Today is the twenty three year anniversary of Phish playing their full “Gamehendge” saga at the venue formerly known as Great Woods (now the Xfinity Center). 1994 was a huge year for Phish, and this epic performance of guitarist Trey Anastasio‘s magnum opus at essentially a hometown venue marked the last time Phish would ever play this multi-part collection of songs in full.
Set one kicked off with a raging “Llama” -> “NO2”, which featured some vacuum playing from Jon Fishman. The trippy song sucked the band into the world of Gamehendge. Trey begins his narration straight out of “NO2,” and the crowd went wild as each element of the story was mentioned. From the first mention of Gamehendge, Colonel Forbin, and Rutherford the Brave, the audience was treated to an incredible full performance of the suite. Phish wove creative narration within the songs, as they segued masterfully from “The Lizards,” to “Tela,” to “Wilson” and “AC/DC Bag,” “Colonel Forbin’s Ascent” into “Fly Famous Mockingbird,” and finally “The Sloth,” with Gamehendge “b-sides” “McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters” and “The Divided Sky” bringing the set to a close.
Set Two was no slouch either, as the band played several standout jams. “Reba” featured a prominent “Manteca” tease, “It’s Ice” > “Stash” was incredible, with this version being picked to appear on the band’s famous live album A Live One. Perhaps the non-Gamehenge highlight of the show, the band performed a wild show-stopping “You Enjoy Myself” -> “Frankenstein” -> “You Enjoy Myself” segment the cemented this show as an absolute classic.
This show is what Phish dreams are made of. After twenty three years, it feels like generations ago that Phish performed Gamehendge in full. Below you can find full audio and full setlist details from this amazing performance.
