There aren’t many photos that circulate among fans of the Quintet Era of Phish that started at keyboardist Page McConnell’s first show on May 3, 1985 and ended with guitarist Jeff Holdsworth’s departure from the band shortly after his last show on May 17, 1986. So we were excited to come across an amazing shot of the five-piece from an Earth Day Celebration at UVM on April 15, 1986 via the Oh Kee Pah Blog Facebook Page.
[Photos by Rich Wallace]
You’ll notice McConnell using milk crates as a seat – how very Vermont of him – and playing nothing but an electric piano and cheap organ. The shot above was first posted on Facebook by Phish fan Chris DiLeo and comes from the collection of Daniel Marshall, though Rich Wallace actually snapped the photo. We asked Chris if there was more where this photo came from and he shared another picture from ’86 and a pair of Phish pics from Spring ’88.
04/15/1986 University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
Set 1: AC/DC Bag > Dear Mrs. Reagan, Prep School Hippie, Quinn the Eskimo -> Slave to the Traffic Light, Makisupa Policeman, Have Mercy, All Blues, Dog Log, Possum, You Enjoy Myself, Anarchy, Camel Walk -> Alumni Blues > Letter to Jimmy Page > Alumni BluesNotes: The band was introduced by Trey as the “Bob Dylan Band” before a jam that led into a short All Blues (the first known Phish performance; it was only about a minute long). Dog Log was dedicated to all of the dogs that are running around — including Marley the Wonder Dog. Possum included a Music Never Stopped tease. [via Phish.net]
- Download: 04/15/1986 [via Spreadsheet]
READ ON for more classic Phish photos from the ’80s and, as always, be sure to click on the photo for the full-sized image…
