Phish - 12/29/94
Providence Civic Center - Providence, RI
Click For SetlistOriginally Submitted To Phish.Net Reviews
Ok, so no big suprise that it was cooooooold in Providence that night, but the wind, taboot! Makes me shiver to think about it.
Interesting and scattered scene in the lots which were parking garages underneath buildings, but there were lots of folks around and the nearby McDonalds was filled to the gills with frigid Phishheads.
My friends started partying early and shortly before showtime we split up with a contingency plan to meet at the seats. Me, I'm a bit ragged-out and hungry and sleepy (I had driven straight through to Connecticut after the Dec 28 Philly show) but I wandered into the line and waited dutifully til the doors opened.
Pre-show music was Tom Waits (a favorite of mine) so I chilled out in our seats behind the stage and waited for the gang. Lots of folks might be put off by that location but the lack of and extensive stage backdrop allowed us an excellent view of all of Fish's doings and Page's face (also mike & trey's backs--Wow!) There were speakers facing the back, much to my suprise, and the light show shined upon us and those in the higher seats (we had 6th row). Show opener Runaway Jim was pretty hot and probably a portent of great things to come (not only for this night but also for future, more expansive, performances of Jim see Raleigh 95). This transformed into Foam which I've always had trouble catching; I'd usually miss it by one night; and this night it seemed all too appropriate after the afternoons fiascos of getting lost in parking garages (another story altogether.) This was a well built version. Quite tasty.
If I Could was cool in its way, followed by the Horse -> Silent In The Morning combination which hovered gracefully above the stage before breaking into the electric bluegrass of Uncle Penn! Always a good boogie, Penn was lots of fun and the band played this Bill Monroe tune expertly and on the money.
Next came I Didn't Know which about summed it up as far as how I felt, and then Possum! The jams got way out there, quite psychedelic though tight and not spacey. A wicked set closer, this left
Set 2 opened with a well executed Guyute. The previous October, I had the second performance of this song and this one was greatly improved. It reminds me of an ideal YES/ELP song taken to heights and spaces that those bands never saw. Anyway, the next song says it all.
This is the David Bowie and I know of no rival. It took off, went up, up & up. Then, about two thirds of the way through this 27+ minute spectacle, they went out. Way out. The jams had become unrecognizable as Bowie and I'd figured we'd seen the last of it when the settled into an extremely quiet space. The crowd noise was not too bad either aside from the obligatory lame-asses who don't know a cool thing when it hits them in the face. Most of the audience, listened anxiously; not know what to expect. The band began whistling; ala Harpua; and someone on stage began calling out softly, "Lassie...." (like the old tv show opening) and "Here, boy. Good dog," ect. I never heard them mention Harpua (live or on the tape), but then Trey began whispering something to us that was sadly inaudible. I suppose now, that maybe it was Kung or something Harpua-related, but it would take a perfect soundboard recording to reveal what he said. Soon, the whispering peaked with Trey and then the rest of the band chanting louder and louder, "DO IT NOW!!" I believe it was at this point where my friends and I blew our skulls. I was useless grey matter, unable to process what I was witnessing. I stored it for later as the jam took off again. They abruptly returned to a tight jam which ended neatly, reminding us that what we had just heard was David Bowie!
The rest of the show, while cool, seemed immaterial after that (even now, after writing about and reliving it I can hardly remember that they played on.) Halley's Comet was fun and brought our feet closer to the ground. Cracklin Rosie was entertaining and very funny. Fishman seemed stoked, banging his cymbals overhead like a kid!
Lizards was cool as well, but I can't remember it being anything but routine (read: cool).
The closer, Good Times, Bad Times, rocked with Page doing his imitation. This served as a good reminder that Phish is also a rock & roll band and that they thrive on their own diversity.
They came back for a quick, two-song encore. First, My Long Journey Home was a sweet, acoustic number. Though its lyric, "Lost all my money 'cept a two dollar bill..." reminded us of how thin our wallets were and how far we had to drive in the morning as we were not going on to NYC for the next show.
Sleeping Monkey wrapped things up and was excellent and funny as always. We left the civic center that night with a smile and a clouded head.
©1995/2000- jmh
About the Author jmh is a family man who is thankfull for beer, LPs, and extra guitar strings. Donations of any of these things or cash for their purchase will be happily accepted.