aragon Ballroom and couldnt go. To me, this show is complete... the venue is sooo small. I dont think it was sold out that night. I was just off the floor fish side and had plenty of room. The real tragedy of having a show like this be your first is that you dont get to truly appreciate how great it was. You are so enamored in what is 'Phish' and the whole scene enveloped with it that you lose sight of the music....at least I did...The second set is what really stands out to me. The Bowie>MLBJ>Bowie is absolutely stunning. And im a HUGE tweezer fan and this particular version is no pushover either. I walked out of this show completely awestruck thinking 'I am gonna do EVERYTHING in my power to see these guys as much as I possibly can while theyre around!'. 186 shows and 18 years later, I feel that ive fulfilled that promise I made to myself...: )

This show absolutely rules! The first set is fantastic. AC/DC Bag through Divided Sky is an amazing stretch. The Bag in particular is just blistering. And I ALWAYS love to hear Mango. The second set might be my favorite set of 1994. The Peaches>Bowie>MLB Jam>Bowie is possibly the jam of the summer tour. Horn and McGrupp are flawless. There are also top notch versions of Tweezer and YEM. The flow of this show is like no other. A personal favorite of mine for sure. If you don't have this show, your collection is worthless.

This show has THE best Bowie and one of the best YEMs ever. Period. You really haven't lived until you've heard them. Insert ear diaphragm prior to listening because YOU WILL EARGASM!

the mind left body jam comes back with a vengeance about @ about 5 mins left in the tweezer... OH MY GAWWWWWD

Undoubtedly the better of the two UIC shows of the same year, this is a solid concert containing some legendary, no holds barred, required listening for any fan of Phish.

Wilson is a great opener and this night's sets out to prove that with an inspired version and > into Rift. AC/DC Bag is a shredfest for both Trey and Page, who really make this one soar. Page doesn't put out the fire for the following Maze, which is excellent. Trey plays some ungodly notes here and around 8:45 it's clear that the entire band is feeling IT. This fantastic Maze closes and the wonderful intro to The Mango Song echoes through the Pavilion. I personally love this admittedly standard version, and soon after, the ambient intro to Down With Disease begins. Trey's fingers prance around the fretboard for a wonderfully bouncy and exciting reading of this tune.

The jam in It's Ice is damn good, with Page leading the way in a surprisingly funky (for 1994) segment. One of my favorite Ice jams without a doubt. Fade into Dog Faced Boy, which I always enjoy. Divided Sky begins, a particularly famous performance due to some of Trey's comments regarding the lengthy pause section. It's excellent and, in my opinion, deserving of the hype. Inspired playing from all. Sample closes the set in fine form.

Peaches En Regalia opens set two and is played well, but the real fun begins when the song is over. Repeating teasing of the famous Mind Left Body jam gives way to an all out performance of the tune, which, frankly, is damn incredible. A wonderful homage to the pioneers of the genre as well as an absolute face melter. They nail it and move through a few other movements, all rather dark, with a Fish/Mike breakdown at 4:35 before advancing into Bowie. The ensuing jam is no slouch either, a nice theme is touched on almost immediately and they keep at it (it reminds me of Shakedown Street a tiny bit), and it soon opens up and becomes fierce. The tempo increases tenfold and at 14:40 the rocket takes off, leaving UIC Pavilion way behind. Everyone is on the same page, just playing absolutely pulverizing rock and roll. Trey hits a note that sounds like an airplane about to hit the ground or a literal bomb dropping and then a seamless movement into the Bowie outro, with numerous teases. Hear this Bowie at all costs.

Horn is a nice breather to follow, before a lovely McGrupp begins. With a funk edge, this McGrupp really lets Page shine (this is practically his show) before Tweezer emerges. The song itself just sounds really good, and immediately after the jam begins Trey starts to experiment with a few different riffs, and the band LOCKS IN. Fish keeps a groovy beat throughout, Mike is dropping bombs, Trey is playing an ethereal guitar riff, and Page is complimenting all of them perfectly. The jam moves along at a steady pace and Trey finally breaks the mold with a soaring pattern of sounds that slips into a series of descending notes that sends Fish into a frenzy. Still locked in, it sounds like they could bust out the main Tweezer riff if they wanted to and call it a day, but Page is playing a sweet trio of notes and everyone is moaning in unison; it's clear they don't want to let it go just yet. Trey starts to play a heavy, heavy riff and Mike really goes to town slapping his bass. This is grade A, bad ass jamming here, folks. Trey starts to squeal the highest notes from his guitar and a peak is reached. Special props to Fish for keeping this one steady the entire way through. The jam drops off with the descending Tweezer outro, and a well played Lifeboy provides the necessary R&R.

