Reba - Phish
5.16.95 - Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, Massachusetts

Tomorrow marks the 14th anniversary of one of the best Rebas ever played, a true gem from a rare show.  Phish played an extended one-set charity show for Gloria Steinem’s Voters for Choice that was uncharacteristic both in its length and format, as well as an endorsement of a political cause the band collectively supported.  Phish.net reviewer John Wood said at the time:

“While there were no bad incidents to my knowledge, Mrs. Fishman told me during the day that there were a few Pro-Life protestors around Lowell in response to Gloria Steinem. She ended up not roaming the streets during the day, because she was nervous of being confronted by those protestors. But now to Vermont’s Phinest! Phriends, they are going to kick *major* butt this Summer, as they premiered 9 new songs last night, 6 of them originals.”

Indeed, they did play a surprising amount of original material, very fitting for such a unique setting.  What’s uncanny to me are the circumstances in which this fantastic show took place and the situation that will roll into Fenway Park just two weeks from Sunday.

Geographically both shows are taking place in the band’s familiar stomping grounds of New England, specifically Massachusetts.  And in both cases the band are playing in settings and around causes they haven’t in the past.  While in 2004 Phish did play Brooklyn’s cozy Keyspan Park, the experience will be much larger and more unique this time. It will be a privilege to see Phish at one of MLB’s most hallowed ballparks with the majesty of Kuroda’s light show bouncing off the Green Monster to the delight of almost 35,000 fans.

The question, however, is what new material will Phish bring to the game?  Will we arrive to some polished new songs that were put down in an NYC studio last month? And what covers can we expect to come into the mix?  It would be an excellent environment to drop some surprises on both fronts (I’m rooting for Boston’s Foreplay/Longtime).  I hope they push the boundaries early in this tour to establish a new identity, while moving gems from the past into the mix in interesting ways.  As most fans know, this is a band that really picks up momentum on the road, and this tour is promising a variety of opportunities to move it off the charts.  Summer tour is upon us.

Setlist:

Don’t You Wanna Go*, Ha Ha Ha*-> Spock’s Brain*, Strange Design*, Reba, Theme From the Bottom*, HYHU-> Lonesome Cowboy Bill*-> HYHU, Free*, Glide II*->You Enjoy Myself, Sweet Adeline, Sample in a Jar

E: I’ll Come Running*-> Gloria*#

*First time played (publicly)
#One verse only; for Gloria Steinem

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