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 1989 charts
50 entries · 33 nightsAlternate arrangement. As if undergoing a psychic change, a fast version emerges; this style (complete with a "punk" refrain) will be performed a couple of times.
Mean, nasty and thrilling version that includes the "Theme From Batman" teasing and a great trill section.
Debut. No recording available.
This fiery version marks the first instance of the 2nd jam, separated from the 1st jam by D, E, and F# chords at 5:22. While only 20 seconds in duration, over time, the 2nd jam would at times become significant. The 2nd jam concludes with a repeat of the D,E, and F# chords, followed by the closing…
Solid execution throughout, especially in the notoriously challenging section The Chase (4:14 - 5:19). During Page's solo in Clod, there is some great interplay with Trey, while the important role of Fish is accentuated in the industrious, non-linear Bundle of Joy. Humorous vocals and a ripping Arr…
Debut.
Great early version which showcases the song's potential, featuring particularly strong playing from Page and great soloing from Trey.
First recorded performance includes a Fish drum solo preceding the lyrical section "We breathe deep..." The jam is fairly intense but straightforward in structure.
"String Changing Nature" jam is a jazzy one featuring Page, Fish and Mike, plus some Trey while he tunes his guitar.
Machine Gun Trey aptly named. Great early and seriously rocking version.
A unique rendering in which Trey adopts a very space-oriented style and tone. This outer space "Slave" has more similarity to the 5/13/89 "Whipping Post" than most conventional "Slave" versions. The jam eventually fades into the Ether rather than peaking.
The second jam, which begins around 6:30, is very improvisational. Following some mellow Trey and Page-led grooving, the jam builds energy, launches into deep outer space (seriously), then returns to "Whipping Post" with strong Mike and shredding Trey.
No bass & drums ("B&D") section. TREY IS ON FIRE!!!
Very long intro with hilarious banter from Trey, this is the infamous LAZY LESTER BOWIE, with incredible playing by all. Hear it for yourself!
Debut. No real jam at all. Instead, the "Bathtub Gin" vocal refrain is extended slightly, and then the song abruptly ends.
Although this version begins with spacey elements similar to 5/6/89, it also peaks in a more customary and shredding manner, reestablishing a more conventional approach to the jam.
> from "Slave to the Traffic Light," this too is slow, patient, and well-played. Trey is particularly on point, deploying a series of "jazzy" chords before offering up a great solo.
Very good early version with hilarious "POOP" VJ!
A somewhat dark, low-key jam opens Set III at Ian McLean's Party, builds intensity, and -> to a brief "La Grange" jam.
Machine Gun Trey in combat action in the latter half of this jam.
Cool twangy playing by Trey early on, then he just rips. Great recording quality.
A strong, rocking Fluff's Travels sets the table, and while Trey gets slightly tripped up in The Chase, he makes a strong comeback. This recording is a good one if you want focus on Fish, who, more than anyone, is the key to holding this complex composition together. Awesome Mike bass action during…
Musically, this is a very exploratory version, with unusual melodies, rhythm, and includes several distinct movements. Few post-'95 versions have this much improvisation.
The Set 3 closer in a famous, early show. The intro is raucous and tease-filled, with all kinds of inventive riffs from Trey. Strong play all around, with a surprise Rocco section.
Great staccato playing by Trey early on. Although it never departs "Bowie" wholesale, the jam is a good one with all sorts of variation, good tension, and a nice "Reba" tease in the intro.
"Reba's" second performance sounds like a fun studio outtake with Trey, as if scatting, effortlessly flubbing and making up lyrics along the way. Notable also for the alt-arranged "Bag it, Tag it" bit which, since scrapped, moves nicely into more recognizable, composed, play, Fish impresses before…
Stretching the "Type I" boundaries, the jam here is great and more varied than any preceding version.
Serious "Small Furry Creatures Groovin' with a Pict" (Floyd) VJ.
Trey takes an unusual and cool approach with the guitar melody. Fish drum solo as well.
Experimental, mildly dissonant playing by Trey for much of the jam. Machine Gun Trey earns his name by the end.
Cool little jam on David Bowie's "Space Oddity" in the intro. The jam immediately breaks into exploratory terrain. The energy, tension and dissonance build nicely. If you wonder where the Providence "Bowie" came from, start here.
The "Mac 'N Cheese" version (see Setlist). Breaks away from standard "Bowie" at about 9:00 into some jarring jamming similar to "DEG." Another early one that gets WAY OUT there and includes a jam on "I'm A Man" (Spencer Davis Group) at about 16:45. Powerful trill section.
"LOCK IT" VJ, segue into "Kung."
In Fall '89, the band was re-tooling "Fluffhead," and for a period tacked the "Who Do? We Do!" section onto the back end of "McGrupp." This date is a good example, and the band nicely rocks along with Page in "McGrupp" proper.
For a brief period, this section of "Fluffhead" was added to the ending of "McGrupp." This show features a good example of the "McGrupp"/"Who Do? We Do!" combination.
Teases (see Setlist), including some in the middle of the jam, which is unusual. But that fits with this weird, very improvisational version. Not magical music, but if you like quirky improv, check it out.
As a good bouncy jam builds, there are a few times when Trey sustains a single note, and Page and Mike fill in nicely.
First version without "Don't Get Me Wrong" segment.
> in from "AC/DC Bag." Really great Trey soloing, and a high power build-up.
Fierce, dissonant and improvisational jamming including several times when the jam grinds to a near stop, then picks up tempo again.
Great version which includes some "DEG" teasing in the latter part of the jam, which works well with "SOAM."
Quite a few guitar playing styles on display here in this rousing, encore slot version. Great way to end a show.
Improvisational version with good tension and dissonance building, as well as a Fish drum solo.
An unbelievable amount of tension and dissonance packed into a demented six-plus minutes of Phish.
This is a really awesome early version, very different from almost all other versions from late '88 to late '91. Trey's playing is much more melodic and less dissonant. The jam builds to a great peak, and then the short little 2nd jam features sick trilling by Trey.
Trey shreds the jam in this rip-roaring version which includes a Theme from Bonanza tease.
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.