Before Phish was Phish, they were just four guys from the University of Vermont playing music in their local cafeteria. Little did we (or they) know what they would go on to become and that audio of these early gigs would resurface. That’s the case here as we present a throwback to what is believed to be Phish’s first public gigs at the Harris-Millis Cafeteria in Burlington.

According to Phish.net, the band, which included Jeff Holdsworth at the time, recalls this being a Christmas semi-formal dorm dance. The band used hockey sticks as mic stands and between sets, a DJ spun some Michael Jackson (which the crowd much preferred over Phish at the time).

During the second set, the band broke into an inspired take on the Grateful Dead’s “Scarlet Begonias” > “Fire on the Mountain.” Replay audio of the performance below.