Phish Halloween 1994

  One of my favorite times of the year is Fall. The heat and unbearable humidity of the summer fade to cool crisp nights requiring hoodies, jeans, and socks. College and pro football are well underway and the leaves are turning glorious colors of brown, yellow, and orange. But my favorite thing about Fall is Halloween. Starting with childhood trick or treating, evolving into teenage Mischief Night, until shows and music take center stage, it’s always been about All Hallow’s Eve for me. . While many bands put on Halloween shows, few do it with the flair and creativity that Phish does. That’s why I’m proud to present the first full telling of my adventures for my all time, number one show ever:  Phish’s Halloween show in Glenn Falls NY, in 1994.
    While the Dead always threw down on NYE, Halloween was like a neglected stepchild. In 1985, they opened a show with a Scary Space and brought back Werewolves but didn’t do an epic Halloween show again until 1991. It was 6 days after Bill Graham’s tragic death and featured Ken Kesey coming on the stage to say a few words while the boys opened a door in the space time continum and went back to an Acid Test in 1966.
(Listen to it here, it is truly crazy how insane their playing is. Kesey comes out in the Dark Star before drumz)
http://www.archive.org/details/gd91-10-31.set2.matrix.loy.30699.sbeok.flacf

     While Phish had played Halloween shows in the 80’s and ‘90 and ‘91, they hadn’t done a Halloween show for 2 years when they announced they would be donning a musical costume for the 1994 show. They asked fans to vote for an album they should play. The boys emphasized that it could be from any genre (from Sun Ra to Slayer to West Side Story). How do I remember such a detail? I still have the Doniac Schvice. You expected something less?? Child please.
     I was attending Penn State at the time. The Dead were still my boys but I was really impressed with the first show I saw on 4/8 at Penn State by Phish and saw them at the Mann Music Center over the summer. When the Fall tour was announced, nothing was really close or doable but my good friend Kristian Boyer said that Halloween would be a worthwhile adventure. Being that Glenn Falls was less than 6 hours from State College, this was definitely doable. My good friend Nad (Nad is not his real name but he is a father now and has other responsibilities so I want to protect him. If you’re smarter than a 5th grader, you’ll be able to figure out who it is by the end of this.)
    Nad got on the phone but had no luck through TicketBastard (yup, they sucked ass even back then). He then had the brilliant idea to call the box office of the venue and he got us three tixs. Kristian couldn’t go so another friend Bill Thompson took it. I’m using his full name because he didn’t do anything that would preclude him from becoming President. The night before Nad did an amazing pumpkin carving of Fishman’s face for the coolest jack o’ lantern EVER. Unfortunately, this was back in the analog days and we all didn’t have cell phones or digital cameras and no photos exist of this spectacular creation.
    We piled into Nad’s Ford Festiva (for years this car tooled around Hanover with an amazing Jerry levitating a guitar out of a top hat window decal).  Bill brought along a bunch of tapes of Phish but Nad only had a radio. So we listened to the song Thriller over and over for most of the journey as every radio station we could find was playing it. Bill had heard a rumor of either Joe’s Garage or the White Album as the musical costume but I gave little thought as to what they might play.
      As some of you know, I grew up outside of Scranton in NE PA. Just driving thru the region brought up warm fuzzy memories of Halloween pasts when all that mattered was how much candy you scored. Whose windows were you going to soap? Who had the best Yoda voice impression?  All we saw on the ride up were 7-11’s and Tae Kwon Do schools…Upstate New York is a tough place.. We stopped at a rest stop but the men’s room was closed so Nad used the Women’s room. While in there, a woman walked in to use it as well. Awkward.
    We got to the hotel (which had 2 coffee pots for a room that slept 4 people). Bill filled us in on the whole Gamehenge saga and Harpua but I just filed that info away. What were the odds Phish was going to go into any of that?
We get to the lot and Nad sets his pumpkin on a four foot high metal box in the lot. When we walk by later, two Heads are standing on each side of it like demented palace guards. I was dressed as Father Giudo Sardouche from SNL and Nad was dressed as Elvis. Nad and myself ate a “treat” to get the night started. In 1994, it seemed at every show Nad would do a balloon and pass out flat on his face. Tonight would be no different. While doing a balloon in a Burger King drive thru lane next to the arena, he passed out and woke up to his hands covered in blood. Of course they really weren’t, but what a way to start the night.
      A year earlier, Nad sent a photo of himself dressed as Elvis to put on the credit card. He used that card to pay for the tixs. He showed the credit card to get the tixs dressed as Elvis. The clerk almost shit her pants. On the way in, I ran into the Blues Brothers and it was an SNL reunion, without all the coke.

