There’s a segment in Ghost from 6-10:30 that recalls the Bag from 11/21 and *almost* takes off. Page gets on a serious piano run and injects the “sizzle” synth, Fish gets on the ride cymbal, Trey stays solid, Mike playing some lead bass, then we squash the beat harshly and never really get back to it. Julius and Simple rock, and as mentioned the Ghost has a good passage. Above a 3.9 overall, definitely.

30 years ago today I went to my first Phish show. I still have the ticket stub. Old and faded, you can not read anything on the stub. The price for the show was $19 and some odd cents. Driving from Indiana to Ohio, we were reading from what I think was a pre-release paper edition of The Phish Companion, or something very close to it. We were discussing what we wanted the band to play. Being a huge fan of Frank Zappa's album Joe's Garage, I was instantly hooked by the Gamehendge story. I had a copy of the 07/08/1994 GREAT WOODS Gamehendge show. I wanted to hear The Lizards. I did not care what else the band would play as long as I got that song. I had no idea what was in store for that evening. Brad, whom I bought the ticket from, told me Phish is gonna get you. He kept saying this the whole ride to Dayton. I asked him what he meant. He said at some point you are going to be standing there, mouth wide open, in pure amazement of what the band is doing. I scoffed at this. Took a hit of some dirty paper LSD and smoked on the nasty brown swag joints still not knowing what was coming. We get into the show, we are sitting in about half way up straight on with the stage. Sitting in front of us are 2 old ladies, totally out of place. The lights go down the swag lights up for us and the music starts. I am not astute enough to go into some elaborate breakdown of the music. I like Phish, I move the way the music makes my body move. Phish plays, I am standing there. looking down on the stage, I think Trey is running the light show with all his guitar pedals. I am 22 years old and have no clue what the hell these dudes are doing down there but it is bad ass. How can 4 people make so much noise? How can this sound like total insanity and then it instantly snaps into beautiful melodies. My mouth is hanging wide open, I am locked into the stage like a hawk, my brain is melting, Brad slaps my should and says "Phish just got you!". You mother phucker, you are right, Phish got me. The 2 old ladies sat thru all of this madness, swag smoke, screams of joy and elation, and musical bombardment. They did not look very happy. The last song of the second set, Phish sings Amazing Grace, a cappella. As the band closes the set. The 2 old ladies (Like in their 50's, i was 22, and now am 52 so....) give a standing ovation, both smiling, they look at each other and leave. Brad turns to me and says "See, Phish plays something for everyone." Mind blown again. 30 years later I echo those words, "Phish plays something for everyone." (I strongly remember this when the band plays The Line) I hate sports and that song. BUT Phish play something for everyone. Even that kid shooting phantom free throws in the row in front of me during The Line at NYE 2015 in Miami. It is his song too. I got everything I wanted and more than I ever expected from this show. 30 years and 174 shows later I still yearn for live music from Phish, the smells and community of the lot and the freedom of the road. I have not been to a show since 2021. Sadly my elder dog passed away 11/3/25. While I whisper his name every morning when I wake up, I am now free to travel again. I am doing the entire 2026 summer Phish tour, 30 years later I am still upside down.

SET 1: The Star Spangled Banner: perfect. Had to be done considering the date. Crowd gets really into this and leads a USA chant at the end. No better way to start up a Fourth of July show, it’s on! 555: not crazy about this placement. 7/4 and 7/18 are the only two times they tried 555 as an (in this case quasi-)opener and it just doesn’t have what I’m looking for here - a very rare instance of an opener choice that I struggle to get down to. Trey’s backing vocals are distractingly loud in the mix. Playing is good. Kill Devil Falls: eh, sure. Jam starts with Page on the organ and some light, patient playing from Trey. Slowly builds into a peak. Solid little Kill Devil Falls jam, typical of this era. Page wishes everyone a happy 4th after the song – something special next, hopefully… The Moma Dance: interesting placement. Swap this and 555 around and we’d be in business. Very standard take on this one, but I’m having a good time. Reba: now we’re getting this thing on the road! Decent tempo and great work in the composed section, only a few Fish(!) mistakes to speak of. Some lovely interplay starts up around 8:30, listen to Page tickling those keys. Pretty chill jam until Trey suddenly starts ripping it a new one at 10:40 and peaks the song nicely. Whistling and all that jazz to end. Nothing out of this world but no slouch either. Waiting All Night: chills. Much better versions of this out there though if you’re as big of a fan of it as I am. Runaway Jim: sure, good call to get things back on track here. The instrumental bridge here is notably long and turns into a cool plinko jam for a while. The jam proper is decent if a bit meandering. 46 Days: decent enough. Rages just like it should. Rift: little bit flubbed. Split Open and Melt: very nice! Would be happy with this and Slave swapping frequencies at this point in 3.0. Good composed section leads to a standard-for-3.0 jam that turns dark at 6:30ish and stays in that space for a while, then it turns pretty frantic and intense 9 minutes in and glides cleanly into the ending. Solid Melt. The Squirming Coil: valid, no complaints at all. Mike screaming in the final chorus, LMAO – check out the 7/18 version for another instance of this. Actually a really awesome Page solo on this one, not a whole lot longer than usual but every minute is put to good use. Bodes well for the next set. — SET 2: Fuego: most 2014 set opener of all time. Composed section is clean and you can hear from very early on in the jam that Trey is determined to take this somewhere. Floats into a jazzy, slightly tense space 10 minutes in, no clear direction yet. Very pretty playing at 12 minutes in - Mike’s tone is just outstanding here, does anyone know if he’s played with that tone before? Starts to sour at 13:30ish and seems ripe for a transition but Trey settles on a new progression soon after (sounds a little like WTU? to me, anyone else?) and we find ourselves launched into a more solid feel with effects-laden ‘phone ringing’ playing from Trey. We’re building into a peak. After lots of exploration Trey finally takes this jam by the balls at 16:50 and we’re off! Absolutely searing, raging playing here for a bit! Wish this went on for a little longer, but Trey tears it apart and leaves it in a big ol’ puddle quite soon after, from which we > DWD. Here’s the rub: this is a solid and lengthy Fuego, and it has some great passages and moments, particularly the end. But there is a good amount of meandering in order to get there. I’d say it’s worth a listen for the peak though, it’s real good. > Down With Disease: like this as a follow up. Small Under Pressure teases early in the jam, fun. Anticipatory start. Standard DWD jamming goes funky after a few minutes by decree of Trey. Very typical ’14 funk jam here with awesome Energizer Bunny playing from Fish. Some cool choices from everyone towards the end stretch, especially Mike’s atypically busy and dissonant playing and Page’s organ/Rhodes work. 12 minutes in sounds pretty much exactly like a King Crimson jam or maybe a transition period in a ’94 Phish jam. Then we get a vocal jam(!) with various percussive mouth sounds riiiiiiight at the end. Wish this lasted longer, but Trey goes > Twist after a little bit of vocal jamming. Very weird jam here, interesting stuff! > Twist: the mouth noises continue for a bit into Twist. Love the Santana-ish Trey and Page call-response at the start of the jam. Trey tries out some tenser playing at 6:00 but abandons it for chill Twist jamming soon after. BIG big fan of the super quiet space they arrive at with a minute left to go in the jam, just awesome spacey play from everyone and I wish it continued for a little bit longer. > Light: another really weird jam in which Trey, atypically, goes for more atonal playing. If anything this sounds more like a Stash jam than a Light one. The rest of the band doesn’t bite, but Page offers a minor key riff at 7:30 and things turn real stormy real fast, lots of effects-driven droney weirdness. Loving Fish’s dextrous Latin grooves here. An even MORE droney space at 10:30, Trey’s riffs and Page’s synth flowing into the abyss. > Theme From the Bottom: ha, I enjoy this placement actually – jells nicely with the tense weirdness of the rest of the set. Flubs galore from Trey in the ‘buildup’ section just prior to the jam. Suuuuuuper uninspired to be honest, only partially saved by the good placement and some unique delay effects prior to the final refrain. Backwards Down the Number Line: out of place here to say the least. I guess Trey was spooked by the Theme not going great and opted for this one as a safety net. Not really a hater of this song but doesn’t work at all in this spot. First Tube: veeeery lightly flubbed by Trey at points in the composed portion, but he hits us with some serious old-school riffing in the jam. Dang! Raged! — ENCORE: Character Zero: standard and really short. That’s all? — OVERALL: good show that lacks that one single highlight to bring it to the next level. Lots of cool stuff around here though, like the Reba, Melt, Coil, Fuego, First Tube and (if you’re brave) DWD. Set 2 falls apart right at the end but Fuego > DWD > Twist > Light is a really cool and WEIRD stretch of music that isn’t especially smooth or IT-filled but features lots of risk-taking from Trey – early-to-mid 3.0 is not really the place to go for janky dissonance but the guitarist sure does delve into it at various points here. Overall an interesting and good show. 3.6 stars.

I don’t know about an “off night;” this Wolfmans brought me back to Phish after, let’s say, losing interest for a couple of years. I’m a die hard v1 guy, but this Wolf and then the Sightless Escape in S2, listening via Phish Radio serendipitously in a rental car made me revisit it all. That’s how they get you dude, just that one groove Mike throws out at around 11 minutes deep into WB, classic stuff.

The Gin is solid, but overwhelmingly upbeat. The Mule may be the GOAT. But I’m just here for the Tweezer. Whatever settings/configuration/pedals Trey and Mike use in the Tweezer jam right off the bat…it’s like walking through electric syrup. The late 7s contains one of those 20 second “holy shit” musical phrases that only v1 badassery could produce. Top ten, definitely turn the bass up.

[b]Bootsy had a funky bass![/b] Pretty tight that Trey gave a shout out to Cincy's own, Bootsy Collins, and even dedicated a jam to the legend. TAB is sounding better than ever, the joy permeates from the stage, and the sound is what gets a through. Surrender to the flow, and you're glad you did.

This Sigma Oasis is legit, it is borderline yellow on the Jam Chart. I’ve recently discovered that Phish probably won’t regress to the late nineties sound again, so maybe I should adapt. I don’t like the way they play 1.0 jam vehicles in 4.0 for the most part (Ghost and Tweezer in particular), but the 3.0/4.0 jams like this SO, played in 4.0 fashion, LFG.

Well, this being my first show, and not knowing anything about phish except the name and that there were from Vermont, I didn’t stand a chance. Overall, I was totally confused and dis-oriented most of the night. I remember the singing being rather flat, but that the guitarist was insane (Trey was his name, I later came to learn). But the drummer was very familiar. Some days later I realized that it was the guy who played in the lounge of my friends Scott’s dorm at UVM. I spent a lot of time wandering around UVM late at night in the early 80’s, “investigating things”. Never saw phish then in Burlington, and by 1989 I was living in Nebraska. I was home on a school break before Thanksgiving and was hanging in Northampton with college friends. We were all deadheads, and had been out to see Max Creek around the same time. I remember there being a bunch of hassles in the club trying to manage who could and couldn’t drink. It was a very young crowd. Further, I vividly recall this crazy song with words “boy, shit, god and man” with a lot of strange sounds and screaming. (YEM, I came to learn). After YEM and crazy pyrotechnics from the stage (Frankenstein?), we had had enough and decided to leave. We were very, very elevated, and walked from the show to Hadley, MA 5 or so miles away. It was nice to get out of Pearl Street and all the chaos. The stars we great by the river. I do remember the bottle throwing that someone mentioned, but I am not sure if that is a personal recollection or has been over laid on my memory over the course of time. My next show was July of 1992 at Stowe with Santana. That one I was ready for. Having returned from Nebraska, we were now living in Burlington. I had grown a collection of tapes after this show, and was well on my way…Now it’s 36 years later. Last show was Manchester, NH 2025. Still on the train.

Fantastic digital audience source for this first set. Big thanks to Chig Martin for capturing it. A solid first set, even if it leans a bit straightforward for this tour. The heart of the set lands in a lively Bowie that works its way into the official debut of Birdland during Bowie’s opening stretch. Trey uses the moment to introduce yet another crowd to the secret language. Bowie is played tightly, but like the set as a whole, it’s very much standard Spring ’92 fare. And thanks to a plumbing disaster that flooded the theater, the entire second set ended up being performed without microphones.

I’m still new to this world. 8 phish shows since 2023 (being from Colorado is a blessing) and last night was my first TAB show. And wow what a night. There’s something really so powerful with the brass section, and the two percussionists. The funk, the samba, and equatorial/tropical style of this group is such a nice compliment to the phish tunes that I have gleefully come to know. You can tell that Trey is just having so much fun. I’m really constantly grateful that I get to experience this kind of music in my life time. I’m turning 30 in less than two weeks and this show is really kicking off the festivities. And even tho the world and the politics and civil upheaval here at home is a constant pressure. There’s something just so brilliant about being present, seeing someone who has touched your soul, and be reminded Everything’s right so just hold tight. On to Night two. Thanks Trey and Co. yall fucking rule.

Nice audience source available for this show. Big thanks to taper Bryon Sosinski and Jason Sobel for mastering. Trey opens with a playful tease of We’re off to see the Wizard before launching into a raucous Llama opener. A thunderous Reba follows, with Sky firing on all cylinders. Page delivers a standout solo on electric piano during Maze. Set one closes with a scorching Antelope, complete with another We’re Off to See the Wizard tease from Trey and a cool Marco section. The second set kicks off with teases of Auld Lang Syne and Stairway to Heaven leading into a solid Mike’s opener. The band introduces a different approach into a playful version of Hydrogen, followed by a fun Weekapaug. An extended intro into MSO features a multitude of signals, including a Me and My Arrow moment aimed at someone in the front row. The band powers through with a turbo-charged performance. During the ending pause, they break into an impromptu VJ “Pitch! Pitch! Pitch!” The DaaM>Magilla pairing work well together. During the Hood opener, Fish calls out to a fan to let him know he loves his t-shirt and also quotes Marvin Martian. Beautiful Hood. Trey, Mike, and Page are introduced during Fish’s vac solo in Love You, and Fish brings out his Bag-Vac for the Cold as Ice outro. Golgi wraps up a strong set of music. For the encore, the band cools things down with two a cappella numbers to end the evening.

Killer audience source available for this show. They kick things off with a Landlady > Jim combo that sets a great tone early. There’s a cool little All Things tease at the start of Foam and a strong jam in Stash. Fluffhead is inspired, unfortunately there’s a tape flip. NICU features a cool little jam that leads nicely into a tight, albeit straightforward, Bowie closer. Set two opens with Trey wishing Amy from Florida a happy birthday before asking if Jimmy Herring is still in the house. He jokes that they’re about to play “variations on a theme by Jimmy Herring, also known as Buried Alive.” Suzy is lively, and a solid Brother leads into the first TMWSIY > Avenu > TMWSIY of the tour. A smokin’ Possum wraps up the set, complete with two “Ah fuck!” signals when Fish forgets to stop playing for the first one. Fish’s voice goes full Peter Brady during his part in Sleeping Monkey, which cracks everyone up. The walk-out music after the first encore is The Stars and Stripes Forever by the Czechoslovak Brass Orchestra and Rudolf Urbanec. Encore two brings a rippin’ Chalk Dust, and encore three a fun Harpua. Trey takes the crowd to the “jungles of Brazil” while Fish quotes the musical Brazil. There’s a quick Fire tease as Jimmy is introduced, and before Page’s organ solo, Trey calls him “a beacon of light in the world of flight” — the second nod to Clifford Ball in as many days.

My first show and I hated it! Mini tramps came out so there must have been a YEM. I left early, telling my friend Quinn (one of the bouncers - the Cabooze was a big bar for deadheads), “I can’t believe I paid seven dollars for this bullshit.” 🤣 Now, I can’t even begin to calculate how much I’ve spent on them since!

Beautiful MCass SBD available for this show, with patches throughout from Cruchy’s AKG 451’s. Big thanks to Arty for mastering this one! A clean audience patch covers the first half of Wilson, offering a cool A/B comparison between the audience and SBD sources. Melt is solid, and Trey slips in a nice little solo during Rift. Page and Trey both shine in Maze. Jim is an enjoyable ride. Ice features a groovy midsection, and a smokin’ Antelope caps off a fine first set. Set two kicks off with a subtle Chalk Dust Reprise tease, it almost sounds like they were about to launch into Possum, but instead they dive straight into a raucous Tweezer. Mound pairs perfectly with it, and is followed by a beautiful Reba. Before All Things, Trey jokes that they’d just mutilated it a few days earlier on NPR, then adds, “So here comes the unmutilated version.” Coil has a groovy little outro, and YEM is inspired, with a fun jam and strong B&D section. The VJ segment is hilarious—“White Boys Attack!” lol “Take that rat outta my ass” Wtf!? The VJ then morphs into the fourth known performance of Setting Sail. MSO is super fun, Chalk Dust absolutely rips, and a highly inspired Golgi closes the set in style. A sweet Sleeping Monkey and arena-rocker Tweezer Reprise wrap up the night, as Benny Goodman’s Let’s Dance plays the crowd out.

This was the fall semester of my senior year at college. I had heard of the HORDE bands from the previous summer but not seen a show and didn't know their music at all when a couple friends suggested going to see the WBCN "Rock of Boston" concert at the Garden, headlined by Spin Doctors and Phish. One of those friends went to the box office the day of the show and scored an unused ticket in the first few rows that had just been returned for some reason. The other two of us were up in the stands, at the other end of the arena from the main stage. I'm pretty sure there was a smaller stage at our end, with the various opening acts alternating between the two stages. I don't remember much from the smaller bands, but by the time the Spin Doctors came on we were flying high. They were OK, with a flashy light show synced with their standard rock material. I probably recognized a couple of their hits. The comedy act that came on next was on the smaller stage at our end. I think the bit that got them booed off the stage was some kind of parody of low-budget kung fu movies, complete with fake Asian accents. Unfunny, cliched, and kind of offensive even by 1992 standards. (The friend who was near the main stage later told me that people there couldn't even hear any of it, though, so it might be true that some people were just impatient for Phish to come on.) Finally Phish took the stage. I had seen a couple of Dead shows, and knew they could take most of a set to get warmed up and into their more interesting playing. This band was different. About a minute and a half into the first song (Runaway Jim) they were already into a spacy jam. And the only light show at that point (in contrast to the previous band) was a solid green light shining out at the audience. I was entranced. The next song (Maze) was even better, mixing virtuosic but catchy riffs with more high-energy improv. My memories of the rest of the set aren't as clear 33 years later, but in a single set of little over an hour they managed to touch on all the major features of early 90s Phish: the poppy Bouncing, a vacuum solo (a what?!) sandwiched in Cavern, the serene extended piano outro of Squirming Coil, Stash transitioining between its rhythmic hook and transcendent group improv, a brief vocal jam leading into the a capella Sweet Adeline, and finally the proggy and absurdist YEM (with another vocal jam). By the end I wasn't sure exactly what all I had just seen, but I knew I had a new favorite band. My friends were equally blown away. First thing the next morning I went to the Coop and bought Lawn Boy and Picture of Nectar on casette, and then signed up for some tape trees on rec.music.phish.

Personally, I feel like this show gets (maybe somewhat rightfully) overlooked due to bakers dozen. Perhaps, part of this is needing to be in the building, or maybe my fondness is obscured due to being on the floor, or the people I was with. IDK, but from what I heard that night this show is a true gem. The first set has a few standouts but it became clear in maze and solidified during Jim that they were warming up for something special. Set II imo is some of the tightest, most fluid, playing I have personally seen. Some special standouts too. In particular, wombat, one of if not the first truly jammed out version. Really though, everything from ghost onwards was pretty great. Overall, great show that hints at what would later transpire.

Decent audience source available for this show, video footage as well! The opening of Stash is cropped a bit—ripping version. Solid version of Rift, and Llama slays per usual. Trey gives the Gamehendge cliff notes in Forbin>Mockingbird, and a fiery Bowie closes out set one. Set two wastes no time, kicking off with Curtain>Mike’s Groove. Nice Mike’s with a cool Mainstreet tease. Groove has Mike screaming and shouting “Make!” just like he did in Binghamton. The jam rips, though it doesn’t quite reach the creative heights of Binghamton’s version. Carl Gerhard joins for a solid Brother, and Clifford O’Sullivan, a true beacon of light in the world of flight, pulls out his Bag-Vac for I Didn’t Know—taken just before he DIED!!! Page is back on B3 for Suzy. Hood is beautiful! Carl Gerhard returns for Cavern, and Trey is en fuego during his solo in Fire. Walkout music is Glenn Miller’s Sunrise Serenade.

Others have dug into the setlist/expirence. I wanted to call attention to this being the Mangold Set Trey speaks about after meeting his NFL hero and inspiration for what it means to be a good teammate and showing up to work hard. I take this as a reminder to be grateful for every opportunity we get to share space with our community! Tao Nick on the stairway to the stars!

1st Gen FM Broadcast of this short set—big thanks to Arty for the cleanup. Things kick off with Sparkle. No official notes on phish.com for this show. It almost sounds like Page and Fish might be on borrowed gear. A mutilated take on All Things. ;) Strong versions of Foam and Landlady wrap up this short set of music.

Nice, crispy DAT audience source available for this show—my birthday show! Big thanks to the mystery taper for making an incredible recording. Things kick off with a well-played Landlady, followed by solid versions of Jim and Foam. Melt is decent, and after Silent, Trey mentions how happy he is to finally be playing Philly. The recording really picks up the crowd’s ooo’s and aaahh’s during DaaM. MSO features an inspired, extended intro, and the audience claps along enthusiastically during Stash. Set two starts with a tease of the Ferris Bueller song that leads into a tight Buried Alive. Suzy is strong, with some extra percussion added during Page’s B3 solo—possibly Trey? A flawless All Things smashes into a ripping mid-set Bowie, complete with cool All Things teases during the intro. Fish also slips in a Long Tall Glasses quote. The Crazy Train suggestions from the crowd crack me up, but instead, Fish treats everyone to his new Neil Diamond number. He even brings out the Bag-Vac for Rosie! Tight YEM closer with Mike or Fish dropping a “saay what?!?” in reference to Wash Ufizi, plus a fun Three Blind Mice tease in the vocal jam that wraps up with the Lights Out.

SET 1: Crowd Control: cool. Forgot Trey used to call for this one a good amount in early 3.0. No complaints here, feel-good opener for this summer show. My Friend, My Friend: perfect follow up, feels good in this spot. Give us some dirt, boys! > Scent of a Mule: yee fuckin ha! This explodes out of the end of MFMF in style. No rest for the wicked so far! Raging klezmer section leads into some marimba lumina playing that almost sounds like an acid bassline, would go hard at a Shpongle show. The audience starts a clap-along, funny. To be honest this is a pretty uneventful Mule breakdown, pretty much just a marimba bassline with no accompaniment. They would go on to perfect the marimba-led Mule breakdown on 7/20, but I respect the attempt to do something different here. Undermind: cool. A little funkier than usual in the composed section. Standard version otherwise. Fish is good at this whole drumming thing, eh? So good that Trey introduces ‘Moses Heaps!’ after the song finishes. Naturally they have to go into a Fish-led song next… A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing: the 2.0 songs keep on coming. My opinion: don’t play this one unless you are willing to jam it. Doesn’t fully work as a type 1 tune IMO. This one has some good rage from Trey though. I Didn’t Know: Trey highlighting Fish again! Cool. Fish is introduced as Moses DeWitt. Foam: very nice. Another Fish-led song. Let’s see how they do. The answer is: very well! A little on the slower side but not many flubs to my ears. Wombat: nice call, they’re having fun. Super tight, SUPER funky version. Good stuff - recommended. Divided Sky: yesssss. I’m grinning ear to ear. Tight composed section, well done. The jam portion and ending are much less inspired. It’s still Divided Sky so who cares. Wading in the Velvet Sea: okay cooldown placement. Good solo. David Bowie: great way to end a set. Concise, raging, rocking Bowie. Good. — SET 2: Carini: the ol’ 3.0 reliable. After the (slightly shaky) composed section, jam starts out in a typical rocking, tense zone, but very quickly moves to quiet major key playing around 5:30. Cute little space here especially with Trey’s strummy riff that starts up soon after. Good playing from Fish. Trey darkens it slightly a couple mins later and then commits to a rock-adjacent space at 9:30. Sounds like it’s gonna enter a cool Camden CDT-ish jam with whale call, but Trey abruptly aborts it for > Waves: it was a solid Carini but they didn’t land on anything particularly special so I understand this call. Surprisingly nice major key peaks from Trey before they return to the head, then Page pushes a very pleasant droney ambient jam with fluttery Fish and plenty of Mike bombs. Remains me strangely of a Necks jam. Trey’s loops starting at 8:45 - lovely. I’m floating in the sea at night. Fades out naturally, no ripcord. Nice Waves here! Recommended. They found what they were looking for in Carini. Wingsuit: biiiiig fan of this placement after the end of that Waves ambience. Nearly any song can be redeemed by a good placement - exhibit A here. Piper: fast as hell to start. This is like an ‘00 Piper in the early going, minus the long intro of course. Trey is out for blood at the beginning of the jam with some aggressive playing but then he hits the wah pedal and we’re in funk zone. Holy clav @ 5 minutes! Really is the instrument of the tour. Back to rock at 6:30, then back to funk at 7:20. This section is awesome and sounds a good bit like the Fuego break, Page ripping the organ and all. Back to rock once again at 9m and with Page plonking those heavy rhythm chords we’re on the way to some nice hose. Totally shreds from here on out. Sounds exactly like a post-BD bliss jam but with that extra edge of a slightly younger Trey’s dexterity and Page’s swaggering confidence. You don’t hear too many jams like these in the first half of 3.0 so this is very cool. Good stuff, check it out! > Fluffhead: wow, Trey’s feeling brave if he’s going for this here (and it’s fast too!) Interesting placement. Yep lol this is flubbed by Trey almost immediately after the vocals - figured this was a bit ambitious. Nothing irreparable. Pretty mundane version from there on out. Heavy Things: Trey is for sure in a good mood if he wants to play this here. Kinda strange spot but I adore this tune. Page gets some time to shine on the organ here, the band (save Fish) cuts out for a portion. Cute. > Slave to the Traffic Light: yesssss. Sometimes this can feel tacked on but I’m feeling this placement big time. Set ender? Standard, though I kinda enjoy some of Trey’s low-end work in the jam. Obviously not an all timer but this peaks convincingly. Nice Slave. You think the set is done and then… You Enjoy Myself: hahahahahaha there’s no way. Fluff, DSky, Bowie, Foam, YEM and Slave in the same show - 1989 called and they want their setlist back! So cool. Opening arpeggios are majorly flubbed by Trey. A couple more light flubs later on in the composed section. A shame! Jam goes quiet almost immediately and the crowd claps along. Very funky Mike and Trey interplay here - reminds me of Khruangbin for some reason. Extremely cool stuff. Man if only Trey hadn’t fucked the composed section so badly. Mike is EVERYWHERE here. Gets dissonant and goofy at 14 mins in, Fish on the cowbell. Then Trey teases Wombat lightly at 15 mins and begins to angle towards a peak, but there isn’t much of one. Bass + drums with Mike’s crazy effects pedals and then a funny, weird vocal jam. Give this one a listen, but the flubs unfortunately preclude the listenability here. ENCORE: Suzy Greenberg: standard. Vibes. — OVERALL: don’t have too much bad to say about this show. Does it lack a ‘big moment’ or two typically present in the greats from this era? Sure - it’s a little vanilla. But there isn’t really a slow stretch here and the setlist is remarkably solid. Maybe not quite as relistenable as some other shows but that set 2 is pretty damn good, I’d be pumped after seeing that. Waves and Piper are quality as fuck, Wombat, Slave and Bowie aren’t too far behind. Check it out. 3.8 stars.

My first show, and this was a lot of fun. Julius and Loving Cup set openers were both great surprises. Soul Planet and Martian Monster are two of my favorites and it was great hearing them back-to-back. The Mikes/Hydroden/Weekapaug leading into a 26 minute Everything's Right in set two was perfect. Everything's Right kicked my Phish Phandom into high gear in March of 2020 and was such an emotional lift during shutdown, so hearing a great version live in my first show was a priceless life experience. This may not be the best show ever (or the best show that week for that matter), but definitely a great first show for me.

Amazing digital audience source available on streaming platforms for this show! It really captures the sound of the Broome County Forum perfectly. Definitely not a SBD as reported. There are a few digi zaps in Reba, Brother, Sloth, and Fire, but the rest of the show is clean. Huge thanks to Mr. Mystery taper! They hit the ground running right out of the gate with a tight Wilson flowing into a fantastic Reba. Trey introduces the alligator pit and references it throughout a red-hot Brother. Every song from Glide through Mound is flawless. The Antelope closer strikes the perfect balance of soft and loud in the jam. Fish even pulls out his bone during the Marco section to top it all off. What a first set! Trey teases Roundabout at the start of the second set, then things explode with a ferocious Mike’s Groove. The Groove is absolutely killer!! There have been some outstanding Weekapaugs recently (ie 11/8, 11/21), but this one is easily the cream of the crop up to this point. “Make!!!” Make turns into Mike, which leads to the band rolling through the crew roster in an absolutely wild version of Sanity. The Hood that follows is beautiful. At the start of Foreigner’s Cold as Ice, Trey drops the fun tidbit that the last rock band to play the Broome County Forum was indeed Foreigner. A fantastic Possum closes out set two. “This is a song about brutal death!” Trey teaches the Secret Language for the third time this tour. There’s a micro Bowie jam baked into the opening of Possum to give an example of how the Secret Language works. Fantastic way to end an incredible night of music!

First rail show for me!!! Right in front of Trey!!! In the Seahawks Wilson jersey. Got a Trey point+laugh after Julius. What a night [b]Boogie On Reggae Woman:[/b] Starting off with some funk and a nice solo by Trey [b]Undermind:[/b] Good work from Page and Trey [b]Bouncing Around The Room:[/b] Standard [b]Birds Of A Feather:[/b] Huuuuge type 1 feel good version [b]Esther:[/b] Couple rough spots but good to hear as always [b]Funky Bitch:[/b] rager [b]It’s Ice:[/b] not perfect put nice Page clav during the short jam section [b]Ether Edge:[/b] jam starts quiet and pretty, then grows in intensity before breaking completely free into the first type 2 of the night and after a couple minutes peaks [b]Moonage Daydream:[/b] One of my most wanted not seen songs at the time. Absolutely incredible smoking version to close the set [b]Everything’s Right:[/b] Jam gets off to a slow start and didn't get anywhere too interesting before segueing into [b]Simple:[/b] Nice Trey soloing to begin the jam and a few beautiful minutes emerge before Trey pushes on. Jam ends in a great peak [b]A Wave Of Hope:[/b] Fun effects usage from Trey and another pretty jam for a bit [b]Simple:[/b] Sandwich!! [b]Beneath A Sea Of Stars Part 1:[/b] really cool no lights moment. Gets weird which is good [b]Gotta Jibboo:[/b] really great energized version especially Trey [b]Suzy Greenburg:[/b] Page’s house [b]Julius: [/b]another set closing rocker. (Trey point!!) [b]Izabella:[/b] cool cover [b]Possum:[/b] ending the show in appropriate fashion Solid show with not a ton of creative jamming in my opinion but solid performances throughout. This is a 6.5/10 show. Highlights are Boogie On, Birds, Ether Edge, Moonage, Simple, Wave Of Hope-> Simple, Beneath A Sea Of Stars, and Julius

Waiting all night with my friend Jason on Alligator Alley listening to West Palm 96 on repeat seemed fitting. I also remember a State trooper and a megaphone yelling at the vehicle in front of us that's how you drive in Arkansas you don't get out of the way when police have lights on not sure what was going on there might have been a band member punking him. He got out of the car was like this is rental I'm not even from Arkansas. I remember walking backwards down the Alligator Alley just to get out and move around and some yelled Possum at me and I was like weird but no there was a dead possum on the side of the highway I almost stepped on. I also remembered some older folks maybe in there 80's just kind of distraught from be stuck in traffic with a bunch crazy's lol. Sun has risen we have not made much progress in traffic overnight couple kids who walked from Ft Lauderdale Airport have shown up and would like to hitch a ride. So finally I looked at Jason I said let hit the breakdown lanes and find out what is going on we make our way to the front a Sheriff is giving us a boat load of shit for having to passengers in the bed of the truck but they let us pass. We make our way to the country store/ gas station at the Big Cypress exit I said to Jason we better fill the truck up with fuel before we get in. I walk into this country store it has been rampaged not much left. I did see a disposable camera one left I should have bought but on our very limited budget we decided against "regret". We make our way to the gate security mirrors under the truck they looked through everything found my marsh mellow sling shot no big loss there. Looked over at the mountain of tanks they acquired probably the largest stack I had ever seen. Now it's off to park and camp made our way onto 8th ave or st what ever it was. Find a spot next to some Florida cats who had a giant light up Santa on a pole which made for easier navigation for the weekend. Time to boogie hour before first set Night One made our way to the field security checking people stuff to get on the field. Walk to empty line with a Rasta dready guy just kept on going not sure why no one was in that line had nothing to declare just walked in. Caught the first set Chief Jim Billy some cheesy Alligator song at this point I need a nap so off to crash for minute. I half a sleep and I hear Wilson from what felt like a mile away. Time to get moving again really just need little pick me up after that don't really remember to much from night one. NYE so lets get this party stated middle afternoon pretty warm out but not crazy for Florida so Spit Open and Melt comes on I decide this is a good time to melt. Things hit me little hard I'm now in the field inventing the Tebow my friend goes and grabs me a lemonade for the rescue and I catapult back on the train funky after midnight jam and now I'm hungry back to camp for some roman and summer sausage that was a holiday gift which was only source of food do to bad planning and traffic. NYE set I'm flying pretty high anticipation got the fther time guy peddling moving a clock that seemed to be for ever cheers to all it's all little meatstick dance and balls flying everywhere I get nailed in the head by a 8ft ball little whiplash no big deal balloons popping disease insanity has erupted at this point. Know I have to take a piss I look at Jason I'll be right back he was like yeah right 80k plus you find this spot I was like no worries I'll be back look around seen some shoes on the person next to me light up Jordan for reference easy. I venture all the way across the field hugged some people drank some champaign make over to the wooden back stage fence to piss with a hundred phans smell was ripe. Then walked back throught the 80k folks in the dark to my friend. Rock and Roll guess everything on outside was alright. Yem and cheesecake just insane probably still the best one I remember brain melted on the ground into this amazing crosseyed that is up their as one of the best but still have the 96 west palm in my head at the time honestly nothing touches that version. I'm full dance vibe through sand and into quadrophonic which would echoe throught the forest and just amazing experience of sound not sure how to explain this but it was pure bliss and enjoyment. Slave comes on and its quite could probably here a pin drop then Trey goes into Albuquerque yells out some random States North Dakota which was funny Jason yells being born there we get a little laugh. Then its reba time fun with some plaster mix. David Bowie always amazing piece. I'm just in the groove at this point until sometime around the horse and Silent in the Morning just quite and making me little emotional at this point probably through bitter sweet motel. Piper comes on and we jamming again free then Lawn Boy emontional again just enjoying the monument. Then hyu and the most insane vacuum echoes through the forest and back to us a sound that is hard to put into words. 2001 into wading in the velvet I believe I'm still wading in that velvet sea. Meatstick still wading the velvet sea lol Then here Comes the sun as they walk of my friend Jason pokes me and he is like its over I laughed no it just began. Still really high feet need a good scrubbing. Some interesting memories like looking at the mercury floating in the canals Giant Paper Airplane the guy dressed as a jester who I though was the devil for a minute. Some nice young lady who was picking ground scores after the show she was cute never got her name but she invited me back to camp way to spun for that. The lovely lady who gave me a single match to light my cig after the show and honestly was probably checking on my well being . The Seminole who told me we where leaving with more garbage than we brought in. The cheesecake light setup made me hungry ck5 Yvonne for giving a burrito love you Vonnie. Captian Cosmo and his boat car.

This show features a decent SBD source for the soundcheck, though the pitch is a touch sharp. The audience recording is clean but a bit muddy. Huge thanks to John Redmond for capturing this one! The soundcheck kicks off with a fun Shaggy Dog that flows into a really cool jam. They briefly hit the Chalk Dust reprise before delivering the first full performance of Lullaby of Birdland, which had only been teased during the Providence Creaturelope. Mound and a smokin’ Maze round out the soundcheck nicely. Set one opens with Trey introducing a celebrity in the front row, Mr. Bruce Burgess, before firing off a Landlady/Rift combo. Melt holds its own, and the DaaM/Forbin pairing lands well. The story is more straightforward than the last Forbin/Mockingbird sequence in Portsmouth. All Things shows a few shaky spots, but a beautifully chaotic Bowie closes out the set. Set two kicks off with Glide and immediately launches into a raging Chalk Dust. NICU features another satisfying jam, while MSO comes across supercharged. Stash is well executed, and Coil showcases a beautiful Page solo. The YEM closer delivers from start to finish. Before diving into Sleeping Monkey, Trey playfully mocks part of the vocal jam.

Decent SBD source here (with some cassette hiss) up through Tweezer, where it switches over to a clean digital audience source. Big thanks to the mystery taper with the B&K 4011s for capturing this one. Things get rolling with a Buried Alive > Possum 1–2 punch. Possum features some secret language but no instructions, and Trey absolutely tears into it. Henrietta breaks out the vacuum during I Didn’t Know. Trey hits a few sour notes in Sky but quickly recovers and takes it home strong. There’s a tape flip following the Asse Festival section of Guelah, then it’s straight into Rift. Trey takes nice solo in Rift—good stuff. While this Antelope doesn’t quite reach the heights of the Creaturelope from Providence, it’s still a tight and fiery closer to set one. A very enjoyable Jim opens the second half. Trey sends out a St. Patty’s Day greeting before launching into Glide. Poor Heart gets teased before they sneak through the back door into Sloth. A lively Poor Heart follows, complete with some funny banter about Cactus—“the man with the hair!” The SBD fades out as Tweezer begins, then returns with a strong audience patch. This is a thunderous Tweezer, pairing beautifully with Esther. Mike’s Groove may be pint-sized, but it hits hard. Fish introduces the whole band during Love You, along with his new toy, before a blazing Llama shuts down set two. For the encore, Trey mentions, “this is a pretty big room but we’re gonna try this anyway,” before the band delivers lovely mic-less versions of Memories and Sweet Adeline. Both come through surprisingly well considering the setup. The taper didn’t even need to bump the levels.

“What songs are you hoping to hear tonight?”, my friend asked from the passenger seat on our drive from Michigan to Columbus. As Keller Williams’ acoustic cover of Run Like An Antelope blasted from the stereo, I replied that I’ve reached a point in my Phish fandom where I’m looking more for variety and surprise than for replication of any specific endorphin rush from my past… “But I sure wouldn’t mind getting an Antelope!” A scan of recent setlists revealed that none of summer tour’s nine previous shows had been graced by the presence of the swift herbivore. I began to sense a tiny thrill of anticipation, that feeling I forgot. Columbus had hosted several memorable moments in Phish history, including the phenomenal Polaris ’99 Birds Of A Feather selected for a “Dinner and a Movie” webcast and the legendary 1994 performance memorialized on Live Phish Volume 10. Tonight marked the band’s first appearance in Ohio’s capital in 25 years, and its first at Ohio State University’s indoor basketball arena. It turned out to be a show full of interesting song choices, quirky setlist construction, and big jams in surprising places. AC/DC Bag kicked things off with 5 minutes of Bag and 6 minutes of stellar improv, a clear sign the band came to play. Next, Roggae scattered into a tumble of major-key sunbeams, and the first Vultures of 2025 offered the crowd a chance to woo Trey into a broad smile. Martian Monster’s trip was short indeed. Mull, a Mike Gordon original debuted in 2021, delivered a jam so deep and intricate it seemed to surprise even the musicians themselves. Quick takes on Strawberry Letter 23 and Undermind then led to the first Petrichor in three years. I’m a big fan of “Broadway Phish,” and the many musical themes in this 14-minute piece were delivered crisply and cleanly. First set ended with a swirling, stomping, dark and dirty Life Saving Gun, almost 20 minutes’ worth. Very impressive. To everyone’s surprise, Sample In A Jar opened set two, followed by a 26-minute Wave of Hope. Distinctly different jam segments cascaded one after another until a screaming guitar peak crashed back into the chorus and the crowd erupted into a several-minute ovation. We were hushed by the atmospheric intro to Waiting All Night, a gorgeous ballad from the original Wingsuit suite not played live since 2021. Every member executed the song’s layered vocal parts so sharply, you’d never have guessed it. The pranksters onstage immediately swerved into the metallic crunch of Axilla (Part II), whose drippy outro bled directly into the musical centerpiece of the evening: A fire-breathing red worm named Piper. Tonight’s performance of the late-‘90s classic was its longest and finest since the band’s reunion in 2009, and the jam maintained explosive momentum across its entire 22 minutes, driven by Jon “The Machine” Fishman’s hairpin rollercoaster percussion. This was Phish at its antigravitational psychic-network best, the kind of playing that recently has so many jaded veterans shaking their heads and admitting the band might be better now than ever. Brisk jaunts through Lonely Trip, Number Line, and Loving Cup felt like a victory lap. With dopamine surging, I could feel the hooves of my Antelope encore approaching from a mile away, but the band had two more surprises beforehand in the form of Bug and The Mango Song. Finally, Rocco and Marco made their triumphant appearance and carried us across the evening’s finish line at a dead sprint. What a show. Phish wins again! We emerged into the humid summer night completely satisfied, reassured that Phish *always* wins, and our favorite band’s intent is *still* all for our delight.

Crispy dSBD source for this one, with vocals sitting extra high in the mix. Things get rolling with a tight Jim > Cavern combo. Trey’s guitar is a bit buried early on, but the balance gets sorted out soon enough. Reba is smooth and well-paced, and Stash brings the fire as expected. Chalk Dust finds a nice little pocket before easing into an appropriate A-Train. They wrap up the first set with a clean, albeit standard Mike’s Groove. Set two kicks off with a straight-ahead Golgi before bursting into an explosive Llama. Trey blanks on the opening verse of Melt but quickly finds his footing, leading the band through a strong version. Excellent version of Hood — the extended intro alone is worth the listen, and there’s a neat Off to See the Wizard tease tucked into the opening of the jam. After a fun Cracklin’ Rosie, Trey introduces “the man who only sings songs from the two greatest artists of our time, Syd Barrett and Neil Diamond.” lol. Possum closes the set in fiery fashion, peppered with some secret language signals but no explanations. Sleeping Monkey opens the encore, and hometown hero John Popper jumps in during the Let It Be section. He sticks around for a blistering GXBX to cap the night.

Just noticed that David Bowie was performing on this same night at The Starplex Amphitheater in nearby Dallas, TX (a recording of which was released and titled OUVREZ LE CHIEN). Maybe an impetus for the debut of Life on Mars? or just a coincidence. Either way, glad that song joined the Phish catalog, eventually leading to the Halloween performance of Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and Spiders from Mars.