I was there and this is still one of my favorite July 4ths ever. National anthem to start no surprise followed by Punch to basically start the show which is always a nice get up and go. There are those moments during a show when they let you know they're going to bring the heat and that first BUMP from Forbin was it - it's going to be one of THOSE shows. Camel Walk follows Mockingbird and is nicely played as well. By this point, we're feeling good. Now, as far as seeing shows - I'm probably still in nooby territory (definitely at this point) - whatever I've listened to hundreds. But this is the first My Friend I've seen up close in person and listen - it blew my mind - and everybody that was with me. Big build and release and is still one of my fave Phish memories of all time (and that says something because you all know what comes later in the show). Anyway - My Friend is pretty much the start of quarter 2 - Oh hello LIGHTS. Lawn Boy for a cool down and Bowie for a gas-up. Bowie was good and Jibboo got us to break. Both were played well and had plenty of peaks. Great first set. As for the second set - Disease>Piper>Ghost to start us off was just fuel on top of fuel. We just kept climbing. Waste was a nice breather into Julius (one of my compadre's favorites). I don't remember the Mike's getting particularly deep but it did pack a nice Type 1 punch into the Tela sandwich. And just when you're ready for the Weekapaug - Oom Pa Pa. Now look - Harpua was cool enough and the place was already going bonkers - what with the alternate history stuff and the true meaning of Phish lyrics - we didn't deserve that RATM. But sometimes it's not about what you deserve. Either way the place was poppin off by the time Jimmy found out about his dead cat right on into the Groove. I really like First Tube as the cherry on top of a great setlist. I think it works. It definitely worked here. We walked out knowing not to do what you tell me and lit up way more fireworks than normal. Happy 4th - this one was tough to beat.

Here's one of those really rare examples of a show where the first set significantly outshines the second. Everything in set one except Melt, Heart and Papyrus is absolutely exceptional and played to perfection. And those three songs are all strong... just not stellar. The second set, on the other hand, is an example of what I don't treasure in a Phish show... a bunch of disconnected songs with almost no jamming. Brother, Landlady and Lizards are all passable. Possum is a keeper because of the secret language instructions. Otherwise, treat this as a one set show and enjoy the piss out of it!

I started the day in New Orleans and started putting the pieces together as I was packing the car that if we didn't fool around on the drive back we could maybe, possibly, feasibly, let's-not-fool-around-because-I think we can make it to Atlanta by showtime. My wife drove most of the way with me saying "It's ok - if we make it, great - if not, no big deal." That mindset changed about the time we hit the Georgia state line, at which point I took over driving and my wife and her cousin just closed their eyes and held on. Long story short, I walked into Lakewood during Jim, which is always a nice way to greet a venue. If there's anything I will say about this show, it's that really every single song is placed well. That's not to say that this is the greatest show I've ever seen or heard. But as far as the pace of the show goes, the boys really hit it tonight. I don't think I'd seen Blaze On before this show, and it was nice to see jammed out. Halfway to the moon was a good breather. Ocelot I usually can take or leave, but even that had a bit of extra juice this night. Heavy Things>Theme>Antelope to close the set was sick. I really like Theme in this spot because it starts off as a breather but by the time it's done you're pretty gassed up again, and Antelope is just great as a close down. During set break, I remember thinking - that was a pretty great first set and just being stoked for round 2. And boy did round 2 start with a bang. From the opening hit of Tweezer everybody knew we were about to get lit up and that's pretty much what happened for about 26 minutes. Solid Tweezer y'all - it goes a lot of different places. I don't know Waiting All Night that well but it was just about a perfect breathe-for-a second song after that Tweezer marathon. Now a lot of people don't go for Backwards, but I like it. Say what you want but that song builds and it peaks and it does it here in spades. And right as it does - BOOM Carini to start the 4th quarter. Place went nuts. Glowsticks. Yelling. Screaming. Dancing. Maybe even a head bang or two. The whole thing. Waste again was a great breathe and build song to bring us to SAND - for real? By this point we were ready to explode right on up to the Reprise. Good lord that's a second set. We really didn't care what they'd play for encore because we knew it was gonna be awesome - and of course we got a (at the time) super rare RnR in the encore slot. Really perfect icing on the cake. Don't sleep on this show. Both sets are a clinic on how to construct a set, and everything is really well played and jammed. Definitely worth the drive.

