B List: 10 Best Phish Tour Openers

9. June 7, 1995 @ BSU Pavilion, Boise ID

Set 1: Possum, Weigh, Taste[1], Strange Design, Stash, If I Could, Scent of a Mule, The Wedge, Funky Bitch, Slave to the Traffic Light

Set 2: Ha Ha Ha -> Maze, Spock’s Brain, Theme From the Bottom, Hold Your Head Up > Lonesome Cowboy Bill > Hold Your Head Up, Acoustic Army[1], Sample in a Jar, Harry Hood, Suzy Greenberg

Encore: While My Guitar Gently Weeps

[1] Debut.

Notes: This show marked the debuts of Taste and Acoustic Army. The Wedge was played for the first time since August 20, 1993 (134 shows).

After a relentless 1994 spent mainly on the road, Phish took the longest break of their career up to that point at the beginning of 1995. Outside of a charity event in Lowell a month prior, this Boise show was the group’s first performance in over five months and they didn’t disappoint. Funky Bitch, Weigh and Wedge were all rarities at that time and were each played well in set one. The show also saw the debuts of Taste and Acoustic Army and contained tasty Slave and Hood jams.

8. June 17, 2004 @ Keyspan Park, Brooklyn NY

Set 1: A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing[1], Dinner and a Movie, The Curtain With, Sample in a Jar, The Moma Dance -> Free, Nothing[2], Maze, Frankenstein

Set 2: 46 Days -> Possum > The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > Suzy Greenberg > Axilla > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Birds of a Feather, Kung, Mike’s Song[3] > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove[4]

Encore: The Divided Sky

[1] Debut.
[2] Phish debut.
[3] Twist tease.
[4] Main Street tease.

Notes: This show was simulcast in movie theaters nationwide and subsequently officially released in both CD and DVD formats as Live In Brooklyn. This show marked the debut of A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing and the Phish debut of Nothing. Kung was dedicated to the golfers competing in the U.S. Open at the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, NY. Mike’s Song featured a Twist tease. During Weekapaug, Trey teased Main Street. At the end of the soundcheck, Trey teased Fluffhead, as memorialized on the Live in Brooklyn DVD.

No one had any clue what to expect coming into the Summer Tour ’04 opener in Brooklyn. Just a few weeks prior Trey Anastasio posted a letter on Phish.com effectively putting a kibosh on the band’s career. After a disastrous three-show run in Vegas a few months back Phish responded by throwing down two well-paced sets that included a few jams, a few debuts and tight interplay between the band members. This show was broadcast live to movie theaters across the county and released as the Live in Brooklyn DVD.

7. December 2, 1999 @ The Palace, Auburn Hills MI

Set 1: Runaway Jim, Farmhouse[1], Heavy Things, Roggae, Run Like an Antelope, Wading in the Velvet Sea, Poor Heart, Sample in a Jar, Free, The Squirming Coil

Set 2: Boogie On Reggae Woman, Gotta Jibboo, Bathtub Gin[2] -> Also Sprach Zarathustra, You Enjoy Myself[3] -> The Little Drummer Boy[4]

Encore: Bold As Love

[1] Slightly different arrangement, with an additional chorus at the end.
[2] 2001 teases before segueing into 2001 proper.
[3] Silent jam.
[4] Emerged from the YEM vocal jam and ended with Fishman alone onstage.

Notes: Farmhouse featured a slightly different arrangement, with an additional chorus at the end. Gin included 2001 teases before segueing into 2001 proper. YEM included a silent jam. Little Drummer Boy emerged from the YEM vocal jam and ended with Fishman alone onstage.

An unremarkable first set gave the boys time to shake off the cobwebs before diving into some funky exploration in set two. The lengthy Bathtub Gin leads into a unique 2001 with Trey on keys and ends with a solid YEM showing the band was ready for action in what would turn out to be a terrific tour for them.

