Phish had completely solidified its sound by the end of 1994 and spent the summer of 1995 letting the whole country know it, playing a whopping 22 shows in 15 states from June 7 to July 3. Prior to that, on May 16, they played a one-set benefit show in which they introduced 10 new originals and covers to their repertoire (see how the "Wingsuit" Halloween set in 2013 was not completely unprecedented?).
From that show and throughout the tour, most of the songs that would eventually comprise the following year's 'Billy Breathes' album were debuted and tweaked, if not perfected. Listen to these early versions of "Theme From the Bottom" for a slightly different arrangement; hear how "Prince Caspian" started as a three-minute ditty with no coda; notice the undeveloped middle section to "Free"; and how "Taste" began only with the verse and chorus sections we know today.
In addition, future rarities "Ha Ha Ha" and "Spock's Brain" were introduced, the latter given to the audience to decide upon a title from a multiple choice that also included "The Plane" (too obvious) , "The First Single" (too cute) and "Is Real" (too conceptual). Eventual B-side "Strange Design" also made its first appearances in exactly the form we know it today, but completely different from the version that ended up on the "Free" single in 1996.
As for covers, the uplifting gospel of "Don't You Wanna Go" made for a great set opener; "I Wanna Be Like You" from 'The Jungle Book' served as the wackiest Jon Fishman lead vocal tune yet; and "Lonesome Cowboy Bill" foreshadowed a Halloween set that was still three years away.
The jams of summer 1995 continued the looseness and exploration of the previous year, but because these guys were reaching new heights of playing and listening, the jams got less noisy and dense, and more pointed and musical while still stretching out long, far and wide.
Phish seemed to also be acutely aware of the music that was released in June on its first live album, 'A Live One'. The "Tweezer" on June 17 veered toward the "Montana" track, while the vocal jam in "You Enjoy Myself" on June 19 recalled the guitar sounds of the album's "Tweezer" track from Fall 1994.
Both summer 1995 and summer 2015 ring with the sound of a cohesive Phish soaring to new heights and expanding its repertoire.
In 2015, new songs like "Blaze On" and "No Men in No Man's Land" became instant classics (though I'm sad that the lovely ballad "Shade" didn't get very far) and the jams in the older tunes included such mind-blowing peaks that it's hard not to notice the band has truly perfected what has come to be known as the "bliss jam". For specifics, read any of my posts from the eight shows I attended.
The closing three-night stand in Colorado continued the Labor Day tradition (now in its fifth year) of Phish bringing the party, the power and the funk to Dick's Sporting Goods Park. By the end of the third show, no one cared anymore that the band broke its pattern of playing a show or set in which the first letter of each song title spelled something. And when the enormous, almost-third-set final encore that started with a rousing "Tweezer Reprise" featured non-stop rarities of "Harpua", "After Midnight", "NO2", "Keyboard Army" (first time since 1995), "Your Pet Cat", "Once in a Lifetime" (first since 1996), and the debut of the perfect closer, "United We Stand", the fact that it spelled "THANK YOU" was mere icing on the cake.
That encore was an instant classic which will be talked about for years. As will Magnaball. And the Mann. And Summer 2015 on a whole. Just like Summer 1995.
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