Bust Outs: Back to the Basics Edition

Bathtub Gin: 07/29/98 Riverport MO

You might remember this Gin from such fillers as the end of Disc #3 from Live Phish 17. What really sticks out about this Bathtub Gin is not any individual showmanship from any member of the band, but a series of more subtle nuances. Including but not limited to: 1) Trey never really rips into any boisterous lead lines, but rather just sticks with shifty rhythmic three or four note grooves; 2) Trey’s guitar tone is one-of-a-kind, something that doesn’t get brought up too often, but probably should; and 3) in the heat of the long funk jam, it is remarkably cohesive and feels full and entertaining for the duration, yet nobody really overtly leads it.

If I Could: 06/26/1994 Charleston WV

You know how occasionally when you get a little too drunk and overly excited about a piece of music, you might say something really embarrassing that you wish nobody would remember? Well, apparently I once proclaimed that this was “the exact jam” I wanted played at my funeral. And unfortunately, one of my good buddies remembers it vividly and repeats it regularly. Damn it! Oh well, I suppose it could be worse though, because this is the best Page jam I know. This rendition of If I Could from the famous Gamehoist show in ’94 really does have a cathartic climax. Though I still wish I had never said that corny shit.

Cavern: 04/05/1998 Providence RI

Everybody knows this little number as the infamous “Funky Cavern” from the Island Tour. This extravaganza begins with an enticing anecdotal teaser from Trey: “We can’t end this whole thing without a little bit more funk, since that’s kinda been the theme. So those of you who wanna take off, take off, but for those of you who wanna dance to the funk… we’re gonna stay around and keep grooving.”

What seems like it is headed for an aimless funk jam gradually morphs into a totally unsuspected Cavern, which ultimately climaxes with a really uplifting chorus. This whole jam highlights some of Fishman’s finer work… not to mention an epic Trey “butcher” job on his lyrical duties. The “Funky Cavern” is yet another example of how simply slowing down one of the songs in the regular rotation can be so much fun. And let’s also remember that this week marks the 10th anniversary of the beloved Island Tour. Consider it remembered!

Run Like An Antelope: 08/09/1998 Virginia Beach, VA

A favorite Antelope is nearly impossible to nail down given the numerous comedic installments, frenetic build-ups and great endings; but this particular version always got a ton of mileage on the old tape player. At the “Terrapin show” Antelope climbs like the mountain man on the Price is Right until it reaches the apex and then dumps off the cliff into the shifty funk of the Esquandolas portion – which is just damn cool. I have included the subsequent Brian & Robert, because the perfectly placed monstrous juxtaposition really highlights the fact that your face did in fact literally melt off during this Antelope.

Boogie On Reggae Woman: 04/16/2004 Las Vegas NV

I imagine this tune is exactly what the People for a Louder Mike had in mind when they formed. The Vegas Boogie On is vastly overshadowed in the Boogie On universe for two good reasons: A) It’s from 2004 and B) it’s only about 5 minutes long. Nevertheless, this version is just an end to end Mike Gordon bass clinic. And IMO it easily outdoes any of the 13 minute more exploratory versions.

What are your favorite versions of these tunes? Let us know by leaving a comment below…