Review written by Eric, Alex B., @tom_volk, and Brad and RJ.

Phish, 6.7.95, Boise State University Pavilion, Boise, ID

Set 1: Possum, Weigh, Taste*, Strange Design, Stash, If I Could, Scent of a Mule, The Wedge, Funky Bitch, Slave to the Traffic Light

Set 2: Ha Ha Ha -> Maze, Spock’s Brain, Theme From the Bottom, Hold Your Head Up > Lonesome Cowboy Bill > Hold Your Head Up, Acoustic Army*, Sample in a Jar, Harry Hood, Suzy Greenberg

Encore: While My Guitar Gently Weeps

*Debut

So this is sort of odd: tour opener, Boise, indoor arena? Fun fact, both the Summer ‘95 and Fall ‘95 tours kicked off on the West Coast. Hope that makes you feel better, disgruntled fans in the Pacific Time Zone. ANOTHER fun fact: Brad points out that this venue is now called the Taco Bell Arena. Delicious.

This show feels just about typical for a tour opener—a couple highlights, a few near misses, and a couple gems. Tom says that “even sort of ho-hum shows have their merits. The Possum opener has some really abstract soloing. At the time I used to get annoyed at the purposeful dissonance that crept into songs that by all rights should be straightforward rockers but listening to this now made me miss that kind of approach.”

A first set song worth listening to is “If I Could.” Going back and listening to ‘95 again, the beauty of this song in 1994-1995 was completely refreshing. With beautiful soloing from Trey and Page, and complete with the full-band refrain at the end, it packs some emotional and musical power that would be a welcome return to the rotation (last played 8.29.12 in Oklahoma City, and only played 6 times in 3.0).

In the 2nd set, a real highlight is “Theme From the Bottom.” Only the 2nd time ever played, this version is the first time we hear what I like to lovingly call the ‘95 cacophony. After a nice buildup, it gets a little dark, a little weird and a lot of feedback. Fun to listen to, as this song was really still in its infancy.

I think for all of us, the show never got fully into gear until the end. As a die-hard fan of “Harry Hood,” any show with this song warrants a relisten. And this one is really pretty. The beginning of the jam is very quiet, almost ambient, for several minutes, with Trey providing some delicate soloing, before getting back to the main theme of the jam.

When the full band gets back into it, it’s still a bit crowded, as Page, Mike and Trey are all going full speed, but it builds into a blissful peak that’s as great now as it was then.

And the “Suzy Greenberg” closer is, in classic ‘95 fashion, a rocker that closes this show nicely, with some fun soloing from Page. This song always delivers.

You can check out this show here, let us know what you think.