This run at the Beacon was highly anticipated, and would wind up being the final shows the band would play at an intimate venue in NYC. They sold out extremely quickly and I wound up getting shut out of the third night to my dismay. The band took advantage of the Beacon's size and acoustics by performing at least one song without microphones each night.

First set Stash develops nicely, gets weird briefly and has a odd-key piano led jam before returning to the theme. Not sure where the Can't You Hear Me Knocking Tease is, because I can't identify it. An early version of Julius is blistering, showing the potential of this rocker.

Before Ginseng, Trey mentions how happy they are to be playing the venue, and says he's wanted to play there ever since seeing The Residents there, his "favorite concert of all time"(!)
I remember being amazed that they could get this NYC crowd quiet enough to pull off the unamplified Ginseng, but they did (with help from a lot of audience "shushing"). Afterwards, Trey says "You're still the only crowd I know that will get that quiet. Very cool"

Second set opens with the strange and rare "Faht" with Fishman front and center on acoustic guitar, quietly picking away with the sounds of nature in the background. Another nod to the venue's acoustics.

The audience singalong of the first chorus of Reba is so loud, Trey doesn't even sing it. Standard version, nothing special. BBJ was a great audience participation experiment, but never translates to tape. Fee dissolves into the final version of Take the A Train, complete with Mike bass solo, an appropriate call as it's the closest subway line to the Beacon.

The Bowie jam seamlessly weaves in a line of the Reba melody, and as it builds up steam the Reba theme sticks around for a bit. Not a long version, but appropriately ferocious.

The AC/DC Bag is oddly placed as a closer, but has a short, unusual mid-section jam.

No must-hears at this show, but the Bowie and Reba aren't bad. Average Spring '94 performance.

The lovely Beacon Theater. God I love this place. We came down from my hometown which was about 3 hours away. This was my first time at the Beacon. We knew these shows would be special because because of the venue and also it was pretty obvious by then that Phish was destined to play some pretty large venues. I never really thought they would get to the MSG level but they did so I'm grateful i got to see them in these small venues.
My first Buried Alive and for me that is the ultimate Phish opener. It sets the tone for the rest of the night and usually indicates a good show. Seeing Phish totally acoustic was always a treat and in a small theater like this it really makes you feel closer to the band. Short 1st set but very well played and gave off an intimate vibe.
2nd set was very fun starting off with Fishman on acoustic. My first Curtain which got me really fired up. Reba , Atrain and Bowie were all ragers and then the Bag to close things up was a nice treat as it was the first time I saw it live.
Overall a great day and night on the Upper West Side