I kind of envy the guy who felt like this show was church. It was my first show too, but for me it felt like a cult meeting that I definitely was not a part of. Pretty much scared the shit out of this sheltered smalltown dork. I didn't get it. It would be years before I got it. I lost the people I came with for most of the second set, stone cold sober and the YEM vocal jam was like a satanic seance. I genuinely feared the people around me might suddenly attack me and tear my body to shreds. I felt like the only person in the room with no idea what fuck was going on. Opening to Antelope was so quiet I assumed everyone around me was just cheering for the fuck of it because there was no way they could possibly tell what song this was. The jam was so pulverizing I was just like 'what the hell kind of music is this? IS THIS even music?' I felt stunned and dizzy. Looking back it was certainly the greatest jam I ever witnessed It didn't dawn on me then but obviously it was pivotal, struck me much more deeply than I realized and was the genesis of what would eventually become a life obsession. Don't remember much after that except my car was rammed by what looked like a deer on the way back to Milwaukee. I suspected it was actually the Dane County Antelope.

This was my first Phish show ever...with many more to come. To this point, I had been introduced to Rift in the summer of '94, and subsequently fleshed out the remainder of the discography. A close friend had also given me the tapes for 4/16/92 (still my standard of comparison for Forbin>Mockingbird), and 3/11/90 (Roll Like a Cantaloupe).

That said, I was largely unprepared for the experience that awaited me at the Dane County Coliseum that fateful Tuesday night. A group of about twelve of us had driven up to Madison from my hometown of Lake Geneva, WI (near Alpine Valley Music Theater). My girlfriend at the time was going to school in Madison (coolest town east of the Mississippi) but did not attend the show with me. We took care of a little pre-show partying at a friend's place, and then made our way to the coliseum. If memory serves, it was a GA show (or at least we treated it that way) and about six of us (who hadn't found our buddy 'Cid on the way in) sat in the first couple of rows in the center of the balcony. I remember lobbying for these seats as I wanted to be able to take in the whole scene.

I was stoked to hear an opener from Rift (still my favorite studio release). Paul and Silas was great fun, and Taste that Surrounds (was called Fog that Surrounds on the tapes at the time, and only later became known as Taste) was a pleasant surprise. I got to see a Fee through the megaphone, Silent was "our song" so I was pleased to hear it, and a rare Demand. Maze had me delighted that they were playing so much off of Rift. Acoustic Army?!?...what can't these guys do? SOAMelt to finish off a great set...and I was still trying to figure out what was going on.

From the second set my more vivid memories include Theme from the Bottom, Bouncin' (I wasn't yet jaded by the inclusion of this one), YEM's gorgeous lights by CK5 during the quiet interlude and a scary vocal jam (we were guessing it was a dry run for the upcoming Halloween in Chicago), Sleeping Monkey (which was on the 3/11/90 tape that I had), a sick Antelope, and Contact (which I used to play to introduce people to Phish as I drove way to fast on back roads, getting air in my Oldsmobile)...basically the whole set.

I walked out of that place a changed man. I was dedicated to catch as much of these guys as possible. I felt like I'd spent the last three hours in a church that was preaching something I could believe in...that if there was a higher power, it was being channeled through Phish.

It's no surprise that the show from Dane County Coliseum hooked me all those years ago...with the benefit of hindsight, I was treated to something very special: a show full of bust-outs, and even a debut.

My tape collection exploded. In '96 I got to see the boys at Alpine from about the twelfth row, and drove to Minneapolis for one show in the fall run...still my least favorite show, ever. But it convinced me that one show was not enough...that if I was going to ensure my being a witness to greatness, I would need to make an effort to see multiple shows whenever possible...I've seen 48 more shows since then (I never went on tour to sell drugs or grilled cheese), and am looking forward to four more this summer.

my first show. 13 years old. already a phan. probably had junta and lawn boy at this point. my buddy up the street was going with his dad and asked if i wanted to go. i remember being stoked that i got to see my first show before my older brother, who introduced me to the band, saw them.
i mostly remember lots of crusty old dead heads in the lot beforehand, a couple of whom complimented my jerry t shirt that i had bought at kohl’s.
the show was mind blowing. the music was like nothing i had ever experienced before. i didnt know most of the songs, but absolutely loved it. i remember thinking acoustic army was SO COOL. i was (still am) a huge fan of the narnia books, so i couldnt believe they had a song called prince caspian.
theyre playing a game of chess with the audience??!! crazy.
the vocal jam in yem totally freaked me out. sleeping monkey cracked me up. contact was a highlight. i had to ask my friend what a day in the life was. did not know it at the time.
i remember this like 65 year old hippie lady noodle dancing in the aisle.
there was a cute college age girl next to me smoking joints.
the light show was incredible.
everything about it was just a smorgasbord for the senses. i was completely and utterly hooked.

