As Phish worked their way from a Vermont novelty to national sensations, one venue played a pivotal role in this transformation. Nestled in Burlington, VT, a small club called Nectar’s gave the jam group a stage for their wild antics on a regular basis. The band’s gathering grew with each passing performance, garnering a word-of-mouth following that you just had to see to believe. After 33 years, the word has reached a lot of mouths.
The show played from this date on 1988 is typical for Phish at the time, mixing some of their original music with choice covers like Allman Brothers Band’s “Whipping Post” and ZZ Top’s “La Grange.” Tons of the band’s classic original songs are already in the mix, including “The Curtain With,” “Alumni Blues,” “Golgi Apparatus.” “Fluffhead,” “The Sloth,” “Fee” and more. They also got into “Harpua” in the third set (yes – three whole sets, and it wasn’t even Halloween!) before closing out the show with the fan-favorite, “Run Like An Antelope.”
Thankfully, a master recording of the night is available for us all to enjoy. Tune in below, courtesy of fromtheaquarium:
Setlist: Phish at Nectar’s, Burlington, VT – 5/24/88
Set 1: The Curtain With, Rocky Top, Funky Bitch, Alumni Blues > Letter to Jimmy Page > Alumni Blues, Peaches en Regalia, Golgi Apparatus, Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley, Suzy Greenberg, Fire
Set 2: Jesus Just Left Chicago, Fluffhead > Whipping Post
Set 3: Ya Mar[1] -> Jam[1] > Halley’s Comet[2] > The Sloth, I Didn’t Know[3], La Grange, Fee, I Know a Little, Big Black Furry Creature from Mars, Corinna, Harpua, Run Like an Antelope
[1] Jah Roy on vocals.
[2] Richard Wright on vocals.
[3] Richard Wright on drums, Fish on trombone.
Teases:
· Theme from The Flintstones tease in Big Black Furry Creature from Mars
· One Love quote in Jam
Notes: Ya Mar and the ensuing jam featured vocals from Jah Roy; the jam contained One Love quotes from Jah Roy and Trey. Halley’s Comet featured vocals from Richard Wright. I Didn’t Know featured Wright on drums and Fish on trombone. BBFCFM contained Flintstones theme teases from Trey. The master recordings confirm this listing as the correct performance order. Many recordings of this show circulate with an incorrect song order, an incorrect date (May 25, 1988) and an incorrect venue (Ian’s Farm, Hebron, NY).