That was fun.

I appreciate when HOF voters reveal their ballots:
1998-04-03 - Roses
1994-11-16 - Simple
1994-11-22 - Funky Bitch
1994-11-28 - Tweezer
1999-09-14 - AC/DC Bag
2013-07-31 - Tweezer
2000-05-22 - Ghost
1995-11-14 - Stash (all)
1995-12-09 - YEM
1997-11-22 - Halley's Comet

Cool concept, but if the voters have the same taste as the originators of that jam tournament bracket 2 years back, you'll be sure to see 6/11/94 YEM and 12/30/95, arguably two of the best jams of all time, get snubbed.

1993-12-30 Mike's Song
1996-11-18 Simple
1997-07-23 Ghost
1994-07-16 Antelope
1994-07-06 Reba
1994-10-31 Divided Sky
1995-12-29 Bathtub Gin > Real Me
1996-11-07 Bathtub Gin
1993-12-31 Harry Hood
1998-07-31 Cities

Cool idea, seems like it might be tough to get 50% on anything though picking 10 out of the entire spectrum of 30 years of Phish. Might be easier having people select 10 from a list of nominated entries

Yeah I didn't want to limit the criteria for selection though (although that would have been easier to reach a given threshold). I have some other thoughts on how to cut through the data and have a few different criteria for different levels or tiers. If anyone has other ideas, let me know!

Imposed my own personal criteria: a 'jam' should be self-contained and not include more than a single song, with the exception of extended quotes, or lyrics/structures sung over jam segments (ie. Meatstick-> Kung could be considered a single jam, But 6/14/00 Twist-> Walk Away would constitute two 'jams').

My ballot ended up being a mixture of classic heavy hitters and some personal dark horse favourites that I think nevertheless deserve their place alongside said hitters in the canon. Oddly enough I saw 7 of the 10.

12/6/97 Tweezer
12/7/99 Halley's Comet
2/28/03 Tweezer
8/17/97 Bathtub Gin
7/6/94 Reba
11/17/97 Ghost
12/30/97 ACDC Bag
12/31/99 Split Open and Melt -> Kung
8/11/98 Runaway Jim
8/15/98 Ambient Jam

Some tough calls: 4/3/98 II, 6/14/00 II, and 11/22/97 II are among my top 10 sets to be sure, but there isn't a single jam that stood out from them to merit inclusion over the above. Honourable mention to 7/2/97 Stash, 8/10/97 Cities, every Harry Hood from 1994 and every Ghost and Bathtub Gin from 1997-2000.

Baseball's first HOF induction ceremony was on Jan. 29th, 1936, while baseball started in 1845. Five guys were inducted - Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson.

I think that 10 would be a great discussion, as well as what people are discussing on this board, how to narrow it down - is it one long jam from a song? Or teased, like the Stash on 11/14/1995? In my opinion, I'm just going with the one song.

8/13/1993 Bathtub Gin
12/29/94 Bowie
12/31/1995 Mike's
11/21/1997 Hailey's
12/6/1997 Tweezer
7/10/1999 Chalkdust
2/28/2003 Tweezer
6/19/2004 Piper
9/1/12 Light
7/31/13 Tweezer

It'll be fun to see who votes for what. Great topic.

Fukuoka Twist
Nassau Roses
Providence Bowie
they'd all be in discussion for top 25

also...there's this possum (i think early '94) it's with big country horns and col. bruce hampton, has simpsons language, and is just pretty awesome...forget the year but I'm sure somebody on here knows what I'm talkin bout. That would definitely be a top 10-er in my book

I'm sure I'd cast a different ballot if you asked me tomorrow, or in an hour, but here's what I came up with:

12/29/94 Bowie
6/22/95 FLeezer
11/14/95 Stashfest
12/9/95 YEM
12/29/95 Real Gin
7/2/97 Stash
7/29/98 Gin
12/7/99 Halley's
5/22/00 Ghost
7/31/13 Tweezer

Felt like I gave short shrift to August 93, November 94 and 2003-4, but this is what I came up with.

4-3-98 Roses
8-3-03 Ghost
8-2-03 Waves
8-5-11 Rock n Roll
12-31-99 Sand-> Quadrophonic Toppling
7-13-14 Chalkdust Torture
6-3-11 Down with Disease
8-11-98 Runaway Jim
11-14-95 Stash
7-15-99 SOAM-> Kung-> Jam

No particular order to those

8-17-97 Gin
2-28-03 Tweezer
11-2-94 Tweezer
8-3-03 Ghost
5-5-93 YEM
11-22-97 Mike's
6-14-00 Twist> Jam
8-15-04 SOAMelt
6-16-95 Jim
7-15-99 Chalk Dust

Any list is irrelevant if it does not include the 12/29/94 Bowie..

7/31/13 Tweezer
12/29/94 Bowie
8/17/97 Gin
11/28/94 Bowie
12/6/97 Tweezer
4/3/98 Roses
6/14/00 Twist
11/14/95 Stash
2/28/03 Tweezer
12/9/95 YEM

5/22/2000 Ghost
7/2/1997 Stash
6/14/2000 Twist> Jam
12/29/1994 Bowie
7/29/1998 Gin
7/1/1997 Cities> Jam
11/29/1997 Jim

Lots of others that I'd personally vote for, but I think the above jams are all famous enough and unanimously loved enough that they seemingly would all deserve first ballot entry.

https://twitter.com/JOBOOZOSO/status/591382288669286401

Boom Baby. @JOBOOZOSO Top 10

Here's my ballot - a mixture of historically significant jams, jams I like, and jams that fall under both categories. I will take the risk of irrelevancy for not including the Providence Bowie, as overrated a jam as I can think of in the catalog (IMO).

