The only show on the summer '96 tour with no reviews? Well let's have a listen some 17 years later and see what's cooking. I didn't attend this show, but I do remember what a tough ticket the Red Rocks run was at the time. Anticipation of this run was riding high and the band delivers a satisfying performance on night one.

Trey's voice is a little hoarse in spots at this show, but the energy level is extremely high. In fact, Trey is so possessed that it feels in spots like the band is playing catch up. The SOAM in the first set is a good example of this, a boisterous and frenzied version that never strays from the theme. Mango is spiffy, but Sloth suffers a bit from Trey's hoarseness. Maze is the other first set highlight, a blistering tour-de-force that's all Trey shred and little nuance. No complaints.

The energy levels stay elevated with the Bag second-set opener, again with Trey racing out ahead of the band. It's barely over before the opening notes of Reba kick in.

This Reba has about 3 minutes of an outstanding ascending jamming, a great exploration, wiith Trey getting stuck on a single lick as the band builds behind him. Unfortunately, it cuts off a little abruptly-- no whistling, just blam! Done. I'd still rate it higher than the jamming chart on this site.

Mule doesn't move me on recordings -- I believe it's a song best appreciated in person so you get the visual accompaniment of the duel. Page's soloing is melodious here, however.

The Bowie is the highlight of the show, another energetic, rocking version. It doesn't get deep and dark or really far out there, but brings the thunder with a rock and roll vibe. Stunningly fierce, a joy to listen to.

The quiet section of Slave has Trey repeating the same lick over and over, but some feedback on the buildup mars a solid version. Page’s stab at the Star Trek Theme on the theramin before the encore is interesting, but not quite there. I don’t think many in the audience knew what he was playing.

A very energetic night, with lots of great moments and a song selection with almost no slow selections. The Maze, the last few minutes of Reba and the Bowie in particular will remind you that this is a well-oiled band clearly approaching a pinnacle. That zenith came two weeks later at the Clifford Ball, an unforgettable weekend that I feel privileged to have attended.

phishtraks.com thanks for the great reording

Trey kills this Chalkdust. For a heady show like this it was a great opener.
with a Funky Bitch follow you know the boys were waiting for this night.
Hot would be an understatement. Trey is on fire . No pedals here. 2 weeks ago this would have been a laid back experiment in ambient groove. This is an in your face rock song tonight.
Guyute this early ?!!? yes. .. I remember wanting to goto Red Rocks sooo bad knowing how inspired the set list would be. they do not disappoint

This is a heavy GUYUTE. by the end you are wanting more fantastic opuses by Trey. wish I was there.

SOAM!! A great pre cursor to the 8/17/96 Clifford Ball 30 minute behemoth . Trey wants to use those pedals !! lol he just keeps it raw mostly. great listen. This is loud boisterous rock god music. The end is just energy personified.

!!!!MAZE!!!PAge gets this MAZe off right. awesome jam. YOu ever heard of GUitar Wrangler?? This is Trey lol its sounds like the notes are being spiritually forced out of the guitar and he's doing all he can to hang on and interpret it for us. The rest of the band stays in maze theme territory making what Trey is doing so much more crazy !! BAnanans . Beserk. what ever word you can think of is the Treys jam. The end is just why you listen to this band more than any other. Must listen. Has to be the high-point musically for the band in the last 30 days .
Very important Loving Cup here. the last time they played this it was sloppy and cut off. This is my fav cover and I was very disappointed to hear a bad version. From Pages first chords you can tell this is a different story. For this period this is power. Trey had still not found the voice he will later on this song but it is stil a good listen .
FIRE first set

SECOND SET!!

Bag opener is friggin amazing for some run of the mill band but this will be considered "type 1" for some phishers cuz it doesn't leave the theme. Whatever.. Trey kills this. All through Europe he's on the pedals .this is all his fingers and his axe. if you listen you won't be disappointed.

REBA!!!! Full disclosure: my fav song. I do think this challenges them the most out of all their songs. I hear them f the written part up more than other songs. This time they nail it!! literally. dynamics everything!! perfect written part. the fuge trey-page follow is perfect sonic manipulation.
Trey is on top of this jam fro the start. it doesn't go any where really but , after listening to the summer Europe shows this is a breath of fresh air. He does not goto the pedals. MAybe you like that. I love hearing him work out the melodies on his fingers . You can hear that in this Reba. Solid Type II jamming after the 12 min mark lol

Pretty sick page solo on Scent Of A Mule. like if you play keys , you know how hard it is to do what homeboy just did. This inspires a pretty amazing Trey solo!!! MUST LISTEN!!!! one of the best mike vocal solos ever...
Sample!
Bowie!!---this its like a nice bag of dance rocks!!! I really suggest you goto phishtraks.com and listen to the month prior. They were not sounding like this. really , Trey wasn't sounding like this!!
This bowie starts out low and heavy. The band is listenign for their mater to give them a direction.....Trey is content to chill for a while and its all brilliant because the band is so tight... at the 7 min mark things get interesting lol wha follows is bananas!!! Type II at 10:50!!!!!!!
sick.....
Slave was ok.
Star Trek Theremin olo by page , once in a lifetime!!!!
Rocky Top is the best best show closer!!!!

t

SET 1: Chalk Dust Torture: Standard.

Funky Bitch: Standard.

Guyute: Standard.

Fee: Standard. >

Split Open and Melt: Solid enough.

The Mango Song: Standard.

The Sloth: Standard.

Maze: Page CRUSHES his solo. So much tension built up. So much! Trey actually outdoes Page and CRUSHES his solo. Absolutely destroys it. Very impressive Maze!!! Would highly recommend.

Loving Cup: The crowd is very, very pumped for this one! The structure seems different than what I am used to and this one also seems extended versus a typical version. Trey sounds amazing. That summer 96 tone is great! There is not the raging climax I have come to expect. More of a consistent jam and then into the final lyrics. Really cool.

SET 2: AC/DC Bag: What a rager! It is so fast and furious that it feels as if it could go over a cliff at any moment, but they manage to keep the train on tracks and in doing so melted many a face. Would recommend! >

Reba: Solid enough but the ending is all jacked up.

Scent of a Mule: Standard.

Sample in a Jar: Standard. >

David Bowie: Breakneck speed.

Sweet Adeline: Standard.

Slave to the Traffic Light: Really good Slave.

ENCORE: Theme from Star Trek – No comment.

Rocky Top: Standard.

Summary: Pretty average show. Not too much here to really sink your teeth into. I think the Phish.net rating of 3.772/5 (79 ratings) is a little strong. I would hit it at 3.65/5.

Replay Value: Maze, Loving Cup, AC/DC Bag