https://forum.phish.net/forum/permalink/1377918656

April 1992 has received its fair share of recognition, mainly due to the excellent West Coast run in the second half of this month, which has been well-circulated on Soundboard recordings. A couple of new recordings have surfaced to fill in the gaps from the first part of the month, but the best recording of the whole tour has been overshadowed - this "Separate-from-soundboard 16-track" SBD/AUD matrix from 4/5/92. Whether on earbuds or a quality home theater system, Mike Grace's recording of this "surprise show" is a sonic pleasure that should be shared.

The two posted reviews of this show seem to pick nits with the accuracy of the playing, ignoring the peaks of the jams. It's true that this show is not Page's sharpest, but he holds his own during the jams in It's Ice, Maze, the breakdown in Weigh, and another sweet Landlady > David Bowie combo. Meanwhile, Machine Gun Trey demonstrates the art of pointillism with solos from Llama to Runaway Jim, but especially in Divided Sky and a ripping SOAMelt set 2 opener. And as with 4/22/90, the spacious stereo mix from the 16-track allows for excellent attention to the playing of Fish and Mike.

The Possum from this show deserves its own paragraph, considering the brief description on the jamming chart. Some fans may feel that Possum is overplayed, but many forget the improvisational weight the song carried for the band in the early touring years, making the song a favorite for many fans at that time. Once the band had let the audience in on the Secret Language, many looked forward to participating in the antics during the extended Possum intros. But just about every Possum from Spring 1992 also features astonishingly inventive soloing from Trey; rhythmic motifs and melodies that were rarely if ever repeated from one version to the next. And although most Possum peaks resemble an 18-wheeler barreling down a seven-percent grade at 90+ mph, the peak for this Possum is more like an F-16 taking off with full afterburners.