One Saturday evening on the 15th of October in 1994, Phish took the stage following the opening act of the Dave Matthews Band. The first set opens with a nostalgic Wilson due to the absence of crowd participation during the song's initial section. Little did the Alabama concert goers realize that the group evolving before them would have a combined net worth of over $230 Million within a few years. Wilson segues into Sparkle which moves into Simple which in turn develops into a nice version of Maze. At this point, the first set is throbbing with an intense "type 1" jamming style which reverberates off Red Mountain in north-central Alabama. Phish then metaphorically welcomes the crowd to the show with a cool version of Glide. Reba includes another nice jam before melting into a Disease. Disease delivers even more of the "type 1" experience before segueing into Golgi. This interesting version of Golgi features extensive volume dynamics from Trey just prior to the piece's climactic ending which also serves as an exclamation point to the end of the first set. Trey thanks the audience and assures the patrons that his band will return shortly.

After a much needed breath of fresh air, the band returns to the stage for the second set at Oak Mountain where the Pelham sun has dipped well beyond the reaches of the horizon. The band begins constructing abstract musical movements that continue for an extended period of time at the request of Jon Fishman. This entrancing movement serves as the opening portion of 2001 before the drums kick in. The set opening 2001 includes a tasteful blues & funk infused jam section. The band then segues into Jim which itself contains another musical exploration by Phish into an interesting and spacey tangent. Phish then gets the blood flowing with a Haley's Comet that quickly escalates and revisits additional "type 1" jamming that was exuded in the first set. Trey is basically on fire at this point as he steamrolls a path for the group into Mule. It is now time for Page McConnell to leave his mark on this show. The final segment of Mule is closed with Page's inspired trance-type jamming. After the Russian lullaby that is the end of Mule, Trey begins arpeggiating the first notes to YEM. YEM continues on a clean path until the funky release following the tension from the build up of the song's middle section. This release packs a punch that reminds the crowd why they have all congregated together on this fall night in the deep south. Page refusing to step down takes 2 rounds of soloing during the funky section of YEM before the band enters a vocal jam. This vocal jam acquires a unique form when it moves into Catapult before twisting back into a YEM finishing vocal jam that could make the hairs on the neck of any veteran Phish fan stand straight up. Following all of the YEM chaos the band reminds the spectators that all is OK with a beautiful a-cappella version of Amazing Grace. In an amazing turn of events, the band adds a banjo to the mix and performs a breathtaking acoustic version of Boston's Foreplay/Long Time. Who are these guys again and what galaxy are they from? As if the audience required anything else, the members of Phish return to their principal instruments and proceed to continue on with a straightforward Bouncing 'Round which in turn gets the heads bobbing once again. The band moves swiftly from the conclusion of Bouncing into a rocking Suzy full of energy to end the set. Phish returns to the stage to perform an encore, but this encore is one unlike any others. To initiate the encore, Carter Beauford performs a Buddy Rich-esque Drums, which is a Phish rarity, with Jon Fishman. The vibrant drum solo is capped off with the members of Phish and the Dave Matthews Band entering into a raw jam that eventually decomposes into The Maker. The Maker, a Phish debut, concludes the encore and this the show itself. Who would have imagined that the same area mined by Birmingham's Sloss Furnace in the late 1800's would become the canvas upon which Phish would paint a brilliant musical masterpiece?

There's nothing wrong with the circulating AUD of this show, but 10/15/94 would make an interesting LivePhish archival release, because the band lowers their volume rather often during this show. The best example is the Catapult section in the middle of the YEM jam, but Reba and Golgi also have extended quiet sections, and a SBD would also capture the band using the group mics for Amazing Grace and Foreplay/Long Time. Plus, there's some mumbled banter at the start of set 2, as the band is checking their vocal mics - it sounds like Trey is saying "I feel like farting" in a silly, weasely voice, before Fishman says, "Aw, I bet Trey thinks this has gone on too long"! Would a SBD illuminate what this was all about? :-)

Yep, was there, heard and saw it. My friend ditched me, but who cares, I had ganja and Phish! DMB still in their toddler stage, so that was sort of cool, I guess...
Regardless, they opened with Wilson, and did a YEM->Catapult->YEM in the 2nd set. And again, I had lots of ganja. So yeah, it was a damn good night!

