At the time this was my favorite of the four 96 Red Rocks shows. It's kind of embarrassing but after the "your most embarrasing moments" thread in the forum, i feel I need to tell it. It's a funny(and somewhat gross) story about me during this particular Mike's Groove. Well, mainly Mike's>I Am Hydrogen. I was taping so I was in the taper section, and I happened to be tripping pretty hard for this one. In classic 96 fashion this was a long 20 min type II Mike's Song. This Mike's was so evil. It nearly scared me to death

I had a head cold, my sinuses were plugged, my ears wouldn't pop and I had 8db mutes(earplugs) in to try and quell the pain from the loud music. Mike's Song starts up and everything is fine, except for this head cold, right? Well they drop into that initial evil jam after the lyrics. The bass is just rumbling off the rocks. Dun dun dun da dun dun da dun dun. The bass at Red Rocks is a beast! Well between the bass, the L, and the lighting I started buggin out. It all started when, for some unknown reason, I thought the snot dripping down my throat from my sinuses was actually blood. I thought my brain was bleeding!!!! Don't know how I started thinking such a thing but it started a chain reaction of anxiety and paranoia that ended up being something I look back at and laugh about. Anyways, In the same span of a few minutes of me thinking my brain is bleeding I start getting these weird nerve sensations running down the backs of my legs. I thought I had shit my pants!!!!

So I'm in the taper section trippin out, and I'm holding my hand up to see if there is any shit on my hand. Kuroda's red lights were not helping the cause. I couldn't tell if I could see brown or not. Woah! I am losing it. I'm in this cramped as hell tapers section. My brain is bleeding, I have shit running down my legs, and I'm afraid all the people in the section are going to smell me. All the while Mike's song is just rumbling along. Fuck!!! I am really panicking here. I keep trying to use the CK5 lights to see shit, or smell anything on my hand. Also I'm wiping the backs of my legs to feel if they are wet and I am still worried about the snot/blood dripping down my throat. Jesus what is happening to me I thought.

Alas, Mike's starts to wind down and the first notes of Hydrogen begin. Finally!! My saving grace. I had never been as happy before, nor since, for I Am Hydrogen to start. Ahhhhh!! It's like the music instantly calmed me down. At the same time CK5 hits the bright white lights. Yayyy!! I can see!! I look at the backs of my legs and there's no poop. I then lick the palm of my hand, or something like that, to see if there is blood on my tongue. Nope! All good. I take my earplugs out and... My ears pop!! My sinus tension releases.

In what seemed like an instant I am completely convinced that I am ok. I do a once over check to make sure all systems are normal. I then spend the rest of I Am Hydrogen completely elated, and so happy to be alive. I am gonna be just fine. Until tomorrow night that is!

And if a man among you got no sin upon his hand
Let him cast a stone at me for pRaying WITH the band.

I remember people in the crowd passing around this letter with show ideas for songs.

one of the ideas was if Phish played Divided Sky to have everybody sit down in the silent part and everyone did. You could see treys face just light up. Priceless!!!

this is my favorite of the 4 night red rocks run. i like the 3rd night a lot too, but i think this is more of a complete show. of course, on this evening, all hell broke loose, supposedly, in morrison. either way, this show rocks!

everything in the first set was pretty standard but very well-played. wolfman's was a nice rarity, for the time. phish had not quite figured out what to do with this song yet; they would figure it out in about 5 or 6 monthes. papyrus also stands out as a nice quasi rarity. oh yeah, the wilson>poor heart serves as a super fun opener.

now the second set is where the fun is at. this is a pretty nice, deep 2001. page really shines here. like wolfman's mentioned above, 2001 was still about a year away from being the jam vehicle that would be blowing minds in 97/98, but this is still a very interesting version, especially if you are into hearing the evolution of some of the songs. anyway, in fairly standard fashion, 2001 gives way a very nice down with disease. i like this one a little bit more than the one that they played at the ball later in the month. granted, this one would really come into its own come fall. trey leads a nice jam that eventually starts to space out a bit. it does not hit the full-on space jam before trey drives right into a very nice second set it's ice. nothing too crazy in ice, but it fits this set very well. halley's comet is another added treat on this one. they tack on a nice little jam before page starts fiddling with the theromen. they then go into the acoustic mini stage deal they would later do at deer creek and clifford ball. pretty neat way to show some of the new billy breathes stuff. after a little accepella interlude, they drop a pretty solid mike's groove to close things out. the boys sound good on mike's, but this one does not soar as high as the clifford ball version later; it does not even come close to the deer creek version. either way though, this set has remarkable flow, and it is really non stop fun.

highlights:

set 1:
the divided sky, papyrus, wolfman's

set 2
dwd>ice, halley's, mike's groove

Visiting here during the quarantine - ASZ through Somewhere Over the Rainbow is actually a fantastic, cohesive, piece of music. I would definitely recommend that you check it out. It sounds like a blend of '95 and '97 styles. That would make sense, of course, as this took place in '96, so what I'm saying, I guess, is that this section of music realizes the potential of this year much more than many other shows.

