This was my first show. I haven't been the same since. I am writing this review while listening to the Wingsuit set for the umpteenth time on my 19th phishaversary. So there's that.

I waited out all night for these tickets outside the newly finished multi-million dollar symphony hall at MSU The Wharton Center for the Performing Arts (originally scheduled venue for show). I don't know the complete story but all of us who waited out that night saw the Wharton Center staff absolutely floored that there was 80-100 kids camping out for these tix. We had a good time that cold fall night. Thanks to my brothers Jason Ostro and Kevin Washington for bringing us supplies that night. Next thing you know, venue change to the old dingy MSU AUD.

The night of the show finally came and I remember vividly being more anxious and excited waiting outside to get in to that show than I'd ever been. I don't know if I was just freshman year of college and the first big show on campus that year or all the amazing new friends I was going with, bit that anticipation was electric.

Once the show started I was already hooked. I never stood a chance. The first set was full of new sounds and visuials for me. Before this show my best live show was a Billy Joel show at Chrysler Arena. We sat about ten rows back right on the center asile. I can remember thinking "I have to see this band whenever they are whithin driving distance" They ended the set with a guest appearance by Jeff Mosier and some bluegrass favorites. Little did I know at the time this was not a usual occurance. Maybe that's why I ways go ape for bluegrass Phish.

The second set was all I needed to hear to cement the addiction. I'd never heard a band that sounded like that and I loved it.

By the next week I had a bunch of tapes I began to wear out.
19 years later and I still can't stop listening to his incredible band. I hope they play forever.

#20YearsLater

Wow... it's amazing to think that this transformative night in my life was 20 years ago.

This show was mind-bending. I remember that it was originally supposed to happen at Wharton Center, and then they changed it a week or two before - why, I'm not sure. But this show single-handedly changed the way I looked at live music forever.

Another fine show from this fantastic tour. This one opens with Rift, performed solidly by the band and immediately raising the energy level. The subsequent AC/DC Bag is excellent and, while not straying too far, it’s also full of energy, with an ending jam that really smokes, taking this version to the next level.

There are some solid tunes following, including the always-welcome Tela, but the next real highlight is the chaotic, frenzied Melt. This tour has several excellent versions and this one is right up there with them. I love this version and this to my ears is the clear highlight of the set, full of tension and release leading to a nice peak. Page is particularly noteworthy here, wailing away on the piano keys throughout. The acoustic numbers that follow are a treat, closing out the set, with Rev. Jeff Mosier joining the band on banjo.

The Llama to open set II sets the tone for the remainder of the show. This version rips. I really miss this tune being in regular rotation and opening sets is the perfect placement for it. This leads into a fantastic Gin, which appears after a 22 show gap, close to the start of the tour. This high-energy, multi-tempo version leads into a lovely Lifeboy. After Poor Heart we get another major show highlight, Tweezer, which was enjoying a strong tour. This one holds up but is perhaps not on par with some of the best versions from this tour. It’s a frenetic version that builds and builds, and for better or worse, lacks much of the exploratory jamming that the longer versions from this tour contain. After the peak, it dissolves into Contact.

The Possum that follows is more high energy antics. This one is worthy of several listens and is arguably the highlight of the show, despite numerous other candidates.

We get a double encore to close out this excellent show. Rev. Jeff rejoins the band for these tunes. The first acoustic tune, Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms, was nice but the following Jim is pretty special. The banjo is a welcome addition, and the band takes this tune for a nice spin.

Overall, this show has numerous highlights that make the entire show worth a listen.

https://forum.phish.net/forum/permalink/1377902421

Those who have dedicated time to listening through the various eras of Phish inevitably discern which years are their favorites. Some may love a particular month of Phish so much that they recommend shows from that month at every opportunity; they may even use a calendar page from that month as their .net avatar. For me, that favorite era is the second half of the Fall ’94 tour. If I had the opportunity to travel back in time and attend all the shows in any 30-day period of Phish tour, it would be 11/12/94 through 12/10/94.

Throughout 1994, playing a heavy touring schedule brought a refinement of the band's individual and collective musical abilities; while on the tour bus, the band was immersing their ears in Free Jazz recordings that inspired some of the most sparse and experimental performances of their career. The fact that double CD A Live One was primarily culled from this tour speaks volumes, as well as the show ratings and lists of recommended jams from this period. So what is about the show on 11/18 that makes it stand out, especially over the following 8 shows?

Well, there's a first set Page suite of Silent In The Morning, It's Ice, and Tela, then Fishman asserts himself with the snare drum during a SOAMelt that rolls over the listener in waves of sound falling like torrential rain in a tropical storm. The bluegrass segment that follows warms everyone by the fire, and Fishman brings it home with a shout and a mandolin solo. The second set is short, but the jams make me want to get in a car and drive on a highway. There's a wild Llama, a heavy-metal Bathtub Gin, a Tweezer that takes the MLB highway to the Great Divide, and a Possum where all the wrong notes seem like right ones. The Good Reverend Mosier is brought back out for a bluegrass classic and a Runaway Jim that sends everyone down the road feeling glad, glad, glad!