Pullin’ ‘Tubes: The Birth of Epic

When I looked at the date this morning I got a reminder of just how quickly time passes. Can you believe it’s been five years since the boys in Phish played one of the best shows of their career at the Nassau Coliseum? Not only did the band bust out Destiny Unbound for the first time in nearly 12 years, they also crushed everything else they played that night. It was truly an epic evening on the south shore of Long Island. I especially enjoyed seeing everyone’s blissed-out faces, as we happily made our way back to the car after the show. Phish was back… or so we thought.

While I can go on forever about the versions of Birds of a Feather, Tweezer and Bathtub Gin that Phish played that night, let’s focus on the return of Destiny Unbound. Mike Gordon didn’t write many songs for Phish, but he made the ones he did write count. Destiny Unbound tells the sad twisted tale of two characters on a sure path to ruin. The tune ties a funky rhythm with a beautiful weaving guitar line and a heavy pounding beat. The band only played Destiny 26 times in 1990 and 1991 before shelving it. Sadly, the band never played the tune again after busting it out at the house that Denis Potvin built. Here’s a video of the band performing Destiny Unbound in Ithaca on March 14, 1991:

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So what’s your 2/28/03 story? Tell us all about your experience that night by leaving a comment below…