Twenty years ago today (10/7/00), Phish wrapped up their fall tour outside of the Bay Area at Shoreline Amphitheatre, thus bringing an end to the much-vaunted “1.0” era, which marked the time from their 1983 inception through this date. The hiatus that followed – not officially addressed before Trey Anastasio’s on-stage announcement in Las Vegas a week prior – ended up lasting over two years before the Vermont quartet’s triumphant New Year’s Eve return (and the subsequent beginning of the 2.0 era) at New York’s Madison Square Garden in 2002.
1.0 Phish is looked upon with great reverence by even the most jaded of fans as this era represents so much of what the band is adored for today. In addition to some of their most beloved original material (“Slave to the Traffic Light”, “Fluffhead”, “You Enjoy Myself”, “Reba”, “The Lizards”), this era also saw repeated transformations in the band’s sound as they progressed through the eighties & nineties. What began as a somewhat raw and unrefined primordial soup in the early to mid-eighties slowly matured into a unique and pristine-sounding musical extravaganza as the new millennium approached. The band continually reinvented themselves from a musical perspective, incorporating elements from a wide array of influences and introducing audiences to new styles such as the extended “space rock” jams of Summer 1995 and legendary groove-based “cow funk” excursions from the 1997 fall tour, all the while doubling as a master-class in improvisational rock.
This initial era also saw the most dramatic changes for the band from a logistical standpoint as their audience seemingly grew at an exponential rate throughout the nineties – particularly after the 1995 death of the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia – taking the group from local Burlington, VT haunts such as Nectar’s & The Front to infamous venues such as Colorado’s famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre and the aforementioned Madison Square Garden.
Join us as Glide takes a look at some of the most “important” & influential venues from Phish’s 1.0 era:
The University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
On December 2, 1983, Phish played their first official show from inside of the Harris-Millis Cafeteria at UVM. The band would go on to play over a dozen on-campus performances through the mid-to-late-eighties in a variety of lounges, gymnasiums, and dorm common areas.
Boston World Trade Center Exhibition Hall:
Phish began one of their most revered traditions when they performed their first-ever New Year’s Eve concert on December 31, 1989 at this waterfront venue-turned-hotel & business center. The band would return once more the following year for a follow-up New Year’s Eve performance during which frustrated venue management prematurely ended the show by turning on the house lights prior to the encore.
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO
Since making their debut in August 1993, Phish has gone on to play this legendary venue thirteen times through 2009. After a series of mid-summer multi-night runs from 1994-1996, each chock full of standout musical moments, the band was asked not to return by venue and Morrison, CO officials due to some disturbances allegedly caused by some unruly attendees (namely 21-year-old Phish fan Marcus Esquandolas), though they have since been invited back, last performing a four-night-stand in 2009.
Madison Square Garden New York, NY
Known as “The World’s Most Famous Arena”, MSG has played host to Phish sixty-four times since their 1994 debut, more than any other venue in the band’s history. The group made a dozen appearances during the 1.0 era, including three of their fabled New Year’s Eve spectacles in 1995, 1997 & 1998. The 12/31/95 performance, in particular, is often considered among the strongest Phish shows of all time by fans and really signified the band as a true arena headliner. The band would eventually “own” the venue by 2017’s Baker’s Dozen run.
Hampton Coliseum – Hampton, VA
A favorite among fans and band members alike, Phish has performed at “The Mothership” twenty-one times since making their debut in November 1995, including eight shows during 1.0. Located hours away from I-95 and it’s associated metropoles, musicians seemingly appreciate the implied time & effort most fans are required to exert in order to attend concerts in the Virginia Tidewater, as Phish (in addition to the Grateful Dead) have staged some historic performances at this cozy arena, including the legendary “Hampton Comes Alive” multi-night run from 1998. During the 10/25/96 show at Hampton, Anastasio shared his affinity for the arena and said Hampton Coliseum and called it his “favorite place to play.”
