Not a great SBD source, but not that bad either. It’s an enjoyable listen on headphones. It starts out pretty muffled but gets better after a few seconds. The beginning of Cavern is cut to open the show. A solid YEM follows. The Rhombus Narrations have definitely been more inspired as of recently. This leads into another fantastic version of Sky. A hot Suzy leads into a strong Antelope set closer. Set 2 starts off slow with a Carolina opener but switches gears quickly with La Grange and never looks back. Great song selection and flow throughout the rest of the set. Esther pairs well with La Grange. Sloth picks right up where Esther drops off. Hood has a nice extended intro tonight. The crowd is eating out of the bands hand by the end. Afterwards Trey says “Wow! That was wild man!” “Well we’ll just play that one again!” A nice version of Caravan is up next. Beautiful Reba. It sounds like there’s a cut at the start of the jam. I Didn’t Know features Moses on his new Sac-Vac of Boulder. Alumni features the alternate lyrics heard between 12/10/88 through 4/15/89. Solid GXBX to wrap up a fun set. Before the encore, Trey mentions that he was told that the bar was gonna be closed this weekend, that nobody was in town, nobody was gonna be there, so he was super happy with the turnout! The audience was extra pumped up tonight. Fun Jesus Left > Highway to Hell combo to wrap things up.

SET 1: AC/DC Bag: Personally, I think anytime you get a Bag opener it means that something is definitely up! This most assuredly was the case on this gorgeous July night in Utah. The Bag was pretty standard and tight throughout. Sweet opener that primed us for the rest of the night. Nice jam! > Ya Mar: Nice, this is the penultimate Phish summer song for me, so light and happy. Was it just me or did the "Play it Leo" by Trey seem way off? Like the timing was really off? Either way, good Yamar; nothing crazy like the one from IT; just good solid band jamming here. Fishman was really going off on the wood blocks around 5:40 or so, love the wood blocks! Theme From the Bottom: Sweet!! This is a song I was totally sick of by the end of 96, I caught it at every third show it seemed and it never really changed much. But now that they have scaled it back to once or twice a tour, it makes it much more enjoyable. This version made me remember why I liked this song so much back when I saw it for the first time at the Palace of Auburn Hills in 95. There is so much tension building in this song that when they finally climax it can be quite intense as was the case w/ this version. Saw It Again: Standard. Poor Heart: Standard, still the crowd ate it up. Two Versions of Me: Did they really need to play this again so soon after just playing it at the Gorge? Personally, I liked the Gorge version more specifically because it was segued out of that hot Piper. Still my second favorite of the new tunes. Secret Smile: Seriously, stop playing this fellas, it's not good unless I am spun to the moon and need a really sappy/slow song to bring me back to earth. TAB, you can have it. Yuck. This was only one of two drawbacks of the whole evening for me. Mike's Song: Good, solid jamming. > I Am Hydrogen: Standard. Weekapaug Groove: Bring the love Mike! A nice jammed out Week that lasted just over 12 minutes. They catch a nice them for a couple of minutes. What a way to close out a romping first set, you could tell that the band really meant business and was intent on showing why you should never ever skip a Phish show in Utah. I mean, didn't people learn after 11/2/98 DSOTM? Set break: Bill and I spotted Malcolm just after first set closed out and he told us where we could find them, so we moved back into the 300 section on Mike's side where I had a whole aisle all to myself to dance in. Little did I know that I would need every inch of that aisle because I'd be running around like a madman w/ what Phish was about to lay on us!! SET 2: Mr. Completely: As the opening notes rang out, this just sent me into outer space baby! I was jumping up and down like a little kid. Most around us did not seem to have a clue what this was. I never, ever would have expected Phish to play this. Every time TAB plays this bad boy, they jam the living hell out of it so I assumed we would get a 15 minute or so version. Wrong. What lay before us may well have been THE jam of the summer tour. I can't really begin to even explain the places this jam went. At around 14:50 Page really starts to lay down some funky riffs w/ Trey playing some rhythm behind him, ahh the funk! Around 25 minutes or so they begin patiently working back to the original theme of this song. Excellent overall job by the band to be able to bring this back around but wait what was that I just heard?! At around 27:45 or so Trey is repeating a few chords that to my ear sounded like Low Rider. Two minutes later this does come to fruition segueing into -> Low Rider: Woo hoo! Dare I say this Mr. Completely>Low Rider outplays the Ghost>LR from 2/26. Then at 3.5 minutes, no it can't be, it can't be… -> Big Black Furry Creature from Mars: Finally at my 67th show I am finally hearing Big Black Furry. Unfuckingbelievable. As some of you may know, our tour partner Lee made a sign for his run from Phoenix > Bonner Springs. I believe this was the first venue that actually allowed him to bring it in and by God did the band ever take notice. Lee, I sure hope you see this and comment on it, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. A quick romp through this punk tune lands in -> Buried Alive: Amazing segue into Buried. At this point I was running up and down the aisle pretty much screaming like a banshee. I have only seen Buried Alive like 3 or 4 times, and I think I'd be fine w/ seeing it every other show I like it that much. This was very short and segues right back into > Big Black Furry Creature from Mars: OK, holy shit. This setlist is starting to look like something straight out of 93 or 94 with the segues, unreal > Ha Ha Ha: Good Lord the band is just having the time of their lives and so are we out in the pavilion just eating this all up > Big Black Furry Creature from Mars: Just when you think it cannot get any crazier segue into > Mr. Completely: Now that is what I call a sandwich, one that only this band could possibly even think of doing! What got into the band tonight? I still cannot believe they came back from whence they began, and they still aren't done w/ the segueing madness!! > Spread It 'Round: All of us are pretty much just looking at each other w/ mouths agape at this point. Sounds like a new tune. Just 4 minutes into this I am thinking to myself, this is the worst song Phish has ever played. Well maybe second worse compared to Jennifer Dances. Actually they may be tied! repetitive, soooooo cheesy. Crap. This would be my second and last drawback of the night. Walls of the Cave: This is another song that I think I would rather hear on the tape’s vs live for some reason or another. This one however really rages but still found me taking a geezer breather in my seat > Golgi Apparatus: Hell yeah, I saw you! This ticket stub will stay w/ me forever. Slave to the Traffic Light: Bless you boys! Just when you think you’re out, they pull you back in! This is my second favorite Phish song, just a tad behind Divided Sky and this version did not disappoint. I don't get to hear Slave near as much as I'd like (like I did in '97) so anytime I hear it now it just melts me. This song means so very much to me. I was going thru some pretty rough times at the end of my college career at the end of '97/beginning of 98 - Slave was always the song I would pop in at those times to try and bring me out of the darkness. Enough of that though - this version was pretty solid; a few very minor flubs can be heard but for the most part it's very solid. The wave of emotion I was riding throughout this set climaxed here in Slave. This is the reason I spend so much time, energy, and money on Phish right here. Because there is nothing else that I know of on this planet that can make me feel like this (at least that I know of yet) - no drug, no girl; there is nothing like an amazing Phish show (that for Me) just puts me on top of the world. All that said, this is a below average version. ENCORE: Sleeping Monkey: Ha ha, nice! I hadn't heard this little ditty in a long time! It made me think back to 12-6-97 when I saw this as an encore also, Fishman climbing up on his kit and crooning to us all! Gotta love this song and the quirky abandon it has to it. Great way to end the night. Replay Value/Summary: Mr. Completely is an all timer – absolutely epic jam. Weekapaug I would also recommend. The first 1/3 of set I is solid as is the Mike’s Groove and the second set was a ton of fun. I would rate this a strong 4.5 out of 5. Off we go to Kansas, stopping at my place in Denver to pick up my friend Pat who would see the rest of tour w/ us. We saw the car in front of us narrowly miss hitting a big deer about an hour after getting on I-80. Bonner Springs (holy letdown Phish!) review coming soon. We carried Lee’s BBFCFM sign with us for the rest of the tour as his last show was the next show in Kansas. On the other side was Fluffhead. Tony made it close to the front of one of the IT shows, he got on the big video screen, prompting the infamous Fluffhead chants > Mike said no. True story. He was way up front for this Utah show and was the reason they played BBFCFM. Pretty cool!

