My first Phish show! I had heard some songs from the band, thought ok I'll go check em out. What a surprise I was in for. At that time,still kind of young, thought I was a jam band conouiser. I had seen the Grateful Dead 13 times and after that was searching for something to get me to that musical high. Saw some really good regional jam bands a lot but was still searching. That night I found what I was looking for. Not knowing a lot of phish tunes I could not believe how good this band was. When I looked around during tweezer and saw everyone tuned in, no loud crowd chatter, and jaws dropped.I knew I stumbled upon something great. A lot of people think that the best setlist is the best show. It's not phish is about the moment and how that moment is treating you. This show treated me well,broke my cherry and have been a phan ever since.

Here's another typically great show from one of Phish's greatest tours, Fall 1995. This show is very much a "median" show, the sort of show that might not be the best of the run, but neatly displays just how high the wave the band was riding was cresting at the time. The first set doesn't boast anything "special" in a "this really should be in Set 2" sense, but every song in the set is just torn a new asshole in the December 1995 style, with Type I being stretched as far as it can go - the Simple to It's Ice run in particular is cooking with gas, with a really sweet little proto-ambient passage in the days before Phish could truly go ambient in It's Ice serving as the highlight. Set 2, on the other hand, is a legitimate powerhouse, anchored by (and hold onto your jaw, lest it drop in shock) another 12/95 Tweezer for the ages.

This Tweezer rolls right into a deep groove from the start, Page really going at it with some sharp piano chords as the band just wails away behind him. Then things strip away, Trey playing some minimalist notes with the band coming in with thunderous accompaniment at the end of every bar (it's like the band is in a mansion just slamming every door in the house at odd intervals), and then Fish leads the band back into another powerful groove which gets all atonal soon enough. I often think about 1994, and how often the band would trip over the line between "experimental" and "unlistenable"; in jams like these, Phish would neatly skirt that line, and then start playing something even better than before. In this case, it's a thrilling, pure hose jam, with Trey in full 70s rock god mode, which is quickly discarded for another exploratory jam, both Trey and Page coaxing weird notes from their instruments, the rhythm section dissonant and off-kilter. And off-kilter is just the sort of environment for Kung to appear, and the band gets that out of their system, whipping up a real good horror show accompaniment, before slamming back into the main Tweezer theme and petering out to a deliberate close. This is about as weird as Tweezers get after 94, and it's another glorious version from maybe its greatest month ever.

Fish and his vacuum come next, then Coil and the seeming set end in Tweezer Reprise, but the band has one more surprise lined up - a fierce and powerful Antelope, played (like all 95 versions) like the stage is set to explode if the band don't keep playing at over 50 mph. The Beatles tributes in the encore slot are just icing on the cake. I love the heck out of this show - give it a listen, and you almost certainly will, too.

I'm listening to this show now for (I think) the first time. Impressive Jim in set I!

But the Tweezer is really where it's at. I love Mike's sustained high-pitched singing over the groove during the verses. This thing really feels too funky to be Dec '95. I know they really had the "permagroove" thing going on that Fall, but this is..well, just beyond good! They bring it way down during the middle of the jam, and the sound of Trey's unaccompanied soloing (or, punctuatedly accompanied soloing) echoing around the hall is pretty cool to hear on these FOBs. Then they really start to wail again. It takes the rest of the boys a minute or to to ratchet up their steam to Trey's level, but when they all reach the peak and then tear into the last 4 1/2 mins of this jam, there's no doubt that this Tweezer is a (typically awesome) true Dec '95 rager!!! There's a hint (not quite a tease) of "Sunshine of your Love" toward the end of this, too. It almost sounds like it could wind down into a YEM vocal jam...they toy with some of the sparse jamming that was maybe more prevalent on the Fall '94 tour, and then all merge into a nice ebb & flow jam...and Trey's leslie brings us back in for a landing. Great Tweezer overall, but my favorite parts were probably more toward the beginning.

But wait! It's Kung!