7/31/13 Tweezer
6/14/95 Tweezer
8/17/97 Gin
8/13/93 Gin
5/22/00 Ghost
6/19/04 Piper
8/5/11 Rock & Roll
7/29/98 Gin
12/9/95 You Enjoy Myself
11/29/96 Mike's Song

10 favs off the top of my head that are HoF worthy. I consider some sets as a continuous thought/jam, but maybe there should be a "HoF Set" category (i.e. 1997/08/17 Set II).

1993/12/31 Down with Disease Jam
1996/11/02 Crosselope
1997/11/17 Ghost
1997/11/29 Runaway Jim
1998/08/11 Runaway Jim
1998/08/15 Ambient Jam
2003/02/28 Tweezer
2003/08/02 Tower Jam
2011/05/26 Bethel Tech Rehearsal Waves
2012/09/02 Sand

Making my ballot public:

1997-07-02 Stash
1997-07-22 Down With Disease -> Mike's Song
1997-11-29 Runaway Jim
1995-10-31 You Enjoy Myself
1998-04-03 Roses Are Free
1999-12-31 Roses Are Free
2013-07-31 Tweezer
1994-12-29 David Bowie
2003-08-02 Tower Jam
and I forget the tenth but it should have been, but wasn't, 1994-05-07 Tweezer

Oh I also had

1997-12-30 Harpua

on my ballot as submitted.

judging from this sampling... I'm not sure anything will make the 50% threshold

closest seems to be Tahoe Tweezer...

:: grumbles ::

Ugh, I spent way too much time today thinking about this. My criteria was: like the Baseball HOF, you can only get in under one team (like why Randy Johnson is going into the HOF as a Diamondback, not a Diamondback and a Mariner), so each song only gets in once with one definitive (to me) version. (None of this 2 Tweezers, etc.). Nothing within the last 5 years makes the list or is even considered, the way a baseball player needs to be retired for 5 years before being voted on for the HOF. And tunes can have a -> (they don't need to be a standalone). So, my list is:

11/2/94 Tweezer
12/29/94 David Bowie
6/26/95 Down With Disease
12/9/95 You Enjoy Myself
7/23/97 Ghost
4/3/98 Roses Are Free
7/29/98 Bathtub Gin
11/2/98 Tube
12/31/99 Crosseyed & Painless
8/3/03 Chalkdust Torture

Honorable Mentions (which could have included another 50 tunes): 11/22/97 Halley's, 11/29/97 Runaway Jim, 12/13/97 Ya Mar, Hood, 12/30/97 AC/DC Bag, 12/31/97 Emotional Rescue, 4/2/98 Twist, 4/3/98 Mike's, Piper, Antelope, 10/30/98 Antelope, 12/29/98 2001, 12/4/99 Melt, 12/31/99 Sand, Reba, David Bowie, Drowned, Roses Are Free, 7/15/00 Down With Disease, 6/24/04 Tube

@frankstallone said:

judging from this sampling... I'm not sure anything will make the 50% threshold

closest seems to be Tahoe Tweezer...

:: grumbles ::

12/9/95 You Enjoy Myself is a lock

I can't respect anyone lacking 4/3/98 Roses. Booooooo!

When did the Providence Bowie become this unanimous holy grail? It's a great exploratory weird jam with some hot stretches but I never put it on to listen to for enjoyment start to finish. I can think of 10 Tweezers I prefer easily in addition to the two on my ballot. I'm shocked that no one else (who's posted their ballot) seems to have voted for the 12/30/97 Bag or the 12/31/99 SOAM-> Catapult, which are probably top 5 for me, let alone top 10.

Am I the only one who had 11/30/94 Antelope> MSO> Fixin to Die?

4-3-98 Roses should be a lock considering how many people have it listed.

5-22-00 ghost Is on a good amount of lists

I tried to stay away from personal favorites and focused on what would be acceptable as "Hall of Fame" type-jams - the apotheosis.

The more provocative choices are the ones not heard by many, so does that mean it won't get in because of lack of attention? I mean, these 10 have to be above all others, so the criteria will be a bit on the controversial side in terms of particular jams getting elected.

@andrewrose I must say, the 7/6/94 Reba is quite the dark horse as the only jam before '97 to make your list. No Albany YEM, even?

If I had to pick a core group of jams that I think would be locks, I'd say Providence Bowie, Albany YEM, Riverport Gin, Tahoe Tweezer. with 11/17/97 Ghost probably finishing just outside that group.

I dont know. Haven't voted but

12/29/94 Bowie
12/29/95 Real Gin
12/9/95 YEM
11/28/94 Tweezer
11/14/95 Stash
4/3/98 Roses
7/23/97 Ghost
11/29/97 Runaway Jim
8/13/97 Gumbo
7/2/97 Stash

8-17-97 Bathtub Gin
12-6-97 Tweezer
12-30-97 ACDC Bag
4-3-98 Roses
12-31-99 After Midnight Reprise
12-31-99 Sand -> Quadrophonic Toppling
12-31-99 SOAM -> Catapult
6-14-00 Twist
8-3-03 Ghost
6-19-04 Piper

10-31-95 YEM
4-3-98 Roses
9-14-99 AC/DC Bag
8-3-03 Ghost
12-29-94 Bowie
2-28-03 Tweezer
1-3-15 DWD
11-22-97 Halley's
7-24-99 Fluffhead> Jam
7-29-98 Bathtub Gin

@frankstallone said:

judging from this sampling... I'm not sure anything will make the 50% threshold

closest seems to be Tahoe Tweezer...