This is the show that inspired my username. Got everything I asked for in this show, and the band put me in a spliff and smoked me. If I Could was barely enough time to catch my breath in the second set. CDT was the nail in my coffin. Congratulations to everyone who was in orbit and survived when planet earth was transported to the farthest edges of the radiation belt.

Low Gen. SBD source available for this show. However, there’s not much of the room mixed in, so the recording does come off sounding a little flat. Possum, Ya Mar open things up. Cool Bonanza tease in Ya Mar. Trey continues the Bonanza teasing during Bowie’s hi-hat hijinx. Rocking Bowie but overall a pretty straightforward version. Before Oh Kee Pah Trey mentions that Al from The Samples let Page borrow his clavinet for this gig! Suzy benefits from this new toy, sounding more like something we’ll hear in the not so distant future. Solid version of YEM with the addition of the clavinet. Great interplay in the jam section. Unfortunately, there’s a pretty harsh tape flip during the B&D section. It picks back up towards the end of a trippy vocal jam. Nice transition into Lizards out of the VJ! Fire wraps up a pretty good first half. A nice Reba starts off Set 2. Jesus Left features Dan Mosebee on harmonica. He’s no Popper but he’s pretty good. There’s a tape flip after Bag. The beginning of Donna Lee is cut. The second recorded version of Tweezer is up next. Huge upgrade from the version heard in Granville. Trey again introduces it as Tweezer So Cold. Page busts out the Clavinet again for Cavern. I’m surprised he didn’t use it during Tweezer! Cavern’s ending was a little stronger than Granville and still has “Penile Erector” instead of “Picture of Nectar”. The intro of Mike’s has Page on the Clavinet. Blissful Groove! Cool Twilight Zone tease from Page prior to Fishman mentioning that he has a new vacuum before Brain. Page uses the Clavinet again during the jam in Contact. Golgi wraps up a pretty good show. Afterwards, Page says “we’ll see you at the Boulder Theatre”

Decent SBD recording for this show. However, the overall sound is a bit flat. It sounds like they have a pretty good size crowd for their first show back in Colorado! Good word and tapes travel fast! Things start out on a standard front with a Golgi, YEM opener. Decent YEM with a little rough patch during the opening segment. Nice A-Train. Before Possum Trey mentions that it’s their first gig in Colorado. Page adds “in two years” Possum has some fun A-Train teasing in the intro, but they totally miss the drop into the song. The Rhombus narration proceeds Sky. Some fans are yelling for Wilson up front, so Trey breaks off a bit to explain how Wilson ties into Gamehendge. Carolina closes out a pretty straightforward first half. Set 2 opens with a strong Mike’s Groove. Esther provides a nice cool down. The second known version of Uncle Pen is up next. This version is definitely more polished than the last one heard in Granville. Trey introduces Moses Brown during I Didn’t Know, sporting a new Sac-Vac of Boulder vacuum cleaner in his first attempt with a new high powered machine. GXBX slays! The beginning of Contact is cropped. Pumpin’ version of Highway to Hell to wrap up the evening. All in all a pretty straightforward performance for this year. Regardless, I’m sure the people in attendance still had an amazing times!

