after a long 16 years of not seeing Phish live, this was a great feeling....
After not thinking they would ever play as a band, this was amazing to know i would be a part of their next go at it...

I cant give a review on this show, as i have to many personal feelings that skew the reality...
I had such a blast and it was the beginning to a new part of my life....

Phish 3.0 has renewed my way of thinking and how i plan to go through life....live, love, share...

BTW, the lot kicked ass and the show was effin awesome

I was not a huge fan of a lot of the playing on the first east coast leg of the tour. It was great to hear them playing again, but they were still shaking off some serious rust. anyway, they shoook off some of this rust in Camden, NJ. The first set was good, but they never really cut loose anywhere. the started to in wolfman's, 46 days, and tube, but they never really took anything too far out there.

now, the sand in the 2nd is the real deal. this is my favorite version that phish has played of this song. i have always been a bigger fan of the trey band version of this tune. i felt that pre-hiatus versions just sat on that groove while smacky trey fiddled with a keyboard. meanwhile, the trey band, and phish on this night, really stretched this one out. they stayed in a nice focused groove, but they let it move and drift. trey had some very hot funk/rock guitar licks all over this jam. fishman and gordon worked the funky groove, and where trey wasn't, page was. excellent sand!

the rest of the set was pretty standard. they got a nifty bonus tweezer after what i would have assumed to be a set closing zero. joy and batr don't do much for me, but you can't complain when it's followed by antelope>tweeprise. if you are interested in hearing the "process" of phish getting back to full throttle, this is a good show to check out. some of that rust was lost on this night.

I'll tell you this, three years later, I don't often spin 09 shows. The first sets of Philly's Thanksgiving shows, and Charlotte's Tweezer->Light still make it into my rotation, but in general, there's been a lot of material, newer and older that preoccupy my Phish time.

This, my first show, is the exception. Take what I say here with a grain of salt, because, being my first show, its obviously very special to me, but even after three years, the high points of this show still perk my Phish Pickle to the highest degree, and sound very fresh overall.

There are obviously A LOT of really rusty spots in this show. Both Trey and Mike butcher some lyrics (Fee, Lizards, Sugar Shack) and there's some pure slop in the Suzy through Sugar Shack stretch, but I think there's a lot of value in this show and a good feel for how the band was trying to craft their sound in the post-hiatus Phishworld:

Tweezer closes the second set?!?!! Yessir... the one an only time-

Its a great jam, and one of the most underrated since the reunion IMO. It moves cohesively and crosses some interesting territory. I think it would have garnered some more attention if not for the monster Sand that opened the set.

The Sand, compared to some of the more notable post hiatus types IIs, it may be considered to be a little aimless and ambling, but it gets into some brain bubbling terrain. You just don't see stuff like this from the band now that they have reworked their jamming style. This is honestly the jam that made Phish for me, and set me on a path to blow every spare dollar I had over the next three years making it to shows. I've seen great jams since then; this is right in the mix with the best of them.

The first set rocks, plain and simple. CDT is not very inventive but is very energetic and well played. Guyute and Tube are real solid for 09, and while many better versions of 46 Days have erupted since then, this version still pumps. Likewise, this isn't an all time First Tube, but its a great end to a first set that has an excellent flow to it and you can feel the early-summer excitement dripping through it. Strange Design is a pretty breather, that I remember bestowing my first Phish-wind upon me and really being a nice introduction to that ineffible and glorious Phish vibe (I dosed a little more than I should have and Page was Johnny on the Spot with the calming words).

Flow is really what makes this show worthwhile apart from the Sand. Its one of those shows that, probably because of some irregularities in the setlist and in general the band still feeling eachother out, has a really unique feel to it. If you haven't heard this yet, I'd bet there are some unexpected twists and turns in there for you- namely a four song encore that includes the debut of Joy and an absolutely raging Tweeprise. Some people get off on this Antelope. I don't personally, but its not awful by any means. Joy is well played. Bouncing is very 09. I'm not quite sure what that means, but that's how I'd describe it. And Again, this Tweezer Reprise is a ripper.

