Welcome To Now

Skip ahead 18 years from the Dead’s 78′ run discussed here yesterday – into a new generation, new scene, new band – and check out this magical 4-night Phish run (!) at Red Rocks in the summer of 96′. These shows happen just as the Phish scene is exploding, from a minority phenomenon to a household name. The fanbase is growing and taking on a culture and language of its own. For instance, the crowd initiates an audience chant in Harry Hood through fliers passed out before the show – this ritual remains today and you’ll hear it any Hood post 96′. You can really feel the excitement coming out of this newly blooming community in these shows – the band and the audience are locked in and just mutually lifting the scene to a higher level. Anyway, nuff’ bullshit – let’s get on with the shows:

08-04-96 Red Rocks Amphitheater, Morrison CO
1: Chalk Dust Torture, Funky Bitch, Guyute, Fee, Split Open and Melt, The Mango Song, The Sloth, Maze, Loving Cup

2: AC/DC Bag-> Reba-> Scent of a Mule, Sample in a Jar, David Bowie, Sweet Adeline, Slave to the Traffic Light

E: Star Trek Theme*, Rocky Top

*Page, solo on Theremin.

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08-05-96 Red Rocks Ampitheater, Morrison, CO
1: Wilson, Poor Heart, Guelah Papyrus, The Divided Sky*, Wolfman’s Brother, Foam, If I Could, Julius, The Squirming Coil

2: Also Sprach Zarathustra, Down With Disease-> It’s Ice, Halley’s Comet-> Somewhere Over the Rainbow**, Waste^, Talk^#, Train Song^, Strange Design^, Amazing Grace, Mike’s Song-> I Am Hydrogen-> Weekapaug Groove

E: Cavern

*During the silent part, everyone sat down by instruction of the “Group Crowd Ideas at Red Rocks” flier. **Page, solo on Theremin. ^Page on a smaller piano, Trey on acoustic guitar, Mike on acoustic bass, and Fishman on a smaller drum set (the “acoustic mini-stage”).  #First time played.

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08-06-96 Red Rocks Ampitheater, Morrison, CO

1: Makisupa Policeman, Rift*, Suzy Greenberg, Simple, Theme From the Bottom, Lizards, Dinner and a Movie, Horn, Run Like An Antelope

2: The Curtain-> Tweezer**, Prince Caspian, A Day in the Life, Big Black Furry Creature From Mars, Purple Rain, Harry Hood#-> Tweezer Reprise

E: Johnny B. Goode

*Contained “This is Red Rocks, This is the Edge” (referring to U2’s live album “Under a Blood Red Sky”), by Trey. **With “Norwegian Wood” jam. #First appearance of the “Hood!” chant after the band sings “Harry,” which was initiated by flyers passed out at the show.

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08-07-96 Red Rocks Ampitheater, Morrison, CO
1: Punch You in the Eye, Sparkle, Stash, Ya Mar*, Gumbo, Taste, Lawn Boy, Years**, Ode to a Dream**, Doin’ My Time**
2: Runaway Jim***, Free, Colonel Forbin’s Ascent-> Famous Mockingbird, Possum, Life on Mars, You Enjoy Myself, Hello My Baby

E: Bouncing Around the Room, Golgi Apparatus

*Trey thanks the audience, salutes two-time Olympic gold medalist and Colorado native swimmer John Olson and announces that a special guest will come out later in the set. **First time played; with Tim O’Brien on mandolin, bouzouki, and lead vocals. O’Brian is a former member of Hot Rize (see 11-16-97). ***With “Gypsy Queen” jam.

Download link part 1
Download link part 2
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We all have our highs and lows – Trey is no different.

Exhibit A – Phish’s millennium concert at Big Cypress was, without question (at least according to the band) the high point of Phish’s career. The band delivered the following monster show including a new years set from 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM the next morning when the sun rose:
Set I
Runaway Jim
Funky Bitch
Tube
I Didn’t Know
Punch You in the Eye
Bouncing Around the Room
Poor Heart
Roggae
Split Open and Melt ->
Catapult
Back on the Train
Horn
Guyute
After Midnight

Set II (Midnight -> Sunrise set)
Father Time bicycling intro
Meatstick ->
Auld Lang Syne
Down with Disease ->
Llama
Bathtub Gin
Trey’s message for peace
Heavy Things
Twist ->
Prince Caspian >
Rock and Roll
You Enjoy Myself
Crosseyed and Painless
The Inlaw Josie Wales
Sand ->
Quadrophonic Toppling
Slave to the Traffic Light
Albuquerque
Reba
Axilla
Uncle Pen
David Bowie
My Soul
Page & Mike intro jam >
Drowned ->
After Midnight Reprise
The Horse >
Silent in the Morning
Bittersweet Motel
Piper ->
Free
Lawn Boy
HYHU >
Love You >
HYHU
Roses are Free
Bug
Harry Hood intro tease
Wading in the Velvet Sea
Meatstick
Outro

Download Links (10 parts):Part 1,Part 2,Part 3,Part 4,Part 5,Part 6,Part 7,Part 8,Part 9,Part 10

Exhibit B – Phish’s last song before the breakup – The Curtain from their disastourous Coventry festival. After his little speech, he suspiciously seems to blow something at 0:50, the resulting near death/coma like look he gives at 2:40 is downright scary. It makes this phan happy the man’s still alive and playing, it’s clear he was really out there:

Exhibit C – Nuff’ said:

Exhibit D – Fast-forward a few years to the Hampton reunion, night 3, opening sequence of Sanity > Wilson. Trey seems like a new man, rejuvenated, playing crisply, not looking like a ghost, and generally enthused with the band:

Let’s hope that Trey and keep his shit together for the upcoming summer tour – Phish has more potential for both magic and disaster right now than probably any time in their career. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that Trey will melt faces this summer, just not his own.