Phish used to love the Finger Lakes region. Might be tough to believe these days. The last time they played CMAC (née Finger Lakes PAC, or FLPAC) in Canandaigua was 2014. They’ve eschewed the area since the massive curveball that was thrown at their planned 2018 festival at Watkins Glen, which was cancelled due to area flooding and related potable water issues. Between Darien Lake, CMAC and earlier Watkins Glen festivals, the region was a regular stop on Summer tour and Rochester would pop up occasionally on Fall schedules. Nowadays, area fans have to be satisfied with a triennial summer stop in Syracuse, which depending on who you ask, could also be considered a part of the Finger Lakes region.

It’s a shame though. I’ve seen every Phish show at CMAC, and every one at Darien Lake and Syracuse’s newish Lakeview Amphitheater to boot. CMAC is the best of that bunch by most any measure. Most Phish heads likely know the Finger Lakes shed venue for only one reason, the epic 1995 set-spanning “Tweezer” known as the “Fleezer.” As good as that was, their time at the venue doesn’t start and end there.

In 1992, Phish premiered at FLPAC as an opener for Santana. It was a formative tour for the band and while their short opening set isn’t all that noteworthy, the experience of seeing the band later sit in with Carlos and his band was eye-opening for this young fan and for many others in attendance I am sure.

Summer 1994 Phish tour shirt via PhanArt archives

Two years later, on July 14, 1994, they returned on their own, bigger, more experienced, and with their best-selling studio record Hoist released earlier in the year, which received a major publicity push. They were nearing the end of a non-stop touring front half of the year. But there were no signs of fatigue on this night.

I was working for the summer at a sleepaway camp not too far away. There’s really no better way to spend the summer as a teenager. Even as fun as it was, days off were necessary and looked forward to. And there was no better way to spend those days off then taking in some live music. So when a good band announced a show within an hour drive, or if we wanted to stretch it, in some cases much further, tickets were purchased and days off were scheduled. So Phish playing in the Finger Lakes in the early-mid 90’s was perfection really.

The band took a workman-like approach on this night. No breaks, no banter, just solid high-energy playing from start to finish. There wasn’t a best-ever version or any highly notable jams, and not much in the way of rare-nuggets. Each and every song is played flawlessly with creative abandon. You don’t need a “Stash” to go for 30 minutes when it snags a killer riff immediately into the jam. The flow throughout is effortless and relentless, no letup. Even the ballads hit with a fresh vibrancy that pops.

If you were curious what Phish sounded like in 93-94, this would be a solid place to start. It’s all here. The “Runaway Jim” that gets the room cooking right off the bat. The absolute manic how-can-they-actually-reach-higher “Run Like an Antelope” first set closer. The at-the-time classic “2001” second set opener. The oddball “Big Ball Jam” that never really worked and works less on tape. The wonderful late set bring-up “Harry Hood,” formerly bringing us back from a Fishman diversion, tonight from the Big Balls. That raging classic-rock show closer.

This is truly quintessential early-90’s Phish and it’s bevy of weird shifts and genre jumping. You’ve got the touch of bluegrass, a Jewish hymn, Eastern European-esque guitar bass duel, a couple Gamehendge visits, and some more accessible “hits” like “Bouncing Around the Room” and “Sample in a Jar.” Not a bad show to play for that Phish-curious friend of yours or 3.0 fan looking for a super solid 1.0 representation.

The whole thing unraveled a bit in the encore. A bunch of stage-divers overtook the stage, one even hugging Trey Anastasio while he was singing. Eventually the stage was cleared and the song went on (it never actually stopped), matching the same level of spunk they exhibited all night long. At the time, with the more mainstream direction following the release of Hoist and the attention and fans it brought, it seemed like this might be a harbinger of things to come. In hindsight, fortunately, it is hardly something worth remembering, just an isolated incident. It didn’t prevent them from returning the next year for their more notable 1995 visit. A natural disaster over 20 years later though, that might have done it for the Finger Lakes for good.

Phish – Finger Lakes Performing Arts Center (FLPAC), Canandaigua, NY – July 14, 1994

Set 1: Runaway Jim, Bouncing Around the Room, Punch You in the Eye > Stash[1] -> The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday > Avenu Malkenu > The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday, Scent of a Mule, Fluffhead > The Horse > Silent in the Morning, Run Like an Antelope

Set 2: Also Sprach Zarathustra > Sample in a Jar, Maze, If I Could, Uncle Pen, You Enjoy Myself > Sparkle > Big Ball Jam > Harry Hood, Highway to Hell

Encore: Chalkdust Torture

[1] Unfinished.

Photos from Phish at FLPAC, July 14, 1994 by Thomas G Smith, exclusive to NYS Music.