Bela Fleck & The Flecktones Guest With Phish In 1993

Yesterday, Bela Fleck broke the news that he is in discussions to bring back the Flecktones, the seminal group he founded in 1988 that began an indefinite hiatus in 2012. To celebrate the potential return of one of the more talented units this planet has ever seen, today’s Full Show Friday features a look at the night Bela Fleck, Victor Wooten and Futureman sat-in with Phish for nearly all of a second set in 1993.

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones kicked off the action on August 21, 1993 with an opening set. Fleck and the Wootens emerged four songs into the second set as part of the “Fee” jam. The trio stayed on stage for the rest of the closing stanza. Bela shined on “Llama” and surprisingly, the composed sections of “David Bowie” weren’t a trainwreck and unsurprisingly the jam is chock full of impressive musicianship. The Flecktones even added to the evening’s Fishman song – a take on “If I Only Had A Brain.” While the “Harry Hood” isn’t near the top of anyone’s list, it’s worth a listen because it’s so unusual. The set came to its conclusion with a scat-heavy “Daniel Saw The Stone.” Phish ended the show with a two-song encore of an un-mic’d “Amazing Grace” and “Nellie Cane” featuring one more guest spot from Bela. Don’t sleep on the first set “Runaway Jim” and the peak-after-peak frenzy that is “Possum.”

Listen to a crispy audience recording from August 21, 1993 via From The Aquarium: