I’m with you. Fishman was really driving the improvisations and making it possible for the other instruments to lift off. He rarely gets the credit he deserves.

It’s unfortunate to read all of the negativity in this thread, especially considering that from my perspective, this was probably the best Phish show I have ever been to, and I have been to numerous great ones. Sure Trey misses sections here or there. That’s not new, and if you listen to really old shows, it happened back then too.

What amazes me is that Trey and the rest of the band just moves on to see what will happen rather than be stuck in what happened. Sure, there were some mistakes in Stash, but it still ended up being my personal favorite version of Stash ever. The connectivity and excitement in the crowd was unreal. Everyone was showing their appreciation that not only is Phish playing again, but also that they’re playing so well overall.

The reviewer didn’t make much of a deal about it, but the timing and delivery of Army of One was really exceptional. I spoke with multiple people who felt like the entire crowd had a “moment” during that song, like each person was reckoning with the circumstances in their individual worlds and the world as a whole right now. Also, we do not get a song debut at every show, and I think “A Wave of Hope”deserves some credit. Finally, give that Possum another listen. It is no ordinary Possum.

I 100% got what I paid for, and I didn’t talk to a single person all weekend who felt otherwise.
Thanks for the review, and thanks for reading.

Here are the lyrics to “A Wave of Hope.”

From out of the chaos
A wave appears
In the moonlit confusion
Irons melted
Coming Grace, no longer frozen
The pillow drowns the moans
And shallow breaths
As dancing silvery rays change, each wave eyes a star
And the swollen moon hangs over the water

Reflections guide the way
Gold maze mirrors
As the night wheels turn
Shipwrecks sway, steel mast crashes
Spin green sky

I have grown my wings, I am flying
Ascending now, I am soaring
Untied my wrists, and flew away
This too shall pass, this too shall pass

I have grown wings, I am flying
Ascending fool, I am soaring
Untied my wrists, and Flew Away
This too shall pass, this too shall pass

We are flying, we are flying
Over the water
We are diving, we are diving
Into the water

I have grown wings, I am flying
Ascending now, I am soaring
Untied my wrists, and flew away
This too shall pass, this too shall pass

@vinsanity46 said:

Interesting perspective, to be a Phish fan and not like Stash…

I mean, it’s the entirely wrong perspective, but I guess it’s unique?

I gotta say, as someone who loves this band and has a lot to say on the details of the actual jams…

…such as the fact that Fishman was creating multi-layered mountain landscapes in every jam that immediately catapulted everything in the second set into almost immediate Type II goodness. I mean, the man is out there terraforming, morphing alongside his band members and lifting them up to epic heights…and the past two reviews haven’t mentioned it nearly at all…

…can I please review tonight’s show @icculus?