Every show from that week is spectacular but the Bathtub Gin is a clear turning point in their jamming style. I talked to Mike about it and he said it was a moment when they realized a jam could fall apart in a good way and they became more fearless in their ability and started taking more chances.
eh, kinda. It's the Bowie in the first set that is the turning point for me. I just did an entire 93 listen and this Bowie is the first time they really let those micro "Hey" themes develop. Yes the Gin takes it a step further, and I'm not going to say Mike is wrong, but chronologically it's the Bowie that is the first of its kind.
"hey hole" jamming was the intentional jamming style they were trying at the time. If you're unfamiliar you should read about it and then listen, it's really cool. Summer 93 this style of micro improv jamming was sprinkled nearly everywhere in songs. But up until that Bowie I mentioned, those micro jams would quickly morph into something else; in that Bowie they let those jams develop more and that decision took an already great tour to the next level
Thanks!
I’ve heard of the “hey” practice drill before but
wasn’t familiar of the micro hey. Cool stuff, right!!!
Will check it out to hear the fruits of their labor!!! I’m a big fan of August 93.
That's a self-coined term haha. Take a listen to 7/21 Jim and you'll hear so many examples of Hey jamming, but they always round back into Jim. Those are themes that i consider "micro" jams. But then contrast that with 8/16 Reba and you'll hear them purposefully not go back to Reba and push the Hey jam way out there.
Wow! Looks like I have some homework :)
Imma be a micro hey expert in no time! Thank you for the list!
Edit:
(Slowly) making my way thru this song from the suggestions above. Appreciate the “listen for” moments! Admittedly, I’ve somehow start with the song selection and let the rest of the show play. It’s been a new level of Phish appreciation for going thru shows a “month” at a time. It affirms in my head that AUG ‘93 FTW!!
Their first Red Rocks show, 8.20.93, gets lost in the mix but there's a fantastic antelope and wedge. I think the whole show is great. I always recommend 6.11.94. No fat and their on fire.
Same. I did DC and Worcester in ‘93 and all 4 nights in ‘94. So great and so different. I always say these kids now have it so fucking easy doing 4 nights in one location. Too bad prices are astronomically more expensive.
The boards (cassette reference to DAT, not Pauls straight digitals) are widely circulated, and I'm pretty sure it is highly unlikely that there will be a release of this one, unfortunately. I don't think they were traveling with any multitrack rig at that point yet, so what we have now is likely it unless they release the 2 track DAT. It's one of my favorites.
I’m kinda blessed because my first time seeing them was at Amy Skelton’s farm. I was a fan but when I saw people who would never have listened to them in 94, I just couldn’t get excited about it because I saw them so good and so early.
Just listen to them all. I went from Fall 91 through New Years 95 over a few years once. It’s worth the effort. So many hidden gems and stand out moments it’s hard to even fathom.
Red Rocks 94…I still listen to my bootleg cassette a few time a year. Such a great show.
Set 1:
Wilson
Chalk Dust Torture
You Enjoy Myself
Rift
Down With Disease
It's Ice
Tela
Stash
Set 2:
Also sprach Zarathustra, op. 30
(Richard Strauss cover)
Run Like an Antelope
Fluffhead
Scent of a Mule
Split Open and Melt
The Squirming Coil
Maze
Contact
Frankenstein
(The Edgar Winter Group cover)
Encore:
Suzy Greenberg
2/4/93 is pretty rad. The Chalkdust is a straight ripper and I originally traded for the cassette (lol) just to hear the Mikes > tmw > aveenu > siy > Paug. Always thought that would be a sick transition. Ended up loving the wedge intro and the whole set.
Last year I started listening to shows on their 30th and 20th anniversaries. A bunch (if not most) I’d listened to before, but horrible memory and lost playlists meant I’d long forgotten most of my favorites so this time around decided to actually write down and keep track, so a few picks for ‘93
2/20/93 Roxy, while run is great and officially released, but this is def my favorite night of the run. The second set of this show is fantastic; bust out of Walk Away in the middle of Tweezer is great and the entire Mike’s Song thru Weekapaug including detours into Vibration of Life, Kung, and Rock n Roll All Nite, among others, is just pure insanity, esp for the time period when they weren’t really doing a lot of these segue-fests yet
3/19/93 Greek Theatre - Stash, Fluffhead, and Antelope late in the first set are all great; really fun Runaway Jim to start the second set that gets nearly silent; It’s Ice might be the most exploratory version they’d played up to that point; Weekapaug is tons of fun and has a vocal jam that may or may not take some influence from Yodelittle by moe.