Nectar’s – Burlington, VT
In addition to offering up some amazing gravy-fries, Nectar’s acted as an initial home-base of sorts for Phish during their formative years with over forty-five performances between 1984-1989. As the band put it in the liner notes to their 1991 LP “Picture of Nectar”: “Eight and a half years ago, we played our first bar gig at Nectar’s in Burlington. Nectar Rorris, the proprietor, was happy to give us a gig despite our lack of experience, organization, or a song list long enough to last two sets. The night went well enough and soon we were playing a series of monthly three-night stands – three sets a night on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Like countless other bands in Burlington’s diverse music scene, those nights at Nectar’s taught us how to play. We dedicate this album to Nectar Rorris for 16 years of bringing Burlington live music every night of the week with no cover, and the best fries this side of…France.”
Honorable Mentions for other Burlington Venues: Hunt’s and The Front
Great Woods, Mansfield, MA
“Foreplay>Longtime” of 1999 and Gamehenge 1994 are just some of the big highlights for Phish’s ten visits to this large seasonal amphitheater in Mansfield, MA. From their first Great Woods show in 1992 opening for Santana to their segue filled second set of 7/24/93, Phish made these shows with the same spontaneity and energy of their late 90’s festivals. Although the venue would change names starting in 1999 (Tweeter Center), it will always still be Great Woods for many now in their 40’s.
Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, ME
If venues were batting averages, this old school hockey arena in Southern Maine hit homers every time. From their brilliant 12/30/93 New Year’s run show to the 12/11/95 “Dog Log” show with Warren Haynes sit in, Portland served as a December treat multiple times. The duo of shows in 1999 are peak performances too where the band flexed their jamming on late 90’s additions “Sand” and “Piper.”
Loring Air Force Base, Limestone, ME
It’s said that Phish helped launch Bonnaroo and other big festivals that would sprout up in the early aughts, but following Phish’s successful and first big festival The Clifford Ball in Plattsburgh, NY- the band moved its stage and 70k plus fans to the remote northeast corner of the continental U.S. While Big Cypress is easily the tops musically for Phish Festivals, Limestone’s The Great Went and The Lemon Wheel brought enough quality goodies to make any 97 fan happy they made the trek up north. The band would return in 2003 for the IT festival and its remarkable traffic control tower jam, but damn that” Bathtub Gin” from 1997 was a dandy…
Honorable Festival Mentions: Amy’s Farm, Clifford Ball and Big Cypress
Worcester Centrum Centre, Worcester, MA
Yes, the northeast is well represented here and for holiday season shows, The Centrum had it all. From the 12/29/95 “Drowned>Real Me” to 1997’s “Runaway Jim” show and 1998’s “Wipeout show”, the Centrum became the “Sweatrum” in its early 80’s orangey facade and long bathroom lines. But those three-night Thanksgiving weekend runs in ’97 and ’98 made a defining impression and many a memorable November in New England.
Europe 1997 Winter and Summer Tours – Various venues
While not a venue per say, these tours played a significant role in Phish’s development and technically brought their sound into less about structured fugue epics and more about a rhythmic undercurrent. Phish got back to their club roots in Europe and played with a looser vibe and more uncanny setlists than the previous 1996 year had seen. Songs like “Cities” reentered the rotation and contained an elastic funk that would set the standard for Phish for the rest of 1.0 as “2001” would soon be elongated into an instrumental workout, while arena rocker “Carini” would be born. Check out the official release of Split Stich and Pass for a trip back to the band’s hallowed 3/1/97 Hamburg, Germany show.
Honorable Mentions For Non-U.S. Tours- Europe Summer 1998 tour and Japan 1999
6 Responses
No Star Lake Amphitheatre??? Deer Creek?
Great article but you left out Lakewood Ampitheatre in Atlanta. From 1994 until the hiatus every show there was absolutely insane. I would throw in Deer Creek in Indiana too.
What about Alpine Valley and the Gorge?
Phish was playing many of the same venues the Dead played by 1995 when Jerry Garcia was still alive. So, let’s drop this ignorant canard that the death of Jerry led to Phish’s reign. It literally made no difference. I was there, seeing both bands.
They left out Albany, NY. The Knickerbocker Arena (Pepsi Arena, Times Union Center) had hosted some of the most amazing fall tour shows. Specifically, the 1999 fall shows which became the most downloaded shows of that specific year.
Nassau, Jones Beach & Albany, Hartford – Worchester.. There lots that i would put over Red Rocks. They got banned in 96..