May kicked off with two college shows. The first was a frat party at Hamilton College on 5/6/89. Despite being a frat gig, the band showcased a jazz-heavy show. After the opening "Golgi" they asked the crowd to come closer to the stage. To entice them, they played "YEM." When that didn't work, Trey tried to get them to imagine they were in the Bahamas and that there was a pool party right in front of the stage. The band played "Ya Mar" as Trey goaded them for standing on the side of the pool. Trey added a "Popeye" tease as he joined in. "Fluffhead" and "Alumni" passed relatively unnoticed before a particularly speedy version of Miles Davis' tune, "Donna Lee." The rest of the set included standard fare with the jazz theme extending during "Take the A-Train" and a really jazzy jam on "McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters" to close the recording.

The next day they ventured to another college, Dartmouth, where they played the Collins Center Cafeteria. They opened with "You Enjoy Myself" and didn't spare the ridiculous. In what I would consider one of their wackier "YEMs" to this point in their career, the vocal jam lead smoothly into "I Didn't Know" and made me wonder why they hadn't done it before. As "Mike's" began, I danced and worked on getting some orders ready in the warehouse (I do have a job after all). The whole "Mike's" trilogy was smoking, and the "Weekapaug" had extra gusto. Upon it's conclusion Trey transported everyone from "Weekapaug, RI" to Gamehenge. The creepy organ of "Esther" began and I found myself impressed with their ability to tell a tale, even if it was a twisted one. Page tickled the keys nicely during the interlude. "The Sloth" made me chuckle about how aggressive parts of the song were, but how mellow sloths are. I mean, they're sloths. Their use of dynamics to punctuate "Sloth" and begin "Possum" quietly was a sign of their progress. At first the band seemed to be focused on getting through the sections without making errors, now they were beginning to work on touch, feel, dynamics, mood, passion, emotion. Masters like David Gilmour relied more on touch than chops for the most part. Those influences were becoming more easily discernible. Listening to things chronologically really allowed me to hear how each show was gradually deepening their abilities. They were consistently working up new material and tightening up the existing material. They were incredibly talented from the get-go, but there really was a beautiful architecture to their progress from "really good" to "HOLY SHIT!" These shows were showing more of a band personality than before. The band was joking around more, taking even bigger chances, and occasionally touching on what I call the "soup." It occurred when the band would get into an improvisation that lacked any recognizable reference to the song from which it came. Every good Phish show I have seen had some sort of "soup" that could have been born from any song, could have given way to any song, and was largely spontaneously composed music of uncompromised creativity. But, you already knew that. So, the show continued with a replica "Bold as Love" before Trey returned us to Gamehenge. The crowd requested "The Tire Song" (Contact), which made the band chuckle, and Trey told the requestor they wouldn't be playing "The Tire Song" yet. "AC/DC Bag" was Trey dominant, and keeping with the Gamehenge theme they rolled into "Forbin's> Mockingbird." Both pieces were good but not perfect. "Bowie" ripped but abruptly cut off and really killed my buzz, brah. The ensuing "Donna Lee" was aggressively airy. "Suzy Greenburg" was lively, and then they dropped "The Tire Song." After "Contact" they hit Jimi's "Fire" and then there was "Hood." Always a favorite of mine, this "Hood" delivered and had me distracted from my job. Oh my, you can really feel good about Hood. The set continued with knockout punches, "Golgi", "Slave", and "Divided Sky."

