#Phish95 Review: 6.17.95, Bristow, VA
Review by RJ. This review is dedicated to my wife. This was her first show. She saw her first show 4 months before I saw mine, which makes her better at Phish (and life) than me.
Phish, 6.17.95, Nissan Pavilion, Bristow, VA
Set 1: Divided Sky, Suzy Greenberg, Taste, Fee -> Uncle Pen, Julius, Lawn Boy, The Curtain -> Stash
Set 2: Wilson > Maze, Mound > Tweezer -> Johnny B. Goode* -> Tweezer -> McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters, Acoustic Army, Sweet Adeline, Harry Hood, Sample in a Jar
Encore: Three Little Birds
*Debut
My wife’s favorite song is “Divided Sky.” Besides the fact that it’s eternally beautiful, uplifting and magical (much like her), I had always wondered what made this her favorite song. Once we realized that this was her first show and that this was the opener, it all made a lot more sense.
From what I hear from her and others, this was a perfect opener at sunset on a hot summer night in VA. This is a very solid version, 17 minutes, high energy and good playing from all 4 guys right out of the gate.
The other highlight of this set is “The Curtain > Stash.” There have only been 5 instances of this combination, and this one is very noteworthy.
“The Curtain” is fairly standard, but with tight playing and a really nice drop into “Stash.” This is nasty Phish. Very exploratory and dark. Around 7 minutes it sounds like it’s almost going to the major chord jam, but it doesn’t go that way at all. It sticks in a Stash-esque jam, then around 11 minutes it starts going down into the depths of the abyss, with Trey and Page making equally creepy noises. This wild jam keeps pushing further and further, creating more weirdness and tension until bringing it back to a powerful ending. Nice 1st set closer!
In the 2nd set, “Maze” brings the tension/release back! Between this and the “Stash,” Page and Trey are really in sync for this show. Really fun stuff. Then back to the classic Phishy world with “Mound.” (Also saw this one at my first show on 10.28.95).
About 5 minutes into the “Tweezer” trey starts hitting a nice jam with the wah pedal, which Mike picks up on. Almost a pre-97 feel to this section, with Page chiming in on the synthesizer. Following this, Trey takes the band directly into “Johnny B. Goode,” quite a contrast from that funk jam they came from. Was this “ADD” Trey?
Seamlessly back into “Tweezer” for a much quieter, more delicate jam. Finally around 7 minutes we get into a pretty classic ‘95 jam, lots of noise, lots of speed, raging. Then almost as quickly, we get back into the main song theme.
And finally, after a lovely “McGrupp” and an acoustic “Sweet Adeline,” a “Harry Hood”! Hooray!
A very quiet, contemplative and cohesive jam in this “Hood.” And the peak is more of an orchestral take, the entire band taking this up to its highest point and crashing it down, like waves breaking in the ocean. This is moving Phish at its finest.
I’m glad my wife got this show as her first: A “Divided Sky” to start, a “Hood” to wind down the second set, pure beauty from front to back. And a “Three Little Birds” encore with Dave Matthews & Leroi Moore, indeed, “every little thing’s gonna be alright.”
