[url=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vT9bzdgLEfV3TWstklT139KBew0B7ZInuE5PiA2qJnfeKqHZigPJtE62NuUilsnH8_I8rolNb-klriI/pubhtml?gid=1894490282&single=true][b]Moon Palace 1/31/26 SANTOS Scorecard[/b][/url] This show has a SANTOS score of 100 (epic!). The 3 longest versions of songs puts this one over the top.

[url=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vT9bzdgLEfV3TWstklT139KBew0B7ZInuE5PiA2qJnfeKqHZigPJtE62NuUilsnH8_I8rolNb-klriI/pubhtml?gid=2092521661&single=true][b]Moon Palace 1/30/26 SANTOS Scorecard[/b][/url] This show has a SANTOS score of 54 (below average). The debut of Simeon during the encore keeps it from being very bad.

[url=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vT9bzdgLEfV3TWstklT139KBew0B7ZInuE5PiA2qJnfeKqHZigPJtE62NuUilsnH8_I8rolNb-klriI/pubhtml?gid=2092521661&single=true][b]Moon Palace 1/30/26 SANTOS Scorecard[/b][/url] This show has a SANTOS score of 54 (below average). The debut of Simeon in the encore keeps it from being very bad.

[url=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vT9bzdgLEfV3TWstklT139KBew0B7ZInuE5PiA2qJnfeKqHZigPJtE62NuUilsnH8_I8rolNb-klriI/pubhtml?gid=1036664554&single=true][b]Moon Palace 1/29/26 Scorecard[/b][/url] This show has a SANTOS score of 83 (very good!). Both sets and encore were above average. Both sets had high Jam scores and the Dancing in Midair debut during the encore result in a high overall score.

This show has a SANTOS score of 63. The first set was above average with the bustout of Breath and Burning and debut of Fling Your Head. [url=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vT9bzdgLEfV3TWstklT139KBew0B7ZInuE5PiA2qJnfeKqHZigPJtE62NuUilsnH8_I8rolNb-klriI/pubhtml?gid=201151448&single=true]Moon Palace - 1/28/26 SANTOS Scorecard[/url]

Laid back opening show, I’m always ok with that. Set 1 starts out funky with Hey Stranger and Moma. Pretty nice Roggae. We get a new Mike song! Set 2 is ok. It’s really all about the Mercury jam. Very laid back but a nice groove and the ending chaos to Boogie On is super tasty. Nothing much else in the 2nd set. Encore leaves you satisfied with a Dog Faced Ghost 1-2 punch. I can’t complain! So to tally up folks: we get two bust-outs and a debut. I’m sure the peeps in attendance had a wonderful time. I was listening from polar vortex Crapchester NY so there ya have it. Darien Lake 93 this show is not but in Phish we trust. I deem thee to be a 3.0 and a breezy wheezy good time.

If this show happened at MSG, you can bet your sweet ass it would be rated at least a 4.4-something. It was awesome, Moon Palace is awesome, the band is locked in and playing as tight as ever and can do more with their instruments than ever. It was disappointing to see so many of these rich trustfundafarians being served by all these hard workers at the Moon Palace and not even give a tip. They don’t tip cuz they’re dirtbags. And they act like everybody is there to watch their drunk ass perform. No, Karen, we don’t even want to look at your stupid ass.

Phish capped off the Mexico Run with an unforgettable show. Rating bias is still present, which is a shame. The first set starts with a focused version of Mikes. Halleys and Paug were pretty standard. MFMF is the first mega jam on the night (more would come) - as Phish reached deep to give us a spectacular 25 min version. Must hear stuff. Rest of the first set goes by smoothly. Drift as a first set closer does not bother me at all. 2nd set , oh baby. How about one of the longest Phish jams ever? The longest song the ocean ever sang. a 40 min powerhouse that makes me wish I was on a beach in Cancun and financially stable. This even topped the Ruby Waves from earlier in the run, although bot are their own special type of beast. We weren't done. Sea of Stars was delicate and kept us occupied for 19 more minutes. Another mind melting, thought provoking type jam. Phish kept their momentum going.... what a set I was starting to tell myself. Meatstick comes in, and who could complain about that? Its one of the most fun songs ever. It got a good, non abberviated version of 9 mins. No meatstick should be under 7.Golden age also rocked hard. At this point I knew this was one hell of a set of phish Double encore of fan favorites. Hood = Bliss. Hell of a show, I am already re-listening. If you didnt give it 5 stars, we get it, you wish you were in Mexico. If this show happened in MSG it would rank amongst their best there. Signed someone who has seen more MSG shows than anywhere else by far. Set One: B+ Set Two: A+ 4.5

