Date: Thu, 27 Feb 1997 17:09:22 -0800
From: David Rudder
Subject: Phish Review 3/19/93 Redlands, Ca

Hello,
        I'd like to add a review in.  Thank you very much for your
service.

3/19/93 Greek Theater, University of Redlands, Redlands, California

Having just learned of Phish the previous summer, and due to their
limited West Coast touring at that time, this was my first Phish show.
This show was particularly important to me because, not only was it my
first, but I helped arrange the show.  Christine Holbrook, a student at
the UoR, started pushing Phish onto our student activities director.
When she needed help, I was there for her.  I helped arrange for money,
convince the random administrators of Phish's economic viability, set up
the stage, and build student support.  The day of the show felt like
quite an accomplishment.  So, this review may be a little skewed.     

First, an explanation of the venue.  The University of Redlands is
mostly a fairly normal school.  Large drunk fratboys, vapid sororiety
women, the whole cast from Beverly Hills 90210.  Admist this hell lies
the Johnston Center for Individualized Learning, a school for advancedc
students who want to work outside the constraints of a normal
education.  The Johnston Center has around 150 students, primarily
either Hippies, Geeks, Freaks, Activists or De-activists.  The rest of
the school is around 1500 people, so the JC is a little less than 10% of
the people.

The tickets to this show were given away for free to any students.  The
Johnston Center was there in force, but greatly outnumbered by the
fratboys who attended simply because it was a school event.  They did
not know what they were getting into.

I was inside the stadium for the sound check, so I missed most of the  
scene.  People told me it was like a little Dead Show (no one knew what
a Phish show was then, so the Dead was all they had to compare it to) on
the UoR campus.  A major freak-out for most there.  The sound check was
excellent.  Three songs I have never heard them do aside from this.
Very exciting.

Then the sound check was over and we went down into the stadium.  The
venue was filled just barely above the halfway mark, which was actually
the greatest pull we had had all year (I was told later we had actually
made money on the show.  $50 :).  Groovy vibes abounded.

Phish opened with Suzie Greenberg.  I was disappointed that I didn't get
to hear Oh-Kee-Pah, but such is life, and I partied.  The Frat gang got
into it too.

This is where the fratboys got off.  Llama, Foam, Bouncing, Rift, Stash,
Fluffhead, Cavern, Antelope.  The fratboys just stared.  The Stash was   
excellent, the Antelope average, the Fluffhead was, well, Fluffhead.  It
rocked.

The first set ended, we all took a breather, the fratboys made a run for
the door.  Some left to stick it out, but we had a lot more dancing room
to work with.

Second set I was let into the orchestra pit.  The sound wasn't so great,
but we were within touching distance of the band, and we were psyched.
Mike climbed down off the stage to dance with us through Uncle Penn.

Sample was very interesting.  I had never heard it before (this was just
after Rift came out, so Hoist was a long way off still).  I heard a
remaining fratboy laugh at "only three chords".  He seemed relieved to
hear something he could handle.

Then, Honey Love You!!!  Here, in this conservative school, amidst a     
still large number of very conservative people, was a fat hairy man in a
house dress playing the vacuum cleaner!!  This was definitely the
highlight for me!  Nothing like a random vaccuum solo to insert some
chaos into an overly stagnant scene.

Soon after the cops were called by the neighbors and the concert was
shut down.  A nice Golgi closer with a fairly mellow encore touched off
the concert well.  Then came clean up :(

--
                        -Dave
                   [email protected]

Praise be to Simon's god Bugs Bunny