Yeah, I'm pretty sure this is the first time I'm hearing this. I can't believe I spoke to soon. This mysterious & almost creepy Kung is probably the most a-typical I've ever heard (now that's saying something). Mid-Eastern harmonies from Fishman, sounds like. Then the Tweezer just rages face for another 4 mins. Fishman is screaming (always a good sign) while Trey is wailing to conjure the demonic powers of Cleveland. Short jam after Kung, but firey & intense. And I, for one, have always appreciated the sloooow old school wind down like this one has. This is one of the longest. Nice.

Go listen to this show. Then all of Dec '95. Right now.

This too was my first show and what a night. I was a life changing thing and has cost me many of thousands of $$$$$$$$$$ since! Thank You Phish!

...In the month leading up to this show I sent the band (at their Vermont address or PO Box via the schvice, I believe) a different postcard a day with a similar message: Honor John Lennon in Cleveland.

A big smile (and heavy heart) during the first notes of the encore...

Time for another review in honor of the Baker's Dozen (going to try and hit 5 of those...)

Set I opens with Sample in a Jar. While most people never look to get this pop tune, it serves well as an opener for my money. Good sing-along, fun upbeat start, and a nice energetic solo make this a good table setter. There's noticeable confidence in the soaring leads and a great little flurry upward from 4:10-4:15.

Poor Heart is up next. Like the version from 12/5 (or the Old Home Place from 12/7) this one is very well executed and very crisp and clean. Page really shines in this version.

Simple is more than welcome in the third slot and begins a strong sequence of tunes. The song is well played and the jam proceeds in a pretty rocking fashion with a nice full band groove. They start to downshift into a more delicate space around 6 minutes hitting some pretty spaces before a very nice drop into Runaway Jim.

Jim kicks in at a nice pace and hits the quiet jam at 2:30 or so. They don't quite nail that big chord hit, but the jam, which starts around 4:30 offers some great playing. By 7:00+ they are really jamming nicely with Trey's playing being particularly active. Some big peaks with some tension appear at the back end of 8 minutes and continue for the remainder with some excellent work by all members. The song returns a bit before 10 minutes and ends a find run of continuous playing.

Fluffhead is greeted by audible excitement in the audio on the relisten app. The Leslie speaker even rears its head during the opening of the tune. They pretty much nail it, minus a couple stumbles. This is a very well-placed and well-played rendition. Trey's solo at the end is quite magnificent.

It's Ice is up next and represents another (the?) set highlight. Aside from being very well executed, this version descends after about 5-5:30 minutes into a very serene space with Page coloring the airwaves most prominently. At 6:30 there's a deviation from the pretty section into something slightly more spacey. Page carries the little jam and they dive back into It's Ice at around 7:40 for a great conclusion.

Acoustic Army & Prince Caspian are unworthy of distinction in this instance, but fine in their own right.

GTBT, on the other hand, is a final shot in the arm. This one screams and has a nice tension filled and ultimately soaring climax. End Set.

Overall, the set doesn't touch the previous night's first round, nor does it touch some of the better set I's from this tour. That said, it's plenty strong. Everything in '95 seemed fierce, and seems even fiercer in comparison to some of today's bland renditions/formulaic first sets. The run from Simple through It's Ice is stellar.

Set II opens with 2001, which has a brief spacey intro. This tune began to find it's funk footing in '96, so this version skews more towards the '93 style versions, which work quite well as a set II opener. Pretty straight up, but very rocking. There's a nice little droning/Page led jam segment after the first climax (3 minutes + or so in) which builds nicely into a final release. Trey is using the pitch shifter/digitech whammy with the droning feedback.

