Every so often, on the anniversary of a well-known or significant Phish shows, we’ll take a look back at the performance to appreciate its legacy—whether that’s an incredible jam, the debut of a classic song, or something else entirely. On this day in 1993, Phish made its way to The Cameo Theatre in Miami Beach, FL, and while this show offers no all-time jams or bust-outs to speak of, it’s notable for a specific reason–its drool-inducing behemoth of a setlist, which checks virtually every conceivable box on the proverbial fan wish list.
The February 25th, 1993 show had a bit of all the different characteristically Phish-y things that can happen at a concert. It had a heavy dose of complex classic Phish compositions like “Maze”, “Stash”, “David Bowie”, “It’s Ice”, and “You Enjoy Myself”. It had several different instances of crowd-pleasing Jon Fishman shenanigans, from an unexpected trombone solo in “I Didn’t Know” to a whimsically unhinged “Hold Your Head Up” > “If I Only Had A Brain” > “Hold Your Head Up” segment that included help from the drummer’s own mom, Mimi Fishman, on the vacuum. It had a “Big Ball Jam”, a lost relic of early Phish performances, to go with a slew of audience participation signals throughout. It even featured a “Colonel Forbin’s Ascent” > “Fly Famous Mockingbird” that featured a Trey Anastasio-led storytime about surfing (including a tease of the theme from Gilligan’s Island).
While several of these songs were staples of the band’s live sets in their earlier days, many of them have become highly sought-after rarities in the modern era of Phish. With so much new music created by Phish since ’93—as well as their general growth as men and artists since then—it’s unlikely we’ll see such a quirky, classically “Phish-y” setlist like this again today. However, if there’s one thing Phish fans know, it’s that despite what you think you know, one can never say for sure what’s going to happen at a show. That’s what keeps us coming back again and again.
Stream the full-show audio of the 1993 performance here, and watch full fan-shot video of the end of set one and all of set two below.
Phish – Campeo Theater – 2/25/93
[Video: leithsd]
Set 1: Buried Alive > Poor Heart > Cavern, Maze, Colonel Forbin’s Ascent > Fly Famous Mockingbird[1] > Rift, Stash, Bouncing Around the Room, I Didn’t Know[2], David Bowie[3]
Set 2: Suzy Greenberg > It’s Ice > Sparkle > Wilson[4] > You Enjoy Myself, Uncle Pen, Big Ball Jam > Fast Enough for You > Hold Your Head Up > If I Only Had a Brain[5] > Hold Your Head Up, Golgi Apparatus > Big Black Furry Creature from Mars
Encore: Amazing Grace[6], Good Times Bad Times