If the previous jams weren't enough, don't worry, the boys jump into YEM. Phew. The 'note' section is nailed, the 'tramps' section is smooth, and once Trey hops back on, it's tease central. Things get real quiet for a good while and then explode once again when Trey comes out guns blazing. The jam peaks nicely with what sounds to my ear like teases of The Landlady from Page. B & D > Monty Python vocal jam to finish make this a very nice reading of this song. The Chalk Dust that closes the set is laid down and absolutely shredded. A How Many More Times jam gives way to one of favorite Chalk Dust solos from Trey. Insane energy. Bouncing > Tweeprise to cap off this wonderful show.

One of my favorite shows from this year and of all time, it takes no prisoners. A perfectly solid first set with a few highlights gives way to a remarkable second set that truly exemplifies the darker, chew-you-up-and-spit-you-out side of the band, with Bowie and Tweezer being all time greats. Hear those jams, and the rest of this show, like your life depends on it (it does).

The Live Phish release has a soundcheck jam that is also the outro music on the ALO version of Squirming Coil. # random fact of the day.

This show is synaesthetically "red" for me--for the most part--in a way mostly based on the song diction that compares to the 7/8/00 Live Phish volume. I think it's just a function of the Summer '94 sound that I get that impression. But I digress. The chops on display are mind-blowingly pyrotechnical, to be sure, but the jams are of the deconstructionist quality that would later evolve further in Fall of this year and Summer of 1995. The jamming, in other words, is more "eccentric" than "shreddy," though there is certainly plenty of instrumental virtuosity to be heard here. The much-renowned Bowie, for example, seems continually on the verge of bursting with new ideas but doesn't settle into the most compelling themes, as can be found in such as the 6/11/94 YEM (a week before at Red Rocks) or in Fall 1995 (I'm referring to what well-known phanlanthropist Charlie @Icculus" Dirksen calls "teary-eyed jamming.") This is a great show, though; don't get me wrong. Phish just had an "huge" element to their sound at this juncture that can either turn you all the way on or not, and I prefer a more focused type of exploration.

What can I say? This show is unquestionably in the top 5 shows of all time and might be my personal favorite. The whole band is on another level on this night, some of the most beautiful and stunning playing from EVERY band member in this show that leads to collective bliss. The way they build that snarling riff in Tweezer to full on HOSE, the MLB jam! good god maybe my all time favorite phish moment...it's all here. Only thing I can add is that even the version of McGrupp is stunning and the best I've heard- the way the band comes back in after Page's gorgeous solo is downright chill-inducing. Required listening.

This was my first show and after relistening to the 2nd set, no wonder I was blown away at the time and no wonder it's a legendary show. That David Bowie is scary good just straight up frightening- will bring you places and not necessarily bring you back. Horn that follows is necessary to keep us all sane.

aaaahhhhh, the good ol' daze!!!!!

The answer to Red Rocks '94, 6/18/94 at the UIC Pavilion is, in my opinion, the "other" quintessential Phish show (at least from this era). Only separated by a week, the two behemoths share considerable overlap in setlist construction, boast numerous legendary jams, and carry forth that unyielding energy and momentum that garner a 4.5+ star .net rating. Swap out RR's Stash/Antelope/Melt for UIC's Divided Sky/Bowie/Tweezer, and you've gotten most of the way there on paper and meat.

Since this is one of the most widely reviewed shows on the site, I'll not dive too deeply into the show here beyond emphasizing just how phenomenal and diverse the jams are. Divided Sky is one of my go-to demonstrations for both Fishman's drumming and Trey's chops; Bowie encapsulates the band's ability to follow one another into the dark and create awesome improvisational grooves and movements on the go; Tweezer is full of patience, not demanding to stray too far from the blueprint, but reaching a tremendous peak (one of my all-time favorite Tweezers); and YEM bares an unrelenting and infectious groove that soars as high as any other. The pieces in between are nothing short of fantastic, as well. This is considered one of the "best" Phish shows for a reason. You've heard it, but listen to it again.

