first show for this fella.

what i remember without ever having listened back..

prince caspian blew me away as the opener. i remember trey's hair flying in the breeze and this band i had come to know as a quirky, atonal, jazzlike jamming machine comes out with this mellow, loving arena rocker...everyone singing... OOHHHhhh!....

the rest was a blur

until they played day in the life.

and i tore my red flannel shirt off to show off my Rubber Soul T-shirt to everyone around me. as if i was special cause i liked the beatles too. oh to be 15 again.

i remember FAHT too, wondering what the heck was going on. i got told to shut up several times that show by this guy in front of me. i ate fake mushrooms, smoked fake hash but still was sky high from some moist green vermont ganja we scored.

oh to be 15 again

thanks phish.

I don't think this Tweezer is overrated whatsoever.

Is it fairly linear? Sure! But so is Mogwai Fear Satan.

Phish cremated this jam. It may have the general trappings of more conventional Phish's rocking jams, but the interplay and ESP in the improvisation is first rate.

2/28/03 eh? Certainly one of the best ever. I'm not sure which I prefer. Tweezers like wine. There is a time and place for the best vintages of every grape.

This is an all-time sleeper show in what was possibly the greatest month in Phish history...it's straight fyah. This was my second show and I love listening to it, but am I the only one who thinks this Tweezer is overrated? I mean, clearly it rips from beginning to end...that's not the problem, but I've listened to it over and over again and to be honest, it's kind of boring.

To this point, I was also fortunate to be at 2/28/03 and that Tweezer is in my opinion not only one of the greatest (if not the greatest) versions of all-time, but is so much more interesting than 12/2/95. Just an incredible exercise in group improvisation.

With that being said, I think the Runaway Jim at this show is completely underrated. If you like the boys firing on all cylinders with Trey leading the way, this is 8+ minutes of beauty...check it.

DISCLAIMER: This review is only about the tweezer in this show...lame, I know...but it needs to be talked about!

OK so definitely not as experimental or explorative as many other well-respected tweezers....BUT I dare you to listen to this tweezer on full volume through headphones...your brain will break! absolutely FIRE! HOSE! GREATNESS! TITTY EXPLOSION!!!!!!

I need to add my 2 cents here....

The show as a whole is merely average for fall/winter 1995... meaning it's a good show, but only average compared to other shows from the tour. Most of the show is relatively unremarkable... except for the Tweezer...

When I used to be an avid tape trader back in the 90's, this show didn't circulate very much. So the Tweezer missed the notice of many people. I taped this Tweezer as fillers on other show tapes for people whenever I got the chance. It's only about 15minutes long. But this Tweezer is unequivocally THE BEST Tweezer in the Type I, Fast-and-Furious category. This is the definition of Facemelt. If you have heard the more widely-circulated 11/30/95 Dayton Tweezer, you'll know the style. That was only a few nights previous. They basically distilled it down, polished it up and gave it a 6th gear.

The opening part of Tweezer is average at best. The jam starts out with the typical driving Fish beat so prevalent in the 94-95 era. Before long, you can tell Trey is ready to shred something here. Halfway through the jam, Fish switches to doubletime and it just explodes from there to the end.

If any of you remember Charlie Dirksen and his Tweezer Reviews, you may remember that, on his scale of 1-10, he only gave a full 10 rating to one Tweezer: the 11/30/95 Dayton Tweezer. He gave the New Haven Tweezer an 11.

Last I checked, if you do an internet search for New Haven Tweezer or something similar, you'll find a link to a Soundcloud page that has a SBD of this Tweezer you can listen to without having to download or convert anything. Go find it right now. Right now.

(P.S. My favorite Tweezer is still the 11/28/94 Bozeman 44 min. monster... but that's a different kettle of fish.)

So today is the 17 anniversary of this show which was my first. This one gets lost because it came the night after a famous Hershey PA show that was stellar. Everybody seems to just talk about/remember the Tweezer from this show. Although that Tweezer was great and experimental, I tend to remember a different highlight from this more standard and mellow show. Everybody loves a good Reba. The Reba from this show is in my opinion extremely underrated. Now with 17 more years of Phish Experience than I had on this night, I only realize more how special and exciting this Reba was. This is a less circulated tape/cd/mp3 and most only give the Tweezer a listen. I recommend giving the Reba a go. The high and mighty Reba Jam touches many levels and builds beautifully. It will catch you off guard and exceed you expectations. Just when you think it is time to wrap up the Jam, it goes on for several more minutes and is quite full of high energy. Since this night I have received many fine Rebas but I will always remember my first on this Frigid night in CT.

Just want to touch on the 2nd set. Strong 2001 leading into an excellent rager of a Maze. I think that this Simple is the best non-jammed out Simple performed. It really is just a gem and actually turned me from a Simple hater into someone who can appreciate the song for what it is now. The Tweezer will make you laugh. It's that good. In terms of intensity, it's on the same level as 10-24-95 Antelope. The lucky people who were there!

