I can't believe no one has reviewed this show. Like most any other show from this historic month its extremely high energy and fun. not a missed song in the bunch.

Set I:

Chalkdust: This is an AWESOME (read typical) fall 94 Chalkdust. Loaded with plenty of tension and thrilling playing from all. This one really rages hard.

Fee: Interesting placement. This is a standard Fee.

Scent of a Mule: This is a super standard 94 'mule with fantastic Page work in the middle section.

Stash: Now were talking! Standard composed section except for the fact that Trey kinda whispers the lyrics. After a raging tension/release jam, this jam settles into a super interesting plucky, quiet, almost proto-plinko jam. This jam builds with great tension and finally comes to a classic closing jam with sweet Fish and Trey.

If I Could: The band brings out Jeff Mosier for the bluegrass mini set that they had been doing all week. his banjo is quiet on this one but still adds a little something special. This If I Could is pretty long for 94. Very beautiful. Trey's guitar soars in his teary eyed solo and it gives this version a very "slave-like" feel. One of my favorite versions of this beautiful song. must-hear!

Bluegrass mini-set: This is the standard bluegrass set that they had been doing all week and would be the final one. I love the bluegrass sets but there is not much to say in the review. Still fun to check out.

Divided Sky: Divided is one of my favorite songs and while this version is not quite up there with the likes of say 10/31/94, i think it certainly beats any divided sky played after 1996. Trey shreds it up in a way that he just doesn't do anymore.

Sample: Sample is Sample.

Set II:

Also Sprach: Im gonna be honest here and say that while i do enjoy the post 96 funked out 10-25 minute versions of this song, i think it just works better as a 3 minute high energy opener. This song has so much energy and is a perfect way to start off a set, similar to Buried Alive. There are enough songs for funk. These days I'd much rather have a sweet super funky 10 minute tube and a 3 minute high energy 2001, then a 3 minute tube, and a 10 minute 2001. Just my personal opinion.

DAVID BOWIE: This Bowie. What you need to do right now is go to the jamming chart for this Bowie, read what it says, then come back and finish the review. Done? Okay. You might get this show and think, "16:40 Bowie? it can't be THAT good. Well it can, and it is. Super short intro and standard composed section. Jam starts out classic quiet Bowie style. Around 6:00, Mike and Trey start playing rhythmically off each other in a fashion similar to the beginning of Bundle of Joy. Soooo cool. At around 6:45 a rocking theme starts to emerge. They build it up until about 8:30 when they explode into a rocking hose jam! This is all chords from Trey, no soloing, just an awesome heroic intense sound that i can only describe as... well... fall 94 Phish. Unfortunately this only lasts for about 30 seconds when the jam gets dark and dissonant in a very Bowie-like way without actually sounding much like a standard Bowie tension jam. Gets even more tension filled and strange around 10 minutes. thirty seconds later they do this thing that was very prevalent in 94 exploratory jams. everybody does a single hit at the same time over and over again. Trey uses the digitech whammy to make it sound as if the jam is going, WOW... WOW... WOW. At 10:50 this WOW jamming EXPLODES back into the previous hose jam but with waaaaaaaay more intensity. Very similar to certain sections of the Providence Bowie (compare, for example, to the providence Bowie at around 16:40). This Jam rocks along with Trey playing more actively than before. it eventually settles a little into a more dissonant section with Trey playing the same run he had been playing before but in a much more demented style. Everyone picks up on this and this starts an awesome jam that switches every couple measures from being super heavy and rocking to being very quiet. AMAZING STUFF. Finally one of the quite sections stays quite, but grows more menacing and crazy, building and building. This EXPLODES (i cant use this word enough in this jam) into the most ripping shreddy awesome Bowie closer ever. Quite the Bowie. Must hear. Especially you Bowie fiends who have become tired of the lackluster jamming in this song of late. Its a nice change of pace.

Glide: Love Glide. How does Fishman keep that drumbeat? anyway standard

Axilla (part II): love love love this song. Maybe i like the lyrics of the original/current Axilla better but either way its such an awesome rocking tune. Plus the swirly coda that they added to the part II versions is very cool. I wish they'd do that these days.

Reba: Composed section is standard. The quiet part of the jam is super pretty. Unfortunately this Reba does not quite build up to a great peak. And no whistling. Whatever, cant win 'em all.