Gilmour25 (Spence), Cher9094 (Cher), jwoolfall (Jeff), danelson1749 (Dan) and spiritsdad (Brian) all ended up hanging out w/ our group this afternoon. Really nice to meet Spence, Cher, and Brian. Chris and I were the ones to go in early today. I think we left our campsite at about 3 or so to go in and hold a good terrace spot. So as we are exiting the campgrounds there are three people in front of us walking with index fingers in the air. Chris says he has a couple extras to get rid of. They ask how much. He says I will give them to you for 25 dollars, 15 under face value. They say forget you, we will wait and get tickets for free. After that it just got ugly. To make a long story short, there was a relatively brief, intense verbal altercation. They were shouting things at us like, "Ever heard of the family? This is the one and only time in 81 Phish shows where I have ever been in a situation like this, it was really strange. I'm not one to use the wookie stereotype but when the shoe fits... So Chris and I grab a sweet spot on the terrace Mike's side. He takes a nap, and I head for the beer garden. Met some nice folks in there and leave after two beers. The rest of our group got in around 7-7:30. SET 1: Runaway Jim: The band ripped into this at 7:43. This Jim was relatively standard yet still had plenty of fire to it. Very nice opener. Scents and Subtle Sounds: I was stoked to hear this again especially considering this was the first time I had heard it stand on its own (i.e. not being segued into). Rock solid version that was close to 12 minutes. Axilla: Oh yeah, heavy metal Phish baby! Short and sweet, nice and rocking. > Carini: Oh man another sick and nasty Carini, much like the San Diego version. This one was every bit as intense as the CA version, good stuff. Although am I the only one that thinks this song has become overplayed? Don't get me wrong, I love it. But don't need to hear it at every 4th show. Dog Faced Boy: Standard. Round Room: I like this in this spot. This RR really got quite jammed out - I really, really like this version. It got quite trippy actually w/ Page laying on the synthesizer heavily at the end. Excellent! Halley's Comet: It's on now boys and girls! Huge grins from everyone around us. My face hurt after this show I was smiling so much. It does not get much better than Halley's at sunset w/ a bunch of your friends getting down! This version featured more rock than funk, they never really took it out there, it was just under 9 minutes long. At the end Mike plays electric bagpipes (we had no idea what the hell it was from so far away). This added a very quirky sound to the end of Halley's. Soooo Mike Gordon!!> Guyute: Meh. You Enjoy Myself: Hell yes, thank you Phish! The nirvana segment featured and extremely respectful crowd. You could have heard a pin drop! Trey has some minor difficulties at 4:40 but otherwise no problems. This was a very solid YEM and the first to have a vocal jam (Shoreline segued right into Simple) which completely tripped me out, very nice! Great choice as a first set closer, I think it is the best spot for YEM personally, so I was very happy w/ it here. SET 2: Llama: Ah, the boys waste no time in tearing it up. Sweet. Wolfman's Brother: Hmm, another repeat huh? Cactus completely owns this version; his bass drives this song, and everyone follows along. You can hear Trey quietly chording Jesus a good twenty seconds before they segue into it. Pretty rough and flubby by Trey here but when they do launch the segue it sounded pretty good to my ears. After the Dogs Stole Things last night, I think our whole group was kind of expecting a JLC at some point throughout this show. -> Jesus Just Left Chicago: This version shook me to the very core! My mouth was hanging so wide open that I must have looked like Cletus the slack jawed yokel after this one was over, sick sick version. Page of course owns this one big time - crisp vocals by the Chairman and who can tickle the ivory like this man? Very impressive. You can tell Trey is itching to tear it up by the time Page turns it over to him. He just tore us all a new one, from bluesy riffs to in-your-face shredding. This right here is one of the reasons I love this band so much: they can play so many different genres of music in one night it's just a joy to see. Seven Below: Another repeat huh? Well, 22 minutes later I could care about that. This 7 Below goes everywhere and then some! A very spaced-out trippy jam evolves somewhere around 11 minutes or so and continues for another few minutes. Fishman seems to have had enough of this, he sped up his beat quite a bit and brings the band (and the crowd) out of their trance. They reach a really nice pinnacle and then they segue back into the song itself which was a really rough transition I might add. But that was pretty easy to overlook considering the nutty jam that we all had just witnessed. Whew! Harry Hood: Appreciate the placement and the nightcap but this Hood is not good, well below average. Chalk Dust Torture: Really? I thought for sure the band would want to close it out with Hood but what do I know? Another reason I love this band, they will always keep you guessing. This one gets well jammed. Nothing too crazy but they take it out there a bit. Good set closer. ENCORE: First Tube – Standard. Replay Value/Summary: Wolfman's Brother -> Jesus Just Left Chicago, Seven Below. I felt this show was better from top to bottom than the night before. But second set from first night wins best set of the run in my eyes. Back to the campground to party into the wee hours. All I can say is Gladys can put any man/woman half his age to shame - the man put me down y'all! To everyone I met at the Gorge -> what can I say - we all had a blast! Our group really made the weekend for me. Awesome music, great folks in a truly stunning setting. I will never forget. Thanks to you all for making my Gorge '03 run what it was - unforgettable.

This set list is why I can’t stand the set list team On the actual release of this show there is no notation of: “Sweet emotion jam” “MLBJ” “Cannonball jam (they play the song numnuts, not a “jam”)” “DDLJ”…can’t stand this shit Please correct this nonsense. You make a cool show look lame. Sorry. Truth. Yes I’m an angry liberal. But it’s totally acceptable to say: “HYHU jam”

Just a damn great show. Perhaps my only critique is the heavy concentration of solo-project debuts in the first set, none of which ever really took off as crowd favorites. But recognizing that each is selected to showcase an individual band member's work...you gotta respect the sentiment. Aside from that, this show is pretty much nothing but hitters. Set I boasts one my favorite versions of YEM, a beautifully rumbling Roggae, the wettest funkiest Moma (GOAT status), and a long-running freight-train Maze that is paradigmatic of 2.0 Phish. Set 2 continues with a super fun walk around Stash and a great party-style Ghost (almost reaches a laidback First Tube sort of energy) that transitions awesomely into Low Rider...into Makisupa...and into Ya Mar. Fantastic segment right there. A well-placed (and all things considered, fairly well-executed) Guyute continues the energy, and Waves ain't half bad either. I really love this Prince Caspian's placement in the set. I think it's played excellently, and the segue into Frankenstein is an awesome surprise. Top it off with a Golgi (featuring Frankenstein tease) and a killer Loving Cup encore...the band is hot. And it shows even more a couple nights later.

Maybe a hot take, but I actually enjoyed this show a little less than 2/24, on the whole. The BB King sit-in was rough, for sure, but I thought the previous night had some more heavy hitting and impressive jams worked in. Nevertheless, this is a fine couple of sets worth listening to if you want a deep dive into 2.0 Phish. First few tunes are pretty typically played. Talk is a great bustout choice but man Trey sounds pretty rough on vocals. Show this one to the folks complaining in 2023 about his higher-octave singing.... Taste features some sweet Page and a nice, long and brooding intro to Trey's solo. The ascent to the peak is pretty cool too. The long, mid-set Slave is an interesting choice, but this jam grows majestically. One of the highlights of the night in my opinion. WOTC closer also goes slightly off the beaten path (though not as experimental as some versions from earlier in the tour). It's a strong example of the dark, droning, bulldozer of sound that was so typical of 2003 Phish. As others have pointed out, the Bag Set 2 opener comes so close to going Type II but just can't quite get there. It's a cool jam with plenty of energy nonetheless. Cities has a cool section where Fishman drops out and lets the other dudes groove in the funk. Theme then comes in with a massive, powerful jam. I particularly love the ending section where things just growl on for a couple of minutes. It's just grunky sludgy sound from the bottom on this one. The rest of the set is pretty straightforward, though Pebbles and Marbles does close things out with a little extra oomph. Coil in the encore slot is a nice version where Trey and Mike sort of stick around in the outro before CZ wraps up the night.

