Holy guacamole, the Bowie from this show isn't even ON the Bowie Jamming Chart? A short version to be fair, and from a well-enough regarded show (due to the Bionic Llama) so I assume that it was intentionally left off due to personal taste, but wow!

The Bowie from this show is extremely well put together with the band weaving in and out of several different thematic segments that all generally point in one direction despite a wide variety of backdrops. It's kind of like when you see that Frodo Skywalker character flee his village. You know this has happened before and it will happen again, and you have a general idea of what kind of a trilling conclusion it will come to, but the beauty is in the set-pieces in between.

Top 10 Bowie? Nope. Not even a top 10 Bowie for the year. It's an excellent slab of darkly cohesive improvisation which has apparently flown under the radar though, and every once in awhile I like to pop up and wave these slabs around on a stick.

1994 is just a fabulous year. This isn't a particularly standout show for 1994, but it is still very well played with lots of energy and charisma, as well as great set flow and a great guest appearance.

The first set is is exactly like I described the show as a whole, high-energy, charismatic, and well played (Stash in particular is just dripping with '94 energy), but it's the second set is where most of the notable stuff for this show is held. This Bowie is awesome. It gets pretty raucous and out there, then they do that wonderful thing that they do where you hear Bowie start to come back and at the top of the phrase they pop right back in, flawlessly! Hot damn I love that! Horse > Silent, yeah yeah yeah, type II Reba? Yes Please! Not the best Reba out there, but this is certainly an interesting take on this song.

Now the setlist notes don't show this, but the recording I have has a very deliberate segue (->) between SOAMule and Lifeboy that was completely out of left field, and for me a highlight of the show. Bela really shines starting at The Old Home Place. Beaumont Rag is a fun little ditty and Nellie Kane is nice like usual. Now for the Llama, which closes the set out in style. This bad boy is well over average Llama length seeing as it segues from Llama (acoustic) to Llama (Electric) and Bela is showing off the whole time! The only other Llama I can think of that is as good/notable as this one is the one from 7.2.97.

Highlights: Stash, Bowie, SOAMule -> Lifeboy, Llama

This is a really solid show and the only reason I'm not giving it a 5/5 is that it lacks any one jam that is super essential Phish. It's still well worth a listen though, Solid 4/5!

(Published in the second edition of The Phish Companion...)

This was my first show. Reviewing it nine years and 53 shows later is pretty interesting on many levels. I got all geeked out for the show in funky clothes and a stupid Phish hat. Times seemed so innocent then in the scene and the band was right there in the small sealed-off section of the Memorial Gym.
My first taste of Phish was a true segue-way fest of Simple>My Friend>I Didn’t Know. Simple was still a work in progress then but it rocked out for the opener. The My Friend was very strange and slippery with a whacked out (more than normal) vocal jam at the end that led into I Didn’t Know. Guyute was a real treat because it was still a fairly new song then being the 5th time played. It was raw and exciting and felt like a real treat. The biggest thing about this part of the show was how I couldn’t figure when they were onto something new. I was so enveloped in the sound and the newness of Phish that I was kinda lost. In a good way. The second set featured a blazin' Bowie and the popular Reba. I really got treated to a great 1st show when Bela Fleck came out and rocked the banjo. If your a fan of Bela this is a must show. Just some good ole' bluegrass. In hindsight, THE main reason for hearing this show is the Llama that begins acoustic and slams into electric. One by one the band members switched back, flawlessly of course. A rippin' Llama that converted me through and through! This show was just a fun show with lots of shakin' and movin'. One of those had to be there shows. But for Llama fans or bluegrass (Bela) peeps, this show is a nice addition!

The ticket for this show was $8. There were maybe 800 people there. Bela Fleck hung out with us in the parking lot before the show, as did Mike. This show is sick. I didn't get a good recording of it...and I'd love to hear this released via board. The highlight was the banjo duel between Bela and Trey that occurred in the second set. Bela, maybe the most highly regarded banjoist in the world, was blown away...as were those of who in the crowd, dancing on giant wooden benches, having partook of some very fine bathtub gin that evening...yoozers...

