I believe that for every Phish fan, there comes a time when we can say with conviction that we have finally “gotten it”. Some folks get “it” at their vey first show, while others, like myself, require a little more exposure and exploration before that fateful day occurs. By the time June of 1994 came around, I already had eight shows to my credit spread out over the course of two years. Although I have always had a great time when seeing these guys, I was not quite ready to elevate this Vermont foursome to that hallowed status which would make them something much more than “just a band” in my eyes. As it turns out, that day occurred on June 19th 1994 at the Kalamazoo State Theater.

There was a friendly excitement in the air as we gathered outside the theater a few hours before show time. The crowd of folks who followed the band in the early ‘90s were in a sense a large extended family, united in their love of the band and their music. This communal feeling was all encompassing and contagious – it was almost impossible not to be swept up in this wave of positive energy and love which we all shared. Strangers felt like old friends within a matter of minutes. I milled about with perhaps 200 other folks on benches and sidewalks outside the venue, striking up conversations of previous set lists and enjoying the occasional impromptu game of hacky sack with new friends. As I nursed a Sammy Smith Oatmeal Stout – which I had purchased from a dreadlocked fan pushing a sticker-covered cooler on a skateboard, I realized I had been separated from my friends for at least an hour. As I finished my beverage while sitting on a cement flower box outside the venue, the large doors opened and the first wave of eager fans lined up with tickets in hand. Almost instinctively, I joined the crowd and was one of the first people to enter the theater.

A few folks rushed to the front of the stage, but most of us just gathered on the floor area about 20 feet back. I found myself with a few people who I had played hacky sack with earlier that afternoon (never did reunite with my friends) and decided this was a fine spot to be in. Up until this point, I would classify myself as a casual fan. I knew perhaps 50% of their songs, and thanks to my friends who had amassed dozens of audience tapes, I could probably recognize a few more once I heard them. The people around me were predicting opening songs and discussing what had been played at prior shows, but I stood there with little knowledge or expectations of what would be played. By the time the house lights dropped and the band wandered out, I found myself about 3 rows back directly in front of Mike Gordon.

Suzy Greenberg was the opener, and it was a song I was very familiar with. There was an electric intensity in the air as we all bounced as one, dancing during the scream-along chorus of the song. Julius came next, which was a song I only knew from some tapes I had heard in the past. Only two songs in and it felt like a furnace had been stoked. It was gradually getting warmer inside the theater, but the band was heating up exponentially. Julius had a fierce swing, it reminded me of an electric “big band sound” with Trey managing to mimic entire horn sections on the fretboard of a single guitar. The intensity kept rising with a combination of Lizards and Axilla (Pt II) coming next. By now we were all one sweaty mass of humanity trying to keep up with the sonic onslaught emanating from the small theater stage.

Scent of a Mule which came later in the set gave all of us our first dose of comical theatrics which we had come to expect from these guys. The middle passage (which I later learned was dubbed the “Mule Duel”) found Trey and Mike strutting back and forth across the stage – similar to two gunslingers facing off for a duel in an old West saloon. I very clearly recall Trey stopping in “freeze frame” style as the music paused – making weird and twisted faces at us while he froze like a statue. It was pulled off beautifully and it really connected the band with the audience. The set closed with Stash and Golgi Apparatus. My recollection is as hazy as the theater air, but I recall this Stash being very intricate and lengthy. When the house lights flicked on after the set had ended, we all high-fived and tried to cool down, which was almost impossible inside that stuffy theater.

I had not moved from my spot by the time Set 2 had ended. I am eternally thankful to the kind strangers behind me who offered a big swig off their water bottle. Thank you whoever you are! I was surprised to see Fishman take center stage on a stool with an acoustic guitar to start the set, as I found myself even closer to center stage than I had been for Set 1. I’ve learned to expect anything from this foursome, as I listened and realized I had no idea what was being played. I later learned this was a very rarely played tune called Faht. After this interlude had ended and they assumed their regular positions, something happened which would change me for the rest of my life.

