Today marks the 25th anniversary (5/16/95) of one of the most unique shows in Phish history when the band performed at a Voters for Choice benefit concert at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium in Lowell, MA on May 16, 1995.
Starting things off with an introduction from noted author & activist Gloria Steinem, who promised fans they were about to hear “the most new music that they’ve never heard before”, the band proceeded to deliver a single set that would ultimately mark the debut of ten new songs as well as an all-time version of the Phish masterpiece “Reba.” While some of the evening’s new original material would eventually go on to become fan-favorites such as “Strange Design”, “Theme From the Bottom” and “Free”, other original songs like the gentle “Glide II” and a trio of covers – the Meditation Singers’ “Don’t You Want To Go?”, Brian Eno’s “I’ll Come Running” & Them’s “Gloria” – would essentially be one-off performances (“Don’t You Want To Go” was played four times in 1995 before being permanently shelved) with only “Glide II” making a surprise – and welcome – return during the 2018 New Year’s Eve run.
The evening is also notable as fans in attendance were asked to help choose the title of one of the new original compositions. After all, what could be more appropriate than fans voting for a song name at a Voters for Choice benefit? As the band explained to the crowd, the song performed after “Ha Ha Ha” didn’t have a name yet, so they presented four options: “The Plane”, “The First Single”, “Israel” or “Spock’s Brain.” While the crowd responses were somewhat tepid for the first three titles, the entire venue erupted when presented with “Spock’s Brain”, even eliciting a quick tease of the Star Trek theme from keyboardist Page McConnell.
Check out this unique show here…
Written by David Goodwich