    Our seats were two rows away from the glass if a hockey game had been going on. This guy was walking around on the floor strutting along. He was taking huge strides and pumping his arms and suspenders out. He had on really loud rainbow colored pants and a beautifully carved mask that covered his whole head. Nad pointed him out and said that it was Trey. I said yeah right and proceeded to take in all the other freaks that were wondering around us. The lights finally go down and the band hits the stage. My mind gets blown for the first of many times. That guy walking around was TREY!!! Holy shit!! How did Nad see that??? Trey rips his mask off during Frankenstein opener and the place goes apeshit. 5 songs in, they do Harpua with a narration and War Pigs by Sabbath. By now I’m out of my gourd. This is the craziest show I’ve ever seen. I hear the boys teasing other songs within their own songs and think that’s the secret to Phish. They end the first set telling us to get ready for an amazing and long night. I couldn’t even imagine what was next.
     Throughout the set break, they’re playing haunted house noises and screams over the PA. Close to midnight, the lights go down and Speak to Me begins over the PA. Holy shit, they’re going to do Dark Side. But then a voice comes over and starts talking about the excitement these boys have brought to NYC over the last two days. Due to my immense pop culture knowledge, I recognize the voice as belonging to Ed Sullivan. Pink Floyd wasn’t on Ed Sullivan??? But THE BEATLES were Oh my God they’re going to do the Beatles. As the screams of the teenage girls enthralled by Beatlemania mix with the screams from the Glenn Falls crowd enthralled with Phish, the boys barrel into Back in the USSR. They’re doing the White Album. I knew this album inside and out. I did a report on Charles Manson and him using the White Album as justification for his killings in high school. My brain exploded and for the next hour and half, I was transported to another dimension where I witnessed the Beatles perform. Not John, Paul, George, and Ringo but the thing that the Beatles represented in all its glory as funneled through the four lads from Vermont.

Glens Falls, NY

Soundcheck: The Old Home Place, Poor Heart, Dog Log > Funky Bitch, Jam

SET 1: Frankenstein, Sparkle > Simple > Divided Sky , Harpua -> The Vibration of Life -> Harpua[1], Julius > The Horse >Silent in the Morning > Reba , Golgi Apparatus

SET 2: Back in the U.S.S.R.[2] > Dear Prudence[2], Glass Onion[3] > Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da[2], Wild Honey Pie[2], The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill[2], While My Guitar Gently Weeps[2], Happiness Is a Warm Gun[2], Martha My Dear[2], I'm So Tired[2],Blackbird[2], Piggies, Rocky Raccoon[2] > Don't Pass Me By[2], Why Don't We Do It in the Road?[2], I Will[2], Julia[2],Birthday[4], Yer Blues[2], Mother Nature's Son[2], Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey[2], Sexy Sadie[2], Helter Skelter[5], Long Long Long[2], Revolution 1[2], Honey Pie[6], Savoy Truffle[2], Cry Baby Cry[7] -> Revolution 9[8]

SET 3: David Bowie, Bouncing Around the Room, Slave to the Traffic Light > Rift > Sleeping Monkey > Poor Heart, Run Like an Antelope

ENCORE: Amazing Grace, Costume Contest, The Squirming Coil

[1] Vibration of Death; "The Vibration of Death is gone" replaced the usual "The storm is gone."
[2] Phish debut.
[3] Phish debut; lyrics changed to "I told you 'bout Guyute the pig."
[4] Phish debut; instrumental.
[5] Phish debut; ended with band singing "I've got blisters on my fingers" a cappella to the tune of Back In My Hometown.
[6] Phish debut; lyrics changed to reference "Cactus."
[7] Phish debut. Fish on vacuum.
[8] Phish debut. He Ent to the Bog was played on a tape in the background. Fish on vacuum.

