, attached to 1993-08-20

Review by MountainKung303

MountainKung303 The 2nd Phish show that I ever attended. This was my first Red Rocks show as well. WOW! If you like show going, go to Red Rocks! We had the typical Colorado summer afternoon deluge. It rained for a few hours right before the show. There was some lightning (the dreaded show killer), but fortunately it passed. Then there was the orange sunshine.

A Divided Sky opener was destined to be. The post storm sky demanded it! Every silver lining has it's cloud. Then some ancient cave man lore for Harpua, and the giant iguana was born, now in the form of rock. The iguana would either be "Creation Rock" or "Ship Rock", these are the two major rock formations which amp the theater. The land of the lizards. A great Poor Heart>Maze sounding better and then Bouncing Around the Room. I recall realizing that this whole Phish show going thing was for me. This realization solidified when they went into one of if not the best It's Ice I've ever heard! The Page solo for this one is awesome. Page stands out in this show. Heck they all just rip it up this show. I love '93! The Wedge starts with a unique intro that I've only heard in a few early versions. I usually don't care for Ginseng Sullivan so much, but this version I'll make an exception for. We then lift approaching a Rift. The set is closed with a top shelf Antelope. This is a song that I have gotten a bit gotten tired of thru the years. Which of course doesn't mean that I don't want to hear it again, but I do feel that the versions being played these days are not as heavily rehearsed as they once were. 8/20/93 is a great example of an Antelope that is a well oiled machine rather than an off the cuff improvisational piece. A superb, well presented first set.

2001 starts off the second set. Always a great way to start a second set. They go into Slave to the Traffic Light, which looking back on it is kind of early in the set for a Slave, in a way. I like it. Into SOAM, killer! At the time this might have been my favorite song of the show, I now understood. Squirming Coil was next; a little early in the set for Squirming Coil? I like it. The first part of the Page solo at the end is accompanied by the rest of the boys. Did I mention that Page McConnell is on fire this show? My Friend, My Friend is acoustic which always sounds good at Red Rocks. Into a summer tour Chalk Dust Torture. Old reliable, a great rendition. You Enjoy Myself. This is one of the songs I really wanted to hear (who doesn’t like a YEM?) and they did not disappoint. The jam at the end starts quiet and easy then begins to speed into a hard rockin’ jam. This is a very memorable YEM for me. Next was Purple Rain with Fishman’s Mom on the vacuum. I had no idea they even did this song before. This is tied with 12/30/93 for my favorite version. I would give birth to a massive stiffy if they ever bought this song back. They finish the set with Cavern. It just makes sense.

The encore starts with Mango Song. I really like this song, especially the studio version. It’s a song inspired by the glory that is the food service business. Still, nothing beats a really good cook. At this point I love to hear any song off the first four Electra studio albums. This song can be a little rocky. Sometime I think the vocal harmonization of the song can throw off the instrumentation. But this version is really good! The encore is finished with Free Bird. Ahhhhh.

This is a show I will never forget. Filled with some oldies but goodies that they don’t play these days. Get it, get it, get it!


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