Sometime in 1988 my friend Marla said, "You have to see this band, Phish, spelled with a 'Ph.' They're kind of a cross between the Dead and Frank Zappa." I said, "Huh. How's that work?" And she said, "Pretty well, if you like Zappa and the Dead!" That's an unusual combination, and hits two of my favorite musical performers, so I put Phish on the list.

Living between Boston and Burlington meant that I usually needed to travel for music, and though I had email in 1988, this was mostly Before Internet and that meant I didn't hear about Phish shows much.

During September of 1991 the Dead played six nights in Boston, and I saw a bunch of those, staying with friends for some, and commuting back and forth for others, keeping my day job. On one of the rides back home I met Donni, and in the course of the drive learned he was a big Phish fan. Told him what Marla had told me, and he said, "Gimme your number, I'll let you know."

So it came to pass that one day Donni called and said, "Phish at Dartmouth, next Sunday?" And I said, "Sure." I didn't know any of the music, hadn't heard any of it. I went in as a fan of concerts, knowing nothing of the band other than the raving recommendations of several friends.

I think it was Donni, Dave, and I who went together, and it was the first time I'd been to Webster Hall, which was tiny -- a seating capacity of only four hundred people. Open floor, U-shaped balcony with 5 rows of seats around the ring. Webster Hall is now the Rauner Special Collections Library. I think Phish was one of the last shows in the venue.

The show started, and halfway through the first song, The Sloth, I'm thinking, Uh, okay, WTF does this metal band have to do with Zappa or the Dead? I remember the lighting for Sloth being very black and white, emphasizing the metal character.

Then Paul and Silas: Everyone is bopping and I'm like, Ok, I actually like bluegrass, but what's up with the flow here? Where are we going? Maybe I need another smoke?

After Stash I looked at Donni and said, "Ok, THAT was good. More like that."

At the end of the first set -- killer Bowie -- my general reaction was, Excellent musicianship, some great songs, some ok songs, and some stupid filler weirdness that was distracting.

When the second set started I was still getting my bearings during Tube (because YOU MAY LEAVE AND RE-ENTER THE VENUE WITH YOUR TICKET STUB AND A HAND STAMP, WOOT!), but the Divided Sky had my undivided attention, and I remember thinking it was gutsy and rare for a band to trust the audience such that they could have so much quiet early in a second set.

Second set was better than the first, for this newbie. I knew "A Train" and liked their version and that they played it; loved the YEM. Golgi was a good closer. Then back to the Americana sorta-bluegrass for the encores.

Debriefing over a beer, decided that the Zappa influence was about the virtuosity and the hijinks, the Dead influence was about the jamming and flow within the songs. But really these guys are their own thing. Decided I needed to know the songs better to grok the flow between the songs -- because AFAICT it was random. "I could see them again," I said.

Little did I know how many shows I attend (though the Dead kept a lot of my budget for the early '90s) and how much I'd come to love the band's attitude, their approach to their craft, their infectious fun attitude, and their sophisticated non-trendy songs. In retrospect, a great first show.

This show is a hidden masterpiece. The band was audibly stoked to be wrapping up one of their first long tours and heading home. They straight-up threw the f*** down!

Set 1 brings plenty of juice. Stash is noteworthy for its wood block fills (hadn't caught "the clap" yet), spiralling harmonics, and screaming peak. Nice flow through the meat of the set, which culminates in an impressive Bowie - extended intro while the band thanks the crew with gifts, and then a frenetic build to a typically dizzying trill finish.

Set 2 gets good in a hurry. Nice little mini-jamlet to transition from Tube into Divided Sky, which is rich in both delicate details and stunning guitar fireworks. After a pause to note that Fishman has a splinter in his hand, Cavern kicks off with faux flubbed drumming that leads into an extended, string-bending intro. A unique version. Some interesting guitar variations in the jams out of both Mango and Chalkdust, the latter featuring hypnotic blues-rock repetitions.

YEM is the show's highlight. An absolute tour de force! Fun little guitar and bass variations make the intro segment more compelling than usual. Funky organ solo gets the jam rolling, and then the entire band abruptly locks onto this pulsating groove which builds into an irresistable wave of R&B ectasy! Utterly screaming peak, more fireworks, and then they gently deconstruct the jam before briefly rebuilding it - only to gently settle into a fun vocal jam featuring clicks and whispers. Absurdly good stuff!

(Published on the legacy Phish.net site many years ago...)

