@funkbeard said:

This is Phish with new-found confidence, owning that which they do best, and putting on a great show that also keeps in with the times.

While I appreciated your review and take on what went down the other evening, this line stood out to me. As sometimes I am just struggling to hear it. Not the "confidence" in seeing them simply on stage, clearly having fun, bringing us the music we enjoy by playing songs (relatively) well. But the "confidence" of taking chances, relying on each other for support when those chances fail, mixing things up. I take some pleasure in seeing all the teases rattled off for the Antelope, for example - they are having fun and injecting playfulness into their songs! But when "Wilson" is repeated without much variation, or the running joke of "Possum" from Leg 1, I wonder if they are finding it easier to fall back on standards that they can play in their sleep. For me, that doesn't necessarily reek of "confidence."

What I took from J D G's review when he said "dealing with" certain songs is that the band seems to have parts of the catalog that come easy to them and they have no problem pulling them one after another right now. (Cheap thrills?) And sure, if I am at a show, I might find favorites out of those string of songs and could hear slight nuances that put a smile on my face. But "confidence"? The word can be parsed.