Phish Releases 5/3/93 New Brunswick Show As Sandy Benefit

Towards the end of a transformative Spring Tour that took Phish across the country and back in 1993, the Vermonters pulled in to the State Theatre in New Brunswick, New Jersey on May 3rd, 1993 for a show that wound up being the only one they’ve played at the historic venue. Phish has released the performance via LivePhish.com as a fundraiser to benefit SuperStorm Sandy relief.

There’s tons of highlights throughout the entire “quintessentially ’93” show including the weird and extremely “Phishy” Colonel Forbin’s Ascent > Fly Famous Mockingbird sequence featuring a Vibration of Life, an intense Tweezer that contains a bit of Carole King’s I Feel The Earth Move jam as well as the rare Manteca which was expertly inserted in the aforementioned Tweezer.

Listen to the Tweezer > Manteca > Tweezer:

Here’s the full setlist via LivePhish.com…

Set One: Buried Alive, Rift, Weigh > Chalk Dust Torture, Esther > Split Open and Melt, Col. Forbin > Fly Famous Mockingbird > Vibration of Life > Fly Famous Mockingbird, Possum, Lawn Boy > Cavern

Set Two: AC/DC Bag > The Curtain > Tweezer > Manteca > Tweezer > Contact > It’s Ice > Mcgrupp and the Watchful Hosemaster > Runaway Jim, Ball Jam > Hold Your Head Up > Love You > Hold Your Head Up, My Sweet One, Tweezer Reprise

Encore: Memories (a capella no mics), Amazing Grace (a capella no mics), Highway to Hell

You can buy 5/3/93 in a variety of formats. Downloads of MP3s will run you $9.99 while FLACs and ALACs cost $12.95. Mastering guru Fred Kevorkian sweetened the mix of Paul Languedoc’s recording for our listening enjoyment. All proceeds benefit The American Red Cross.

Here’s more info on this show and the circumstances of its release…

In late October of last year, Hurricane Sandy bore down on the Atlantic seaboard. The result was devastating for coastal areas from the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic to New England and reached as far inland as the Appalachian Mountains and parts of the Midwest and Canada. Storm surge, high winds and power outages that lasted weeks after the storm contributed to loss of life and unprecedented property losses. The coasts of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island were permanently redrawn as the Atlantic reclaimed some of America’s favorite beaches.

In response, The WaterWheel Foundation (with the help of the Mimi Fishman Foundation) quickly launched a ticket auction for Phish’s NYE run at Madison Square Garden. Eight pairs of tickets raised over $10,000, which was then donated to The Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties in NJ and The Food Bank for New York City to assist with their recovery efforts. To continue aiding in these efforts, JEMP Records is pleased to announce the release of Phish’s May 3, 1993 show from the State Theatre in New Brunswick NJ, as a download at LivePhish.com.

New Brunswick was 67th on the tour of 73 shows spanning February through May. The location was significant as Trey and Page have roots in New Jersey and this was only their second headline show in the state. Set I highlights included the Buried Alive opener with extended piano intro, a standout Weigh > Chalk Dust Torture, Colonel Forbin’s Ascent > Fly Famous Mockingbird/Vibration Of Life (during which, according to Trey’s narration, Paul administered memory-erasing gas) and remnants of Mockingbird reverberated into Possum.

Set II blasted off with a non-stop succession that began with AC/DC Bag > The Curtain followed by a must-hear combination of Tweezer > Manteca > Tweezer. During Tweezer the band gave a nod to fellow New Jerseyan Carole King by weaving I Feel The Earth Move into the jam. Runaway Jim followed by Big Ball Jam, Love You and My Sweet One put the spotlight on Fish before the classic close of Amazing Grace and Highway To Hell.

Hurricane Sandy Relief was recorded by Paul Languedoc and mastered by Fred Kevorkian. All the vendors involved in this release donated their time for the cause.

In the past, charitable downloads at LivePhish.com have raised over $130,000 for four non-profits: the Harbor House of New Jersey (The Headphones Jam), the New Orleans Musician’s Clinic, the Tipitina’s Foundation (Katrina Relief) and the American Red Cross (Haiti Relief and Japan Relief). Additionally, the Mockingbird Foundation receives funding on an on-going basis from the proceeds at LivePhish.com.