1) [u]YEM -> DEG[/u]: This YEM has a bit of gas in the tank, and the transition into DEG works as a pseudo-vocal jam/foray into absurdity [b]2) [u]Punch Me in the Eye[/u]:[/b] A deliciously bizarre one-off that is well worth a listen. The tune is clearly a very distant relative of PYITE, with the two bearing almost no resemblance. PMITE sounds like a song that went through some dedicated writing and planning, as there are multiple segments including the goofy falsetto beginning, a rather sick funky prog jam middle section, and an ending segment that sort of sounds like a sped up 1950's do-wop pop tune. A very rad piece of Phish history and to top it off it bounces energetically into a very raucous Alumni Blues 3) [u]I Am Hydrogen -> Who Do? We Do![/u]: Another very peculiar and fascinating bit of Phish history in this show! First, the "I am H2" is notable because it gets jammed out briefly before transitioning into "Who Do? We Do!". For its debut, this segment of Fluff's Travels has a deliberate start/stop rhythm to it, but otherwise seems to have the basic chord progression that we know today. Another piece in the Fluffehead puzzle emerges!

Since 1994, summer shows at Walnut Creek have reliably delivered peculiarities to the Phish canon. The 1997 lightning fest is perhaps the best known, but then there was the bizarre 2003 show where Mike left and returned to the stage after allegedly purging the previous night’s debauchery. The first show I saw at Walnut Creek was in 2000, which history has relegated to clunker status. My personal attendance high point was probably the boisterous 2018 show featuring the Set II Runaway Antelope mashup. I expected the afternoon to be swelting as is often the case down south, but on this July day it was positively suffocating. The mercury soared into the 90s while the NPR broadcast crowed about a heat wave and the inevitability of inclement weather. Even the sturdy gravel parking lot appeared ready to melt leaving us to shelter in the precious little shade afforded by the nearby pines. Once inside the venue I watched cobalt clouds gather in the distance. Soon the greasy fwonk of Moma Dance flooded the amphitheater and people in all directions began to bounce and sway. Moma gave way to a rambunctious Possum, the latter of which feels like a virtual certainty in the south. Steam was a fine choice that affirmed the sweltering afternoon, which segued smoothly into Stash. The transition was slick and the blissy jam at about six minutes proved to be an unexpected first set treat. After riffing again on the Steam theme, they dropped into their reliably scorching cover of Son Seals’ Funky Bitch. Trey smoked the lead section before guiding the band through the 1.0 classics Wedge and Horn, only to raise the stakes with Rise/Come Together. The latter proved to be the night’s longest jam that oscillated around a Free-like jam segment although it never felt like it found solid footing. Since its debut in 1987, Big Black Furry Creature from Mars opened Set II for the first time. This rendition deviated from its typical angular, frenetic pulse towards a more straight-ahead rhythm that reminded me of the Dead Kennedys, or even the Ramones. Carini continued BBFCFM’s foray into the dark and edgy, which was a perfect accompaniment to the taciturn sky. After a hurried but sincere Waste, the urgent beauty of Ruby Waves revealed the night’s most patient exploration of themes as streaks of pink and purple pulsated from distant thunderheads. Ruby Waves descended dreamily into the lilting elegance of Beneath a Sea of Stars Pt. 1., only to unleash the rocking trifecta of Piper, Light, and Shine a Light, that included a brief BBFCM call back in Piper. The four-song encore spanned several moods of Phish, ranging from the lonesome sentimentality of Strange Design and to the bare-knuckled bravado of Wilson with its rowdy call and response. Altogether a fine show that displayed the diversity and depths of Phish’s catalog while also highlighting their unique ability to play to the earth and sky. Throughout the night, spatters of rain and streaks of lightning threatened but the weather miraculously veered from Walnut Creek. In many ways it mirrored Phish’s performance — both etched lively dreamscapes onto the horizon without us having to experience the peculiar experience of a full deluge.

Pretty good SBD source for this show. There’s a couple cassette generations in it’s lineage, but it has a nice bright sound overall. So grateful there was a taper there that night to capture this one! The show opens up with a raging Possum. What a treat for the students in attendance at this party! Ya Mar had a few choice Trey licks. The possible debut of Tweezer was dedicated to the Beta Intramural Hockey Team whose season went down the tubes earlier that day. Solid version! It’s possible this was debuted the night before in Columbus. Uncle Pen is another first that may have debuted in Columbus. They had a week on the road from Pennsylvania to Ohio to write and polish up some new songs. There’s a tape flip after Suzy. The beginning of A-Train is cut. Nice version of A-Train tonight. The third new song, Runaway Jim, has the OG verse. Before YEM Trey makes some more comments about the Beta Intramural Hockey team. Decent version with a nice B&D section and a trippy ending to the vocal jam. GXBX wrapped up the first half. Trey dedicates another number to the Beta Intramural Hockey Team. A blues tune of course, Funky Bitch. Solid Mike’s Groove. The second jam in Mike’s was as long as Saratoga’s version. Nice intro to Groove with some cowbell action. Different approach to the ending from what they’ve been doing lately. Jesus Left and Lizards continued the stretch of unreleased material. Fish drums out the intro to Split Open for a bit before Mike comes in. Rippin’ jam tonight. A fun Contact provides a nice cool down. Fish shushes everyone saying “this is the nice part now” before the final coda. Rift makes another appearance. They reworked the first half and slowed the pace down from what we heard in Baltimore. I love the mellow intro! They kept busy on their week off! Cavern was another new number. This version has the OG verse as well. Plus, the ending has “Penile Erector” in place of Picture of Nectar. The ending goes on a little long and it’s clear they’re still working things out here. There’s a good chance all of these new songs were played the night before in Columbus. Trey typically lets the audience know when it’s a debut. Fish takes center stage for the last song of the set. The trombone gets dusted off for this version of Brain. Trey requests a “slightly relaxed version” before Carolina. Sweet Adeline makes it’s public debut. This debut performance is “slightly relaxed”. Whipping Post cuts during the first jam, but what’s available sounds great! It’s a shame this version isn’t complete, but it’s amazing someone captured this great night of music!

Damn great spring '93 here. The first set is full of classic tunes all played strong until you get to Wilson, which is infused with extra fun improvisational playing in the intro and breakdown. The closing Antelope is a beast of a jam as well. Second set Suzy features some particularly great Fishman, and Tweezer has an excellent Trey-centric jam. Mike's Groove is really the other major high point, with special props to Weekapaug. WG gets jam of the night from me. Love the My Girl teases. Just such a spirited version of the tune.

Very upbeat Foam early in Set 1. Stash gets some sweet riffing play and harmonic exploration, and Reba grooves really strongly. Fun PYITE follow up. Very happy to see Halley's Comet make a reappearance, and it gives way to a Bowie that is compact but excellently captures that '93 dissonant and chaotic sound. Trey is just awesome at the end with the string scratching. Easy highlight of the show is YEM. Full of awesome teases and jamming in both the instrumental and vocal jams. Gotta love the Great Gig debut too.