"Who is it?" said Trey in a feminine voice... badum badum... "Who is it?" Ultimately the silly intro gave way to "Wilson" and set the tone for a fun show (5/9/89) with alternative lyrics, jokes, and overall tomfoolery. "Peaches" was straight forward before a "Ya Mar" where the sports car was a CRX. Also a moment of "Great great great great great great great Grandpa" in the lyrics and a quick "Popeye" tease by Trey. From the Bahamian flavor of "Ya Mar," they were off to Rhode Island for the "Mike's" trilogy. They came out swinging on the "Mike's" and I knew it was going to be a fun 15 minutes. After the awesomeness, Trey told everyone to pick up a copy of "Junta" (pronounced June-tuh) and to be "The first one on the block," unknowingly making a half reference to "Ocelot," a tune that wouldn't arrive for another 20 years. "Sloth" was the same as usual, but I was once again humored by the line "I'm so bad, (He's so nasty), ain't got no friends, (real outcast-y)." No surprises on "Possum" but a brief and familiar carnival tune tease. Trey was on his game throughout. "Divided Sky" was part beauty, part frenzy. Before "YEM" Trey reiterated that it was the tape release party and that copies of their first album were available at the soundboard. He also acknowledged it was Mike's birthday, though it was not. From there a zany "YEM" ensued that had some excellent bass work by Mike, and ultimately wound up in a vocal jam that resolved to a collective chant of "suckin' a bone"... weird. "La Grange" was typical but then the recording dropped a tune called "If I Don't Be There by Morning," before picking back up at "Slave to the Traffic Light." "Esther" and "Antelope" were entertaining, but nothing out of the ordinary. "I Didn't Know" had the adapted lyric, "Pardon me dogs" instead of Doug, and featured Sofi Dillof singing "Nowhere Fast> I've Turned Bad" in the middle. It wasn't what I expected. Sofi was way more "punk" than I anticipated and coming off of the trombone of Fishman's solo, I almost felt assaulted. It definitely gave the show a different flavor than most. I'm not versed enough in female punk singers, but it reminded me of someone... maybe Patti Smith? "The Lizards" wasn't anything wild, nor the "Bold as Love", but the "Harpua" was full of jokes. The "spastic dead-eyed hound" had inherited Marley's "twice shot ass" for the story this time, and touched on a tease I couldn't quite place but was tremendously familiar. The "Whipping Post" that closed the show was passionate per usual.

I was in the midst of listening to 5/13/89 from Hungry Charlie's in Syracuse when I heard that Harris Wittels had died of a suspected overdose. Harris was a writer and comedian most well known for Parks and Recreation, The Sarah Silverman Show, Eastbound and Down, as well as several podcasts. My favorite of those podcasts was called "Analyze Phish" and featured Harris and fellow funnyman Scott Aukerman talking about Harris' favorite band... The Phish from Vermont. Harris was tremendously funny, lovable, and insightful. I took a few days to listen to podcasts, read tweets, and generally appreciate Mr. Wittels' contributions to the world. Now I am getting back to Phish. It's what he would have wanted. Much love Wittels. Be careful out there people. If you need help, please get it.

So, 5/13/89 was the day after Syracuse's graduation, and our favorite quartet was there to help celebrate. The opening "AC/DC Bag" was dynamic, but generally basic. The following "Alumni" was dedicated to the recent grads and was also good, but not spectacular. "YEM" was good, and I am pretty sure I heard a super brief tease of "Unskinny Bop." "Golgi" went according to plan, and "La Grange" had balls. "Fluffhead" was solid as well, and "Possum" also hit the bar with an "Andy Griffith" theme in it. Nothing crazy in any of these, but steady quality work. "Foam" reminded me of "Harris' Foam Corner," a bit from the Comedy Death Ray podcast. "Walk Away" was standard and "Take the A-Train" teased the "Flintstones." The show kicked into high gear with "Split Open and Melt." "Melt" resolved to the paranoid hi-hat of "David Bowie" but before launching into the tune, they faked us out with brief phrases from "Satin Doll" and "Slave to the Traffic Light" before Trey gave the signature string scratch that began the song. Second set kicked off with "Suzy," which also had a quick "Flintstones" riff. Obviously the fellas were having fun with the idea of teasing songs during this show. A sign of things to come. "Suzy" eventually transitioned into "Bold as Love," and Trey did his best Hendrix. "The Lizards" was smooth and beautiful as always. "Hood" brought it's usual magic to the set. Having heard Fishman's comical take on "If I Only Had a Brain" before, I was bored with this idea and cover. "Contact" got the show back on track, and they rounded out the show with covers, "Fire" and "Whipping Post." Both were sharp.

