In our first installment of Phish Classics, let’s dust off a gem from summer of 94′: The famous ‘Gamehoist’ Show. For this special summer outing, the boys played one for the records – a complete Gamehenge in the 1st set followed by a complete run through ‘Hoist’ in the 2nd set. This is a must-have for any collection, both sets of the show are flawlessly executed, jammed out to the max, and dripping with early 90’s Phish-psychedelia.
This show is one of the five known complete Gamehenge performances ever, the 4th of 5 (with the final one to appear just weeks later). The songs are performed precisely and feature searing and exploratory jams, steeped in the band’s exciting 1994 style. Trey’s narrations between songs take the audience on a journey to another land, certainly unlike any other touring rock act at the time. Covering ‘Hoist’ in full was an equally ballsy move for the band, having just released the album months before the show. That said, the band had already debuted all of the album’s material live and sufficiently ‘road-tested’ it. In any case, the performance here is inspired and fun, with many of the jams really taking off.
06/26/94 Municipal Auditorium, Charleston, WV
Set I: Kung, Llama, The Lizards, Tela, Wilson, AC/DC Bag, Colonel Forbin’s Ascent -> Fly Famous Mockingbird, The Sloth, McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters, The Divided Sky
Set II: Julius, Down With Disease, If I Could, Axilla, Lifeboy, Sample in a Jar, Wolfman’s Brother, Scent of a Mule, Dog Faced Boy, Demand* -> Y’rushalayim Shel Zahav
Encore: Old Home Place**, Amazing Grace, Tube, Fire
“GameHoist”. The first set was the Gamehendge saga, including full narration between songs. The second set was the entire ‘Hoist’ album, except for “Riker’s Mailbox”
* – With Split Open and Melt jam
** – First Time Played
Download Link (Crispy AUD)