From inside the room, I saw Izabella serve the boys four flagons of Jimi Juice.

They drank deep and brought the rock for the rest of the night. Great goods from top to bottom. Even the shorter jams in second set went “there.”

Gonna be a tremendous tour if we’re only going up from here.

I’ve been to a lotta shows, and nothing even sort of prepared me for what happened tonight in that stadium. I can’t wait to see what kind of set list someone will mold to explain what happened to us all, band included. They are magicians of the highest order working together to provide us with something rare, intimate and precious. .

All I know is that forever more when they talk about That Seattle Hood I’ll know I was fucking there and it has left me changed for the good in many ways.

This concert makes me want to be a better person. Any way possible. Thank you Trey, Mike, Paige and Jon for the gifts you so generously offer us. Blessings to us all.

Entertaining reviews to say the least. I was on the floor about 50 feet from the stage dead center both nights. Went in early and claimed the "sweet spot." The sound was perfect, the lights were...over the top but I'll hit that more in a bit. To say that anything from Saturday nights show was "standard," "sloppy" or "choppy?" is laughable. The 3 days of rehearsals at the Tacoma Dome prior to these shows assured they would sound NOTHING like typical tour opener shows, and that was 150% spot on. They sounded polished, confident and tight both nights. The Wave of Hope 2nd set opener from night one was a monster- 1st night of tour?? Ok. Golden Road was as drippy as they get. Fluff encore...money. Night 2 1st set is up there for best of year so far. Unmatched energy & song placement. The Seattle "Wolfabella" will stand strong against anything this spring. And no the transition into Izabella was not "a mess" but the complete opposite...it was seamless. The eruption from the crowd confirmed that. The Reba>CDT is why you travel to see this band. 2nd set I really liked. To say that this set was "choppy" just because they played Velvet Sea after a rippin Tube is also laughable. It reminded me of Gorge3 '18 when they did a crushing Crosseyed>Twist>Waves and then followed it up with "Miss you!" It was perfect. We needed a breather, and so did the band! I felt the same way last night. The Circus comes to town was beautiful as well and a nice breather from the 30+ minutes of craziness prior. Knowing they picked to play Velvet late in the 2nd set, you know there's something good coming to close- and boom...a gorgeous Hood!! I'll take a Velvet>Hood all day. I did Merriweather & Dicks last summer and there was some incredible playing during those shows, but this '23 version of this band so far has me hooked. We have great things to look forward to this year as phans. Now to the lights. I love the lights, but this new rig- though multi-everything...is overwhelming and at some times annoying in my opinion. The LED flashes were way too much- I had to look down every time. I know Kuroda goes big, but sometimes it takes away from the music. Maybe it was my location at the show on the floor? But that's my spot most of the time I see them, and I've never experienced lights like that before. There were moments I couldn't see the band because the lights were so thick in front. Don't get me wrong here, I was drawn in, mesmerized and blown the f away by what I saw from the new rig, I just which they could dial down the strobes & LED's a little. Anyway, my .02. I think Night2 was the better night if I had to pick- but not by much. Great venue, fun scene, and perma grins all around. A superb 1-2 punch in the gut to start tour. I'd rate this show a 4.1/5.

I don't normally review shows that I didn't go to, but I felt compelled to do a brief write-up on this show. This is such a clean sounding show. There are some moments that hint toward a more jammy/scenic approach to the music, but nothing gets quite as deep as 4/14's Wave of Hope or Golden Age. Instead, what we get is a well-balanced and nuanced show that I'd argue contains no dull moments. The segues here are also executed in endearing fashion. I can't really pick a highlight because there are so many highlights interspersed in these 2 sets; Wolfman's>Izabella, Reba, CDT, Ruby Waves>Caspian>Piper, Tube, and Hood. And I'd also like to add that the individual members' playing is sounding very refreshed, refined, sharp, and crisp.

In this regard, this show reminds me a bit of a show like 8/9/15 or 7/15/16 where the sum is greater than the whole. What I'm saying is, not listening to this show because of a lack of deep, type II 20+ min. jams would be such a huge disservice to yourself. Well, as long as you enjoy when this band is firing on all cylinders, anyway.

A little less exciting than N1 on the whole, but there are some nice highlights for sure. Wolfman's jam is quite nice and the -> Izabella is a super smooth surprise. Reba sounds well-rehearsed (those in-ear monitors work great, it seems), and the jam is nice and spirited. A strong 4.0 version for sure. CDT closer is pretty cool too. Set II flows well, even if nothing gets too too deep. Piper stands out.

