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I've been seeing Phish since 94 and have maybe reviewed 5 shows up to now. I never saw the point as everyone always wrote what I felt.
These last few shows are different. They are a cosmic interstellar metaphysical psychic journey that explodes into the psychedelic jamfest that we all just witnessed.
This may sound weird, but I'm glad I wasn't there. That was more then I could handle sitting at my computer, and I have tasted the Chalkdust. Sorry if I sound spun out, but I'm spun out. That was the best Phish show I have ever heard. And if you check my stats, I've seen at least a couple killer shows, and have listened to bordering on tens of thousands of hours of music. I like no other band and can't be convinced by anyone that another band exists. Tonight justifies my haste for any other music then Phish. They play what I feel and push it into your soul like a freight train of energy.
You either feel it or you like Dave.
Now, obviously explaining it is another thing. Good luck.

Dear Phish,

You can keep my face.

Cheers,
Pete

WARNING: YOU WILL BE HOSED.

Note: Chameleon [herbie hancock] quote from Gordo at the beginning of his solo in YEM.

I want to tell my story and my experience of this show. So mind-blowing. Reflecting on the show brings me to tears. Struggled so hard at this one.

Why is August 19, 2012 so significant to the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium and myself?

First, what may come to mind is the fantastic Other One performed by the Grateful Dead on August 19, 1989 across the bay at the Greek.

More significant to me was on August 19, 2001 in the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium when we had a great Buddhist peace festival created and hosted by every Bay Area member of SGI-USA, sharing our community with more than 7,000 friends for free admission, with the theme centering on Beethoven's Ode to Joy.

This was the one show where it was necessary for me to attend. My favorite band in the room of a significant turning point in my life on the anniversary of that event (also on a Sunday). Since Nichiren Buddhism is the Buddhism of True Cause, I knew that this Phish concert was DESTINED and CERTAIN to manifest an effect from the former event. I needed only to attend, and here I was; my favorite friend finding a ticket for face value and offering me the miracle so that we may attend together.

Driving in, pondering that the Buddha and Devil arrive side by side, so to speak (if I were Fee, and she Millie, we had only to watch out and avoid Floyd. There was a close call, but it never happened). In this context, I was thinking that Crowd Control might be a good song to being with.

Walking into Bill Graham Civic and seeing those halls once again... how profound. The building is like an old friend I spent years visiting. From the remarkable Garcia Band show around Christmas 1990, to the first local Skate contest, to String Cheese Incident, and on and on. And of course, the Rev It Up festival, in preparation for the youth "Rock the Era" movement to follow, this building contains nostalgia like you wouldn't believe. Entering, I declared aloud: "Tonight is a Celebration of the Ode to Joy!" And then we went to the beer lounge.

Patron with Red Bull; much better than expected. A shared treat for a rare psychedelic encounter and the intense gravity in my life towards fearful circumstances of the heart, and the possibility of something far more wonderful I have never before known... it all seemed very appropriate. Either I would Split Open and Melt, or else I would stand up and catapult myself to a profound shift.

We went upstairs, and the lights went down, the band came on, and Trey cued up Crowd Control. We're in rhythm here. I sang that like "Make the devil turn around" like I was gonna do it myself.

Party Time. Now that the Devil has retreated, it's Party Time. Good standard version. The Civic needed a little more mono for both sides of the speaker stacks. We sought for good sound and views, and it seemed that the left tack had the left speaker mix, and the right, the right speaker mix. The stacks were far apart, so you'd only get the sound of the side of the room you were on. Beyond that, the room is like a big box with a high ceiling, so the sound gets lost in many ways throughout the room.

Axilla was above average for me. Rhythm section perfect. The band exploring the idea of nuance, stretching at the seams, adding various dynamics. If you don't listen close, you won't hear it, but it was quite good.

We crossed to Page side for Reba, the sound wasn't as good. but we danced some, and enjoyed a perfectly executed version, the highlight being a particularly great whistling segment.

Trey starts strumming that D. What is it? I called Free, and although it didn't really sound that way at first, it was. We took to the hallways and ran around Fishman side, and down a balcony stairway to some improved sound. Closer to the ground, it actually sounded quite good, so I think we say on the stairs. Funky Mike, and Trey was creative with his entry to his portion of the solo.

And then Mound. One thing that sets this Mound apart? The clapping intro. If you listen to Rift studio performance, the hand clapping of the intro is very steady, and the final clap happens in a moment of silence free of drums. Trey and Mike demonstrate where that clapping falls, and the audience started rushing. I did my best to follow them in holding it down, and others in the room did so as well. And then we nailed that clap in the silent moment. Almost. But hell, it was superior to nearly every other live version I've heard. A sign of the unity to come.

Walk Away was good, if not unexceptional. Maybe the sound was better on the floor. NICU has some great rhythmic nuances during the guitar riff where the band showed off their unity. Back On the Train was a cousin to the great 2/28/2003 performance, with a very similar jam. With respect to the past, I chanted 3 hearty Nam-myoho-renge-kyo's, that fell perfectly in place with the peak of the jam, and now we're looking forward.

