I'd like to mention 11-17-1997 Johnny B. Goode, for a few reasons.

1. It's a recognizable song. Somebody who hasn't heard Phish won't be off-put by weirdo lyrics or unusual time/key changes.

2. It ROCKS. The song section of this performance is just crazy! Trey has some ridiculous blues riffage going on here, and the rest of the band's energy is through the roof. Since this happens early in the song, it grabs the listener's attention by the balls and doesn't let go.

3. After the song section, it drifts off into classic Phishy improv. Off the bat is a nice quiet groove that puts the improv skills of each member of the group on display. Fishman keeps the groove locked in place. Mike holding it down with his fine improv chops. Psychedelic interplay between Trey and Page. Funky. After a few loud cues by Trey, they switch gears to a softer, spacier, prettier territory before fading into Jesus Just Left Chicago.

In a nutshell, this jam has everything a first-time Phish listener needs in a (relatively, for Phish) short amount of time: it's accesible, it RAGES, it jams, and showcases the abilities of each band member. It's also awesome by any already-Phish-fan's standards.

This being an official soundboard release also helps - I probably wouldn't give somebody an audience recording for their first exposure to Phish.

What jam would you showcase to somebody who hadn't heard the band before?

If we're talking jams, and not just like a fairly straightforward song like Chalk Dust or Free, I might go with something like the 12/31/95 Drowned, the 12/31/96 DwD, or the 7/31/98 Cities. 2 of those are covers and they don't get too "out there", but are solid all the way through and I think they would keep someone's attention. I would probably save the Providence Bowie, Bangor Tweezer, and the like for later.

You know, the 12/28/12 Wolfman's might be a new great option to introduce someone to a Phish jam. Not only is Wolfman's in and of itself a great introductory song (solid lyrics, solid music), but this version - it was played tight with great pacing for a newbie to enjoy, the jam isn't so long, the spacey-ness is rather minimal but there, its got some moments where they really formed some incredible sound together.... and right when it might be too long for a newbie, there comes that moment of Mike's bass line followed shortly by the unexpected familiarity with Little Drummer Boy (and some audience singing) that does a great job introducing someone new to how they can make one song can, almost poetically, become another - and then the band can just effortlessly move back to the other jam exactly where they left off and with the same level of intensity. Throw in the tremendous and intense end and you have a great introduction jam.

1998/10/31 Sweet Jane. I think it's nice and upbeat and doesn't stray that far. I seem to have some luck getting my non fan friends to at least not yell at me for it.

check the Tweezer from 2.28.2003 at Nassau C.

I believe this Tweezer has all the elements - serious HOSE, TYPE 1 fire, machine gun Trey, HUGE PEAKS, great full band playing...oh yeah and it clocks in at over 20min.

Also - the 11/17/1997 McNichols Ghost is arguably the best Ghost ever played and is def a watershed moment for the band and their sound that crystallized in Fall 1997.....tbh...anything from from Fall 1997 is the sphinx tits.

For further introductory ammo - look towards the AC/DC Bag from Boise, ID on 9/14/1999...this









If you want more 3.0 - check out the Bethel Waves (actually a sound check but still maybe the highlight of 3.0):





And you can't ever go wrong with pretty much all of Summer 2012:

okay, let's break this down...

audience: first-timer. fan of rock n' roll, well versed in the classics. likely to be put off by a cover that's too familiar or cliched. likely to get bored if he or she has to wait fifteen or twenty minutes for the moments that make a LONG jam noteworthy or particularly memorable.

best practice: phish original, 10-ish minutes, accessible, GETS THERE, never gets old.

solution:

Clifford Ball Bathtub Gin.

BOOM.

@patper said:

@phootyjon - I'm not sure that I agree with the picks from your first post - while they are great Phish jams, they're all of the long, exploratory kind and might not grab the attention of somebody who isn't familiar with the band and their improvisational chemistry. When I started listening to Phish, I thought the Denver Ghost was noodly and weird. I came back to it months later and it blew my brain out.

I hear what you are saying...tbh...I didn't fully digest the initial post enough..I kind of just blasted off the most canonical jams I could think of. However....there are two schools of thought when introducing someone to phish. one is that you ease them into it; play them Party Time and Heavy Things and BOTT; or some recognizable covers like Loving Cup and GTBT and see what happens. The other is to say f*** it and throw them in head first (example gratia having someone listen to my initial list). I prefer the f*** it method as that was the way I was introduced.

Regardless of the method...there's one thing for certain; listening to phish and getting IT is like learning a language...the only way it can work is to go travel to show and submerse yourself in it.

Happy phishin! Now where in the world will their 30th anniversary festival be????

The jam that got me hooked is the Brooklyn 04 Free. It has it all in a brief 10-minute affair

I'd pick multiple jams, to let the person know that Phish isn't just one band, but a host of bands. To wit:

12/31/91 Tweezer
8/13/93 Bathtub Gin
12/1/95 Mike's Song/Weekapaug Groove
11/17/97 Ghost
7/6/98 Piper
9/14/99 AC/DC Bag
5/22/00 Ghost
2/28/03 Tweezer
8/3/03 46 Days
6/19/04 Piper
11/28/09 Seven Below/Ghost
8/5/11 Rock & Roll
8/31/12 Chalk Dust Torture

This second set. It made me go from interested to extremely interested in phish

August 14, 1993

World Music Theatre, Tinley Park, IL

Set 1: Chalk Dust Torture, Guelah Papyrus, Divided Sky, The Horse^[1] > Silent in the Morning > It's Ice^[2] > Sparkle, Split Open and Melt^[3], Esther > Poor Heart > Cavern

Set 2: Also Sprach Zarathustra > Run Like an Antelope^[4] -> Sparks -> Walk Away -> Run Like an Antelope -> Have Mercy^[5] -> Run Like an Antelope, Mound, The Squirming Coil, Daniel Saw the Stone, You Enjoy Myself^[6] -> Purple Rain > Hold Your Head Up, Golgi Apparatus

Encore: La Grange

[1] Trey on acoustic guitar.
[2] Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy tease from Page.
[3] Linus and Lucy tease from Mike.
[4] Dixie tease.
[5] "Rye, Rye Rocco" lyrics sung over Have Mercy melody before the band kicked back into the Antelope ending.
[6] Brief jams based on the theme from Speed Racer, Smoke on the Water, Kool Thing; Mystery Achievement quotes.

Notes: The Horse featured Trey on acoustic guitar. It's Ice contained a Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy tease from Page and Melt contained a Linus and Lucy tease from Mike. Antelope included a Dixie tease; the “Rye, Rye Rocco” lyrics were sung over the Have Mercy melody before the band kicked back into the Antelope ending. During Daniel Saw the Stone, Trey updated the crowd on the score of a pre-season football game. YEM contained brief jams based on the theme from Speed Racer, Smoke on the Water, Kool Thing (Sonic Youth), and quoting of Mystery Achievement (Pretenders). On Broadway was briefly quoted during the YEM vocal jam. This show was officially released as Live Phish 07.

Just give them a copy of a live one

2011-09-03 Tweezer

@StStephen said:

I'd hand them this whole show:

1997-12-07

Yep, gave this one to a buddy at work now the f***er won't stop asking me for more shows