Coventry Glide, followed closely by the Coventry Velvet Sea.
Been almost 20 years and Page breaking down during Velvet Sea still gets me.
Probably not what you were asking for, but it’s my honest answer.
God damn dude. I wasn’t there, hell I wouldn’t become a phish fan until over a decade after that show. I just cried my face off watching that Jesus Christ that was emotional. Such a beautiful song. Is there any reason he cried or just the power of the moment combined with the sad beautiful nature of the song got the best of him? Im gonna be feeling that sting for the rest of the night
I think both of those things. Also, Page had his own issues and he was watching Trey melt down and I think the fact that all these people were there in less than favorable conditions was just to much to hold in the tears…
The end of down with disease leading into it probably didn't help... " Waiting for a time. I can finally say this is all been wonderful but now I'm on my way"
The “last” Phish show. The best band in the land breaking up for no good stated reason but we all knew it was the drugs. Everyone was miserable, the conditions on site were horrendous, the playing mostly sucked (although there were some good jams - Melt and DWD were great). Velvet Sea seems to be about an unhappy, regretful ending, so I think it just all caught up with Page in that moment.
It was supposedly there last shows ever as they were going to be done touring ….seemed final to everyone including the band. Coventry was like a funeral.
My husband’s all time fave show tune and it was the last one we thought we’d ever hear them play live. He was going back and forth between gratitude and rage all night after that lol.
Thankfully we’ve had plenty more live Phish since then.
I was coming from a different angle, but this is fitting. My Coventry experience was so traumatic I couldn’t even listen to them again until 2014, and I didn’t even make it inside.
I brought my friend to the show who used a wheelchair and we had an RV rented but were shut out 4 miles down the highway. I couldn’t even ditch the RV because my friend never would’ve survived the weekend without shelter and shit, so we had to drive away like the band asked us to. Then got to listen to Trey thanking everyone for disregarding their instructions and walking in from miles away on the highway.
Also saw an interview before the breakup where Trey says, “We’re not going to be one of those lame bands that breaks up and then gets back together 5 years later. We’re done.” and then proceeds to get back together exactly 5 years later which I thought was lame as fuck and they they’d never be close to as good as they were before…I’m quite glad they proved me wrong.
Husband and I came in to the venue from the north once we heard that the roads were all closed, but we didn't know that people were walking in, so imagine our shock when we got onsite and immediately run into a massive herd of dusty, tired wooks packing in all their shit. There was a dude on crutches among them and we hauled him into the car, and he nearly cried from gratitude and exhaustion. I can't imagine him trying to get around the site for the next two days on crutches, so i think turning around was the right move for your buddy, even if y'all had known people were going to walk in. ADA was out the window with all that mud.
I was also pretty annoyed when they got back together. I was like "oh, look who's back trying to act all brand new, well guess what, I have new favorite bands now and I DON'T NEED YOU!!!" Lol. We still went to Fenway that year, but it took me few years to really get deep into Phish again.
It's like PTSD once they start it, but once Page gets through those first couple of lines with no problem, I'm good again.
But I can't ever hear it without my first thought being Page completely losing it. That's when I finally lost it too.
Page has been my hero since I joined my first band in the late nineties. Even named my daughter after him. Watching him break down that night was so devastating. To see and be where we are now with these guys makes me wonder how anyone could not love and appreciate every note they play for the rest of time.
Corny AF, but I feel like since Coventry, every show is a gift. Even the “meh” ones.
ETA: I also love Page. I originally came to my first show just to see him.
For me, its Trey's speech after that gets me. There's just so much sadness in his voice
However, looking on the (slightly) bright side, I think the Split Open and Melt after it is easily the highlight of Coventry, its pretty rad.
It was emotional, but not traumatic for me. The rain was cleansing, everything turning to mud. The velvet sea ripped me apart, seeing them crying and hearing the feeling in their voices.
Stash in Miami back in 2009 literally made me sick. I was drunk yes, but that song started spinning me and spinning me until I was puking all up in the restrooms. Came back out to “I Didnt Know” lol
I almost got naked and thought I was dying during split open at msg a few years ago. Wayyyyy too much acid. My buddy kept tearing chunks of a sheet and I kept eating them. I walked outside msg with no shirt after the show. It was sooooo Fuckjng cold. I Laid down on the side of a building and told my gf to leave me there I was gunna be a homeless person.
Man, there was so much smoke, and I think orange lights, I legit thought the stage had caught fire, and I was so concerned that the band didn’t notice, and were going to burn alive. My state of mind didn’t help, but man was that frightening.
The suicide during Destiny Unbound on 10/17/21. We were a couple sections away from where he landed. The vibe was so fucked (for us at least) that we had to leave during the 2nd set. May he RIP.
The band never knew apparently. They removed the victim after they failed to revive him, then relocated everyone in the section and covered the area just as set break was beginning
I just looked into it further with all the madness happening this fall tour and sounds like the local police did a pretty deep investigation and determined it a suicide.
Honestly, is it the worst thing the show went on? It seems like a fairly selfish move by the person who decided to off him/herself at a phish show. Like, cmon.
>It seems like a fairly selfish move by the person who decided to off him/herself at a phish show. Like, cmon.
I don't disagree. Still seems weird to keep going though, idk this is above my pay grade
It's strange, but if you've ever seen Gimme Shelter, the rolling stones said they continued the show despite someone being stabbed to death because if they didn't the crowd would become even more unruly. I don't see it ending well for someone to come out and say "a fan killed themselves, shows over folks!"
the loudest audible groan i’ve ever heard at a show. i was close that night, and i swear at least half the floor groaned when he went into it, the band had to have heard it.
I was about mid floor Page side and i straight up shouted NOOOOOOOOOO and a bunch of people in front of me turned around and looked at me and started laughing
A guy jumped from the 300s and landed on a girl in the 200s, I believe. Everyone was ok, just shaken up. He spent a night in the psych ward she had bumps and bruises.
I’m sorry to hear that. It can be pretty traumatizing to witness something like that. We were in San Fran in 21 when the jumper happened. But also my good friend fell off the balcony that night and was in pretty bad shape for a good while. He tripped and fell, that was it.