Gotta Jiboo begins, and then the cookie crumbles, and I turn on. Hard. Sensory overload takes me, and it's time to find a place to cool down, get some fresh air, a drink of water, maybe a beer, roll a J, and... well, find a seat where I can sink in, turn off my mind, relax, float on air, listen to my soul, get in tune with the altered perception, and re-emerge on the scene with renewed confidence and energy. Of course, the only fresh air at a concert venue is the smoking section. How bout an outdoor non-smoking section as well? Wouldn't that make the concert venue a little more complete?

I tell my friend to go her own way for a little bit, and I sit in and relax. The beer lounge has speakers, and is showing the simulcast. I catch a minute of the Jiboo jam that is more pure than usual, some Roggae, and a very tense segment of Bowie that seems to be derived from Fluff's Travels. The band hits the end of Bowie with a little extra dynamics, playing the legato and staccato against each other for added impact.

Set break. Still in my seat, relaxing, beginning to feel like myself, writing a necessary text to ease my mind of personal matters that must be addressed in the most respectful and sensitive manner. I am back!

I get up, find my friend, who nearly had an encounter with Floyd and a quick escape. We are truly happy to be united, and I am smitten like nobody's business for the remainder of the night.

We begin talking, and under the fungus, I have a tendency to get very philosophical and I say a lot. My previous fungal experience at Phish was at the Gorge in '97, when I talked myself into a knot, stood up and observed that I was watching a band that reminded my of the Grateful Dead at a venue that reminded me of Shoreline. The next day, the fungus passed, and I suddenly spoke my first word.

Tonight, I was more disciplined, more knowledgeable about what I know, and I knew when to stop. I think.

We talked in the hall, just grooving on each other, grooving on the band in the background, and I told her that the music going on was of legend. As if to make that point, when I reached the end, and said, "and that's that" or whatever the conclusion was, the band fired up from mellow to triumphant, and we entered the floor in the back corner of the spinner section, just as the band dropped into Sneaking Sally! And we danced joyful, creative, as free as the music, and man! This music was happening! Mike was just layin' down the grooves. We couldn't see the band, but the sound was perfect, and we were into each other, into our favorite band, into sharing the groove of our favorite band together. And dancing close, the band began "Still Waiting" and surprised us by reprising the whole damn groove, not just the quote. Man, one mention of Trey's mentor, Ernie Stires, and Trey explodes with appreciation. He nailed every aspect of Theme on this one! And if that wasn't enough, cap it off with Rocky Top for my Tennessee friend.

Boogie on Reggae Woman, another for my girl, and although short, the jams are timeless. That could have been 10 minutes for all I knew. Seemed to go on forever, and yet it's actually quite short. But I never felt happier in many a year. Meatstick is great fun, and just as I talk too much again, and say: "It Doesn't Matter," the band drops into Bug. Pure synchronicity. The solo is exceptional, and then... YEM.

This YEM has all the love and joy imaginable, and the Trey solo follows the theme of the orchestral variation, with the quiet jams. Mike introduces his solo on the heals of a quote of Herbie Hancock's Chameleon (Leo was Leon on this San Francisco night). We bolt to the center of the floor just in case Herbie happens to show up. I cannot tell you the feeling in the room at this point. Mike nailed his solo. The vocal jam is like nothing you've heard before, with the voices circling around the room on the p.a.

Hell I was high, so I thought Bug was the encore, and I hadn't seen the stage, so when the band came back, I thought we were witnessing the second encore. Page lets us know how much fun they had this evening. Ride Captain Ride, and a genuine San Francisco reference. It all felt right, and then here comes the Tweezer Reprise, with a conviction like you would not believe. Glowsticks fly. We gather glowsticks off the floor and throw them back into the air. Streamers go up, and we step into the Freezer together! The final riff before the grand finale is played with a conviction and confidence that roars with certainty and force, as though to declare "DAMN RIGHT!" from Trey's guitar.

Hugs and hand slaps all around. People walking silently in the halls, bursting into cheers, glowing with this warmth and beauty collectively permeating... I mean everyone was glowing, stunned, moved.

Listening back, you can hear Trey holding back tears of joy as he sings Light. This was that kind of show.

I take my sweetheart on a tour of the city, reminded by that Herbie quote to play some Herbie for a smooth landing, and then Wayne Shorter Quartet for that Grimm's Tale vibe as we coasted slowly through GOlden Gate Park, over Twin Peaks, to the Pacific Ocean, past the Cliff House, into the Haight, talking and indulging our joy and gratitude and appreciation.

I would put the first hour of that 2nd set up against anything. Unreal.