On 5/20/89 the show started very similarly to the 5/13 show. "AC/DC Bag-> Alumni Blues", "YEM" to kick off the show made me think I had accidentally gone back to the last show. But, the recording was not as crisp as some of the others I've been listening to, and was it not for a few hot licks during the opening "AC/DC Bag," I may have been frustrated to listen. But Trey seemed to be on his game, and I figured I might as well try to enjoy it. During "Alumni" Page came alive and rained jazzy-tonk piano. Before "YEM" Trey apologized that the crowds trampolines were imaginary. He said that eventually they would like to play a gig where the whole venue is a trampoline and everyone can join them. Funnily enough, right when I thought the vocal jam in "YEM" was bordering on annoying, my UPS driver showed up to pick up packages. The look on his face was priceless. I just said, "yeah, I listen to some weird shit." "The Lizards" followed and was just as beautiful as ever. I don't know if I'll ever tire of it. "Wilson" included narration in which Trey called Wilson an asshole. Upon it's conclusion, Trey told tale of "the rhombus" before playing "Divided Sky." "I Didn't Know" contained a vacuum solo, and was actually one of the better ones I'd heard. "Possum" was fairly high energy. "Bold As Love" preceded "Mike's> Hydrogen> Weekapaug" establishing second set as a dance-party. "Foam" was one of my favorite tunes from this era, and was becoming more-so with each version. Though there was nothing particularly noteworthy, this version was solid, much like the rest of the show. "Contact" stated that "the tires were the things on the bus that made contact with the road." The "A Train" was good, "Bowie" better, and the show ended with "Golgi" before the encore, "Good Times, Bad Times."

5/21/89 was one of my first tapes, I remembered the address, 320 Spear Street. "Hood" to open the show? I was a fan. Phish came out swinging for the hometown house party, and it didn't take more than 5 minutes into the show before I was feeling good about Hood. Trey murdered his guitar and then resurrected it (he still had a whole show to play). Trey told the crowd that "Foam" was about Mike. "Contact" was topical because cars were about to be towed outside. "Mike's Song" was reworked to be "Molly's Song" and was dedicated to Molly. "Hydrogen" was gentle and melodic before an high-flying "Weekapaug." "Melt" was sharp, but "Dazed and Confused" stole it's thunder. The vocals were surprisingly good for a Zeppelin cover, though the playing was a tad sloppy. I didn't mind, and I was pretty sure the crowd didn't either. Trey admitted they needed a little work on that song, claiming it was a lot harder than it looked. "The Sloth" was typical, but the "YEM" was memorable as it resolved to a "Godzilla" vocal jam. "Ya Mar", "Bag", and "Divided Sky" rounded out the show. The 320 show was pivotal for me. As one of the early tapes I'd had as a kid, this reminded me of driving around the back roads near Hanover, PA in my 1989 Nissan Sentra Sport. Memories.

5/26 from The Valley Club Café in Rutland, VT kicked off with Hendrix' "Bold as Love." They hit "AC/DC Bag" before jumping into the "Mike's" suite. "Weekapaug" had some pepper. As a speedy version of "Sanity" kicked in, I was excited. Things were heating up. Nancy came out to sing "Halley's Comet" and I felt it was one of his better sit-ins. My recording abruptly dropped into "The Sloth" and I was pretty sure there were a few minutes missing in between. Either way, both were good. "YEM" seemed really lazy, but in a good way. It seemed to give everything more air. The quiet parts were crisp and breezy, the higher energy parts were still engaging, but not as aggressive as usual. It almost had the feeling that they were discussing the importance of letting the music breathe in their practice and this was an exercise in restraint. I really dug it. When the time came, Trey still knocked it out of the park with a screaming solo of Hendrix-esque proportions. Great way to close first set. The "Bowie" that kicked off second set was sung as "Lazy Lester" and Trey introduced several new instruments including new bass drum, toms, cymbals, and his guitar chord. He also introduced Mike and Fish with a French pronunciation of each name. From there, they hit on a newer tune, "Mango," to a nice reception. "Split Open and Melt" was solid, but the highlight of this show had to be the debut of "Bathtub Gin." Though largely in it's final form, there were some sections that were slightly different including the ending. Before "Antelope" Trey fessed up that he always wanted to be a professional hockey player and that being a musician wasn't very different. Then he dedicated "Antelope" to all the professional hockey players. "Golgi" was standard, but "Slave" was of diminished recording quality. I didn't care for it. "Funky Bitch" was typical, but then they busted out "Curtis Loew" for the first time in several shows. There was an "Andy Griffith" theme within. The set rounded out with "Possum" and was decent. The encore was short and sweet. My first time really hearing "The Practical Song" which had lyrics about buying peanut butter before it sold out like toilet paper did.