First show at Dick's for me. Don't understand the sub 4 rating for this show because I thought it was lit. Ghost opener set the mood right from the beginning. Icculus, Theme, Stash, and LxL were all highlights from the first set for me. Man that set break seemed like it would never end, as they often do, but then it ended - as they always do. Set 2 starts with a PYITE which I've seen a lot, but it's a pretty fantastic set opener (1 or 2) so I won't complain. Sand to follow was great. Walls of the Cave was insane into OKPC>Hood. Now this is my only problem with the show. Hood's unfinished and although I'm always thankful, Mr. Miner, I really wanna feel good about Hood. And this Hood started really great too. Anyway I figured they'd eventually get back to the Hood but they didn't. Twist and Slave were both great and the encores were really fun - Oh Sweet Nuthin was a nice surprise. Also this show was supposed to spell something, as most shows do.

This was my first show of 3.0. Somehow I was singing Hello My Baby on the way up to Knoxville - let's just say I had a feeling. Jim to open follow by Punch was a great 1-2 punch. The second Undermind into Mike's Groove was very nice. You'd think that would end the set but nope - Coil - now we're done right - nope again Zero which got the crowd going. Set 2 also had some great spots. The Waves>ASIHTOS>Bowie was a really nice segment. Bit of a dip with Army and a strangely placed Reba into - well whatdaya know - Hello My Baby to finish the set. Nope again - Julius Cavern Hood to wind us up and a cool Frankenstein to send us home. This show is always special to me because of the special feeling of seeing the boys again. So many times during the break I wished I could just see them one more time. I'd listen to old shows, but everybody knows it's not the same. And so I left with a great feeling after having a great time. But I don't listen to the show very often because they got far better as the years went on. Far better. One of the reasons the sets ended with so many closers is because the jams just didn't last. I don't remember how long the Mike's Groove ended up but relatively speaking it was short, as were most of the other jams. I do remember the Waves>ASIHTOS segue being particularly powerful - the first time I "got it." Really cool segment and one I would (highly) recommend. But while the show was fun and well-played, the best was yet to come. I would see many more shows since and they always seemed to get better and tighter (and looser somehow) at the same time. I give this show a 4 because 3 is too low.

I'm going to assume that you are already familiar with the top-5 Bathtub Gin that opens the show and the top-1 Buried Alive that opens the second set. If not, stop what your doing right now and go listen. Both circulate in SBD form and are widely available on the internet. Outside of Gin, the first set features a relative rarity in the form of Dog Log, the always welcome (by me anyway) Fikus and the debut of the new arrangement of Vultures. The second set is pretty close to flawless. The aforementioned Buried Alive segues very nicely into If you Need a Fool, which is a great Bluegrass cover that they should play again. The Lizards "jam" section is beautifully played and is even more delicate than usual. The crowd is surprisingly attentive for a 98 amphitheater. The second set closes with an excellent 9 minute Tube > Kung > an Antelope that starts with Fishman on the vacuum and proceeds to the usual Antelope territory from there. A three song encore is always welcome even if two of the songs are ballads. It may seem a little anticlimactic to end with Bittersweet Motel, but its just so pretty and seems to fit with the vibe of the night. Highlights: Gin, Buried Alive, Lizards, Tube > Kung Just another example of the many, many top-level Phish shows from Summer 98 4.65 / 5 Grade A Phish

