ah, my first phish show! i had about 10-20 tapes and all the studio albums going into this show, so i was pretty well-versed in the ways of phish. not as much so as i would be going into deercreek 96; no amount of tapes can prepare you for the real deal. also to note, this show was sold out, but it was not a complete zoo. security was almost non existent. phish's shows at deer creek in 96, and there after for that matter, were a whole new ball game. a couple of weeks after this show, there was the infamous dead/deer creek gate crashing incident. since phish was lumped as being "the same thing as the dead," that incident changed the way security handled phish shows, especially at deer creek. also, less than two months after this show, jerry garcia, god bless him, passed away. this created the biggest shift in phish "phandom." the phish scene suffered after. phish picked up all of the dead's "bottom of the barrell" element. i love the dead, don't get me wrong, but there were some real shit heads following them around, and now they were with phish. great. i guess what i am getting at is that i am very glad that this was my first show. i was able to see phish before it became a huge cluster fuck. this was a great introduction to phish, and in many respects, i wish it could have stayed this way. then again, people that saw their first shows in clubs and small theaters probably say the same damn thing....

theme from the bottom was a nice opener. i wasn't yet familiar with this tune, but i took to it immediately. trey's solo here was very nice, and it set the tone for an outstanding first set. poor heart got the crowd hopping, and it worked very well before a nice tight ac/dc bag. the band was really tight on this one and petered out into tela. sticking with the gamehendge vibe they had going, they played a killer punch. i love these early/mid 90's punches. they seem to be a little bit more raw than the ones that would come later. then again, they don't have the longer funkier intro that would come later. this reba is glorious. the whole band plays brilliantly on this one. the whole first half of the first set was just flawless. strange design provides a quick breather for everyone. they moved away from the whole flawless thing on this rift. trey completely bones the lyrics on this one, and it might be one of the most severe flubs i've seen phish pull off. cavern seemed to close this one down, but they kicked down a bonus antelope to seal the deal. trey made up for his rift flub by absolutely ripping this antelope.

phish came out and belted a fine simple to kick up the jams in the second set. they weren't really doing extended jams out of this tune yet, but this version gives you a little idea of where this song would go in the next year. it works well going into a very trippy bowie. there were some mind left body teases floating around in this very intense bowie, which i didnt really notice at the show, but they sure did stand out when listening to it later. the middle part of this bowie is just awesome. gordo, fish, and page lay down a really spacey foundation, and trey just cuts right through it. very strong. the mango song is an inspired choice for a cool down song, and they executed it very well. in 95, loving cup was still somewhat of a rarity, so this was a nice little treat. sparkle was nice, quick, and uppity, before another killer 95 era yem. gordon, as always,has some very strong playing in this one, and after the tramps, trey and page really light up. this yem gives way to the now defunct acoustic army. not much to see here. i guess its better than caspian. then a rowdy little posssum closes down the second set at phish's deer creek show. this is a great possum, but there are so many great deer creek possums that i'm not sure that this even makes the top 3. '96, '98, and depending on my mood, maybe even '03 are deer creek possums that i like a touch better. after debuting aditl at redrocks a week + before, they brought back out for another ride here. it was, obviously, very well received.

overall, this was an excellent show. it gets overshadowed a bit by the cuyuhoga falls show, but this one should not be missed. as a first show, this was a great introduction to phish. there were a few rarities and a bunch of classics. very good show.

highlights:

set 1:

bag,tela, reba, antelope

set 2:

simple>bowie, loving cup, yem, possum

This was my 1st Phish show, I had only been listening to them for a couple of years, mostly Lawnboy & Junta,I also had a stack of bootlegs,but the sound quality was horrible so they didn't get put in to often. So going into this show I was familiar w/ the CDs I owned and no much else. I remember being really impressed w/ the quality of the sound although I thought it could of been louder. For the most part the songs all were new to me until Reba, which was my 1st favorite Phish song, so this made me very happy. Then a few songs later I got my first Run Like an Antelope, which turned into a musical frenzy. I was soaking wet by the time it was over and had a few people looking at me like I was weird, I guess I had heard something they didn't.
So now set 2 still a bunch of new songs to me till David Bowie, now what little my shirt had dried was soaking wet again and getting crazy looks all over. Coming into this show I didn't realize the importance of You Enjoy Myself, I did now, I always like the album version but hearing it live was a near religious experience, magic. Then we got to hear the play a amazing version of A Day in the Life to finish of the night.
The one thing I knew for sure after this night was that Phish was my new favorite band and that I would be seeing them as many times possible. That was 18yrs ago and 82 later. Phan for life.