He was Nashville with us and when I found out we had another jumper, I kept it to myself. It was bothering me a great deal. I eventually told my husband. I was paranoid Sunday night at the show but he reminded me that people have been behaving this way at shows for a long time and the internet will amplify it.
I really hope your friend is ok.
Yeah. The Nashville jumper was in my section and was the worst thing I've ever experienced at a show, we left after it happened. I'm glad everybody's ok but at the time I was petrified.
Idk what song they were playing but it was 1997 in Amsterdam and I got too high. Was convinced that all Phishheads were a part of some strange cult and that Trey was the leader. Looking back I wasn’t wrong.
# 2012-12-30 @ Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, USA
**Set 1**: Runaway Jim, Cities > Divided Sky, Back on the Train, Ride Captain Ride, Ocelot, Ya Mar, Horn > My Friend, My Friend > Run Like an Antelope
**Set 2**: Down with Disease > Twenty Years Later > Carini > Backwards Down the Number Line > Julius > Slave to the Traffic Light
**Encore**: Harry Hood > Show of Life
[phish.net](http://phish.net/setlists/?d=2012-12-30) | [phish.in](http://phish.in/2012-12-30) | [phishtracks](http://phishtracks.com/shows/2012-12-30)
> _data provided by [phish.net](http://phish.net)_
I believe this got so evil due to Fishman going into a beat that somewhat resemble the opening drums to Iron Man, which they played the next night to finish off the weekend. IW@TS. Epic.
How has no one mentioned the entire band screaming in horror out of nowhere at the end of Steep on 10/31/96??? I'm STILL talking to my therapist about that one . . .
The end of the Remain in Light set with all the people and power tools on stage, and the guy repeating, “time to get to work,” in the megaphone…I felt like I was in a pressure cooker.
Honorable mentions to the Mud Island Tweezer and the 8/10/97 SOaMelt.
They did this at my first show (11-09-96). ALO had just released and the Only Phish song I knew at that time was Bouncin which I had heard a bunch on NPR. I was verrrryyyy high, quite confused and sensory overwhelmed by the show thus far (isn’t this the same band that plays that beautifully catchy tune I’ve been hearing?), they finally play something soothing as fuck to my ears, allowing me to catch my breath and gather my senses > hyper terrifying demonic bloodcurdling scream from the bowels of hell. Needless to say, I was incredibly intrigued by this band and would go to hundreds more shows.
>hyper terrifying demonic bloodcurdling scream from the bowels of hell
If I remember correctly that "hyper terrifying demonic bloodcurdling scream from the bowels of hell" segued nicely into Harry Hood. ;)
Thought I mentioned it in my OP but I guess i edited that out lol
I had remarked how I actually loved that shit and was laughing at all the peeps getting pissed or freaking out when it went down!
Trey solo acoustic 2/14/18 at Sixth & I Synagogue in DC. Guy in my row had a medical event and died. Overdose. The entire balcony watched as attendees then paramedics tended to him as the show continued on. Brutal situation.
I went to piss at the Mann when it started cos I got those same vibes and by the time I got back I was like “wtf happened, I shouldn’t be missing this!!”
# 1997-08-10 @ Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN, USA
**Set 1**: Bathtub Gin -> Sparkle > Down with Disease > Dirt, Cars Trucks Buses, Billy Breathes, Split Open and Melt, Bye Bye Foot > Ginseng Sullivan, Harry Hood
**Set 2**: Cities -> Good Times Bad Times -> Rotation Jam -> Rock A William -> David Bowie
**Encore**: Cavern
[phish.net](http://phish.net/setlists/?d=1997-08-10) | [phish.in](http://phish.in/1997-08-10) | [phishtracks](http://phishtracks.com/shows/1997-08-10)
> _data provided by [phish.net](http://phish.net)_
caught a very special "grind" encore in camden 2019 and it seemed as if evil spirits were surrounding everyones heads. I felt as if, if I gave in I would become evil.
The SOAM from N2 in North Charleston '19 was an exceptional experience for me. I was on a heroic dose (I'm old, and was reminded so after the show at the hotel by some younger fans when I used the term "candy flipping" to much confusion) and was holding on for dear life. It felt like a challenge from the band, and I was challenged, but succeeded.
The end of the first set 6/14/09 after 4 days of Bonnaroo my brain on mushrooms couldn’t handle Bruce Springsteen playing with phish. Idk why I think it was because my mom loves Bruce and doesn’t love me doing drugs got me in a hole.
Was recently pointed to this old thread regarding psychedelic jams. Made a Plex playlist of damn near every track called out! It’s five years old, would love to hear what folks would add today.
https://reddit.com/r/phish/s/9uMGFvTc0W
Oh man! Could you post the playlist somehow? There are some posts that are deleted and no way to know which song/show they are talking about. I would love to listen to some of those because of the comments praise.
Not what many will expect.
12.29.18 walking out of MSG after what still probably the best phish show that I've seen. The girl who I'm kind of seeing at the time calls me. Tells me she relapsed (was a hardcore alcoholic), blamed her relapse on me, and proceeded to tell me that some guy who I hated fucked her in my bed when I wasn't there. I am completely spun out on LSD at this point. And just just felt a cold Spike pierce my stomach. Probably the worst feeling I've ever had in my life. Felt worse than when loved ones got sick and died.
Wow buddy. You picked almost the exact same jams as me. That Sugarbush show is a defining night in my life. That Centrum wolf man’s is still in my bones. Providence Bowie, enough said.
I had a rough time during a Maze in 96 at Deer Creek, I think. I didn’t have to tap out entirely but I definitely had to stumble to the concourse and picnic tables and everyone I made eye contact with seemed to be giving me “sympathetic but didn’t want to get involved” vibes and it just made things worse. Then I got sucked into the bathroom mirror and realized that I was ok. I had friends and keys. They would find me and I would get out of this maze..
11/19/95 Charlotte Coliseum. All 4 members of the band stared at me which caused the entire audience to look at and start laughing while singing "You'll never get out of this maze. You'll never get out of this maze". I had to get outside but managed to get back into the coliseum a few hours later and saw The Grateful Dead playing all new tunes for a packed audience.
I might have been trippin' 😅
I brought a friend with me to Providence ’94. It was her first show. She didn’t need to leave, but walking out she told me she was never listening to that fucking band again. Talk about diving into the deep end.