On paper, this show looks like I wouldn't like it (lots of songs, nothing especially long save YEM). In practice, this show is absolutely fantastic. Interesting setlist choices and great flow throughout. Highlights of the first set include a straight-forward (rocking) Disease, a very funky Sally that benefits from not going full-on vocal jam, an Ice with lengthwise in the middle, and a funky bitch that gets very funky indeed (with the funk breaks that they did all time in 97-98). The second set features an atypical Contact with Mexican love style jamming (whatever the fuck that means) followed by a great version of Maze that goes on a little longer than usual and features excellent, and far more jazzy than usual, comping by Trey during pages solo. For the second show in a row, they played a little bit longer than typical version of YEM. So many weird song choices and the energy was just high level the whole night. This show is a winner. 4/2 / 5 A- Phish

Circulates as a matrix of an ALD SBD and an AUD tape. It is a much better recording than the one from 7/24. This show features 6 covers (including two debuts), two of which are Texas specific. For my money, thats too many covers, but your mileage may vary. Any first set with a Bowie and a Reba is ok in my book and both of them have the proverbial "extra mustard." The second set opens up with a raging rendition of La Grange that almost doesn't find its way back to the song proper. The highlight of the show is without question the YEM, which is 30 minutes of gooey funk punctuated by a chill and less-annoying-than-usual vocal jam. Perhaps the best YEM of the year is rounded out nicely with the debut of Albuquerque > a very pretty Simple. The rest of the show is about what you'd expect from the rest of a show. 3.83 / 5 - Good, not great Phish B+

This show will always be my favorite show solely because it was my first phish show and the concert that changed my musical mind forever. Absolutely beautiful day, which can be rare in buffalo. Prior to this show I had only listened to probably 15 phish songs that I somehow downloaded using a file sharing program. I went with my good friend and his brother and his friends. Partied in the lot beforehand and there we were ready for the show. Lawn section which is what I prefer. I'll never forget when they came on and started playing Nellie Kane. Everyone just started dancing and it was such an amazing thing to be experiencing. I immediately knew this would not be the last time I would be at a phish show. This was before knowin about the following and the band itself. The music was unlike anything i had ever experienced, and I knew I needed more. It was the perfect concert for a first timer. Lots of different styles. A few covers that I already knew, including a zeppelin encore. My first harry hood! Just amazing!

Just listened to this show for the first time. Diving into the early years is fun, especially since I'd been listening to the long jams of 2.0 lately. So onto the show! The set opens admirably with Landlady and Llama, both of which were very well executed. Llama was a scorcher and the fiery playing of a younger band is on full display. A great pairing of Forbin's > Mockingbird follows in enjoyable fashion with a good, fun narration and a solid if not perfect Mockingbird to round it out. Off to a great start here. My Sweet One is a nice addition and it's followed by a solid Reba. I believe a previous reviewer noted that the ending of the jam is prematurely ended by Fishman just as Trey was climbing ferociously to a transcendent peak. The jam itself is fantastic, but the conclusion falls a tad flat. I Didn't Know is fine here and the ensuing Stash is quite nice. Again, very tight playing from Trey and a fiery soloing style that packs in a lotta notes. Good stuff. Mango>Poor Heart is a fun pairing, but the fiery Chalkdust that follows really caps off the set with some fireworks. Overall the first set is very very good. Sure 1992 isn't going to give you a huge type II jam anywhere in this first set, but the playing is really solid and the jamming within Reba, Stash & Chalkdust is pretty darn enjoyable. It's a great setlist as well, with a very good flow. Set II opens with The Curtain, which I always like in that slot. The band then jumps into a wild Possum, which is replete with some secret language & a long intro with several interesting tangents, which makes this a good listen for fans of the tune and anyone seeking something different from the younger incarnation of the band. Guelah Papyrus is a fun song that I'm always happy to catch and fits the post Possum slot nicely, as does a solid mid-set Coil. All Things Reconsidered pops up next, no complaints. The Brother, Sanity pairing is a really nice call. Brother provides some wild and fast playing and is an excellent version, with Sanity matching the madness appropriately. Cold as Ice>Love You>HYHU is what it is. The Sparkle>Harry Hood pairing is great on the back end of the set, with Sparkle being a fun and well played version. Hood has a bit of flubbery from Trey, but the ensuing jam is very good. There's a great deviation from the major key standard Hood jam and it showcases a band that is loose and taking risks, but also following one another quite closely and really listening to each other on stage. A suitable conclusion to the jam sends us back to the major key and into the stratosphere, before a Cavern rock-out resolves the set to it's conclusion. A fun encore of Lawn Boy (it was Page's birthday) > GTBT (victory lap Trey) ends the show with a smiling finish. Overall set II is also quite solid (like Set I) without any sort of massive type II playing that would emerge and take root later in August of '93. With that in mind, Possum is fantastic fun, the setlist flow is great with Brother and Sanity an inspired pairing. The triumvirate that closes the set is also worth celebrating with the Hood in particular bringing a really good dose of interplay to the show. Great fun listening and reviewing this one! Fans of '92 will enjoy it and folks less familiar with the early years will also be pleasantly surprised. 4/5