One of my favorites... The Down With Disease alone is one of my all time favorites,just amazing... Give this set a listen!!!

This was my second show and what great experience. Again I was amazed by how tight they were, first show I attended was New Orleans Jazz fest so this was my first experience really seeing them open things up. I remember the Mike's being nasty and loud ass bass. the acoustic songs were a great way to wind down from that ride. The Haley's is one of my favorite versions because of the wah wah Trey uses. maybe this was a sign of things to come in with the funk in 97?

SET 1: Wilson: Standard. >

Poor Heart: Standard. >

Guelah Papyrus: Standard.

Divided Sky: Standard. The infamous sitting down during the silent part as organized by Phish.net

Wolfman's Brother: Standard.

Foam: Crushed this one, knocked it out of the park.

If I Could: Interesting how there is not a big finale in this one, just kind of goes quietly into the night.

Julius: Melted many a face.

The Squirming Coil: Beautiful solo from Page.

SET 2: Also Sprach Zarathustra: Fantastic opener! >

Down with Disease: This one has a pre-cursor to the 97 funk! Fishman puts on a clinic in the last few minutes of this one, shows why he is an all-time great behind the kit! ->

It's Ice: That was a very difficult segue to attempt to pull off and I would say they almost managed to do it. Cool jam in the middle featuring great interplay between Page and Trey.

Halley's Comet: Standard with about a 90 second jam after Halley’s proper

Over the Rainbow: Had to be there’d

Waste: Standard

Talk: Trey tells everyone how they just recorded the new album in Bearsville in an old barn with a stream right outside – staying up all night for two months straight. Many will agree this is when the hard partying era really started – at Bearsville. Believe that sentiment is backed up by a Trey interview, Rolling Stone perhaps?

Train Song: Standard.

Strange Design: Standard.

Amazing Grace: Standard.

Mike's Song: Super intense! When they wind down at the end – it gets pretty sloppy. This is a must hear version though – for any era… >

I Am Hydrogen: Standard. >

Weekapaug Groove: Smokin!!!

ENCORE: Cavern – Standard, very fast!

Summary – Really good show I thought. Big time version of DWD and Mike’s. Nice supporting cast with It’s Ice leading that charge and Foam. I think the rating from Phish.net on this one is on the money at Overall 4.046/5 (87 ratings).

Replay Value: Down with Disease, It's Ice, Mike's Song.

This show is fairly mediocre IMO but still some strong playing.

Divided Sky is played near flawlessly great version. There's some really short versions of Wolfmans and Wilson (among many other short songs). If I could is a really strong version, the harmonizing is pretty great. Julius has a very strong guitar solo.

DWD stays type one for a while before they sink into a nice groove led by Page and Fish. It gets really weird and interesting before it is ripchorded into It's Ice. The Haileys>Somewhere over the Rainbow>Waste sequence is bizarre but interesting. The little acoustic set of songs is fun but IMO should have been in the 1st set or played as an encore. Amazing grace is one of the best versions I've heard them do. Mike's is pretty shredtastic (as are most in 1996).

Cavern is cool as an encore considering it's red rocks but it's pretty straightforward.

This show has an awkward feel and feels very "songy" at times to me. But it does have some great highlights.

this is my favorite of the 4 night red rocks run. i like the 3rd night a lot too, but i think this is more of a complete show. of course, on this evening, all hell broke loose, supposedly, in morrison. either way, this show rocks!

everything in the first set was pretty standard but very well-played. wolfman's was a nice rarity, for the time. phish had not quite figured out what to do with this song yet; they would figure it out in about 5 or 6 monthes. papyrus also stands out as a nice quasi rarity. oh yeah, the wilson>poor heart serves as a super fun opener.

now the second set is where the fun is at. this is a pretty nice, deep 2001. page really shines here. like wolfman's mentioned above, 2001 was still about a year away from being the jam vehicle that would be blowing minds in 97/98, but this is still a very interesting version, especially if you are into hearing the evolution of some of the songs. anyway, in fairly standard fashion, 2001 gives way a very nice down with disease. i like this one a little bit more than the one that they played at the ball later in the month. granted, this one would really come into its own come fall. trey leads a nice jam that eventually starts to space out a bit. it does not hit the full-on space jam before trey drives right into a very nice second set it's ice. nothing too crazy in ice, but it fits this set very well. halley's comet is another added treat on this one. they tack on a nice little jam before page starts fiddling with the theromen. they then go into the acoustic mini stage deal they would later do at deer creek and clifford ball. pretty neat way to show some of the new billy breathes stuff. after a little accepella interlude, they drop a pretty solid mike's groove to close things out. the boys sound good on mike's, but this one does not soar as high as the clifford ball version later; it does not even come close to the deer creek version. either way though, this set has remarkable flow, and it is really non stop fun.

highlights:

set 1:
the divided sky, papyrus, wolfman's

set 2
dwd>ice, halley's, mike's groove