:: grumbles ::

What is all the more amazing and highly amusing about that is the number of ballots I see here (and would assume appear proportionally in the unreported voting) that do not even list one single jam played after 2004.

@frankstallone I felt that the 9/1/12 would make the HOF. I know that it may not hold up to the mighty lengends before 3.0, but I feel it is a monumental jam for its time.

@thegripp said:

@frankstallone I felt that the 9/1/12 Light would make the HOF. I know that it may not hold up to the mighty lengends before 3.0, but I feel it is a monumental jam for its time.

My 10 votes:
1994-10-23 Harry Hood
1994-12-01 Tweezer
1995-12-31 Mike's Song
1997-07-02 Stash
1997-08-17 Bathtub Gin
1997-11-17 Ghost
1998-04-03 Roses Are Free
1998-08-15 Ambient Jam
1999-07-10 Chalkdust Torture
1999-09-14 AC/DC Bag

And my first 10 out:
1993-12-30 Mike's Song
1994-11-16 Simple
1997-11-22 Halley's Comet
1998-07-29 Bathtub Gin
1999-12-31 Sand
2003-07-30 Scents and Subtle Sounds
2003-08-02 Tower Jam
2012-08-31 Undermind
2012-08-31 Chalkdust Torture
2013-07-31 Tweezer

@PearlJamMusic said:

My 10 votes:
1994-10-23 Harry Hood
1994-12-01 Tweezer
1995-12-31 Mike's Song
1997-07-02 Stash
1997-08-17 Bathtub Gin
1997-11-17 Ghost
1998-04-03 Roses Are Free
1998-08-15 Ambient Jam
1999-07-10 Chalkdust Torture
1999-09-14 AC/DC Bag

And my first 10 out:
1993-12-30 Mike's Song
1994-11-16 Simple
1997-11-22 Halley's Comet
1998-07-29 Bathtub Gin
1999-12-30 Split Open and Melt
2003-07-30 Scents and Subtle Sounds
2003-08-02 Tower Jam
2012-08-31 Undermind
2012-08-31 Chalkdust Torture
2013-07-31 Tweezer

@AbePhroman said:

Am I the only one who had 11/30/94 Antelope> MSO> Fixin to Die?

This is one of my favorite sections of a set they have ever pleyed, but I limited my choices to stand-alone versions and excluded segues. My skimming of the lists make me think others did the same.

I like the idea of having different sections in a Phish HOF: one wing for specific jams, one wing for complete sets, and one wing for entire shows.

Lots of great stuff on here, but gotta say I'm surprised there's not one mention of...

7.30.97 Bowie> Cities> Bowie

It's definitely in my top 10.

We will eventually see the final list, correct? A lot of surveys let you see results after you vote, this one didn't. I'd love to look over the stats when it's all said and done.

@CreatureoftheNight said:

We will eventually see the final list, correct? A lot of surveys let you see results after you vote, this one didn't. I'd love to look over the stats when it's all said and done.

Yeah I'm trying to stay on top of the formatting for the data file so the turn around to see the results will be short. A lot of the fun for me (honestly!) is going through the file and making it all make sense. Some dates are off but are easily interpreted to the correct jam.

12/6/97 Tweezer
4/3/98 Roses Are Free
12/18/99 Piper
12/30/99 Light Up Or Leave Me Alone
6/16/94 Good Times, Bad Times
6/18/94 Bowie > MLB > Bowie
7/20/14 Wedge
7/24/99 Fluffhead > Jam
12/7/97 Tube
12/30/97 Black Eyed Katy > Sneakin' Sally

is 2.0 considered the "steroid era" for phish?

1992-04-21 - Tweezer
1993-08-15 - Stash
1992-04-18 - Harry Hood
1990-04-22 - Harry Hood
1992-08-17 - Foam
1993-03-14 - YEM
1994-07-16 - Antelope
1994-12-09 - Antelope
1999-09-29 - Also Sprach Zarathustra
2011-05-26 - Waves
1994-11-28 - Tweezer
1992-11-19 - Divided Sky
1992-05-17 - Possum
1992-05-02 - David Bowie "Wicked Version"
1991-11-16 - Brother
1990-09-22 - Suzy Greenberg "Chariots Of Fire"
1993-05-08 - Reba
1996-11-16 - Harry Hood "Hold That Note"
2012-08-26 - Tweezer
2003-07-25 - Harry Hood
2014-10-31 - Martian Monster

More than ten. More than I included on my "official" ballot. Submitted in an effort to keep the collective "heads" out of 1997 & 1998. Try to be less sheepish, be an engine - not the caboose! The Phish have not "jammed" since 1995. Sad but true. I still enjoy the music they produce. It just doesn't have that "melt-your-face" quality they displayed in the early 90's. Believe me, I experienced it first hand. Going to see The Phish used to make me anxious because I was a little afraid of the intensity. These days I still feel anxious seeing shows because I know there is a chance it may suck (2014-07-19 Charlotte springs to mind)! Happy voting!