There's a lot of energy behind this show. As a lot of these reviews have put it, the band seemed to be relieved to be in familiar territory and this show benefits because of it. There was a lot of negativity about their ability to play after the first part of this summer run, and I remember a lot of people being relieved after hearing the recording that came out of Camden. Go ahead and give it one a shot if you have some time. There's excellent rock and roll and some truly interesting sonic landscape to be explored here.

i havent seen much posted about the camden show yet so i will give it a shot... i'll start by saying that i went to the show with 3 friends who have never been to a phish show before, one of whom heard phish for the first time earlier that day (he had "Picture of Nectar" playing in his car when he picked me up from the airport). he tells me, "i'll recognize tweezer if they play that". anyway the point is i spent a decent amount of time during the show trying to explain to him what i derive from phish and what makes these shows so special, and hopefully the fact that i was thinking about this during the show will translate well into my review... also, i caught fenway>JB1>JB2>JB3>GW>camden so i know how this show compares to some of the other 3.0. i will admit that i was for the most part let down by the first 5 shows of this tour, but i think camden brought the heat, especially in the second set (everyone has been talking about the camden sand...) and after this show i will definitely try to catch some of the second leg. i will generalize and say that the big difference i noticed in this show was that the improved sections had more 'structure'. which is to say that they used tension and release and trey was able to develop themes rather than just noodle around with rambling solos like much of the previous 5 shows. and more than anything else, they finally seemed to be enjoying themselves up there and having FUN.

also, the times next to each song are the time that each song was started. i put this on my setlist notes and left them on here in case anyone else finds them helpful...

SET I:
CHALKDUST (8:07) opener: pretty standard, but you can already tell that tonight is different.
FEE (8:14): not a big fan of this song actually but was happy to hear something that hadn't been played yet this tour. a little lyric flub by trey elicited a good reaction from the crowd and lead to a lot of singing along. fee led into a nice little jam with a little too much whale call from trey imho. the jam ended up ambient and kind of died.
WOLFMANS (8:24): nice. always enjoy this tune. and we got a great wolf jam tonight. lots of energy from the whole band. i think this was the first time all tour i got that 'feeling' again.
GUYUTE (8:34): never a big fan of this song but again, i was glad to hear something new to the tour, and most of the crowd was going nuts for it. pretty solid overall.
MY SWEET ONE (8:45): nice version. leo sounded great, as usual
46 DAYS (8:48): i think trey sounded great and there was good chemistry between the band on this one. definitely a highlight of the set. fish really added a lot to this tune.
LIZARDS (8:55): was waiting since fenway to hear this one, but this version was all but butchered. lyric flubs, page's solo was beautiful (as always) but i was really disappointed that the guitar part that is supposed to accompany the end of page's solo was just missing! you could see/hear trey try to lay it down but he just forgot how to play the lick! the trey solo part toward the end was rather flawed as well imo. oh well still a great show so far...
THE WEDGE (9:06): awesome. "take the highwayyyyyy..." put me right back in a great mood.
after the wedge page starts noodling around a little and goes into...
STRANGE DESIGN! (9:12) very psyched for this one. surprised it didnt get a bigger crowd response... great version.
TUBE (9:16): after a pretty long break between songs you can hear everyone start yelling for tuuuuuube, and trey says something about hearing a request either for this song or for bruce springsteen. tuuuuuube was great. page was flippin some serious burgers back there. trey was patient and allowed the jam to be distributed among everyone. really good chemistry. probably the set highlight for me. the jam came to an end and i really hoped they would go back into it to end the set. but instead trey says "well we might as well play this one now"...
FIRST TUBE (9:22): fine with me.... great happy energy to end the set. maybe a little too much of the whale but still...
SETBREAK AT 9:31 my notes say "best set of tour"

