The Jam Charts · phish.net's good stuff
The phish.net curators flag the versions that go somewhere - the ones worth pulling the tapes for. This is all of it, counted our way. Tap a song for its history, a date for the night.
Chartings by year
When the good stuff happened, by the curators' count. Tap a bar (or a year below) to read that year's charts.
The 1985 charts
15 entries · 8 nightsDebut. No recording available
Debut. No recording exists.
Debut. The lyrics are narrated by Trey, rather than sung, and Page had not yet joined the band. A fairly intense, mostly straightforward Jeff and Trey guitar jam follows the lyrical section. (Circulates as filler on 3/4/85 Hunt's).
First known recorded version. No Page yet, although he sat in later in this show. Jeff was still in the band. Tempo is slower than later versions. The jam features solid, fairly intense soloing by Trey. Following the descending closing chords, there is a brief, lyrical outro.
Page is a guest at this point, but he makes a strong contribution to the uncharacteristically (for the ABB or Phish) settled first jam from, 5:30 - 11:45. This is a much different, more chill version than the typically fiery variety. Unfinished with a -> to a strong early "McGrupp."
-> in from "Whipping Post." Again, the lyrics are narrated. Page sat in as a guest for this show, and he begins make his presence felt, adding color to the excellent, guitar-driven jam, which has moments that sound similar to "Drowned". Eventually getting back to "McGrupp," this version slowly wind…
First recorded performance. -> in from "Makisupa." Jam section only of "Antelope" is played at a slower tempo, but otherwise has crescendo building characteristics similar to modern versions. -> to the debut of the Grateful Dead's "The Other One."
The entire band breaks into a jam where Page would solo in later versions. Although the recording ends before the jamming section concludes, the nearly 5 minutes captured on tape give a good flavor for the open-ended nature of these early jams in "McGrupp."
First known performance. Song structure today is remarkably similar to this initial version, but this one also has some added jamming before and during the "Mr. Minor" section. The main jam segment has the same melodic flow as today.
Debut. Both Page and Jeff Holdsworth perform in this version, during a brief crossover period before Jeff left the band. The jam includes a Page section and Trey-led part. Jeff leads the vocals.
First recorded performance available. Solid version with an excellent vocal jam.
Acoustic! Trey introduces Page, and then the song drifts and > "Piggies."
Bacon in the "Makisupa" sandwich.
-> in from "Piggies." Trey remains on acoustic guitar. There's a very good accelerating jam, reminiscent of many of Trey's early compositions, starting at 0:40. -> "Drums."
Labeled "Whipping Post Jam" in the Setlist, little of this 27 minute open-ended improv session sounds anything like the song. It's more of an early example of the band's inherent improvisational nature. Even if not superb music, it's worth the journey back in time to hear where it all cam…
Most charted songs
The vehicles. No surprises up top, which is exactly the point.
Freshly charted
The latest versions to earn a flag, newest night first.
Unidirectional and cohesive, the jam here is focused and the band is locked in from the start with little deviation to deliver a grin inducing and arm raising ride that accelerates to a very satisfying peak before crashing > into Llama.
Thematic jamming that bounces along at an even pace with little deviation and only slight modulation but stays focused without wasting time searching and delivers a steady stream of memorable moments that accumulate rather than peak.
One last 20-minute jam before the run ends. The jam starts out energetic, as most “RW” jams do, and keeps its pace for a while until it turns into time to try and see if the aliens can be summoned. Fish seems not ready to stop rocking, so he finds a way to get the rest of the band back on that path…
Rocking outro gives way to a fairly propulsive, beguiling groove textured with thick bass and then winds down over the course of several minutes in a decidedly off-kilter manner.
Trey’s relaxed comping immediately sets the tone of the jam from the onset, establishing a hazy low-key vibe. Mike then introduces a tonal pivot towards minor key territory which platforms a harmonically-rich and at times sci-fi textured atmosphere. As Page moves to the piano, more organic/clean pl…
> from a “Seven Below” you’ll want to check out. Clearly comfortable in the venue on the penultimate night of their run, the band drops “Plasma” in the two-hole of a four song suite lasting around an hour. The band toys with effects as the jam flows along effortlessly before > into a massive “C&P”.
