There's nothing here that didn't get a much stronger reading by mid-August, with the exception of Seven Below (which received canonical treatment in Albany in late November) and Hood (which topped out at F8). That said, this was an uplifting show: Fluffhead, Jibboo, GBOTT, and Caspian are fine versions, while Taste(!), Seven Below(!!), and Hood(!) are tremendous. This is undeniably a June '09 Phish show, which means well-played powerful music to put a smile on your face but no large-scale 'Type II' jams to be found - like a 21st-century version of early 1993, with 16 extra years of melodic and empathetic development. Absolutely wonderful and inessential.

My first show, so, really, I was excited to hear anything...

On the drive in I mentioned to my friends that I hoped they would play "that new song 'blank space where my mind should be'" because I had just heard the Jones Beach debut so when they opened with it I was rather pleased, obviously the song has come a long way since GW but I think it could/should open more shows. I enjoyed Nothing and GBOTT but felt like the show didn't really get going until Golgi, which really got the place moving.

Mid-first set was fine, Jibboo smoked if I remember correctly and I enjoyed Lawn Boy... and then they dropped Let me Lie. I enjoyed the song when I saw Trey band play it in Boston in fall '08 and like the song, but on 6/6/09 I wished it had stayed in TAB's songbook and never made the jump to Phish. I now regret thinking that, especially after the nice placement in Albany. Taste was killer, as was Caspian, nice end to the set.

Second set was great, enjoyed the hell out of it! The whole place exploded at 'the arrival' in Fluffhead, SoaM was a lot of fun (wish they'd play it more often) and I couldn't have been happier with Harry Hood. Bug (another song I wish they'd play more) rounded out a nice set. Contact> Julius encore was a treat and Julius SMOKED! Sent us all to our cars with smiles.

Compared to the 3 other shows I saw this year this may be the weakest, but that doesn't mean it was any less fun. I also really like this show because I think it is a great example of the band trying to work in their new and newer material into a cohesive show.

IT is elusive, as Charlie Dirksen might say. Some shows just don't have IT. Sometimes you get a mid-first-set Lawn Boy or a mid-second-set Heavy Things that kills a set's momentum, or a Prince Caspian set-closer, or a Bug set-closer, or way too many mid-tempo head-bobbing ditties and not enough jams. Sometimes you get a Fluffhead where a Tweezer should be. Sometimes Mike has amp problems that make his bass sound distorted, or Trey completely boffs the heavy metal section of Harry Hood, or some dude runs onto the stage and throws off the band's concentration during the middle of the encore. Some shows are like that.

This is not that show.

IT might appear, at first glance, that this show would be like that. But from the first notes of Trey's solo in Stealing Time, the Phish from Vermont have come to your town to BLOW YOUR MIND, and have a blast while doing it. This show is a good candidate for a "Just Jams" mix, as every time the band stumbles during the composed part of a song, they come back with some strong jamming. The collective improv in Seven Below and Harry Hood is up there with the best of this tour, Leo gets his licks in during Taste, Fluffhead, and Mule, and the New, Improved Big Red carries the load like a government mule during Jibboo, Caspian, Possum, and Julius.

I've been listening through the shows from Summer 2009, and I can assure you that the four shows preceding 6/6/09 are not as good as this show. And yet, this show currently has the third-lowest rating of all the shows from 2009. I might presume that the show was attended by a cadre of JadedVets(tm) that stood in the pavillion with their arms folded, rolling their eyes at the lack of bustouts and groaning when the band makes a mistake... except that I hear nothing but loud, delirious cheering and applause on the recordings. I must therefore conclude that this show is significantly underrated, and when you are getting tired of Fall '95 or Summer '15, you should call 6/6/09 Great Woods.

"Hey, how you doin' there? Yeah, do a little dance for us... Let's hear it for That Guy, right there! Hey, That Guy! There he is... That Guy! He's getting thrown out, and he's going to miss the next song... BUT WE LOVE HIM!"

First show, so obviously a special time. The show is happy, celebratory, and mellow, which is captured quite well on the tape and in the setlist. There's nothing here that will blow your mind, but I will say for the record that this Gotta Jibboo is my favorite of 3.0, and the second set is actually really strong. Check out that Mule.

My first show and maybe in hindsight a lesser show, but it hooked me, so that makes it a great show. Saw Jerry Garcia's face in pine needles when taking a piss during set break by some trees.

Probably the worst Phish show I have seen. People were pissed after the first set, and the crowd was so quiet during setbreak.