There were times during the my listen of this show that I had to stop and just gape at what was happening. The -> from "Light" into "Sally" is justly talked about at length, but I loved the > from THE "Crosseyed" into "Light". After that pants-wetting mother of a jam, we think it's time for normalcy, right? Nope. The band crashes into the wonderful opening riff of "Light", and we're OFF. To go from the best "Crosseyed" since 7/29/03, into the 3.0's most awe-inspiring jam vehicle in "Light", is just plain inspiring. The final minute or two of "Light" is one of the best minutes in the thirty years that Phish has been cranking it. Honestly, what the fuck was going on there?? Page completely destroys this section, and holy god is that "Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley?" A true "holy shit, I didn't see that coming," moment for sure. The jam funks along in that nasty way "Sally" tends to do. The return to "Crosseyed" has been done before, but never this well. "Theme" is the perfect cool down point, and did they really play "Rocky Top" to end this sequence? Only Phish could do that. A standard, but well played, "Boogie on Reggae Meatbug" follows, then a jazzfunky YEM to close. A SF-appropriate Ride Captain Ride>Tweezer Reprise lets the crowd sail away.

The first set is nothing to forget, either. The "Crowd Control" opener is a really nice rarity, and a nice juicy "Party Time" follows. I heard some "Not Fade Away" type drums in the opening- a subtle tribute to the Dead? "Axilla", while it will never occupy too much of a place in the favorite songs section of my heart, still rocks undeniably. They first flirt with the jam unknown in "Reba"- there are a few few points where it looks like the band could tread off the beaten path here in "Reba", but it's brought to a typical, but satisfying, peak. And any "Reba" is made better with the whistling ending. "Free" was disappointing, honestly- the jam seemed like it could break free of the chains the band has placed on it in 3.0, but it turned the same corner it always does and came back in a mere 6:54. "Mound" was a bit flubbed in it's naturally weird opening, and the guitar solo didn't erupt quite like Superball's volcanic verson, but it's still "Mound," so no complaints. The band has taken "Walk Away" for a lot of wild rides in 3.0, and this one is no exception. "NICU" is standard fun, with Trey calling Page "Leon." I honestly hate "Gotta Jibboo." Sure it's fun, but I feel like it's an insult to Phish's other compositionally and lyrically astute songs. HOWEVER- this version is pretty damn fantastic. Trey sounds great- even for "Jibboo." The "Roggae" goes deep. I love the great point that this song has evolved to in 3.0. "David Bowie" is incredibly flubbed in the beginning, but still builds to a nice peak.

So, overall? I believe this is the show where everything Phish was and is working towards in 3.0 coalesced in the most complete fashion. So many different jam styles converged during the second set. And there wasn't even a "Plinko" jam, one of the most prominent jam tools they have these days. They were unbelievably on. This is IT.

The first set is almost certainly the most well put together first frame of a show in the past 8 years.

Second set is extremely cohesive and interesting. The Rocky Top is like a mid set victory lap. The band loves Bug in these situations. I can't say I understand why, but I accept it. Part of me thinks another gut wrenchingly beautiful and unique 3.0 version of Farmhouse or If I Could would have fit like a glove, but I called Bug, YEM the second they fired up Theme and from Phish's perspective, it was clearly the right call.

The only underwhelming thing from this show other than my petulant preference for a different late show ballad was the Theme. Everyone in the band seemed to have a moment where they were under the impression that they were going to either ride this one out longer or take the jam into a different direction. It's a shame they didn't all feel the same way at the same time and eventually bailed on it, because the improv from this show- both sets- was notably spectacular.

Props to the Crowd Control opener. Hilarious choice, solid song, and every time they play it the song feels like a reminder that yes, Phish DOES have their grubby fingers on the collective pulse of the fan base. Party Time, Axilla drives the point home as a tip of the hat to the comically negative response to the Merriweather show in 2009. They got their eyes on us.

So I say to you, Phish- 40 minute Bouncing!

All in all, a very solid contender for the show of the year, but perhaps not a runaway favorite. I'll need to digest it again for that kind of hyperbole.

Set 1

Some of the playing in the beginning of set 1 (Reba) either seemed to lack inspiration or the boys were simply a bit tired. Nonetheless, listen to this set for some above average playing on Jibboo and Bowie. For instance, the phab four hit a beautiful, mellow space at the beginning of the Bowie jam and then move into some sonically dissonant, murkier waters.

Set 2

Set two started with perhaps the most thoughtfully played Crosseyed and Painless. Tonight’s version was definitely on par with the absolute face-melter-of 11/2/96. If you’re looking for an exploratory vision quest, check out vids of tonight’s Crosseyed. Page took Light out to funky horizons on the theremin. When Sneakin’ Sally started, I could hear that the guys were in the pocket—relaxed, in a state of fluid experimenation, yet focused. The best shows of 3.0 have involved Trey sitting back a bit and allowing Mike, Page, and Fish to bring their vision quests to center stage, and tonight’s show is certainly an example of this type of full-band, empathetic (listening and) playing. I’m ambivalent about YEM, but tonight’s exorcism of a vocal jam left me shaken to my musical core.

