Something stinks in the state of Holland.

I had worked with a couple of traders to get a copy of this show because of a positive review my friend had given it. Naturally, I was excited to hear it when I finally did get it, but I can't say that my expectations were truly met.

Set I was by far the strongest of the three. The Wilson opener was well-played, and Trey ripped through the solo sections. Divided Sky was up next, and once again, it started great. Unfortunately, after the long break in the middle, the band never really gained back the momentum they lost. The song ended unceremoniously. Horn was decent, if only because the mellow solo section was something that Trey could handle at the time. SOAMelt was poor lyrically, as Trey barely sang the lyrics out. Mike managed to hold Ya Mar's vocal section together, but once again, Trey absolutely negated any progress that had been made with a lackluster solo section that Page luckily took over. Mike again sang well on Funky Bitch. Not much to say there. The reworked Taste was interesting, but not anything to listen to particularly. Theme was great until the solo section, where Mr. Anastasio decided to again turn a roaring song into a dreary mess. Tweezer and Llama were uninteresting and I have little to say about their quality.

I am of the firm belief that Trey got, if this is even possible, more stoned during the set break. Set II was an absolute mess; some of the worst Phish I've heard. Ice degraded into another Page-centric section, and listening to Trey wail Caspian into the mic was painful at times. Mike's Song was my least favorite piece of the show. The segue into Antelope was unnatural and unusual to hear. Antelope itself was missing its characteristic opening solos, which were replaced by more half-baked strumming from Trey. Just when I felt that the band had reached its nadir, they brought out Purple Rain. The cover was bad enough to force Prince to change his name in an attempt to never again be associated with the song. Fish's vacuum didn't fit at all, and the vocals by him were understandably lacking, though they even fell short of his usual potential. The jam was an interesting diversion, and was not bad altogether. I wish the same could be said for NICU. The piece was plagued by lyrical errors and lackluster guitar work, including a completely missed chorus by Trey. Slave started decent but quickly devolved until Page managed to save the song from a total crash. I felt like I needed an appointment with a good neurologist after hearing Suzy.

A lobotomy would have been more welcome than another set, but unfortunately, the band played on. Bowie stank worse than the vessel from which Copernicus drank, and unfinished, it felt hollow and one-dimensional. Free was unrecognizable at points, and once again, it pleaded to be finished. The Hello my Baby closer should have been it, but a two-song encore crushed any hopes of an end to the show. Bathtub Gin was unremarkable, and JBG was worthless. Trey's vocals had regressed into inaudible and unintelligible mumbles, but were not the worst of the night. The guitar work surprisingly had improved, but that's not saying much in the scope of this show.

All in all, the night was awful. Perhaps the crowd had a good time, if only because they were as intoxicated as a certain frontman, but to any listener in the present, the show will be one to be remember in infamy. I would only recommend this show if you are purposely looking for a bad night for phish, which is honestly a rarity considering how many shows they've played.