SET II:
SAND (10:10): well this is the song everyone has been talking about so far this tour and i will say without a doubt it was the best jam, at least up until that night. it was BIG. it was given the chance to develop. it took flight. and it landed safely. trey developed a nice little descending theme which the rest of the band built a nice chord progression around to bring everything to a close perfectly. it is a must hear for phish 3.0. the highlight of the night for sure, and for the first leg of the tour imo.
SUZY (10:32): ok not a big fan of this tune but would be happy with anything as long as its played as well as that last tune... was delighted to hear trey throw in a quick tease of the outro theme of the sand jam. i love this band.
LIMB BY LIMB (10:37): love this song, but this version was a bit tame. "taste" was teased pretty heavily.
HORSE > SILENT (10:45) you know what it is.
SUGAR SHACK (10:52): first time played. new one by mike. never heard this one. sounded pretty cool, especially the little guitar part, in something like 9/8 time. great new song.
CHARACTER ZERO (10:57): this would soon become one of the most repeated songs of the first leg, but i only saw it at fenway before tonight so it was fine with me. i thought the jam was hot.. lots of energy.
> TWEEZER (11:04): well this is another one that people have been claiming is the best jam of the tour. i personally dont agree (but it sure was good). there are just so many possibilities for this tune, and this version was pretty boring imo. had
some potential at the beginning of the jam but then trey breaks them into a somewhat hyperbole I-IV theme (at 7:07 on my copy) which gets the crowd excited but just fails to deliver the goods. if anything i would say trey was TOO patient on this tune, and this theme quickly becomes tired and repetitive amid some uneventful and unmemorable jamming. i just thought nothing interesting happened. i know there are many people out there who don't share the same lackluster opinion of this tweezer, so suggest you go listen for yourself
SETBREAK (11:18) well this was obviously my favorite set of the tour so far. and it was also quite short (67 min i think) so i knew we should be in store for a great encore, especially with the way they've been playing tonight... then trey comes out and asks "are you in a rush to go anywhere?...."

ENCORE:
JOY (11:22): first time played, clearly a trey song. very bright and cheerful. the word happy appears several times. great outro (IV-I-V in D i think) with a lot of potential.
BOUNCING (11:28): with a tweprise on the way i was worried that this song was stealing precious encore time...
> ANTELOPE (11:31): yes!!!!! now the JB2 antelope was a disaster imo, and tonight seemed like the perfect opportunity for a redemption. this version was just blistering, lots of energy and confidence. "bin you to have any MIKE, man?"
> TWEEPRISE (11:42): BOOYEAH! its bittersweet to hear this tune because you know it (probably) signifies the end of the night, but who couldn't love it anyway? great end to a great show!!!
END OF SHOW (11:45): camden was a real treat and well worth the headache of getting from the previous night's letdown of a show at GW. they really seemed to be having fun during this show, as opposed to some of the previous shows where the band (especially mike) seemed unhappy to be there. if this show is a sign of things to come, its gonna be a great summer tour.

After having listened to Phish for about 15 years but having only seen them once before (8-9-04),the Sand is what made me realize what I had been missing all those years. I think the entire venue exhaled a breath of amazement and exhaustion when it was finished.

After listening to Phish for a couple of years they were coming back and me and my friends were pretty excited!! We thought we had a good grip of what to expect and how the evening would go, we were COMPLETELY WRONG. First, the show sold out instantly so we spent just over a 100 on a ticket from a stubhub like website and made the trek to camden. We show up and it is a PARTY like we've never seen before. People everywhere, selling anything imaginable, and live bands in the parking lot! We purchase a couple of party favors and make our way into the show.

We get in there early because they were supposed to start at 7:30, well as we all know now that is not the case so we in there about an hour early. From the opening notes of chalkdust through the ending of the set with first tube I was completely floored. The music stopped and sadly I was expecting the show to be over, however, no encore occurred and about a half hour later the second set began! Yet again I spent the set dancing away or simply staring with my jaw dropped, I was so overwhelmed in the best possible way.

"are you guys in any rush to go anywhere?" asked trey. Well the answer to that was NO! After an awesome extended encore I thought the entire amphitheater was going to blow up during tweeprise!

As cliche as this can sound, this show was really life changing. It changed my tastes in music and opened me up so many different avenues in path in my life. This is a night I'll never forget, and as I type this three years to the day of this show I just saw my 20th show, the tour opener in Woosta!

This was my first show and what a show it was! i went in unsuspecting of what was about to happen to my life. i left a changed man. now a phan for almost a year collecting all the great shows i can get my hands on! still my fav tweezer, sand and wolfman's brother. let me know if you find any better!

First phish show at the age of 12. And as a fan all my life I didn't know what to expect for my first show. When they played fee i lost it and lizards almost made me have a heart attack. This is one of those shows you will remember forever

This was my first phish show, let alone phish experience. It happened by accident and changed my life. It opened me up to a world of amazing phriends and phamily. I am forever greatful for this show. I can't say it was the best show ever, but it was definitely fantastic. I have listened to shows from every time period of phish and caught about 8 shows last year. This one will always stay in my heart. Back to Camden on the 10th and I keep wanting to go back to this day. The day i randomly ended up with a ticket and my world was flipped. Amazing show, great set list for your first show.

