I just spent the last few weeks listening to all of October '94. This show stood out to me as one of the best. They end the month with absolute heaters going into their first musical costume for Halloween, all of which was a primer for November '94, one of the greatest months in Phish. I think that's why this particular show is lost to so many people. Throughout my listening, I've identified a few 10/94 shows that maybe don't get the credit they deserve. That's 10/10, 10/13, 10/21, 10/25, and this show.

The first set is obviously Gamehendge-inspired starting with Wilson and containing a Forbin's>Mockingbird with really cool narration. Trey says that Paul installed a switch on his guitar so he can invert the vibration of life, sending the crowd to another dimension where they can see "the green seas of Gamehendge", I mean how fucking cool is that? This is a very solid Divided Sky, which you might guess I'm a pretty big fan of the song... Trey rips Poor Heart, honestly one of my favorite versions, and while it's a personal note, Cavern is my favorite set-ender, though I like it as a send-me-home kind of song.

Julius shreds like most versions from this era. The Tweezer has an insanely cool jam and the Contact>Big Black Furry Creature From Mars is a fun novelty section. We all know how mid-90s Trey play Disease. Short set, which is apparently the venue's fault, but they made up for it with this encore... This is one of the best Slaves of all time. I'm not kidding. It has shades of Clifford Ball. Don't fucking miss it. Then they play Icculus, folks. That's about as rare and important as it gets.

This show fucking rocks.

https://forum.phish.net/forum/permalink/1377730358

It's the closest we can get to time travel: putting on a show, closing our eyes and imagining what it was like to experience it in person. Phish had developed a strong fanbase in Charlottesville by playing the legendary Trax six times during 1990-1992, and had been actively focusing on expanding their audience by playing gigs in basketball arenas on college campuses. 10/27/94 captures the band in the middle of a run of five shows in five nights, as they were deep in rehearsals for the White Album performance at Glens Falls, and their playing was evidently honed to a razor's edge.

Sometimes we are guilty of ranking a show highly because of just a few moments of elation, and conversely, assigning a low rating because of one or two disappointing songs. Tweezer is set up to be the centerpiece jam of the second set, but this meek and mild version would soon be dwarfed by the heavyweight versions in Bangor, Bozeman, and Mesa in the following months. Another reason for the low rating might be the notably short 2nd set, clocking in at 50 minutes (?!), but our heroes compensate their audience with a lengthy and generous encore. And there are still a few examples of the improv in random places that made Fall '94 special.

It is worth noting the significance of the band's featuring of Gamehendge material on this night, from the Wilson opener to the surprise Icculus in the middle of the encore, referencing the pan-dimensional Vibration of Life during the narration between Forbin's and Mockingbird. Of course, this show is best known for this excellent version of Divided Sky, with Jedi Trey expertly leading the band through the composed section and then laying waste to all negativity and doubt with his soloing.

10/27/94 is a show without any of the towering jams that were to come later in this tour, but it holds together with many strong performances.

Here's another show in my attempt to review underrated and/or under-appreciated shows. Unfortunately I didn't succeed in finding such a show here.

We start off with Wilson. I love this tune as an opener and it's too bad it's not used in this placement more often. The "Wilson" crowd chant is now written in permanent marker but this version predates those times and hearing it here without it is a bit strange. It's also the first of several welcome visits to Gamehenge during this show, which are becoming more and more rare these days.

Maze is its typical awesome self although this version isn't anything particularly noteworthy.

I'll never argue with a visit to Gamehenge, especially when it comes in the form of the Forbin's > Mockingbird combo. This version doesn't disappoint, and includes a Vibration of Life incorporated into the narration, which is a nice twist. Leading into another Gamehenge tune, this Divided Sky that follows is solid and well-played. It and the preceding combo are arguably the highlights of the set.

Julius and Ya Mar are both solid to open the second set. Ya Mar in particular has some fine playing by Trey. What should be the centerpiece of the set, Tweezer, follows. A relatively short version, I like its intensity but it doesn't really go too deep. It's such a shame too given what was brewing for this tune a little later on during this tour. The rest of the set is fine, and unremarkable. DWD was still evolving so the short version was typical for the times.

Apparently due to some mixup with the venue, the second set was cut off early but the encore was extended. Thus, we get a lovely Slave, the rare and always welcome Icculus, and a Tweezeprise that goes a bit longer than typical.

This is an average show in the middle of a mostly phenomenal tour. There's really nothing outstanding but it's a solid, well-played, and enjoyable show.