We just discovered how to play Split Open and Melt, because it's got this really weird time change that was throwing us off. But that one on Hoist at the end, that was the first time it clicked. Split Open and Melt went from being a big pain in our butt to like, this was it, this was how you play Split Open and Melt. For the next year, it was incredible. We played one at Red Rocks.... It was just screaming. That had gotten to that point from the one on Hoist, from Columbus, Ohio. That was the night that it broke through. I actually think this is what happened: The one at Red Rocks was the end of the cycle. It peaked, and it never got as good as that again. It hasn't yet. And this tour, it didn't have it anymore. It didn't have the magic. It's weird. We figured it out, and then it went through this big cycle starting in Columbus and ending in Red Rocks, and this tour, it's back on the back burner again. We're not playing it that much.

Trey Anastasio, 12/10/94 interview with Steve Silberman

This is the last show at the Newport Music Hall, 56th of the tour and another gem in the great '93 midwestern swing. Their playing is starting to hit a new level of goodness. The recording of this night was much better than last nights.

A good Buried Alive opens up, but Mike is missing from the mix. A solid Poor Heart follows as they get warmed up. Foam was good, but not completely tight in spots. Guelah was pretty average for this tour. Maze rocks and it sounds like Page got a longer wind up to the climax of his solo, but the end was a little off. Ahh, a Forbin’s' with it's usual great story including the evil monkey chant from Wizard of Oz. I love this song and this one is well played and had a pretty good Mockingbird to follow. The timing was a little off in Mike's solo part at the end. Rift was average for this tour as the timing is still shaky with Trey rushing it. Punch is nice to hear, but not quite the rocker it will become. IDK brings Fish out for a bone solo. Antelope was a bit weird at times while they were trying out new signals or something, but it rocked anyway to close up this set.

He only got to sing one in the first, but this quickly becomes a Mike show like the second night in Michigan did as they open with an average Possum. They seemed to loose the progression for a minute in there. Mound also had a few off spots continuing the Mike set. It's funny to hear that this Melt is not all that great at first, but ends up being legendary! A few off spots plague Coil as well, but Page makes you forget all about that with some great playing and teasing. Trey picks up the acoustic for the Horse, which was average and featured some feedback tonight. Trey and Mike were not quite locked in on the following Silent. Then the Balls come out... Mike's Song was good and had an ok jam with it. No Hydrogen again as Fish come out for the always-funny Gig in the Sky! Weekapaug jams, but Trey really rushes the ending jam and then they don't do the usual end singing, but instead go into Gumbo? This one has been recently brought back in and it's still pretty rusty, but has a funny Freebird like ending as Trey says thank you.

Everyone gets shushed for Adeline, then Cavern got moved to the encore spot tonight and this one had a few problems, but at this point I don't think anyone cared.

Great show overall, but just a few little spots in each song keep this one from getting its fifth star from me. Tomorrow night I'll get my face melted in Cleveland for the first time!

My second show (the previous night was my first)!

After being blown away the night before, my group from Springfield Ohio made the trip to Columbus for night two of the Phish. Tickets were bought at the door.

The highlights for me were:
1. The jam out of Split Open and Melt. They just connected like crazy on that jam and we could all feel it. This is the jam that appears on Hoist- as soon as I heard that on the album I had a feeling that I had heard that somewhere previously.
2. The Monkey story in Forbin's. I'm not sure I even knew at that time that Trey would tell stories from time to time. It was so wonderfully bizarre at the time.
3. I loved Mike's Song at the time since I had a couple tapes where it popped up. Catching a Great Gig in the middle was just amazing. Never saw that one again.

Overall, the Newport was a great room to get an introduction to Phish. Small and smokey- and everyone inside was a having a great time. After this show I made a point to try and see them whenever I could. Caught the Cincy Zoo show and then the New Years run later in the year. I was hooked!

I'll never forget how during 'Great Gig in the Sky '
they filled the place up with a thick blanket of
smoke from the fog machines. Couldn't see my
hand in front of my face from the railing next to
stage. My second show and was hopelessly hooked
at that point!