I'm not one prone to hyperbole, but Trey kept walking us down pathways all show... Beautiful interactions between crowd energy and band energy... Both matched perfectly under a sea of stars... I thought the entire run wasa workout, two new decided and a personal fave an extended Ruby Waves had me licked in on receive for everything the boys were transmitting!! Extended esoteric jams were some legendary face-melting material. The Mike's song opener on night four set up a fun bounce through the setlist, Julius was off the chart funk... The guys brought an intense energy this year with virtuoso skills and an undeniable connection to the crowd

I was recently scouring the web to find the 12/22/97 Zambiland Orchestra show because it was one of the coolest and most unique live concert experiences I’ve had. I couldn’t even find a complete set list. I recorded that night off another guy’s mics and have the full 3 sets. My DAT players are no longer functional and I don’t recall the sound quality. Any chance any of you could point me to someone who can circulate this masterful event? Possibly even remaster?

Fun start. Gin really start to get things moving with a nice Most Events which honestly is becoming one of my favorite "new" tunes. Carini was amazing, was sooo close to getting insanely down right dirty and they moved into light. At the time I was bummed they didn't stretch out Carini more but the Light was super solid. I am always 100% game for a Frankie Says I love that tune. This one didn't disappoint. Miami Frankie in '03 was insane in person, so I was pleased to see it taken for a ride. Life Saving Gun has been delivering and this was no exception. First Tube is easily one of my favorite set closers and they gave this one a little extra grease. My tinnitus even this morning is a testament to the version, true Trey rock god exposition. Encore debut of Simeon was fun. I'm down for whatever they play but getting a new tune to consume is always great in my opinion. ALBTD always brings the feels in this position and if felt like they really played it for the crowd and meant it. Tonight is going to be bittersweet as we head back to our normal lives, but I'll never trade anything for time in the sun with my favorite band. Onward and upward or whatever keeps you going.

Couch toured this one from cold and snowy Michigan, wishing I was on a warm beach down in Mexico. Thank goodness for these live streams! I’ve been catching one night of Phish in Mexico at home for years and it’s always a nice little mid-winter treat. A bit surprised at the ratings as I thought there was great playing all around. I particularly enjoyed Wolfman’s, Tube, Gin from the first set and honestly all of the second set. Light after Carini was a nice pairing. LSG jammed hard. Wowza! I felt thoroughly rinsed by percussion. Encore was on the tamer side but I have a huge soft spot for A Life Beyond The Dream as anyone who has read my comments knows, so I went to bed happy. Hope everyone there is having a great time!

Another solid show down in Mexico. First set had a nice tube, and also a cool version of gin. All in all decent songs picked. Set two goes deep once again. Carini was a marathon of music, while there has been some sick versions over the years, this jam had a unique taste. It got picked up by Light which I thought was a good choice. It blended into Frankie Says which was a welcome sight. Ide have preferred if that got stretched. Jam of the night though goes to Life Saving Gun. Its a raucous affair of balls to the walls action. I think most Phish fans have got to have grown to like that song. Encore here gives us 2 slower tunes to send us off. Not how ide do it. I actually a fan that loved LBTD when it first appeared but the over-playment has made it lose a bit of luster for me. Just my 2 cents. Simeon isn't terrible but belongs in like a first set. All in all I think anyone who was worried about Phish starting to "stink" is being laughed at. Set One: C+ Set Two: A- Rating: 3.9