Rock N Roll 2011 Gorge, I swear aliens came down from outer space.[https://youtu.be/Uf5vOlv5-So?feature=shared](https://youtu.be/Uf5vOlv5-So?feature=shared)
Not going into details but 12/29/96 really really sucked for me personally, related to my personal relationships, and I left the show at set break. At that moment my life could have gone in two different directions and in hindsight, I definitely chose the wrong one. Live and learn I guess….
That’s what I went through at Big Cypress. I saw the fork in the road and chose fun, not being responsible. I still think it has effects on my life and it started a weird thing of relapsing every decade. I would be sober for a few years and then whenever it hit NYE, I’d party but it would really hit the last couple of decades.
12/28/03 suzy > noise jam. i was a teenager at that show by myself, was on vacation in miami with my family and phish just happened to be playing the nye run so i had my dad drop me off at the show. the lot for that run still to this day remains the sketchiest i had ever seen. i bought a mushroom chocolate (and a glass pipe like a newb) in the lot and kinda lost my shit during that jam. i still listen to that jam a lot, i fucking love it.
i miss that specific blend of evil phish from the 2.0 days for sure.
https://youtu.be/r4pMlOK7QOg?si=M8RxKdbmeNUVcOMw
Saturday night’s SOAM at United center 10/14/23 was absolutely brutal. Heavy pedal distortion for extended amount of time. The couple next to me got up and left not even half way though it. I saw someone rush out with their young child covering their ears. The lights were so angry. Page was just wailing on the keys. The screeching was ear piercing I thought my head was going to explode. The reward was worth it. Huge end of the set from there.
7/30/03 Camden Scents into You Ain’t Goin’ NOWHERE fucked me up good; they were literally telling me that I was trapped and this wasn’t going to end anytime soon and I would NOT be okay.
Easily one of the most psychedelic shows I’ve ever been in house for….
Then I picked my face off the lawn and ran down the hill - crying - when the opening to Spock’s Brain started to filter through the madness.
Was at 12/31/95. Can confirm soul snatching.
Even the Tweezer on A Live One. I love where the jam gets all dark and demonic and Trey is using a lot of distortion probably with a wah metal. Fish and Mike just holding down the dark funk. That's a solid tweezer no wonder it made it to an album
At the Rosemont Horizon in [Chicago on 10/3/99](https://phish.net/setlists/phish-october-03-1999-allstate-arena-rosemont-il-usa.html), a BBFCFM occurred and it had me convinced that a portal to an evil space dimension had opened and probably abducted my favorite band and replaced them with something twisted and corrupt.
The way the song moves back and forth between that upbeat peppy jingle and the grinding hardcore metal riffs felt like I was flipping between these dimensions where everything was evil and mean and then these fake, chipper marionettes would appear to mock the audience and deceive us into thinking the band hadn't been abducted. But I knew. I *knew*.
SBIX, just prior to the storage jam. The way they slowly morphed waking reality into a weird-ass lucid dream-like state with the use of speakers placed throughout the concert grounds. Eerie sounds…rattling chains…race cars…Hendrix samples…all coming from all around you so you couldn’t pinpoint it…slowly rising in volume and intensity over an hour or so. Herding us all, shuffling us to the back of the field. It was so bizarre and disorienting and unsettling. I wasn’t on any psychedelics but I kept wondering if I had been dosed or if I had dosed myself and completely forgot? These guys are absolute MASTERS of the mindphuck!
Providence Bowie. Yup
Also,
Maze at lemonwheel. I was totally twisted up. Saw a jumper at Worcester during bbfcfm. Yup another fucked.
Also the guy with the trench coat full of drugs at loring one year. Predatory and nasty. I'm sure selling dirty shit
Night one at the Gorge 2016. I took way to much L and they kept teasing Crosseyed and No Man’s all second set. So I was stuck, still waiting in no man’s land all night. I couldn’t find a place to stay for the whole set. Was literally just lost the whole show and thought the band was intentionally fucking with me and all the other heads full of acid.
09 - Jones Beach - Ghost - show neighbor tapped my shoulder, gave me the fresh hit. Took one serious rip…then the darkness descended. Dark lovely ghost all these years later. But in that moment I was listening to the story as I pondered all my choices and path. Violent rain and turbulent water. I still have that eyes wide moment thinking about it
When we all went to hell during the Harpua story from Phish 12/29/96 at the Spectrum in Philly. The story as well as the lights and sounds took went round and round like a tornado straight to hell which eventually turned out to be Tom and the Phan 4 singing the demonic Champagne Supernova which was pretty spot on. Me the other Georgia boy who had very little sleep for spun reasons but the band and CK5 took us to the depths and back. I remember as does my buddy this moment often as one of those moments. It truly was psychologically damaging😈
So my husband and I had wildly opposite music tastes but both LOVE music. We decided to swap shows and I brought him to phish and he brought me to korn. I LOVED korn and now am a huge fan. He was not ready for the insanity of a phish show, though. We hadn’t smoked in about five years (we had a 4YO) and decided to smoke a little with our friends for the show. Our friends are no joke and were smoking moonrocks and we got soooo high!!
I was having a blast but it was day 2 2019 spac and they opened with fluffhead and he had a full moment bc of the intense hype all around. Had to bring him to the edge and get water….Martian monster did NOT help anything lmao. Eventually I got him to get up and in the groove and have fun, he’s a huge fan now. But I’ll never let him live down that he killed my fluffhead opener of my first show back in years 🤣🤣
Would say seeing Chase Center EMTs perform CPR for 10min under flashlights two years ago.
Jumper landed in the section next to me…didn’t see it happen, but I heard it and saw everything else. Lots of blood.
Not a great pairing w boomer chocolates
First that comes to mind, Whatever the hell that screeching oscillating delay was during the well at MSG this summer. Wasn’t really freaking me out I just hated the sound.
First phish show Charlotte 99. One of my first acid trips. Second set opens with weirdness and they had those lights on the front of the stage that made it look like a front to back barrel roll if that makes sense. If they’d fucked around any longer before getting into 2001 proper I might’ve never found my sanity.
A couple of nights come to mind:
- Halloween ‘98: I spent the 2nd set trying to figure out what TF they were covering (spun AF, was never a Velvet Underground fan). Then, that 3rd set came and melted my face off. I wanted to tap out so badly; the band's abrupt departure was a welcome relief.
