So maybe its too soon, but I feel like I have to try and put this run into perspective. As an OCD-type junior-archivist, the immediate urge to compare Dick's to past eras of glory is difficult to escape. I think I will have to compromise and not name any specific shows from other eras for comparison, but content myself with speaking on the development of 2012 and 3.0 in general.

As I have said ad infinitum on previous posts, this year has been the year of attention to detail and overall show-craft resulting in more thoroughly satisfying shows as a whole. Without going into detail, just go back over leg I and see how many shows were dload "skippable" and compare that with 09, 10, and 11. Some shows from 11 and the occasional from 09 and 10 had greater heights but not many had the whole show breadth of 12. Guyutica, Pine Knob, and Element Set are the exception to this trend (and before anyone says that I intentionally omitted the best set/show ever, I'm sure I'm missing some here).

More frequently, there was a great individual jam that made the highlight reel but the rest of the show was so-so. Another exception is BGCA night two for 2012 (Simple) that demonstrated this phenomenon. But I would posit, as a whole, 12 has been the year for developing entire shows. Maybe I'm biased towards this type of thing because I love to listen to entire shows from start to finish; I want to sit back and soak in the entirety to glimpse (if only vicariously) what it might have been like to have been there. Also, I think we should note that this is obviously how phish shows are actually played. Seems dumb to mention, but I think it puts one in a better perspective to go to a show and enjoy it.

With these types of whole-show entities, the normal parameters of songs are transcended to provide the context, the space in which the songs are felt and the jams are jammed. This is beautifully said @nichobert in the post above on balladry. These well-earned ballads glisten with the dew of the previous jam as a triumphant return is made; we come to them having known the journey and each note of the glorious melody is the sense of we have arrived. Think about the Dirt in the Element, or that If I Could (or if you want to get crazy, Stella Blue).

But enough about the ethos of whole-show. I could talk forever about it. The point to me was that they showed their willingness in 11 to jam the jams. And I'm not talking about any nifty 9 minute ghosts or 12 minute tweezers here. It was the dawn of the Disease. The only concern at the time was that that was the only platform that still seemed to be a launchpad (this would be alleviated soon enough).

Fast-forward to leg I. Oh dear God, they are not jamming the 20-minuters! Well, they were too busy relearning how to craft an entire show. I posted on this ad nauseum over the course of the tour so I won't bore everyone again with the details. Let's just say they bothered to take care of their songs and their sets again. I was actually thinking a little pre-thought from the band in terms of setlists might be a good idea, not as a blue print but as a source for flow. It seems as if they proved it to themselves that they had it in them to jam the real jams in 11 and then went back and handled the rest of the business in leg I. Leg I+11 style jamming= motherfucking, leg II.

I hate to be that "I told you so" guy, but I told you so. In the SPAC 2 recap blog. There seemed to be some haters hating and I had to let them know what was in store for us in leg II. I recall one guy actually said something like, Phish has never been less dynamic over a 4 year timespan. Ugh. Sorry, I just could not resist the urge that I foretold of the greatness and yea it was good. But I am not a unique snowflake and many many other people out there with brains saw this coming. Look at how much they care and how much fun they're having throughout leg I. We already saw that they could jam if the jamming moment was right. Leg I was about getting to the place where the time is always right to do what is jam.

And. Man. Did. They. Ever. I know its only 3 shows, and was immediately preceded by a show with an 09 mask on, but how can this not be a watershed moment for phish? We were no longer *really* hoping that they were as good as their potential (night one AC was my first revelation of this), but they were swaggeringly putting that shit right in our ears. Like this is what we came for, what did you expect? The Dick's run to me is not the culmination of the bands 3.0 arc, but is instead the impetus for 2012- onward. By revisiting the past, the band finally arrived in the present, and our ears may be pointed skyward to the future. The asterisk has finally left the building and those glimpses of glory that the 12 min jams provided are fully and thoroughly explored now.

And while I might draw some hate here, I think it is because they now have a willingness to sound bad. They are no longer afraid of falling flat on their faces in a jam, and we can get moments where the cohesion is lost that pushes the band to find new horizons of jam within the context of the ongoing jam. Runaway Jim, I thought was a perfect example of this. You can clearly hear the searching, shift and new direction the jam takes. In 10 or 11, this would have phased out and BDTNL would have started. The most basic requirement for jamming is the commitment to the jam because most of the time glorious hose does not just immediately leap out from the collected depths (unless its Undermind night one).

The second aspect seems to be an open mind. There have been amazing sands. Don't get me wrong here, I love the sand jam. I love the groove I love the melody, I even *gasp* love the lyrics. But, aside from the brief moment from DCU before it segues into Nellie Kane, I don't think I can name a single type-II jam that has come out of sand. Ever. Until now. Talk about a turn to left field, they deconstructed that mother hard. And then rebuilt it, somehow, but not quite, leaving the door open to one of the most solid segues of their career. Those segues where it's like they've just stuck the landing, 10/10, there is no better because it is perfection. You can get there again but you can't do better (unless you count creativity points for unusual pairings).

Anyway, before this becomes some kind of epic, I guess I should steer back to the main point. By giving us a taste of what can be, they have raised the expectations. Fair or unfair, realistic or not, we all know (them included) that they can do it. I think it would be reasonable to expect them to at least try (as in the Jim jam) to have the commitment to jamming. If a jam has an organic peak, then that's the time for the segue. If there is no peak, but glorious apocalypse instead ("storage" then ride that shit out! If the they are still in the searching phase, have the patience to wait and see what will develop. These are not edicts to the band, but I think instead, standards that they have demonstrated of their own accord. It is no coincidence that these jamming elements have led to the best shows (as a run) since 2003 (OK, 6/04 had its moments).

I don't think we should have the realistic expectation that they will just play like its Dicks for all of 2013-> ? because (other than fall 97) they have never consistently done that over there career. But this ******giant******* leap forward should grant them a framework from which to work off of. I hope (not yet expect) that we will get a show of Dick's willingness to jam (if not caliber of jam) maybe every third show or so on tours from hereon out. With most shows displaying at least one real jam in the first set. And maybe something like: show 1 (17 min jam> 12min Jam) show 2 (15 min jam 1st set, 15 min jam 2nd set) show 3 (23 min jam> 15 min jam). Along with a sprinkling of fresh takes on bowie, reba, and last quarter hoods/slaves.

And finally (I swear), an understanding of what songs make sense in what point in the setlist. Strong 4th quarters are the final hurdle. This is the dawn of 4.0, folks, and I sincerely believe that we will get there soon.

Addendum: what is like fall 97 is the fact that in Dick's at least: we don't know what songs the jams will come from!!!!!!!! Chalkdust???!!! Prince caspian? Easily best ever. Ok, I'm outta here.