Harpua included the Vibrations of Life and Death. Jimmy decided to put on his favorite album Barney's Greatest Hits, but turned his turntable on the wrong way and started playing it backwards. Fish then proceeded to sing a verse of War Pigs. Trey subsequently quoted I Love You (a.k.a. the theme to Barney & Friends) before Harpua resumed. Poster was swallowed up into the earth by the Vibration of Death. "The Vibration of Death is gone" replaced the usual "The storm is gone." Prior to the Vibration of Life, Wilson was teased and quoted. A Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon tease (the heartbeats from Speak to Me) was pumped through the P.A. at the beginning of the second set. The second set "musical costume" was The Beatles' The Beatles (also known as The White Album) and was selected via fan vote. All of the White Album songs, other than Piggies, were Phish debuts, although Ob La Di, Ob La Da had been jammed or teased on many occasions. Glass Onion's lyrics were changed to "I told you 'bout Guyute the pig." Piggies was played for the first time since November 14, 1985 (875 shows). HYHU was teased prior to Why Don't We Do It in the Road. Birthday wasn’t sung; Page and Mike noodled a bit while Fish presented a birthday cake to Brad Sands, who accepted it while wearing a Jon Fishman dress. Helter Skelter ended with the band singing "I've got blisters on my fingers" a cappella to the tune of Back In My Hometown. Honey Pie's lyrics were changed to reference "Cactus." Cry Baby Cry ended with Fish on vacuum with Revolution 9 segueing out of the vacuum solo. The background tape playing along with Revolution 9 was Mike’s composition He Ent to the Bog from Phish’s White Tape. The song ended with Fish stark naked and running around while the band blew bubbles and waved. Good Night was taped from the album and closed the second set. The third set began with a Custard Pie tease, while Bowie contained a Gilligan's Island theme tease from Mike and Antelope's intro contained a Stash tease from Trey. The Costume Contest contained a "Charge!" tease from Page. This show was officially released as Live Phish 13. The soundcheck's Jam was released as an iTunes bonus track called "Glen Falls Soundcheck Jam" and contained a Frankenstein tease from Mike and a May The Force Be With You (The Force Theme from Star Wars) tease from Trey. The Poor Heart and Dog Log in the soundcheck were slow versions.

Stream it here

http://www.phishtracks.com/shows/1994-10-31

     There’s really no point in me trying to write about what I was experiencing so just think of your favorite musical moment and multiply by one thousand. During Glass Onion, they changed a lyric to work in Guyute and for the line “ The walrus was Paul”, they shown a spotlight on Paul Langudoc and he had 2 drumsticks like walrus teeth, causing Trey to crack up. One other thing I never expected, during Revolution #9, Fishman got naked. WTF!??!?!?!?!?!?!? After that, Page comes to the mike and says they’ll be back for another set. Phew. Need to collect myself.
     The third set was no slouch either. Opening with a raging Bowie, CK5 had the lights making it look like we were inside a giant jack o’ lantern. During the Slave, he made the arena bathe in the glow of traffic lights. During Sleeping Monkey, the one keyboard part is nicked from Let It Be. So naturally, I thought they were going to do that album for the encore. It ended with a costume contest and Page thanked us for coming out at 3:20 in the AM. No union overtime at this venue.
    Back at the hotel, I finally passed out around 6 AM. Bill forced himself to drink the biggest bottle of Bass I’ve ever seen to get himself to calm down after that mind blowing experience. Back at Penn State, it was a harsh jolt back to reality. No one in dreads, Heads far and few in between. I can clearly remember throwing in a ’78 Dead show with Bertha> Good Lovin’, and it not doing anything for me. It took about two weeks for the show to fade away from my brain and was able to get off to the Dead once again.
     So there you have it. I know this was long but what better way to get into the spirit of the season for what this weekend holds

10/31/94 (Mon)  Glens Falls Civic Center - Glens Falls, NY
    Set 1: Frankenstein, Sparkle, Simple, Divided Sky, Harpua , Julius, The Horse > Silent in the Morning, Reba, Golgi Apparatus

    Set 2: Speak to Me , Back in the USSR, Dear Prudence, Glass Onion, Ob-La-Di Ob > La-Da, Wild Honey Pie, Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Happiness is a Warm Gun, Martha My Dear, I'm So Tired, Blackbird, Piggies, Rocky Raccoon, Don't Pass Me By, Why Don't We Do it in the Road, I Will, Julia, Birthday Jam , Yer Blues, Mother Nature's Son, Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey, Sexy Sadie, Helter Skelter, Long Long Long, Revolution 1, Honey Pie, Savoy Truffle, Cry Baby Cry, Revolution 9 , Good Night

    Set 3: David Bowie, Bouncing Around the Room, Slave to the Traffic Light, Rift, Sleeping Monkey, Poor Heart, Run Like an Antelope, E: Amazing Grace, Costume Contest , The Squirming Coil
Dave Kemp
BA in American Studies
PhD in Rock and Roll