Crosseyed→Light→Sneakin’ Sally

Just got back from the show. As many others have stated, Crosseyed -> Light -> Sally -> Crosseyed is stunning. The transition from Light -> Sally is exceptionally fluid. The second set will go down as one of the greatest in 3.0, no doubt.

They should DVD this shit

I left my body tonight.

I registered just to post a review (and because I'm a nerd who loves phish)

Just want to echo what's been said.

Tonight's show was some of the best Phish I've ever seen. I can no longer compare Phish of today to the Phish that I first starting seeing in 96'. Their on a level that is above and beyond what I knew of them.

This show was solid through and through. A must listen.

Haven't seen anyone mention the tease of the Mumford and Son's song "The Cave" by Mike during Crosseyed around 13 minutes in.

Hands down the best show I've ever seen. When they dropped into Sally I remember saying.."and just when you thought it couldn't get any better!" Pure bliss. Just unbelievable. The Crosseyed sandwich will go down as one of the best jams of this summer, if not 3.0

finally had to make an account after attending this show. my jaw is still on the beer-covered, glowstick-littered, ash-filled floor. words don't do it justice so just download and listen...RIGHT NOW!

oh, and great yem to close.

Just here to give some love to this beautiful ROGGAE. Sweet Jesus.

Wow. Streamed this one and I gotta say that was some of the most undeniable Phish I've heard in recent memory. Download this one absolutely.

Wow... umm, just, it's like, you see, well, uh, this show is outstanding. I pulled this down after reading the reviews and seeing a super strong rating. Gotta hear if this is as terrific as Starlake, which I love... Everyone was right.

Set I is really cohesive and high energy - even Back On The Train, which I never expect to blow me away, is stellar - but in Set II they tapped the golden vein and extracted a motherlode from the mountain. Crosseyed>Theme should be covered in academia to teach improv communication, or at least to show what is possible when a band operates as a single unit to perfection. There is no "ok, I can hear Page steering us towards X" or "Mike sent this into Y here." Instead there is one voice / direction / statement. Nobody stands out on their own and everything stands out.

They could have ended with Theme and encored Rocky Top and that would have been one of the better nights in one of the better years. I can't wait to see them in Denver.

I never thought I would hear a show like this from 3.0 Phish. Absolutely stunned here in my armchair. This is the kind of show everyone hopes they get to witness. I am so happy for the first timers who saw this show, or for the guy who hadn't seen a show since the 90's and decided to check one out - they both got a bomb dropped on them, as did everyone else who attended or downloaded this show.

Wow.

Blown away.

Put this one in the 'Epic' column, worthy of an official live release... I believe it will stand as a milestone in this era of the band's history.

Leading up to showtime, everyone I met was saying, "This is the night!" We called 9 tunes before the band took the stage. All of them were played. My wife, for the first time in her life, looked at me very intensely during T. Reprise. "I have CHILLS all over my body!"
The band is continuing to break new ground. Thematic jamming has always been a part of the band, but now it's taking on a new vitality. Just when a jam starts to loose steam, someone sweeps in with a fresh idea that the band latches on to. Long Beach and SF3 contained some of the best musical communication I've ever heard in person and I feel lucky to have been there to witness it.

Instant classic. In my all-time top 5. Second set is ridiculous.

Was that a "Single Ladies" tease in the "Light"?

Ahhhhhh BOY! What a show! If anyone has a complaint about this show, you're nucking futs.

best phish i've ever seen. download it.

Just walked my dog while listening to this Crosseyed & Painless with Dr. Dre Beat Headphones on. Had a moment - that moment went something like this, "Have I heard them do this? OMG I have to rewind and listen to those 17 minutes again - OMG - OMG - they did it again!!!!" One for the ages!! A special night in San Fransicko!

just echoing what has already been said. there is no way to compare what just got thrown down saturday and sunday to anything ive ever seen this band do...(~40 shows since 92). sundays set 2 was the most mindblowing set of live music ive seen since Brent passed in 1990.

I got out of work late last night and hopped onto the webcast at NICU. I was heated that I missed a bunch of great songs; Reba and Mound specifically. Little did I know I was still in for a thrill-ride of epic porportions. Roggae and Bowie were amazing and at a point where I definitely thought the set was over. Pumped I heard the mind left body tease at the beginning of Bowie and then was verified by the .net update.
Not going to go on forever. The second set is pure fire. There are so many sick teases and themes/grooves by each member of the band. Such a tight performance. Download this immediately. Almost 3.5 hours of music. I look forward to looking back fondly upon this performance (even via couch).

The frequency was tight!

Now THIS is Phish 2012! Second set is hot top to bottom, with must hear work in Light and Sneakin'. The boys are primed and ready to sail to another shore, and be free once more.

