Skin It Back > Cities - Phish
4.29.87 - Nectar’s, Burlington, VT

While the originality and creativity of mid-to-late ‘90’s Phish is unbeatable, sometimes I find myself going back and listening to the band in their earlier days when it wasn’t about their trademark tones or ability to seamlessly morph from original composition to original composition with such fluidity that jaws would drop.  No, in these days it was just about rocking out.

One of the most memorable moments I have from seeing Phish was not even in front of the band.  It was listening to their soundcheck from my car during my nearly 24 hour solo journey from Camden, NJ to Limestone, ME for the IT Festival.  Out of the middle of a funky jam filled with some Gordo bombs appeared “Skin It Back,” a Little Feat original that Mike has always had great admiration for.

This particular selection finds Mike belting out “Skin It Back” as Trey rips the song a new one, then cooling off as they slide into Talking Heads’ “Cities.”  Phish’s love of good music has always been one of the most human aspects of a band that in later years began to seem larger than life.