My first show. What can I say that hasn't been mentioned? The Antelope is absolutely vintage mid-90s smoke and YEM literally had me frightened. It really was something special.

Ran into half my crew coming into the arena in one of the great Phish coincidences that we all know really well. Drove into together and parked and started the party immediately. I had miracle a ticket to my cousin and we headed in.

I remember the floor being relatively empty. In fact, and I may be misremembering this, I felt like the venue was only about half full. We got up to within 25 feet pretty easy and never had to worry about people pushing or bugging. Totally stress free.

First notes of My Friend strike and I was really glad that I knew the first song (I wasn't versed in the lexicon at all) and from them on it was simply trying to hold on.

The above mentioned songs I remember clearly. My most vivid memory was "I hope the drummer doesn't fall off his stool." (He was singing Sleeping Monkey). The Day IN the Life encore made me happy as well. Acoustic Army and Demand are a couple of tunes I love having in my stats.

This is pure '95 greatness. I am glad and fortunate that I got to experience it first hand.

i posted this review to rec.music.phish on 10/25/95

Subject: 10-24-95 Madison, WI

I. My Friend, My Friend, Paul and Silas, The Fog That Surrounds,
Fee> Llama, The Horse> Silent in the Morning, Demand, Maze,
Wolfman's Brother, Acoustic Army, Prince Caspian, Split Open and Melt

II. Julius, Theme From the Bottom, Bouncing Around the Room,
You Enjoy Myself> Sleeping Monkey, Run Like an Antelope, Contact, Cavern

E: A Day in the Life

set I 73 minutes, set II 85 minutes

7:57: The Boys appear.

My Friend, My Friend (8 minutes)
I like this opener. It is a pretty evil song and it was well done.
To add to its overall wierdness Trey early on used his mic stand as a slide.
They played the mood perfectly and it was well complemented by the lighting.
All in all it was pretty straight forward. Not as tight as usual but still
a great way to start off the show.

Paul and Silas (3 minutes)
Splendid contrast and a very nice transition. Reminded me alot of those
Llama, Poor Heart openings. They start off kind of scaring you than bring you
back in with something simple. The crowd really seemed to love this song.
Not much else to say about it though.

The Fog That Surrounds (6 minutes)
With the end of Paul and Silas Trey walked towards Fish shouting Fee. Just as
he got back to his spot Fish started the drum beat, Trey interrupted saying
"wait let's do this one first" and he introduced The Fog That surrounds.
From beginning to end it felt like it was going to fall apart. There were
definite tempo problems. Trey looked utterly confused and seemed to ponder
what could possible be the problem, he never seemed comfortable with the whole
song. They all seemed glad when it ended. Couldn't really hear Fish's verse
either.

Fee (7minutes)
As far as Fee's go this was excellent. The crowd really got into this one. You
could tell who was at their first show Again great lighting. really spacey
very electric end. Trey went crazy playing with his pedals and buttons or
whatever. He looped a couple riffs and tap a drumstick on his guitar over them
pretty strange. lasted about a minute before they all looked up to Fish to
start Llama.

>Llama (5 minutes)
Nifty transition, perfectly executed great song to follow Fee. I'm constantly
amazed at the construction of the sets. It is like an emotional roller
coaster, one minute you as happy as Fee the next your a little angry and
jumping up and down. Real crisp, i think they fed really well off the energy
created by Fee and seemed to settle into a groove with this one.

The Horse> Silent in the Morning (6 minutes)
Beautiful, excellent move from Llama. Very calming.