Emerging from the song proper into a melodic take on the main Crosseyed riff thus setting the table with an emotional build. HEROIC riff from Trey around 840 channels Eno's St Elmo's Fire. We shift around 12:25 into an overdrive rock jam before fading back into an minimalistic groove. The return to…
This version earns its “noteworthy” status by way of a comical instrument switch-up between Trey and Fishman, as Trey takes on the drum chair to allow Fish to blow sweet music on his vacuum. Trey then introduces Fishman by a few of his famous aliases before ending the tune.
Shifts into minor at 6:30 and becomes darkly atmospheric with extensive Trey soloing as it builds dramatically to a final chorus of "breathe".
2026 picks up where ‘25 left off in regards to the extended intro section of this classic rocker. The band remains committed to ‘punching up’ the play here with synth effects as well as some additional clean leads from Trey to guide the affair into the song proper. The “Landlady” section still sadl…
Swampy murk-rock typical of “ASIHTOS” gives way to a patient, dreamy vibe at the 5:00 mark before quickly pivoting back towards psychedelic minor-key space rock. The band holds tight here as the music blooms inward, highlighting a loose but but directional vibe. The jam then threatens a full-on fun…
A laid-back opening then turns briefly darker for a minute around 11:00, after which the intensity picks up and the jam crests with a powerfully sustained peak, and finally washes away in a disconcerting ambient deconstruction which eventually > "Caspian".
Standard “Jim” play begins to hint at something more as Trey briefly abstracts his tone with effects towards the front of the jam. As the harmonic range opens up a bit, a downshift just before the 9:00 mark takes the jam into a murky zone. Fishman’s skittering rhythms underpin an almost futuristic…
39 years after its debut, "The Sloth" makes history with its first encore appearance and first version to feature a bonus segment of hard rock jamming tucked inside of the composition.
After warning some hot dogs to get out of his face, Trey is primed and ready to take Axilla deep again. The band is comfortable hanging in the murk of the song and doesn’t rush towards any of their “comfort jamming zones.” The jam feels gooey as it oozes along. Those who don’t need their jams to pe…
Cosmopolitan jam that stays fairly close to home rhythmically but departs melodically under Trey’s lead, brightening and decorating the neighborhood with a brisk and buoyant optimism and a gentle uplift before returning to the song to conclude.
Steps out of the box with low-key minor jamming which then becomes more mellow and dreamy as it transitions to major with synths and then > "Blaze On".
A dark, spooky, and contemplative affair that maintains forward momentum thanks to Fish’s pushing before shifting efficiently to an upbeat melodic climb with familiar motifs and a crushing climax that decays into an ambient sample laden froth.
Bliss-rock at the front gives way for more assertive, rocking play before a series of modulations begins a push and pull between major and minor key tonalities. Settling towards a funky rock zone, the band finds stability and turns the jam into am ebullient, funk-rock rave-up with a smidge of space…
The jam vehicle of the mid-2020s drives forward in a thick groove space right out of the gates. At 10:20 Trey moves into a rawk space before sliding into a Page/Trey duel that brings back memories of Fall 2021 Phish. Trey's chordal bursts at 16:15 push the jam into a new direction before building t…
A true slow build Piper, the jam builds like all Pipers do before locking in around a Trey and Fishman duel. A chordal peaking jam, this never strays too far from what Piper does best, but it's worth hearing all the same.
Momentarily bordering on plinko to kick things off, the jam becomes echo laden and accented with a dark groove as Trey briefly plays on the low end and Mike’s effects cast a shadow that serves as contrast to what follows. Trey’s lead becomes more linear and Page responds in lockstep. The whole affa…
Opening with snarling leads from Trey, this shifts at 9:40 into a more open terrain before Fishman takes command of the jam's direction. Wall of sound Mike and Page moves into a late-nite ambient space highlighted by Trey and Page trading delicate riffs around 13min. Moving deeper into the ether, t…
Emerging from a swirl of abstract sound, the world's lone Dark Puddle is vibrant and free of form; high quality abstract jamming. Building to a major-key peak around 1045 we descend into Mike-led Fuego quotes before another build just after 13min. We hear the road not taken at Sphere where the visu…
Moving into a familiar hypnotic groove space we shift at 9:15 to a deeper groove which thus opens the space for the jam to blossom. Mike and Fish dominate here before Trey shifts the band into Fuego.
Jam chart entries and descriptions are curated by phish.net, a project of the non-profit Mockingbird Foundation.