Great show. First set is succinct and tasty.

2001 is a common second set opener at this time, and YEM->Catapult->YEM is interesting.

I don't care what anyone else says, but The Maker is one of the best songs written in the 1980s if not all time. A true masterpiece. I wish this could get played again.

This is a really solid show, from the opening notes of Wilson through the closing of Suzy, the band is nearly perfect. Even though the first last hardly lasts an hour, it is full of energy and spirit. It seems almost every version of those early Simples' were performed differently and they are all great. The Reba is a great straightforward version with a nice long peak that can get any Reba fans rocks off. I love early Diseases' and this one does not disappoint; great type 1 work here. Things end with a bang with Golgi and we'll be back in 15 minutes. Ha

Second sets opens with a classic 2001 that features some extra mustard in some of the improved sections and sounds very fresh. The Jim extends itself (just a bit) outside its realm and Halley's is a welcomed precursor to SOAMule. The YEM is a fantastic version complete with Catapult and an excellent jam with a really cool bass/drum solo and vocal jam. This YEM has a lot to offer and is easily the highlight of the set. The set continues with a predictable Foreplay/Longtime and ends perfectly with a Bouncin' and Suzy.

With all the DMB hate that flies around here, I really liked the encore with the drums jam and the debut of The Maker, it made for a great combo to end the night on.

Overall: Top-shelf Phish and a classic example of their tight, energy-fueled '94 style of playing. 4/5

My second show and the second one in the Birmingham area that year. Oh how I yearn for the days when even a city Birmingham's size could possibly get two shows a year! They graduated from playing a thousand seat club in the spring to playing a 10,000 seat amphitheater in the fall. That's quite a leap in five months.

Show opens with "Wilson" and it's very peculiar to go back and hear a show without the crowd chanting "Wiiiiillllllsoooooooon" during the intro. "Maze," "Glide," "Reba," and "Down With Disease" were a hell of a four pack. You forget how satisfying a crisp "Glide" can be these days considering how seldom it's played. Really solid type 1 DWD too. It's grown up a lot since the spring already. First set was good, but nothing you'll be shouting from the roof tops about.

Second set is pretty happening and what you'll want to check out if you're a person that doesn't always listen to full shows. The 2001 > Runaway Jim and the Jim in particular really shine. Around the 7:00 minute mark of Jim it takes a hard turn and just gets nuts and is one you'll want to return to again and again. Halley's and Mule always put a smile on my face and then we get a YEM -> Catapult -> YEM that is an absolute delight. Super cool vocal jam too and I'm not typically a big fan of vocal jams. I always feel like the a cappella and bluegrass tunes of this era take the air out of a set and it was pretty quiet after YEM finished with Amazing Grace, Foreplay/Long Time and Bouncing Around the Room before ending the set fast and hard with Suzy Greenberg.

The encore was atypical in that it featured a Drums segment with Fishman and Carter Beauford and then went into a band jam before segueing into Daniel Lanois's "The Maker." It was played with all five members of DMB on stage too and is a great tune. Probably doesn't fit super well into the Phish world, but I'm glad I got to see it.

All in all, a solid show with a few stellar moments worth checking out.

I like this show. I don’t think it’s an exceptional show but it has a couple of solid highlights. The first set is fairly standard for the era except for the Reba, which is pretty great. While there are better versions this year, this one is good enough to potentially save an otherwise ordinary set.

And just when I thought this show might not have anything that was going to really blow me away, along comes that Runaway Jim in the two spot in set II. Sure, the 2001 is nice but this Jim, while not particularly long, is a fiery version that made me do an insta-re-listen. At one point there was bit of screaming from the band and after that the jam takes off for an interesting little run. I found this to be a very worthwhile take and it might be my favorite version that I’ve heard recently and I recommend giving it a listen or two.

The YEM is the other major show highlight. This one is full of ‘94 awesomeness, and I like the little Catapult diversion and that the band dives right back into its jam afterwards.

The encore is also noteworthy as it includes members of the Dave Matthews Band. Dave sings lead vocals on The Maker, a tune I’ve loved since first hearing it covered by the Jerry Garcia Band.

Overall, this is a decent Fall ‘94 show with a number of highlights.