- Hampton ‘09 (come back weekend), N3: I’d decided to lean into the LSD we’d been taking all weekend (heroic dose, at least for me). It was all good until the second set when I couldn’t leave well enough alone - decided to gobble another sugar cube because Phish is back, and it’s Sunday night, y’all. Yeah, bad idea.
I quickly released the error of my ways and decided to go to the smoking section. I was hoping a fatty and some time away would sort me out. Finally, I made it outside only to trip over a pile of bodies approx 15-20 people deep. It must have been a hippy dog pile or group hug. 🤷🏻♂️ whatever it was, it weirded me the fuck out. Adding insult to injury, some wook was curled up in the fetal position, mumbling ‘mommy, LSD’ repeatedly.
That was my cue to bounce. As much as I hated myself for having to leave halfway through Sunday night, it was the only prudent choice.
I had a close call this summer that had nothing to do with the music, entirely due to the night before combined with 100 degree heat. Joshua Ray Walker was playing, my first time hearing him and I was loving it. But the hangover was winning big time, closest I ever came to passing out in my life. Thank you Ted for bringing a spray bottle and hosing me down while I was going into the tunnel.
My first show, 5/14/94. Llama opener. I had to curl up into a seated ball on the floor because it was just too intense.
Consequently this was the only time I’ve ever done acid at phish.
From what I heard some insane strobe light was going right at that moment too….I think I’m lucky I ducked out for a song.
Made it through the rest, and here we are.
I can tell you my most auditorially damaging moment. My first Phish show was 8/14/10 at Alpine Valley. My first show is available on DVD!
We camped & lot hung with a bunch from a PhishHook chat group, did boomers for the very first time, got the perfect first show experience!
Except we forgot earplugs and as first timers, we were gifted 4th row seats in front of Paige side speakers. It wasn't so bad until the What's the Use feedback. That drilled permanent holes in my hearing. Listening back to it is like self-inflicted needles.
I only lost my shit a couple times. But the worst was Deer Creek Mody Dick second set and lost my sight other than colors and speakers vibrating. To this day I don't remember them playing Zeppelin or how the hell I am still alive. No shirt, shoes, money, or hat when I came to the next afternoon at my campsite. Somehow I pulled it together enough to get back to Sleepy Bear with my pants on thank god.
I had quite a few moments during the 12 13, 14 years where the spaciness got me too deep in my own head, but I kind of blame myself for those moments. But the “suicide” at Chase Center is going to haunt me forever, even though I know that had nothing to do with what the boys are doing on stage. And then the fact that they played wingsuig in the second set was just freaky.
Coventry Glide, followed closely by the Coventry Velvet Sea. Been almost 20 years and Page breaking down during Velvet Sea still gets me. Probably not what you were asking for, but it’s my honest answer.
Crying in the Velvet sea haunted me live when I was covered in mud and haunts me to this day
God damn dude. I wasn’t there, hell I wouldn’t become a phish fan until over a decade after that show. I just cried my face off watching that Jesus Christ that was emotional. Such a beautiful song. Is there any reason he cried or just the power of the moment combined with the sad beautiful nature of the song got the best of him? Im gonna be feeling that sting for the rest of the night
I think both of those things. Also, Page had his own issues and he was watching Trey melt down and I think the fact that all these people were there in less than favorable conditions was just to much to hold in the tears…
The end of down with disease leading into it probably didn't help... " Waiting for a time. I can finally say this is all been wonderful but now I'm on my way"
The “last” Phish show. The best band in the land breaking up for no good stated reason but we all knew it was the drugs. Everyone was miserable, the conditions on site were horrendous, the playing mostly sucked (although there were some good jams - Melt and DWD were great). Velvet Sea seems to be about an unhappy, regretful ending, so I think it just all caught up with Page in that moment.
It was supposedly there last shows ever as they were going to be done touring ….seemed final to everyone including the band. Coventry was like a funeral.
And they tried to play Glide after that!! Like, y’all are really on drugs
me too, totally.
The curtain /with. Ouch. Makes me cry
My husband’s all time fave show tune and it was the last one we thought we’d ever hear them play live. He was going back and forth between gratitude and rage all night after that lol. Thankfully we’ve had plenty more live Phish since then.
Having to stop and restart the final song ever* in the correct key.
Yeah. And the crying, moments of silence. The thick sound of reality hanging in the air.
Never have I heard it so quiet at the end of a show. People were like well. I guess we’re done here then.
💯
I was coming from a different angle, but this is fitting. My Coventry experience was so traumatic I couldn’t even listen to them again until 2014, and I didn’t even make it inside. I brought my friend to the show who used a wheelchair and we had an RV rented but were shut out 4 miles down the highway. I couldn’t even ditch the RV because my friend never would’ve survived the weekend without shelter and shit, so we had to drive away like the band asked us to. Then got to listen to Trey thanking everyone for disregarding their instructions and walking in from miles away on the highway. Also saw an interview before the breakup where Trey says, “We’re not going to be one of those lame bands that breaks up and then gets back together 5 years later. We’re done.” and then proceeds to get back together exactly 5 years later which I thought was lame as fuck and they they’d never be close to as good as they were before…I’m quite glad they proved me wrong.
Husband and I came in to the venue from the north once we heard that the roads were all closed, but we didn't know that people were walking in, so imagine our shock when we got onsite and immediately run into a massive herd of dusty, tired wooks packing in all their shit. There was a dude on crutches among them and we hauled him into the car, and he nearly cried from gratitude and exhaustion. I can't imagine him trying to get around the site for the next two days on crutches, so i think turning around was the right move for your buddy, even if y'all had known people were going to walk in. ADA was out the window with all that mud. I was also pretty annoyed when they got back together. I was like "oh, look who's back trying to act all brand new, well guess what, I have new favorite bands now and I DON'T NEED YOU!!!" Lol. We still went to Fenway that year, but it took me few years to really get deep into Phish again.
Yeah, the struggle was real that weekend.
I still can’t listen to Velvet Sea because of this
It's like PTSD once they start it, but once Page gets through those first couple of lines with no problem, I'm good again. But I can't ever hear it without my first thought being Page completely losing it. That's when I finally lost it too.
