Mount Rushmore Of Phish Jams Full Survey Results Are In
By Scott Bernstein Jul 21, 2015 • 8:20 am PDT
We received over 900 responses and the results were very surprising, but not in the way you might suspect. The same four Phish jams took the top spots with the Tahoe Tweezer (7/31/13) receiving 301 votes, the Went Gin (8/17/97) garnering 270 votes, the Albany YEM (12/9/95) scoring 228 votes and the Providence Bowie (12/29/94) taking home 219 votes. The Providence Bowie eked out a spot on the Mount Rushmore Of Phish Jams by just one vote over the Denver Ghost (11/17/97). Not only did the same four Phish jams win spots on Mount Rushmore in the full poll, but four of the five honorable mentions were also the same. Tweezerbella (12/6/97) fell off the list and was replaced by the Fukuoka Twist (6/14/00). The Denver Ghost scored 218 votes, Nassau Roses Are Free (4/3/98) received 207, the Riverport Gin (7/29/98) garnered 176 votes, the Camden Chalk Dust (7/10/99) took home 162 votes while the Fukuoka Twist scored 126 votes.
Phish’s first and only major tour of the year begins tonight in Bend, Oregon.
The Mount Rushmore Of Phish Jams
Tahoe Tweezer -July 31, 2013 -Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harvey’s – Stateline, NV
The jam that garnered the most votes took place less than two years ago -the 36-minute “Tahoe Tweezer” from July 31, 2013. Phish explored many interesting jam spaces over the course of the relentless “Tweezer” that showed the Vermonters are far from finished when it comes to their aptitude for jamming. All four members play key roles in making the “Tahoe Tweezer” among the best versions of any song in Phish history.
Went Gin -August 17, 1997 -Loring Air Force Base -Limestone, ME
It was a battle to the finish for which version of “Bathtub Gin” would make the Mount Rushmore Of Phish Jams. The buttery “Went Gin” the Vermonters laid down at their Great Went festival on August 17, 1997 in Limestone, Maine won out by a handful of votes over the more exploratory version dubbed the “Riverport Gin” from July 29, 1998 near St. Louis. The Went Gin was all about one anthemic chord progression the band worked over with a plomb for seven of the most powerful minutes of music in Phish history. Head to the seven-minute mark in the video above and we bet you’ll flip your desk by the time the version ends.
Albany YEM -December 9, 1995 -Knickerbocker Arena -Albany, NY
Phish delivered a monumental 34-minute version of “You Enjoy Myself” as a powerful snowstorm enveloped the area around the Knickerbocker Arena in Albany, New York on December 9, 1995. The “Albany YEM” is unlike any other version of the most played song in Phish history thanks to the goosebump-inducing progression the band settles in on for most of the tune as well as a “silent jam” that needed to be seen to be believed and blistering peak that was the icing on an already delicious cake.
Providence Bowie -December 29, 1994 -Providence Civic Center -Providence, RI
The legendary version of “David Bowie” Phish laid down at the Providence Civic Center on the second night of their ’94/’95 New Year’s Run squeezed out a spot on Mount Rushmore by just one vote. The “Providence Bowie” is just about the same length of the “Tahoe Tweezer” and the pair also share similarities in that the band explores interesting jam spaces for minutes at a time instead of quickly moving through musical ideas. There’s scary moments such as the digital delay intro and calls for Lassie as well as a glorious, major-key chord sequence around the 21:30 mark the quartet settles on and builds to a beautiful climax.
Honorable Mention: Denver Ghost (11/17/97 “Ghost), Nassau Roses (4/3/98 “Roses Are Free”), Riverport Gin (7/29/98 “Bathtub Gin”), Camden Chalk Dust (7/10/99 “Chalk Dust Torture) and Fukuoka Twist (6/14/00 “Twist”)
