The set lists read like pure gold to hardcore Phish fans (weve got Bag, Hood, Funky Bitch, and Bowie in the first set alone!), and the pacing of the concert really is frenetic with one Phish classic following the next. However where the show delivers on quantity, 11/4/90 could be seen as lacking, without the complex and extended "jamming" by which most Phish shows are judged today. The show was played during the band's second run of shows in Colorado in the fall of '90.

The show features a young and ambitious Phish, playing one of its first runs of shows outside of New England. This is important to note because as the band was still in its "relative" infancy (this is before even Amy's farm) so were many of Phish's songs which at the time were still being perfected rather than explored.

That being said the quality of the show really is stunning, with the band still so early into its career. Each band member is incredibly tight throughout the entire show, however it is clear that Trey is really leading the entire show. The real selling point of this show however is its high availability in SBD quality. The quality of the show makes it an easily accessible glimpse at the band still playing small venues and tirelessly working towards making its name on the concert scene.

The highlights of this show are really the quality and percision by which each song is played, providing phans a perspective of how the bands "jam rock" sound of the early '90s began. That being said Harry Hood and Funky Bitch are the clear cut winners in this show. Hood is a must listen for any serious fan of the tune, and though only just over 11 mins the jam never feels rushed or cut-off. With its wonderful SBD quality, a standout Harry Hood, and an abundance of beautifully played Phish classics, I would highly recommend 11/4/90 for any fan looking to see what the band could do in the early days.

This is one of my favorite pre 1993 shows. Sure, at this point in time, Phish was not throwing out monster jams, but where that lacks, there is a notable difference in precision and sharp play. songs like yem, fluff head, etc were played so well, it is almost tough to listen to some versions from 99-00 and 03-04.

anyway, back to this show. after a nice carolina opener, bag>curtain really gets this party started. as mentioned above, the playing is so sharp here, and the highly circulated sbd's of this tour don't hurt. a very rare tube shines. it is not the funk exploration that it would later become, but it sure sounds good here. this hood is a doozy; they deliver a very well paced and focused jam before feeling good about hood. funky bitch keeps rips before they chill out on the now defunct, as an independent song, Asse Festival. my sweet one gets the crowd charged before a very sharp bowie brings the set to a close.

golgi, rocky top, and llama are all delivered with a boat load of energy, partlicularly llama. then they hammer home a monster mike's song. trey really delivers on this one. mike's peaks appropriately before diving into hydrogen and storming back up to some snazzy gordon licks in weekapaugh. now, comes the part that really makes this show a keeper. the band seemlessly moves back and forth and intertwines manteca and caravan. all members really shine here. this is not a particularly long piece of music, but it certainly makes this old gem worth tracking down. the rest of the show is pretty solid. jesus left chicago is pretty rare in any period of phish's history and these early yem's all really take off. this one is no exception. the contact>highway encore is a nice juxtaposition. i love when they do that.

highlights:
set 1:
bag>curtain, tube, harry hood, funky bitch

set 2:
mike's groove, manteca/caravan, yem

I think this is your typical average-great show. Nothing too outstanding, nothing too shabby. Highlights for me were the Manteca-> Caravan (very nice work in Caravan, which is not my favorite jazz song but is well done here) and some excellent Trey soloing in YEM. YEM also has a pretty nice jazzy vocal jam going, before it disintegrates into a gorilla orgasm. Three stars for this show.

Pretty dang strong show. Most of the songs stick out and feel very tight.

First set is pretty damn strong. Everything is played top notch. Really like Tube thru Funky Bitch. Bowie and The Curtain are also quite good.

2nd set features one of the best Rocky Tops and Golgi Apparatus I've heard them play. Llama is fire as always and Mike's Groove is tight and good. Manteca -> Caravan is a great treat. YEM is pretty standard.

Well above average for 1990.

This was the first Phish I ever heard.

A heavily generationed 100 minute cassette that ran from Bag to JJLC was given to me by my serious Deadhead friend in February of '92.

I can't say I was hooked immediately, but somewhere between the fascination of The Curtain and the respectful blues-roots of JJLC, I knew this was a serious proposition.

Nectar came out a few weeks later and I saw my first show shortly after that (5-1-92).

It is funny to revisit this show now (I have since garnered a much higher quality copy). It seems so tame compared to Phish "jamming" standards of today, and the years since, but at the time it was absolutely wonky and out of this world. I guess that demonstrates how these guys kept growing and evolving over the years.

Ahhh, I just love this show. The first set contains some of the best jamming at this point in their career. The Tube, Harry, Funky Bitch, Asse Festival stretch is fantastic, as is the Bowie closer. A *perfect* first set! Set II is also really hot. Mike's Groove is one of the best of the year, and there's a smokin early Jim. The highlight of the set for me however is the Manteca>Caravan>Manteca. They rip through Manteca and keep weaving it in and out of Caravan...Very cool stuff. This set closes with a gorgeous YEM, and the encore is awesome. My favorite show of 1990.