Last week we dedicated our Phish Friday to November ’94. This week, we promised November ’97 but contributor @PeteLikesMusic had other ideas and rightfully so. Before he scolded me for not including the acoustic version of “Foreplay -> Longtime” and the 11/16/94 “Simple” last week, he then listed off all the great November moments in 1995 and asked why we were skipping over that year? A smart man listens, so for the next two editions of Phish Friday we’ll bridge the gap. This week Pete Merriman dives into another November to Remember – 1995!
Words by Pete Merriman (@PeteLikesPhish):
November ’95 will always live in the shadow of it’s December neighbor (12/7/95, 12/9/95, 12/14/95, 12/17/95, 12/31/95) but that’s more a testament to the strength of the latter than any dig at the month preceding it. Simply put, Phish was on fire for all of Fall ’95, if they weren’t going Type II on your ass, they were going to shred and pile on the tension like their lives depended on it. To many this was the peak of the first era of Phish, before they went back to the drawing board and started to experiment with more groove based jamming (aka “cow funk.”) Upon going back and re-listening to the majority of November ’95 I discovered a treasure trove of highlights, and I’ve culled the creme de la creme below:
Notable November ’95 Moments:
11/11 – The finale of the three-night run in Atlanta. “2001 -> David Bowie” kicks off a stellar second set. Listen to the entire show. (An @phortin pick)
11/14 – Stash -> Manteca -> Stash -> Dog Faced Boy -> Stash. Officially released on LivePhish.
11/18 – You Enjoy Myself. This version includes a “Brick House” jam.
11/21 – David Bowie -> Take Me To The River -> David Bowie.
11/22 – After an aborted Rift blamed on Fishman, Phish plays a 33-minute FREE -> Llama.
11/25 – Timber -> Kung, Mike’s Song -> Rotation Jam -> Mike’s Song — First known Rotation Jam, and first show at the legendary Hampton Coliseum.
11/29 – Bela Fleck sits in for most of 2nd set, including the set closing Slave to the Traffic Light. This show also includes a great version of Possum.
11/30 – Tweezer -> Makisupa > Antelope. Many regard this Tweezer as setting the table for the epic version two days later on 12/2/95.
Those are the highlights as I see ’em, but please tell me, what did I miss? Some soaring “Rebas?” A majestic “Hood?” Let me have it! Phish Friday will be back next week with picks from November ’96! Any suggestions? Leave a comment below or tweet @LiveMusicBlog
*Updated with a Video of “Rift” from 11/30/95 via @Telekinetica!
