Phish added a new official archival release to their LivePhish collection this morning, with a show from May 17, 1992 at Union College in Schenectady is now available from LivePhish.com.
On Sunday, May 17, 1992, Phish played a “secret” show, unannounced in the April/May Phish Update of that year. The show took place at Achilles Rink at Union College in Schenectady on keyboardist Page McConnell’s 29th birthday. The show, which had a ticket price of $5, was the second to last show on the 53 night spring tour that wrapped up in the band’s hometown of Burlington, Vermont.
The night started off with a “no smoking” announcement prior to a first set highlights of “The Landlady” and “Llama” as the openers. “Stash” and “Chalkdust Torture” are also highlights from the set, and the “I Didn’t Know” features drummer Jon Fishman on trombone. The second set “Possum” is considered a recommended version of the song. It features a number of the band’s secret language cues, including the Simpsons and All Fall Down signals. It also contains a variety of teases, including “Rocky Mountain Way,” “L.A. Woman,” “China Grove,” “It’s Ice” and “Divided Sky.” The “Squirming Coil” features the audience singing “Happy Birthday to You” to Page, followed by teases of the song by Page. The versions of “Brother” and “Harry Hood” are considered must hear versions.
The new release is available for download or streaming at LivePhish.com.
Setlist
Set I: The Landlady, Llama, Colonel Forbin’s Ascent > Fly Famous Mockingbird > My Sweet One > Reba, I Didn’t Know, Stash, The Mango Song > Poor Heart > Chalk Dust Torture
Set II: The Curtain > Possum, Guelah Papyrus, The Squirming Coil, All Things Reconsidered, Brother, Sanity > Cold as Ice > Love You > Hold Your Head Up, Sparkle > Harry Hood, Cavern
Encore: Lawn Boy > Good Times Bad Times