Man, it is hard to narrow down to ten. I thought about going the route of "Objectively speaking, what should be in?" But I decided there are just too many songs/versions I haven't listened to, though I've listened to a lot throughout their history. So, I decided to go with "What are jams I keep going back to, those ones I just have to listen to?" And the list was still bigger than ten. So, I just got myself to ten, realizing my list is probably weird enough in some places, it's not going to sway things too much. I also decided to go with one version per song to help narrow.

1995-11-14 - Stash
2013-07-31 - Tweezer
2015-01-02 - Weekapaug Groove
2000-05-22 - Ghost
1997-12-07 - Tube
1997-12-03 - Possum
2010-06-25 - Also Sprach Zarathustra
2003-07-18 - Harry Hood
1997-12-30 - AC/DC Bag
2003-07-19 - You Enjoy Myself

Honorable mention:
1998-04-04 - Also Sprach Zarathustra (hard to choose between this and the 2010-06-25, but I just really think their ability to thread two great Michael Jackson songs into it seamlessly is an incredible accomplishment. And honestly, that whole set has contenders. That Birds of a Feather is wonderful.)
1997-11-17 - Tweezer (Could easily beat Tahoe-weezer. Both are incredible.)
1997-11-17 - Ghost (Hard to pick this second among Ghosts, but I think it is.)
1999-12-31 - Down with Disease
2000-09-27 - Piper
2000-09-27 - Gumbo
2000-09-27 - Ghost
1997-07-30 - David Bowie

There's a lot of great stuff in December '95. But my attention keeps getting pulled back to 97-00 and the last couple of years. I actually think their jamming is better, in general, from 97 to present. The really crazy stuff they did before 95 is interesting, but I think their jamming started to fit together musically a lot better once things came together in 97.

Also, honestly, it's hard to always feel one way about a lot of jams. As I evolve, my tastes change. Though, I still think 11/14/1995 Stash is an incredible achievement in music history.

I'm for electing a first class now, and a second class down the road, and so on. Some greats may not make it in this time, but are surely deserving.

Bring on the best sets wing.

@n00b100 said:

@frankstallone said:

judging from this sampling... I'm not sure anything will make the 50% threshold

closest seems to be Tahoe Tweezer...

:: grumbles ::

What is all the more amazing and highly amusing about that is the number of ballots I see here (and would assume appear proportionally in the unreported voting) that do not even list one single jam played after 2004.

political correctness rules. We love to enshrine the past. It's part of our genetic process of honoring the dead.

1994-05-27 Harry Hood - Warfield, San Francisco
1994-10-31 Divided Sky - Glens Falls
1994-10-31 Reba - Glens Falls
1994-10-31 Simple - Glens Falls
2003-02-28 Tweezer - Nassau
2003-02-28 Harry Hood - Nassau
1988-09-08 Slave - The Front, Burlington
1996-08-17 Fluffhead - Clifford Ball
2009-11-28 Seven Below - Albany
1987-08-21 Harry Hood - Ian's Farm

These are the first ten that came to mind. Definitely fun to discuss, and learn something new!

Hamm...it said I had already completed the form when I went to log in. That's certainly not the case.

Haha, that was supposed to be "hmmm" up there, not "hamm." I think i like hamm better though.

No particular order below

11-17-97 Ghost
7-17-98 Also Sprach Zarathustra
9-18-99 Boogie On Reggae Woman
12-30-97 AC/DC Bag
12-29-95 Bathtub Gin
6-3-11 Down With Disease
12-31-99 Sand
6-16-12 Light
10-29-98 Reba

@MKnapik said,

"The Phish have not "jammed" since 1995. Sad but true. I still enjoy the music they produce. It just doesn't have that "melt-your-face" quality they displayed in the early 90's. Believe me, I experienced it first hand."

Completely, utterly untrue. I could not disagree with this comment more because it could not be more off base. Could you please clarify what you meant by this because I don't know what definition of jam you seem to be using...

@mantecatweeze said:

@MKnapik said,

"The Phish have not "jammed" since 1995. Sad but true. I still enjoy the music they produce. It just doesn't have that "melt-your-face" quality they displayed in the early 90's. Believe me, I experienced it first hand."

Completely, utterly untrue. I could not disagree with this comment more because it could not be more off base. Could you please clarify what you meant by this because I don't know what definition of jam you seem to be using...

To my uneducated ears a "jam" constitutes a complete off the rails how the hell are they (The Phish) going to find their way back to the established song-structure? Whipping the crowd into a complete frenzy? So, you are telling me that the pedestrian, metronomic noodling displayed since the 1996 Halloween show goes off the rails and whips you into a frenzy? I stand corrected.

I missed one from 1992-08-17 the "off the rails" David Bowie! I was so focused on the completely ramped-up Foam that the Bowie from that show somehow slid under the radar! Thank you PunkDwarf for calling out this oversight!
I remember where I was when I first heard that Foam. In my car, at a red light, the version of the show I was listening to truncates the song just as The Phish are about to return to the main theme. I went completely bonkers! I still feel cheated to this day. That, my friends, is "hall of fame" jamming! Again, the Bowie from later in the set is super-swell, as well.
Another thing to note about these songs: they both are played IN THE FIRST SET! This is before the days of "they really go to town in the second set". These things used to occur more frequently before that Halloween show I referred to above. Haters gonna do something...

