a design for life

Wilson: it’s still fun to hear it pre-chant, cause some people do the chant and some don’t. this version features little chanting at first, but then it picks up. they drag out the intro for awhile before beginning, and from there..it’s a standard Wilson. segues real cool into
Runaway Jim: a very unexpected place for Jim, which has probably opened the most shows on this here tour. verses seem very fast for some reason. high energy! Trey rips the shit out of it. possibly the best Jim of the Spring ‘94 tour (5/4 New Orleans is up there too, though).
Foam: okay, so it’s just another Jim/Foam opener..with a bonus Wilson. not too shabby. very cool Page solo during the middle jam. it even reaches a silent jam around 5:50 in. spectacular playing from Trey.
Bouncing Around the Room: standard. good placement. somehow this goes into
David Bowie: this early in a set one?! anyway onto the jam..sounded like a Dog Log tease at first. jam cools down then heavily picks up..like an Antelope should sound, just much better, and then it drops into the standard Bowie rapid fire ending. fantastic version.
If I Could: great placement!
Punch You in the Eye: coolest intro ever only because Fishman plays the beat like a minute before anyone else plays anything. ends on a held note and then HOLY SHIT
Harry Hood: are you kidding me?! they must’ve realized how bad 5/26 was, playing a first set like this. jam starts off real quiet and moves into this really cool recurring riff about eight and a half minutes in. beautiful work from Mike. another fantastic version..especially for that one bit with the recurring riff.
Golgi Apparatus: reminds me of the best ever 11/12/94 version for its rapid dynamics. great stuff to make up for my disappointment of Golgi being played.

Suzy Greenberg: AWESOME set opener. definitely better than the usual 2001 or whatever. rips hard! ending goes right into
Peaches en Regalia: freaking out at my desk right now at this awesomeness. that’s how you open a set.
My Friend, My Friend: you’re fucking me right now..seriously this may seem kinda first-setty, but it’s fucking gold. loud laughing.
Reba: get out of town. what a cool contrast to the terrifying laughter of MFMF. very pretty jam, some dragged out chords at first, kinda stop start like. Trey’s work is masterful. absolutely mezmerizing jam..possibly one of the best I’ve heard. even has no whistling! perfect. an A+ version of Reba.
The Lizards: “hi, we’re Phish, and we’re the best fucking band in the world”
Julius: the first Hoist song of the set and it’s the only one that was at it’s full potential. spectacular version of Julius.
Nellie Kane: with fiddles and shit. I can actually hear it! when the crowd is quiet..that is. I love this song, and admittedly this might be the first time I’ve heard a spring ‘94 version, despite doing the whole tape tour.
My Mind’s Got a Mind of It’s Own: I can hear this too!
Mike’s Song: MASS PANDEMONIUM.
Simple: such a wtf moment. it’s more like a Simple jam or Trey playing the Simple riff while everyone sings lyrics and continues to jam on Mike’s. by “wtf” I mean “cool”, btw. returns to the theme of
Mike’s Song: usual jam ending goes into deep space. and then a really cool segue into
O Mio Babbino Caro: yeah they were jamming on this and then some opera chick sings it. kinda cool. somehow, the jam out of it turns into
Possum: fucking insanity. longest intro I’ve heard. pause in the middle where fishman says something about shake it or something. Mike sings all low as the music is all quiet..really cool and unique version of Possum. what an exceptional set!

Fire: dude, they were on fire. too fitting.

overall: holy shit, this is what people should hype from 1994. exceptional show. standout Bowie, Hood, and Reba jams. perfect song selection. and a very odd debut. get it..now.

rating: 9.8.