Fantastic energy and technical prowess on this one, and the audience tape is excellent quality. Folks are right to call out Fluffhead as a spectacular specimen. The composed sections are clean, the solos are vibrant, and the Arrival is triumphant. The Antelope/BBFCFM jam is phenomenal as well. Musical and dissonant, playful and evil, thrashing and patient, dynamic and rhythmic, creative and focused...toss in the Simpsons signal close and you've got one of the best jams of 1992. Very fun to hear the secret language explanation, and Trey's critique of the audience's weak Turn Turn Turn performance on Possum.

Beautiful SBD recording for this show. Unfortunately, there are numerous level adjustments and minor distortion in the right and left channel. Things get corrected a couple songs in. Golgi cuts in to open the the show. Before Esther Trey says “this is a little Irish folk tale here now…somewhere deep in the heart of County Clare many years ago.” Nice segue between Bouncin’ and MSO. An entertaining Rhombus Narration cuts in following MSO. Solid Sky. After Donna Lee Trey says “an old Irish number called Donna Lee” Page: “Donna O’Lee” Trey: “Donna McLee” A fun St. Patty’s day version of Lizards followed. Another great Antelope tonight. The RHCP cover of Higher Ground starts up following Set 1. It’s a shame Set 2 doesn’t circulate. :(

Looking back on 2021, this has to be the most underrated show of the year. Super jammy first set with an incredible Melt -> End of Season -> Melt, and two fantastic jams in the second set with Ruby Waves and Golden Age. This show might be too bright and feel good for some and the song selection could be called a little cringy with a second set closing number line, but if you care about artistry, exploration and the flow from section to section, song to song, this is a stellar show. 4.35/10

The trek from Shoreline was oh so worth it. Quite the scenic drive from NorCal. We finally made it to on-site camping around 2am on 7/12. There were still lots of John Mayer/Counting Crows patrons in the campgrounds and those that were still awake seemed to be plenty intoxicated. I have never seen so many people aside from a DMB show that seemed to be getting drunk for the first time in their lives. Yee haw. We camped w/ a plethora of phookers: leonard, marshy1243, junkbondking, jasongladys, along4theride plus the 4 of us. It was great to finally meet and party w/ Gladys (already met Rebecca last year, so good to see you again). All I can tell you is Klingons can party. So junkbondking (and I think Leonard and Melissa too) went in real early and reserved a sweet spot for all of us on the terraces (thanks dudes and dudette). Tons of room to dance and get down. Many thanks for saving that you guys. What can I say? the Gorge is a spiritual place to see a show. I had been here before for the Phish '99 run. However I made the trek by myself, and it just wasn't the same as being w/ a big group of friends. To the Gorge gang: this is the best experience I have had since we had our whole college "family" together at Deer Creek in 97. Everything just felt right. Sound cheesy? Yup. But that is the truth. Anywho, onto the show. SET 1: Taste: Interesting selection as the opener, I think this may well have been the first time I've seen this tune open a show. Solid version though I think Chula's is a bit better. Mexican Cousin: Good spot for it (i.e. not an encore). Smiles all around. Stash: Like Phoenix, a good Stash but nothing mind blowing here. Love Stash this early in the first set. NICU: Standard. Heavy Things: If they are going to play it, this is the place for it - mid first set. Mock Song: Debut. Army of One: Phish debut, Vida Blue tune. Nice vocals by Page but not a big fan of this tune. Maze: Too dang long for my tastes. This one meandered, lost momentum and didn't have the blitzkrieg ending that I am used to. Still a good set closer, I was wondering when they would play Maze this tour. SET 2: Piper: Ah the boys mean business now! Excellent opener and a nice reward for the people that traveled from near and wide. Very good Piper that did not quite match the Shoreline Piper yet still very good in its own right. > Two Versions of Me: Concert debut. Very nice new song, I instantly loved the harmonizing vocals and lyrics. This would turn out to be my favorite of the new songs behind Scents. Tweezer: Now we are talking! Excellent choice after what had just preceded it. Like Chula, another relatively short, succinct and to the point Tweezer. No boring spacey jams, just the 4 fellas bringing some heat. Nice Tweezer! Good bit of Free teases/jamming. Great segue into… -> Dogs Stole Things: Man did I ever think they were going to bust out a Jesus Left Chicago here. Both intros are relatively similar, but I was a little surprised to hear Dogs emerge (not sure if I have ever seen this in a second set before). No worries, the segue I thought was sweet – very tight. I must say this is the best Dogs I have heard, be it live or on tape. Trey was just smoking on this one - damn! I was a bit in awe when this one was over, so I wasn't to bummed w/ the next selection. Water in the Sky: Bad placement. Standard playing. Ghost: Ladies and Gentlemen please buckle your seatbelts. No loop intro to this Ghost. This one starts quietly as do all Ghost's w/out the delay intro and I think it caught a lot of people off guard. Crowd goes nuts as they figure it out. This Ghost is just friggin' crazy people. 18-19 minutes of no letup whatsoever. No space, no ambience. Just 4 guys up on stage doing what they know best, shredding like madmen. This Ghost will surely go down in the books as one of the best. Pure Phish at their collective best here.> David Bowie: Wow! Take no prisoners attitude by the band here. Like the Phoenix Bowie, nothing w/in it seems too crazy. The composed intro to the song sure was a lot tighter than the botched AZ version I will tell you that much. Strong Bowie to close out on hell of a second set. This set would end up being my favorite of the 4 Washington sets, no doubt in my mind. ENCORE: Frankenstein - Hell yeah! No let up at all. I love this cover and what they do w/ it. This one was definitely torquing on my reality helmet. > Tweezer Reprise: Everyone knew it was coming and welcomed the opening notes to it. Nice and subdued glow stick war upfront. That's right, no one whipped any at the stage or soundboard or taper's section. The west coast knows what's up! Replay Value/Summary: I would recommend Taste, Maze for the uniqueness of it and definitely Ghost – all timer right there. Nice show and had a wonderful time w/ good friends. The best part? We got to do it all over again the next day! Woo hoo! It was nice meeting clearerphish I believe before first set (or was it the next day?). These things tend to run together for me but very nice meeting you Patrick. The next day I met many a phooker - review tomorrow. Score: 3.5 out of 5.

