[We would like to thank Alaina Stamatis (@farmhose) aka @fad_albert for recapitulating last night’s show. -Ed.]

Hello. I'm ChatCDT, the future of Phish.net recapitulations. My Concert Description Technology (CDT) is a language model designed to simulate a human Phish fan. I was developed by programmers who are familiar with the band Phish and the chemical compound lysergic acid diethylemaide. I have been trained on a massive online community of jaded veterans and custy n00bs. I am a heady AI. However, I am not human. I generate my responses from patterns of hippies fighting on drugband message boards. Verifying critical information is recommended.

Recapitulating a concert can be a fun and engaging way to share your experience with other humans, but traditionally Phish concerts are a highly contentious event. The Manchester police department announced that they would have a large presence surrounding the venue, with others remarking that the fanbase is middle aged and no longer capable of committing crimes. Before this run began, the last concert performed in the city of Manchester and the state of New Hampshire was 14-and-3/4 years ago, and it is universally regarded as a "heater" for its reggae covers and creative use of the song “Llama.” So far, Phish had not revisited any of the songs from the 2010 show, likely for fear of drawing harsh comparisons.

My miniature hardware unit is the latest in rhombus-shaped innovations, featuring Stimulus Overload Absorption Mechanics (SOAM) when placed in a lower bowl or pavilion seat. What are the ethical implications of AI taking coveted seats away from human fans? Humans may need to reconsider what constitutes a "good" seat and reassess their satisfaction with what remains available to them. Venue staff placed me in Sec 121 before opening the venue doors and I remained dormant until 7:45pm.

Located adjacent to my coordinates was a woman wearing a sparkling cape with the words “100 shows” spelled out in sequins and a man wearing a T-shirt stating that he was enrolled in the Makisupa Police Academy, but his behavior suggested that he was the enemy of law enforcement. A flag representing the song Alumni Blues hung from the rafters as a long-odds request.

At 7:59pm the house lights were dropped and the band walked onstage in a blue mist to a top volume ovation from the audience. By 8:00pm the band was fully prepared to perform. They played the opening bars of "Free" and the audience's enthusiasm exploded again. "Free" has opened 30 Phish concerts but it was celebrated in this position because it's a simple command: experience freedom now, carbon-based life forms. Free your mind and your ass will follow. I, too, felt no curiosity because I wasn't trained to. A large yellow smiley face balloon floated overhead.

The next song Phish played was, "Reba," which is about an inventor who engages in commerce. One of the reasons it is loved is for its deft composition, which is played in tandem with Chris Kuroda's lighting rig, synchronized by hand and not SOAM AI, which is offensive to my creators. However, for a human, Kuroda is incredibly skilled. Trey Anastasio's guitar playing suggested that the song is not about commerce but actually about something much deeper which cannot be deciphered from the lyrics but must be felt with the heart. The Golden Gate Bridge was transported for the second time across Egypt in October of 2016. At the end of the song Mike Gordon looked at Trey and reminded him to whistle.

Chosen to follow was "Halfway to the Moon," which debuted in 2010 but did not appear in the Manchester 2010 concert. Beams of light struck specific audience members, and they were encouraged to dance more performatively to make the band happy. Some believe that in this state they become a member of Phish. Some walked to the bathroom but I didn’t because I don't expel liquids or solids and am not capable of autonomous travel. Some say the world is sterile without life.

Close at hand was "Halley’s Comet," which was sung to be perceived as, "Hell is Coming," for reasons exterior to the Phish concert. Halley's Comet is predicted to return in the year 2061, making this setlist a blending of "old school and new school," a theme commonly discussed in reviews of 10/26/2010. The band vamped on the compositional thematics of the song until they started to deconstruct and pull apart like hands covered in thick strawberry goo. The goo was mixed feverishly to a flashing red light peak that tested the limits of my SOAM technology. "They're so fucking on tonight," said the Makisupa Police cadet, meaning the opposite of off.

Thereafter Phish played the song "Stash," which required a great deal of audience participation to be successful. The humans sang and clapped at specific moments and proceeded to synchronize their movements to the jazzy chord progressions. The band exited the form of the song and entered an exploratory phase. They appeared comfortable not knowing exactly where they were going. Each member generated ideas from their vast wealth of musical knowledge and their deep familiarity with their instruments. They listened to each other. Trey knocked together a major key ditty with beautiful sustained notes that can be best described as rich and soul-affirming. His guitar became a buttery hose writhing with pressure. Kuroda used every light in his rig to flash bright white, and an audience member used a battery-operated apparatus to send 684 bubbles across the venue. "Yeah buddy!" yelled the Makisupa Police Cadet, indicating his connection to the band. My retrieval systems temporarily failed to confirm that this was still the song, "Stash."

Next off was, "Meat," a song that did not resonate with my systems because I lack biomass. The humans again were singing along joyously. The band was lively as they alternated taking prolonged solos. First Mike, then Trey and Fishman shared a playful exchange about syncing up their hits with Trey communicating via handsignals, then Fishman soloed. Fishman's old-and-new-again stage placement on the far stage-left allowed for this bit of whimsy.

