[Thanks to Mike (@yhgtbfkm) for the recap. -Ed.]

Writing recaps is hard. On top of trying to translate music into words (you try describing “Lawn Boy” in more than two sentences), it’s especially hard when the show you’re writing the recap for takes place the day after a show that contained, for lack of a better phrase, a jam for the ages. I had the privilege of attending NYE this past year, and as my friend and I were walking back to the hotel after the show, I rhetorically asked him “How do you top THAT?” and the answer is…you don’t. Phish learned that lesson years ago, Trey has said they make it a point to not talk about shows afterwards. Fans, however, have missed that part of the book. I started hearing about “Tweezer” while it was still happening. After two epic jams over the course of four shows, everyone was buzzing with anticipation about what tonight would hold. Would we get an epic "YEM" to compliment the tour so far? Maybe Gin as a throwback to the best "Gin" of all time (sorry not sorry)? Maybe they’ll play “Gloria” again! (Dear god I hope not.)

Or maybe tonight will be just another Phish show. Like Les said, they can’t all be zingers.

Tonight’s show opens with “Turtle in the Clouds,” complete with silly, slightly out-of-sync dancing. Like one of the comments posted on the Tiny Desk Concert video, it should be illegal for this many fun uncles to be in the same place. If you caught the livestream, at the very end of the dance segment the camera focuses on Trey and he’s got the biggest grin on his face, after which I developed a huge grin on my face. It’s infectious.

“Hey Stranger” from the new album (available at your local independent record store) bats second and yeah…this is groovy. Very “Camel Walk”-esque (but like, the “Camel Walk” from the Gorge) if you’re into that kind of thing.

“Back on the Train” follows next, and is what you’d expect from “Back on the Train.”

Hey, remember when I said it’s really difficult to wax poetically about “Lawn Boy?” Here’s a boring personal anecdote about “Lawn Boy.” Back in 2018 I was at Allstate Arena seeing Phish, and I sat next to a couple from Wisconsin each night (even though our seats were in different rows/sections each night) and the topic of bathroom break songs came up. I said mine is Number Line, but I was caught off guard when she said hers was “Lawn Boy.” Ignoring the fact that “Lawn Boy” is a killer tune…it’s not usually a long tune. I made the joke “It sounds like your bathroom break song is ‘Lawn Boy’ and ‘Whatever comes immediately after ‘Lawn Boy.’” Everyone in the section laughed and we all high-fived.

Ugh. Bathroom break. [REDACTED] would be rolling over in their grave if they saw how many people were jazzed to hear this.

“Horn” is next. I think I’m gonna grab a beer before I get back to my seat.

“Pebbles and Marbles” and “Bouncing Around the Room” allow me to finish my beers in peace before getting off my ass for the final two songs of the set, the always funky “Boogie on Reggae Woman” and “The Squirming Coil.” After Page finishes the set, the house lights come up, music plays on the PA and I’m off to get another beer.

After the world’s longest fifteen minutes, the house lights come down, the band takes up their respective spots on the stage and launch into “Free.” “Mr. Completely” is up next and, despite being the longest song of the night at 22 minutes, it just kind of never gets going. It starts off rough with Trey seemingly the only person singing, and while the jam itself was fine, it ends with this super awkward transition back into the main part of the song and then just kind of ends?

Trey must have noticed that nobody felt like singing but him, because next up is “If I Could,” one of my absolute favorite Phish songs. It’s (mostly) cleanly played and everyone begrudgingly sings their parts.

“Twist” could not be more boring to me. They always play it during the second set, and I just don’t think it works. At least Trey makes some attempt at redemption with “Ruby Waves” next. “Ruby Waves” is solid before Ripcord Trey shows up and abruptly kicks off “No Men In No Man’s Land” Set II ends with “First Tube”

If you’ve never heard “The Prison Joke” it’s...better than the Yellow Dog story? That’s really all it has going for it. I couldn’t find it on YouTube, but if you’d like to hear it in all its glory, enjoy. Following some banter about The Prison Joke,“Grind” officially opens the encore. TL;DR: the band’s been alive for a lot of days. “Miss You” is next, and mercifully the show is over with “Harry Hood.” With the show finally over, the crowd makes its way outside into the scorching St Louis summer.

So there you have it, a dud of a show.

I kid, of course. Any Phish show (yes, even you) is better than no Phish show, but shows like this are a good reminder that we as fans (mostly just me) need to temper our expectations. There was nothing wrong with this show per se, it just couldn’t reach the heights we reached during night 1, and that’s ok. If this is the worst show I ever see, I’ll die a happy fan. Just means I need to keep going to more. See y’all at Dick’s.

If you liked this blog post, one way you could "like" it is to make a donation to The Mockingbird Foundation, the sponsor of Phish.net. Support music education for children, and you just might change the world.