Took me a while to get to show #2 of the hallowed December '95, but here we are.

The show opens with a short version of an early days Caspian. No guitar solo or anything extending the song. It's over in under 3 minutes.

Runaway Jim is in the 2 spot and fits as a second opener of sorts after the odd Caspian starter. This is a very nice version. Plenty of dynamic playing and a nice fiery solo. It's a surefire highlight even at just over 8 minutes.

Mound is up next and is a well-played version.

They drop into Guelah next. This is also played in crisp fashion. Very well played in fact.

Reba is the first nice open jamming canvas in this show. The composed section is very nicely executed at speed. The drop is very beautiful, it's quiet but more purposeful than spacey. Fishman carries a nice steady beat just above brush level for a while, while Trey colors some excellent melodies. Mike is pretty active, and Page is more in the background. It works well as Trey actually plays a lot of notes even in the quiet jam section. Around 8 minutes they start to build a bit upward in a classic Reba sense. Page gets more assertive on the piano and Trey finds some strong and familiar lines, which he patiently works through. The intensity grows at 10 minutes with Page really hammering and a nice cacophonous jam happens. At around 11:30 trey goes back to the melodic Reba well and builds some nice ascending lines. By 12:30 he really sinks his teeth into the solo and peaks it at a fiery pace. Excellent and thrilling conclusion to a fine jam.

My Sweet One follows up in punchy fashion.

Free is next. They play the song proper nicely with some good vocal harmonizing. It's not a long improvisational piece, but contains a very nice spacey/effects jam with Page out front, while Trey goes to the looper and creates the rising falling tension and some sputtering growls. Some similarities to the Coral Sky version '96. It shifts from dark back into the melodic song structure around 6:50 for the final verse. It's a different structure than today, and a very nice take, with the spooky middle jam.

Taste is up next and sounds good, in spite of Fishman's vocals, which are a bit cringeworthy. Overall it's a decent enough version, but nothing notable.

Bouncin' slides in before Possum, which seemed about right in terms of placement.

Possum is the set closer. It's got a nifty bit of jamming and some secret language. There's a nice quiet jam before the 6 minute mark, which builds some nice intensity with Trey hitting a nice blue vamp and jumping into a bit of chording. Trey moves back into the lead and builds some very nice tension as he climbs into the stratosphere. Around 9:30 things get more frantic and continue to build to a pretty darn massive peak that reaches full scream by 11:10 or so. One last climb before 12 minutes and the final verse sends us into set break. Very nice version.

Overall, a standard great set I with Jim, Reba, Free & Possum being interesting and quality takes. It's a very strong and energetic set.

2001 opens up in early 90's table setting fashion. It starts with a brief intro jam that is noisy and odd. The band plays a nice quick version of the song proper and land in the familiar hi hat of Maze.

Maze is a good version. In fact, it's a great version. Page's solo is plenty of fun, but when Trey grabs the reins he proceeds to throw incendiary flurries of notes down upon us. There's a cool tension filled segment around 10:10, which Trey meticulous crafts into a simmering, then sizzling, then exploding peak. Well done.

Simple keeps the energy high. The outro jam is nice and rhythmic a little more rocking than some of the sparse, spacey jams you might be accustomed to in Simple. Fishman in particularly is playing quite heavily until about 6:20 at which point he drops out, leaving Page and Trey to trade notes before a darker spacey interlude leads into Faht.

Some space at the end leads to Tweezer, which is played at pace. Very crisp. The opening jam segment is nice and rhythmic. Trey playing more rhythmic leads, before diving into some traditional lead playing around 5:45. Fishman is working nicely as a counterpoint to Trey's leads. They are really cooking by 8 minutes in, with a nice driving jam. Trey hits a cool line around 8:15, which he uses to spring the jam further into driving territory. The hit another upshift around 9 minutes and Trey sends a nifty little mini peak our way at 9:30. He hits the leslie for just a second or two before building another step change around 10 minutes. Trey is really firing off notes at this point and the band continues to drive. 11:05 is another great peak, which Trey continues to shred on until about 11:45, at which point they drop into a mini noise jam that builds to another go 'round on that peak at 12 minutes. 12:30 we get a rythmic slightly funkier breakdown, which downshifts at 12:50, slowing to the breakdown style Tweezer endings of the earlier 90s. They crawl to a satisfying conclusion. This jam reminds me of a slightly faster and more raw version of 7/18/16 Sneakin' Sally jam from BGCA in that it's driving and pretty relentless. Good stuff.

ADITL is a nice follow up to the Tweezer and flows well into Golgi, followed by a very pleasant Coil.

Tweezer Reprise is a damn fine closer.

Bold As Love is a damn fine encore as well.

Overall - you'll find some stronger shows deeper into 12/95, but this is a mighty fine specimen in it's own right. The Tweezer is the big jam of the show, but don't sleep on a solid set I, and the set II flows quite nicely with a very cool opening trio.= of songs.