You know, between not touring for the first several months of the year, doing all the warm-up gigs for Santana and that disastrous Amsterdam show, you could argue that this was the first really normal show of 1996. And I mean that in a good way. It's refreshingly flub-free (unlike the previous Phish-only show in Italy on July 15), and has a nice, clean setlist performed totally fine. "Normal" and "fine" aren't flattering terms, but given how thoroughly underwhelming the first part of 1996 turned out to be, those are a huge step up. 4 stars, 6 stars in the context of this tour.

I've been seeing the phellas hell or high water since 1996 summer in earnest. There have been many watershed moments I witnessed which signaled a new tone, a new sound, a new passage, a new age, etc. These moments happened often from tour to tour during 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 in my experience.....to that point...the 2nd set opener Carini from Worcester in 2012 is my "sleeper" watershed moment for 3.0. When the sound we now enjoy and reveal in today took shape...I witnessed this somewhat innocuous Type II excursion in person and I knew then the phellas still had a lot more in them. The -> into Taste and the Ghost>Boogie>If I Could that follows drives home my point imo. This show really signaled them falling back in love with what they do. Enjoy another spin (if you haven't recently)

Trey was really fascinated with an octave-down effect produced by his Digitech Whammy II unit during 2.0 (and to some extent still is.) I think it's detrimental to his strong suits as a lead guitarist, and that it is overused especially in this show, where Simple, Gotta Jibboo, and Tweezer (3 out of the 4 ~20-min. jams in the show) all get kind of muddied by its murky tones. The jams are adventurous, but Seven Below is probably the most successful and that only because of the song's relative novelty at the time. Simple is pretty but colours pretty much inside the lines, Jibboo has two distinct peaks but they meander quite a bit between them, and Tweezer is just so 2.0-sludgy with that aforementioned guitar tone that it's hard to distinguish any particular arc to the jam. I still rate this show highly on merit of the tendency towards 4 20-min. jams, but I'm very glad this Whammy thing doesn't show up as often anymore as it did throughout 2.0.

The jamming in this show is far more on point than the previous night at the same venue, in my opinion. The Sloth is a rowdy opener for sure, but the first intimation that the X factor would be intact was the Piper -> Weekapaug Groove, with Piper stretching its wings a bit jam-wise before an incredible segue into Weekapaug to finish the Mike's Groove from the previous night. Walls of the Cave is definitely extended, exceeding 20 minutes in length and featuring some woozy and characteristically 2.0-style jamming. Mountains in the Mist of course is a welcome rarity. Tube tops 10 minutes to open Set II, but the Bathtub Gin is a fine jam to revisit in the wake of the 7/31/13 Tahoe Tweezer to see how a "kitchen-sink" jam with multiple concise and coherent movements can be accomplished in a shorter (if you can call 26:52 short) span and without the obnoxious woos. David Bowie also sports an amazing version, and Suzy Greenberg is an atypical version in that Page takes a quasi-solo (in the sense of being unaccompanied) section. 4 out of 5 stars.

A few distinct highlights in an otherwise average-great show. Down with Disease, Run Like an Antelope, Mike's Song, and Harry Hood are the big jams, but ironically, 2001 and Possum are the more enjoyable offerings, if you prefer a little distance from monochromatism in your jams; Disease is more Type 1.5 than Type II, and likewise Mike's Song is a one-jam-only affair that doesn't really break out of the box. Hood is a bit more adventurous, and the two authentic segues (Mike's Song -> Free and Waste -> 2001) are neat, but the teasey 2001 is what I would revisit this show for most of all. One also has to be in a certain mood to fully appreciate a standalone Wading in the Velvet Sea encore. It's still a 3-star show, in my opinion.

The second set is certainly unique, as it was played on borrowed instruments since the band's equipment was all packed up already. That accounts for the strange-sounding keyboards-- it's entirely possible Page was playing a cheap dorm room Casio. The taper notes indicate the second set source is "unknown boom box placed on stage". Considering the source, it doesn't sound that bad. Here's a story from attendee David Livingston, which accompanied those notes: "Anyway, as we arrived for soundcheck, there were about 10 of us hanging out under overcast skies. Marley was running around and it was a great vibe. When the show started, it started raining lightly which became steadier throughout the set. Trey seemed to be playing the storm as the peaks occurred as the rain became sheets. The crowd grew throughout the set but to no larger than 50-60 people. Then came the thunder and a few shots of lightning. When it got to be its worst, Trey announced that due to the storm, they would be unable to finish the show. [i]While all were bummed (and most tripping), we understand and went back to our rooms to plan alternate activities. After about 30 minutes, word of mouth spread that they had agreed to play a second set in the Co-op lounge. All their equipment was packed away so they agree to use the gear of our campus cover band "Pi". When I arrived at the co-op there were about 10 of us and the set had just started. This was an extremely tight room (similar to the size of Nectar's upstairs). Probably another 30 people or so were able to cram in with the overflow listening outside. Pizza was ordered and a keg bought and brought in and the show continued to conclusion. It was amazing."[/i] Tweezer jam is interesting, especially considering this is only the 14th time the song had been played. It gets some love from the crowd. You've never heard a Caravan sound quite like this either, thanks to the instrumentation. Before they get into Bowie, someone (Page?) can be overheard asking if the pizza is here yet, urging either audience members or the bands crew not to leave until the pizza arrives. "I hope you realize we're holding you hostage, you're not leaving." someone else says in response.

Although I love the segues, a few of the jams, and a pretty rigorously executed version of Golgi Apparatus by 2.0 standards, this show is very difficult to come away from listening to with a good feeling. Except perhaps that we're now nearly 14 years on from this era of Phishtory, and that the music is healthier right now and probably will remain so for the foreseeable future. I would never encourage a phan not to listen to a Phish show, but I'll say this: when I first learned about the rumored "worst show ever" of 7/12/96, I was psyched to hear what could possibly go wrong in a show by my favorite band, but morbid curiosity might lead you somewhere a bit uncomfortable if you let it get the best of you. Brings new meaning to the "jaded vet" terminology.

One thing to keep in mind about this show, and August 2004 in general, is Trey's willingness to push boundaries in jamming. Some phans feel like that doesn't excuse the frequent misfires in recitation of the compositions, but I have heard a lot of Phish that nails the composed portions, and jamming is more interesting to me. AC/DC Bag to open the show jams out to about 16 minutes, but the payoff comes surprisingly as far as jamming in Wolfman's Brother and Theme From the Bottom (with a notable lyric flub from Page "As I swim on by") rather than Bag and the perhaps no-brainer of a 21-minute Birds of a Feather. The Wolfman's and Theme feel kind of like a slightly more hazy take on the 2000 Phish sound, whereas Birds has some interesting ambience but is overall kind of experimentally weak. The banter about Weekapaug Groove and A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing is interesting in the second set, prefiguring the Phishtorical anecdotes from Coventry, but this is probably the least coherent version of ASIHTOS ever played! Granted it had just been debuted about 2 months previous. The segue from it, though -> Piper is good, and the one from Piper -> Makisupa Policeman even better. The set-closing Harry Hood is also worth listening to.

Absolutely phenomenal show all around. It's clear they were having fun the entire night, with an extended groove in Free, the always welcome "Can't Turn You Loose" tease in Stash, and a hard hitting Theme> Tweezer Reprise to end the first set. The second set is probably my favorite from 99, with the most demonic, terrifying 2001 they've arguably ever played. I was afraid to go to sleep the first night I heard it, and even now still only put it on when the mood strikes. If you need any proof that aliens have visited our planet then look no further than this jam. An absolute must listen. The rest of the set is a ton of fun with a raging Disease, a perfect cool down in Billy Breathes, then an exhilarating Mike's Groove with both Catapult and Kung tossed in. The Cities encore was a perfect way to end the night, and left everyone joyful and satisfied. Just out of curiosity, does anyone know if anyone actually won the contest that night, or was that just a silly gag? I can't imagine the band not honoring their word if someone won, but haven't seen/heard of anything about it.

Decent setlist, but a mostly unexceptional show. The only major highlight is Ya Mar, which is a fantastic version that gets out there into dance/groove territory and stretches for just over 16 minutes. The Tweezer in the second set features some half-hearted Funk jamming, but nothing overly inspiring. Antelope set closer followed by a Hood encore is always welcome, but this Antelope is a complete mess. After completely bricking on the composed section, the jam section is standard and lifeless. As is the case with many 98 shows, the SOTG songs all sound great. Really fantastic AUD recordings of this show circulate. Upfront and well balanced. Seek this show out for the Ya Mar, but don't feel bad about skipping the rest. 2.9 / 5 B-grade Phish

A pretty good show that circulates in SBD. Interestingly, the taper hooked up his DAT to an assisted listening device that outputs a SBD signal for the hearing impaired. The recording itself is overly compressed with static throughout. My version is a matrix that has the timing slightly off, giving it a slapback echo effect. I still prefer it over the straight AUDs, but its not a great recording so you may prefer the audience tapes. The show starts off with another funky/solid Moma (is 98 the best year for this song?) which segues nicely into a Jim that gets a little bit of extra ambient/funk treatment at the end. In 98 it was commonplace, but getting a jam like this in the two hole would be considered something very special these days. The rest of the set is pretty standard up till Taste which gets a little something extra and dips back into that 98 quasi ambient territory. The undisputed highlight of the show is the Wolfman's which goes on for 20+ minutes and includes great funk jamming that gets increasingly more sparse until it fades into ambient territory and floats into a nice 2001. SOAMule is notable for the Ha Ha Ha in the duel section. A standard (read pretty) slave helps lead into the closing rockers: CDT and Zero. Highlights: Jim, Taste, Wolfman's 2001 3/85 /5 sold B+ Phish.

This was May 8th. They started the tour on February 3rd! At first you might think, wow, what a life. Traveling the country, making music and new friends...and making money too. But think about the best vacation of your life. Imagine that at the end of it someone says, oh no, you're not going home yet....we're doing this for three more months. Jeez, they went all the way down the eastern seaboard from Maine to Miami, all the way across the south to New Mexico, up to Colorado, down to So. Cal and all the way up the west coast to Vancouver. Then they meandered back through the midwest, up to Canada again for a bit, and back to the northeast for a bunch of shows there. And then on this epic tour ender, they pull off a heroic sprint to the finish. This was just a fantastic show...one of the very best of the pre-96 era. I always thought of this as sort of a companion to the following year's closer to another ironman tour... 7/16/94 in Vermont. Both have AMAZING second sets... just packed full of greatness. This one has the better first set though. My highlights here are Stash, Bowie, Coil!, Crossroads, and the special Amazing Grace jam, but there's so much more than that. True hall-of-fame material here.

Another unsung gem of the Summer 98 tour. This one is my go-to whenever someone asks me for "a show I don't know about." It somehow never gets mentioned with other heavy-hitters from 98, but it is one of the best. The first set features an excellent Tube (complete with reprise jam) and closes with a great Antelope. The second set is just about perfect. After the standard Mike's Jam they move into a slow-rolling, throbbing, pseudo funk jam that segues flawlessly into a beautiful Simple which itself segues into the very mellow debut of Bittersweet Motel. The Weekapaug that follows trends to the funky side with the 4 measure rests that typified their funk playing of the era. Ghost is 20 minutes of psychedelic excellence that has a buttery smooth segue into the bust out of She Caught the Katy. Highlights: Tube, Mike's Groove, Ghost->She Caught the Katy DON'T SLEEP ON THIS ONE. 4.75/5, A+ Phish.

AC/DC Bag, Suzy Greenberg, Sample in a Jar and Cavern all in the same show... that's a crazy docket of 4:30, no-jam rock songs. It's fine, but with the dust still unsettled on all of the craziness from the first half of December 95 -- just look at the ratings of the previous two weeks of shows -- this is a starkly straightforward show. Reba is really solid, and Mike's is sufficiently far-out. And the > Simple > Weekapaug never gets old. But for those who like to psychoanalyze what the guys were thinking before shows, it seems like they were trying to get to Night 2 of this run and then move on to NYC.

This show is coming off six straight 4.2-or-higher rated shows, and that's not even including the storied 12-1 show in Hershey. Perhaps the climaxes weren't as high -- no brilliant Tweezer > Timber > Tweezer as with the previous show -- but all in all this show is another absolute gem from December 95. What. A. Month. This is a pretty remarkable setlist. Harry Hood 2nd and Maze 4th.... those are both heavy hitters that you would expect to see in more prominent spots. It's also great that the boys get the Fish-singing shenanigans out of the way early instead of letting the show end with that, as was too often the case back in '95. 2001 being used as a late-second-set jam vehicle is also noteworthy. The second set is essentially a full set segue with some superfluity tacked on to the end. As a drummer, I couldn't help but notice that Fish is pretty look at a few points during the composed, pre-jam section of It's Ice, but not nearly enough to taint this bad-a** show.

Lots of banter and Gamehendge narration to be heard in this show. It's interesting in retrospect to hear Trey casually talking about the band's plans for the NYE show and joking about not being able to fill the Worcester Centrum. Little did he know they would be playing there only two years later. David Bowie and a Mockingbird with some strong Trey soloing during the brief improvisational section were the musical highlights to me.

This is one of my preferred outings of 2000 and I'd put this second set up with just about any from the year outside of Fukuoka II. Piper is the highlight of the show and just might be my favorite of the year and it's followed by other notable performances in Gumbo, Ghost, Mango, and Brother. The first set also has a nice mix of songs with Limb, SOAM, and Taste getting the job done in the Type I jam department. Cavern has some alternate lyrics "I snatched Rick's fork to scrape it off and gave it back to Tom".

I really do wish that they offered half stars on reviews here. I mean, this is a 97 show with CDT, Gin, Simple, JJLC, Hood and Free in the second set. If this was a 3.0 show people would be creaming their jeans! Granted, none of these is a stellar, go to version of the respective song. But this show would have been a blast. It's a 3.5 in my book... but, as I mentioned... that's not an option. Too bad.

No Rules Broke n Driftin' High Times Black Brand Vive L'Acadie Getting Back Bastards Tip Up Dozen Roses Late Night Roaring Falls Losin' Horses Don't Need You Low Down Rocking Chair E:Tougher Than The Rest Farmers Tan Headed Home Show was moved to 4/21/2018 the guitarist wally gave me the setlist. Great Show!!

So, I'm having a big problem with the ratings for this show because... 1) If this were a 3.0 show, it would be getting 5 stars all day long -and- 2) If you flipped the two sets around (make 1 be 2, and vice versa) it would be a strong 4-4.5 show. This show is really good and doesn't get the love that it deserves.