The jam peaks like a good Loving Cup jam. I just found myself raging to it on headphones at my desk at work :-)

Live show memory time: just hearing the crowd roar with approval every time the band hits a new gear in the jam, and it happens more than once! The tentpole jam of what is (as of November 23, 2016) the finest show I've attended in person.

One of the best piper's I heard. really rocking. Just awesome with slot machine sounds to boot. Thank you!!! They were on fire all four nights.

One of the best piper's I heard. really rocking. Just awesome with slot machine sounds to boot. Thank you!!! They were on fire all four nights.

I suppose this version is missing from the jam charts because it isn't all that exploratory and is certainly overshadowed by the superior Fall '16 versions from Jacksonville and MGM, but I think the Grand Prairie version is still fun, and I really dig the "You Better Believe It Baby"-esque riff that Trey introduces during the breakdowns at the end. They don't all have to be Type II beasts, amirite? ;-)

The peak of this jam sounds remarkably like the peak of Kill Devil Falls to me, particularly the section after the band sings "Still Waiting". Would've been kill if they made the jam into a little KDF Reprise, but what they ended up doing works for me too :-)

However you mark this one - Piper, or Piper -> Drums -> Jam - this is one of the premier jams of 2016, IMO.

How is this not highly recommended? longest 3.0 piper, great segue out of steam, perfect segue into an insane tweezer, multiple peas with incredibly interesting playing in between....what more do you want. pure phish crack

This jam may actually be remembered as much for the brilliant segues in from Steam and out to Tweezer, than what's in between. But what is in between is a really high quality jam. This a tale of 2 halves (Most Piper's would have segued after the first half). The first mostly staying in type 1/1.5 territory while maintaining a brisk pace. The second hits more serene space as it eventually yields to a decent dirty peak. There is a lot of rhythm/chordal playing from Trey this jam. If you want Trey out front soloing, with some exceptions, this is not the jam for you. It is mostly an ensemble piece. One of the longest Piper's of 3.0, and thrown in the 4th quarter to boot. An essential component of one of the best shows of 2015.

This competes with the 7/8/12 Piper for the title of best of 3.0. I'm siding with this version though. The Chalk Dust> Piper combo as a whole is phenomenal

Along with the nice interplay between Page and Trey early on, Mike is really doing some fantastic things in this jam. Right about the 9:00 mark he introduces the idea for the lick (noted by @n00b100) that Trey picks up on quickly and rides out to a nice gentle peak. He also adds a nice deep layer with the Moog pedals not to mention the now signature drill. Very attentive playing by everyone in this beautifully constructed jam. Nice little segue into Theme From the Bottom ta boot.

There's a lick that Trey catches onto at one point that's stuck in my brain ever since I heard this jam. Piper's started to regain its footing as a big jam vehicle the last couple of years, and I'm with @Dog_Faced_Boy that this is one of the best of the era.

Magical, Mysterious, soothing this jam is like taking a warm bath. The whole band is playing music straight from the heart. A+ Phish.

The only reason this Piper deserves to be on the jam chart at all, at least in my estimation, is because of what came before (the already-legendary Tweezer/Golden Age double shot) and what came after (-> Takin' Care of Business, of course). It's a fine rendition of Piper, make no mistake, but its claim to fame is as the perfect bridge between the sturm und drang and the lighter-waving singalong moment. 3.0's set to beat wouldn't be the same without it.

And some talkbox action on the micro-moog synth! That Page will put anything in his mouth...

A very short but extremely funky Piper. My neck was sore by the end of it.

BOAF teases by Page are in this as well.

I'm a very biased person. Piper is my favorite Phish original and this was my 100th show. "Really an excellent version" to me begs the yellow highlight treatment. This version of Piper is democratic, empathetic and brilliantly executed. Don't let the rest of this NYE run diminish the beauty of this jam.

Brilliantly sublime...the Cactus bomb at 11:10 was soul jarring.

No press for this version at all? I can understand 09 getting overlooked in general. On the other hand, this is a very good version. Nimble Trey takes over around the 5 minute mark with Mike pushing up the fretboard. The funky dark plinko jam that follows is fantastic and the crowd shows its appreciation. 7:22!!! I LOVE this chase scene and Trey moves to the echo effect and things cycle down to a psychedelic sound scape. Clocking in at less than 10 minutes, it's not epic, but the musicianship, interplay and diversity of textures makes this a version well worth repeated listens.

@n00b100 said:

even the Tweezer Reprise jam, which the chart author obviously considers the highlight, goes on for almost *six minutes*, and you will feel those six minutes at a certain point. But the good stuff here is damned good, including the Fukuoka-esque ambling segue into Jibboo, and is enough to make a case for 2.0 all by its lonesome.

They could've done that Tweeprize build for ten more minutes if they wanted, the crowd was going BESERK. I was in the balcony and thought the place was going to come crumbling down. If you like "the jams" this 2 night SPAC run was definitely the highlight of '04, maybe even all of 2.0

Piper was the real Big Bad of 2.0, and this is probably the most famous version (heck, maybe the most famous jam of that entire 2-year stretch). It's been said before, but it's funny how little people seem to think about 2.0 when they screech about 3.0 not bringing the jams, because 2.0 is in many ways almost all about the jams, with this monolith a resounding Exhibit A. Now, a half hour is a lot of damn jamming, and some of it can get a little repetitive - even the Tweezer Reprise jam, which the chart author obviously considers the highlight, goes on for almost *six minutes*, and you will feel those six minutes at a certain point. But the good stuff here is damned good, including the Fukuoka-esque ambling segue into Jibboo, and is enough to make a case for 2.0 all by its lonesome.

This is actually a lot longer than 19:51. The whole thing goes for about 28 minutes, then they settle on a chord that morphs into the beginning of Makisupa Policeman

Tremendous version. Longest jam of the night and still not yet noted as Noteworthy. Incredible quiet interlude in the latter moments of the song with a Mike solo for the ages over the top. Phish wringing your mind out like a rag.

Intense Piper through the composed section that builds into a patient jam that slowly builds into some really strange ambient soundscapes that wind their way to Dog Faced Boy.

Very improvisational, fish continues a sick steady rhythm with the sticks while Trey noodles and Page feels the flow of the rhythm. Mike does what he does best keeps shit thumping.
Great version.

A fantastic psychedelic dream. Highly recommended.

great write-up, though after re-listening to the SBD from Live Bait Vol. 5, I feel "raging" doesn't do this version justice. From 6:00-14:00, it sounds to me like molten lava is pouring out of Trey's amp.

sorry that's the 16:32 mark for quote above...

sorry that's the 16:32 mark for quote above...

At 11:35 on Phishtracks.com, young man in audience asks, "What song are they playing again?" Don't ya love when that happens?! This Piper rips with energy from the start and has an extended cool down bluesy jam taboot. Good stuff here, one of my phavorite versions.

A hidden jewel from Fall '97 (if you can believe that any such still exists); it's one of those versions that swerves from jam segment to jam segment like a driver expertly navigating a mountain pass. A fine jam from a very likable show.