Tweezer is up next, and it's a doozy (find me a bad one this tour?). Like 2001, this one skews early 90's speed versus late 90's molasses slow funk. Fishman plays some great fills throughout the "song" section. The drop into the jam at 4:12 or so is really quite fast. Trey starts an idea around 4:30-4:40 and the band picks up nicely - damn this is already great. By 6:40 we are treated to a nice little peak on the opening segment. In latter years, they could simply milk that jam for a good 7 minutes and peak it into oblivion and call it a day. This being '95, they start to break it down around 8:15 into a nice jazzy section. Fish, Mike, and Trey are really hooked up and Page is delivering in spades around them. By 9:30 the song is broken down further and gets quieter at 9:45 with Trey toying with the tempo. Page hammers some fills at 9:50ish, with Fishman picking up that idea. Suddenly Trey is left alone as the band hammers home the downbeat in unison around his choice leads. This is $$$. By 11:15 we are off the reservation and into Hey-Hole type territory. Trey continues to toy with the tempo, but Fishman says my turn at 11:40-45 and a furious, hard-rocking groove ensues. By 13:00 it's pretty maniacal (in a great way). More killer stuff at 14:45, which turns spacier/funkier by 15:20. Into the nether-realms by 15:45. 17:40 sees us ease eerily into the Kung chant. At 21:35 we are reaching the end of the Kung section and into some really strange and frightening space, which drops back into Tweezer perfectly at 22 minutes, god damn. Fish screams over the guitar line, Trey motors ahead with some straight-dope leads that soar majestically over the full band Tweezer groove. Fish continues to Scream and Trey continues to let his guitar to that for him. At 23:27 they go towards the breakdown ending of Tweezer, a hallmark of mid-early nineties versions, which slow to a crawl before concluding. This is a fine execution of that approach with a crawling end, drawn-out, & plodding along into Jon Fishman's vacuum time.

Nothing to say about that really. Coil follows up and signals the set may be winding down (rest assured there's plenty left though....). This is a pretty sweet version indeed with some cool Trey/Page interplay during the outro solo. It's not as straight up stunning at 10/9/94 (A live One), but it's not bad at all Mr. McConnell.

Well, lulling us into peaceful sleep is not an option. So Tweeprise is up delivers in roaring fashion.

Antelope?! What?! This is a really cool pairing to end the set in atypical, but excellent fashion. The intro has a little Page led section with some more unwelcome rythmic clapping from the crowd (argh!! - and sidenote - Jaded Vets can't deride the Wooing if they were into this!!). The drop into the jam is perfection - and very purposeful. Not much needs to be said here other than this jam is liquid hot magma burning all in it's path. Top notch version - would be considered a "best of" in the modern era. For December '95, it's just one in a litany of greatness. End Set.

Encore is a double feature of the Beatles. Come Together is a great treat and very well played. ADITL is always welcome.

Overall another near perfect set II for December '95. Only real tough listen is the Fishman stuff post Tweezer (but was probably a nice hoot at the show). Tweezer is a great one & Antelope is also sublime. First set isn't Amazing, but it's definitely fun, with some well-played classics.

4.25/5 Another classic.

That show was 20 years ago, John Lennon had died only 15 years before that show, how time flies.

We drove a long way from Indiana from college near finals week, and when we drove home after the show it was a blizzard and long scary ride as the Ricker was amped up and hauling it.

A few things I can clearly remember:

1. before the show they were playing some acoustic music over the PA and I loved it. I later found out through phish rec site that it was Strength In Numbers "Telluride Sessions" which introduced me to Bela Fleck and those guys. I thank Phish for this.

2. I remember the arguments and intense discussion about the chess move during the intermission, that was fun.

3. I remember Tweezer and Reprise rocking out. I was not a huge follower at the time but I knew this song. I also knew that it rocked and was as good as any classic rock song on the radio in terms of riff power. I was glad they played it.

4. Acoustic Army was a beautiful and unexpected kind of music that I appreciated greatly. We were sitting close and it sounded great.

5. I remember coming out of the show thinking "that piano player is really talented, like a classical musician or something, what an asset to the band!"

My 2nd Phish show, it had been 6 months since my last show, so that meant 6 months of listening to nothing but Phish. So my song recognition improved quite a bit. Plus this was my 1st indoor Phish, so I didn't have to wait till the second set to be visually delighted.
I really remember digging Fluffhead and Tweezer & 2001 the most this night but also thought Prince Caspian, Its Ice & Squirming Coil were very nice. Then the double Beatles encore on the anniversary of Lennon's death was quite emotional.