2003-02-28 Tweezer
2013-07-31 Tweezer
2000-05-22 Ghost
1997-11-19 Wolfman's
1997-11-22 Halley's
1997-11-17 Ghost
1995-12-31 Mike's
1995-10-31 YEM
2004-06-19 Piper
2003-02-28 Bathtub Gin

It's great seeing everyone's lists. I need to re-listen to a bunch of these.

08/10/1997 Cities
7/29/98 Gin
12/31/1993 Hood
8/13/93 Gin
08/03/1998 Halley's Comet
08/17/97 Gin
12/07/1997 Tube
11/17/97 Ghost
12/31/1993 Disease Jam
12/31/1999 Sand

Im sure many will be against this comment. But I would definitely not have the Tahoe tweezer in my top ten. It just went nowhere for a long time imho. Just because a jam was long doesn't mean it's top notch material. Im not hatin im just sayin.

6-14-97 cavern
1-3-15 dwd
12-31-15 ghost
12-28-12 wolfmans brother
6-25-10 2001
7/31/13 tweezer
11-7-98 ac/dc bag
12-18-99 Harry hood
2-25-03 theme from the bottom
6-19-04 piper

Harry Hood 12/31/93
Ghost 11/17/97
AC/DC Bag 12/30/97
Bathtub Gin 7/29/98
Fee 7/8/99
Waves 5/26/11
Tweezer 7/31/13
Down With Disease 10/29/13
Carini 12/29/13
Down With Disease 1/3/15

@phunky58 said:

Im sure many will be against this comment. But I would definitely not have the Tahoe tweezer in my top ten. It just went nowhere for a long time imho. Just because a jam was long doesn't mean it's top notch material. Im not hatin im just sayin.

............. Feels kinda like your hating l!!! Especially seeing as people have put some massive type two floaters up here the went serouisly no where and your bitching about the Tahoe tweezer ...... How about the dude who said 6-3-11..... The miles birthday disease ..... That's ultimately 23 mins of some going no where .... Tahoe tweezer belongs for
Sure !!!your hating

Since the 12-29-94 Bowie seems to have turned into a polarizing topic, I submit that it isn't even one of the top 2 Bowie's from that fall. I prefer 11-14 and 11-26.

I forgot I had voted for this when it was in a thread 3'ish weeks ago. My votes looked like:

11/29/94 tweezer
12/29/94 bowie
11/2/96 crosseyed
8/13/96 mike's song
8/13/93 gin
9/12/99 ghost
3/13/92 antelope-> bbfcfm-> antelope
12/29/95 gin-> real me-> gin
11/14/95 stash

I may be forgetting one...

Well this is impossible, but is exactly what makes this my favorite band ever.
My first five in
7/23/97 Ghost
12/31/99 Drowned/After Midnight
7/31/13 Tweezer
8/17/97 Bathtub Gin
9/14/99 AC/DC Bag

8/16/93 Reba
6/29/00 Drowned> Rock & Roll
7/29/98 Bathtub Gin
12/9/95 YEM
2/28/03 Tweezer
11/17/97 Ghost
8/10/97 Cities
11/26/94 David Bowie
12/6/96 Harry Hood> Weekapaug Groove
9/14/99 AC/DC Bag

12-31-95 - Reba
11-17-97 - Ghost
08-16-96 - Slave To The Traffic Light
11-26-94 - David Bowie
12-29-94 - David Bowie
07-31-13 - Tweezer
06-07-09 - Sand
08-05-11 - Rock and Roll
12-09-95 - You Enjoy Myself
08-17-97 - Bathtub Gin

Honorable Mentions: 5/22/00 - Ghost, 2/28/03 - Tweezer, 7/29/98 - Bathtub Gin, 9/14/99 - AC/DC Bag, 8/31/12 - Chalkdust, 9/1/12 - Light, and so many more

@Thisrozeisntfree said:

@phunky58 said:

Im sure many will be against this comment. But I would definitely not have the Tahoe tweezer in my top ten. It just went nowhere for a long time imho. Just because a jam was long doesn't mean it's top notch material. Im not hatin im just sayin.

............. Feels kinda like your hating l!!! Especially seeing as people have put some massive type two floaters up here the went serouisly no where and your bitching about the Tahoe tweezer ...... How about the dude who said 6-3-11..... The miles birthday disease ..... That's ultimately 23 mins of some going no where .... Tahoe tweezer belongs for
Sure !!!your hating

I have no reason to hate something I love so much, I'm just being objective and telling you my truth. The Tahoe tweezer imho pretty much goes nowhere for a long time (feels forced to me). I will prob never cue it up and listen to it again unless sum1 else is spinnin it. that being said it's wormtown Stash time.

I can totally respect the opinion .... Just beg to differ I guess .... If we were having the discussion about the hour long Jim is totally agree but hey... We're not .... I totally respect the opinion with the added suppor... I personally feel the tomor tweezer is epic but t to each there own

@n00b100 said:

@frankstallone said:

judging from this sampling... I'm not sure anything will make the 50% threshold

closest seems to be Tahoe Tweezer...

:: grumbles ::

What is all the more amazing and highly amusing about that is the number of ballots I see here (and would assume appear proportionally in the unreported voting) that do not even list one single jam played after 2004.

