Show # 23: 5/11/87

Monday, 05/11/1987
Nectar’s, Burlington, VT

Set 1: You Enjoy Myself, Lushington^[1] -> Possum, Slave to the Traffic Light, Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley, Clod, Peaches en Regalia > The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday^[2] > Avenu Malkenu^[3] > The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday, Makisupa Policeman^[4], Ya Mar

Encore: Golgi Apparatus, Corinna, Letter to Jimmy Page

[1] No lyrics.
[2] First known performance.
[3] First known Phish performance.
[4] Keyword referenced dioxin and Gaddafi.

Low points in a tour or series of shows are always bound to happen with a band like Phish. For 10/20/13 in Hampton, there’s 10/22 in Rochester. For every peak, there must be a valley. This is a very early example of that. I mean it was a Monday night in Burlington and Dollar Drafts at What Ales You was not a thing yet I would think. Also, theo recording quality is NOT GOOD. Only listen to for historical purposes. Right from the get-go, we get a less than cohesive “You Enjoy Myself”. The band doesn’t sound as with it as they did on 4/29. There’s no sense of moving as unit. The vocal jam is screechy and harsh. My mom quipped “They sound like a bunch of cats!”. After that we get a brief glimpse of “The Chase” segment that would become part of the “Fluff’s Travels” suite before rolling into the chords of “Lushington”. No lyrics on this one however. The fumbling continues until we finally land into “Possum”, which they plod through nobly. “Slave to the Traffic Light” gets the show in the right direction, sounding a little better. “Sneakin’ Sally” comes next, an attempt to revive the vibe. It may have worked form a crowd perspective but on tape it does not work. “Clod” turns out to be the highlight of the set with some tight playing from the band at long last. After a long pause, “Peaches en Regalia” finally comes out and it’s a fine version. Following that is the debut of “The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday>Avenu Malkenu>TMWSIY”. This is important because it further signals that Gamehendge is coming. It’s still odd that this effectively background music is played as an instrumental during a set. It’s also interesting hearing a bar band bust out a funky Hebrew prayer mid-set. “Avenu Malkenu” translates into “Our Father, Our King”. Little is known about why Phish chose to do a version of the prayer but it’s a welcome moment. Trey lets the crowd know “That was called The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday and I’m going to get my head sharpened.” A standard “Makisupa” comes next. Introduced as going “from Jamaica directly to the Bahamas” and quick tease of ZZ Top’s “Tush”, the band lights into “Ya Mar”.  It almost feels like an attempt to save face for a poor set by ending with a danceable favorite. Nothing too exciting here except to hear Page say “Be sure to top your bartenders and waitresses.” Hopefully, moving to the Ranch next will liven things up.