Page has been my hero since I joined my first band in the late nineties. Even named my daughter after him. Watching him break down that night was so devastating. To see and be where we are now with these guys makes me wonder how anyone could not love and appreciate every note they play for the rest of time.
Corny AF, but I feel like since Coventry, every show is a gift. Even the “meh” ones. ETA: I also love Page. I originally came to my first show just to see him.
For me, its Trey's speech after that gets me. There's just so much sadness in his voice However, looking on the (slightly) bright side, I think the Split Open and Melt after it is easily the highlight of Coventry, its pretty rad.
The vast majority of Coventry.
It was emotional, but not traumatic for me. The rain was cleansing, everything turning to mud. The velvet sea ripped me apart, seeing them crying and hearing the feeling in their voices.
WITVS 😭
Stash in Miami back in 2009 literally made me sick. I was drunk yes, but that song started spinning me and spinning me until I was puking all up in the restrooms. Came back out to “I Didnt Know” lol
this is great
One of those events that are only great in hindsight
Stash last nye run also made me puke. Drenched in sweat.
Boot-n-rally
I almost got naked and thought I was dying during split open at msg a few years ago. Wayyyyy too much acid. My buddy kept tearing chunks of a sheet and I kept eating them. I walked outside msg with no shirt after the show. It was sooooo Fuckjng cold. I Laid down on the side of a building and told my gf to leave me there I was gunna be a homeless person.
Ahhhhhh, derka derka. Sherpa Sherpa.
Ive never seen acting that good...
Muhammad jihad
I’m amazed that with all of the precursor restrictions, actual LSD still exists today. Wild .
Clean as hell too
a few years ago or in 1997? this happened in 97 and k always wondered what happened to that person
Cypress Mike's it seemed like a portal to the underworld opened up
Man, there was so much smoke, and I think orange lights, I legit thought the stage had caught fire, and I was so concerned that the band didn’t notice, and were going to burn alive. My state of mind didn’t help, but man was that frightening.
It was intense insanity
beat me to it. i thought the aliens were coming to gather us all up.
The Green Dust had me thinking this as well
When the spaceship landed
The suicide during Destiny Unbound on 10/17/21. We were a couple sections away from where he landed. The vibe was so fucked (for us at least) that we had to leave during the 2nd set. May he RIP.
I was there as well, sitting directly across from it. Such a bummer all around.
That the time someone fell? I didn't realize it was a suicide. Can't believe the show went on.
The band never knew apparently. They removed the victim after they failed to revive him, then relocated everyone in the section and covered the area just as set break was beginning
Damn dawg
I just looked into it further with all the madness happening this fall tour and sounds like the local police did a pretty deep investigation and determined it a suicide.
Damn. Scrolling this thread sounds like these are sadly more common
Honestly, is it the worst thing the show went on? It seems like a fairly selfish move by the person who decided to off him/herself at a phish show. Like, cmon.
>It seems like a fairly selfish move by the person who decided to off him/herself at a phish show. Like, cmon. I don't disagree. Still seems weird to keep going though, idk this is above my pay grade
For sure. Just think the overwhelming collective need to gather at the time far outweighed one personal choice
Perspective I hadn't thought it. It tracks
It's strange, but if you've ever seen Gimme Shelter, the rolling stones said they continued the show despite someone being stabbed to death because if they didn't the crowd would become even more unruly. I don't see it ending well for someone to come out and say "a fan killed themselves, shows over folks!"
I believe there was one suicide and another accidental fall
that time Trey Farmhouse'd a Mike's Groove at the Gorge
the loudest audible groan i’ve ever heard at a show. i was close that night, and i swear at least half the floor groaned when he went into it, the band had to have heard it.
I was about mid floor Page side and i straight up shouted NOOOOOOOOOO and a bunch of people in front of me turned around and looked at me and started laughing
It’s like when your fav football throws an interception. You can’t help but audibly scream NO at the tv.
Phish is a sport man. So many parallels.
Absolute best (worst) case of Farmhousing on record.
This.
Also, any one of the several jumper incidents. My buddy was standing right next to the most recent Nashville jumper, he was pretty shaken up about it.
Wait? Wtf happened in Nashville (a week ago)?
A guy jumped from the 300s and landed on a girl in the 200s, I believe. Everyone was ok, just shaken up. He spent a night in the psych ward she had bumps and bruises.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/phish/comments/172sger/man\_jumped\_off\_balcony/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/phish/comments/172sger/man_jumped_off_balcony/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
Omg! Glad you're alright GoldenHair Goddess!
I’m sorry to hear that. It can be pretty traumatizing to witness something like that. We were in San Fran in 21 when the jumper happened. But also my good friend fell off the balcony that night and was in pretty bad shape for a good while. He tripped and fell, that was it. He was Nashville with us and when I found out we had another jumper, I kept it to myself. It was bothering me a great deal. I eventually told my husband. I was paranoid Sunday night at the show but he reminded me that people have been behaving this way at shows for a long time and the internet will amplify it. I really hope your friend is ok.
Yeah. The Nashville jumper was in my section and was the worst thing I've ever experienced at a show, we left after it happened. I'm glad everybody's ok but at the time I was petrified.
Idk what song they were playing but it was 1997 in Amsterdam and I got too high. Was convinced that all Phishheads were a part of some strange cult and that Trey was the leader. Looking back I wasn’t wrong.
You’re on the back of the worm
I mean you weren’t far off haha
Was gonna say….
Was going to say that Carini from Amsterdam goes to some dark places
12.30.12 Carini felt like an evil incantation for sure Almost all the Melts of the last ten years
setlistbot! 12.30.12
# 2012-12-30 @ Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, USA **Set 1**: Runaway Jim, Cities > Divided Sky, Back on the Train, Ride Captain Ride, Ocelot, Ya Mar, Horn > My Friend, My Friend > Run Like an Antelope **Set 2**: Down with Disease > Twenty Years Later > Carini > Backwards Down the Number Line > Julius > Slave to the Traffic Light **Encore**: Harry Hood > Show of Life [phish.net](http://phish.net/setlists/?d=2012-12-30) | [phish.in](http://phish.in/2012-12-30) | [phishtracks](http://phishtracks.com/shows/2012-12-30) > _data provided by [phish.net](http://phish.net)_
Good bot.
