From: Charlie Dirksen
4/16/92 Anaconda Theater, Santa Barbara, CA (Rvwd 6/95)

Great Possum, Ice (!!!), Split, Maze, Sanity.. this
show just has TOOO MUCH!  The Sanity that opens set
Two is actually requested (screamed for) by some
folks in the audience.

Great sets of Phish.. just fantastic.  Highly
recommended.  The opening to MikeS is utterly
straightfoward and uneventful, reminiscent in its
plebeianity to the numerous Tweezer openings I once
endeavored to "review."  Mike is so prominent in the
mix of this show, however, that he makes it a
particularly Great Experience on tape.  It occurs to
me now that I think about it he may just be more
prominent in a lot of the boards of 1992, as opposed
to those of 1991, in general.  I don't know.  This is
a hypothesis.  Unlike most of the tapes I have, this
tape appears to have Mike practically Front and
Center, and, well, for you bass players out there,
This Is Your Show!  The Mike'S jam segment is eerie
and psychotic as it usually is (although I must
re-iterate that its GREAT TO HEAR MIKE SO PROMINENT
FOR A CHANGE).  Trey definitely has a notion of what
to do with this jam;  his distortion and sustain-work
is clearly more orchestrated than in past years, and
this whole jam segment is absolutely more together
than most of the pre-1992 versions that I've reviewed
to date.  Nonetheless, Trey does a lot of off-key,
bullshit sustained work that makes this MikeS very
typical.  The jam sounded like it would end at around
6:20 or so, as it would have ordinarily (1991 and
before), but the boys decided to keep dragging it
out.  Too bad, too, because even though it is
FANTASTIC to hear Mike's work so prominently
displayed for all ears to enjoy, this jam is bereft
of anything Special.  At around 7 mins, Trey kicks
into BBFCFM-distortion mode (withOUT teasing BBFCFM)
and begins a climb up the ole scale on the 'doc which
is nice but, hey, he can do much, much better than
this.  This extended MikeS is unusual enough given
the versions I've reviewed to date, but is no better
than the best Sparkle in light of 1994 MikeS.
Doesn't end until 8:15 mins, though, when H2 gently
floats in.  This might be the longest, or one of the
longest, versions of MikeS (by itself) that I've
covered to date, but it just isn't that great.
Standard H2.

Weekapaug kicks in at 11:35 or so.  Mike's opening is
snappy and sharp and quick and funky, but definitely
not more outrageous than usual (EXCEPT FOR THE FACT
THAT HE IS SO PROMINENT IN THE MIX, which is of
course delightful..).  Given the shit I've heard him
do in this opening, this is your Standard Mike Gordon
'Paug Opening.  The vocals in this Week are
noticeably not where they should be, but, whatever.
If this has to happen in order for Mike to be
prominent in the mix, well then, so be it.  I can
handle this every few shows.  ;^)  Trey's opening
soloing in this Weekapaug is Most Excellent,
demonstrating the control and creative majesty that
he has oft been known to display.  I heard a really
clever, gentle tease of part of the NICU theme in
some of his jamming in here.  Verrrry interesting.
Around 15:13 or so, Trey turns on some groovy
sustain-sort-of feature on his guitar that creates
arrays of orchestral-like sounds, as endearing as
they are rocking...  this stuff floats on the great
wave that Mike, Page, and Fish are maintaining.  A
very spacey jam occurs at this point (not space, mind
you.. a spacey jam.. there is a difference.. a steady
rythym!).  By 16:45 the jam really picks up as Trey
leaves the clouds and shoots earthward like a USAIR
commuter plane, wailing in a mazy motion, to settle
eventually on wood and dale... sorry about that.  By
18 mins, the true Weekapaug theme jam returns, and
the rest of the way out the groove would have been
typical, but because of Mike'S Prominence in the mix
and his brilliance on the bass, it is assuredly
difficult to label this close to the groove
"typical."  Ends around 19:22 or something.  Great
version in a kickass must have show.  If you don't
have it, you don't have shit.  6.25 rating (B).

two cents charlie