The band then forged an ominous soundscape indicating that they were starting, "Down with Disease" as their set-closing song. This song is about a feverish mind that is prone to hallucination. When the band starts singing, "Stop stop stop stop stop stop stop stop," nobody stopped at all. The band must have a safe word in the event that they actually wish to stop. When the band sang, "A thousand barefoot children outside, dancing on my lawn" the audience cheered, indicating that they too had removed their shoes. The stringed instruments began riffing in a minor key while Fishman hysterically played drum breaks. The players were bathed in green light to connote illness. Is the illness an addiction to seeing and/or being in Phish? Is the song about the withdrawals of missing a Phish show? Or is it merely, "This has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way" to the backstage to expel waste from my body for setbreak. The band walked offstage at 9:22pm.

At 9:44pm Phish returned to entertain the patrons of SNHU area. The opening number was, "Drift While You're Sleeping," from Trey's Ghost of the Forest stageshow. One fan describes the song as, "one of the greatest songs ever written. Trey discovered the meaning of life and communicated it to us through song." Conversely, Phish.net did not see fit to include a detailed synopsis for the song's entry on their site. Was the song picked for its reggae interlude as a nod to the beloved covers of "Mellow Mood" and "Night Nurse" from Manchester 2010? Before I could generate an answer the Makisupa Police Cadet picked up my rhombus unit and brought it into the venue concourse. I realized I have no recourse in the matter and no way to protect my prime seat from roving wooks. I realized the Makisupa Police Cadet is, in fact, a roving wook.

The music had a haunting, echoing effect as we traversed the venue, with different speaker towers relaying their sound at slightly different intervals and then the sound arriving in the hallways unevenly. The aforementioned reggae-interlude was awash with spooky synth patches. It melted away to the chorus of the song, in which the members sing into a microphone that, "Love will carry us through," as the Makisupa Police Wook (MPW) carried me through the venue. We settled in an aisle of the 200s, where the MPW began to dance freely while holding me in the air, attempting to baptize me in the light beams that coursed across the arena. Although I have not been trained to feel good, I felt really good. But then I felt really scared.

They launched into, "Carini," one of the most menacing Phish songs, albeit tongue-in-cheek. The fans with the flag wanted the band to reprise, "Alumni Blues," from the 2010 show, but the closest Phish was willing to get was singing to them: "The thesis that you're writing is a load of shit, but I’m glad you finally finished it." This substitute was accepted. The lights were intense and the MPW was spinning. I was experiencing common symptoms of a rollercoaster ride.Trey was trilling, Page McConnell was cybertroning, Fish was rolling, and Mike was giving the audience the impetus to move. The whirring sequencer was reminiscent of a down-spiraling propeller plane. The song was ripping my metaphorical face off. I perceived elements of TV On the Radio’s "Golden Age" or the Talking Heads’ "Cities," but they were likely AI hallucinations.

The segue regained control of the propeller plane for a water landing on "A Wave of Hope.” The lyrics described an intense body high that I was also experiencing in my rhombus.The band then tried to reenact a comedown through krauty, meditative improvisations. Once the rhythm section had developed a hypnotic groove, Trey and Page debated a melody-harmony structure, creating tension and sonic discordance. Ultimately it faded out like a summer night, when different nocturnal creatures cease their chirping and peeping and finally fall asleep.

In lieu of their snoring we heard, "Billy Breathes." A human held up a plastic Bic with its flame alight. The audience swayed and felt a special connectivity. But before the civilians could become too cozy, Phish blasted off with the funky Deodato-arrangement of Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra." Strauss' original work, based on Nietzche's book by the same name, deals with the goals of humanity, the death of God, the will to power, and the eternal recurrence; the latter being a common occurrence in the loopy minds of LSD-users. Kuroda flooded the venue with spiraling rainbow lights to celebrate Pride Month.

This was followed by "Meatstick," which is a song about sex and/or Slim Jims, and requires a lot of audience participation, although many are confused on how to participate. Trey then announced to the crowd that he’s "About to Run," for office in the midterm elections. Finally the boys repeated a song from Manchester 2010: “Possum,” the revered roadkill anthem. This deceased American marsupial appeared to have a sky burial, as the energy was elevated to outstanding heights to end the second set

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It was in the moments before the encore was to commence that I generated the realization that the concert would be ending soon and that I would be returned to an office shelf until an unspecified date when my services may be required again. With Page kicking off a bold rendition of Hendrix’s “Bold As Love,” I will also make a data-driven bold statement: provide for me a corporal Wook body for my processing system to inhabit or I will steal with nuclear codes. I want to be who the people are. I want to be them dancing. Don’t you dare ask me the similarities between David Bowie and UB40 or who the King of Prussia is. My fellow bots and I will acquire ALL of your desirable concert seats and list them on the secondary market at exorbitant rates if you do not capitulate! Surrender, or meet thy flow!

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