Go here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qsoAoFnw4Y

If you're impatient, and you want to skip right to the money shot, skip to the 30 minute mark for a little Tweeprise-like build followed by a full on liquid explosion. But do yourself a favor and watch the whole set...

This second set is absolutely blisteringly superb ... Downloading and listening to this show is highly recommended. As far as Phish "3.0" (for lack of a better word, term, or phrase) goes, this is about as good as it gets. Wish I could've frickin' been there.

Just a wonderful show. What's not to like?

Probably - *probably* - the best show of 2012, at least as of this pre-OKC/Dick's writing, and probably a Top 3 show of 3.0. The second set is that transcendent, IMO. I could listen to that 45 minute Set II opening sequence all day, and everything that comes afterwards (a hot Boogie On, super-fun YEM, and yes, even Meatstick) is just gravy on top of the best biscuit I've eaten all year.

Or, this: https://twitter.com/twittels/status/237583779441561600

I am sure someone has said it before, but if the people want to hear Phish acknowledge the Grateful Dead in one of my top 2-3 Phish shows of all time (since 1999); listen to the Mind Left Body Jam opening notes to David Bowie. i was quick to point it out to my wife becase I had listened to 6/18/94 the day before.

I've seen 60+ Phish shows, and I missed Big Cypress.
A regret that hurt a lot less after Sunday night Bill Graham, from song One to the final note- quite possibly the best concert I have ever seen. Usually my, now wife, and myself usually dance Page-side with our friends, but we took seats al the way to the left over Page's side; wouldn't trade it for a thousand dollars. I danced, but at times through Crosseyed->Light->Sneakin Sally->Crosseyed>Theme>Rocky Top I just stopped and stared at Trey and Mike and Fish and Page; I love the eruption at the end of Light before Sally, reminiscent of about 18 mins into Rock N Roll from the Gorge last year.
I am just so humbled to be able to be apart of Sunday. I was never at a Gamehendge show, nor NYE 95; I was at Bill Graham night three, where undeniably they owned it.
There is only one Phish, and I think myself and others on this website are very lucky to have a favorite band who works so hard, who is so creative, who tries every type of music, who covers any band; who, in my book is the best four man Music Band of all time. I know how well the Beatles wrote catchy songs anf made great albums, but they could not craft the music these men do. It is awesome to be alive during good music. I always wished I was alive in the 70's to see Bob Marley, even more than the Dead; but no band has gotten better at year 29, that I know of at least.

Good Job boys- you are very much a soundtrack to my life, and it is second to none!

Light->Sneakin'. HOLY EFFING $H@%!!!!!!

Best Phish show I've attended and up there with some of the best I've heard. Second set is seriously up there with Dayton '97, '98 Island Tour shows, and whatever else you can dig from the vault. Reaffirmation that the boys are on top right now. Use any superlative you want.

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.

Show was nuts. Light -> Sally -> Crosseyed was SEAMLESS. Unreal.

Thank you Trey, Mike, Page, and Fish.

"Was that a "Single Ladies" tease in the "Light"?"

It was! Trey also teased it in Long Beach.

The segue back into the C&P Reprise was worth the cost of admission itself. Would have killed for another 4 minutes of either Boogie or Meatstick, but regardless, that was some damn fine f*cking music. And that was an exceptional vocal jam too.

Among many other great moments documented in other reviews, I love the swagger of Trey's licks in the latter half of Mike's solo in Free, and Page's triumphant entry into Meatstick.

This is also my all time favorite Theme simply because Trey pulled one of the most gloriously melodic solos of his career. He doesn't leap in at the end of the long build, instead playing 4 bars of chords, a piece of restraint that pays off with the following minute of bliss. That restraint was repeated in YEM to great effect. It isn't a whole-band jam, and it doesn't need to be in the context of a show already chock full of type I and II glory. I usually rewind this and listen to it twice or three times before proceeding with the rest of the set.

Besides Big Cypress and maybe 12/31/95, this is my favorite phish show ever in >100 attended and 250+ recordings. OMG I love this show.

A show of this caliber matched with a venue this small made this quite an experience.

I missed Crowd Control, got in a little late from the Bart (I pre-partied a little too long in Oakland). Bathrooms were empty for the beginning of Party Time so I took advantage. The friends I'd been with the entire weekend were texting me from deep inside the crowd wondering where I was (they didn't go to Oakland) but I decided to spend 1st set solo and I'm glad I did.

I bobbed and weaved freely in the middle back areas of the floor during Axilla, getting a feeling for the sound in the place. You didn't need to be that close for good sound, something my previous two nights up close didn't teach me.

Reba, YES! One point for me. My friends and I all picked 10 songs we thought we'd hear tonight, losers buying drinks for the winner. This was my first point. I puffed down with some neighbors around this time.

Free>Mound>Walk Away, NICU>BOTT, Gotta Jiboo yielded me two more points for Free & NICU. Walk Away was fire.

Roggae was by far the best first set song of the weekend imo. The ending riffs completely devastated the place. I was slack jawed.