Demand (2 minutes)
Interesting

Maze (10 minutes)
Wow! Well I would probably say wow to just about any live Maze. I really love
the organ and this could be Page on the organ at its best. The reason this is
one of my favorite songs is because you really feel like you're in a maze and
you dance harder and harder trying to get out. Page went crazy, He ebbed and
flow with fat chords beautifully. I really love the way he plays very
harmonically, vertical rather than horizontal. It just all comes together
here. Trey seemed very pensive in his solo following Page's. He did a good job
of complimenting Page's solo, by contrasting it in just the right way. Very
deliberate in his playing. This one just kept going and going, just when you
thought it couldn't get any more intense, it did. just awesome.

Wolfman's Brother (4 minutes)
Nice vocals. Page and Trey seem to have some soul in them
Short and sweet.

Acoustic Army (3 minutes)
First time I've seen this. I really liked it, not so much because its a good
song but because it is unique and they seemed to be really enjoying
themselves. Fish is quite funny. He was concentrated so hard on strumming is
two or three notes. Trey would look over at him and grin that huge grin we all
love. They just seemed like a big happy family while playing this one. Mike
almost smiled even.

Prince Caspian (4 minutes)
This is a cool song. It has great potential i think. Althought they didn't
really exploit this potential it was good. Very tight. Even pretty moving.

Split Open and Melt (15 minutes)
Awesome! This is my favorite song for this very reason. This one rivals
6-17-94 in its insaneness. I don't know what exactly it is about this song but
it just eats you up. Takes control of your body. While alot of people were
standing still (maybe in awe) i felt like i had no control, The four members
of this band are pulling me in four different directions. Love the new tempo
after the soft vocal part (still not really certain of it, is that 3 measures
of 4/4 than one 7/8? if you know send me some mail) it only adds to the
confusion. They take this one so far and still stick together I'm just amazed.
Fish leads this one beautiful. I think this is definitely one of his songs.

9:10 "Don't go away we will be back in 15 minutes" -- Trey

9:45 audience castles queen side (o-o-o) Phish retakes the stage

Julius (10 minutes)
not exactly Timber Ho! This was another crowd pleaser. Not quite the same
without the horns but pretty good nonetheless. Love the walking base line.
Nothing really special emerges, just sort of an extended version. Song ends
with something really funny i guess, not quite sure. Trey was laughing his
head off. And it must have been really, really funny because mike looked over
at Trey and cracked a beautiful smile. Nothing fancy, and even though it was
short it was a smile. Really inspiring to see. Wonderful Page this song too.

Theme From the Bottom (10 minutes)
I don't know how much i like this one. It is kind of repetitive and not very
melodic which together equal boring. Nice lyrics, good jam in the middle but
not very memorable. I suppose it was about as good as that song gets but i
personally would shelf it, maybe for ... say Tube ?

Bouncing Around the Room (4 minutes)
Another crowd pleaser. Like to see Mike sing. Glad it was short.

You Enjoy Myself (25 minutes)
Really cool! Great Jam. Trey went nuts, did the little percussion deal under a
Page Keyboard solo. Retook the guitar with a drumstick and just as i was
thinking very Hendrix-esque they play a little foxy lady. It might have been
going right when Trey picked up the guitar again but I'm not real sure. Very
cool though. Coming out of that jam I could have sworn they were going into
Frankenstein. Must just be natural when I hear Page on that keyboard.
All in all it was a good jam, good percussion stuff. Mike seemed inspired and
Fish was excellent. They each had their moments. Then the vocal jam...
I was seriously scared. It was just an evil jam, lots of evil laughing
combined with just the white lights from the bottom nearly frightened me
to tears.
They ended the vocal jam beautifully with the opening chords to Slepping
Monkey just as Trey strapped on his guitar.

>Sleeping Monkey (4 minutes)
I was really excited to see if the rumors that fish's voice has really
grown and matured. Well, maybe this isn't the best song for that. He was
really struggling, more so with this than the guitar during Acoustoc Army
He did however stand up and give it his all, was even saluted like the
American flag by Trey and Mike. It was a beautiful transition and a lovely
effort. I still wonder about the meaning of this song though...

Run Like an Antelope (20 minutes)
Wonderful song! Wonderful version! Reminded me alot of the Melt earlier.
Very insane, lots of energy, wonderful solos. It was just plain thick,
sick even. Another one of those songs that silences many people. Incredible
climax, beautifully constructed and the release to just the drums is
inspiring. You can feel the audience heave a collective sigh.

