The Month of November 1994 was arguably the best month Phish has ever had. It has almost no let downs. Some off the shows in this month were totally completely amazing. As I finished with 11-28-94 (Montana) and the rest of this month. I have never really heard anything about the show at Evergreen College so I was really surprised to hear how well this show was played. From start to finish this show is a GEM! First set was above average with awesome versions of Reba and DWD. The second set on the other hand was down right NASTY! after a ho hum version of Halleys the show starts to tear up at Antelope. The transition to My sweet one was so freaking cool then transition back into a Antelope JAM is must hear. The band was on full octane this set. Fixin to Die is a treat to your ears then the nice flow into Ya Mar and then another beautiful flow into Mikes>Catapult then into a very good version of McGrupp.

This was a very strong show for 1994. A top 20 show from that year and very close to a top 10 show.

Fun first set - I'm not that much a fan of the DWD, but the Reba is pretty decent, Frankenstein is a great opener, and the Forbin's > Mockingbird is cool (I enjoy the segue arrows for The Vibration of Life, which barely constitutes a song). The second set, though, is goddamn incredible, and is my choice of the best set of the 2nd half of '94 (even over anything on Halloween!). Halley's Comet is a bog standard version, but then Antelope barges in and zips off into the stratosphere, Trey punching the effects pedal at some points because he can. The jam seems to be heading into the trill-off/Rye Rye Rocco portion, then starts whipsawing like BBFCM is about to pop its furry little head out, but then goes upbeat and slides beautifully into My Sweet One, which stops for a weirdly long time (the snoring is quite amusing), then churns back into a fierce, UGLY jam (again, BBFCM emerging from this nastiness would not have been a shock), which returns to an Antelope jam briefly before transitioning into a wicked version of Fixin' To Die, a song very much of this era of Phish but would be welcomed back with open arms.

Fixin' To Die absolutely smokes (it's like Trey poured all the energy he would've put into finishing Antelope into this song), which makes it all the more surprising when the band segues with ease into Ya Mar, one of those glorious transitions that doesn't make sense on paper but works effortlessly in practice. Ya Mar bops along energetically, then goes nearly silent, Trey playing *very* quietly (like a rendition of Shout - dig Trey playing the strings at the very top of the neck!), before the volume gets turned back up and Fish gets to really shine in the closing jam. Then Trey starts up Mike's Song, which is not quite a smooth transition (it doesn't jive with the Ya Mar jam, which has to be slowed down), and the resulting version is nothing special (the only low spot of the set), but the sudden segue into Catapult is quite amusing, and the segue from *that* into McGrupp is fun (as is the resulting McGrupp). Everything else is the usual.

I've listened to this show and liked it fine before, but with time I've really grown to love the hell out of it. The first set is good fun, and the stretch from Antelope to Ya Mar is just pure gold (the Fixin' To Die might be the best part, IMO). A glorious show.

My first show. Arrived late due to flat tire issues on I-5 just outside of Portland. Encountered a mild amount of "fuck you, hippie" attitude from the Evergreen students so entering the gym in the middle of My Friend, My Friend was mood-capturingly excellent. As I made my way to the pit (this was not a packed gig) some rado grabbed me into an awkward waltz / singalong to the chorus. Was Page Side a few years before I heard the term, about 15-20' back from the stage and Reba kicked in, seemingly note-perfect. I was such a n00b I hadn't heard any Gamehendge at that point, leaving Forbins > Mockingbird more intriguing for me than exciting. The acoustic set was a surprise and fun. I was still in the concourse when Halley's started and made my way back to my spot on the floor right when Antelope began in earnest. Needless to say, "Liftoff." I remember the long, snoring pause in My Sweet One freaked one of my companions out, the Antelope sandwich freaked me out, and by the time Catapult landed it was just freaky all over. 25 years later my familiarity with the band and its music is exponentially greater than when I was a wee lad of eighteen. I also know enough to realize how fortunate I was to have been there.

and another sidenote: 2nd set - "Fixin' To Die" contains Landlady teases before moving into Ya Mar

Absolute ripper of a show with a few tunes that fly under the jam charts radar. Frankenstein starts things off right hot, and the first set MFMF bleeds from blistering peak to a sweet ambient outro--some very unique jamming for this tune.

This heads right into a totally undersold Reba. The jam starts out nice and low with some tasteful Mike, then quickly turns things up to a lengthy peak. The band reaches the ceiling, hangs out there for a bit, then finally blasts into the cosmos beyond. The last thirty seconds of this jam give me fucking goosebumps: Page throws in the organ just as Mike begins to ascend up the fretboard with Trey. Please please please put this on the charts.

First set continues strong with a great Forbins->Mockingbird, blazing DwD, and some nice bluegrass rarities. The second set really takes off, though. After Halley's Comet, the segues just do not stop until the end of McGrupp, and the whole suite is ridiculous. FWIW, I think the second Antelope->Fixin to Die features some pinnacle '94 Phish. It just exudes the style of play the band had developed up to that point in their career and is very reminiscent of the 11/22 Funky Bitch from only a week earlier. (Sidenote: I wish they'd bring back Fixin to Die, this is a sick tune and they play it phenomenally.) The Ya Mar jam and Mike's->Catapult take second place in my opinion, and I'd love to see that Mike's on the jam charts. Things stay low key, but features some really awesome Fish in the spotlight.

A show that displays some of the best of '94.

Excellent opening Frankenstein. Reminiscent of the barn burner a month before on Halloween. Really strong My Friend My Friend even among all the other 1994 versions. Gorgeously played Reba (also standard in '94). Great Mockingbird Narration and Trey nails the composed section. DWD is a 10 minute ripper. This is all followed by a very average Bluegrass block of songs.

Antelope is excellent and gets the extremely rare unfinished treatment. The whole sequence of Antelope -> My Sweet One -> Fixin To Die is excellent and yet so bizarre. Fixin to Die is especially well played. The -> Ya Mar is excellent as usual. And the -> Mike's song is outstanding. It's one of the hardest segues to pull off but when it is done right it's one of the best. Also a great segue into McGrupp.

Standard '94 encore.

Overall a fantastic show. Short of legendary status though.

just bought this on livephish a couple days ago and started listening to it today.. i gotta say, it's already one of my favorites from early 90s and im not even at the 2nd set yet! very crisp playing, good transitions, and a lot of energy and all-around chemistry. sorry i dont have a full review, but i would have to say the standouts are My Friend>Reba, a rockin DWD, and everyone loves the bluegrass numbers! haha

sidenote: not so important, but i hear a My Friend tease around the last minute of Reba (from the LivePhish mp3 you can pretty much hear it at the 12:10-12:25 mark. right before Trey brings everyone back into the Reba jam, you can hear them playing elements of the My Friend "fuse"-buildup segment (listen to Page especially).

anyway, this show is a MUST-HAVE from '94