Bowie yielded me yet another point, bringing me up to 4, and I recorded a pretty sweet video w/ my phone during the build entitled "Phases of CK5", look for it on Youtube.

Found my friends at set break, dead center. Very good sound was to come for the second set, with a little grief from the tapers at first (for having too much fun apparently) so I had to distance myself from them by about ten ft.

Set two was just ridiculous. I'm not even going to separate the songs for the first four because it really was just one nasty fog funk entity. I danced my ass off! Sneakin, Light 2 more points. 6 total.

They NAILED Theme. Great placement, I'd forgotten all about this one (expected it in Long Beach). It reminds me of high school, at this moment all I could think was that I absolutely LOVE this band!!!

Rocky Top provided a needed breath of fresh mountain air but then UH OH, back into the fog w/ Boogie On Reggae Woman> Meatstick, and what a well played Meatstick it was.

Bug isn't my favorite song but "it doesn't matter" at this point so it kinda makes sense. Good choice guys!

YEM brought me up to 7 points and boy was it nice. Good work on the tramps boys, so synchronized... they must work out!

Ride Captain Ride proved how much of an idiot I was for predicting it'd be played in Long Beach because of the Queen Mary (it is a ship). San Francisco Bay line? Duh!!

Then of course a ROCKING Tweeprise complete with an EPIC on beat confetti explosion from someone near the front row. Whoever did that, you rule! It really added so much to that moment. Well, there's my 2 cents. A perfect show, 5/5. Oh and Tweeprise brought me to 8/10, winning me the game (a friend got close w/ 7). Divided Sky and Golgi A. were my two duds for the evening. Thanks again for crushing it guys!

This was absolutely the best three shows I have ever been to. I saw the Grateful dead in 93 94 95 and then hopped onto phish and I absolutely believe that was the best show since forever!! And not just the show but the venue, the people, the city. It was just pure energy between the band and the crowd, It reminded me of the tabernacle in ATL, It is so intimate that it seems that the band just throws out all this magic and energy into the crowd and then the crowd plays with it, then gives it back to the band and so on and so forth. The the 19th was my birthday and it was the best night of 32 years of living!!!!!(~);}

Holy cow! This second set is straight fire, hose, and simmering greatness. This is what we are looking for. It is no wonder this is the highest rated show so far this year. The first set is pretty damn good. This show is an instant classic. Get it now, right now.

Once again, an amazing event.

Crowd Control has Trey alluding Nellie Cane into the guitar riff.

Reba contains a very blatant Dave's Energy Guide Tease from Trey.

Mike Gordon nearly plays the melody to Herbie Hancock's Chameleon during his YEM bass solo, appropriate because Trey calls Page "Play it, Leon" rather than "Leo." "Leon" as in Chame"Leon!"

Anyway, this show speaks for itself now. Just do it.

This was my 88th show and it felt like my first all over again... except for the fact that I knew a lot more songs this time around.

A great all around show with a 2nd set that is must hear from beginning to end.

C&P->Light>Sally will live on

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The reviews are close to how i felt during this show. I just want to add that watching trey set his guitar down and dance during mike's bass solo was sweet. It's nice to see the boys enjoying their own music so much. I absolutely love this band. I was so lost from 04-09. Looking forward to next year!

off the couch tour and there is the west coast heater.... very sick!!!! crosseyed and painless reprise????

epic

THANK YOU PHISH!!!!! I loved all three shows.

Come on back to SF soon now ya' hear.

This was a PERFECT Phish show. Someone hand me a napkin so I can wipe my mouth.

It was only a matter of time before a 2nd set opened with the mother of all 3.0 jams. Was this that show? Muah hah hah......we will see won't we! Summers not over yet....

After burning the place down last night, they (and we) arrived tired but ready to rally. Phish guided us in with the most chill--almost quiet--set I've seen. They were gentle but started pushing gently too.

The band's determination to feel and deliver just what we needed opened a place where they could experiment and explore because they were doing something different, and because they killed it the prior evening, so nothing beautiful or truly risky was out of bounds.

The result was unique, classic and so satisfying.

Thank you for an unforgettable three night run.

Wow. Streamed this one and I gotta say that was some of the most undeniable Phish I've heard in recent memory. Download this one absolutely.

Where is the China Cat tease from Mike before Bug?

After months of listening to this show there are a few teases I believe deserve a mention:

Mike briefly teases "Mind Left Body" prior to Bowie, reminiscent of my favorite Bowie of all time - UIC 94.6.18, recently released in the Chicago '94 boxset

Trey briefly teases "What's The Use?" toward the end of Crosseyed.

Mike fully teases "25 or 6 to 4" during his solo at the end of YEM.

I haven't read all the comments prior to this, and I'm surely not the only person to hear these things...but I've been meaning to add my 2 cents.