This show is an awesome choice for the box set they released a few years back.

Wilson>Rift is a fine 1-2 bunch to open the show. Both are well executed, with Rift really galloping along at pace. Very good way to start a show.

AC/DC Bag follows the '94 stylings of speed and precision in lieu of the funkier takes of the late 90s. It works very well, with a fine jam >Maze.

Maze continues the fast paced and energetic set in fine form. This one is well played and fiery. Great job all around and Trey really grabs the reins on the jam.

The Mango Song is a welcome change of pace and is similarly well-played before >DWD.

Disease really rocks out in a time before it was a reliable set II (type II) opener. Great version and cranks the energy level right back to 11 (as if it really had much of a chance to dip).

It's Ice is a fantastic version, with a really strong rocking jam. All members are firing off during this keeper.

Dog Faced Boy is another perfectly placed breather and played very beautifully.

Divided Sky is one of my favorites. This is a total monster version, with an incredible intensity and precise execution. Certainly a must hear.

Sample is a fine "sing-songy" set closer after a lot of serious playing in set I.

Overall, this is a really good first set and I'd say the Ice & Divided Sky are really signature versions. The whole thing is a powerhouse though.

Set II opens with Peaches, which is a nicely played selection.

Things get serious immediately with the immaculate and magnificent MLB jam in Bowie that makes this a classic version before we've even got past the high-hat intro. Seriously, this is must hear and transcendent music. The Bowie itself (composition and subsequent jam) is excellent vacillating between some wonderful & beautiful playing (see the back end of 9 minutes in) and some incredibly intense and tension filled madness (throw on 14 minutes!). The ending is replete with Hendrix teasing theatrics and guitar fireworks that are sure to coax out a fist pump or two from even the most passive listener.

Horn fits nicely after the tremendous Bowie and is played (like all of the show) with great precision. It's a nicely timed breather - boy I've said that every time!

McGrupp is another really good song choice and is played very well. Page gets a chance to really shine in the jam and they really just nail this one before a great drop into Tweezer.

They cruise into the Tweezer at not quite '93 speed (least it felt a little funkier to me), but certainly plenty of tempo. The jam kicks off with some repetitive riffing from Trey (the Camden '09 Tweezer is not far removed), which builds into a more frenzied bit of playing with a first sustained release at 7:20. They follow this with some tension filled playing culminating in another great climax. They then move back into a rhythmic place finding a groove where Trey throws out a vocal cries overtop. After some more rhythmic playing, they find another great full band groove, which Trey peaks in melodic fashion. The breakdown ending of early 90s Tweezers provides a perfect landing for Lifeboy to emerge, ending not the longest, but most assuredly a very good Tweezer.

Lifeboy is another well times selection. Well played.

YEM gives us another big jam (if not as expansive as '95 versions). This is a fine version, with another venue for Trey to display some theatrics. Fish and Trey seem really hooked up during the peaks. Overall a most excellent version indeed.

CDT is a rocking set closer to a very energetic show. Great stuff - smoking hot.

Bouncin> Tweeprize works well enough in the encore slot!

Overall, a damn near perfect show. 5/5
The Bowie is really magnificent, but really you should spin the whole show...

The week this came out in Summer 2012, the band was doing a live stream from somewhere and they were having an average night by 2012 standards (which places it below average in the overarch of their careers obviously, but an average night of Phish in 2012 is still one of the best places to be on the planet).

Right after the first set, an advertisement for this box set came on, and threw the preceding set of music into very sharp relief. It's just not a fair comparison - a run-of-the-mill show in 2012 against this monster? No contest.

The first set is no slouch, but the second set...possibly a top 20 set from them. Highlights abound, from the Peaches > MLB jam > Bowie through Tweezer and YEM, but this is a show/set that needs to be appreciated AS A WHOLE, as it is greater than the proverbial sum of its parts.

Careful playing this after a phish show this summer; it might bum you out just a bit 1994!!!