Sunday, 04/17/1994
Patriot Center, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA

It’s Thursday for me. I’m having a hard time imagining these long weeks Phish scheduled back in the day. How did they play those three Beacon shows with such fire only to hit the road and play Amherst, MA the next night, then Fairfax, VA and Newark, DE in succession. And this is really just the second week of tour? I guess that portends the most prolific year in Phish’s touring history. It’s humbling, for sure. I think listening to every one of these shows is a daunting task. I can’t imagine putting in the travel required.

I know a handful of people who saw every show in 1995 and there were more in 1996 and beyond. I wonder how many, if any, saw every show of 1994. It would have been monumental to do without being part of the actual Phish crew.

Anyway, it’s Thursday for me, and I’m enjoying this one. This first set is great and the soundboard recording on PhishTracks is really nice. I did notice a couple of flubs from Trey during Foam, but I forgive him (see above commentary about how exhausting this schedule must have been).

Once they’re warmed up, thing really get moving! This Divided Sky is crazy big. Machine-Gun-Trey firing on all cylinders. Another huge jam during If I Could. Great set all around.

Set two opens with a strong Bowie and a funky funky Wolfman’s that would be at home in a fall 97 show. Seriously. Listening to this jam should leave nobody as surprised by the 97 cow funk as they were. Page on the Rhodes. Everybody on the “One” like funk should be.

And any set with the Sloth is a good one. That’s a fact. But let’s talk about this Reba, shall we? When she shows up late in a second set, you always count on her to make a statement. This Reba peaks with the best of ‘em. Scorching!

The rest of the show has been a joy to listen to at my desk today. Right down to the final machine-gun fire of Bold as Love.

For the record, I am not sick of 1994 Phish yet. I’m enjoying this process more than I even thought I would!

Thanks for reading!

Sunday, 04/17/1994
Patriot Center, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA

Set 1: Loving Cup > Foam, I Didn’t Know, Divided Sky, Mound, Down with Disease > If I Could > My Sweet One > Cavern

Set 2: David Bowie, Wolfman’s Brother > Uncle Pen, The Sloth, Reba, Big Ball Jam > Maze, Contact > Golgi Apparatus

Encore: Cracklin’ Rosie > Hold Your Head Up, Bold As Love

Notes: Before Fish’s vacuum solo in I Didn’t Know, Trey introduced Fish as “Greazy Fizeek” and suggested that he will “paint a musical picture in his mind with the Hoover vacuum cleaner about what he thinks of Mike’s special black socks that he is wearing tonight.” My Sweet One contained an extended pause and a Random Note signal before the ending. Trey briefly teased Purple Haze during the intro to Cavern.