The Run Like an Antelope which came next is the one definitive moment when my stars all lined up and I finally “got it”. This version is an absolute beast, and I have never experienced anything like this. I have been to many shows before and since, but to this day I have never heard – or felt - Gordon’s bass as strongly as I did during this Antelope. The band whipped us into a frenzy of whirling dervishes and they kept spiraling up and up and up. Just when I thought Trey had reached the highest peak possible, he would dig down deep and make another run to find yet another, and another, and another. Gordon slapped his bass and created thunder as we all twisted and jumped in a euphoric state of ecstasy. The balcony bounced and the floor shook. I could see girls with long flowing skirts twirling around all across the top corners of the balcony. From stage to last row and everywhere in between we were all locked in as one collective consciousness. At the conclusion of this song I felt as if I had died and been re-born a dozen times. Covered in sweat and with my heart racing, the remainder of the evening is a blur of memory to this day.

I remember Reba coming later on, and I recall the band gathering around at the front of the stage without microphones to croon an a-capella unamplified version of My Sweet One, which gave us all a moment to join in a sing-along of monstrous proportions. By this time I was about 7 feet in front of the band in the "2nd row” dead center. One personal moment I treasure came when Trey took a large bottle of water and dumped it on our heads, the majority of it falling right on me! In the heat of that night I needed the relief. Thanks Trey!

The night ended with dual covers of Highway to Hell and a Free Bird which the band managed to perform without instruments – they mimicked all the sounds by mouth only! I hardly recall saying a word as we shuffled out of the sweltering theater into the cool Michigan night air, trying to gather my senses and comprehend what I had just witnessed. Looking back, I believe the fact that I had entered this evening without any knowledge or expectations of what was to be played helped create the perfect storm which would allow me to finally “get it” during Run Like an Antelope.

22 years later, I still have it. I have seen many dozens of shows since, with many a highlight to be had. For as long as I live, however, I can point to that moment at the beginning of Set 2 which changed me forever. From the bottom of my heart I want to thank those guys for doing that to me. My gearshift has been set on high ever since!

I've not heard this show but the band did a "Wayne's World" style interview with a local fan the day of the show. The interview is priceless.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hLiaWEt92Y

Oh Mighty Icculus! Not one review of this show yet!
Understandably overlooked due to the shining supernovae of 6-18-94 UIC the night before, and the stunning Quasar 6-22-94 after (Not forgetting the 6-21 fire alarm show either!), it's time this one gets it's due here on PHiSH.net.

Start a show in Kalamazoo Michigan with a moan of feedback into Suzy Greenberg and what happens? People get excited. And by people I mean college kids from Ann Arbor, South Bend, Chicago, Champaign, NY PA and VT... let's just say I can hear Ellis Dee in the audience. The recording I pulled from the "spreadsheet" is a FINE A plus AUD by Jeff Jordan (Dankseed Certification received 2002-03-11), and has fidelity down to the PA subs thanks to his AKG 460b ck61>AKG B-18 Phantom Power>Sony D-10 Pro II setup.

Suzy gives way to a SMOKING early Julius. The song had been in rotation for a month and a half, and it already is punching holes in the walls of the venue. 2 songs in and I'm getting winded. A nice relaxing yet inspired Lizards is needed before the Axilla II starts doing the Mike Tyson thing again. A heavier Axilla there ain't.

The Curtain gives everyone another chance to chill and contemplate the band's finesse and compositional complexity. Everything here is tight, precise, and almost eerily perfect. This Spring->Summer '94 run was great from the start, but from 6-11 Red Rocks on, something almost stupid good went down with this outfit. Listen to ANY June '94 show, find a YouTube video (6-21 DWD for ex.) and you can hear and see something has a grip on the band - especially Trey A - who seems to be just tripping about the level of performance they have attained, and audience acceptance of his dreams and fantasies.

Fast Enough For You. The early jaded vets said "pop song sellout" but before I heard then I fell in love with this song. I love Trey ballads. And I LOVE the outro guitar part of FEFY. This one from Kalamazoo is my FAVORITE. The raw, immediate intensity of this recoding brings a deep multi-dimensional quality to these songs. Follow up the ballad with Gordon's whacked masterpiece Scent Of A Mule so nobody gets too comfortable. This Mule smells flawless. The Mule Duel is a hoot, as they had yet to play it out of their systems. Trey conveys amusement and playfulness without any overacting as the duel begins. The level of play all through this show is electrifying.