6. April 4, 1994 @ Flynn Theater, Burlington VT

Set 1: The Divided Sky, Sample in a Jar, Scent of a Mule[1], Maze, Fee > Reba[2], Horn > It’s Ice[3] > Possum

Set 2: Down with Disease[1] > If I Could[1], Buried Alive[4], The Landlady[4], Julius[5], Magilla[6], Split Open and Melt[4], Wolfman’s Brother[5] > I Wanna Be Like You[7], The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony[4] > Suzy Greenberg[8]

Encore: Harry Hood, Cavern[9]

[1] Debut.
[2] Farmer in the Dell teases from Trey and Mike.
[3] Hey Bulldog teases.
[4] Giant Country Horns.
[5] Debut; Giant Country Horns.
[6] Giant Country Horns; more of a shuffle beat than usual.
[7] Phish debut; Giant Country Horns.
[8] Giant Country Horns. Horn introductions and a HYHU tease from Page.
[9] Old lyrics. Carl Gearhard on trumpet.

Notes: This show, a benefit for The Flynn Theatre, featured many debuts, including Scent of a Mule, If I Could, Wolfman’s Brother, Julius, and the full Down with Disease. I Wanna Be Like You also made its Phish debut. The show kicked off with one a cappella line of My Hometown. Reba contained Farmer in the Dell teases from Trey and Mike and It’s Ice contained Hey Bulldog (Beatles) teases. Buried Alive through Suzy Greenberg featured The Giant Country Horns: Mike Gallick on baritone sax, Carl “Geerz” Gerhard on trumpet, Dave “The Truth” Grippo on alto sax, Don Glasgo on trombone, Chris Peterman on tenor sax, and Joey Sommerville on trumpet. Cavern, which contained the old, alternate lyrics, also featured Gerhard. Magilla was played slightly differently than most versions, with more of a shuffle beat. Suzy contained Horn introductions and a HYHU tease from Page. Trey updated the crowd throughout the show on the score of the Duke – Arkansas NCAA championship basketball game.

Phish opened Spring Tour ’94 with a surprise show at the Flynn where they debuted a bunch of material from the recently released Hoist LP. Fittingly, the gig started with the quartet singing “back in my hometown” a capella before launching into Divided Sky. The first Down With Disease is a rager and one of the few that actually segues into If I Could as it does on the album. Set Two was a beast with the Giant Country Horns lending a hand on a number of tunes that would soon disappear from the repertoire.

5. October 29, 1998 @ Greek Theatre, Los Angeles CA

Set 1: Julius, Roggae, Llama, Limb By Limb, Driver, Sleep, Frankie Says, Birds of a Feather, McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters, Character Zero

Set 2: Possum > The Moma Dance > Reba -> Walk Away > Simple > Albuquerque, David Bowie

Encore: Something[1]

[1] Phish debut.

Notes: Walk Away was played for the first time since May 7, 1994 (366 shows). This show marked the Phish debut of The Beatles’ Something.

In what seems to be a trend of shows on this list, Phish starts slow during the opening stanza before blowing it out in the second set. One of my favorite Rebas segues into what was a huge bust out at the time – Walk Away. A beautiful cover debut, Something by The Beatles, provided a fine encore at the last tour opener at a venue called the Greek Theatre. Check out taper Scott Bernstein’s recently circulated recording for the best sounding copy of this show.

4. December 28, 1993 @ Bender Arena, Washington DC

Set 1: Peaches en Regalia, Poor Heart > Split Open and Melt[1], Esther > The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > Suzy Greenberg[2] > Ya Mar[3], It’s Ice, Fee, Possum[4]

Set 2: Sample in a Jar, You Enjoy Myself, My Friend, My Friend -> The Lizards, The Sloth, Fast Enough for You, Uncle Pen, Harry Hood[5], Highway to Hell

Encore: Memories, Golgi Apparatus

[1] Peaches en Regalia teases.
[2] Tweezer tease.
[3] Auld Lang Syne tease.
[4] Kashmir tease.
[5] Simpsons signal.

Notes: For the entire New Year’s Run, the stage was set up as an aquarium, complete with sand, seaweed, rocks, and a giant clam. Suzy included a Tweezer tease and Possum included a Kashmir tease. Peaches (first since June 23, 1989, or 558 shows) was likely played in memory of Frank Zappa, who passed away a few weeks before. Subsequently, SOAM included Peaches teases. Ya Mar included an Auld Lang Syne tease and Hood included a Simpsons signal.

Phish had been off the road since August when they returned to the stage in our nation’s capital to kick off New Year’s Run ’93. While they weren’t performing live the band members had spent the months in Los Angeles recording Hoist, so they weren’t exactly rusty. Lots of rumors swirled before the show that Phish would pay tribute to Frank Zappa – who died a few weeks prior on December 4 – and fans didn’t have to wait long as the band opened with the first Peaches En Regalia in over four years. Every song at this gig was well-played with the Hood, YEM and Split jams sticking out as highlights.

