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!