And here we are again, our 9th Mexico run and our 9th set of low rated shows. The show rating mafia wins again! Disregard all ratings for this run (and the others as well). Just listen and enjoy. Not show bias, actually never been to Phish in Mexico. The first night was definitely a great show, those that don't like breath and burning, sigma oasis (farmhouse, etc, etc) .... might be a good time to find a new band. I was dead set on the dead in the 90s and luckily found phish. It all worked. don't be afraid to walk away. N2, also a solid show. Second set is great, WGTYM jam is a slam dunk for me. And of course, this show. Like the other two nights, it's a great first set with solid songs and playing. Followed by what we all love- a jammed out second set. This is great Phish no doubt about

Show starts with a standard Blaze On, then some fluff with Bouncing and Evolve, get an above average Wolfmans, a nice Tube, fantastic Water in the Sky and then things start to take off when we hit the Gin. And then came the second set. This one was a face melter. Extremely psychedelic and the flow of this set is just perfect, notably the segue from Light to Frankie Says which was just ridiculous. Kinda dumb they followed up that set with a snoozer encore, but hey, can’t win em all can you?

Phish returned to the stage in Mexico after a show which people gave a sub 3 rating to. (I gave that show 3.75 and i will stand by a decent rating there) So it's safe to say some people were paying close attention tonight After this show - a show which absolutely fucked - I am glad to see the rating bias is toned down a bit. The first set had great song selection. Gumbo is a great way to get us going. Oblivion went pretty deep after coming out of Caspian. The stash was our first major HELL YEAH moment. 15 mins of good stuff there. Not a ton else in this set to rave about, but it was fine and an improvement from the night prior. Set two takes you where you want to go. A 4-song set usually means the songs stretched their legs well , and that was definitely the case for WoH and Ruby Waves. 2 great jam vehicles here. Perhaps none with a stronger track record than Ruby Waves as of the past few years - and it highlighted the show again - as it got real weird and stayed strong for 20+ mins That kind of mind melting jam is the stuff that turns an average show into a burner. That turns a novice phish phan into a full on wook. Lonely trip isn't my thing and i feel like that slot deserved better. But alas, in came a WGTYM to get us up and dancing hard again. This song is [i]special [/i]and I know many of you agree. A solid version took us home and capped off a set that deserves to be relistened to. Another debut came in the encore, and it was a soothing tune. Page had some cool vocals. All in all I can say I didnt hate "dancing in midair". But I certainly liked antelope more. It didn't quite come crashing down like the version at MSG, but that place is also pretty damn [i]special[/i]. Set One: B- Set Two: A- Rating: 4.30

This rating is skewed and just shows how petty and childish the community can be. You can be mad that you can’t afford to go or don’t get to see Phish on a beach, but how can you not say this is some of the best they’ve ever played??? I guess the setlist could get some hate if you’re that jaded, although the first set was a 1.0 dream. This is without a doubt a 4.5+/5 show. It’s nearly flawless from start to finish. That Ruby Waves was simply greatness and another magnum opus of the bands relentless drive to push the boundaries of what is capable with music. This show encompasses every single era of phish. You have early 90s 1.0, late 90s 1.0, dark gritty 2.0 jams, and the exploration of 3.0/4.0. 37 shows deep and somehow they still find a way to put my jaw on floor.

It's night one of a standalone 4 night run. I'm seeing Phish! :-) But there's rust :-( The first set was up and down. Sand and Chalk Dust Torture are worth a look. The flow in the second half of the first set was odd. It felt like the rhythm was off. Second set was much better. Waves was nice. Fuego was excellent, but it could have gone on even longer. No Man's seemed a bit like a ripcord or indecision on Trey's part. Nice to hear, not much to say. Mercury was fairly standard until after the Marimba Lumina segment, but then turned into a nice & reasonably extended jam, probably the highlight of the night for me. Not much to say about the rest of the set, it was enjoyable and nice to get the Zero out of the way. One tease is fun, but not going to make me actually want to see Zero. I liked the encore. Ghost doesn't have to try and go way out there, but can just be the song in the encore slot. Yay for Phish, more to come, this show will remain an opener.

