93. Step into the Freezer: Tahoe “Tweezer” and Other Ebenezers

Over the years, Phish has played “Tweezer” many, many times—385 times, according to Phish.net, since the song’s 1990 premiere.

And of those performances, there are some widely agreed-upon standout jams that rise above the rest. As you know, “Tweezer” is Phish’s No. 1 jam vehicle (see chapter 8), and they’ve taken the song into Type II territory like none other.

In recent years, there was the Tahoe “Tweezer” of 2013 (July 31, 2013) at Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harvey’s in Stateline, Nevada. Some would argue this is the best “Tweezer” of all time. In many ways it has everything: sustained, progressive jamming; crisp collaboration; crowd participation—if nothing else, perhaps this “Tweezer” serves as the winning defense of crowd “Woos!” during performances. YouTube clips of this performance have upwards of 500,000 views.

Kicking off the second set of Phish’s two-night run in Stateline, this 36-minute “Tweezer” never falters, never wavers. Dark at times, light at others, loud and powerful, then quiet and gentle, this is top-notch, must-listen Phish.

The day after the show, David Calarco, aka Mr. Miner, wrote on his site PhishThoughts.com, “The reason I see Phish is in pursuit of what happened last night. Not only was it the best jam of the band’s career, it was ‘Tweezer’—my favorite jam by—oh—about infinity miles. ‘Tweezer’ is Phish. The Freezer is our home. And home has never felt as special as right now. Anyone who has ever doubted that Phish would be back and better than before—put that in your pipe and smoke it. Sculpting a piece of music far beyond anything they’ve ever done, the band wielded powers greater than we’ve ever dreamed last night. It was simply incomparable.”

In July 2015, Scott Bernstein at YEMblog asked his readership to name the four best jams, the Mount Rushmore of Phish jams. The people answered and the Tahoe “Tweezer” won, taking first place above all other jams.

In 2013, Relix magazine published a list of top 40 “Tweezer” jams, and the Tahoe “Tweezer” took first place. Second- and third-place finishers were December 28, 2012, at MSG and September 3, 2011, at Dick’s, respectively.

Really though, throughout the band’s career, they’ve done more with “Tweezer” than any other song. Some “Tweezer” jams reach unparalleled musical heights and even still some showcase what could only be described as groupthink among the band and (in the case of Tahoe “Tweezer”) the audience, too. “Oh, that’s just the drugs,” doubters may say. Well, if by drugs you mean incredible, spiritual moments of improvisational music, then yes, sir, you are correct.

While most versions of “Tweezer” offer something worth revisiting, there are a few particular performances that we insist you, dear reader, find a calm quiet place to hear and experience.

There’s the 45-minute Bozeman “Tweezer” (November 28, 1994), featured in part on A Live One as the track “Montana.” In fact, 1994 was a great year for “Tweezer,” and includes the original Tweezerfest at the Bomb Factory (May 7, 1992) that features the band jamming in and out of “Tweezer” and other songs, including “Sparks,” “Sweet Emotion,” “Walk Away,” and even “Cannonball” by The Breeders.

20 years later we would get a second Tweezerfest at Merriweather Post Pavilion (July 27, 2014), where Phish would weave “Tweezer” throughout the second set, in and out of a half dozen other songs.

The famous Memphis “Tweezer,” the Mud Island “Tweezer,” is the band’s longest performance of the song and clocks in at more than 50 minutes.

Other notable performances of “Tweezer” include the Finger Lakes “Fleezer” (June 22, 1995) as part of a truly epic second set and 1997’s TweezaBella (December 6, 1997), a dark, fuzzy jam that segues into Hendrix’s “Izabella.” See also 10 nights prior in Hampton (November 2, 1997) for an awesome “Tweezer” in what is an absolutely incredible second set.

Let’s see, there are so many! Also check out September 9, 1999; June 24, 2000; and Madison Square Garden’s December 28, 2012, and January 2, 2016.

Oh, and dial in Atlantic City’s “Zeppeleezer” (October 30, 2010) featuring teases of four legendary Led Zeppelin songs.

And while no one could forget it, there’s also the recent Magnaball “Tweezpian” aka “Tweezerpants” (August 22, 2015) where Phish does what they do best: jams the hell out of “Tweezer” and then surprises everyone with a well-jammed “Tweezer”-infused “Prince Caspian.”

For more on Phish’s “Tweezer” jams, visit Phish.net’s review archive, which features timed-out descriptions and details for nearly every “Tweezer” performed between 1990 and 2000.

Needless to say, there are a lot of “Tweezers” to check out. So bundle up for the journey, because it’s going to be cold, cold, cold, cold, cold.