4/5

The past few weeks have been the first time I have really dug into '95. I had listened to quite a bit of it casually, but it had never been a year I particularly cared for. I can't say that it has come close to '94 or '97, my two favorite years (original, I know). However, my recent listening adventures have certainly garnered this year some newfound respect.

That aside, this show as a whole definitely falls in the lower half of shows I'vi heard from '95, there just isn't all the much that really stands out. This is the most raging Tweezer ever, though, so there's that. The Reba is also pretty decent and the Caspian opener actually works pretty well. The show hadn't started yet, so Caspian couldn't really interrupt the flow, and it's so brief it is easily forgotten by the time Jim wraps up. Oh, and this Possum rages like they all did in Fall '95. It's not quite as good as 10.22, but shit is still super intense.

I'll be coming back for this Tweezer many more times. If you haven't heard it, check it out.

This show features a phenomenal uptempo Tweezer (hey - it IS from December '95, right?) that starts up on the heels of the last-ever performance of Faht.

Tweezer takes a few bars to get off the ground, but quickly ventures into the aggressive improvisation that this era is known for. The band is completely locked-in to one another, and they are firing on all cylinders. Around the 7 min mark, Fishman throws the beat into a double-time feel and all hell breaks loose. Mike & Trey are so synced up it is read-icculus. At 7:35 Trey throws out a dark lick that winds up this portion of the jam, and then it's a full-steam-ahead onslaught to the climax. Someone (on stage?) yells "yeah!" Three minutes later we are finally nearing it -- Fishman pops back into the half-time feel for just a few bars just prior to the (first) climax, giving even more power to the peak when they rip into it. Impeccable playing from everyone here. Page is sustaining chords on the Hammond with his one hand, but wailing on the piano with his other. Then he switches completely to the piano, and the jam enters its second peak. Right at 12:00 they build to this final peak, and the audible sound of heads exploding is present on the tape. At 12:35 we are back to the half-time feel, and the glorious wind-down ensues. There's a very strong "Take Me To The River" feel here. The last few beats of this wind down are so slow, it's almost comical.

The rest of the show is solid, too (I just happen to like the Tweezer best). The Jim leapt out at me as being particularly strong -- it just went that extra step as compared to the Jims of more recent memory (again, this is Dec-95 we're dealing with...this extra reward is to be expected!) It sounds like the band is really keyed up throughout this show. Maze rages. Simple rocks (this is from back when Simple rocked). Trey gives a maniacal "mwuah-ha-ha" type of laugh he layers the effects at the beginning of Also Sprach.

It feels strange to have Golgi late in the 2nd set like this. Also feels strange to go Coil>Reprise. But Page teases "Carol of the Bells" in his Coil solo, which made me smile. Because 12-2 in New Haven was probably very Christmasy.

This is also the first-ever Caspian opener. (Is that a good thing?)

Decent soundboards now exist of this show.

SET 1: Prince Caspian, Runaway Jim, Mound > Guelah Papyrus, Reba, My Sweet One, Free, Taste That Surrounds, Bouncing Around the Room, Possum (all fall down signal)

Not going to comment song by song here. Nothing is earth shattering but as you can imagine things are tight, tight, tight. First ever show opening Caspian, and that only happened a handful more times since. I have said this a bunch as I am working my way through this tour but here is another Runaway Jim that is fantastic. Reba is solid and Possum definitely smokes its way into set break. Very fun first set.

SET 2: Also Sprach Zarathustra > Maze > Simple -> This segment is fire. 2001 is awesome coming out of the break, Maze is a rager and Simple has a little extra juice.

Faht: Last one ever played.

Tweezer: Take Me To The River by Al Green and Mabon "Teenie" Hodges at 13:45. You know it, you love it – the New Haven Tweezer. You won’t find anyone complain about any noodling in this one. It is just straight up, hair on fire, face melting, breakneck Phish. All-timer >

A Day in the Life > Golgi Apparatus: Standard.

The Squirming Coil: Carol of the Bells by Mykola Leontovych at 7:52. Page is great in his solo.

Tweezer Reprise. ENCORE: Bold As Love -- Something about this night makes me think Trey was out for blood. Two more numbers here that features him ripping stuff up. Aggressive.

Summary: TWEEZER!!! Outside of that you won’t find anything to hang your hat on regarding all time jams. Just a ton of solid Phish that is super tight and aggressive. I know I will draw some ire, especially considering the recent release of this on Live Phish – but it’s rated too high at 4.43. I am good at 4.2 out of 5.

This is a decent show which seems to get overlooked. The only crime this show commits is being played in one of the most prolific months in the band's history. All in all, it's a solid show with solid playing. The quality of the Tweezer and Reba have been noted in other reviews and I'm always pleased with Mound and Maze.

Was a good show, my 2nd, just 20 minutes from where I used to live.