phishcrit

5/2/93 - UPPER DARBY, PA

Rainy day, work to be done - let’s do a special Sunday #phish project. Show 63: 5/2/93, Upper Darby, PA, Tower Theater. Night 2 of 2.

5/2/93: One of the final appearances of original Axilla lyrics before their hibernation. Are the II lyrics really any more normal than I?

5/2/93: So far, a ho-hum show for a lazy Sunday. A competent DivSky, a Mound from when Mound was not terribly exciting, a flubby Stash.

5/2/93: Stash jam finds a few squalls, but seems formulaic for the era. Peaks a little too early, fizzles out. Set retreats to songy-ness.

5/2/93: A frustrating thing about early set architecture - dark moments (Maze) are often followed up with comic relief (I Didn’t Know).

5/2/93: In other words, it’s hard to establish a proper set flow when you’re trying to avoid scaring off casual fans.

5/2/93: Pretty unhinged, energetic Llama to start 2nd set. Not sure energy has been the problem thus far though…

5/2/93: Trey picks a subdued, liquid line to kick off this YEM jam, letting Page lead. First exploration of unfamiliar ground all night.

5/2/93: mmm yeah really nice patience here. Trey slowly unwinding a riff, no speed-jazz to be found. Almost 97-like.

5/2/93: Wow, some deranged repetition in the middle section of this ‘Lope. First crunchy chords, then a strangled riff. #itselectrifyin

5/2/93: And some rare secret language in the 3rd section as well - key change and slow-tempo signals.

5/2/93: Fish before “Cracklin Rosie”: “Sometimes it takes great a deal of effort to figure out which one of the five songs I’m gonna sing.”

5/2/93: First BBFCFM since the Michigan Theater debacle - Fish doesn’t want a repeat: “Not this microphone shit again…”

5/2/93: Trey forgets the first line to “Sleeping Monkey,” with Tom Marshall in the audience. How dare he besmirch such fine poetry, heh.

5/2/93 verdict: Really great YEM and Antelope, but too little too late to save an unusually drab two-night run. Strangely, no Tweezer.