#Phish95 Review: 6.15.95, Atlanta, GA
Review written by RJ.
Phish, 6.15.95, Lakewood Amphitheater, Atlanta, GA
Set 1: My Friend, My Friend > Sparkle > AC/DC Bag, The Old Home Place, Taste, The Wedge, Stash -> I Didn’t Know, Fluffhead, Run Like an Antelope
Set 2: My Sweet One, Ha Ha Ha > David Bowie, Strange Design > Theme From the Bottom, Scent of a Mule, Acoustic Army, Slave to the Traffic Light
Encore: Bouncing Around the Room, Frankenstein
This is a really fun, high energy show from start to finish. Starting a show with “My Friend” is fun, goofy, and sinister. Then into “Sparkle,” the polar opposite. The musical fun picks up at “AC/DC Bag,” which always always always helps us get the show on the road, doesn’t it? Phish’s “Bertha.”
This “Stash” anchors a first set, with a vengeance. This song and the “David Bowie” monster in the 2nd set are characterized, in my opinion, by ferocity and intensity. This is a really intense version of “Stash,” building the tension and release systematically but ferociously. Be careful with this one.
And this wouldn’t be #Phish95 without an epic jam vehicle in the 2nd set, huh? First, can we just talk about “David Bowie” for a minute? (@nolasox will love this one). Starting with Chicago ‘94, and into Providence ‘94, of course, this song is pushing pushing pushing the ability and the improvisation of this band. As “Tweezer” will do in ‘95 and beyond, this song is defining the direction of their jamming.
Between December of 1994 and July 1995, we’ll see no fewer than 6 GREAT “Bowies.” Providence, Deer Creek, Philly, Wantagh, Sugarbush, and of course, this one from Lakewood.
As others have noted, this version, while fantastic in its own right, is actually the “Type I” cousin of Providence. It sticks to the main theme of the song, for the most part, but is characterized by endurance, tenacity and intensity that characterized their approach to creating music in 1995. Together with the “Stash” from the 1st set, this is really representative of how intense this band can be.
I almost heard another “Mind Left Body” jam about 12-13 minutes in, but that’s one of the biggest diversions from the “Bowie” theme. About 17 minutes in, you get that classic “’95 cacophony” that we talk about a lot. It picks up the speed and intensity from there, and then we get some vocal jamming! Of course!
I’m sure a few people lost their minds during this 25-minute version, and it is completely worth revisiting to admire how this band can keep a song going at this level of ferocity for this length of time.
Lastly, this show closes out with just a beautiful “Slave,” soaring, peaking, with fantastic playing by Trey throughout. Fishman picks up on Trey’s great playing and together they push toward that peak together. Wonderful.