For me personally, for Phish jams or baseball players or bands or whatever hall of fame you are voting for, I'd think the first group in there should be the pioneers

If you were starting the baseball hall of fame today, would you vote for a bunch of current greats or would you vote for Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, etc

@frankstallone said:

@n00b100 said:

@frankstallone said:

judging from this sampling... I'm not sure anything will make the 50% threshold

closest seems to be Tahoe Tweezer...

:: grumbles ::

What is all the more amazing and highly amusing about that is the number of ballots I see here (and would assume appear proportionally in the unreported voting) that do not even list one single jam played after 2004.

For me personally, for Phish jams or baseball players or bands or whatever hall of fame you are voting for, I'd think the first group in there should be the pioneers

If you were starting the baseball hall of fame today, would you vote for a bunch of current greats or would you vote for Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, etc

I would vote for the players (jams) that I love and saw play, not for players that someone told me were great. I guess that means that I would vote for George Brett, Wade Boggs, Kirby Puckett, and Don Mattingly. I don't think that we have to start at the beginning when we talk about Phish.

IMHO, Phish got better and better starting post '93', '94', '95' and so on. There are 3.0 jams that are superior to 1.0 and 2.0 jams so why should those jams be penalized purely because they are more recent. 6-3-11 dwd is a serious gem and quite possibly the best dwd of any era, but yet some say it goes nowhere?

I am just not convinced that the best Phish has to offer in jamming happened early on in its history. There may not be any Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, or Ty Cobb. That's not to say there isn't an Hank Aaron, Jackie Robinson, Pete Rose or Roberto Clemente.

Just as a heads up, I'll be closing the poll on Friday, May 1st. So if you're holding out on voting for whatever reason, get it in and get it done. I'll try to spot-check here to make sure people who listed votes have them entered but it's much easier just to enter them directly.

God I love how hard this is. Long live the PHISH!

7/31/13 Tweezer
8/3/03 Ghost
6/18/94 Bowie
8/17/97 Gin
12/31/93 Harry Hood
12/31/95 Mike's Song
12/31/95 Weekapaug
10/31/94 Reba
11/2/96 Crosseyed
12/9/95 You Enjoy Myself

@MiguelSanchez said:

I forgot I had voted for this when it was in a thread 3'ish weeks ago. My votes looked like:

11/29/94 tweezer
12/29/94 bowie
11/2/96 crosseyed
8/13/96 mike's song
8/13/93 gin
9/12/99 ghost
3/13/92 antelope-> bbfcfm-> antelope
12/29/95 gin-> real me-> gin
11/14/95 stash

I may be forgetting one...

type-o above. it was the 11/2/94 tweezer.

I'm looking at my list and thinking of another half dozen or more songs/jams that should be "first ballot material," but I also don't know what I'd bump in their place.

The Phish are good.

1997-12-30 - ACDC Bag
1998-04-03 - Roses
1994-06-18 - Bowie
2013-07-31 - Tweezer
2000-06-14 - Twist/Jam
1998-04-05 - Jam-> Cavern
1997-12-07 - Tube/Jam
2011-05-26 - Waves (soundcheck)
1998-07-17 - Ya Mar

@HarborSeal said:

@andrewrose I must say, the 7/6/94 Reba is quite the dark horse as the only jam before '97 to make your list. No Albany YEM, even?

Well that's partly a personal favourite; it was my first show, the only one I ever saw in my hometown, and the last time they've been here. It's also arguably the best Reba ever, certainly top 5, and I'm a big fan of Reba in general. I also started listening to it a lot again and it's really, really stood the test of time. The Albany YEM is a classic monster, sure, but I'd argue that the type II peak of this Reba puts it ahead, yes. If I had to choose between the two for a desert island scenario, it wouldn't be difficult.

It's also a Top Ten, which is just kind of nuts. There's tons of killer stuff from 93-95 I love but ultimately I dig 97-99 more and that's represented on my ballot. I quite like @PearlJamMusic 's list though. Ditto @HortensetheMuleFacedDoll

Also, look, there is no objective voting here. I voted jams that I look to the most consistently for listening, that bring me bliss, that blow my mind. Those effects are inextricable from the experiences with have with them. If we were at the show, or when we first heard the jam, if it was one of the first jams we listened to over and over. I'm fine with that, it's as it should be.

@andrewrose said:

@HarborSeal said:

@andrewrose I must say, the 7/6/94 Reba is quite the dark horse as the only jam before '97 to make your list. No Albany YEM, even?

Well that's partly a personal favourite; it was my first show, the only one I ever saw in my hometown, and the last time they've been here. It's also arguably the best Reba ever, certainly top 5, and I'm a big fan of Reba in general. I also started listening to it a lot again and it's really, really stood the test of time. The Albany YEM is a classic monster, sure, but I'd argue that the type II peak of this Reba puts it ahead, yes. If I had to choose between the two for a desert island scenario, it wouldn't be difficult.

It's also a Top Ten, which is just kind of nuts. There's tons of killer stuff from 93-95 I love but ultimately I dig 97-99 more and that's represented on my ballot. I quite like @PearlJamMusic 's list though. Ditto @HortensetheMuleFacedDoll

Also, look, there is no objective voting here. I voted for jams that I look to the most consistently for listening, that bring me bliss, that blow my mind. Those effects are inextricable from the experiences we have with them. If we were at the show, or when we first heard the jam, if it was one of the first tapes we listened to over and over. I'm fine with that, it's as it should be.

