Wednesday, 04/06/1994

Concert Hall, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

 

Sunday listening… coffee… reading the New Yorker. It’s a nice ritual that usually means pulling jazz, soul, or blues albums off the shelf and putting them on the turntable. Today, it necessarily means listening to Phish. The Llama opener is a bit jarring. There’s a reason I usually ease into a Sunday morning with some Mississippi John Hurt and not AC/DC.

 

The Lizards is really the first tune of the set that fits my mood. Not that the Stash was bad. It certainly was not. Wow. It’s as engaging as they come. I mean, it starts out intense then breaks down to a brilliant little show of group improv. It is stellar… a version worth seeking out. But my head is just not ready for it. Maybe I should have started with something mellower and switched to the Phish after my coffee kicked in a bit.

 

Question: How sick of hearing Mule Duals will I be by the end of the year?

 

Killer ‘lope to close out Set 1, too. Whistling in the intro like on the album. Great build up. Solid set closer!

 

Curtain fits the morning pretty well. Coffee is kicking in enough to appreciate the escalating energy of this early DwD.

 

Wolfman’s is one that really didn’t come into it’s own until 1997, in my opinion. It’s a shame, too, because this one, just the second ever, is really interesting. I really don’t know why they didn’t keep this song in the regular rotation when they were hitting it so hard this early in it’s life. Maybe it’s because they didn’t really know how to end it.

 

Another funny note: these days you would feel a general moan across the room at the opening notes of a 2nd set Sparkle, but here you can hear the entire room singing and clapping along with every word. They love it. That’s one of the reasons I love this era. People weren’t so jaded they couldn’t enjoy the simple pleasures of a Phish show!

 

First Mike’s since my favorite Mike’s?? Yes, indeed. It’s a keeper, too. Not as crazy as it’s predecessor, but it breaks down to this dark and quiet space you just don’t expect in Mike’s. I love it. Great ‘paug, too. And the acoustic encore is sweet, but hard to hear on the recording.

 

I had fun listening to this show. Not sure I wouldn’t have rather listened to some of my vinyls instead. I can’t believe how much further I need to go to complete this task. I’m insane!

 

Thank you for reading!

Wednesday, 04/06/1994

Concert Hall, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

 

Set 1: Llama, Guelah Papyrus, Poor Heart, Stash, The Lizards, Sample in a Jar, Scent of a Mule, Fee -> Run Like an Antelope

 

Set 2: The Curtain > Down with Disease, Wolfman’s Brother, Sparkle > Mike’s Song -> Lifeboy > Weekapaug Groove, The Squirming Coil, Cavern

 

Encore: Ginseng Sullivan, Nellie Kane, Sweet Adeline

 

Notes: Weekapaug contained a vocal jam. Ginseng Sullivan and Nellie Kane were performed acoustic and, along with Sweet Adeline, without microphones. This show was originally scheduled for The Palladium and was relocated at the last minute due to damage to that venue from the previous evening’s New Kids on the Block concert.

 

Setlist courtesy of phish.net.

Key Tracks:

http://www.phishtracks.com/shows/1994-04-06/stash

http://www.phishtracks.com/shows/1994-04-06/mike-s-song

http://www.phishtracks.com/shows/1994-04-06/lifeboy

http://www.phishtracks.com/shows/1994-04-06/weekapaug-groove