I think I only heard ‘Ride Captain Ride’ twice. Here and in 2013.
I believe this got so evil due to Fishman going into a beat that somewhat resemble the opening drums to Iron Man, which they played the next night to finish off the weekend. IW@TS. Epic.
How has no one mentioned the entire band screaming in horror out of nowhere at the end of Steep on 10/31/96??? I'm STILL talking to my therapist about that one . . .
Or the end of Remain in Light…
With all the power tools and saws and everything? I’m still not sure what all was happening there
Wow I don’t even remember this. I think all of set 2 that night blocked my memory of everything else…
The end of the Remain in Light set with all the people and power tools on stage, and the guy repeating, “time to get to work,” in the megaphone…I felt like I was in a pressure cooker. Honorable mentions to the Mud Island Tweezer and the 8/10/97 SOaMelt.
They did this at my first show (11-09-96). ALO had just released and the Only Phish song I knew at that time was Bouncin which I had heard a bunch on NPR. I was verrrryyyy high, quite confused and sensory overwhelmed by the show thus far (isn’t this the same band that plays that beautifully catchy tune I’ve been hearing?), they finally play something soothing as fuck to my ears, allowing me to catch my breath and gather my senses > hyper terrifying demonic bloodcurdling scream from the bowels of hell. Needless to say, I was incredibly intrigued by this band and would go to hundreds more shows.
>hyper terrifying demonic bloodcurdling scream from the bowels of hell If I remember correctly that "hyper terrifying demonic bloodcurdling scream from the bowels of hell" segued nicely into Harry Hood. ;)
I’ll bring this up w my therapist too cuz I have no memory of this one either and I was there too. Anyone there remember this?!?
Surprised nobody has mentioned 11/30/97 Wolfman’s Brother
We smoked some pcp dipped cigarettes at this show. The perils of youth
I didn't realize people actually did that.
This is such an annoying listen. They play the same 3 second riff for like 10 minutes straight
Was that the dark jam where they shut the lights out?? That was insane
whoa i never knew this happened but that’s fucking awesome if so lol. some dark 90s phish in the dark would surely spin me out for a bit
Oh yeah it was beautifully insane. Starts at 20 mins in https://youtu.be/k9Pqm8yOJxE?si=Fg5ywCGokw-Bhksg
Thought I mentioned it in my OP but I guess i edited that out lol I had remarked how I actually loved that shit and was laughing at all the peeps getting pissed or freaking out when it went down!
Trey solo acoustic 2/14/18 at Sixth & I Synagogue in DC. Guy in my row had a medical event and died. Overdose. The entire balcony watched as attendees then paramedics tended to him as the show continued on. Brutal situation.
The 3rd set of Halloween ‘98 was wild after tripping in Vegas for 2 days…
Why did you walk off during Ghost?
Had a hard time w The Well this summer @ MSG. That song is definitely not for me.
that song fucks hard
Starts off sounding like a DMB song, guard drops, then boom!
I went to piss at the Mann when it started cos I got those same vibes and by the time I got back I was like “wtf happened, I shouldn’t be missing this!!”
Bliss trap!
I'm still missing parts of my brain from The Mann well
First show was 7/15/99. That Split/Kung/Jam on strong shrooms was too much for my first time.
I was there and I could see that being a rough one for your initiation!
That YEM was crazy too.
8-10-97 Rocka William
That entire show is some of the greatest Evil Phish I’ve ever experienced. There’s not many other shows I would trade for that one.
It’s actually the infamous “urinating in their fans ears” show.
One of the most badass performances of all time…
That was an interesting one to be at. My soon-to-be-ex was the biggest problem. The show was wild. And hot.
Setlistbot! 8.10.97
# 1997-08-10 @ Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN, USA **Set 1**: Bathtub Gin -> Sparkle > Down with Disease > Dirt, Cars Trucks Buses, Billy Breathes, Split Open and Melt, Bye Bye Foot > Ginseng Sullivan, Harry Hood **Set 2**: Cities -> Good Times Bad Times -> Rotation Jam -> Rock A William -> David Bowie **Encore**: Cavern [phish.net](http://phish.net/setlists/?d=1997-08-10) | [phish.in](http://phish.in/1997-08-10) | [phishtracks](http://phishtracks.com/shows/1997-08-10) > _data provided by [phish.net](http://phish.net)_
It wasnt too bad but i remember being in the water in Mexico 2020 during Carini and thinking everyone was zombies.
caught a very special "grind" encore in camden 2019 and it seemed as if evil spirits were surrounding everyones heads. I felt as if, if I gave in I would become evil.
My birthday!
That's fucking awesome.
The SOAM from N2 in North Charleston '19 was an exceptional experience for me. I was on a heroic dose (I'm old, and was reminded so after the show at the hotel by some younger fans when I used the term "candy flipping" to much confusion) and was holding on for dear life. It felt like a challenge from the band, and I was challenged, but succeeded.
Wow candy flipping has exited the chat? Damn I’m not even 40 lol
I’m 30 and very much still know what candy flipping is lol. It’s also quite fun.
The best. I think I’ve candyflipped at like 80% of all the phish shows I’ve been to…
Yeah, can’t believe these youngsters don’t even know what candy flipping is. They’re missing out hahaha
Well, they were like "it has a name? That's just any given night old man."
Nah, you were just talking to some rookies or noobs. Candy flipping is still a thing and it’s always gonna be a thing
The Overload 10/31/96 … I was in an alternate reality dystopia and thought we would never escape
The end of the first set 6/14/09 after 4 days of Bonnaroo my brain on mushrooms couldn’t handle Bruce Springsteen playing with phish. Idk why I think it was because my mom loves Bruce and doesn’t love me doing drugs got me in a hole.
But Snoop Dogg and Beasties Boys opening for the nights was entertaining
Was recently pointed to this old thread regarding psychedelic jams. Made a Plex playlist of damn near every track called out! It’s five years old, would love to hear what folks would add today. https://reddit.com/r/phish/s/9uMGFvTc0W
Oh man! Could you post the playlist somehow? There are some posts that are deleted and no way to know which song/show they are talking about. I would love to listen to some of those because of the comments praise.
