Anniversary of my first Phish show! 12-07-95 Niagara Falls

[MarcO]

TimmyB’s post from yesterday awoke me to the fact that it was so close to my anniversary for a first Phish show, in this case ten years to be exact!

It was “hamilton†(Brian) from this board who encouraged me to check out this band, he had attended a few shows since 1993 and knew that I would enjoy the experience. The shock of Jerry’s passing and the hurt of two subsequently cancelled Toronto GD shows had faded a little and I thought it would be good for me to dip my toe into these waters and see what all the fuss was about. It’s not like I had been ignoring them, I owned “A Live One†and “Rift†and enjoyed them, especially ALO. I just hadn’t jumped on board when they had come to Toronto in the years previous.

So, off we go to the Niagara Falls Convention Centre with a crew of crazies: two University stoners prone to drinking with a sock monkey at local bars (Brian and I), a pseudo-spastic lunatic (hello Dave) and a sensitive hairy man wearing a blanket (I cannot remember his name). It was approximately –2500 degrees when we arrived in a 300 mile long line for Will Call tickets. Eventually, with my left nut frozen to my inner thigh, we made it in, the show had already started, we got in for “AC/DC Bagâ€, so I guess that was the first Phish song I heard live. The place was like a giant gymnasium with bleachers around the sides, portable chairs chained together, probably about 10,000 people there.

I was only half familiar with the CDs I owned so a lot of the show went over my head. Also, I was directly but invoulntarily comparing the experience to my history of Dead shows. The first thing I noticed in that regard was the overall youth of the audience. I was 21 but felt strangely old (or at least, experienced), I was used to interacting with the grizzled old veterans of Dead tour. There were a few of them but really not many. I have odd memories of this show: Dave completely freaking the fuck out, as was his wont, while sitting in his chair, rocking back and forth like in the midst of some exorcism, his body weight tugging on all of the chairs around him – which were chained tightly together – and a gaggle of freaks staring wide-eyed at him, finally outfreaked for once in their freaky freak lives. Then there was that girl, approximately 17, who had thoughtfully decided her “trip†tonight would be to play a little tambourine with the band, which she proceeded to do for the majority of the show. I believe I did ask her to please stop at some point, and she oblidged, albeit temporarily.

Musically, I enjoyed it, although the cerebral mind-fuck of the jams left me a little cold at the time. My two distinct memories musically was the sheer power of Trey Anastasio and how he used his body language to engage with the crowd, to assert control over the energy of the room by sheer presence – this is a good quality in a rock star! I also remember constantly having my ear drawn to Page McConnell, Trey’s opposite in physical presence, but equal in terms of pushing the music forward during the jams. Loved the piano playing. A couple of years later, Brian made me a copy of this show on cassette and I began to realize what a wonderful show it was. Some highlights: a 25+ minute “Split Open and Melt†just bleeding psychedlic energy; a peppy “Reba†played almost double-time as compared to just a couple of years later; two a-cappella songs, a rare treat in any show; and the highlight – a stunning “Mike’s Song†> “Weekapaug†> “Jam†that has to be heard to be believed, the ending jam just unfolding over the audience in a torrent of loops and abstract noise that is both beautiful and scary.

I remember after this concert thinking that it was good, I enjoyed it, but maybe this band wasn’t quite what I needed at the time. I had no problems with it, but neither was about to get on board as a Phish freak. This night was not a paradigm shift for me, a night that put Phish to the centre of my attention or anything. That night would come a couple of shows later, a couple of years later in Rochester.

So thank you Brian, for encouraging me to get on the train. I never would have thought ten years ago that this band would provide experiences that would lead us to Florida (twice!), through the mid-west, and around the Northeast and offer me bonding experiences that would cement my relationships with my best friends and especially Laurie.

Good times, good times indeed!

12-07-95 Niagara Falls Convention Center, Niagara Falls, NY

1: The Old Home Place, The Curtain-> AC/DC Bag, Demand, Rift, Slave to the Traffic Light, Guyute, Bouncing Around the Room, Possum, Hello My Baby*

2: Split Open and Melt, Strange Design, Fog That Surrounds, Reba, Julius, Sleeping Monkey, Sparkle, Mike's Song-> Weekapaug Groove*, Amazing Grace

E: Uncle Pen

*Unfinished, spiraling into a space jam (with digital delay loop).