[sup]Well it was kind of a double black diamond landing into Rosario, just ahead of a full-on storm- putting the pontoons down on top of three foot whitecaps; and a bit of a gnarly turnaround too, with the rollers washing saltwater over our feet on the float. But Kenmore is badass, and we had brunch at the mansion as if nothing had happened. Only worth mentioning because it seemed such a natural, indigenous, rock and roll continuation of the second night in Seattle. Both were fast and intense forces of nature. Stopping to reflect was out of the question, and we got delivered through with certainty.

If you were in the room you know. Clearly the ensemble was fully aligned with its mission going in, and delivered in spades. From the opening notes it was plain that no one of the 17,000 present would be spared. Majestic sonic vistas, over expansive, iridescent landscapes. Before it was over the sublime devastation and exquisite wreckage left in the wake was everywhere, and undeniable.

The arena was the Ajna chakra of North America for the evening. The particulars and fineness of the various songs will be well analyzed; we need only remind ourselves of the incredibly valuable, rare, and humbling good fortune we’ve been gifted by Providence. Last night, we were the lucky ones.[/sup]

Wolfman->Izabella is really incredible stuff. Reba dips her toes into type 2 territory, hoping we can see a really lengthy and exploratory version this year! Chalkdust is a rager, and closes the set in style. Second set has some weird flow but over all its pretty good. RW and Piper are good versions and Tube really comes through here, covering so much ground in little time, definite MVP of the show for me. Hood has a little extra spice on it like we've come to expect just a tease of some minor jamming. Encore is kind of weak for my taste. Love train song, just not sure the encore is a strong location for it.

Overall Trey's tone is absolutely screaming, hes getting very dialed in now that hes stopped tinkering and it bodes well. Fishman is an animal, he just keeps getting better and sounds amazing.

id say strong 3.8/5. Lost points for that weak encore and song selection in the second set but phish is sounding amazing this year already and we could be in for a great year!

The Moma Dance: Is it just me or did Fishman come in too early on his vocals? Other than that, solid – no complaints. Played close to the vest.

Wolfman's Brother: Fantastic – exactly what I am looking for from Phish – outer space and sinister jamming. Great version! ->

Izabella: Trey worked hard for a good 20 seconds to make this segue work, but it was not too smooth. The intro of this version is a mess but it’s the thought that counts. Great placement, thank you Phish!

Leaves: Love this placement, big fan of this tune. Every time I hear it – I hope for a version like 7.26.22 from Jones Beach. This one gets peppered with whale calls early on but eventually moves on from that into a very nice space.

Reba: Wowzers, very nice hearing this start up. This first set is definitely hitting just right. I LOVE the sojourn into dark, minor chord territory late in the 7-minute range. Fantastic! This goes on for close to two minutes! Very solid Reba would recommend this for that two-minute minor chord jam. The peak to this Reba is pretty good as well.

Chalk Dust Torture: Old school set with the exception of Leaves! The intro to the jam is heavily laden with effects and taken to a dark place! Mike and Page run the show on this one, very bouncy and funky while maintaining that dark edge with the exception of about a 30 second range in the mid 7’s. Trey takes the reins in the latter portion of the tens and lightens the mood a good bit, taking it to a feel good, major chord jam. Shortly thereafter he guides it back to the original theme and shreds it up. Really fun set!

SET 2: Free: Mike owns per usual. Standard affair though. Broadway Trey in the vocal wrap up. Not sure what the effects are in the last couple of minutes – almost sounds like a fan cheering in the background but it’s not – sort of distracting. >

Ruby Waves: Decent jam, I guess. > Prince Caspian: Completely standard issue right here, although I did appreciate the way they slipped into Piper >

Piper: Interesting, spooky effects in the early 6’s. Like Ruby Waves, I feel like this is a decent jam, but nothing held my attention >

When the Circus Comes: Standard.

Tube: Again, not to beat a dead horse but like Ruby Waves and Piper, there is little here that holds my attention, when I saw that it was ten minutes plus, I was pumped but… >

Wading in the Velvet Sea: Set is officially choppy at this point. Broadway Trey’d as well. >

Harry Hood: Decent version – nice, little held note at the end and a good peak.

ENCORE: Train Song: First time in the encore slot – pretty cool. Sloppy vocal interplay from Mike and Trey.

Brian and Robert: Huh. I love this tune, but this is a strange spot. Yes, I know it has seen the encore slot a good many times. But this paired with Train Song – or they trying to put everyone to sleep? Broadway Trey’d.

Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S. – Trey rips it to shreds, great way to end the show.

Replay Value/Summary: Would definitely recommend the Wolfman’s Brother and the Reba for that minor chord jam. I enjoyed that first set, the old school nature of it and the refusal to give in to blissing out every jam is very much appreciated. Great setlist execution and construction. They had to have that planned or written down. The second set is average and an unfortunate letdown from that super fun first set. It’s a shame but what are you gonna do? I think this show is slightly better than the first night and would rate it as a 3.8 out of 5.