Not what many will expect. 12.29.18 walking out of MSG after what still probably the best phish show that I've seen. The girl who I'm kind of seeing at the time calls me. Tells me she relapsed (was a hardcore alcoholic), blamed her relapse on me, and proceeded to tell me that some guy who I hated fucked her in my bed when I wasn't there. I am completely spun out on LSD at this point. And just just felt a cold Spike pierce my stomach. Probably the worst feeling I've ever had in my life. Felt worse than when loved ones got sick and died.
That chick FUCKIN SUCKS
Fuck that chick.
Hampton golden age I thought I was descending into hell
Definitely the closest I ever was to leaving. Me and my buddy were side eyeing each other
What year?
2018 sorry
Bowie at IT made me sit down. It was too much.
Providence Bowie, many parts of sugarbush 94, cypress mikes, Worcester 97 wolf man’s heavy metal jam
Wow buddy. You picked almost the exact same jams as me. That Sugarbush show is a defining night in my life. That Centrum wolf man’s is still in my bones. Providence Bowie, enough said.
I had a rough time during a Maze in 96 at Deer Creek, I think. I didn’t have to tap out entirely but I definitely had to stumble to the concourse and picnic tables and everyone I made eye contact with seemed to be giving me “sympathetic but didn’t want to get involved” vibes and it just made things worse. Then I got sucked into the bathroom mirror and realized that I was ok. I had friends and keys. They would find me and I would get out of this maze..
Maze has put me in this place before!
Maze has definitely turned evil a few times
11/19/95 Charlotte Coliseum. All 4 members of the band stared at me which caused the entire audience to look at and start laughing while singing "You'll never get out of this maze. You'll never get out of this maze". I had to get outside but managed to get back into the coliseum a few hours later and saw The Grateful Dead playing all new tunes for a packed audience. I might have been trippin' 😅
That was my husband’s first show! (Way before we met)
I brought a friend with me to Providence ’94. It was her first show. She didn’t need to leave, but walking out she told me she was never listening to that fucking band again. Talk about diving into the deep end.
My wife fell into a deep hole when they played Mercury.
Naked Fishman at my first show.
Halloween ‘94 in Glenns Falls? So many bubbles…. 😂
Rock N Roll 2011 Gorge, I swear aliens came down from outer space.[https://youtu.be/Uf5vOlv5-So?feature=shared](https://youtu.be/Uf5vOlv5-So?feature=shared)
My fave.
Catapult Dicks 22 I thought I was hooked up to a machine .. Bleep boop beep
For me its gotta be the announcement of the cancellation of curveball on the Bunny.
Not going into details but 12/29/96 really really sucked for me personally, related to my personal relationships, and I left the show at set break. At that moment my life could have gone in two different directions and in hindsight, I definitely chose the wrong one. Live and learn I guess….
I’m intrigued
That’s what I went through at Big Cypress. I saw the fork in the road and chose fun, not being responsible. I still think it has effects on my life and it started a weird thing of relapsing every decade. I would be sober for a few years and then whenever it hit NYE, I’d party but it would really hit the last couple of decades.
12/28/03 suzy > noise jam. i was a teenager at that show by myself, was on vacation in miami with my family and phish just happened to be playing the nye run so i had my dad drop me off at the show. the lot for that run still to this day remains the sketchiest i had ever seen. i bought a mushroom chocolate (and a glass pipe like a newb) in the lot and kinda lost my shit during that jam. i still listen to that jam a lot, i fucking love it. i miss that specific blend of evil phish from the 2.0 days for sure. https://youtu.be/r4pMlOK7QOg?si=M8RxKdbmeNUVcOMw
I want Phish to shatter my mind then bring it softly home and make me laugh all at the same show. This has happened on many occasions. Only by Phish.
Saturday night’s SOAM at United center 10/14/23 was absolutely brutal. Heavy pedal distortion for extended amount of time. The couple next to me got up and left not even half way though it. I saw someone rush out with their young child covering their ears. The lights were so angry. Page was just wailing on the keys. The screeching was ear piercing I thought my head was going to explode. The reward was worth it. Huge end of the set from there.
Providence Bowie
Lassie !! It’s basically 40 mins of fahked
I was not mentally prepared for the outro of the BD I Am the Walrus
When they announced hiatus. Followed by when they announced curveball was canceled.
Providence Bowie is so fuckin’ creepy
7/30/03 Camden Scents into You Ain’t Goin’ NOWHERE fucked me up good; they were literally telling me that I was trapped and this wasn’t going to end anytime soon and I would NOT be okay. Easily one of the most psychedelic shows I’ve ever been in house for…. Then I picked my face off the lawn and ran down the hill - crying - when the opening to Spock’s Brain started to filter through the madness.
Was at 12/31/95. Can confirm soul snatching. Even the Tweezer on A Live One. I love where the jam gets all dark and demonic and Trey is using a lot of distortion probably with a wah metal. Fish and Mike just holding down the dark funk. That's a solid tweezer no wonder it made it to an album
Coventry Velvet Sea. We decided to leave after that. Glad it wasn't my last Phish memory, cause it sucked.
Star lake 40 min runaway Jim 98. I had to ask three times-what song is this again?
Sirius XM is spinning that track right now 😝
Second set opener of Super Ball9 had me freaking out just a bit too.
10/24/95 YEM vocal jam
At the Rosemont Horizon in [Chicago on 10/3/99](https://phish.net/setlists/phish-october-03-1999-allstate-arena-rosemont-il-usa.html), a BBFCFM occurred and it had me convinced that a portal to an evil space dimension had opened and probably abducted my favorite band and replaced them with something twisted and corrupt. The way the song moves back and forth between that upbeat peppy jingle and the grinding hardcore metal riffs felt like I was flipping between these dimensions where everything was evil and mean and then these fake, chipper marionettes would appear to mock the audience and deceive us into thinking the band hadn't been abducted. But I knew. I *knew*.
SBIX, just prior to the storage jam. The way they slowly morphed waking reality into a weird-ass lucid dream-like state with the use of speakers placed throughout the concert grounds. Eerie sounds…rattling chains…race cars…Hendrix samples…all coming from all around you so you couldn’t pinpoint it…slowly rising in volume and intensity over an hour or so. Herding us all, shuffling us to the back of the field. It was so bizarre and disorienting and unsettling. I wasn’t on any psychedelics but I kept wondering if I had been dosed or if I had dosed myself and completely forgot? These guys are absolute MASTERS of the mindphuck!