This show had some interesting things going on. One of them being the unbelievable start with Chalkdust Torture to the sputtering version of Fee. I am not one to knock points off for lyric flubs, in fact, sometimes it makes them more memorable, so Trey's mess up with the lyrics is not why I gave this song a 2. It was something else. I love this song, but the beat seemed to be off a little bit. I have noticed that there seems to be a bit off confusing starting off this song for the band generally. It's almost as if they seem unsure about it. It's almost like they just start playing with the hope of eventually joining together in some ambiguous future. It might make a difference if Trey began with a little lick or maybe even Page with a few tickles to the ivories but I can't really get behind the way they have been starting it lately. Chalkdust Torture is usually a great show starter and this version definately didn't dissappoint. The only other exceptional piece in the first set seemed to be First Tube. The highlights of the second set were Sand, Joy, and Run Like an Antelope. This was the second time this summer a debut (Joy) received 5 stars. Trey has always been a great songwriter. He just keeps getting better. This is a great song.

Set I
Chalk Dust Torture:*****
Fee:**
Wolfman's Brother:****
Guyute:**
My Sweet One:***
46 Days:***
The Lizards:***
The Wedge:***
Strange Design:***
Tube:***
First Tube:*****

Set II
Sand:*****
Suzy Greenberg:***
Limb By Limb:***
The Horse:***
Silent In The Morning:***
Sugar Shack:**
Character Zero:****
Tweezer:***

Encore
Joy:*****
Bouncing Around the Room:****
Run Like An Antelope:*****
Tweezer Reprise:****

GHI: 3.4/5.0
Batting Average: .686 (76/115)

The two ratings are Batting Average and GHI. Both are defined below.
BA: The total number of stars achieved divided by the total possible stars a concert can achieve. Each song can achieve a total possible 5 stars, 5 being the best, 0 being the worst. Therefore, each show receives anywhere from a 1.0 to a .001.

GHI: This rating is used in The Phish Companion 2nd Ed. Each show is given a score from 0 to 5, five being the best and 0 being the worst.

The two scores are synonymous. I like the BA form better because each show receives a score closer to its worth depending on how you rated it.

Can't I live while I'm young...
My first show, I was 18. Fresh outta high school.
Scored Pavs on the on sale, sold out immediately.
Wasn't exactly sure what to expect.
To my delight, I was forever changed.
I had gotten IT, and was hooked forever on...

Chalkdust came out to bring the heat, a blistering, rocking kick off and the perfect lyrics to match my state of being. (not mind, although that played a part in the whole experience).

Fee's lyrics were flubbed, Trey jokingly needed some help "knowing the words backstage". As some sort of consolation, the end jumped right into a wavy, bouncy, spacey style, free form exploration. Eventually fizzling out after about 5 mins. This was the first significant jam witnessed.

Wolfman's jumps right into the rockin' funk. Trey showcasing a little machine gun, Page tearing up the Clav, Mike dropping bombs, and Fishman adding a lot of splash towards the end. Never really leaving the song's proper. But brought the type 1 heat.

Guyute pretty straight foward, solid version with a few flubs. "I'm bouncing like a newborn elf, I can't remain inside myself"

My Sweet One my first glimpse into Phish's bluegrass tendencies.
"Naaaaaaaammmmmeeee"> right into the next tune

46 days 6:58 of straight rockin' groove

Lizards minor flubs here but a great version, not to be seen by myself again until 12/31/13

The Wedge just a solid version

Strange Design my first and only, still holds dear to my heart for many reasons

Tube there was a little extra mustard on this one, took a turn that we don't really see these days "Bruuuuce"

"Well, we might as well play this one"

First Tube closed the first set in the Jedi fashion a celebration of the prior set. Some great machine-y guitar work here and slight moments of peaking bliss. Mike holding down the bassline

Sand ... wow. Probably one of the reasons I am here today. 22 min-ish monster to kick off set 2. Yes.