Stash is just typically kickass here, with a dense jam that's not particularly long or extreme, but it has a slick transition back to the MSMN ending as most Stash's from this era do. Golgi closes set 1.

Set II begins with Faht (what?) No, FAHT. By Greesy Fizeek. Something I prefer to let be mysterious and indescribable, thankyaverymuch.

But THEN - then comes my favorite part of this concert; Run Like A *$#&@! Antelope. The raw, in-your-face sound of the recording puts me in the room with these people who are making whoops and screams of acid mayhem as the Antelope intro bounces and gallops along. When the full band hits, I get gooseflesh. Fish pounds frantically, Trey grinds and stirs an ascending series of riffs, Page hammers out insane comping, and all four members are playing lead simultaneously as this builds to a place where Trey can surf to the top and wait for this mother to break. There are more upshifts than a semi-truck here before the quadruple-time insanity of this wave hits the Rye-Rye-Rocco beach. My head is spinning and I was not even AT this show. This is fuck-me-silly PHiSH and I love it.

At this point, I'll say that there is a FINE Reba after the If I Could cool-down that follows Antelope. Listen for the "Ooooooohhhh Yeeeeeaaahhh" from a guy in the audience as The Reba Chill gets underway and you may get a sense of the psychedelic soaking I hear in the audience.
Makisupa, Coil, and an unamped MSO with a nice audience sing-along leave us with Highway to Hell to end the set. The encore cheers lead to people yelling FREE BIRD! so I assume there was a single mic stand set up. And that's what they got: Acapella Free Bird. Start with Suzy and end with Skynyrd. Not your typical Sunday night in Kalamazoo.

This show was far from "meh" and saying "meh for '94" doesn't really say anything. Everything on that spring/summer tour was Phish at the very top of their game. Also 1994 was the end of the relatively small shows. This was one of those. Especially when compared to the night before. Those small theater shows were so intimate the band could play truly acoustic as they did with MSO. No mics, no amps and it sounded great throughout the theater. Fish on the washboard, Mike on banjo an when they sing together it really projects and sounds rich. I really miss those small shows. At this one, I remember dancing right up to the stage during that rippin' Antelope with lots of space, it was very chill. Anyway about the music, like I said Antelope was top notch, definitely the highlight. Otherwise 1st set: Julius, Lizards, Curtain, Stash were all exemplary. 2nd set: The very rare Fast was amusing, If I Could was beautiful(I really love that song), a well played Reba> a cool jammed (then rare) Makisupa, and a riotous classic rock ending. All of the 1000ish people, including myself, left with big Felix the cat grins.

This was my first show! The one that started it all. Barely knew them before this show, but after that I was hooked. I don't remember much of it, except a capella Free Bird and just being blown away by the whole thing! Still on the lookout for a high quality recording of this one, just for nostalgia's sake.

Sunday, 06/19/1994 State Theater, Kalamazoo, MI

Soundcheck: Gumbo, Reggae Jam

Set 1: Suzy Greenberg[1], Julius, The Lizards, Axilla (Part II) > The Curtain > Fast Enough for You, Scent of a Mule, Stash, Golgi Apparatus

Set 2: Faht[2], Run Like an Antelope, If I Could, Reba > Makisupa Policeman, The Squirming Coil, My Sweet One[3], Highway to Hell

Encore: Free Bird

[1] How Many More Times tease.
[2] Fishman on acoustic guitar.
[3] Acoustic and without amplification.

Notes: Suzy contained a tease of How Many More Times. Faht featured Fishman on acoustic guitar. My Sweet One was performed acoustic and without amplification.

I listened to this show in it's entirety yesterday.

I think I listened to it just once when I got the discs and then never listened to it again until yesterday.

For June 94, it's pretty meh.

Stash is somewhat interesting, the beginning of the jam sequence is somewhat unique.

Same with the Antelope - the beginning of the jam sequence is really chaotic and interesting.

Also, Makisupa has a really cool little jam in it.