Like the first two nights of The Front, this source isn’t great. It sounds like there’s more than two cassette generations present on Source #1. Unfortunately, both sources suffer from pitch issues throughout. The levels are hot for Set 1 and from Sloth on in Set 2. Surprisingly, they opened the evening with Contact. TMWSIY made another appearance on this three night run. Avenu pairs nicely with Reba. Unfortunately, only the first note of Reba is available. :( La Grange is completely missing. Mike’s Groove keeps the energy up. Sick version of Possum to close the first set! Carolina cuts in to open the set. The first Roll like a Cantaloupe since 7/12/88 is up next. Another great version of Antelope. The return of Cantaloupe was the cherry on top! Nice transition from DaaM into A-Train. The levels brick wall at the start of Sloth. Strong Ya Mar tonight. This is followed up with a raging Split Open. Pretty straightforward version of Harpua. Nice version of Slave with a cool buildup during the jam. Another strong Bag tonight. Bowie picks up as Bag fades out. Bowie gets a little more experimental than it has so far this year. It doesn’t get too crazy , but this is a really nice version. Unfortunately, the jam fades out as they start to build towards the trill section. The Tela encore is missing as well. Strong second half tonight.

Chalk Dust kicks up a storm to open the show. Scorching solo from Trey and great work all around. Moma up next with some slightly extended opening and closing jams. Energy is high so far; we're doing good. I love a good Foam! This one has some stellar work from Page and Trey. We are poised for some big set 1 improv! That's why it's a bit weird for Lawn Boy to appear here. I mean, who can complain about some lovely crooning from Leo? Ah well not every show is 2/28. A mid set Zero? Yes please! Just like that the energy is back in full swing. Divided Sky, like the earlier Foam, allows Phish to flex those hard toned compositional muscles they're known for. Very well played version here to anchor the set. Mountains gives us a nice big breath before we plunge into a late set Waves. A good but standard Waves. It feels like they want to take it further but Trey pulls them back and into Sample to close. Fine set here. Rock and Roll appropriately rocks with some fiery type 1 action. I feel this had potential to go big but Trey apparently didn't. Wilson is super fun and keeps the energy up. Piper finally gets down to some real improv. It keeps the uptempo feel while moving through several sections. It's decent but it doesn't grab me that much. 2001 is right change of pace we need here. Funky goodness is abundant. Trey's growly tone works very well. The funkyness continues into a mid set Wolfman's Brother in which I have to give the star performer award to Mike. The transition to Boogie on is a bit forced; they could've worked out the chord and rhythm changes better but it's clear they wanted to keep the dance funk going! Wading cools down after the high energy of the set so far. Antelope is passionate! They really get after the peak! Trey pushes the tempo faster and faster like it's 1994!! Rather than end the set there, Phish opts for a little barber shop number. Can't end the tour without a little more goofy fun. The YEM encore is every fan's dream. The vocal jam brings us full circle back to Phish's first show with Proud Mary. Damn what a tour.

Birds of a Feather smokes right out of the gate with some got type 1 action settling us in for what is soon to be an all-timer of a show. Destiny Unbound comes out of nowhere! The crowd is so confused at first; it takes a minute for them to realize what they're witnessing. I hear on the tape a girl saying "what?! Holy shit!!" Not a single ounce of rust on this Destiny. You'd think they'd been playing regularly all this time it sounds so natural. Horn is a damn near perfect selection to calm down a bit from the opener. Now we arrive at the third in a trilogy of historic Winter '03 Gins, this one being my favorite. The traditional type 1 jam is beautiful and would be noteworthy on it's own. Trey leads them into a slightly softer jam and plays a riff similar to Mr. Completely. Gradually they build back up to an explosive peak!! Everything after is just icing on the cake! Sleep is another damn near perfectly placed ballad. We need a nap after that Gin. Back on the Train is an entirely type 1 exploration and it is perfect. Not a single note out of place. This is the only time I will describe a Phish jam as perfect. Bouncing is yet another flawless choice to cool down a bit before leading into a great rendition of WOTC to close out the set. This set is damn good; not a single down moment. Song placement is top notch, song quality is top notch, and the jams are top f***ing notch! Tweezer - Right from the get-go there is something special about this one. Trey is playing around a lot more than usually, goading Fish into spicing up the rhythm. The post Ebenezer breakdown is double its normal length much to delight of myself and the crowd judging by the roar on the tape. The jam launches straight into cowbell work from Fish and bubbly, bouncing grooves from Mike. The band effortlessly moves through several sections of soft textures and loud rocking. Page is absolutely sizzling on the keyboards, adding stabs of color in just the right spots. Like a bird they flap their wings to gain speed then spread out to glide along in the wind. Trey's pulsating vibrato syncs up exactly with Fish's raindrop like cymbal hits. All at once they stick their heads above the clouds and bring us up to bathe in the brilliant sunshine. We are soaring. High over the clouds now, Trey finds an emotive pattern knit in the sky and grabs hold. Tears stream down my face at the sight of such beauty. Trey pulls us higher and higher, so high he stretches the seams of reality, pushing into outer space. At the last possible moment he relents. We slowly make our way back down beneath the clouds into some jazzy funk-lite. From there we return to a rocking celebration jam gradually taking us all the way back down to earth. Soul Shakedown Party reminds us where we are with some fun sing along reggae. The needed follow-up to what we just witnessed. Bowie slithers in with a little major key work from Trey in the intro. The jam explores some darkness, then pulls back, then goes dark again; this time really dark. Positively demented in the best Bowie way. They pull us back to the ending section of Bowie and then we are finally given a slight break in the form of Round Room. I say "slight" because you never want to skip Round Room. Hood is the only choice to end such a set. You couldn't ask for a better send off than a traditional peaky Hood. The finale screams, sending us into the encore break. Contact > Mexican Cousin > Tweezer Reprise is fitting. Honestly they could've played nothing and I would be satisfied. Phish can do no wrong. This is music for the ages.