Suzy was thrown in after sand. Also a pretty straight forward version. Page's grand piano sings while mike is dropping the oink bass bombs

LxL captivating, Trey ate his Wheaties that morning

Horse> Silent some 2nd set slow down and bliss

Sugar Shack Debut, Mike's funky weirdness with Trey's licks and pages Clav

Zero Trey ripping some 2.0 like guitar tones and honing in on the rockin' guitar groove

Tweezer huge jam #2, some funky shredding all around. Something the likes of earlier tweezers. Hose- style

Encore

Joy Trey showed off his new album titled song, soulful and joyful yet sad and depressing given the context.

Bouncing was very bouncy

I will forever hear the >
Antelope stretching a bit here, still probably one of the best of 3.0

Insert obligatory Tweeprise to cap the night off with a bang.

My life would never be the same...

You could tell they were playing with purpose, trying to find themselves again, and pushing the envelope to the extent that they could at the time. You can here some rockin' 1.0 type stuff and some bluesy- spacey 2.0 tones.

This show has it all imo

Back to where it all began for me.

I liked Phish but really at this point my only experience with Live Phish was through A Live One and some discs a buddy of mine gave me (and Coventry SBDs). I had a bunch of the studio stuff too, but it took me a little while to come around to Phish at first.

All this to say that my two best friends were big Phans and seeing a Camden date pop up on tour was an easy call for this New Jersey native to give the Vermont foursome a shot.

We hopped in my buddy's jetta and cruised down from NYC side of the state to the Southside and all of it's Philadelphia flavors.

The lot seen was great and it was pretty cool to see people cruising rest stops and gas stations of the turnpike with Hydrogen t-shirts. People parked looking for tickets and the whole zoo of a good parking lot smack dab in distressed Camden was kind of surreal. None of us had tickets, but we were able to snag them for face pretty quick (Thanks!)

Show time!

They kicked in with Chalkdust, which was familiar to me and the chorus and rocking jam fit the celebratory mood that permeated the whole Phish experience.

Fee was on deck and my friend had called this on the ride down - so he was pumped. They threw on a nice atypical jam at the end, which got spacey and drifted around a bit. It didn't go anywhere in particular, but for me was the first exposure into the uncharted waters Phish throws themselves into - and I was really impressed. Trey made some use of the digitech whammy for some whale calling too. A+ version.

Wolfman's followed up and started funky and closed out hot. They were pretty locked in and this one followed the 3.0 trope towards a fiery rock and roll peak. At this point I was fully committed to the band.

Guyute was special as Story of the Ghost is and was a personal favorite album. They showcased the compositional magic of Phish here and played this tune pretty well.

My Sweet One was a fun little break. I started to get the idea these guys could play any type of music and it would sound pretty darn good.

46 Days brought back the rock and roll and shredded accordingly. I was really impressed (as an aspiring guitar player).

The Lizards was awesome. Trey flubbed the lyrics and the fans seemed to genuinely be offering encouragement to the man behind the mic. It was a sweet moment. I love this song and the outro solo remains a favorite bit of music.

The Wedge was up and I was a huge fan of this song at the time. Love the drum beat and it's a nice summer time song.

Strange Design was a rare treat (it's rarity lost on this noob at the time). Lot of tenderness and many Phans took the moment to interlock with their companions.

Tube - boom! - this was a surprisingly strong version (as this tune has since lost it's way a but). Gave it a solid workout and man was everyone grooving.

We might as well play this one, said Trey - as he proceeded to give us First Tube and initiate setbreak with a massive catharsis.

Overall: Great song selection and some pretty well-played versions (particularl for '09) made for a really fun introductory set.
Highlights: Fee, Lizards, Tube

Side-note: after they ended the set I turned to my friends and was like "that was an amazing show!" - they just shook their heads and looked back at me and said "wait for set 2".
"There's another set!" I was in disbelief.

Set II started up with the chunky baseline of Sand. So this was where I had my eureka! moment. It was all over for me after this - no turning back. They blew through some straight up funky grooves and everyone was just getting down and totally locked in on the band. They took their time to find some new space, but boy all that exploration (of the funky variety) paid off when Trey (with Page hammering down some great initiating Piano chords) stumbled upon what remains one of my all time favorite simple descending Phish notes. He milked this peak for all it was worth and the moment it kicked in everyone knew it was magic. This jam changed my life. Full Stop.

They kept up the energy with Suzy and Trey threw in the descending note run in the middle, effectively mopping up what was left of anyone's mind off the lawn.

Limb by Limb was another story of the Ghost tune, which I was pleased to hear and packed a nice bit of jamming.

Horse>Silent was a nice cool down and gave us a chance to just sit back and enjoy the night air.

Sugar Shack was a new Mike tune, which didn't stand out particularly, but was fun nonetheless.

Character Zero was set to add an exclamation point on the night when they dropped that big tweezer riff.

Tweezer was great. It was a different sort of jam than much of the rest of the show, growling repetitively and packing a really nice punch. Show me a better set closer and I'll show you a liar.

Encore:
Joy: Ok I thought this song was like a gag or something at the time. It was heartfelt and the guitar outro is pretty, so there's that.

Bouncin' was fun, but the encore seemed a bit strange, slow, and poppy at this point.

Antelope - well now, the guys who performed the two sets are back. This one smoldered nicely.

Tweezer Reprise - after antelope poured on the lighter fluid this one just decided to hell with it and dropped the atomic bomb.

Set II: Great set, 2 standout jams paired with a slightly less enthralling middle section.
Highlights: Sand, Tweezer

Overall: What a show. I could not have asked for a better first experience, and like I mentioned before, I have never been the same. The Sand remains one of my all time favorite jams.
4/5

One of my top 5 shows of the 21 I have attended. My all time favorite probably not this night but this is certainly underrated at under 4 stars to me personally. This is a great show w my 3rd all time favorite Sand w an absolutely sick (dundun dundun dundun DOO DOO dundun dundun dundun DOO DOO!!!! start subtly at 16:45 and turns into this thing w a PING kinda note at the end a high pitch note in contrast to the tasty melting cheese of Mike Gordon laying down w Trey just ripping it louder and louder not to mention a great other jam leading into this one that is long enough and different enough to be more like the regular Sand jam that would only be like a 12-14 min standard type 1. But at 18:34 Trey officially ripped the imaginary roof off the pavillion at the very back for me and i saw the 2nd coming of Jesus. It was hilariously good jamming i could not believe how just one basic set of cords over and over getting creshendo'd could cause my body such a jibation and orgasm of sweat pain and joy. Joy what a song to premier w after a set 2 opener into outerspace. Joy may be a letdown of a song in terms of soft melody but it was played really well for the 1st time and it fit the vibe that night. I hate Sugar Shack so idc if it is 1st time stats it sucks the first and last time they ever will play it. I just dont like that song. If it has to be Mikes tunes i take a Mikes Song obviously and My Mind's Got a . . . or Ginseng or other bluegrass-y mike ones or Ya Mar or even Mock or Train Song but not this one. The Trey cool guitar solo riff is NOT cool enough to make up for the general suckage that is the Shantee from hell. Give me Round Room or Mexican Cousin hell even Friday has a great guitar solo build from 4 min on that is far better than the Shack. But that was the ONLY thing i did not like about this show and for the 1st time i liked it at the time and gave it a chance but have come to hate it more and more sense. I loved No Men in . . .at MPP2 8-16-15 and love hearing new tunes cause it shows my fav band still cares about new music and are still IN IT . . u feel me i know u do? I hope u do? It was not as great as Reading 1st time they ever played there and tore the house down w a Reba better than one of my other good shows at 11-24 and 25 but 24-09 was SO MUCH better than the next night even w a Esther and V Underground n a great BOAF it just was on off night. I do not like many of the new songs. . except Blaze On and No Men. I love those 2. They are like Undermind in the funky No Men Sneakin Sally kinda Moma Dance or Funky Bitch vibe area and Blaze being like a Farmhouse album song like well hell Farmhouse but also Heavy Things or BOAF a song w lots of catchy lyrics and Chem Trails Raining Down on Me lol that is good crunchy lyrics w classic tongue and cheek T Marshall and Trey banter all over it. As far as what i hate on the new repetoire I detest Mercury How Many R U? and Heavy Rotation. Give me 555 if it must be a Mikes Song other than our song the man's groove and give me Halfway to the Moon if it must be a Page song NOT the rotation scritch and may the chompers delight in the Feugo . . true! lol I am getting chomperitis and it is contagious. . off track and stoned. Back on the show of yeah 6-7-09 my 3rd fav Camden Show i ever attended. Good venue. I saw them 7-30 and 31-03 and again the show i thought would be the last 2 Set show EVER. Thank Jesus and drug courts for our hero in guitar terms Trey that I was wrong. 8-12-04 was a highly underrated great show. Not perfectly played but just a great all around rock show w even Pebbles and Marbles kickin ass. I catapulted myself into downtown NJ and loved everyminute of seeing Phili w my slingshot Zelda Skyward Sword style only an acorn or 2 across the Divided Sky that is the Phili skyline.