The next day, 5/27/89, the band was back at it, at Trinity College in Hartford. The "AC/DC Bag" didn't do anything for me, but it was ok. "Mike's> Hydrogen> Weekapaug" followed, and much like a Red Bull, injected vitality and energy into the set. "Funky Bitch" was standard as was "Fee." The "YEM" was particularly experimental for the time, opening with Trey playing a multitude of jazz chord variations before nailing the first break. I enjoyed the vocal jam, but it abruptly dropped into "Take the A Train," which was like pulling an unexpected U-turn at speed. "Fluffhead" was quality, though the jam had to take a second approach to land. The second "Bathtub Gin" hit next. It was already apparent they had a new fan favorite on their hands. "Good Times, Bad Times" closed the show and left the crowd wanting more.

5/28/14 was another party hosted by Ian McLean at Connie Condon's farm. The opener, "Divided Sky" had depth and set the tone for another rager. I really felt this was the era when things started to gel. With the 90's rapidly approaching, the musicianship was ascending as well. Most of first set was money. "Antelope", "Forbin's> Mockingbird", "Fee> Slave"... all tight. "Esther" was well executed. "Suzy" got the crowd locked in, and the "YEM" was my favorite one since I started this project. From the jump it had some pep, and seemed to touch on all the things that "YEM" has become from there. The first improvisation contained a perfect example of a "spontaneous composition" rather than just a jam. The "Boy, Man, God, Shit" section spawned ad libs of "crap" and eventually "poop." The "poop" vocal persisted through the rest of the song and into the vocal jam which was psychedelic, silly, and quite impressive. I doubted I would find another 80's "YEM" that compared. Give this one a listen for laughs and facemelts. At "YEM's" conclusion, Trey said they were taking a break to poop. Second set began with "Fire" by Hendrix. It wasn't the cleanest version I've heard, but it wasn't bad. "Mike's Song" started with a fury and speed that combined the energy of Grand Theft Auto with a methamphetamine binge. Fortunately it leveled off fairly quickly and sunk into it's normal pace. Mike teased the "HBO Theme." By the time they hit stride in Weekapaug, Trey yelled for Paul to turn up the hi-hat and snare in the monitors and "we'll take it to WEEKAPAUG!" before ripping into a soaring lead. Not the best I've heard, but it definitely built to a nice peak. "Bathtub Gin" followed, and though it was the 3rd one in as many dates, I understood why. With a new song like that, I would have played the shit out of it for a while. "Sanity" was speedy and a little bit more melodic than some others. Not sure why. Page dropped some really sweet organ on this one too. They hit requested tune, "Ride Captain Ride" and the Zappa classic, "Peaches En Regalia" before breaking down into "Take the A Train." The "A Train" had a brief phrase from "Dixie," and Trey got all jazzy with his chords. He took a moment to give Fishman well-deserved accolades. The intro to "Possum" contained references that the car that hit the possum was the same one from "Contact" (which followed). "Contact" faded into a brief "Auld Lang Syne" riff. Trey continued claiming that it was Christmas Eve. Ninja Mike and Magoo joined them for "Funky Breakdown> The Price of Love," which was cacophonous. They got back on track with "Funky Bitch" which had a nice jam. "Melt" and "Mango" followed and had me boogying around the warehouse. "Hood" was spectacular for the era. So good. What was it about Ian McLean's parties? Instead of a full "La Grange" they played an abstract jam that landed in "La Grange's" ending. "The Sloth" was short as there was a minor flub. Trey played it off saying that they were going to try to get some radio play and cut all their tunes to 3 minutes. On request, they played "Sneaking Sally" complete with vocal jam. "Ya Mar" brought the Bahamian rhythms before the encore of "Jesus Left Chicago." As I put May to rest, I was certain that the fuse was lit, and the big bang was coming.