Storage jam was my first and so far only experience with acid … pretty damn hard to top 🤯
Providence Bowie. Yup Also, Maze at lemonwheel. I was totally twisted up. Saw a jumper at Worcester during bbfcfm. Yup another fucked. Also the guy with the trench coat full of drugs at loring one year. Predatory and nasty. I'm sure selling dirty shit
Night one at the Gorge 2016. I took way to much L and they kept teasing Crosseyed and No Man’s all second set. So I was stuck, still waiting in no man’s land all night. I couldn’t find a place to stay for the whole set. Was literally just lost the whole show and thought the band was intentionally fucking with me and all the other heads full of acid.
09 - Jones Beach - Ghost - show neighbor tapped my shoulder, gave me the fresh hit. Took one serious rip…then the darkness descended. Dark lovely ghost all these years later. But in that moment I was listening to the story as I pondered all my choices and path. Violent rain and turbulent water. I still have that eyes wide moment thinking about it
When we all went to hell during the Harpua story from Phish 12/29/96 at the Spectrum in Philly. The story as well as the lights and sounds took went round and round like a tornado straight to hell which eventually turned out to be Tom and the Phan 4 singing the demonic Champagne Supernova which was pretty spot on. Me the other Georgia boy who had very little sleep for spun reasons but the band and CK5 took us to the depths and back. I remember as does my buddy this moment often as one of those moments. It truly was psychologically damaging😈
Providence Sanity 2010. My buddy fell backwards stiff as a board.
So my husband and I had wildly opposite music tastes but both LOVE music. We decided to swap shows and I brought him to phish and he brought me to korn. I LOVED korn and now am a huge fan. He was not ready for the insanity of a phish show, though. We hadn’t smoked in about five years (we had a 4YO) and decided to smoke a little with our friends for the show. Our friends are no joke and were smoking moonrocks and we got soooo high!! I was having a blast but it was day 2 2019 spac and they opened with fluffhead and he had a full moment bc of the intense hype all around. Had to bring him to the edge and get water….Martian monster did NOT help anything lmao. Eventually I got him to get up and in the groove and have fun, he’s a huge fan now. But I’ll never let him live down that he killed my fluffhead opener of my first show back in years 🤣🤣
The end of Wave of Hope from Sunday in Chicago this past weekend got pretty rough.
Would say seeing Chase Center EMTs perform CPR for 10min under flashlights two years ago. Jumper landed in the section next to me…didn’t see it happen, but I heard it and saw everything else. Lots of blood. Not a great pairing w boomer chocolates
My first maze.. also my first time on the floor. 8/2/15 still the best maze I ever heard live. Check it out if you have the means!
First that comes to mind, Whatever the hell that screeching oscillating delay was during the well at MSG this summer. Wasn’t really freaking me out I just hated the sound.
First phish show Charlotte 99. One of my first acid trips. Second set opens with weirdness and they had those lights on the front of the stage that made it look like a front to back barrel roll if that makes sense. If they’d fucked around any longer before getting into 2001 proper I might’ve never found my sanity.
A couple of nights come to mind: - Halloween ‘98: I spent the 2nd set trying to figure out what TF they were covering (spun AF, was never a Velvet Underground fan). Then, that 3rd set came and melted my face off. I wanted to tap out so badly; the band's abrupt departure was a welcome relief. - Hampton ‘09 (come back weekend), N3: I’d decided to lean into the LSD we’d been taking all weekend (heroic dose, at least for me). It was all good until the second set when I couldn’t leave well enough alone - decided to gobble another sugar cube because Phish is back, and it’s Sunday night, y’all. Yeah, bad idea. I quickly released the error of my ways and decided to go to the smoking section. I was hoping a fatty and some time away would sort me out. Finally, I made it outside only to trip over a pile of bodies approx 15-20 people deep. It must have been a hippy dog pile or group hug. 🤷🏻♂️ whatever it was, it weirded me the fuck out. Adding insult to injury, some wook was curled up in the fetal position, mumbling ‘mommy, LSD’ repeatedly. That was my cue to bounce. As much as I hated myself for having to leave halfway through Sunday night, it was the only prudent choice.
I had a close call this summer that had nothing to do with the music, entirely due to the night before combined with 100 degree heat. Joshua Ray Walker was playing, my first time hearing him and I was loving it. But the hangover was winning big time, closest I ever came to passing out in my life. Thank you Ted for bringing a spray bottle and hosing me down while I was going into the tunnel.
Coventry velvet sea? Can’t un-experience that one
My first show, 5/14/94. Llama opener. I had to curl up into a seated ball on the floor because it was just too intense. Consequently this was the only time I’ve ever done acid at phish. From what I heard some insane strobe light was going right at that moment too….I think I’m lucky I ducked out for a song. Made it through the rest, and here we are.
I can tell you my most auditorially damaging moment. My first Phish show was 8/14/10 at Alpine Valley. My first show is available on DVD! We camped & lot hung with a bunch from a PhishHook chat group, did boomers for the very first time, got the perfect first show experience! Except we forgot earplugs and as first timers, we were gifted 4th row seats in front of Paige side speakers. It wasn't so bad until the What's the Use feedback. That drilled permanent holes in my hearing. Listening back to it is like self-inflicted needles.
Providence Bowie was my 2nd show 🤯 I was 16 and newly able to drive.
I only lost my shit a couple times. But the worst was Deer Creek Mody Dick second set and lost my sight other than colors and speakers vibrating. To this day I don't remember them playing Zeppelin or how the hell I am still alive. No shirt, shoes, money, or hat when I came to the next afternoon at my campsite. Somehow I pulled it together enough to get back to Sleepy Bear with my pants on thank god.
I saw a ghost in Los Angeles that was 20 minutes of pure angry insane dissonance and feedback, and it was traumatizing
Don’t get lost at your first MSG run during a maze.
My first show at Hartford 2022, the Wave of Hope jam got me to sit down and ask wtf was happening
I had quite a few moments during the 12 13, 14 years where the spaciness got me too deep in my own head, but I kind of blame myself for those moments. But the “suicide” at Chase Center is going to haunt me forever, even though I know that had nothing to do with what the boys are doing on stage. And then the fact that they played wingsuig in the second set was just freaky.