This brief review is being written on the 18th anniversary of my first show. Hard to believe I'm twice as old now as I was then. It's a once in a lifetime moment to be able to account the first half of life before Phish and life since. I fondly recall the drive from the small town I grew up in, sitting in the parking lot of my high school before we departed and wishing for a Llama opener (called it!), the line up outside, Meg's sitting on the staircase for almost the entire show (flu + fungus = bad idea) and the massive snow storm on the drive home. There was also a dude in a "Cat in the Hat" hat that I must have crossed paths with a least a dozen times. The show was a monumental eye opener and would shape the course of my entire life. I don't recall any moments of utter brilliance musically like I would see in the years that followed but it would be the first time I would witness a then fairly unknown song to me that became - and remains - the musical pinnacle for this fan which is The Lizards. While not a twenty plus minute exploration vehicle this song continues to embody all the pieces of the puzzle. Fishman on washboard for the encore was also a treat. The shirt I bought remains in my possession though it's as thin as a paper towel.

Apologies for the lack of show progress or note dissection but I hope this put a smile on a face or two.

Set I: Show starts with high energy with a fierce Llama and Gulelah, and then gets the crowd dancing with Poor Heart.

After, Phish delves into one of the few musical explorations of the night with Stash. The composed section was relatively tight minus a few mistakes by Trey, and then transitions into a ripping tension-release jam with several peaks. The jam goes type II briefly and then returns to the Stash theme with one more satisfying peak.

The rest of the set lacks any real flow, bouncing from the Lizards to Sample to Scent. Fee has a short but nice outro jam with a -> to Antelope, executed wonderfully by Page. Antelope ends the set with a quick be solid version, with an atypical intro.

Set II: Takes off with a well executed version of The Curtain, into DWD and Wolfman's. This version of Wolfman's displays brief improvision that does not really go anywhere. However, this was the band's most experimental attempt with the song to date.

A solid Mike's follows sparkle, in which it goes type II just four minutes in. The jam slows down for some nice inerplay between Trey and Page. Fishman then takes over and brings Mike's back to a rocking climax.

The rest of the set follows rather awkwardly, bouncing between high energy songs and slower one which disallows any natural flow to develop.

Show ends with a fun acoustic bluegrass encore featuring Fishman on the "Madonna Washboard"

Highlights: Stash, Fee->Antelope, Mike's