Was my first Phish show .Seen the Dead a few times and had no clue what to think !Wow was this show phun as the paper was clean !I am on my 30 plus show no and i will never look back !!Thank u phish !Anyone els see that sick JOSH glass saxaphon bubbler in the lot ? it was like 300$ and some hells angle was selling it ! lol ,have PHUN KIDS!!

SET 1: Sample in a Jar: Standard.

Poor Heart: Standard. >

Simple: Love the segue here, feel like -> would more accurately describe it but whatever… >

Runaway Jim: Another fantastic fall 95 version right here, with some additional length to it. It’s the longest of the tour by over a full minute (no, I am not counting 12.31.95).

Fluffhead: Incredible end shred, just smoked! Must hear.

It's Ice: Good jam.

Acoustic Army, Prince Caspian: Standard.

Good Times Bad Times: Trey remarks on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and how he grew up loving Led Zeppelin. Dragon pants, etc. They crush this one and do LZ proud.

SET 2: Also Sprach Zarathustra: Nice jam with cool effects from Trey, perfect set opener and things are about to get nuts… >

Tweezer: (My second Tweezer, first being 11.3095 – I was spoiled early on, lol). They quickly find a cool theme at 4:40 that is almost stop/startish – kind of not really? Love it though. I still remember looking around the arena being bathed in lights by CK5 and everyone getting down as one! Theme shifts at 5:50 into something a bit more insistent and driven. By 8:20 things are starting to get a little weird with Page playing out of his mind on the baby grand. At 9:40 things get suddenly pretty quiet and then Page and Fish are throwing down some loudness. They stay in this space for a full two minutes, if that wasn’t intense enough for us, what comes next just keeps ramping up! Extreme dissonance at 13:00, very crazy. 13:30 they are out of that mode and back into the hard charging full band groove. 14:13 Trey steps up for a solo and a long, extended note and 30 seconds later a BIG peak! 15:20 time for a deep dive into funky waters led by Page. 17:50 things are getting super weird again and here comes… -> Kung: Check out Fishman with the almost Middle Eastern sounding stuff at 19:00, haunting stuff. Very intense Kung. -> Tweezer: 22:00 back into it big time with Fish screaming his fool head off. They just RAGE it in here and then the it slowly peters out into the old school wind down. Good Lord, that was a lot to take in, my eggs were thoroughly scrambled.

Love You > Hold Your Head Up: Fish on top of his game spitting these lyrics out super fast.

The Squirming Coil: Very good.

Tweezer Reprise: Ahhh, show is ending. Wait, not so fast! >

Run Like an Antelope: Smoked for sure. Hot version. Great set closer.

ENCORE: Come Together: The first time played of only two and the only complete version. >

A Day in the Life: Definitely left me spinning like a top. Wow. Intense.

Summary: Really, really strong show. Tweezer is definitely an all timer, incredible version and Kung in the midst of it just decimated so many in attendance, me included. As far as the rest and replay value is concerned check out the Fluffhead and Antelope. I love this show and attended, but I think the 4.41 rating it holds is a bit high. I would be happy rating it as a 4.3 out of 5. For me, the Dayton show I saw 9 days before was just a tick ahead of the Cleveland show. Out into the snowstorm we went and a brutal drive home through that weather but made it home in one piece a few hours later. My last show of the year.

Very well played show. A lot of times you pick out the good songs out of average sets, but with this show you pick out the best out of great sets.

Exceptionally strong Jim, they are firing on all cylinders very fluid, It has an explosive finale. Fluffhead has a near perfect ending solo. The set ends with a smoking GTBT.

The Tweezer jam starts with some strong interplay between Page and Trey. The jam is very experimental and gets very mucky towards the middle. It has a great Kung section almost reminiscent of the Lassie section of the Providence Bowie. The segue back into Tweezer is fantastic almost as great as the Broome County Tweezer>Timber>Tweezer a week later. Tweeprise is in a weird slot in he 2nd to last song of the set. Antelope is also very strongly played.

The Beatles encore is fantastic and besides the 10/31/94 Halloween set is probably the only time you'll ever hear two consecutive Beatles songs.

Overall a fantastic show. But It just doesn't have that classic legendary feel that the shows around it have.