Phish has famously eschewed opening acts at nearly every concert they’ve played since they reached the mid-large size venue circuit. There have been a few exceptions, most notably the Dave Matthews Band who opened a handful of shows for Phish in 1994. One of those performances took place on this date in 1994 and it featured both bands teaming up for an extended encore.
DMB first opened for Phish on April 20, 1994 at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, Virginia and also kicked off the festivities the next night, April 21, at Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Following DMB’s opening set and a pair of sets from Phish, drummers Jon Fishman and Carter Beauford returned to the stage for a drum duel. The rest of Fish and Carter’s band mates then emerged for an exciting jam that even hit upon a riff that bares similarities to Bob Marley’s “Exodus.”
Out of the improv, Matthews began a cover of Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower” with both bands quickly falling in line behind him. Phish had never performed “Watchtower” in the past and have only played it once since, while the cover is a staple of DMB’s shows.
Here’s audio of Phish and Dave Matthews Band covering “All Along The Watchtower” on this date in 1994:
