This show is one of the main reasons I am still very passionate about this band – catching that special show where the band’s playing and energy of the reactive crowd transcend the typical concert experience. It’s been noted by many people that this show was special and perhaps the best the band has played on webcast. Being there for the weekend, I’d like to confirm it was.

Reba, Walk Away and the Jibboo > Roggae were particular highlights of the first set. Roggae is a song that needs to be put into regular rotation. Was lucky to catch it at Gorge ’11 and SPAC ’12 and each time it’s transcended my expectations. Yes, the first hour of the 2nd set was grade-A Phish (everyone knows this by now), but don’t let the second portion of the 2nd set fall to the wayside. The Theme > Rocky Top, Boogie > Meatstick, Bug, YEM were all wonderfully played and continued to carry the energy in the room. Set II was easily the most solid set, top-to-bottom, that I’ve seen the band play in the 25+ 3.0 shows I’ve caught - great flow, continual playful musical interaction between band members, exploratory jamming and much-missed true segues. This is the Phish I am passionate about.

Note: I also wanted to applaud the band’s mgmt. I’ve seen previous concerts at BGCA and many of those shows were grossly oversold, leaving an insanely crowded floor and anxious audience. The Phish shows were the first time I’ve enjoyed this venue from an attendance perspective and I would be very excited about them playing the room again.