3. November 19, 1992 @ St. Mike’s College, Colchester VT

Set 1: Maze[1], Fee -> Foam, Glide, Split Open and Melt, Mound, The Divided Sky[2], Esther > Axilla[3], The Horse > Silent in the Morning > Run Like an Antelope[4]

Set 2: Mike’s Song[5] > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove[6], Bouncing Around the Room, It’s Ice, I Walk the Line[7], Tweezer[8] -> Big Black Furry Creature from Mars Jam[9] -> Tweezer > Big Ball Jam[10], Poor Heart[11], Fast Enough for You[12], Llama[11], Hold Your Head Up > Lengthwise[13] > Hold Your Head Up, Cavern[14]

Encore: Bold As Love

[1] Buried Alive tease.
[2] Those Were the Days tease.
[3] Debut.
[4] Lizards tease from Trey, Those Were the Days teases; All Fall Down signal.
[5] Under Pressure jam.
[6] Vocal jam ending; Those Were the Days and Price of Love teases.
[7] Phish debut.
[8] I Walk The Line tease.
[9] No BBFCFM lyrics. I Walk The Line lyrics and Ring of Fire lyrics and a brief tease.
[10] Debut; Trey explains the concept of the jam.
[11] Gordon Stone on pedal steel guitar.
[12] Debut; Gordon Stone on pedal steel guitar.
[13] Debut; performed reggae style and featured a vacuum solo from Fishman.
[14] Axilla teases from Trey in intro.

Notes: This show and its soundcheck were released by LivePhish.com in January 2010 to benefit the Haiti earthquake relief effort. Divided Sky, Antelope and Weekapaug featured teases of Those Were the Days, and Antelope also contained a Lizards tease from Trey and an All Fall Down signal. Phish originals Axilla, FEFY, and Lengthwise debuted at this show, which also featured the Phish debut of I Walk The Line. The start of the second set included an Owner of a Lonely Heart tease. Mike’s Song included an Under Pressure jam. Weekapaug included a vocal jam ending and Price of Love teases. Tweezer contained an I Walk The Line tease. The BBFCFM jam did not contain the song’s usual lyrics – it instead featured lyrics from both I Walk The Line and Ring of Fire, as well as a brief Ring of Fire tease (from Page). Big Ball Jam also debuted, with Trey explaining the concept of the song, adding that it was written for Pete Shaw. Poor Heart, FEFY and Llama featured Gordon Stone on pedal steel guitar. Trey introduced Fish as “Eyeball Man” before Lengthwise, which was performed in more of a reggae style than other versions and even featured a vacuum solo from Fishman. After Lengthwise, Page said Fish wrote the song, with Trey adding that they liked it so much that it appeared twice on the album and both Page and Trey saying “it’s that good.” The intro to Cavern contained Axilla teases from Trey. Bold As Love was played for the first time since April 18, 1990 (318 shows).

This exceptional Phish tour opener combined tasty jams (Mike’s, Weekapaug, Antelope, Tweezer), debuts (Axilla, FEFY, I Walk The Line and Lengthwise) and an outstanding  guest spot (Gordon Stone on FEFY, Poor Heart & Llama) – a heady mix also found in the top two entries on this list. Nearly every song at this show had something interesting going on including Divided Sky and set the pace for a short but sweet tour that ended just three weeks later.

2. July 21, 1997 @ Va. Beach Amphitheatre, Virginia Beach VA

Set 1: Ghost, Dogs Stole Things, Piper, Dirt, Ginseng Sullivan, Bathtub Gin[1], Character Zero

Set 2: Wolfman’s Brother[2] -> Magilla, David Bowie[3], Wading in the Velvet Sea, Theme From the Bottom -> Jam[4], Funky Bitch[4], Slave to the Traffic Light

Encore: Loving Cup

[1] Drowned teases.
[2] Bathtub Gin tease.
[3] Birdland jam at beginning.
[4] LeRoi Moore on saxophone.

