Tag: unh

Show #97: 4/27/1989 Memorial Union Building, UNH Durham, NH

Thursday, 04/27/1989
Memorial Union Building, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH

Set 1: Golgi Apparatus,  Jam[1],  The Sloth >  Divided Sky,  Sanity[2],  I Didn’t Know,  Alumni Blues >  Letter to Jimmy Page >  Alumni Blues >  The Lizards,  Whipping Post

Encore: Contact,  David Bowie

[1] Often referred to as “String Changing Nature.”
[2] Fast version.

The outside of the M.U.B. as it appears today. Probably has had modifications since 1989.
The outside of the M.U.B. as it appears today. Probably has had modifications since 1989.

Back on 11/11/88, when Phish played the Stone Church in Newmarket for the first time, Trey plugged someone’s show at the “MUB”. Trey asked what that was, not knowing. Here, about 5 months late, Trey gets the full answer as Phish plays the pub at the M.U.B, or Memorial Union Building at the University of New Hampshire. UNH would prove an important place in the band’s career until the school no longer had a venue large enough for the band after 1994. With total enrollment of about 15,000 students, this bastion of young people, combined with its proximity to both Boston and Portland, ME made it an ideal location for the band. This show was booked by the UNH Outing Club and played in the pub within the union building. The pub has since been removed as colleges would move away from alcohol on campus sometime during the 1990s. I checked out the floor plan of the MUB but did not find a space which seemed to suggest a pub location. I may check with some UNH alumni and see if they remember the location. I will update this post if it can be determined. As for the show itself, there’s not much that stands out. A fun jazz jam by Mike, Page, and Fish while Trey replaces a string is cool. Mike throws some banter over the top. “Sanity” is the fast version again. “Lizards” has Page experimenting with counter-melodies along side Trey during the “If I Were A Dog” outro. “Whipping Post” has a cool jam that takes it easy instead of pushing it over the top. Lastly, “David Bowie” has a fun intro with the band saying thank you to the crowd. The ensuing jam is also well-played. A solid gig but again nothing too noteworthy other than establishing a fan base at UNH.