My first Phish show, how could I forget! Actually, pretty damn easily. I was 18 years old and a new fan of Phish at this show. I certainly had all their albums by the time I saw this show, but had little idea of the world that was Phish. Possum, Gamehange, vacuum cleaners, trampolines, ah...no...Oh wait, maybe that's what that vacuum dealio was with the Lawn Boy album. This was St. Louis people! Phish was known by a handful of high school and college students. Certainly didn't have any XLII's of Phish.

The venue was great, the smallest I would ever see them at, but probably indicative of where they were playing away from the East coast. I was a seasoned Dead Head, I had already been to let's see...one show, yeah, so you know I was pretty much Captain Trips himself. Looking at this setlist, I was probably befuddled by many songs. Ummm, KUNG, holy shit! Don't remember that. Of course, smoking a joint was a big deal back then. Shit lasted for four hours, had to visine up, get the munchies ready and everything! Of course I knew all the rift stuff, that was in my Eddie Bauer Ford Explorer in the parking lot. Buried Alive, hope I was there for that, one of my favs still, as long as Trey could handle it. Wait, 1993, oh he could handle it. Probably burnt his hands off since they went right into to Poor Heart > Maze. Sick!

I do remember something about Roger proposing and what not, but didn't know shit about AC/DC Bag. Spooky Jam, Big Ball Jam, etc...It was all phenomenal stuff for a first show. This is the setlist you tried to will them to play at the Festivals in the late 90's, but it never happens, cause it's such a different time for Phish. This is Phish at a specific benchmark. They have toured and paid their dues to have a legitimate touring staff, they have good equipment, they know what they're doing, but they really have no idea of what they will become. That's what was great about the band at this time and place and it came through in the show.

It was fresh and new, and never all encompassing, as it would get later on. I remember Trey going off about Dreams and a Dream pile, this was weird, but so was Phish. I was used to an old guy in an old band from the 60's gently rocking back and forth barely mustering the words to China Cat Sunflower, and here was Phish jumping on trampolines, singing barber shop, and ripping forth an energy I had thought only I felt. This was it, and the drummer sang that funny song about diagonal in my bed. What a memory!!