Obviously this show is getting bumped hard due to being featured on DaaM as well as archival release. Listened to the whole thing yesterday. The whole thing is pretty darn awesome, but I'd like to make special note of the Reba here.
First, the first six minutes are played basically perfectly. Like, seriously I don't think they missed a note.
The jam starts out innocuously enough, fairly patented Reba fare. Then, around 7:30, Mike and Page hit a weird jumble of notes. Trey immediately notices and follows them down into a very swift minor key transition. From there, Mike takes up a nifty bass line, which Trey and Page echo. This blossoms into a neat little bop rock aside, which lasts for about two minutes, before sliding back into the Reba jam proper.
This moment is everything that is right with Phish in 1995.
Also, it is Trey who messes up the landing at the end of Antelope, not Fishman.

As I sit here and write this one day before my 37th birthday I am listening to this show. It’s difficult to believe this was the day before my 20th birthday, my first show. That fall I moved out to Arizona, promptly attending my second show at Compton Terrace (R.I.P.), another great venue. Quite a lot has changed in seventeen years, however, I will never forget this day which I feel has forever changed me musically as well as personally.

While not a hardcore fan, I have seen them six other times, most recently the summer 2011 tour, each time being a different experience. All of my past and present Phish shows have been positive which is one aspect of the band that keeps me listening whether live in concert or recorded.

Looking at the setlist today and knowing what I know now I am realizing what a great selection of tunes were played.

This show easily gets five stars 1) because it was my first b) what a great venue and 3) an experience I'll never forget.

Thank you!

This was a fantastic show, one of the best!

The Dead had always blown out Deer Creek and Phish in their first appearance held nothing back! Great scene in the lot and outstandingly fun atmosphere inside the venue. The Bowie was mind blowing and the Loving Cup was rich and soulful. Possum was fun as all get out.

Also, at this time in history Woodstock 2 was going on but those of us following the best band of the 90's didn't feel slighted by not attending that Cheesefest.

If you were at this show you know what I'm talking about "what a beautiful buzz"!

Call me a plebeian if you must, but I was turned onto this show - as I'm sure many of us were - by the DAAM broadcast during the thick of the first COVID lockdown. Like most phans, I love '95 but this show flew way under my radar for standout shows from that year, but was super into it on first listen. Now that it's on LP+ I've since listened again detached from the filmic accompaniment - and yea, it really stands up.

Theme, Bag, Reba, Simple, Bowie, YEM and Possum are the standouts. Flubs in Rift and RLAA as others have noted. Nothing so bad that it throws the show off.

I'll leave it at that I think, but I'll urge anyone reading this review to check out Trey's lick from 6:59 - 7:02 (per the LP+ timing) of this Theme. Very tasteful stuff.

I guess I'd give it 4.5 stars if I could but I'm going 5/5, flubs and all.

I really really like this show, and have listened to it almost 3 times start to finish this month alone. The style of play in this show is unlike any other show on the tour (Loosely knitted, patient, true psychadelia, wierd). I've heard a lot of people talking about Phish trying to make a name for themselves here at Deer Creek in the shadow of the Grateful Dead, and judging by the way they played on this night, there may be something to that. This was, bar none, an intentional performance, put on with delicate care and attention to not over-do. Either way, i think its a 5-star. Highly recommended.

My first show. I wasn't well-versed in all things Phish at the time (for example at setbreak someone in the bathroom asked me what they had played in the first set and I replied "they really jammed the Bag-It, Tag-It song"), little did I know at the time what a big part of my life Phish would become. 6/19/95 was a good primer for a first-timer. Everything was well-played and solid. The Bowie is worth seeking out, and AC/DC>Tela/PYITE/ Reba is a foursome that would knock some dicks in the dirt these days.

Phish's first appearance at Deer Creek was a good indicator of the love affair that would blossom over the next 15 years. In a summer that found Phish dropping monster psychedelic on a near nightly basis, Deer Creek would get a small taste of that in a memorable Simple>Bowie that opened set two. While the Simple was really just a springboard to Bowie, it still brought some high energy to a very young and growing fanbase. The Bowie itself stretched past 20mins, and was largely a search through the cosmos, sometimes briefly touching the stars, other times ready to be sucked into a black hole. Summer '95 Phish though was all about the journey, and this Bowie is a fine example of the headspace the band was in during this era. After that, the set was fun, bringing the crowd back into the fold with good runs through Mango, Loving Cup and Sparkle. A noteworthy YEM as they hit some nice space early on, stretching it out more than normal in the beginning section. A real second highlight of set II.
First set has a Reba that cannot be overlooked. The band locks in a euphoric groove midway through, which brings the climax to a special place. Still to this day one of the most underrated Reba's out there. Overall, this show had all the elements that make a great Phish, song selection, deep jamming, and some quirkiness.

this show has one of my all-time favorite bowies. the rest is average summer '95, which is to say quite good, but the bowie is the highlight of the show, hands down. a patient jam that explores a lot of different areas and a perfectly executed ending (there is a theme that trey plays off of earlier in the jam that makes a return appearance during ending that really makes this bowie shine). check out this unheralded, yet stellar bowie.