Halley's 12/7/99
Ghost 5/22/00
Simple: 12/9/97
Roses 4/03/98
2001 8/17/97
Piper 6/19/04
ASIHTOS 6/19/04
Rock and Roll: 12/31/99

@bigred93 said:

Halley's 12/7/99
Ghost 5/22/00
Simple: 12/9/97
Roses 4/03/98
2001 8/17/97
Piper 6/19/04
ASIHTOS 6/19/04
Rock and Roll: 12/31/99

Forgot two
SOAMelt 12/31/99
and I think the second set of 6/14/00 has gotta be viewed as one complete piece of music

Hard to narrow it down to ten but here:

5/22/00 Ghost
2/26/03 Moma Dance
8/17/97 Bathtub Gin
12/30/93 Mikes Song
12/31/93 Harry Hood
10/31/94 Reba
11/28/94 Tweezer
9/1/12 Light
8/13/93 Bathtub Gin
11/17/97 Ghost

Some extra jams that need to be mentioned: 12/31/99 Sand, 6/14/00 in its entirety , 12/2/97 Mikes song, 12/11/97 Ghost-> Johnny B. Goode

No Joy jams or TTE? C'mon! What about Yarmouth Road or Summer of 89? What is wrong with you people?

@bottomtheme said:

No Joy jams or TTE? C'mon! What about Yarmouth Road or Summer of 89? What is wrong with you people?

Honestly, I kinda like Yarmouth Road, its like Phish's Estimated Prophet

@bottomtheme said:

No Joy jams or TTE? C'mon! What about Yarmouth Road or Summer of 89? What is wrong with you people?

Cool post! Want to hit us with some of those classic Rift and Sample in a Jar jams?

Does anyone phiend like me for 1996-10-31 Simple ??

Putting aside age of jams (5-year rule, etc.), I'm surprised that these two haven't been mentioned on any lists yet:

10/31/13 - Carini
10/20/13 - Tweezer

This has been a challenge for me. With countless favorites, I'm left with only 3 true hall of fame entries. Those where the band seemed to be just as amazed as those who witnessed what happened. (I was at one of these shows, in the heyday of my college years, and will never forget what that room felt like when the lights went up after the second set at MSG.) Each of these performances marks a moment where the band never sounded the same thereafter imo.

In no particular order:
1) Bethel sound check "Waves" 2011
2) McNichols "Ghost" 1997
3) MSG "Mikes" 1995

@MKnapik said:

@mantecatweeze said:

@MKnapik said,

"The Phish have not "jammed" since 1995. Sad but true. I still enjoy the music they produce. It just doesn't have that "melt-your-face" quality they displayed in the early 90's. Believe me, I experienced it first hand."

Completely, utterly untrue. I could not disagree with this comment more because it could not be more off base. Could you please clarify what you meant by this because I don't know what definition of jam you seem to be using...

To my uneducated ears a "jam" constitutes a complete off the rails how the hell are they (The Phish) going to find their way back to the established song-structure? Whipping the crowd into a complete frenzy? So, you are telling me that the pedestrian, metronomic noodling displayed since the 1996 Halloween show goes off the rails and whips you into a frenzy? I stand corrected.

So you wouldn't consider the Miami Disease or Dick's Simple as "jams"? I agree they don't venture out into the abyss like they used to but the Miami Disease can go pound for pound with anything Phish has done in my opinion. Not trying to agitate here, just wondering.

Howdy! Frequent reader, (extremely) infrequent poster here ... I'm one of those "dudes" from Vermont who's been seeing these guys since high school (both on stage and simply stumbling around Burlington like the rest of us). Now I'm old, but not quite as old as them.

Top thirty ... maybe top 25 would be pretty easy. Top 10 is way tricky (at least for me). Here goes (in no particular order) :

12-30-93 Mike's Song -> triumphant jam in F (my most played-out audio cassette)
12-31-95 Mike's Song -> even more triumphant jam in F -> digital delay loop
12-30-99 Mike's Song -> planetary destruction
04-03-98 Roses Are Free -> indescribable (saw it)
08-17-97 Bathtub Gin -> hose (saw it *fist pump*)
12-09-95 You Enjoy Myself -> silence (pranking everyone who was already losing their minds, you can now see it and not hear it as well on YouTube, thanks to whoever put that up there)
11-17-97 Ghost -> phunkiness not heard before
11-22-97 Halley's Comet -> Tweezer -> Black Eyed Katy is just perfecto
06-18-94 David Bowie -> MLBJ -> David Bowie so fierce ...
07-13-14 Chalk Dust Torture (probably my single favorite 3.0 jam but Albany 2009 and the Dick's 2012 FYF show are right there as well)

Keep bangin', slappin', thumpin' and shreddin',

D.

As the person above, frequent reader, infrequent poster. This was tough for me. I had to re-listen to some songs 2 or 3 times to narrow to one version so I wouldn't have repeats on the list. I'll probably get blasted for a few of these, picking another Tweezer over the mammoth Tahoe or the Sand I chose. But whatever. Been listening since 97, first show was 12-16-99, so I made sure to include from 1.0, 2.0 & 3.0. In date order...