Its all been said above already, but wowowowow what a show! What a turn around from the show before. The whole thing is top-notch and Bela Fleck does an awesome job with them. First set has great flow and sounds better and better as it continues. Guyute sounds great and boy do they really nail Divided Sky. I can't remember the last time I heard Trey sustain those long notes as perfectly as he does in this version. Flawless.

The Bowie that starts the second set off is truly amazing and seems to be very underrated. Just because it isn't 20+ minutes long doesn't mean it doesn't get the job done. Page takes a nice lead about 10min in and builds into a great release, holds some tension, then peaks again. Classic.
The Reba from this show is just as excellent as any I have ever heard. This jam picks, stretches, bends, curves, and winds its way to a nice spacey groove before returning to the Reba proper and leading to a wonderful, joyous peak. This version is loaded.
Bela Fleck joins the band later on and they play some great acoustic material that even includes a half acoustic half electric Llama! The jam in Llama is very unique and much longer than usual and sounds absolutely fantastic thanks to Bela Fleck.

Overall this is a fabulous show and you would be really doing yourself a disservice if you don't check out the Bowie or Reba. They are real gems.

A palpable boost in energy from the previous show, this to me is the first great show of the tour. I love the Simple MFMF I Didn’t Know opening sequence. Moving through Poor Heart, we come to Stash and the band opens this one up. It’s an energetic and somewhat exploratory version. Tela follows, and is always welcome. This extra fine set continues on with very solid versions of It’s Ice, Guyute and another phenomenal Divided Sky. The band seemed more confident during this Guyute than the initial couple of times played, and it’s worth noting that Page plays an effect that sounds like a harpsichord at one point during the song.

Bowie gets things going for Set II in a major way. This version is incredible and made for an insta-re-listen. After a brief interlude with The Horse > Silent, we get a monster Reba that is just phenomenal. While I’m still partial to the version from 7.6.94, this one is certainly in the running for best of the year. The jam gets pretty out there, and has elements that are reminiscent to me of Simple.

The Béla Fleck guest segment to end the second set is really fun, with the acoustic tunes being a nice treat. The Llama was fantastic, and I loved the acoustic start, switching to electric. Béla shines during this tune, which winds up being extended and could be my favorite version.

This is a fantastic show, with many highlights, and in my opinion is the best show of the tour up to that point.

Solid 4/5, 80/100, 800/1000; with a guest, to be there must have been awesome. Opening with SIMPLE and MFMF they were off time, did not seem to be synchronized, pretty slow start had me asking, "are they wasted?". Things pick up with IDK, page coming out strong and pulls them together for vocal jam which is awesome, including unbelievable vacuum solo; STASH shows that the band has synchronized on stage and we are grooving; Trey seems slow but is bringing it pretty good, page still blasting away on the keys through TELA and IT'S ICE leading us to my personal favorite part of the show, absolutely epic Guyute, trey continues to sound wasted due to enunciation of words and timing but GTE is above perfect and could be an objective +10, occasionally lost but very upbeat and fun; all 4 creating an excellent GTE: awesome, perfect, unbelievable by the time "I'm dancing like...." and full goosebumps by "...once again".
The crowd received DS with absolute pleasure, absolutely kill it up to pause in DS, crowd is very patient and receives absolute perfection, pure audio beauty,"don't think listen" in my notes didn't realize amazing grace was at the end, just real awesome stuff. To open the second, Bowie is coming and the crowd is hype as can be when they finally open up, although "messy" a very energetic Bowie starts second set and is masterful, the horse and Silent are really well played; somewhere around there my sound went from a 9 to a 5. The sound varies in and out but REBA comes through strong and is close to a tie with LLAMA for best of second set; should at least mention bela fleck; sounded like a "good" time at the very least, not my personal favorites but lots of good energy and had I been there I'm sure I would have been drenched in sweat.

