If i remember rightly it was $5 at the door. I had never heard of, or listened to, Phish when some friends of friends spontaneously grabbed us (nearly) and brought us to this show. Talk about an eye opener. I didn't listen to anything but Phish for weeks after that. I devoured everything i could get my hands on. My old tape deck with auto flip played on an endless loop. But enough of that, now back to the show ...

What better set could I ask for as my introduction to the boys ? Landlady opener - what the hell have i gotten myself into ? Wow, this is actually really good ... Llama, Wo ! Who was that guy Forbin ? Icculus ? hu ? on and on it went and then, Mango ! oh ya. Second set was, well, ever seen Contact ? Know the part where she says that they should have sent a poet ? ya, well, a poet I am not so I won't even try ... By coil is was apparent that the guys had talent, but then hearing coil i was just floored.

This show is one I'll reach for in the future when I want kitchen-sink "phun" rather than a particularly deep jam. Pre-August-93 Phish didn't reach levels of Type II--as we know it today--nearly as often as post-, but that's no reason to ignore earlier shows or be disappointed in this archival release. The three recommended jams are all Highly Recommended for good reason, particularly the teasefest and Secret Language-encrusted Possum. There's plenty of banter and antics throughout the show, too. The LivePhish archival release contains filler from the next, tour-closing night in Burlington, VT, and it's very well complementary to this show. In the absence of any true Type-II excursions, which many of us have come to take for granted--in the sense of going into every show expecting them, and not necessarily devaluing them thereby (an unusual usage I felt the need to explain)--I rate this show 3/5, but the musicianship during this era of Phishtory is very strong; it would just take about 15 more months for it to coalesce into the prototype for what has become the standard of excellence when it comes to Phish shows.

Just listened to this show for the first time. Diving into the early years is fun, especially since I'd been listening to the long jams of 2.0 lately. So onto the show!

The set opens admirably with Landlady and Llama, both of which were very well executed. Llama was a scorcher and the fiery playing of a younger band is on full display.

A great pairing of Forbin's > Mockingbird follows in enjoyable fashion with a good, fun narration and a solid if not perfect Mockingbird to round it out. Off to a great start here.

My Sweet One is a nice addition and it's followed by a solid Reba. I believe a previous reviewer noted that the ending of the jam is prematurely ended by Fishman just as Trey was climbing ferociously to a transcendent peak. The jam itself is fantastic, but the conclusion falls a tad flat.

I Didn't Know is fine here and the ensuing Stash is quite nice. Again, very tight playing from Trey and a fiery soloing style that packs in a lotta notes. Good stuff.

Mango>Poor Heart is a fun pairing, but the fiery Chalkdust that follows really caps off the set with some fireworks.

Overall the first set is very very good. Sure 1992 isn't going to give you a huge type II jam anywhere in this first set, but the playing is really solid and the jamming within Reba, Stash & Chalkdust is pretty darn enjoyable. It's a great setlist as well, with a very good flow.

Set II opens with The Curtain, which I always like in that slot. The band then jumps into a wild Possum, which is replete with some secret language & a long intro with several interesting tangents, which makes this a good listen for fans of the tune and anyone seeking something different from the younger incarnation of the band.

Guelah Papyrus is a fun song that I'm always happy to catch and fits the post Possum slot nicely, as does a solid mid-set Coil. All Things Reconsidered pops up next, no complaints.

The Brother, Sanity pairing is a really nice call. Brother provides some wild and fast playing and is an excellent version, with Sanity matching the madness appropriately.

Cold as Ice>Love You>HYHU is what it is.

The Sparkle>Harry Hood pairing is great on the back end of the set, with Sparkle being a fun and well played version. Hood has a bit of flubbery from Trey, but the ensuing jam is very good. There's a great deviation from the major key standard Hood jam and it showcases a band that is loose and taking risks, but also following one another quite closely and really listening to each other on stage. A suitable conclusion to the jam sends us back to the major key and into the stratosphere, before a Cavern rock-out resolves the set to it's conclusion.

A fun encore of Lawn Boy (it was Page's birthday) > GTBT (victory lap Trey) ends the show with a smiling finish.

Overall set II is also quite solid (like Set I) without any sort of massive type II playing that would emerge and take root later in August of '93. With that in mind, Possum is fantastic fun, the setlist flow is great with Brother and Sanity an inspired pairing. The triumvirate that closes the set is also worth celebrating with the Hood in particular bringing a really good dose of interplay to the show.

Great fun listening and reviewing this one! Fans of '92 will enjoy it and folks less familiar with the early years will also be pleasantly surprised. 4/5

Ah, Page's 29th birthday show! Not a bad bootleg, a little boomy with no clear definition of Mike's tone leaving me wanting more of it. A few chops here and there may be tape flips.

Nice Landlady to start off with right into a rocking Llama. Forbin is good tonight with a great story too. Page and Mike do their best to be specs, and other things, to follow along with Trey's descriptions. Mockingbird, however, is not that tight at all. My Sweet One has a long intro again. Sound adjustments or tuning? Good Leo solo. Reba has a few rough spots in the middle from Trey. It also sounds like he gets cut off by Fish at the apex of his solo leading to a weak ending. IDK has a cut in it, maybe first tape flip, and features Fish on trombone. The begining of Stash is cut off. People are starting to clap along with Fish during the drum break parts, it's the first time I've heard it this loud anyway. Pretty good Stash. Mango is good but, not great. I could go for more Mike please! Poor Heart is good and a ripping Chalkdust makes for a good closer.

Curtain is a good opener for second set. Good but, not great. Not sure what they are teasing again during the Possum intro. Lots of foolishness during Possum as usual for this tour. Pretty good Guelah. Coil is ok, a little loose but, what sets this one appart is the crowd singing Happy Birthday to Page while he is soloing at the end. Great stuff! ATR has a few rough spots tonight. Brother is getting more rare. This one is a little long and just as crazy as the others. Following up with another crazy song, Sanity is not quite up to par but, still funny. Leading us into the Fishman section, Trey introduces him as "the man who has no mind to loose." Fish makes fun of Page for playing Happy Birthday to himself on piano, and goes on to introduce the ages of the band members and Paul. Fish's section ends with HYHU again. Sparkle is ok. Hood has some loose spots but, is ok. Good Cavern closer.

Page gets to wrap up his birthday show with a nice Lawn Boy and his raunchy scat part in the middle of GTBT. Good solid double encore.

Good show tonight, not the greatest but, solid. Maybe a bit too much fun celebrating with Page? Interesting note that the other review on here said it was five bucks to get in! My spring 1993 ticket was $14. How times have changed.