There’s something gratifying about going through the Phish archives and pulling out some of the great shows from the band’s career. So many memorable moments came during the 1990’s, including this performance from May 27th, 1994 at The Warfield in San Francisco, CA.

The band’s third night at the iconic SF spot was arguably the best of the run, featuring the debut of “Simple”, an acoustic set with Morgan Fichter on fiddle, and an audience macaroni and cheese box shaking for “Possum” and Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire”. No really, the band handed out Flintstones macaroni and cheese before the final two songs of the night and encouraged fans to shake along with them. “Shake your macaroni!” yelled drummer Jon Fishman.

Of course, the song “Simple” also made its debut at this show, in its familiar setlist locale post-“Mike’s Song”. The interchange between “Mike’s” and “Simple” is downright insane when you consider that this was the first time it had ever been played. The song was originally recorded in something of a doo-wop style for the Hoist album, but the Mike Gordon-penned original didn’t make the cut. After this performance, it was significantly reworked and eventually debuted in a form closer to finalization, during the infamous O.J. Simpson police chase performance on June 17th of the same year.

Listen to the full May 27th, 1994 show below, and hear how this song came to be.

Phish –The Warfield – San Francisco, CA – 5/27/94

[Audio: fromtheaquarium]

Setlist: Phish | The Warfield | San Francisco, CA | 5/27/1994

Set 1: Wilson > Runaway Jim, Foam, Bouncing Around the Room > David Bowie, If I Could, Punch You In the Eye > Harry Hood, Golgi Apparatus

Set 2: Suzy Greenberg > Peaches en Regalia > My Friend, My Friend > Reba[1], The Lizards, Julius, Nellie Kane[2], My Mind’s Got a Mind of its Own[2], Mike’s Song -> Simple[3] > Mike’s Song > Simple -> O Mio Babbino Caro[4], Possum[5]

Encore: Fire[5]

[1] No whistling.
[2] Morgan Fichter on fiddle. Acoustic and without microphones.
[3] Debut.
[4] Phish debut; Andrea Baker singing unmiced.
[5] Audience shaking boxes of macaroni and cheese.

Teases:
· Theme from The Flintstones tease in Suzy Greenberg
· Theme from The Flintstones tease in Possum

Notes: This show marked the debut of Simple and the Phish debut of O Mio Babbino Caro. Suzy and Possum contained Flintstones theme teases. Reba did not have the whistling ending. Nellie Kane and My Mind’s Got a Mind of its Own were performed acoustic with guest fiddler Morgan Fichter. O Mio Babbino Caro, a Puccini aria, featured opera singer Andrea Baker singing unmiced. Before Possum, the band handed out boxes of Flintstones macaroni and cheese for the audience to shake along with Possum and Fire.

[Originally published 5/27/16]