From: Icculus3@aol.com
Subject: 6/24/95 review for the web page

Phish Mann Music Center 6/24/95
The Scene: I feel the best way to start off this review is by saying that the
Mann is a GREAT place to see phish. I've been seeing Phish there since 93'
and it is wonderful. The Mann is surrounded by trees and there are no parking
lots, it is all grass. The minute I got there I saw tons of people hacking,
throwing the frisbee and just sittin and listenin to music. Many people were
sellin food and other cool stuff. The atmosphere got me so pumped up for the
show. 
The Show: I reached my seat about 45 minutes before the show started and
engaged in a great conversation with these people from Massachusetts. When
the lights dimmed I was pumped for the show!
The opener was FEE, it was not the worst opener I can think of, but nothing
special. It is an enjoyable tune and much of the audience seemed to greatly
enjoy it.
RIFT came next, Rift is standard, but I of course didn't lose faith in the
set yet.
SPOCK'S BRAIN is a fun song. I think that fun is a good word to describe it.
They had fun with it at Lowell with the voting and such and they seemed to
have fun with it here too. 
JULIUS was next. Although they jammed this out a little more than usual, I
still was becoming greatly disapointed with the first set so far.
GLIDE didn't bring me out me from the doldrums either. This was getting very
standard!
MOUND was not what I was looking for to stop my disapointment, but it did do
just that. The song mound has a lot of sentimental value to me and I enjoyed
it a lot! "And it's time time time........
Mound restored my excitement and it got me siked for what came next, STASH. 
 This Stash was not as good as the Gainseville Stash and can't even be
compared with the Great Woods 94' Stash, but I have heard much worse. This
Stash clocked in at a little under 20 minutes. It was solid and bordreline
spacey. At times it was getting a little out there and spacey, but Trey kept
bringing it back. This Stash could have been a lot better than it was. 
HORSE> Standard .... I mean SILENT, came next, Can you say Buzz Kill?
SQUIRMING COIL closed out a terribly standard set. Page's solo was as always
beautiful, but I've heard many Page nights in my years, I was hoping Mike or
Fish would step up on this night, guess not....
This was the worst set I have ever heard Phish play, it was the only time I
have ever been left unsatisfied by a set. On a scale of one to ten, five
being average, I give this set a 2.0. 
Set II  
This set needed to be great, to restore my confidence in this show and that
it was.
The 2001 opener was smoking! As I always say openers set the tone for the
rest of the set. 2001 set the tone for an upbeat and creepy second set. 2001
went right into HALLEY'S COMET which was a first for me. I felt priviledged
to hear this somewhat rare tune. Fishman started singing in weird raspy voice
for a couple seconds. He sounded like my 80 year old Grandma who has been
smoking since the 20's. After Halleys there was 2 minutes of space and weird
stuff. It was really messing with my mind. Out from the space came the
opening chords to BOWIE and the place went nuts. It was crazy! This Bowie
just didn't want to end, it was  l   o   n     g   and PHAT, they seuged into
some spacey stuff and then into some all out jammin. This Bowie sounded very
much like the one from Deer Creek, five days earlier. By the time Bowie was
coming to a close everyone was sweaty and out of breath. We had been taken
away by the sounds and we needed something to bring us back down to earth.
LIFEBOY did just that. Sometimes Lifeboy might be considered a buzz kill, but
in this case it was placed perfectly in the context of this set. My heart was
finally beating at a normal pace again when SUZY GREENBURG started. There was
nothing special about this Suzy except that the whole place was dancing like
they had never danced before. There was a high energy level in that building.
Then came my first HARRY HOOD, I couldn't believe it, I was so happy. It was
amazing, what a song! I had my eyes closed and I was loving it. The music was
flowing right into me. The vibes were amazing. By the end I felt like I was
about to combust. Despite the fact that Page blurted out Harry about a minute
to soon, this Hood was perfect. It was fun to see Page become bashful.
ACOUSTIC ARMY was next and we were silent. Trey thanked us for being so
quiet. Then the band came to the front of the stage and started talking some
incoherent mumbo jumbo, it was quite amusing to see them fooling around.
Right before SWEET ADELINE the band put surgical masks on their heads and
thanked some guy in the front row for giving the "cool hats" to them. After
Adeline they kicked into GOLGI APPARATUS, this song is so much different live
then it is on tape or CD. It is such a good song to hear when the band and
audience is pumped up. That closed a wonderful second set.
They came back out for the encore and played, AXIS: BOLD AS LOVE. This a
first hopefully not a last for me. This is such a beautiful song and a
wonderful closer. Trey played amazing, one could have mistaken him for Jimi.
What an unbelievable closer! Trey thanked us again and told us that we were
truly a wonderful audience and he meant it. Possibly that was his way of
apologizing for the weak first set. Nevertheless, Bold as Love took me out of
there excited for the next night at the Mann. 
 On a scale one to ten, I give this second set 6.5. It was truly a great set.
Pick up the second set but let the first alone.
-Jesse