Contact (5 minutes)
Cool. Really cool since i thought Antelope was the set closer.
This one is fun to hear. Like most of the rest of the night it was
pretty straight forward. Standard you could say. Near the end, Page Trey and
Mike put their hands up and waved them back and forth, the whole audience
joined in quickly and the boys chuckled at the cheese.

Cavern (5 minutes)
Set closer (strange) seen it done it, but it doesn't take away from the fun.
Great song, very tight, straight ahead, lets wrap this up.

11:20 Boys take a 3minute break. Come back on for the Encore

E: A Day in the Life (7minutes)
Loved it. I think the Beatles have really been outdone here.
Page is spectacular. Trey is wonderful. Just a great way to end the show.

The show in general was pretty good, it had its outstanding moments, Melt,
Maze, YEM but the rest was pretty standard. Not too fancy. I guess it comes
with the territory. The college crowd, large crowd, most of them there
probably for there first time, gotta hear Fee, Bouncing, Julius, Llama,
Cavern..etc. this sucked for me because i was hoping to hear the new ones,
guess i'll just have to get some tapes

Strangely though (or maybe not) about 5 people passed out within 5 feet from
me. One I actually caught. Two had to sit down (before the show) to avoid what
had happened to their friend, and still two more left the crowd. It seemed to
me that it was the heat and alot of bad air mostly. But i wonder about the
little group in front of me, it seemed that 80% of that group had problems.
Take it easy, and take care. You are supposed to have fun.

I was actually pretty proud of the crowd. There weren't tons of drunk frat
boys, and they were very peaceful and genuinely quiet during the quieter
softer songs. It was really only at handful at all that were inspired to
yell over Fish's lyrics, or acoustic army. Met some really nice people too.
And all this talk about the Phish scene taking a dive. Maybe it is due for a
rise

Thanks for reading. Wish i could get to more shows and do this more often.
Love,

Jacob

Listening to this show on the eve of Alpine 2015 nearly 20 years after I attended it. This is quite possibly my favorite Phish show that I was ever at or at least I put it right up there with the Fall 97 shows.

For the second year in a row, Phish was playing a Fall Tour show in the city where I live! Got in and took some seats in the on Fishman's side (was on Ragin' Page's in 94) about 2 sections from the stage so we'd have a good view and good sound - never been a floor/pit guy and the wife is short, so she wants no part of you giants.

First set highlights were... well... everything, but of note were an interesting placement of Friend as the opener, Paul & Silas - a song I wish they'd still do, a BLISTERING Llama, MAZE (on right now as I type - JFC!!!), and a nice SOAM closer.

Not to diminish this stellar first set, but the second set took things to a whole 'nother level. The Julius opener was just what you want from that song with a huge build an release.

For me, the show's highlight was next with the best Theme I've heard. The build up and then when they launch into the jam was absolute ecstasy and the jam seemed to go on and on in waves of bliss. Still waiting to get another Theme that good.

The YEM was great and the vocal jam was as others have stated... creeptastic. PALUCIFER... PALUCIFER... PALUCIFER...

Rounding out things were a nice Sleeping Monkey complete with Fish standing on his stool for his acapella moment and a raging 95 era Antelope.

I know many got sick of the ADITL encore, but this version was tight and it was still early in the song's life cycle with Phish and I thought it was the perfect cap for a near perfect Phish show.

Seeeee?!?!?! the above review is EXACTLY what I was referring to in my twocentsworth for the following night's show in St Paul; ANY band that can musically scare the shit out of people will lure me in hook, line & sinker (eeewwwww, worst accidental pun, EVER!!!!)...funny; I say ANY band but Phish is, undoubtedly, the heavy-weight champeeeens at THAT

This YEM gets my vote for "Scariest YEM ever". Gotta love a My Friend opener and the Demand->Maze was a nice treat. Great Page solo in Maze as well. There is a section during Antelope where it feels like a galloping Antelope is controlling Dane County. Awesome energy!

