This is the show where I GOT IT!! This was my fifth show, and my fourth of the week. I was up in Arcata, and then the two GAMH shows, but I was either drunk or hungover for those three shows. The Catalyst show got me. I was pretty burned out and tired, and still a little sick from drinking too much on the 17th, but I got electrified and energized when they took the stage. I think the crowd had a lot to do with it. The Catalyst was either sold out, or close to it. I remember it was pretty full, and the crowd was in great spirits. I think that threw me off, since I had never seen more than about 200 people at their shows up to this point.
The rather excellent SBD has circulated for years, so I won't go into detail about the show itself (it rocked!), rather I want to explain how my attitude toward Phish shifted from thinking they were good, but not going anywhere to thinking they might be the best unknown band in the world.
The definitive moment came when Fish's mom came out and played vacuum on Terrapin. Seriously. That's all it took. With Fish's insistence that she keep going, I was blown away that these guys would have one of their moms join them, and then show so much love toward her for jamming on a vacuum cleaner.
It was a turning point for me. Maybe the alcohol poisoning finally worked its way out of my system and I saw and heard them clearly, but at that moment, I felt like I was hearing an amazing band. As tired as I was, I did not want the Hood to end, and I tried to get everyone to get them all back on stage for a second encore after GTBT.
After this show, I wanted to see them as often as I could. Hell, I think I may have entertained the idea of moving to Vermont.

So, I thought this show was a solid 3 or 3.5. Then I heard the Terrapin with Mimi Fishman. I usually don't base ratings on things other than the music, but sometimes you just have to make an exception. A touching love song to Fish's mom!

(Published on the legacy Phish.net site many years ago...)

Wow... I mean, wow! I'd never heard Phish before the show on the 19th, purposefully, so that I could enjoy the Phish live experience with no preconceptions of their music. All I expected was "killer jams" and an "intense crowd".I Got both! From the *moment* they took the stage to the moment they left, everybody I saw at the Catalyst was bouncing, dancing, grinning and laughing (and hugging in between songs). From avantage point ten feet from the stage directly between Trey and Mike, I could see the people who were obviously the biggest fans: some folks who tour with Phish (I don't know what to call them) who the band *knew* personally and sang to. They were definitely stoked, as were the rest of the people in the crowd. I've never ever seen a more intense show in my life! I've never heard jams so good or watched a light show so well orchestrated. I've seen the Dead (who many people compare Phish to, for some reason) and basically, the Dead (who I used to worship, but three days ago) look like six old guys who can play a little compared to Phish. I cannot express *how good* this show was; good enough that I'll be seeing them every time they're within a hundred miles of me. I can't possibly describe the show, because my memory of the event is mostly of happy emotions and not of specific events. I do remember clearly Trey's head bobbing (it NEVER stopped) and thinking that Mike looked like Sylvester Stallone, with absolutely no interest on his face for most of the show. Cameron looked pretty bored and I couldn't figure out if Trey was just joking around with him on stage or if he was angry at him (later Cameron was carried around the floor, which tripped some folks out!). Nevertheless, Trey just *spaced* on everything but the music. he and the keyboardist have some sort of telepathic link, and Mike and the drummer also have some sort of link. Somewhere in the second set, Mike and the drummer were lit up in yellow, and Trey and the keyboardist were lit up in red, and the red folks were playing their own jam while the yellow folks played theirs- while over a period of a minute they quickly turned the two jams into ONE! That *blew me away*! Music like this, I think, has never been seen before but now that Phish has shown it can be done other groups are going to struggle to catch up. I like the crowd, the band, the music, everything. Easily the best show I've ever seen. I can't wait til they're around here again!

So at the start of the 2nd set, load and clear on the SBD, Fishman announces a "special guest appearance" later in the set, who would of course turn out to be his mom, Mimi Fishman. Then Trey steps to the mic and mentions "the spirit of Steve Hope, and his friends out there. That's all I'm going to say". Very solemn (particularly for a joker like Trey), and kind of mysterious. Didn't find anything on the internet that seemed like a clear connection to this reference - anyone have more info?

Otherwise, I found this show to be average-great overall for Fall 1991. The highlights are mostly obvious; I thought the Stash jam was better than previous versions. IMO Fall 1991 resembles a few other Fall Phish tours, in that there seemed to be a definite turning point along the way (11/7 Tipitina's on this tour), and the following shows were much better. But this show was still a fun listen on a mostly pleasant SBD recording.

This show comes with a nice dSBD source that captures the energy of the room well.

The Landlady into Suzy pairing works perfectly to open the night, with a seamless transition that feels locked in from the start. It’s Ice features a funky, groove-driven jam, and they’ve clearly reworked the post-jam section to lead more directly into the final chorus — a nice touch. Both Jim and Foam are solid and confidently played. After Foam, Trey mentions it’s their last gig in California before heading to Arizona, noting that it’ll be his first time there. Similar to the Seattle version on 10/11, Trey approaches the Chalk Dust jam with a fresh twist, steering it in a new direction right from the jump. MSO starts off normally, but Trey calls for Fish to drop the drums, and the band sings the opening lines in a gospel style — a fun and unexpected moment. They follow it with a tight, energetic run-through. Stash is strong, full of tension and release, and Golgi closes out a solid first set with plenty of fire.

The second set kicks off with a fiery Llama, and Page really shines during his solo — a definite highlight. There’s some humorous word salad from Trey during Gin, but the band regroups and builds a nice little jam. Tweezer settles into a deep groove and segues nicely into Horn, which makes for a well-matched pairing. YEM includes a cool mini-jam section and a fun vocal jam to follow. Oh Kee Pa leads smoothly into HYHU, and Trey takes a moment to explain that Henrietta is dead, replaced by Showboat Gertrude — and tonight, he’s joined by his mother, Mrs. Gertrude. The banter is off the rails and hilarious, with everyone clearly having a blast. The set wraps with a tight and uplifting Hood, sending things out on a high note. The encore brings the second GXBX of the tour, a punchy closer to cap off a fun night.