I really, really love this show. I wasn't sure if I would even listen to it at all due to the low rating and how uneventful people said it was but I decided to listen straight through Early Summer 2009 and I'm so glad I did.

People complain about it but Set I is just a great summer set, IMO. Great flow and mix of songs. Faulty Plan is a great opener and I love Nothing both as a song and in the 2-spot. Great BOTT and this Taste is up to 1.0 standards. Everything is there to put a smile on your face and that's how I feel with this whole show. Beautiful -7, Fluffhead, and Heavy Things. Then the Hood>Possum, Bug closer is just tremendous. Not everything has to be about Type II insanity. Sometimes its nice to just sit back and go with a bunch of well-played songs that feel like a breezy summer evening.

Overall, the whole show just has a great, laid-back vibe that I just love. So, if you're willing to set aside the rating bias and just sit back to a fun summer show, give this one a try. Worth it.

Decided to revisit and listen to this show today. Being that it was my first show it couldn't have really been bad for me. This show has gotten a lot of heat, rightly so, there really isn't anything stand out from it, I like the Taste but I'm always partial to it. Prince caspian I remember enjoying thoroughly at the time. A portion of this fluff was my ringtone for years afterwards. If you haven't listened to this show I must say you really don't have to hear it. But being there, experiencing my first show, watching my friend loose his mind during the glow stick war while his dose was finally hitting him. No matter how poor a phish show, It's still an unbelievable time.

a well played show for the most part, but pretty standard over all. nice music to listen to on a warm summery night, but very little worth revisiting, imo. I would rank this a solid middle of the road, as far as Great Woods shows go.

what I think is note worthy here is how they had gotten tighter since hampton and fenway the week before, as they continued to do throughout the summer and on into the fall.

>I may be jaded b.c this show features many (9) all-stars from my own personal 'don't-want-to-see-live' list.

This was an interesting show. Simply put, I think the first set wasn't exceptional, the second set was. It is kind of odd, but the highest score from the first set I gave to the debut song: Let Me Lie. I know what you are thinking, "Oh, he's just a sucker for those slow songs." If it makes you feel any better, I gave it a four out of five. I just thought it was good. The second set was a pretty amazing set. If the first set was as good, this show would have received outrageous scores. This show ended up in the middle of the road as far as the rest of the shows of the summer go, but the second set has to be one of the best sets of the summer. Seven below was a great song to start with. I loved that album and those simple little riffs are just amazing. I gave Fluffhead, Scent of a Mule, Harry Hood, Possum, and Contact all a five. Scent of a Mule is one of those songs that they don't play nearly enough. I wish that song was one of their staples. It has such a Mike influence but is so much more quarky than their other bluegrass-type songs. Harry Hood is pretty high on my favorite song list and it generally gets anywhere from a three to a five. Fluffhead was a huge surprise for me. I am a little less critical if there are some mistakes in that song just because of it's difficulty but still, in the past, it hasn't been one of my favorites. This version was amazing, though. Stealing Time from the Faulty Plan was the weak link. It is a good song but I think there are some things that need to be hashed out with that song.

Set I
Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan:**
Nothing:***
Back On The Train:***
Golgi Apparatus:***
Sparkle:***
Gotta Jibboo:***
Lawn Boy:***
Let Me Lie:****
Taste:***
Makisupa Policeman:***
Prince Caspian:****

Set II
Seven Below:****
Fluffhead:*****
Scent of a Mule:*****
Heavy Things:****
Harry Hood:*****
Possum:*****
Bug:****

Encore
Contact:*****
Julius:****

GHI: 3.7/5.0
Batting Average: .750 (75/100)

The two ratings are Batting Average and GHI. Both are defined below.
BA: The total number of stars achieved divided by the total possible stars a concert can achieve. Each song can achieve a total possible 5 stars, 5 being the best, 0 being the worst. Therefore, each show receives anywhere from a 1.0 to a .001.

GHI: This rating is used in The Phish Companion 2nd Ed. Each show is given a score from 0 to 5, five being the best and 0 being the worst.

The two scores are synonymous. I like the BA form better because each show receives a score closer to its worth depending on how you rated it.

On June 6th, 2009 I went to Mansfield, Massachusetts to see Phish at Great Woods, a venue that was by then officially called the Comcast Centre, an icky corporate name that just doesn’t have the quite same homey feel as “Great Woods” if you ask me (or anyone else in the world besides the tiny fraction of soulless human money hounds that sit on the board of directors at either Comcast or the centre that unfortunately bears it’s name*).