Different strokes for different folks but after listening to it live last night on SiriusXM and especially just after the relisten I feel like I heard an average great/4 or thereabouts show that I would have been happy to have attended and danced my skinny ass off to like I did in the comforts of my living room for most of last night and this morning. The 1st set was groovy with Fishman leading the way. Roggae was outstanding to these ears, Fling Your Head was a breezy swampy Mike debut and CDT was an unexpected jam vehicle to end the 1st set. Yeah Waves was too short and evidently served as the "TV" song but it took 25 minutes to finally douse the Fuego that followed that by its end I had forgotten what song it was and ditto for the 24 minute Mercury, separated by a ten minute NMINML. True, Backwards and Zero sounded ragged but Ghost was a well jammed out version for its closing ten minutes. Great show, nope but good enough opening show of a four show run, imho deserves "better" than the current 3.1 rating, my 2 cents worth. Peace, Alex

I joked with my friends after the show that the mic smack moment was the Nod to Bobby we were all watching for. (A reference to Weirwolf’s even more violent disregard for a mic stand up at The Gorge years ago, iykyk). Fun show, great vibes and dancing space Page side for me and my crew. Have fun yall and see ya out there later ✌️

I’m a little confused about the poor ratings / vibes on this one… While first nights in Mexico are often relatively placid warm ups designed more to welcome than to awe, I thought there was a palpable desire to push it throughout last night. Both sand and chalk dust were phenomenal versions that deserve a listen, and Fuego from set II was easily as wide ranging and stirring as last years, which id bet many would rank as a top 3 jam from that run. Yes, mercury was a little languid, but the boys taking a breath during a 20+ minute jam in the fourth quarter is not the same as, say, a misplaced Mountains in the Mist or Halfway to the Moon is (no disrespect you know what I’m saying) Also, did anyone else see Trey smack his mic halfway thru set II? Seemed like a sound issue but my man was animated! Makes me 100% sure this will be an all time set of shows on the beach, hope to see everyone there tonight. Also, did anyone notice Teeh

This show seemed sluggish and a bit predictable (although, some moments of unpredictability - after all, it is a Phish show). Set I Highlights: A fun Moma Dance to get people moving. A nice jam on Sand (again, predictable song for N1). Sigma Oasis, not an award winner, but not a horrible choice for a filler song. Breath and Burning bust out, nothing notable other than being a bust out. Fling Your Head they can keep. Chalk Dust is fun but prefer it as a Set II closer. Just my two cents. Set II Highlights: Not a whole lot to write home about regarding Waves. Slow and boring. I really enjoyed the jam in Fuego, but as another reviewer mentioned, it took them 50 minutes (Waves and Fuego combined) to get to this point. The rest is good, just not great. I'm tired of Character Zero. Not that it's a bad song, I'm just tired of it and its placement. Encore: Meh, Dog Faced Boy is not noteworthy other than being another bust out and Ghost was okay but ended with a nice jam. Nice ending to an okay show, leaving us wondering what happens tomorrow. The band seems to lack a bit of energy lately. Felt similarly at MSG. Setlists have gotten a touch more predictable, and the energy is a decibel softer. This is the warm-up show, though, and I'm sure the boys will continue to build momentum throughout the week.

Sometimes Phish plays a bad show, and that's okay. 2/5, which is generous but some cool moments in Fuego and Mercury save it from being a 1 star show (irredeemable). I only feel bad for the new Mike song, which was a fine debut but sufferred from poor placement after a completely mundane, predictable, and stale Set 1 -- particularly after a back to back pairing of Breath and Burning and a pedestrian version of Sigma Oasis. By the time the band tried to wake up the sleepy crowd with Chalkdust, the set was already over. It's always a pleasure to catch Waves, but this version was especially plain. Fuego and Mercury had some moments but it took a combined 50 minutes of show time to prove it. A standard issue Boogie on, Backwards, and Zero to close Set 2 was not enough to save this show from its fate. Dog Faced Boy proved to be a nice little bustout treat, but by this point the oxygen was long depleted and the show cold and blue. It's okay. We try again tomorrow.

