@Laudanum said:

"This is improvisation that sounds like melodious, composed music (not like �improvisation� at all), and there are subtleties in the glorious themes that comprise this version that will inspire repeated listenings."

Spot-on. I've been saying this since last year. What they're reaching for is not just groove-oriented improv, but true on-the-fly composition. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, which leads to the so-called abortions when they're not feeling it.

3.0 has more rough edges than 1.0, sure, but it also has moments like last night's Carini or the BGCA Jim where they're creating songs within songs out of thin air that exist on their own terms for a brief moment in time and then are gone. This alone has me more interested in Phish than I've been since '99.

Well said, thanks. I appreciate this perspective as a way to understand the 3.0 'rip cord' phenomenon. Add to the list the '13 Tahoe Tweezer and the '12 Dick's Light to name two astounding 'on the fly comp' examples off the top.

They are also, it seems to me, at least occasionally striving for a sort of 'warp speeding' many-song and mini-jam flow, where the 'on the fly comp' happens quickly rather than in midst of extensively developed 'big jams.' This doesn't always work, of course, but when it does it can be pretty awesome. 8/17/2011 ii immediately comes to mind.