Anyway, it was a lovely evening and the band put on a great show. They played a bunch of my favourites (Hood, Makisupa, Fluffhead, Golgi…they even encored with Contact) and I had a really great time. The previous night we had seen the band in Jones Beach during a steady downpour. The rain had been literally ankle-deep and though it was a still good time I gotta say I prefer the non-rainy concerts. And so do my posters!

Those first couple of years after Phish returned from hiatus I was pretty seriously into buying posters. (I’m glad I got over that; in retrospect it’s pretty silly that I looked forward to waiting in a crushing lineup so I could spend $50US on something that I had to carry around and worry about for the rest of the night, just for the privilege of either a) spending a further $400 getting the thing framed or b) putting the tube in the closet with all the other posters that will never, ever make it onto the wall.)

This concert was so early in my poster days that I walked through the gate knowing I would be buying whatever they were selling, but it turned out I really liked the print for this concert after all. It’s by a poster artist named Micah Smith and it’s a tri-coloured ink pressing that shows a forest in splashy green, yellow, and black with small cursive script along the bottom listing the band’s name, the date, and the venue (though it reads “Comcast Centre” I’m glad Micah chose to honour Great Woods with the overall design concept). Strangely, the print has always been poo-poo’d by the Phish poster community in general but like I say, I quite like it.

When I got back to Ottawa the next day (or so) later I took the poster out of the tube and noticed that it was neither signed by the artist nor numbered. The posters were usually signed but c’mon now, they were always numbered. I checked the poster geek sites and sure enough they all came that way. So disappointed was I that I emailed Micah Smith and asked if he would sign and number the poster for me if I mailed it to him with return postage. He said “sure” and he did, although not until he procrastinated so long that he felt compelled to throw in four more prints as an apology (three Mike Gordon’s and a Page one from NYC, three of which I love).

And so it is that I have framed up and hanging in the hallway by my back door the only signed copy of Micah Smith’s Great Woods poster (I don’t care! I’m calling it “Great Woods”). That said, he didn’t number it (though it is a limited run of 750 posters), choosing instead to label it “AP” for “Artist’s Print”.

Great show, great poster.

(By the way, I did buy a poster at that Jones Beach concert and it made it home in mont condition, but if I remember it right there was an opportunity to return the poster to the car before the concert started and I took it. Either way, I sold the Jones Beach print a couple of years ago after I bought a house and had to finally admit it was never going on the wall.)

*After a five-year run as the Comcast Centre Great Woods was rebranded as the Xfinity Center. May they all rot in the Dairy Queen Brimstone Fun! Zone (formerly called “Hell”).

https://www.toddmanout.com

******FIRST SHOW/ WORST SHOW LOVE ********5 STAR RATING IS SCEWED AND destroyedddd!!!! In all seriousness , this means so much to you its the worst show him love...he has put himself thru the ringer just to hear you whooo just once l!!! !!

--- the only reason it gets 5....--Relistened Only once...refuse to lose the grip on the magic ....around 3 years ago. I knew it would be a shakin the rust off kind of night....-and the buzz on lot was that the boys would rarely leave the comfort zone of any given jam so early into reunion....the bar was lien ....and that I was bound a song I didn't like but that being said it was THE turning point of my life and has led to nothing but positive and
...Ill never forget what a wild road trip this was, crew noobed out the whole damn place but we had eachother to keep our status as low profile as possible( cuz you know, you give a shit when your 18), never forget the songs ,people and love felt (although looking back on my first over a wook... step,I apologize by Lem, not sorry dr funkenwook..THE FUCKS YOUR PROBLEM ... Says the wooks be pants lol ---you youn rockin J's

I had been listening to phish since age 7 (Billy breaths & Rift Christmas THX SANTAKathy)...Rift spoke volumes go head my aunts boyfriend atthe time ....and now my favorite person save my wife, to hit shows with.... was as 90's tour bro as they come :every festival(cypress icl.) every Halloween, New Years, and Coventry ....so he hands me his (awful) copy of Went on a random weekend. He knew (9) I wandered always has great hair he's gotta be older I've never asked me? haven't looked back since ...
Throw in countless crew , Pham love , the headiest of _______(insert what you'd like) personal struggles and triumph alike , growing in to our own...a beautiful wife and baby boy ...a dash ofnGrateful80's parents(my dad would say ... No jerry no grateful dead...plain and simple) !!---gives you the lead into to my absolute worst show ever!!!! And it was the best thing to ever happen to me so here we went everything led up o here so let's dive in

