Phish To Release Historic New Year’s Eve 1993 Worcester Centrum Show On Digital & Vinyl

UPDATE (January 20, 11:15 a.m. PT): Phish previewed the set by releasing “Stash.” Stream the newly remastered track below:

UPDATE (February 4, 11:15 a.m. PT): The second taste of the collection comes with “Harry Hood,” considered by some to be the best version of the song ever. Listen to the newly remastered NYE ’93 “Hood” below:

Phish will give one of the most important concerts of their career the live archival release treatment next month. New Year’s Eve 1993, Live At Worcester Centrum is due out February 20 via JEMP Records on vinyl and CD/digital, marking the band’s first-ever dual release in those formats.

The Vermont quartet’s December 31, 1993 show at Worcester Centrum was their first performance at the venue, fifth annual New Year’s Eve show and biggest headlining gig at the time. The Centrum had nearly double the capacity of Matthews Arena, where they rang in 1993 one year prior. Phish was fresh off recording Hoist, their fifth studio album, which would hit stores the following spring.

The three sets Phish delivered at the sold-out Worcester Centrum were filled with highlights, including an all-time version of “Harry Hood,” a “Peaches En Regalia” cover in memory of Frank Zappa, well-jammed takes on classics “Tweezer,” “You Enjoy Myself,” “Reba,” “Possum” and more.

Phish enlisted Chris McGregor and J.W. Nickel of Rocket Science to create an aquarium stage set that was used for all four nights of their 1993 Holiday Tour. After “YEM,” the members of the band put on wet suits and laid the groundwork for their first elaborate New Year’s Eve gag. A description of the gag from New Year’s Eve 1993, Live At Worcester Centrum press materials reads:

Underwater sound effects and band dialog signaled the start of Set III, beginning with the band “diving” into the onstage aquarium and climbing into the giant clam, which snapped shut on them. As midnight approached, the clam rose off the stage and began to shake during the countdown to 1994 before erupting into a sea of confetti, light and sound at midnight. The band reappeared playing Auld Lang Syne, leading to the first Down With Disease Jam during which Fish’s old friend Peter Becker (who resembled Frank Zappa) paraded across the stage to usher in the New Year before a fiery Split Open And Melt.

New Year’s Eve 1993, Live At Worcester Centrum was recorded by Paul Languedoc to multitrack, mixed by Jon Altschiller and mastered by Fred Kevorkian for CD/Digital and Chris Bellman for vinyl. The entire concert was taped multi-track on 2” reels in a GBH Mobile remote truck and was broadcast live (and rebroadcast the following day) on Boston’s WBCN radio station. Physical copies of the release come housed in a Deluxe Lift-Off Box Set with a “Cut Out” Phish Aquarium Set included.

The 3-CD box set is only available through Phish Dry Goods. Pre-order the 5-LP vinyl set and related merch at Phish Dry Goods as well.

Watch Phish’s “Down With Disease” video, which includes footage shot on December 31, 1993:

Setlist (via Phish.net)

New Year’s Eve 1993, Live At Worcester Centrum Tracklist

DISC 1

Side A

1. Llama (live)
2. Guelah Papyrus (Live)
3. Stash (Live)

Side B

1. Ginseng Sullivan (Live)
2. Reba (Live)

DISC 2

Side A

1. Peaches en Regalia (Live)
2. I Didn’t Know (Live)
3. Run Like An Antelope (Live)

Side B

1. Tweezer (Live)
2. Halley’s Comet (Live)
3. Poor Heart (Live)

DISC 3

Side A

1. It’s Ice (Live)
2. Fee (Live)

Side B

1. Possum (Live)
2. Lawn Boy (Live)

DISC 4

Side A

1. You Enjoy Myself (Live)
2. Phish Aquarium (Live)

Side B

1. Phish Aquarium (continued) [Live]
2. Auld Lang Syne (Live)
3. Down With Disease Jam (Live)
4. Split Open And Melt (Live)

DISC 5

Side A

1. The Lizards (Live)
2. Sparkle (Live)
3. Suzy Greenberg (Live)
4. Hold Your Head Up (Live)
5. Cracklin’ Rosie (Live)
6. Hold Your Head Up (Live) [reprise]

Side B

1. Harry Hood (Live)
2. Tweezer Reprise (Live)
3. Golgi Apparatus (Live)
4. Amazing Grace (Live)