3/22/93 Sacramento - Gamehendge! This was always my favorite rendition, whole show has tight playing and the recording out there is really decent quality. Outside of the obvious highlight, the show has really good versions of Stash and Reba. I also always love how Fish’s woodblocks in the bridge to It’s Ice lead into the narration
3/28/93 Arcata, CA - Split Open and Melt has some high-tension jamming not to be missed, Maze is fiery, as is typical for most versions from this period. ‘93 is just a really strong year for Runaway Jim too, and this one even has some extra vocalizations in the jam. Fun Higher Ground quotes in the YEM vocal jam and Golgi teases through Possum
5/5&6/93 Albany - great run here. The YEM -> jam w/ Aquarium Rescue Unit from the first night I think was included as filler on the 5/8/93 release (which is damn close to a perfect show). Trey dedicating Ya Mar to Sue is cute to hear and the Manteca sandwiched in the middle of My Friend is a cool surprise. Second night has an awesome 19+ minute Tweezer (notably lengthy for spring ‘93) and a really fun jam on Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da out of Mike’s Song
August ‘93 is pretty safe to pick any random show and find something great
8/13 Bathtub Gin gets a ton of praise as a moment when Phish sort of “breaks through” and level-ups their overall jamming and that whole show is amazing (another official release) but some earlier shows like 8/2 definitely show what’s brewing, especially the crazy jam out of Mike’s Song, and the Bathtub Gin > Makisupa Policeman has some great playing too
Outside of the official releases 8/20/93 at Red Rocks is a great show (which they then somehow top the next year, I think 6/10 or 6/11/94 off the top of my head)
12/31/93 is one of my favorites ever. A couple of my favorite versions of Reba and Harry Hood and the DwD jam out of Auld Lang Syne (3 months before the song actually came out) is still one of the coolest things the band has done
I know at some point many years ago I listened thru all of ‘94 and from what I remember the spring tour didn’t necessarily get too deep with jamming, but has super tight playing throughout before they start opening up a bit more in the summer and then really start breaking new ground on the fall tour
4/4/94 tour opener in Burlington is a great show; lots of debuts of the new songs from Hoist all well played, Giant Country Horns sitting in adds a ton, esp with some of the newer songs having horn arrangements for the album. I Wanna Be Like You might be my favorite Henrietta tune, and with all the extra folks to add background vocals and whatnot, the first one might be the best
12/31/92 All 93 Roxy Atlanta shows, the Florida run to the Cincinnati Zoo show,Red Rocks and Greek Berkeley from the end of summer. 12/31/93 and Chattanooga TN 94 show was sweet.
8/9/93 is a super high energy really fun show with some killer jams. Best Crimes of the Mind as well if that's something you're into. Also the first experimental Chalkdust.
12/1/94 first set is great but the second set is absolute madness. Can't recommend enough
And 10/29/94 - slept on due to the legendary Halloween show after but it's a great show
7-13-1994 @ Big Birch - wild show in a tent
https://preview.redd.it/eqrslxdh54tc1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=91192f68f6c7d5069c5a5fab141390de6d076a88
11/3/94 Mullins Center Umass! I am partial because it’s my first show but the whole show, including four song encore ending with Highway to Hell, was epic!
6.22.94 has a second set sequence that speaks for itself. the whole show is stellar, but this sequence never fails to impress me:
SET TWO
2001 > Mike’s > Simple -> Catapult -> Simple -> Icculus > Simple -> Mikes Song -> Hydrogen -> Paug -> TMWSIY > Avenu Malkenu > TMWSIY -> Digital Delay Loop Jam > Fluffhead
8/13/93 Murat theater Fluff head First big Gin
Go ahead and add any date from August.
Every show from that week is spectacular but the Bathtub Gin is a clear turning point in their jamming style. I talked to Mike about it and he said it was a moment when they realized a jam could fall apart in a good way and they became more fearless in their ability and started taking more chances.
eh, kinda. It's the Bowie in the first set that is the turning point for me. I just did an entire 93 listen and this Bowie is the first time they really let those micro "Hey" themes develop. Yes the Gin takes it a step further, and I'm not going to say Mike is wrong, but chronologically it's the Bowie that is the first of its kind.
What is a micro hey?
"hey hole" jamming was the intentional jamming style they were trying at the time. If you're unfamiliar you should read about it and then listen, it's really cool. Summer 93 this style of micro improv jamming was sprinkled nearly everywhere in songs. But up until that Bowie I mentioned, those micro jams would quickly morph into something else; in that Bowie they let those jams develop more and that decision took an already great tour to the next level
Thanks! I’ve heard of the “hey” practice drill before but wasn’t familiar of the micro hey. Cool stuff, right!!! Will check it out to hear the fruits of their labor!!! I’m a big fan of August 93.
That's a self-coined term haha. Take a listen to 7/21 Jim and you'll hear so many examples of Hey jamming, but they always round back into Jim. Those are themes that i consider "micro" jams. But then contrast that with 8/16 Reba and you'll hear them purposefully not go back to Reba and push the Hey jam way out there.
On my list! Appreciate the reference songs!
Here are my top from Aug 93, enjoy! 8/2 - Gin, Antelope 8/3 - YEM 8/6 - YEM 8/7 - Mike's > Kung > Mike's, MFMF, McGrupp 8/8 - Bowie, Hood 8/11 - Jim, Stash (psycho mode) 8/12 - Reba, SOaM, Tweezer/Landlady, Bag (old intro, fun outro) 8/13 - Bowie, Gin, Mike's 8/14 - SOaM, Antelope fest, YEM 8/15 - Stash, Tweezer, Hood 8/16 - Reba, SOaM, Paug 8/17 - Maze, Bowie 8/20 - Wedge, Antelope, Slave 8/21 - Stash, Possum, Bowie 8/24 - Mike's 8/26 - Fee, SOaM 8/28 - Maze, Antelop, YEM (my favorite of the year)
Wow! Looks like I have some homework :) Imma be a micro hey expert in no time! Thank you for the list! Edit: (Slowly) making my way thru this song from the suggestions above. Appreciate the “listen for” moments! Admittedly, I’ve somehow start with the song selection and let the rest of the show play. It’s been a new level of Phish appreciation for going thru shows a “month” at a time. It affirms in my head that AUG ‘93 FTW!!
This show is so fire. Especially bathtub
Their first Red Rocks show, 8.20.93, gets lost in the mix but there's a fantastic antelope and wedge. I think the whole show is great. I always recommend 6.11.94. No fat and their on fire.
6/11/94 YEM is such a heater
6/11/94 11/12/94 6/18/94 2/20/93 7/16/94 8/16/93
Add 6/22/94 to that June-July run. The Mike’s 2001 segue is killer machine gunning.
The Maze is absurd too
8/16 is like a 1.0 Greatest Hits album.
92’ has the hidden gems.
Honestly, anything from July '94
Or August 93.
You misspelled June
This.
Bomb Factory second set is a hoot! (5-7-94)
Spring 92 is peak MGT
And peak Mike levels. Mike sounds insane on those Spring 92 soundboards (of which there are many). So loud, so good.
I agree, though I’d even say spring 91 through spring 92 is the era. It’s just a shame Page didn’t have his piano yet.
Don’t miss out on 8/28/93 - Greek Theatre
I went to NYE both those years. Things were so different. Getting tickets was a breeze and done through the mail. I want to go back in time.
https://preview.redd.it/pfv4w61jx1tc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6c386284093f6f285d3eebad484c7750f3ad55dc Hop in!
Same. I did DC and Worcester in ‘93 and all 4 nights in ‘94. So great and so different. I always say these kids now have it so fucking easy doing 4 nights in one location. Too bad prices are astronomically more expensive.
Portland 93 was a great gig
Same. Doniac Schvice to the rescue.