4/3/98 - Roses
12/16/99 - Sand
6/14/00 - Twist
3/1/03 - Piper (> 2001)
7/25/03 - Harry Hood
8/3/03 - Ghost
8/9/04 - Chalk Dust Torture
6/17/11 - Rock and Roll
10/20/13 - Tweezer
10/20/13 - Golden Age

Well, there it is. Now c'mon 2015 tour and give some gems!! Cheers everyone

10 Only?

Well, these are the twenty I have heard and enjoy the most, meaning, I can listen to them any year, any season, any day, any time and be stimulated beyond belief!

12/29/94 David Bowie
6/14/00 Drum Logos. The whole damn show.
5/7/94 Second Set Tweezerfest
11/30/94 Evergreen St. Antelope -> End of Set.
12/2/03 FleetCenter Rock N Roll -> Weekepaug-> TweeReprise-> Frank-> Kung-> Frank
8/13/93 Tinley Park Antelope Sandwich
7/13/99 Great Woods - Halley's -> Roses -> N20.
11/30/97 Wolfman's Brother-> Love Me (highly underrated)
7/15/99 Garden St. Split Open & Melt -> Kung
11/2/96 Coral Sky Crosseyed & Painless -> Antelope
10/31/96 Omni Entire Set Two (consistent; only one stoppage).
8/06/11 Gorge Rock N' Roll -> Meatstick -> Boogie
7/18/99 Oswego. Jim-> Free (the sunset anyone?) & Wilson through Icculus
12/30/03 Tube-> LA Woman> Birds-> LA Woman
6/22/95 Canandaigua Tweezer
6/21/95 Blossom Mike's-> Contact
7/16/94 Sugarbush Antelope-> Catapult 'wich
11/22/97 Halley's-> Tweezer
11/29/97 Runaway Jim
12/9/95 YEM

Obviously, I love much more, but these ones just fly like an eagle alone on a desert island...

This is an impossible and impossibly fun task. I'm going to sit on the lawn at Shaky Knees this weekend, ignore the shitty music and make this list. Viva El Phish!
But the Went DWD definitely makes my list...

@AbePhroman said:

Am I the only one who had 11/30/94 Antelope> MSO> Fixin to Die?

That's some good shit right there! Fixin to Die is nuts!

Well, I guess I need to listen to the Tahoe Tweezer.

There are so many I can't really say what should be on without careful relistening. Some of the clear cut ones for me are

12/31/93 Hood (Trey's greatest solo IMO)
7/29/98 Gin
7/23/97 Ghost
7/2/97 Stash
and how about DWD> Carini From 2/17/97

And I forgot:

12/30/93 Mike's -> Horse
12/29/95 Bathtub Real Me sandwich
Bethel Soundcheck Waves
5/8/93 Bowie
Great Went Halley's-> Cities-> Llama

@The_Optimistic_Vet said:

10 Only?

Well, these are the twenty I have heard and enjoy the most, meaning, I can listen to them any year, any season, any day, any time and be stimulated beyond belief!

12/29/94 David Bowie
6/14/00 Drum Logos. The whole damn show.
5/7/94 Second Set Tweezerfest
11/30/94 Evergreen St. Antelope -> End of Set.
12/2/03 FleetCenter Rock N Roll -> Weekepaug-> TweeReprise-> Frank-> Kung-> Frank
8/13/93 Tinley Park Antelope Sandwich
7/13/99 Great Woods - Halley's -> Roses -> N20.
11/30/97 Wolfman's Brother-> Love Me (highly underrated)
7/15/99 Garden St. Split Open & Melt -> Kung
11/2/96 Coral Sky Crosseyed & Painless -> Antelope
10/31/96 Omni Entire Set Two (consistent; only one stoppage).
8/06/11 Gorge Rock N' Roll -> Meatstick -> Boogie
7/18/99 Oswego. Jim-> Free (the sunset anyone?) & Wilson through Icculus
12/30/03 Tube-> LA Woman> Birds-> LA Woman
6/22/95 Canandaigua Tweezer
6/21/95 Blossom Mike's-> Contact
7/16/94 Sugarbush Antelope-> Catapult 'wich
11/22/97 Halley's-> Tweezer
11/29/97 Runaway Jim
12/9/95 YEM

Obviously, I love much more, but these ones just fly like an eagle alone on a desert island...

When will the "official list" be posted and where?

I have one or two things to add. The music created by The Phish is inspiringly unique. I personally detest "jam band music". I put The Phish in a category all their own. The music they create is like the blissful sighing of a deity (except 2004, which can possibly be considered the ungassing of a deity).

Trying to nail-down hall of fame "jams" is very frustrating. I recently discovered the joy of The Curtain With from 7-23-1988 thanks to the soundboard list from the spreadsheet. The point is, there is too much to be discovered and rediscovered on an almost weekly basis to make a concrete proclimation. This was an enjoyable exercise nonetheless.

I never use the term "jam" when referencing lengthy musical outings displayed by The Phish. I refer to that stuff as "improvisations". It's more academic that way. Every member of The Phish is a virtuoso on their chosen instrument (Fishman being the undisputed strongest member of the ensemble). He has the least amount of "off days" of the lot. Also, it is important to consider the band is not called "Trey, Mike or Page"!

There are few undeniable truths when consuming The Phish. The "best jams" will always be a matter of taste!

@pistilstamen - some excellent picks there and a number I have never heard that are blowing me away.... thanks!