Im going to try to resume my quest to review all my shows...

Deer Creek was a trip . At the previous show I hooked up with Paul and the potowotomai crew... They drove me for the rest of the tour. What's up Young bros!

We drove from Virginia and stopped a lot a long the way. I had ground scored a bag of schwag which nobody wanted to smoke. We stopped to get gas and the attendant asked if we were coming from the show and if we had any weed. I said "yeah" give me 20 bucks and you can have it. I was quickly schooled in karma and we gave him the weed for free....
Show wise all I remember is the huge electrical storm and a bolt lighting up the entire crowd during Bowie I think.

The cornfield scene was outrageous. This show made me realize that preconceptions based on geography are really fucking stupid. We showed up late and left as soon as the show was over so not sure I got the full Deer Creek experience... But it was a blast!

PHISH, MONDAY 06/19/1995
DEER CREEK MUSIC CENTER
Noblesville, IN

SET 1:

Theme From the Bottom: Longest to date and my first Theme. Trey sounds amazing in the late 8’s. >

Poor Heart: Standard.

AC/DC Bag: Standard. >

Tela: Standard.

Punch You in the Eye: Standard.

Reba: Awesome minor chord section in the middle that catapults this jam into something very special. When they get back to a more melodic approach is when this one truly soars. It’s special. Very lengthy version. Easy all timer and highly recommended.

Strange Design: Standard.

Rift: The beginning is an absolute train wreck. >

Cavern: Standard. >

Run Like an Antelope: This one really gets hairy and intense. The peak is high and loud. Would recommend. Will be back in…16 minutes, don’t go away. LOL.

SET 2:

Simple: Standard. Great opener! ->

David Bowie: Pieces of this one really do have a somewhat unique flavor to it, and I love the MLB stuff. Very heady. Witnessing it live I thought it would never end and forgot what song it was that they were playing, ha ha! I wouldn’t see a Bowie on this level again until 7.25.03. Very cool version and would recommend!

The Mango Song: Super fun and flawless.

Loving Cup: Sloppy. Not sure who the culprit is but think it’s Page.

Sparkle: Standard. >

You Enjoy Myself: Very fun jam but nothing out of the ordinary really for versions from the mid 90’s. Not enough to assign replay value.

Acoustic Army: Standard.

Possum: My lasting memory from this show other than our friend locking their keys in their trunk and having to get a locksmith was dancing at the back of the lawn with my girlfriend like mad freaks – it was so much fun. This jam goes on forever, they hadn’t played one this long since 12.8.94. Would recommend.

ENCORE:

A Day in the Life: Standard.

Summary: Show is a ton of fun with highlights peppered throughout but no all timers. 3.8/5.

Replay Value: Reba, Run Like an Antelope, David Bowie, Possum

Trey teased Call to the Post in Reba and Mind Left Body Jam in Bowie. This show is available as an archival release on LivePhish.com.
JAM CHART VERSIONS
Theme From the Bottom, Reba, Run Like an Antelope, David Bowie, You Enjoy Myself, Possum
TEASES
Mind Left Body Jam tease in David Bowie, Call to the Post tease in Reba

More goodies from summer '95 on this one. The Theme is incredibly musical with Trey's vocal-like soloing, Page's intentional keys, Mike's semi-melodic basslines, and Fish's tasteful flares. Bag and PYITE are pretty jammin too. The Reba jam takes a really cool step away from the typical two-chord template for a groovy mixolydian jaunt before returning in grand soaring fashion. Antelope closes off with plenty of energy, even if the landing is a tad scuffed. Second set starts out with a great, dark and foreboding transition from Simple into a killer Bowie. For the most part, it remains identifiable, but there's plenty of riffing character and excellent play from all the members of the band. Great YEM in this set too with a cool opening sequence and a fuckin awesome B&D section. Possum caps off set 2 with ferocity, as most 95 versions do.

There is definitely some slop in here. PYItE has some slip-ups, the signing on Rift gets really disjointed for a moment, Fish breaks into the chill-out section of Antelope a few measures too early.

That said, none of the flubs snowball. All mistakes get drowned out by the next song, which, with this setlist, probably means an awesome song. This show littered with heavy hitters and this is thoroughly entertaining.

The Theme is banjo-tight and seems to mark a transition out of this song's puberty stage and into adulthood. I would never seek out Tela or Rift, but they don't really detract from anything.

Also, Simple set opener... was this normal at the time? Haven't done the research but feels like maybe one of first ever Simple set openers.

The Bowie has a really patient, contemplative middle section. Hi energy Possum (what else is new), fun show!!

The first set, despite having a few missteps (Strange Design, Rift), is pretty slammin' overall, with great versions of AC/DC Bag, Reba, and Antelope. However, whatever energy the band generated in the first set dissipates pretty early on in the second frame, which features a long Bowie that slips in and out of relevance.