Spoiled brats, the lot of you. To give this 3 stars just shows some of you have lost the plot. I know Mexico is filled with a lot of the most insufferable rich phans in the scene but come on, we dont need to get all salty. The band was in midseason form. Sand was the first real highlights B & B was done flawlessly despite the gap. Mikes new tune also had some extra punch. First new debut since WGTYM in 2024... im in. Rest of set 1 standard 2nd set was a bit disjointed, but the material was still played strong. I wish Waves had gotten stretched out, but didnt happen. Mercury was a nice taste of what 2026 jams will have to offer. Ghost was awkward but played with a nice slow pace like the old days and had a great peak to end the night. Seriously didnt think this was a stinker. I saw it as a pretty damn average phish show, which btw means pretty fuckin rad. Set One: C+ Set Two: C Score: 3.75

This was my very first Phish show. You never forget your first! I flew up for the day from south FL with two buddies. One had seen Phish a bunch and the other was a newbie like me. I didn't recognize most of the first set, save for Ocelot, Sample, Julius, Sparkle, and Sand. I remember the Sand being monumental, as well as the Julius. My more experienced friend predicted a Everything's Right opener and a 2001 appearance in Set 2. I was thrilled with both. I started to understand Phish somewhere between Everything's Right and Soul Planet. The jams between reached the cosmos... I am now a fan of MEAP - I think it is a great tune that usually rocks out. I loved the R&R to end Set 2 and the three-pack encore properly initiated me as a Phish fan... As a dead head, I remember feeling like I was in an alternate universe at this show...being my first, it felt like a Dead show, it smelled like one too, but the music was oh so different. In the years that have followed, I have no longer felt in that alternate universe at a Phish show. I am there in the Phish universe, and in those moments; nothing else matters. Thanks for a great show, I am sorry it is taking me close to 3 years to review this show...but I will never forget it and I am already geared up for the next show...

This was my first show, I was 18 years old and drove from Erie with my GF and some friends. I brought a sheet of good white blotter LSD with me and took 2 hits when I got there. I ran into a group of friends from Erie hanging out on the floor, front right of stage and proceeded to dose everyone who wanted it. Before I knew it the entire sheet was gone. That whole crowd dancing in that front-right of center area were tripping hard. It's strange but I just had this realization of how the band plays off the crowds energy and how I contributed to that energy on this night at my first show. I feel like part of the music this night. :)