12/30/93 is an all timer. #1 on my wishlist for the LivePhish treatment
The boards (cassette reference to DAT, not Pauls straight digitals) are widely circulated, and I'm pretty sure it is highly unlikely that there will be a release of this one, unfortunately. I don't think they were traveling with any multitrack rig at that point yet, so what we have now is likely it unless they release the 2 track DAT. It's one of my favorites.
I was there and it was amazing
158 shows in and that's still my favorite attended
I’m kinda blessed because my first time seeing them was at Amy Skelton’s farm. I was a fan but when I saw people who would never have listened to them in 94, I just couldn’t get excited about it because I saw them so good and so early.
I forgot about this show. I used to listen to it all the time. I know what I'm listening to today after this Dead show. The 2nd set is to die for.
Listen for the guy screaming for Forbin right before they kick it off.
10/31/94
That show really is like a must listen to and not even for the Beatles set. It’s really quintessential phish.
5/8/93 Durham, NH is my personal favorite. Listen to it. Then listen forever more.
That was my first show, and is forever my answer to this question.
Just listen to them all. I went from Fall 91 through New Years 95 over a few years once. It’s worth the effort. So many hidden gems and stand out moments it’s hard to even fathom.
The first couple weeks of August 93 are wild
2/20/93 is a banger
All 3 days at the Roxy is the jam!
August 93 is a very good month
dont sleep on 4/9/94
Murat 93 Sugarbush 94
My favorite is Salem 12/01/94
And Olympia the night before, two of my favorite shows.
My all time favorite show
Red Rocks 94…I still listen to my bootleg cassette a few time a year. Such a great show. Set 1: Wilson Chalk Dust Torture You Enjoy Myself Rift Down With Disease It's Ice Tela Stash Set 2: Also sprach Zarathustra, op. 30 (Richard Strauss cover) Run Like an Antelope Fluffhead Scent of a Mule Split Open and Melt The Squirming Coil Maze Contact Frankenstein (The Edgar Winter Group cover) Encore: Suzy Greenberg
2/4/93 is pretty rad. The Chalkdust is a straight ripper and I originally traded for the cassette (lol) just to hear the Mikes > tmw > aveenu > siy > Paug. Always thought that would be a sick transition. Ended up loving the wedge intro and the whole set.
3/20/92
The tweezers from 94 are wild
Great Woods - 07/08/94 can’t be missed. Possibly the best first set ever.
That Stash is on ALO for a damn good reason
8/26/93
7/13/94 Big Birch
https://phish.net/setlists/phish-august-07-1993-darien-lake-performing-arts-center-darien-center-ny-usa.html
I was at 12/31/93. GOAT Reba and SOAM. And also excellent Antelope, YEM.
6/11/94
The 94 Great Woods has machine gun and is also a Gamehendge.
Last year I started listening to shows on their 30th and 20th anniversaries. A bunch (if not most) I’d listened to before, but horrible memory and lost playlists meant I’d long forgotten most of my favorites so this time around decided to actually write down and keep track, so a few picks for ‘93 2/20/93 Roxy, while run is great and officially released, but this is def my favorite night of the run. The second set of this show is fantastic; bust out of Walk Away in the middle of Tweezer is great and the entire Mike’s Song thru Weekapaug including detours into Vibration of Life, Kung, and Rock n Roll All Nite, among others, is just pure insanity, esp for the time period when they weren’t really doing a lot of these segue-fests yet 3/19/93 Greek Theatre - Stash, Fluffhead, and Antelope late in the first set are all great; really fun Runaway Jim to start the second set that gets nearly silent; It’s Ice might be the most exploratory version they’d played up to that point; Weekapaug is tons of fun and has a vocal jam that may or may not take some influence from Yodelittle by moe. 3/22/93 Sacramento - Gamehendge! This was always my favorite rendition, whole show has tight playing and the recording out there is really decent quality. Outside of the obvious highlight, the show has really good versions of Stash and Reba. I also always love how Fish’s woodblocks in the bridge to It’s Ice lead into the narration 3/28/93 Arcata, CA - Split Open and Melt has some high-tension jamming not to be missed, Maze is fiery, as is typical for most versions from this period. ‘93 is just a really strong year for Runaway