Simple: Standard 94 Simple fare except that it just kind of gets quiet really fast and stops rather slowly getting quiet until it peters out.

Rift: Rift is Rift

HYHU->Terrapin->HYHU: Good thing they inserted a good Fishman section into this set. it was starting to get a little weak. guess they let all of their energy out on that Bowie. Good placement though to get the mood back up.

Julius: Any Julius from fall 94 is gonna be awesome and this version is no exception. Trey and Fish kill it with great backing from Mike and Page who keep the energy up. Still you cannot beat that Trey/Fish interplay. some of the best stuff comes from that pair.

Cavern: Always a great closer. Standard high energy Cavern.

Encore 1:

ICCULUS: Read the book! Trey gives some great funny banter about their last Wisconsin show, the OJ show (6/17/94). Trey says how the white Bronco on the run made him think about life. He tells us that the band thinks of music as a learning experience. Some Fantastic Icculus ranting follows. READ THE BOOK!

Encore 2:

Fire: Not really sure whats up with the fact that there were 2 encores. in any event, this is a pretty standard fun Fire. Jamming is almost Chalkdust-like.

This is a great show with some serious highlights. Honestly every show from this great month is worth getting. Everything is super energized, Trey is so spot on in every show, and most of the shows contain at least one legendary jam. Sorry for putting down 3.0 so much in this review, i actually love the stuff the band is doing now. I just feel like a few songs have lost their edge. In any case, this is a great show from a legendary tour that should not be overlooked.

On a wettish, chilly sunday evening in late november 1994, a mere six days before the Orpheum epic, Phish threw down what, essentially, was and is the total antithesis of that (as well as the famed Providence version) "type" (II) of Bowie with a "mere" (comparitively speaking, of course) 16+ min sssssssscorcher in Madison, Wi...the end of which unquestionably vies for the single greatest finish in that (and quite possibly any other Phish) tune's history...i cannot recall for certain but Trey HAD to have been wearing his "jamming pants" (and, for those of you who KNOW, you know exactly to which pants i'm referring...and, to those of you who may not, check out the AOL booklet and you'll see the "jamming pants") cause he just cccccccccccrushes his way to the finish line...indescriBABBLE, really...words do no justice; just listen.........BRING BACK THE JAMMING PANTS!!!!!!.....
and am i REALLY posting this on 12-31-69?!?!?...if so, i'm missing a KILLER Dead show in Boston, right now

I remember this one vividly; a girl I knew from my humanities class and I somehow got a ride in a frat kid's bmw. We left Hyde Park early, and got to Madison by noon, where we immediately fell in with some folks on tour who were on our way to hang out with Fishman...

In my mind, the encore was totally unique. As I remember it, and I'd love confirmation here, the lights actually came on after Icculus. But the crowd just wouldn't stop going nuts, so they dropped the lights again and played Fire.

2001>Bowie powerful!
The acoustic sets were fun. I remember I was not bummed when it was over. Timing his appearances seemed well planned or not?
Then REBA Simple Rift!
E) ICCULUS!!! *

*I was on top of the world in the fall of 1994. Good live music surrounds! OJ Show, Game/Hoist actually somehow blend in that passing year. All the language, bb jam, intimate connection with a band unlike any other I'd known. We were havin' a ball, yin to the yang. I learned of OJ in Milwaukee, Wi? These moments meant as a lot to me and those I shared that feeling with many. So, by fall we were joyous. Then Colombia got wonderful n Trey's asking that girl to decide the next tune. Ok, that just happened with the side of the Beatles! Then > mind left Ice in St. Louis!

[In June I immediately recognized the UIC debut of entire mind left body theme in Bowie intro. Saw GD do the last one at Rosemont Illinois in March 1993, so I was very familiar It's ice >mlb>Ice It's a different time and it's brilliant, I had no clue I was witnessing it?]

Top that with the goat vibration (IMHO) of life. Wow, too bad Chicago is gonna be mellow, so I thought. Wrong [one of the top shows I was fortunate to attend]. Then back up NORTH for yet another pounding! So, to have ICCULUS COME AGAIN with OJ reminders, and just how much we somehow sustained a successful bliss together as a unit. This really was a time when nothing was shocking!