Breakdown by most songs - the ones that counted this night
Chalkdust Torture - just ok - loved it as an opener being there - but just a stable like a Wilson or Runaway Jim - nothing surprising and a 7 min regular version - nothing special
Fee!!!! even though Trey forgot many lyrics as he does often w Cavern Undermind and this song - Esther and a few others too for some reason and not just the shier number of lyrics cause Mygrupp is usually sung right always. Lizards too. This version is great if u love Trey or band banter cause Trey self-depricates clearly in a silly mood of mild frustration - u guys gotta sing along cuz we knew this backstage. . . and i am CONVINCED that this happening was a direct cause of the new great musical direction that would NOT have happened otherwise. Very much for me remeniscent of one of my all time favorite funk shows up there w all 97 especially 12-29 and 30 cow jamming - the show 7-15-98 in Portland got into a Tweezer Simple for the books w a Dr Drew Snoop song of all things and it actually so worked unlike the silly HYHU shit like Bike and Love U Fishman song which i am btw a total NONE fan of even seeing it live i never got it . . i agree it is a total waste of show time like Page does in the joke where the audience was polled on 8-11-04 i believe. . somewhere in that "final" tour. But the song that Fee reminds me of in that 7-15 stellar night is not the second set but the HORN . . it has this jam . . Horn never has an ambient jam. . it just doesnt fit. . the song has a guitar solo and back to the lyrics and then over . . the construction of the song does not allow for jamming. But similiar to Fee. . which sorta has the small chance of a slow jam coming out of hte very end . . well listen to both and u will see the subtle similarities and the utter beauty of both in their simple pretty soft harmony.
The Lizards unfortunately was not played perfect - Mike was a little off in my fav part at the end of the crazy Page piano jam in the middle and then it goes into this guitar solo as we all know in repetition slowly creshendoing in ecstacy. It being my ALL TIME FAV Phish Song - I have way too high expectations of all versions of this song and having only heard it 2x live and both imperfect i needless to say have been a bit frustrated w lackluster playing of my favorite song ever. MY Friend and Hood are my 2 other favs but they play those both more often. If I Could and FEFU are my fav 2 bluegrass tunes love those guitar solos/jams.
The night has a great setlist but it is important to note this was not the best played versions of many of these songs. There was flubbing not just the obvious Fee one but general just offness - the 4 were outa sync and u can hear it occassionally. Not like Coventry but off a little bit. Wolfmans is just ok . .nothing to brag about for such a great potential funkadelic masterpeice. Many better versions out there. This one is not for the books but it is always worth a listen cause it is so damn fun
Tube - way too short . . i KNOW i am not alone in longing and yearning for the type 2 I gotta hear at one of the 2 most underrated shows i went to 2-22-03 also best Bathtub Gin i had ever heard but i had not at the time i went to the concert heard the filler one from 7-24-98 Riverport one or the Great Went one among even a better one in the SAME tour lol but to come in the future 3 gigs later at 2-28-03 the best show of 2003 by a mile. . 7-29 or 7-30 a close 2nd or 3rd and 3-1-03 2-15-16 both Golden Lady i wish was there Boogie On i absolutely adore that melody go Stevie!! So yeah the Tube from 2-22 is the best Tube i ever heard . . yes even better than 12-7-97 and the Island Tour 98 Tube and even better 7-17 at Oswego's UNofficial festival which in mho is better than all the rest except IT Cypress and Magnaball. . yes better than the Went and Clifford I really believe that listen to 99 such an underrated year of music overshadowed by 97 n 98 being only slightly superior w the cow funk introduced and explosion of Europe causing them great new feelings of tightness and smallness which made the music so much less about rock and roll cliche and back to the heart of amazing jamming. . Tube from and 9-11-99 25 and 12-13 far better than Big Cypress and that may sound sackreligious lol but listen to 2-22. This 6-7 version is like a studio version. For some reason Trey is going back to a shitty 1996 Tube. I dont like it. Give me 97> but