This night will be remembered for the rain storm (and wind) that kept those of us jamming to Phish on top of a parking garage - the Phoenix Plaza - wet all night long. It will also be remembered as one of the more aggressive dance scenes I've seen at a show, especially during Axilla. The was a log of energy in the crowd on this night.

Personal highlight for me are the monster Bowie, which sees Mike taking the lead on the jam. The Tweezer is solid and ends up in a nice spot with Lifeboy. A great Slave closes out the wet madness.

I don't know if I'd call this show a sleeper since I enjoyed it so much. For those looking for something different, check out the Bowie.

This show will also be remembered for the fact that it was the first and only show to which I brought my mother. It was my second show and I was 16 at the time and, due to a trip to Europe that summer, was going to miss Phish's next show in Montreal that July. The nearest venue before my departure date was Phoenix (home of some of the most absurdly large car plants, presumably, in the world). I somehow convinced my mum (yes, I know, it's ridiculous to me even as I write this) that it would be a good experience for us to drive 13 hours together to go see a show. I think I said something about it being "good practice for my driving".

Anyway, as noted in the other review, the show was on the roof of a parking lot and it rained hard all night long (you can hear the pitter-patter of raindrops on the AUD of this show). Highlights included a spirited Buried Alive opener to warm everyone up; the return of NICU and PYITE (although I hadn't heard either before that night); a typically twisted 94 Split; and a strong Bowie/Tweezer/Slave in the second set. It was a good show, but given the weather and the shows that surround it (eg. 6/22/94 and 6/26/94), a weaker effort from that period. It being only my second show, I was still dazzled.

My mum seemed to enjoy it too. She liked the more melodic stuff (eg. Mango), the vocal harmonies (which the boys did well that night, I think), and Fish's drumming. I remember her remarking at the effort and energy of his playing.

Music aside, however, the personal legacy of that show for me is two-fold: (1) it made it clear to me that driving hundreds or thousands of miles for a show was a perfectly rational thing to do; and (2) it gave my mother a really positive insight into this "thing" which I had become more and more obsessed with over the preceding 2 years (which had exploded for me in April of that year with my first show). This was a small-ish (5,000 people?) show in 1994 and a couple of years before the awkwardness of dealing with barfing frat boys and vacant wooks would colour the concert experience and become the norm. We were among good people in other words, listening to a healthy band which was energised and passing that on to its audience night in, night out. In the years to come, my mum understood, and never questioned, the efforts I made to get to a show.

Thanks mum!

I picked up summer tour 94 in chicago. in my bag i had clothes, a knife, and mushrooms for my burgers, because i like my mushrooms fresh. by the time we got to pontiac i was a full blown phish head. on this day i chose to go i. the venue to check out the digs cause the place looked strange. i climbed so step and who do i see coming toward me, but mike gorden, my favorite bass player in the world. i started talking to him and we bullshittedf for a few minutes when he said he had to bail to get ready to play. i was stoaked. i pulled a bowl out of my pocket and took a toke. a minute later security was gripping me up and telling me i was 86'ed. i was devastated. i threw a FIT. outside the venue a cop told me to just let it go and he wouldnt take me to jail, finally i accepted i was beAt and just listeded to the show bounce off a wall facing the venue. when we were getting ready to leave i told everybody what had happened and my friend chris told me they dedicated the encore to me...i couldnt believe it and one other guy said no,mthey said eric not aaron. well, they DID dedicate the encore to me and they DID say AAron. i just heard it on you tube on fromtheaquariums page yesterday. How fuckin cool are these guys! I am the aaron they mention at the end of that tape. wow..immortalized on a phish bootleg! fuck yeah!!