In late October of last year, Hurricane Sandy bore down on the Atlantic seaboard. The result was devastating for coastal areas from the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic to New England and reached as far inland as the Appalachian Mountains and parts of the Midwest and Canada. Storm surge, high winds and power outages that lasted weeks after the storm contributed to loss of life and unprecedented property losses. The coasts of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island were permanently redrawn as the Atlantic reclaimed some of America’s favorite beaches.
In response, The WaterWheel Foundation (with the help of the Mimi Fishman Foundation) quickly launched a ticket auction for Phish’s NYE run at Madison Square Garden. Eight pairs of tickets raised over $10,000, which was then donated to The Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties in NJ and The Food Bank for New York City to assist with their recovery efforts. To continue aiding in these efforts, JEMP Records is pleased to announce the release of Phish’s May 3, 1993 show from the State Theatre in New Brunswick NJ, as a download at LivePhish.com.
New Brunswick was 67th on the tour of 73 shows spanning February through May. The location was significant as Trey and Page have roots in New Jersey and this was only their second headline show in the state. Set I highlights included the Buried Alive opener with extended piano intro, a standout Weigh > Chalk Dust Torture, Colonel Forbin’s Ascent > Fly Famous Mockingbird/Vibration Of Life (during which, according to Trey’s narration, Paul administered memory-erasing gas) and remnants of Mockingbird reverberated into Possum.
Set II blasted off with a non-stop succession that began with AC/DC Bag > The Curtain followed by a must-hear combination of Tweezer > Manteca > Tweezer. During Tweezer the band gave a nod to fellow New Jerseyan Carole King by weaving I Feel The Earth Move into the jam. Runaway Jim followed by Big Ball Jam, Love You and My Sweet One put the spotlight on Fish before the classic close of Amazing Grace and Highway To Hell.
Hurricane Sandy Relief was recorded by Paul Languedoc and mastered by Fred Kevorkian. All the vendors involved in this release donated their time for the cause.
In the past, charitable downloads at LivePhish.com have raised over $130,000 for four non-profits: the Harbor House of New Jersey (The Headphones Jam), the New Orleans Musician’s Clinic, the Tipitina’s Foundation (Katrina Relief) and the American Red Cross (Haiti Relief and Japan Relief). Additionally, the Mockingbird Foundation receives funding on an on-going basis from the proceeds at LivePhish.com.
For a complete tracklisting or to order the MP3/FLAC, please click here.