i was 13 years old. already a phan. probably had junta and lawn boy on cd at this point. my buddy (who lived three doors up the street) was going with his dad and asked if i wanted to go. i remember being stoked that i got to see my first show before my older brother, who introduced me to the band, saw them.
i mostly remember lots of crusty old dead heads in the lot beforehand, a couple of whom complimented my jerry t shirt that i had bought at kohl’s.
the show was mind blowing. the music was like nothing i had ever experienced before. i didnt know most of the songs, but absolutely loved it. i remember thinking acoustic army was SO COOL. i was (still am) a huge fan of the narnia books, so i couldnt believe they had a song called prince caspian.
theyre playing a game of chess with the audience??!! crazy.
the vocal jam in yem totally freaked me out. sleeping monkey cracked me up. contact was a highlight. i had to ask my buddy what a day in the life was. did not know it at the time.
i remember this like 65 year old hippie lady noodle dancing in the aisle.
there was a cute college age girl next to me smoking joints.
the light show was incredible.
everything about it was just a smorgasbord for the senses. i was completely and utterly hooked.

listening back now, the antelope stands out as an absolute monster.
good show from an incredible tour.

Pretty solid show.

It feels kind of lopsided as the 2nd set is far superior to the first. But the 1st set does have some good stuff to offer. Maze is insane. Prince Caspian is especially strong in the vocal area. SOAM is it's typical heavy set closer.

Set 2 (as usual) is where things get super crazy. Theme is likely the best early version of the song, it's just amazing. Very Strong YEM with a nice creepy weird stretch to it. And an especially creepy vocal jam that perfectly moves into Sleeping Monkey, amazing segue! Antelope has to be one of the best from '95 it's just dark and thunderous, absolutely great segment of songs. The rest of the show is straight forward but that beginning 2/3's of set 2 are as amazing as anything from this year.

Introduced to Phish in the Winter of 1994, this was my first show ever and 20 years later, I consider it one of the best I have seen after seeing quite a few.
Three of us drove from Milwaukee to the Dane Co. Coliseum and memories began in the lot, new friends were made...all that will be remembered forever.
MFMF opener instantly won me over and I was glued to the floor just 3 people back from the stage. I got lost in Maze as did many others.
The highlight for everyone remains Run Like an Antelope. Listening to is today, it gets dark and heavy then breaks out to greatness!
I live in Madison now and drive by the Coliseum often and am instantly transported back.
Thank you for all the years of joy!

SET 1: My Friend, My Friend, Paul and Silas: Standard.

Taste That Surrounds – debut, hard to keep up with all the variations – they rip this one nicely.

Fee -> Llama: Fee has a cool little jam tacked on that is effects driven and Llama is fierce!

The Horse > Silent in the Morning, Demand: Standard >

Maze: Look out below – this one is in your face and smoked. Trey keeps teasing and teasing the peak and then let’s explode. Crushed! What a rock star.

Wolfman's Brother, Acoustic Army, Prince Caspian: Standard.

Split Open and Melt: This definitely gets out there a good bit. Very dark, very evil. Does not have much of a peak.

Good set! Fee and SOAMelt have replay value.

SET 2: Julius: Rock gods! Total face melter.

Theme From the Bottom: Page crushes it on the baby grand and Trey is other worldly. Sounds so good, can’t quite how to describe how this sounds different than a typical theme but it does.

Bouncing Around the Room: Standard

You Enjoy Myself: Frampton talk box type stuff, then a heavy metal jam, B&D and then – seriously – the evilest – the most twisted vocal jam I have ever heard – Palucifer – David Hinckley – they should have played Sanity after this because most lost their minds to this one ->

Sleeping Monkey: Starts off as a vocal jam, lol! Not Sanity, but this was needed, I am sure. >

Run Like an Antelope: Gets dark and intense. Swirling is the best way I can describe this. As if you’re swirling down the drain into hell. The evil spell is broken right before 11 minutes as the bust into normal sounding Antelope type stuff. Big, intense peak. One of the very best versions ever, all-timer.

Contact > Cavern ENCORE: A Day in the Life: Standard

Second set summary: Intense set! That YEM and Antelope are some dark Phish. Wonderfully crafted setlist and executed flawlessly. Julius, Theme, YEM and Antelope all have replay value while YEM and Lope are all-timers easily. This is another great Fall 95 show with a real attitude and edge. I would rate this as a 4.5 out of 5.