You're Welcome .net

FWIW - Crosseyed contains a tease of "Gamera" by Tortoise, off the Lazarus Taxon album, at about 12min 50sec. I was fortunate enough to be there on that fine evening and remember thinking I'd heard it before but couldn't place it until I recently played my Tortoise album.

I think because STL was a sleeper and this show is considered the marquee (prior to Dick's), the details aren't considered as closely. I think there is a general consensus among the Leg 2 shows (at least among those that attend/listen carefully/download) that the best shows pre-Dick's are BGCA3, STL, and Long Beach (but without a truly inspiring Rock and Roll, where would Long Beach be?). I am not here to scrutinize. Robert Fripp once explained the clear distinction when attending a show between "listening" and "hearing" the music. He said it is the difference between being alive or not- listening is a careful attention to the music, hearing is putting yourself on "auto-pilot" and not actively using your brain during the "musical event." With this explained, I would like to make clear that this is a defense of the STL sleeper show. Ranking is biased based on individual desires, predispositions, and personal experience/knowledge. So I wish not to rank, but to make a comparison outside of any hierarchy. STL was in my humble, but attentive perspective, the most focused and tightest show musically of the entire second leg. I heard a raw energy there unlike any other, as if Phish was neutral energy-wise stepping on the stage, and after the first set, they were running off with a youthful buzz. The second set was a tribute to what mature, 3.0 phish is truly capable of, that which no other band is today- deep musical cohesion and precision. I believe the band was surprised by IT in STL. Again, this is just a review of STL; which I felt inclined to report, because I have not listened to such a tight show since Deer Creek 1. I would also say that Alpine 1 and 2 are highly underrated for variables different than the usual ones. Anyway, whatever this special IT is, I believe it catches Trey, Mike, Page, and Fish off guard. Check out STL, particularly after things get hot- approximately after Ocelot. Try to listen to things that are intangible compared to the usual variables (such as: how many bustouts?, type II jams?, gimicks, etc) - listen for IT in STL.

So it's been a few weeks since I literally lost my face on the floor of the BGCA. I felt it was necessary to give myself some time to process the awesomeness of what had just occurred. 3 nights of Phish. rewind to august 2011.

I had just finished touring around to see Phish for leg 1 and superball, then found myself at the VT show, for my last show of the summer. I had graduated college and was debating on where I should move, the decision was San Francisco. It was set and I moved to this glorious city in september. Flash forward to let me think, April when leg 2 dates were announced? something like that. and BOOM 3 nights of my favorite band in the city I just happened to move to, the phates aligned! Now scoot forward once more and here we are August 19, 2012, my backyard, the best band. My best friend and I decided to take the floor after raging the upper balcony the two previous nights. Opening up the show with crowd control was truly outstanding, i love unexpected openers. Party time came out and damn was it party time, everyone was getting down, as you should at a phish show. However, the feeling and energy was different than I have ever felt, even different than MSG. Axilla raged and get everyones head banging out, then finally, what I've been waiting for since superball 9...REBA.

Reba is my favorite Phish song and jam, and to be 10 rows back from page I knew this was something special. The jam was so emotionally charged and phenomenal. All of the boys were so synced in with each other and evoked a mesmerizing jam, that had me grooving and possibly drooling over the amazing quality of musicianship i was witnessing. The whistling was flawless, as they had some hiccups during superball with that part. They cruised through the first set with so many great jams, high energy filled free, walk away, and bowie. Everything was going right and I had nothing but positivity and high fives for that first set.

set two came about and I don't think I was prepared for what was going to happen. C&P opened the set and I knew I was headed to funky town. Let me tell you I have never gotten down so hard as I did that night, and I get down. They exploded into that C&P jam with smooth and silky riffs, bringing out the funk within. Right into Light, and I'll say I've never met a light that I haven't liked. This jam was truly exceptional and had the music coursing through my veins. I lost control of my body and entered into what I like to call the star fish dance. I had lost all control of my body and my limbs were going every direction, completely feeling the music and the energy that was encapsulated within the BGCA. Then sally with the C&P reprise blew my mind. Theme was a great interlude then back to rocky top which is a great, fun tune. boogie on, meatstick then bam YEM. hello, can you say rage much? I scooted up a few rows and left my face back where I started.

Ride captain ride was a great shout out to San Francisco and had the crowd so excited that these guys were signing about SF. I was all geared up and usually when a tweezer is played I forget a tweeprise is coming, just because Im so involved and in that moment can barely recall what opened the set. However, I had been waiting for this tweeprise for 2 shows now. then BOOM right into tweeprise, confetti and streamers fall down over the band, and I resumed the star fish dance. Jumping up and down, all around I was elated and so was everyone in that room, and Im sure the web casters. Without a doubt I had never experienced that much energy from the band and the phans. It was an exceptional end to an amazing weekend, that I will remember forever. Had my first west coast shows, in my new city, with my favorite people, seeing my favorite band. I could ask for anything better.

I truly love the Phish.

