Customer Reviews

Live Phish Vol. 20: 12/29/94, Providence Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

yeah, I was there but it was only my 3rd show and have little memory of it. We all know this show is worth buying for the Bowie alone, so I won't repeat the obvious. I would like to point out, however, that while there aren't any particularly standout improv moments besides Bowie, there are some really tight versions of other songs that serve as good '94 reference material. I'm not a huge fan of Runaway Jim these days, but this opener is a fun jam - listen closely for the "Dueling Banjos" tease that Trey plays VERY slowly - and not only is the jam fun, but the segue into Foam is killer...and the Foam is AWESOME. I mean, just listen to Trey's jazzy, scat-like guitar work during the quiet part of the jam. Good stuff.

The Uncle Pen is very tight and it's good to hear a mid-90s version on a crispy soundboard. The Possum rages too, with some evil chords from Trey right before the orgasm.

In set 2, I thought the Lizards was just about as solid and energetic as it gets. Great piano solo from Page. Good Times Bad Times is also killer, with a great tease of another Zepp tune in there. And in the encore you gotta love the acoustic bluegrass rendition of Long Journey Home...their vocal harmony is great here. I feel Page's vocal peak was in the mid-90s...not like that was the only thing that peaked in the mid-90s...

Summing up, yes you must listen to the Bowie until you can hear it in your sleep because it is one of the best head-trips ever provided by these guys - but don't overlook the overall tightness of the show as a whole. Guyute fans beware, though, this early version is pretty rough around the edges...

The David Bowie song is frikin awesome!
Id would spend [the amount] just for that one song!!
Why? Because Phish is just awesome and I cant even describe it.
Only fans of these guys would know it.
Sorry to the people who don't know much about Phish cause this review probably won't help you too much.
Alright Peace out

Keep in mind that I have not quite earned the right to call myself a Phish Phan; I am merely a casual listener who cut his teeth on the Grateful Dead and am just beginning to dive into the sea of Live Phish.

I purchased A Live One a few weeks back. Actually I re-purchased it, I had owned it once before but never gave it a thorough listen to and wound up selling it a few years back.

That album was great, but it didn't quench my thirst for some new live music, so I picked up few sets from the Live Phish series. Volume 20 was one of those sets.

While there are certainly some high points on the disc, the disc also contains some parts that are just downright troublesome for me. The most notorious being the several minutes of whistles and calls for Lassie toward the end of David Bowie. They turned an otherwise intense improv into a bad joke. I could barely finish out the song.

Crackin' Rosie, however, is a great joke, and the band effortlessly walks the fine line betwen musical genius and parody. Good Times, Bad Times is right on. Sleeping Monkey is kind of out there; but how else would they end such a bizarre show?

This is No. 20 in the "Live" series of Phish concerts, and boy, is this a good one. "Live 20" (2 CDs, 17 tracks, 145 min.) features a concert from December, 1994 at the Providence Civic Center. Things start off with a blast, "Runaway Jim->Foam", you can just tell the band is on fire that night. Other highlights on CD1 include the gentle "If I Could", and "The Horse->Silent in the Morning".

But the true highlights (for me anyway) are found on CD2, starting off with a 35 min., shall we say, workout (mostly instrumental) of "David Bowie". It's probably not for everyone's taste, but I think it brings out the genius of Phish. But "Halley's Comet->The Lizards" is equally delicious. The Neil Diamond cover "Cracklin' Rose" falls flat (poor vocals) but Trey & Co. fire back with a great "Good Times, Bad Times" Zep cover. The encore of the traditional "My Long Journey Home" and "Sleeping Monkey" put the "!" on a great show.

This particular show reminds me of how much Phish owes to the motherlode of all jam bands, the Dead, with quite a few "traditional American"-sounding tunes (in particular on CD1--check out "I Didn't Know" with the delightful "Luke Skywalker" interlude). In all, a great addition to the on-going (I hope?) series of the "Live" recordings. Highly recommended!

A truly magical night of music, this is must have for any fan of the band. I attended the gig almost 10 years ago and knew when I walked out that I had witnessed one that would go down in "phishtory". The first set is only average with textbook plays of a bunch of Phish standards. However, you will buy this for the 30 minute Bowie...you must buy it for the 30 minute Bowie. Inspired, flowing jams that intensify then relax. Atonal chords transpire into beautiful harmonies and melodies. Finally, the over the top ending is like a snowball rolling downhill and leaves you wondering how so much energy can be created by 4 musicians playing 4 instruments. Enjoy!

if you are a fan of the psychedellic intense spacey years of phish, this david bowie is going to blow you away, the most amazing experimental phish jam i think i have ever herd, this jam really takes you to some eerie and psychologicly intense places, this is what 94 is all about, there are some other great jams on this show like; split open and melt, runaway jim->foam, haleys commet, possum, guyte, and the lizards, but the david bowie is simply epic, if you have never herd this version of the song and youre a phish fan you owe it to yourself to check this out, its legendary

This is one of my favorites of the Live Phish series. Die-hard Phish fans may like the abstract non-melodic David Bowie, but I prefer the harmony of Halley's Comet. Trey gives us some really tasty guitar work on Possum. And Sleeping Monkey is a great wrap-up.

The range of musical styles on this release is incredible. If I Could is more mellow than is typical of Phish, but comes off well. Good Times, Bad Times is more heavy metal than is typical, but it comes off well too. Split Open and Melt is discordant at times, but then finishes with one measure of strong guitar cords. My Long Journey Home has a country/bluegrass feel to it. And The Lizards tells a story about a knight in shining armor.

Their sense of humor is displayed with "Luke Skywalker on the Electrolux," and many of their songs have amusing lyrics, if you think about them in the right way.

The more I listen to it the more this release grows on me. But, personally, I skip over David Bowie.

These reviews are not exagerrating or being dramatic at all. The David Bowie towards the beginning of the 2nd set really is as good as everyone says. You must hear it to understand. This jam to me signifies everything Phish is about and what they are capable of. In fact, I wish they'd just release set 2 because set 1 is pretty boring and standard with no real surprises or outstanding jams.

I've listened a number of their studio albums, but haven't heard to much of their live material. I thought they were awesome in this performance and was really blown away.