Wednesday, 12/29/1993
New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, CT

Night two of this epic run starts with the classic pairing of RunJim and Foam, this time sandwiching another Peaches to nod to Frank. The first set really sets the stage for my theory that 1994 would define in so many ways the phish we know and love now. The crowd isn’t yet chanting "WILSON!" There are some folks clapping in the Stash breaks, but Fish is still filling on wood blocks. By the end of the year these rituals would be locked into place for all time.

It’s also fun to hear the band so tight on some tunes (Foam and Stash in particular) but so loose on others… The Wilson is incredibly loose compared to Wilsons in later years.

Set two starts off pretty simple like the night before, but then they dive into a monster Fluffhead. From there things get weird and, at times, evil.

What I remember from this show was missing a huge chunk of the first set… The drive from D.C. was brutal and the last mile into New Haven was worse. Still, the night became one of our most epic nights in life. A night my buddies still talk about to this day. We ended up at a friend’s apartment in town post show watching a pre-release VHS copy of Dazed and Confused with about 20 people. That’s as much detail as I’m at liberty to share in public….but it was an epic night, trust me.

Also of note, the only video footage I’ve seen of this holiday run comes from this night. I think the entire show is on YouTube. If you’ve never seen what fish tank set looked like, you should go watch some clips from this show!

Thanks for reading.

Wednesday, 12/29/1993
New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, CT

Soundcheck: Reggae Jam, Nellie Kane
Set 1: Runaway Jim, Peaches en Regalia, Foam, Glide[1] > Divided Sky, Wilson > Sparkle > Stash[2], The Squirming Coil
Set 2: Maze, Bouncing Around the Room > Fluffhead > Run Like an Antelope > Contact > Big Black Furry Creature from Mars[3] -> Walk Away > Big Ball Jam, Hold Your Head Up > If I Only Had a Brain > Hold Your Head Up, Sweet Adeline, Chalk Dust Torture
Encore: Nellie Kane > Cavern
[1] Simpsons signal.
[2] Included a jam akin to the sound of a television newscast, complete with vocal quotes from Trey referencing news personality Connie Chung.
[3] Unfinished.