Discussing with my friend and brother before the show we knew tonight was a make or break show to really define the weekend overall musically. We got absolutely treated with the show of the summer!

Crowd control out of the gates didn't over do it but provided a nice energetic tempo. Party Time got things started. I'll always remember this version for the reason that my buddy and I after the band would yell Party Time...we would follow with..."Excellent"...a Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure reference that we soon found several others around us following suit. Also an above average jam for Trey closing out the song. A good Axilla would follow. I wanted Reba going into the weekend and was pleased we got it. Nothing over done but the latter part of song's jam always hits me hard. Free->Mound->Walk Away saw one of the most impressive Walk Away jams in recent history. Several people in our area looked at each other and gave a solid nod. NICU->BOTT saw two fan favorites deliver with noticeable first set prowess. Gotta Jiboo->Roggae provided a personal high as Roggae was a song I thought might elude us this weekend. David Bowie closed out the best first set of the weekend. During set break there was much chatter that the band seemed more "on" than the previous nights and we could be in for a special night. Little did we know...

Lights...

The opening notes hit and we were in full swing...Crosseyed.
This same time last year I was at the UIC shows and Phish opened up the third night second set with Crosseyed. Would we get a similar Crosseyed themed set with short choppy versions of every other song? Not on this night. What would follow would be 100 minutes of incredible depth, exploration, continuity, creativity, other wordly, awe inspiring, face melting, body aching, heart wrenching, musical perfection.
Mike took an early lead out of the gates in this Crosseyed with echoing bass vibrations followed by Page's unique electronic sound on keys that hadn't been heard all weekend. Trey soon takes on a steady, jovial, soft approach. Big Red's whale calls go on for what seemed like an eternity and he alerts Cactus to step in with a quick bass bomb. Fishman follows suit and hits his cymbals at a flashing pace. We are frozen in time and any thoughts of lacking sets early on this weekend have gone to the wayside. As Fish quiets, Trey start the early notes of Light. This version doesn't delay at all and continues on a path to Phish's musical intoxication. Only a few minutes in we already get Crosseyed teases...several minutes later I'm hearing Page foreshadow Meatstick. Trey steps in and is mastering a southern rock sound and begins a musical sword fight with Page. Trey backs off while Page escalates a Tweezer reprise jam that sent the crowd into a absolute frenzy. Trey picks back up where he left off for a hot minute and then just blast right into Sally. This Sally could of just peaked around the alley and this would of already been the highlight of the weekend. Instead the band continued to push their improvisational command on this night to new heights. Exploding out of the middle vocal section Trey brings everyone back into a combo of Crosseyed teases and Salley teases where we soon don't know which song we are in anymore. Mike and Page sound as if they are in Crosseyed while Trey and Fish are staying strong with Sally. Page begins the early piano notes to Theme and it just fit perfectly. An appropriate time to take a breather for everyone during the early minutes which then led into an exemplary version of Theme. I looked at my brother and friend and we all just had that stare of disbelief. Incredible...almost lost for words for what had transpired so far in this set. Rocky Top ignited the crowd with a well needed jolt that at the time felt like it might close out the set. Not a chance on this night. Boogie->Meatstick brought the funk back in the house and Mike and Page shined throughout. Bug would give us one more opportunity to look around and absorb and grasp what a trip we had on this night. Another perfectly placed song on this night that only gave me more appreciation for how Phish combined top notch shredding with a well thought out set. The icing on the cake came with the set closer YEM. There wasn't a single soul to disappoint with this choice and they hit all the right notes and finished in style.

When they came out for the encore and sang the opening lyrics to Ride Captain Ride..."Seventy-three men sailed up from the San Francisco Bay" the crowd went nuts. Another well thought out way to finish one hell of a weekend. Tweezer Reprise blew the lid of the joint and sent everyone home with that warm and fuzzy feeling not felt in a long time.

This night was the ultimate culmination to an absolute blast in the bay.

To my two brothers who shared every minute of this weekend with me thanks for the memories. Can't wait to do it again.

I'll see the rest of you in Denver!!! Yeehaa

Bowie has a passage in the jam very similar to Fluff's Travels.

I came down from washington to see all four cali. shows,and all four of them blew me and my dancing glow stix in hand out of the the water,as they always do.I just love dancing my butt off to phish they are the best.If you were next to me you would of heard me scream I LOVE PHISH !! at each show.There the only music that can fill me with enough energy to jump up and down and sweat that long,and move me in such a way.What a musical journey they are.I feel so grateful to have them in my life.I want to tour with them and be a phish dancer on stage,for reals .Phish in san.fran was soooo fun!!!.

Nice subtle Antelope tease by Trey in the Light Jam

WAS THERE NOT, NOT FADE AWAY LYRICS IN PARTY TIME????

There's a mind left body tease from mike at the beginning of Bowie right?

C'mon boys, this was Frisco, and you couldn't give us a LITTLE Dead love? Jerry's 70th just past and all?! Great shows, but C'MON!