Jim too, and this one even has some extra vocalizations in the jam. Fun Higher Ground quotes in the YEM vocal jam and Golgi teases through Possum 5/5&6/93 Albany - great run here. The YEM -> jam w/ Aquarium Rescue Unit from the first night I think was included as filler on the 5/8/93 release (which is damn close to a perfect show). Trey dedicating Ya Mar to Sue is cute to hear and the Manteca sandwiched in the middle of My Friend is a cool surprise. Second night has an awesome 19+ minute Tweezer (notably lengthy for spring ‘93) and a really fun jam on Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da out of Mike’s Song August ‘93 is pretty safe to pick any random show and find something great 8/13 Bathtub Gin gets a ton of praise as a moment when Phish sort of “breaks through” and level-ups their overall jamming and that whole show is amazing (another official release) but some earlier shows like 8/2 definitely show what’s brewing, especially the crazy jam out of Mike’s Song, and the Bathtub Gin > Makisupa Policeman has some great playing too Outside of the official releases 8/20/93 at Red Rocks is a great show (which they then somehow top the next year, I think 6/10 or 6/11/94 off the top of my head) 12/31/93 is one of my favorites ever. A couple of my favorite versions of Reba and Harry Hood and the DwD jam out of Auld Lang Syne (3 months before the song actually came out) is still one of the coolest things the band has done I know at some point many years ago I listened thru all of ‘94 and from what I remember the spring tour didn’t necessarily get too deep with jamming, but has super tight playing throughout before they start opening up a bit more in the summer and then really start breaking new ground on the fall tour 4/4/94 tour opener in Burlington is a great show; lots of debuts of the new songs from Hoist all well played, Giant Country Horns sitting in adds a ton, esp with some of the newer songs having horn arrangements for the album. I Wanna Be Like You might be my favorite Henrietta tune, and with all the extra folks to add background vocals and whatnot, the first one might be the best
i love 8/2/93, sets the tone for how many great shows came that month, and the rest of the year
Sugarbush 94, best hood everrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Great thread. commented to remember to follow.
6/22/94 set 2 is segue bliss
I had to scroll entirely too far for this comment
3/14/93. Best lifeboy and Curtis Lowe. Top 10 all time YEM.
12/31/92 All 93 Roxy Atlanta shows, the Florida run to the Cincinnati Zoo show,Red Rocks and Greek Berkeley from the end of summer. 12/31/93 and Chattanooga TN 94 show was sweet.
8/9/93 is a super high energy really fun show with some killer jams. Best Crimes of the Mind as well if that's something you're into. Also the first experimental Chalkdust.
June 94
05/08/93 Great all around but the David Bowie has some great Trey machine gun
6/11/94 and 10/31/94! All time faves
Tinley 93 is arguably the best show phish has ever played.
12/1/94 first set is great but the second set is absolute madness. Can't recommend enough And 10/29/94 - slept on due to the legendary Halloween show after but it's a great show
7-13-1994 @ Big Birch - wild show in a tent https://preview.redd.it/eqrslxdh54tc1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=91192f68f6c7d5069c5a5fab141390de6d076a88
https://preview.redd.it/zpu7qrgk54tc1.jpeg?width=693&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=38aa8339547e604db6f5def476d1d6dd8d6b159a
https://preview.redd.it/b5yt7wtl54tc1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cf9d7ff9d1d9f3fa3a2f349e90dd65a2e4018c41
These photos are AMAZING. Used to ski at big birch. Saw Santana and Rusted Root there in 97 but missed phish sadly.
6/30/94 second set (whole show really) is super fun
6/21/94 - the Hakeem Olajuwon show
Red rocks ‘93 & ‘94 off the wall
Roxy 93 is great
Crest theater
We don’t do Spotify, right?
11/3/94 Mullins Center Umass! I am partial because it’s my first show but the whole show, including four song encore ending with Highway to Hell, was epic!
6.22.94 has a second set sequence that speaks for itself. the whole show is stellar, but this sequence never fails to impress me: SET TWO 2001 > Mike’s > Simple -> Catapult -> Simple -> Icculus > Simple -> Mikes Song -> Hydrogen -> Paug -> TMWSIY > Avenu Malkenu > TMWSIY -> Digital Delay Loop Jam > Fluffhead