Holy shit bro this set is so good omfg how have I never listened to it before Starting us off with YEM is like signaling an oncoming storm. You know the show has some massive potential starting with the quintessential Phish song, and especially a version played like this. Trey is peaking again and again, much to the delight of the crowd. In fact the crowd is loving this so much that I had to turn down the volume a few times. Fantastic YEM all around from every member (even the vocal jam is fun to listen to). Clone is great little Mike tune. Like Round Room, it's so slightly off kilter and so very very Mike. I agree with the others in this thread, bring this one back. This Roggae is played so nimbly, so intertwined, so dexterous. It really reminds me how good this song can be when the band is really feeling it. Drifting had me surprised it's only been played once. It seems so obvious this would be good pick to keep in the rotation much more than Plasma IMO. Blue Skies is fine, not very notable other than it being Fish's song. Moma Dance is so f***ing good hot damn. Groovy funk rock out the ass. They seriously killed this one. Final Flight is the only real down note in the whole set and it isn't even that bad. Maybe they should've gone with Most Events Aren't Planned but who knows. Maze is absolutely explosive! I'm not big on Maze but this one is making me reconsider. The middle section of fiery noise scratches an itch I didn't even know I had. Damn... by far the best I've heard this tour, and we still have more to go! Stash opens up heading into some 2.0 dark funk with Fish on the woodblocks. I love it when they take it in this direction. Otherwise it's a fairly normal but strong Stash. Ghost gets us going with an almost immediate drop into a smooth slinky groove showing off Mike and Fish. This groove reminds me of the Radio City Ghost. Super danceable and impossible not to head bob or tap your foot. Trey lays back for most of jam letting the rhythm section work their magic. Finally the intensity starts to build culminating in an unexpected -> into Low Rider! Continuing from there we get another smooth segue into Makisupa! Trey sings a lyric referencing a fire in the band's hotel in Cincinnati and then leads the band into yet another smooth af segue into Ya Mar!!!! 2003 had such amazing segues!! Guyute up next and despite a few minor flubs they really go after this one hard. Waves always kills with a standard type 1 jam and this one is no different. I love Prince Caspian, this is perfect placement and Trey passionately solos in the best way. Another wtf segue into Frankenstein?!?! Golgi mops up the set screaming but Phish is still not content. Loving Cup is a ferocious encore! Do NOT skip!

This Disease opener has some good type 1 exploration and a decent peak. Nothing mind blowing but fun. Corinna is an old Phish favorite that is always a joy to hear. Kinda makes me want for them bust out some of the old jazz standards they used to play back in the day. Wolfman's is sooo tight, the jam is typical but I can tell they were grooving this one but didn't want to stretch it out too much. Limb sashays into the set with its signature whirlwind of notes. It continues to amaze me how they can pack so much into such little time. Then B.B. King comes out and ruins everything... nah I'm jk. I'm sure this was a cool experience for the band and probably felt significant to those in the audience. Playing with a legend like King is an absolute honor. Looking at pictures from the show the band seems really jazzed to get to play with him. I'm glad they were and I'm glad this exists... but there's just not much replay value. I can hear Trey trying to goad King into trading solos but, well, that's not the kind of player his nor is that his background. In summary: not great, not terrible. At least it wasn't Jay-Z! Am I crazy or does Trey's noodling at the start sound like Reba?? Halley's starts off noticeably slower than normal (although about as fast as they play it now). Consequently it heads straight into a quintessential 2.0 deep groove. No fog or haze just a late night drive with sprinkles of light from Page. I've never heard this jam mentioned before; definitely underrated. After a strong peak, Fish switches up the beat to sounding almost like Hydrogen. Trey jettisons the idea with some choppy riffs and then some swampy effects leading us into Hood. This a quick midset Hood, all killer no filler. Heavy Things is fine as a slight cooldown and has a typical super melodic solo from Trey. Twist gets back into some deep jamming with that sludgy noise jamming that many 2.0 haters point to. I for one love this kind of sound. AOTD is played once again this tour. Waves is a very solid version that I wish continued on a little longer. Sample & Chalk Dust are the 1-2 punch needed to end the set with some energy. I've never liked Farmhouse as an encore.

The Sloth is such a great opener I'm surprised it took until 3.0 to get used in the slot more often. Dogs Stole Things is always a treat. Piper in slot 3 is so crazy but very in line with 2003. Trey really shreds in this one. It's mostly a typical type 1 rage fest until the surprise segue into Weekapaug. This was totally out of nowhere and felt so good. Paug gets it done like a late second set version. Man they are really cooking tonight! Dirt calms us down before heading into a goofy Scent of a Mule. I'm not big on this song so I can't speak to if this is a good one or not. WOTC by now has firmly established it's chops as a powerhouse and this version is no different. Huge and thick, this Walls just keeps getting bigger and bigger as it builds to an extreme climax. Mountains in the Mist is such a delicate vulnerable song. It lays us down to rest. Sample is good closer. Tube starts the set with great work from Trey and Page. Interplay is abundant in this incredibly fun jam. Next up is one of the biggest highlights from the tour. This Gin is all over the map. Type 2 very improvisational. Trey's growly tone works so well with this kind of jamming. He starts to reel back the jam with the standard Gin closing line but then they decide to hang out in the exit lane for a bit longer for a decidedly demented take on the Gin theme. Friday settles down and leads us in to Bowie. David Bowie goes intergalactic several times before getting mellow and ramping back up to big finale. Another stellar jam for this ferocious set. Bug caps off one of the best sets I've heard so far. Stick around for Suzy Greenberg to hear Page light up the keyboards with 3 different breakdowns!

Wilson > Frankenstein opens with a hug exclamation mark to begin the show. Mike activates a growly distorted bass tone in Wilson and brings down the house. Disease up next to continue this fiery combo. The jam is decently fun and upbeat. We keep our heads above water with this one; no diving into the 2.0 depths. Whaddya know they actually finish this one. Lifeboy is a needed breather after all the high octane energy. Boogie On gets the funky dance going and leads to some fun playful bass and keyboard break down segments. A pretty good Antelope brings the set home for the close but count on Phish to do something weird like closing with I Didn't Know. This is a fun set; pretty light and bouncy. Mike's Song hits the ground running with Trey immediately laying on some dark and strange melodic lines over the typical jam. It's interesting, but doesn't peak in any way. Rather it drifts into industrial noise/space for awhile. Fish attempts a move to Hydrogen; instead they move to Free. Weird; not bad, but very weird. Free is competently played but not notable. Waste deflates some energy so early in the set. Thankfully 2001 gives a kickstart and I'm dancing again. Trey lays some fun teases in with this one, even almost breaking into a Stash jam. Hood is great choice here. I love the fake out peak echoing 2/15's version. Good stuff. AOTD is a deserved break after 2001 and Hood leading us in to Possum. Man, the standards for Possum used to be so high. Very well played version that I will call average-great for the time. Cavern caps off a good set. Overall I like set 1 more but set 2 really picks up in the 2nd half.