Small is the word.Accoustics were good but totally intimate with bout est.200-300 people.(I've always wondered how you accurately estimate crowds,I only have ten fingers)Things really began to shape up during coil where Page set just the sweetest piano.Then It's Ice(does any one else visualize cracks just shoting through an ice cube in a glass of water when Trey play's th opening?)kept a steady grove into I didn't know.As you heard the crew got there bath robe's while Fisman played the longest Highhat intro into Bowie.(They also invited the crowd to blow their noses on John P. and Chris's as they were passed back.)After the robes the band screwed round with O-man still high hating when Trey hit's these Three notes the band Immediately breaks out in this mentaly unstable laughter,and with ado then came the most mellow version of David Bowie ever known to fauna kind.They get through the opener and then in the first Jam Trey drops the usual and does this repeated lick that is beyond description but very cool.End of first set and I was dumbstruct and thirsty. 2nd set kept the mellow mode,for divided sky had to wait seconds for silence and he was pleased.Fishman get's a splinter and to show he will survive lays down the heaviest base drum into Caverns.(not that has any thing to do with his fingers but he could almost still keep time.) A great jam for everybody in Chalkdust then the smoothest A-train then and I'm going to say it (and maybe regret it) the best You Enjoy Myself ever.(now,now,hear it before I hear bout other's)agian to hard to describe, just it went from ultra quiet guitar&piano solos to explosions and the voice jam it seemed they just didn't want to stop. Enchore had the no mike rendishon(sp.) of Sweet Adaline where they stuck it to chris then rocky top. Why am I bothering to write this?For the same reason your still reading.Go ahead see another show better than this one,I dare you.The great thing is I know you'll find it.Real soon.(I'm Looking too) set I:Sloth,Hall&Solice,Stash,Squirming Coil,Landlay,Fluffhead(!), Sparkle,It's Ice,Didn't Know,(bathrobe dedication),David Bowie. set II:Tube,Divided Sky,Caverns,Mango Song,Chalkdust Torture,A-Train, Y.E.M.,Golgi. E:Sweet Adaline(Memories?),Rocky Top. I'll be looking at Portsmouth,hope to see you looking TOO!

I listened to this on @dscott recommendation and man is it a great show. For anyone who wants a deep cut from the early 90s with absolute fire playing, an all-time Divided Sky and YEM in my book, along with lots of other fantastic moments (Bowie, Sloth, Stash, Cavern, Mango, A Train). It's just a front-to-back fantastic show with a particularly great Set II. It was one of those where when I finished it I immediately relistened to a bunch of moments again. The band sounds fantastic and totally locked in. The AUD on ReListen lacks the encore and a couple of the songs cut in a few measures late but even then, this is an A+ show and the AUD still sounds good.

https://forum.phish.net/forum/permalink/1377808193

We always want to listen to the best shows, and usually it is the best shows that are rated most often by users. But once in a very great while, an excellent show slips through the cracks and goes unheard. Maybe the source recording is poor, or new to circulation, or incomplete. This AUD source for 11/24/91 Dartmouth has several dropouts and is also missing the encores, but IMO the two sets that are available are stellar, and deserve to be heard by more fans (possibly as a remastered SBD archival release).

This show is another example of the band developing their fanbase on college campuses, and the band manages to get a tight sound in a boomy recital hall. @dscott's show review covers most of the highlights, but listen to the band completely nail the new composition It's Ice, continuing to stretch out the jam, as well as the recently-resurrected Tube. Fishman shows some fortitude by playing through the pain of a splinter in his hand, as well as playing his trombone without a mouthpiece during I Didn't Know - ouch! And Tour Manager Andrew Fishbeck, Monitor Engineer Pete Schaal, Lighting Director Chris Kuroda, and FOH Engineer Paul Languedoc are worthy of mention, all four of whom were literally working around-the-clock to make each show on this tour happen.

And this YEM - wow! I hear Trey teasing a melody that almost sounds like the "waiting so long" section of Two Tickets To Paradise by Eddie Money, before the jam dies down and then builds up a groove that is very reminiscent of the dance party/2nd jam of the esteemed 7/29/98 Riverport Gin!

Because Phish was a regional phenomenon working toward nationwide recognition during this time, they played shows to a wide variety of audiences; some were rowdy (12/6/91 Middlesbury), others indifferent. The band always took note of the audience response they received, and tailored their show accordingly. At the very end of this tape, Trey thanks the audience for being attentive, implying what kind of audience the band preferred.

I don't usually listen to too much pre-1993 Phish outside the official releases, but over the past month or so I've been trying to become a bit more familiar with the earlier stages of the band and listening to some older tapes. I don't think I'd ever heard mention of this show before this week, but its standout .net rating among 1991 grabbed my attention, and I had to throw it on Relisten. This show features some real strong musicianship, a couple of really tasty jams, and a diverse setlist that flows very naturally. Trey excels on Stash, and Page really digs into the keys on a YEM-funk-like It's Ice breakdown. The Fluffhead Arrival is optimistically triumphant and powerful, especially thanks to great energetic drumming on Fishman's part. The David Bowie that closes Set 1 dabbles with some really nice swanky riffing, slowly picking up energy and working in dissonant passages that weave between the semblance of a typical Bowie groove. The finish is traditional and classic, but executed with precision and grace.

In Set 2, Divided Sky gets a slightly longer solo section as Trey and band push the envelope with blazing energy. This is a really fantastic version of the tune for '91, and imo belongs on the jam charts. The highlight of the show, however, is the penultimate YEM. As the charts point out, every segment is tremendous. The epic jam that ensues calls for some spirited head banging and plenty of stank face as the band blazes to a rocking groove. The slow burnout from here forms a sweet, ambient basin of sound before rebuilding and falling again. VJ is noteworthy for highly percussive elements that shy away from more melodic/harmonic space. Overall, a great early show with a few killer standouts. This is worth a listen, for sure.