phishcrit

Phishcrit Compilation #2: March 1993

March 1993 found the band covering the south and west regions of the country, areas that rarely see shows these days. But unlike February, where the band played through early-tour jitters and Intro to Phish setlists in new locales, the band was clearly a lot more comfortable in March. Despite what must have been some long rides in the van, shows in Texas, California, and especially the band’s West Coast home base of Colorado showcased a looser band more willing to push their boundaries. While nothing approaches the insanity of the Roxy, creative teases and inside jokes make regular appearances, and the foursome’s communication is razor-sharp after playing together night after night. By the end of the month, some jams even broke the 15-minute barrier, a freedom rarely touched in the years prior.

The same rules as last time still apply: one song or suite per show, no repeats, no hall of fame jams. I broke the rules to include a second Weekapaug (which really was the MVP of the tour) and the Gunnison jam, the centerpiece of one of my first favorite tapes. RapidShare killed my link in less than week on the last compilation, so I’m using a different host this time. Please let me know if it does or doesn’t work via @phishcrit. Thanks again for reading and listening.

Here’s the link: March ‘93 Highlights

3/2/93: Buried Alive

3/2/93: Sign o’ the times - someone gives a bland introduction before the first song, “give it up for Elektra recording artists, Phish!”

3/3/93: Weekapaug Groove

3/3/93: Crowd shushed by a 10-min Weekapaug thrilla. Searing lines breaks down to speed-freak-funk. Way exploratory for ‘93, best ‘paug yet.

3/5/93: Stash

3/5/93: Stash contains Sloth teases in the mixture of 5-letter Phish songs that start with S and end with H that fans have forever craved.

3/6/93: Tweezer

3/6/93: Evil Tweezer jam finds Trey doing manual proto-digiloops, sustain alternating with feedback waves. Noisy threads throughout.

3/9/93: Reba

3/9/93: Trey goes psycho on Reba vocals; but jam features a *much* more patient buildup than normal, capped w/ a gorgeous, loooong sustain.

3/9/93: Screwed up by more mp3 glitches at the end, but holy crap that was a good Reba. Gotta find a clean version.

3/12/93: My Friend My Friend

3/12/93: EXCLUSIVE: My Friend My Friend has a vocal jam that contains Careful With That Axe, Eugene teases!#phishnetgotserved

3/13/93: Wilson

3/13/93: Chantless Wilson intro has a subdued, dramatic mini-jam, kinda sounds like the score to Top Gun.

3/13/93: This Wilson is actually quite awesome and unique. Hey #phish community, let’s try to end the Wilson chanting in 2010, eh?4:44 PM Mar 10th via TweetDeck

3/14/93: You Enjoy Myself

3/14/93: One of my favorite YEMs, haven’t listened in years. Love when the band stumbles into Owner of a Lonely Heart jam.

3/14/93: YEM super-medley, with Low Rider, Spooky, and now Oye Como Va. Is OCV the most-teased song in #phishhistory?4:08 PM Mar 18th via TweetDeck

3/16/93: McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters

3/16/93: And hey! First McGrupp of the tour, first one in 49 shows, citing phish.net. No dust on it here, gorgeous Page solo as always.

3/17/93: Oh Kee Pa > Suzy Greenberg

3/17/93: First Oh Kee Pa > Suzy of this tour, believe it or not. The combo that encapsulates old-school Phish for me, already growing rare.

3/18/93: Split Open and Melt

3/18/93: Split jam kicks off with Trey riding the Stayin’ Alive riff, then cuts a spiraling groove that builds & bursts. It’s getting there.

3/19/93: Misty Mountain Hop (soundcheck)

3/19/93: Snagged the soundcheck for this one - slow, loping Dog Log, then a 2x Get the Led Out w/ a T. Rex chaser. More #phish Bolan please.

3/22/93: It’s Ice

3/22/93: I love that this one starts in the middle of It’s Ice - not typically part of the TMWSIY song cycle. Improvisational storytelling.

3/24/93: Squirming Coil

3/24/93: Lot of evil spirits in this show, but at least they sent people home with a calmly ruminating Page Coil solo.

3/26/93: Runaway Jim

3/26/93: Some cool things happening in Runaway Jim, which has been pretty narrow all tour. Trey stabs and trills over drum clatter.

3/27/93: David Bowie

3/27/93: Monster set-closing Bowie, 15+ minutes when that was rare. Page sets an unsettled pace, good rhythm/lead alternation from Trey.

3/28/93: Run Like an Antelope

3/28/93: Antelope has goofy Andy Griffith and Beverly Hills Cop themes, then gets scary/modern in the middle stretch. Era-straddler.

3/30/93: Weekapaug > Psycho Killer > Weekapaug

3/30/93: Gonzo new-wave Weekapaug with Is She Really Going Out With Him teases and a slide in and out of the first ever Psycho Killer!

3/31/93: Harpua

3/31/93: When the jams underwhelm, tell a story - “Harpua” takes over, with Beverly Hills Cop and “She’s So Cold” themes.