Reba has a short DEG tease when it starts back into the peak.

Gotta love the tunes Bela plays with the band. Of course, the real deal is the serious type II jam in Reba which returns to the main theme in spectacular fashion. Bowie gets pretty out there too. The first set is strong, highlighted by a typically raging tension-release Stash, It's Ice (a personal favorite), and a scorcher of a Divided Sky.

This show is a hidden gem amongst some great shows all throughout '94. The band was on fire from note one, especially the opening trio of Simple>MFMF>IDK. A brief country tinged stop in Poor Heart, followed by a well played, but fairly straightforward Stash. The dip into Gamehendge was welcome, and the Divided Sky was, as usual, on fire.

The reason to get this show, as noted somewhat above, is the Bowie, Reba, and the acoustic run with Bela Fleck. The Bowie is an absolute monster, and the Reba is a vastly overlooked rendition. The appearance from Bela is the cherry on top, and yes, that Llama is one for the ages. Left me speechless.

I think this one is out on SBD now, so find it so you can hear the full power of that second set.

Great show!

Who plays harmonica toward the beginning of Llama?

This show's Llama is indirectly responsible for my now massive love for this band. Years ago, I watched a video on YouTube that included sped-up footage of two llamas that had escaped from a zoo and evaded capture by animal control on live news. Over the video, Bela Fleck joined Phish for one of the best versions of Llama ever played. I'd never heard the tune, and only knew YEM. Immediately, I went and listened to A Picture of Nectar and became hooked. Funnily enough, I would start undergrad at Vanderbilt University a few months later. I've spend many hours watching Vandy lose basketball games in Memorial Gym--would've been fucking awesome to see these guys there.

This show is a ripper. Very strong Stash and Divided Sky in the first set, plus a nice early Guyute. Second set Bowie is unique in working in a lot of major-third notes over the dark background, giving a very exotic feel to the jam. Reba is a fucking powerhouse with plenty of rhythmic play (which Page never quite abandons) and a nice atypical harmonic section akin to 7/6/94 in Quebec. The DEG tease into the peak seals the damn deal.

Once Fleck joins the band, it's nothing but highlights. Mule is phenomenal, Lifeboy breathes passionate life, and the bluegrass tunes are all-the-more authentic. Llama is required listening. Second-longest version ever, and grows awesomely from an understated acoustic rendition to a blazing electric delivery.

This is the first truly great show of the awesome Fall 94 tour.

Here some quick thoughts:

SET 1

Simple > My Friend, My Friend -> I Didn't Know is an amazing opener... so strong.

Stash is a really good one, as is It's Ice.

Guyute has never been a fav for me, but this one is an exception.

Divided Sky is simply gorgeous.

SET 2

David Bowie is a powerhouse version... short but outstanding.

Reba gets all type II-ish... and it's fucking Reba!

Scent of a Mule / Lifeboy is really good, and that's (at least for Lifeboy) a rarity.

The Old Home Place, Beaumont Rag, and Nellie Kane have some great fretwork from Bela Fleck (and I generally don't love this acoustic stuff).

And this Llama is one of the best ever.

This second set appeared unto me as pretty far-out. Béla Fleck's guest feature forebodes plenty of phun, but I ended up kinda let down by the somewhat sparing nature of his tasty licks in his segment of the show, as well as the very experimental (confused?) direction of the second set. I'm frankly astonished that the band was able to regroup enough to pull off the My Sweet One encore. There's certainly plenty to enjoy here... in particular I had a good time with the Stash, David Bowie, and Reba. This Reba also features some momentary Type-II exploration, but the band reins it in before breaking through into interstellar space. On the other hand, in a healthier frame of mind than I'm in right now, this show could be authentically pleasant, or even stirring. Mood has a lot to do with my ability or inability to receive the "vibes" of a show. Maybe I had too much too fast.