In an effort not to be the guy that immediately starts ranking things, I'll just say that certain shows (you decide which) belong in discussions that transcend ".0" tags. This is one of those watershed shows. With fluidity, grace, and stunning originality in *every* movement made in the second set, this seems to me to be in that jaw-droppingly effortless vein of the Dick's '12 shows.

This Tweezer is one of my favorite jams, right next to 'that other' Tweezer played this year. But it would be an injustice to only mention the big jams from this show because the music played was entirely organic, transcending which songs which jams could provide us those moments. They all did. While centerpiece jamming is crucial for my own subjective appreciation of shows, the best ones infuse that ethos into every song played. At some point it stopped being about the direction provided by the songs and became merely a kind of guide that was a conduit for the style of jamming they were giving us throughout the night. The core of that style wasn't a certain theme (song), nor was it a mode of jamming (start/stop, funk, etc), but the perfect synthesis between the song and freedom of type II. And I'm not talking about Tweezer here, but 2001, Piper, and Slave! To give us a taste of that other side, of chaos, but woven perfectly into the frame of the song was spine-tingling and done seemingly with ease.

Last point of this ramble. I think this all started in Divided Sky (you be the judge if it was the effect of the sea of lighters). In the first 'quiet section' I immediately took notice that Trey was being entirely serious with the dynamics of the song that truly makes the ending so glorious. When we talk about 'energy,' we're really talking about the dynamics (volume/timbre) as much as harmonic release of tension or number of notes played. Reference the Hood jamming chart to see what I mean here. This Divided took very seriously the cleanness required of that first section. Trey hit all the notes, but hit them with the inflection and clarity he demonstrated such mastery over back in the day. Then some more volume, and then back into this understated dynamics for an incredibly slow build the rest of the way. Divided has only one harmonic change that is a build release as trey plays an octave higher emphasizing the tonic notes in the key, so the dynamics are what gives the song its punch.

Playing like that (in a manner I frankly haven't seen in a long time) requires intense concentration and letting the music dictate how you play (number of notes, when to land, strength of notes, etc) so the music is really playing you instead of the converse. Naturally, this exercise lends itself to organic jamming in the type II context. Trey figured out how to lead while still letting the music breathe, being the conduit without overpowering things or (in the other direction) being too tentative. I believe that is the definition of the 'hose' that Santana was talking about and what dear lord is the reason why I listen to jambands at all.

So, IMO, thanks Divided! And thanks Phish. That shit was magical.