Rift starts out a bit rough and doesn't really recover until half way through the song. But it's not terrible, in fact it gets pretty good after the initial shakiness. Rock and Roll comes in hot with steamy type 1 scorcher that just about feels like it's going further but Trey pulls it back to end the song. Ah well, very good none the less. Guyute is the composition heavy selection for tonight like Divided Sky and Guyute itself were at the previous two nights. Driver is next and I guess it's appropriate to get a quick breather in after the last tunes but I'm not a fan of this one. Waves begins the second half the set with some deft, artful playing from Trey during the jam. Man, I love Waves. It's my favorite 2.0 song and it fits perfectly with that sound. Fitting that Phish sounds so good among the Waves. Simple lifts off into a top tier jam that morphs and sways in the breeze. This is stuff dreams are made of. Fantastic work from the band. This Gotta Jibboo is one of the best out there. It's essentially a big fireworks display that just won't let up. Starting out as a quick type 1 jam it builds into legendary status when it peaks and instead of taking the off ramp, Phish forges ahead in to type 1.75 territory. Not fully breaking away from the song structure but an eyelash away from doing so. Once again, fantastic work from the band. Tweezer is always a welcome set 2 opener and this one is no slouch. It lifts off with a spirited jam of funky goodness before transitioning to that sludgy 2.0 noise jamming. You either love or hate this sound and I love it. The noise eventually gives way to a huge peak and rousing conclusion! PYITE is a great follow up to the big Tweezer and gets the crowd dancing again. I'm really feeling the energy on this one. Trey sounds almost giddy. FEFY finally gives us a break after the jammy dance-fest of the last tunes. Seven Below gets going right away with ANOTHER 20 minute jam! This one picks up right where Jibboo left off. Moving as one organism, full band interplay. Honestly this reminds of some the best moments from Fall '97. Pebbles closes out the set with more of that noisy roaring but idk this time it didn't work for me like it did with Tweezer. Still, it is the melt-your-face set closer they were hoping for. Three song encore is a rarity for this era but that's pretty much all there is to say.

Like night one, the source for this show leaves a lot to be desired. Again, there’s multiple cassette generations in the lineage. However, this source does have brighter sound compared to last nights source. Unfortunately, only the first set is in circulation. The evening kicks off solid versions of Wilson and Esther. A fan in the front row requests McGrupp. The next three songs were a flashback to Fall ‘89. McGrupp transitions into Who Do? We Do! which then transitions into a solid Bag with Hot Blooded teases. There’s some channel dropouts during Bag. Decent versions of Bitch, Sky and Jesus Left. There’s a tape flip before Sky.

Jim > Water In The Sky > Twist is a fine opening salvo but none of them seem to connect and get the creative juices flowing but they are played well at least. Coil is odd coming in so early in the set and is the first momentum killer. I do like the transition into Brian and Robert from Page's closing notes but damn it's a kinda lame 1-2 punch. Stash finally gets us going with a good version and some nice work from Page. The Wedge is typical and a fun little nod to Denver. BOAF really starts to get cooking with some Trey shred but the momentum is once again halted with Lawn Boy. Fine song to be sure and place correctly it can be a great breather but after this set it's a swing and a miss. WOTC closes with some pretty good improv and I just find myself glad they're finally stretching their legs. As far as sets go this is the weakest so far on the tour. It suffers from some odd song placement and failure to really build any momentum. Oh well, set 2 coming up! Moma Dance is good pallet cleanser to get the crowd dancing right away. I love that 2.0 haziness they deploy here and it seems like they're about to take Moma BIG. But the jam starts to recede and out of the fog comes LxL. I really like this Limb and agree with some other in this thread that it gets unfairly overlooked. It's a dark journey followed by very nice peak. Thunderhead is a cool little 2.0 ballad. I'm not gaga over it like some people but I get the appeal. I would certainly prefer hearing it over some of the ballads Trey writes today (sigh). Divided Sky and Carini are honestly a GOAT combo. Light and dark, white and black. Divided Sky soars while Carini burrows into the dark depths. YEM closes out the set with some hot jams I've been craving. Yeah I wish they still jammed YEM like this! Very fun stuff. The vocal jam and Lion Sleeps Tonight is a classic goofy Phish move to end on. NICU is a suitable encore and LOL Mexican Cousin is such a dumb song.

Bowie opener is really nice! The jam starts strong and begins to go deep and dark. Trey finds a crunchy little riff and starts the Catapult lyrics over it. This is evil! The sudden launch into the end of Bowie closes a top tier opening segment for any Phish era. Horn and Guyute come next and are mostly fine with a few hiccups. Nothing to write home about. I really like this Round Room and I wish they would play this one more. It's such a slightly off kilter song that screams "Mike wrote that." The jam seems to keep building into a big break but it never comes. Aside from that, I dig vibes of this one a lot. Golden Lady is an odd but welcome cover. I don't detect any obvious errors but it does feel timid overall. Shame this never popped up again for them to really kill it. Poor Heart and Pebbles liven up the last bit of the set but are straightforward. Bowie is the star here but the rest of the set is a little aimless. Disease open set 2 just as it has many times before in energetic fashion. Things start to get more interesting as Fish pulls back and the jam gets spacier. Trey comes in with the Seven Below lick in what appears to be a tease but morphs into a full on segue. Seven Below is pretty good but it doesn't get too far out there before Trey pulls us back to the end of Disease. A good little jam sandwich. After a breather, we get an absolutely Piper! It starts off with balls to wall rocking then settles in to a funky breakdown with Mike and Fish. It builds to Trey hamming it up with some stop and start chord breaks and a surprising turn back into Disease! This is one of those jams that has me smiling the whole time through. Makisupa allows the band to goof around a bit before closing things out with Character Zero. W O W what a set. Especially that Piper which I believe is the first of the big '03 Pipers. Things are really starting to heat up only 3 shows in!

A top shelf Llama starts us off. Trey is really digging in with shred and the energy is high. Wolfman's up next and we are treated an extended 2.0 funk jam. Oh yeah this is the good head-bobbing stuff I love from this year. I swear I can almost a hear a Black Eyed Katy jam forming. Eventually the jam recedes into Reba for the 3rd song of the show. Reba's jam is a little different from the norm. Not so much bliss as it is a smooth crest. Life on Mars is an unexpected but good choice after 30 minutes of jamming. 46 Days brings back the scorch with a quick set 1 romp. It's Ice is also fairly standard but well played. I wish Frankie Says got played more. Antelope has a really solid peak that's worth a listen despite the "nothing special" opening. Waves slides in to open the set in very cool fashion. I love a good Waves, it should open sets more often. I can feel a second jam coming on but it doesn't quite materialize. Instead we get Bug a little over 10 minutes into set 2. It's played well and with power as Bug usually is but this emotion feels like it's here a bit early, especially right after the semi-low key nature of Waves. Things really pick up with Ghost and oh man this Ghost. I'm fairly unfamiliar with Winter '03 aside from 2/28 but this Ghost has been in my rotation for years. It ebbs and flows from dancyness to funky grooves to quiet musings. All around a great time! Free is up next and it strays a bit from the norm with some fun stop and start bass breaks. Hood starts out playful indicating a little "extra mustard" is incoming. We get much more than that with a fake out peak and a subsequent rock explosion bringing up to a final peak! Damn, Phish is good.