[MarcO]

sorry Chewie, just saw your post now.

but what a fine night eh?

[Chewie]

you trying to steal my thunder marco?;

just kidding..yeah it was a great night.

"Brian made me a copy of this show on cassette and I began to realize what a wonderful show it was. Some highlights: a 25+ minute “Runaway Jim†just bleeding psychedlic energy;"

not trying to be rude but i don't think they played jim that night,

[MarcO]

you're absolutely right - meant to type "Split Open and Melt", a cracker version. Thanks for the correction. I haven't put this show on in a while.

[secondtube]

florida, twice?

nice.

wish i could have started seeing them in 95, then i would have been around for 1996, my favorite period for later Phish.

[mark tonin]

Thanks to Chewie and MarcO for sharing their anniversary thoughts, as this was also my first Phish show. Ten years ago! It's scary how quickly time passes.

Chewie said "also, i remember walking into the venue wondering why there was a giant chess board over the stage...it also very cold that day...wow."

Ditto for me ... I distinctly remember those two things about this show experience. I was dressed for the cold, with a winter coat, hat, mitts, etc. and I was still cold.

MarcO said "The shock of Jerry’s passing and the hurt of two subsequently cancelled Toronto GD shows had faded a little and I thought it would be good for me to dip my toe into these waters and see what all the fuss was about."

I was at a similar point when I decided to check out Phish at this show for the first time.

-----

My show thoughts ... sorry for the pun, but I was hooked after this show. The Split Open & Melt and Mike's Song > Weekapaug totally blew my mind. I think that I owned Hoist and had no other Phish music at the time of this show, but I distinctly remember being blown away by the music that the band played on this night ... I remember describing the show to people as having awesome spiral/swirl jams, where a jam would get more and more intense and just when you thought the jam/song peaked, another spiral would happen that was more intense than the last one. That's probably the thing that I miss the most about Phish ... those jams that bust through to the other side of a peak, and reach an even higher peak, and bust through again.

Peace, Mark

[secondtube]

That's probably the thing that I miss the most about Phish ... those jams that bust through to the other side of a peak, and reach an even higher peak, and bust through again.

I agree.

I swear Trey wrote Antelope with that in mind!

[The Chameleon]

I remember this show like it was yesterday. This was about my 3rd ot 4th Phish show and what a show it was.

I remeber the Julius being awsome and the Sleeping Monkey being a favorite of mine.

I also remember some really obvious undercover pigs in the lot wearing brand new tye-dye's and fresg outta tha' box Buffalo Bills jackets.

Ahh those were the days...The days where you beleived you part of something special and musically anything could happen.

I hope those days come again.

[MoMack]

florida, twice?

nice.

wish i could have started seeing them in 95, then i would have been around for 1996, my favorite period for later Phish.

AMEN On the 96 call tube... I'm all about 96.

[MoMack]

That would have been about number 10 for me I think... but I can honestly say I don't even remember one song. I think the place was smaller then 10,000 - I would have said 5,000.

I slept in the car - it was fucking freezing. Then I slept in the car the next night in Cleveland. It was fucking freezing too. Oh to be young and stupid.

[Freak By Night]

So many memories... that one in Niagra Falls was my 3rd Phish show. 10 years, eh? Wow time flies.

[hamilton]

It would have been somewhere around my tenth show, too.

What I remember as being the worst part was standing in line in the freezing cold to get our tickets from will-call... but the show wasn't sold out, so people with no tickets could walk right up to the (separate) sales booth and get tickets and go right in, while people who had purchased tickets weeks in advance had to wait in line for hours. What a drag.

Great frickin' show, though.

[Tenenbaum]

my 1st show too; I was relunctantly dragged in by my high scool friends. my first impression during the Old Home PLace opener was weak; not too impressed so I ignorantly sat down and brewed bots for the next few songs; however the freaky segment in Guyute perked my ears way up, and it all clicked during the 1st set Possum closer, big thanks to Kuroda on that one; sweet tension and release complimented by "on the dime" light switches!

setbreak: someone gave me a cookie which blurred the 2nd set for me; I enjoyed it immensely, but don't remember specifics, except Fishman losing his voice in Sleeping Monkey and questioning the meaning of life during the jam after Weekapaug!

also note: this is the only show to have a bluegrass show opener+closer (Old Home Place/Uncle Pen) plus have acapella tunes to close both sets (Ragtime Gal/Amazing Grace).