Noob Love: from Mansfield 09: Show 1

Stealing Time? Sounds great
BOTT? Wow this is a nice start to the
?!? JIBOO ! That was on my list of songs I'm hoping for (first show edition) list
Golgi - only the finest dance moves till this day.
The crew and I would take the time to look at eachother and just smile ...no need for words everyone was glowing ...the crowd was elated from our point of view ...
sorry vets, this isn't what you left behind was it?--jaded origins???
2011/12 is around the corner

To this day 'll take that Caspian as mine.... Ya ya ya-...its Caspian .. . But it was OUR Caspian ... It gave me a chAnce to break into their candles !!? Lmao a back to it ......That slow wishwash riff was hittin the soul! This years(2016) tour mean move over 09 so ill keep this one close (goosebumps thinkin bout it. The--- I have arrived, its beautiful , take it all in while you can---moment) I never prefer Caspian at my shows ... I prefer moments of appreciating what it is we're seeing and living and for me , that asociates with the social stigma you've been riding to your righteousness ....

Set break --boombow chocolates from sexy lot chick in full effect ... wasn't sure how to react with other fans ..just discussed amongst ourselves how we were feelin, favorite jams , and how and we were dumbfounded..... Felt as tho only 4or5 (pretty short for real) minutes passed

SET 2:

Face officially needs to be scraped from the pavement first time live ...fluff head/'hood are fantasic:

Fluff is just an all time favorite of mine, pretty fuckin lucky first show song selection wise but wait...

Scent of a mule 😛 My first show was surely a stacked

...only thing I wished not to have seen my first show....
*****heavy things_
--- only fitting I was slapped right back in the face with it !----Immediate Phish karma ya noob!!!

Hood>Possum
That is the phiest of my night -was my personal highlight but bug holds a special place as that beautiful second realization (Caspian 1st) it HITS NEVER saw another show again that atleast i did once and I soaked in every moment possible

Encore: 🤔...?.🤔..?..🤔.? Contact!!! 😃My friend exclaimed as it bopped through the night playfully ...
Then into the most excited Julius has given me....what can i say, noob.me ... Boogie on down tourb and - bounce out of here with some soul...
I spent all that time waiting , hopeful...abuzz ... I had reached absolute bliss... my first show ...✅ not one best best version acitually it was that night and we got him to the next day ....we love you guys thank you for coming back...and staying there haha

Love all of you guys old and known Alex is the one who has one
Of the deepest appreciation for the band the phan an.stop whooing! We're not in Tahoe anymore now......orlllll
Thank you guys for having more patience with my keyboard phone ss had a a lord fun and ya know what wemdouldnuaenrhensippoertnqhsr

At this place out of a really meaningful place....you guys have played every song better and better since the night bedore... My costume i could just be mikes missing shit . Look thanks guys Im with you guys I till I can't physically do it lol but i do have a deep appreciation for Tahoe tweezer
What i KNEW.... And you know you known i love bass w a gun!!whoo!'n

This was my first show since the breakup.. My last show prior was the 20th Anniversary show. I was eagerly anticipating an amazing experience as I usually do, but was basically let down, not only by the song selection but also the crowd energy and lack of Jam and fun from the band. No real bustouts, no big jams, just nothing (literally got a Nothing).
Id have to say that I did enjoy it overall... I mean.. It's PHiSH, so even a "bad" show is a good show.
This wasn't the best show I've seen, wasn't the worst and wasn't the last.

this would of been only my 2nd Phish show after the Boston 2003 show , so i was very excited about going , being in my early 30s i hadnt drank much at a show since the 90s and hadnt smoked any weed in about 6 years so i bought a big bottle of Merlot ,drank it before we even walked in and had a few hits of a joint , as i walked in i started feeling dizzy , sat down in my seat and with in 5 minutes threw up all over the seat in front of me & i think some got on the guy in front of me , it was a great grilled prime rib too --after a few minutes i got the spins and my friend says are you gonna make it , i said NOPE !!!_ give me your keys - i walked all the way back to the lot open the door and fell asleep in the front seat , i thought maybe it was food poisoning or who knows but that was a first for me for sure , i can still remember hearing all the songs in the distance while i lay in the fetal position in the car , and of course i was rassed by my buddy when he got back , i felt so bad that he had to watch the show alone , --WTF !!!!

Pretty weak show. Idk if it was just the low volume or what.