Notes: The jam during Bathtub Gin featured Trey jumping up and down in time with a syncopated jam, as well as strong Drowned teases. Near the end of the jam, Trey mentioned how good it was to be back home and named the four newer songs that were played. The beginning of Bowie included a Birdland jam and Wolfman’s included a Bathtub Gin tease. The jam out of Theme, as well as Funky Bitch, featured LeRoi Moore on saxophone. The jam with LeRoi included a segment where he played two saxes, Trey played three guitars, Mike played two basses and the Cracklin’ Rosie cymbals, Fish had four drumsticks and Page was lying across his keyboards playing as many as possible.

When the band flexed their improvisational muscles with Ghost to open Summer Tour ’97 it foreshadowed the jam-filled shows that lied ahead. From a funky Birdland jam in Bowie to an extended Theme that saw LeRoi Moore rock out on two saxes and Trey attempt to play three guitars to a Bathtub with Drowned teases, Phish hit the ground running in Virginia Beach and never looked back.

1. June 22, 2000 @ AmSouth Amphitheatre, Antioch TN

Set 1: First Tube, Wolfman’s Brother[1] > Beauty of My Dreams, Golgi Apparatus, Limb By Limb, Bug, Poor Heart, Roggae, Chalk Dust Torture

Set 2: Gotta Jibboo > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Sand, Harry Hood -> Dog Faced Boy > Harry Hood[2], I’m Blue, I’m Lonesome[3], Hold Whatcha Got[4], Uncle Pen[3], Free Bird[5]

Encore: You Enjoy Myself

[1] In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida tease.
[2] Robbie McCoury on banjo, Ronnie McCoury on mandolin and Sam Bush on fiddle.
[3] Robbie McCoury on banjo, Ronnie McCoury on mandolin, Sam Bush on fiddle, Del McCoury on guitar, Ricky Skaggs on mandolin, Mike Bub on upright double-bass, and Jason Carter on fiddle.
[4] Phish debut; Robbie McCoury on banjo, Ronnie McCoury on mandolin, Sam Bush on fiddle, Del McCoury on guitar, Ricky Skaggs on mandolin, Mike Bub on upright double-bass, and Jason Carter on fiddle.
[5] Robbie McCoury on banjo, Ronnie McCoury on mandolin, Sam Bush on fiddle, Del McCoury on guitar, Ricky Skaggs on mandolin, Mike Bub on upright double-bass, Jason Carter on fiddle, Wynonna Judd on lead vocals and was played with full instrumentation, as opposed to the usual a cappella arrangement.

Notes: Wolfman’s included an In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida tease. Hood featured Robbie McCoury on banjo, Ronnie McCoury on mandolin and Sam Bush on fiddle. I’m Blue I’m Lonesome, the Phish debut of Hold Watcha Got, Uncle Pen, and Free Bird also included Del McCoury on guitar, Ricky Skaggs on mandolin, Mike Bub on upright double-bass, and Jason Carter on fiddle in addition to those already on stage. Free Bird featured Wynonna Judd on lead vocals and was played with full instrumentation, as opposed to the usual a cappella arrangement.

Summer Tour 2000 started off with a relentless two-set show that featured tasty jams, once-in-a-lifetime sit-ins and a rare YEM encore. Antioch ’00 contained one magical moment after another and set the bar high for a tour that wound up being one of the more inconsistent in the group’s history. This was a special night and of the many highlights Sam Bush’s work on Harry Hood and Wynonna Judd’s powerful vocals on Freebird stand out.

Honorable Mention: April 2, 1998; September 13, 1990; June 11, 2010; July 15, 1993

Be sure to follow @YEMblog for live reports from each show of the tour and keep your eyes on this Twitter List to see what those attending the Greek have to say about the first three shows. Leave a comment below to tell us about your favorite Phish tour opener(s)…

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6 Responses

  1. Sorry, but you should change your title to be the top ten tour opening shows. A tour opener to me, and probably to a lot of people is a song. I read the whole article expecting Fluffhead from Hampton to be somewhere on there. I agree that show as a whole doesn’t deserve to be on here, but that was the best tout opener ever!!!! Make a new list or change the title bud.

  2. 11/13/97? 2/3/93? In my opinion, each of those is better than ANY of the shows you listed. And if you count the other New Year’s runs, 12/28/94,95,and 96 all belong on this list.

    2/3/93 is really an egregious oversight, though… Not even an honorable mention? For shame.

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