although i had seen Phish at least ten times prior to this show, this particular outing may as well be considered my first thanks to a couple o' sugar cubes i consumed beforehand...needless to say, i've never been the same since (neither has music, for that matter)!!!...the entire show was cataclysmic; each song a different amusement park ride unto itself...however, it was somewhere in the jam between "mike's" and the instrumental debut of floyd's "breathe" when they descended into the depths of hell and were playing some of the darkest shit i've ever heard (before or since)...it was at this point when i looked over at one of the girls who was in our group and she had a look of absolute, unadulterated terror on her face...and that's THE MOMENT when i realized that Phish is (was?) the greatest band in the known universe (and those unknown as well!!)w

As everyone else has said, the first set here is a first set (you might be surprised to learn that they played plain old first sets in the mid-90s), but the second set features some really massive treats. Reba (!) opens the set, and it just radiates power from the very start, even during the more contemplative Reba jam proper. This jam is all about Trey being in full control of his abilities, especially when the pace picks back up and he starts playing Coltrane-esque sheets of sound before reaching a truly explosive peak; the noteworthy treatment is absolutely deserved. Life on Mars? and CTB give the audience a chance to catch their breath, and then Mike's Song roars in to snatch it away again. You could argue that 1995 was Mike's Song's best year, and this version is just raw fire-breathing menace from the start, which makes it surprising when it gives way to an uncomfortably dark and puckish second jam that naturally segues into a jam on Breathe (and gives me ammo for suggesting that 10/22/14's Theme should really be Theme -> Echoes Jam -> Steam). The Breathe jam is super cool, as you'd expect, and the segue into Sparkle works somehow, with a fierce Weekapaug closing out the meat of the set. December always gets the press, but October and November were not too far behind, and this is a show that you absolutely need to listen to if you want the full 1995 experience.

The first set is pretty much standard fare for the tour, although the opening Ya Mar seemed a little off to me. Trey didn't really put much into his closing solo. On the other hand, the second set is great and includes a few must-hear jams. Reba gets the rare call as the opener and proves to be a very powerful version. The next two songs are straightforward before a beast of a Mike's Groove. This being a Fall 95 show, it's not really surprising that this Mike's Song jams gets nasty, and the transition to the Breathe jam is smooth. The crowd is audibly excited for the Pink Floyd jamming, but the lyrics never come in and we are left with a Breathe jam, if not the song in the flesh. A minor point. Weekapaug, Suzy and Crossroads to end the set are all hot. The > to Crossroads begins when Trey plays the Crossroads lick in one of the short vamps before the refrain in Suzy and then the whole band quickly moves into the song. It's a cool moment.

Reba and Mike's Groove are must-hear.
Average first set. Excellent second set. 4 stars.

The first set is wholly unremarkable; getting some bluegrass is always nice, though. The second set, on the other hand, is straight fire.

Set two flows really nicely. As per usual, we get the customary mid-set jams, but we also have a seriously great opening jam here. This Reba might have my favorite peak I've ever heard. It definitely isn't the highest peak, but the energy flow is incredible and it wraps up just so perfectly. Life on Mars is a great cover and Cars Trucks Buses is fun. And now for the highlight of the show, the Mike's Groove!

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking: Mike's Song ("YES!"), Breathe Jam ("OH HELL YES!"), Sparkle ("Wha...??"), Weekapaug ("Sweet"). Worry not, though, I actually think Sparkle works quite well in this Mike's Groove. It comes out of the Breathe Jam fairly naturally and it segues into Weekapaug nicely. Really, if we're being honest, it's not anything to complain about considering it could have been much much worse. To all the haters I say "put on your grown-up pants and deal."

The rest of the show is the victory lap. A fun Suzy > Crossroads pairing (complete with a nifty segue and everything) wraps up set two nicely and Fire brings the show to a close on a rockin' note. Set two is some good shit.

SET 1: Ya Mar, Sample in a Jar > Divided Sky, The Wedge, Scent of a Mule: Really solid 1st quarter here. Rock solid.

Free: This seems to have a little extra juice than the previous 8 played on this fall tour.

Strange Design, My Long Journey Home:, I'm Blue, I'm Lonesome: Standard.

Chalk Dust Torture: Truly exceptional. Almost goes beyond its familiar structure. They crush the hell out of this. Do NOT sleep on this version.

First set summary: Completely straight up except that CDT, definitely has replay value. Smokeshow.

SET 2: Reba: Trey botches the composed sections and lets out an audible groan and after that even there is slight difficulty. I love the little duel that Trey and Mike have to open up the jam, Page even gets in on it a bit. Coming out of that, it is so very delicate. 14:02 10.25.95 Reba is the first peak. Pretty sweet. More tension... 14:43 Explodes again. More tension...Build, build, build...Trill, trill, trill...16:25 Screaming, exultant peak. Just incredible. My favorite Reba.

Life on Mars? What an incredible follow up to what came before. This band is just incredible.

Cars Trucks Buses:

Mike's Song: Out of the gate, this has an upbeat pace, seems faster than normal. The second jam gets way, way out there. ->

Breathe Jam: Heady, very heady. ->

Sparkle: Interesting selection. >

Weekapaug Groove: Interesting version. Has this very quiet section towards the end. Crowd has all this pent-up energy they are looking to spend. This version is good but never gets to the next level.

Suzy Greenberg: Page owns, he really goes off in this jam and leads all the way! > Crossroads: Stunning segue, just bangs in there out of the blue. Crowd is caught completely flatfooted and catches on 3 seconds in and they explode in unison. SO COOL!!!!

ENCORE: Fire: Standard

Second set summary: Reba and Mike’s are all-timers. Reba is one of the best versions ever played and my personal favorite. That said, this set had more potential that was not delivered in that Sparkle and CTB both showed up in in opportune spots. Oh well. I would rate this show as a 3.9 as it looks better on paper than the actual substance.