Search - Phish :: Live Phish Vol. 18: 5/7/94, The Bomb Factory, Dallas, Texas

Maybe the best of the series

04/03/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hi, I've heard all 20 of the releases in the Live Phish series and was definately blown a way by the excellent work the band put in on this volume. I was also a little surprised no one else has really seriously reviewed this offering, so I thought I would. First, this show is from the mid 90s, when Phish was really winning alot of fans over on the Jam band circuit from the aging Grateful Dead with a string of funky, and innovative shows. Someone said, "If the Dead were a wild 60 mph ride on back country roads, then Phish is a supercharged rocket ride through space." The shows from this era were energetic, incredibly varied, and featured remarkably balanced jamming from the boys. Among those shows, this show stands out as a true gem. The first set features some excellent jamming in Llama, Divided Sky, Split Open and Melt, Scent of a Mule, and the Suzy that ends it. It also has some of the great ballads from that era that were sadly phased out in later shows like "If I could," "Mound" and "Fast Enough For You." Of course, the real treasure in this show is the second set. After a few warm-up ballads, the band gets down to some of their best jamming, really ever, in a monster 25+ min Tweezer that explores the range of the song from power packed fusion jamming to a gutsy style blues, complete with Jesus Just Left Chicago- style shouts and moans, to haunting ambient jamming. Keyboardist Page McConnel is a monster in the entire show (Page fans out there really need to grab this one), and this section of the second set is one of his best performances. The Tweezer triumph complete, the boys segue seamlessly (a real mark of a great show) into and out of perenial favorites, Sparks, Makisupa, and Walk Away (with Aero Smith Sweet Emotion Tease)and cover the mid-90's hit "Cannonball." The set ends with Drummer Jon Fishman singing Purple Rain. As normal, the cover ends with a Hold Your Head Up (HYHU) Outro. Fans who enjoy the high energy that moment often brings to a set will love the final jam which takes the HYHU theme to another level of energy and fun. A difficult to hear acapello Amazing Grace and Sample comprise the encore, but after the second set display, who cares? As usual in this series, the Filler provides amazing highlights from another show that year. After 20 releases, and probably $450 into this series, I hope the boys send us another 20."

5 Stars for set 2, which blows you away

Paul Allaer | Cincinnati | 03/06/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Phish continues its "Live" series with this set from a show in July, 1994 from Dallas. "Live 18" (3 CDs, 186 min.) is remarkable for set 2 of the show, and a treasure for any Phish fan.



CD1 (70 min.) is OK, but nothing remarkable as such, except for a great "Split Open and Melt". But CD2 (78 min.) is really where it's at. After a tentative "Loving Cup" and "Sparkle", the band gets grooving into a 70 min. long jam that is as good as Phish ever gets, starting with a terrific 25+ min. "Tweezer" that jams just terrific. According to Mike Gordon's liner notes, "we decided to jam the whole (2nd) set... all songs connected... song list abandoned", and it shows, with great tongue-in-cheek covers of, among others, The Who's "Sparks" and Prince's "Purple Rain", you can just feel the band having fun and rocking out. "Tweezer" shows up a few more times in various forms, bookending the set. CD3 (38 min.) contains (besides the encores) a great 22 min. instrumental jam from a November, 94 show in Missouri.



The "Live" collection contains many great shows, but "Live 18" is one of the stand-outs, as Set 2 is Phish is as great as you'll find them anywhere. Highly recommended!"

Fun, and not to be taken too seriously...

Vandelay Industries | Augusta, GA USA | 12/02/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm suprised to see some folks rating this show so harshly. Sure, it's not a show with elite jamming, but it's such a fun ride that you shouldn't care about the occasional pothole or speed bump. The second set is arguably the first time Phish truly threw the rulebook out the window & just played on gut instinct all the way through. This set actually was the set that converted a few of my friends into fans...the "Sparks", "Cannonball", "Walk Away", and "Purple Rain" covers (all thrown into the middle of a bizarre "Tweezer" jam) make for a fun and somewhat accessible evening, and remind us that sometimes we NEED shows like these. I mean, if you can't muster up a giggle during the hilarious-yet-somewhat- faithful-to-the-original "Purple Rain", you might be crossing into "music snob" territory...lol As Robert Plant once said, "does anyone remember laughter?!" That's not to say it's ALL fun n' games...the frenetic jamming that eventually morphed into the "Tweezer Reprise" got down to business, and reminds us why some folks travel across the country to see this band live. Long story short: this show is like a Harlem Globetrotters game...it's not on the level of an NBA game (your typical Phish show), but it's got flash & you'll find yourself smiling alot once you realize you shouldn't be taking it too seriously."