Top Phish Show #3. Exactly one week after "Top Phish Show #2", the band laid down another all-time early 90s gem. Given that these two shows occurred in such close proximity to one another, I was curious to see what they had in common and what was different.

I don't have a ton to say about this show, to be honest. The show bears a striking resemblance to 3/13/92, mostly due to the large number of repeats from that show and the fact that there were a bunch of newer songs still getting worked out. The first set, for the most part, is pretty standard. There are more than a couple of standout moments, however. The solid, early set Reba has a really nice guitar solo from Trey in the jam and thunderous work on the skins from Fish. Brother includes the infamous "alligator pit" banter and features Trey waving around a big-ass machine-gun. This set also features one of my all time favorite versions of Rift, with extended, awesome solos and an impeccably played composed section. The set closes with a good Antelope, especially for those who are fans of tension. It gets pretty wild and Fish even unsheathes his 'bone post-jam!

The second set leads off with a standard Mike's > Hydrogen, but then an excellent Weekapaug kicks in. Mike flips on a filthy heavy metal envelope filter to open the tune, and that's just only the beginning of the awesomeness. There's a weird vocal jam, all kinds of awesome exploratory playing, and even secret language! The jam at times feels akin to a frenetic, out-of-control cheerleading routine, and that's literally the best way I can describe this smoking Weekapaug. MUST-HEAR!!! Sanity is really weird, as was customary at the time. The Mango Song is one of my favorite "songy" Phish songs and it is employed to great effect here in the second set, with beautiful tinkly piano and tight rhythm work.

The rest of the show is mostly just the coach running the ball to run out the clock, but the set closing Possum > Secret Language Instructions (a la 3/13/92) is still a highly enjoyable listen for anybody who hasn't heard the legendary Secret Language, and as such, comes highly recommended for those listeners. The show definitely "suffers" from being in such close proximity to such a similar, probably superior show, but on its own it's still a great show with a bunch of good highlights.

My highlights: Brother, Rift, Antelope, WEEKAPAUG, Mango

My score: 4.5/5