From: gone phishin' 

7/21/93  Orange County Fairgrounds, Middletown, NY  (special guest w/HORDE)

one set
2001 -> Split Open and Melt
Sparkle
Squirming Coil
Maze
Aglide
Rift
Bouncing Around the Room
Runaway Jim
Beach Ball Jam!
Purple Rain -> HYHU
Daniel
E: Chalkdust Torture

Looking back at this show, it was not one of the best I've seen (I would rank
MSG '94 and Waterloo '95 higher) but it does hold a special place in my heart,
being my first phish show and all. My friend calls me up and tells me 'Phish'
will be playing across the river at the Raceway in a week. I really had never
heard Phish before; I've just spotted a logo around town, on a shirt or a car.
But, I shelled out the $25 for the '93 HORDE and drove out there.
The whole Festival was fun, but Phish just took the cake. I could feel the
energy in the crowd building up during the break, and just watched it explode
when the boys took the stage. As I said, I didn't really know Phish, and 
therefore did not know what to expect.
The opener, Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001), really got my attention, with the
mirrored lights engulfing the stage and the front of the crowd. I had never
really heard a band use keyboards this much before, and Trey's trademark
'clean' guitar sound really kept me interested.
--The segue into Split Open and Melt faded out the mirrored lights and finally
introduced the band to the audience. The very look of these guys made me
chuckle a bit, but the music just overpowered me. The SOAMelt Jam, with it's
subtle but noticeable progressing variations, kept me dancing throughout it's
7 minute duration.
--The more upbeat but less jammy Sparkle was next. Sparkle, along with many
others, are not 'played with' as much. I think it's safe to say that Sparkle
is 'set in its ways'...I've never heard a big variation in it. The crowd really
picked up on this one. It was hard to stay in one place!
--The Squirming Coil, with it's fast pace and Page solo, was *excellent*. The
boys were all in tune to each other; this Coil was album-perfect.
--Maze just made me think, "What?"
--By the time Aglide came around, I really felt something for this band. It was
strange. I was just having the best time, and I was convinced it was the music!
Besides this show, I have never seen Trey and Mike slide across the stage in
their rhythmic fashion during the Aglide bridge. I've seen trampolines used a
bit, but never this.
--The rest of the show blended together very nicely. Rift sounded great after
Aglide, and Bouncing gave me a little break to just sit back (or stand, rather)
and watch the boys play. Runaway Jim seemed a little like a sing-along tune,
and that's exactly what I did. The jam was *extremely chaotic*...My adrenaline
was _pumping_ at this point.
--The Beach Ball Jam lasted about 60 seconds, where 8 shots and 2 baskets were
made. This gave me the feeling that this was not a 'show', but more of an
'experience'. People don't just sit there and watch the band. They dance. They
participate. They throw giant beach balls into the band forming a hoop! I
haven't seen this since the 12/29/93 New Haven show.
--Purple Rain. What can I say? A guy in a dress with a horrible voice playing a
vacuum! Oddly, I enjoyed it! I would think a 'show newbie' would look at this
as a little *too* weird and be pushed away a bit, but I loved it.
Daniel, just like Maze, made me think, "What?"
--The Chalkdust encore was *fantastic*. The crowd, now spread out into the
grandstand, throughout the village, and outside the gates, was dancing and
singing with each other, with just the greatest look of ecstacy on their faces.
I felt it too. This show filled me with this incredible energy that I have not
felt since, either in subsequent shows or in anything else I've done.

Thirteen months later, my first week up at college, I found a copy of this
show. Now, Fifteen months after that, and 6 shows later, I'm spinning tapes for
newbies. And for each person that thanks me for getting them 'their first show'
or for helping them *get* to a show, I can't help but remember the joy of my
first Phish experience.

------11/19/95
Mark Goldstein (gone phishin')
mg4578@cnsvax.albany.edu
http://www.albany.edu/~mg4578/