SET 1: First Tube: sure solid opener call. Mix isn’t ideal but I’ve just come off the 2013 shows on Apple Music where the mixes are stunningly good so maybe my ears need some realignment - wish the drums were louder though. First half is pretty whatever but it warms up nicely and the second half rages nicely. Uncle Pen: fun, played well with good solos from all. Carini: oooo fun! Get down! Super rare in the first set, not letting the foot off the gas at all yet. Jam starts in a funky/choppy space with Mike pretty much taking the lead melodies. Turns happy and mellow at 6:30 ish. Loving the Mike/Trey interplay at 8:20, that’s what it’s all about my friends. Trey messes with chordal whammy playing for a bit at 9:30 and by this point it’s clear that something is up as normally Trey would have pulled the ripcord on this by now given the era. Very clear that it’s gonna be one of ‘those shows’ even if the setlist gag isn’t clear yet. Things get super abstract by 10:00, big ol’ whirring clouds of synth in the background and some solid rhythmic motifs. Some Trey ripping from 11:00-12:20 then it dissolves altogether and wanders along in eerie ambience set against Fish playing a beat in 11/8(!). Finally Trey makes the call for > KDF. Decent jam, must’ve been mind-blowing to get a jam like this in the first set at the time. No hose or anything and a bit uncertain from Trey but nothing to complain about here. > Kill Devil Falls: haha, setlist gag confirmed. Awesome. Crowd must have been going bonkers. Really spirited run through the composed section and Trey’s voice sounds good. BOAF teases at 6:30 or so. Appropriately raged though nothing you wouldn’t expect from the song. Page with the ‘we love Dick’s, we do’ afterwards followed by Fish’s rimshot, lol. Crowd starts a ‘we love Dick’s!’ chant, but it’s soon cut off by… You Enjoy Myself: YESSSSSSS! Total ‘holy shit’ moment. Even if this weren’t clearly a setlist gag, this would just be awesome placement under any circumstances. I’ve never heard the crowd louder during the FIRST pause, forget the pre-Nirvana. Composed section is near-flawless for the era – I hear one note from Trey that wasn’t played, literally just one, and everything else is accurate and (most importantly) articulated loudly. Page is great through Boy Man God Shit and tramps. Standard jam though Trey really rips this one, then B&D, then one of my personal favourite VJs ever with the iconic ‘we love Dick’s’ stuff from Trey, HILARIOUS stuff. Love how that part of the VJ culminates with the band settling on ‘Trey loves Dick’s’ and repeating it until Trey bursts into laughter – perfect. It’s like they’re 18 and idiots again, in the best way. THIS is where 8/31/12 really takes off for me and never really lets go. One of the most airtight YEMs of the whole era, nothing mind-blowing but so much fun - worth returning to absolutely. Ocelot: lol, awesome. Just like with YEM, would’ve been good placement even minus the gag. Very well played type 1 Ocelot from Big Red. All eyes on the U now… Undermind: FUCK YOUUUUUUUU. Was pretty much inevitable that this one would deliver the goods given its place in the setlist and the need for it to be stretched out to work as a set closer. Follows the usual formula until the call-and-response between Trey and Fish and then it moves quickly into a groovy jam. You can feel the four-headed monster juuuuuust start to rear its head at around 7 minutes in. It’s brooding, it’s washy, it’s floaty. Mike is bumping all over the place. At 9 minutes in it turns upbeat and happy, big fan of how much the rim click cuts through the mix. Trey turns on the melodic bliss at 9:45 and we’re slowly climbing up that ladder. Effects at 11:00 ish, then whammy, then BIG trills from Trey, quickly echoed by Page. Denouement turns spacey and broad with Page organ, and it ends in a big flourish. The legendary Dick’s Undermind! Not personally one of my absolute A++++ creme de la creme jams of early 3.0 (I go to Reading DWD more often to scratch the bliss hose itch) but it objectively is great stuff and would have been incredible at the venue. What a face-fucking set! — SET 2: Runaway Jim: haha direction of the setlist gag is now clear (love their choice to end set one on the U, modern Trey would never do something like that.) Jam meditates on the standard Jim feel for a while. Fish drops a really inventive 6/8 groove while the rest of the band searches around, veers VERY close to LxL for a while but Trey (understandably) resists. By 10 minutes in Fish and Mike have locked in on a groove, then the rest of the band follows them into an awesome funky/jazzy motif, sort of Afrobeat-ish? Love Trey’s rhythm playing here. After a bit of wrangling Trey and Mike push the band into ANOTHER funky rhythm, this one even slower and more cowfunk-like. This lasts for a couple mins and finds its way into a peaceful melodic Mike-led space over which Trey executes a whammy solo nicely. Some more soloing over this groove for a while, then finally it dissolves into a really cool outro with some spritely plucking from Trey. Some cool passages in this jam mixed with some more mundane passages, worth a listen overall. > Farmhouse: LOL this would be a bad call in any other circumstance but because of the setlist gag I’ll allow it. Trey’s soloing is sweet and plaintive and I love the sustained note that he holds for what feels like nearly a minute. The song ends - like, properly finishes, with the end slowdown and all - and then Trey, clearly clock-watching, holds onto some ambience, and suddenly we have a dope ambient outro jam that should realistically be marked as Farmhouse > Jam. This portion of the song is awesome, goes from sleepy ambience into disturbing spacey tension over the course of a very slow souring. Seriously good playing from all members. Reminds me of a range of stuff, kinda sounds like Tim Hecker or early progressive electronic music. Also sounds like the 2001 and they definitely would’ve gone there if not for the setlist gag. This is pound for pound my favourite Farmhouse for sure. Really wonder whether this jam was pre-planned, I would guess not. > Alaska: cute A, nicely peaked. Chalk Dust Torture: solid pace and conviction in the composed section, then really great old school raging from Trey in the solo, then we’re straight into ANOTHER extended jam, and this one starts more promisingly than just about any other in this show so far, with a weird snaking funk groove starting around 7 minutes in and continues for a good while. Love Fishman’s choice of drum part here, not at all like his usual playing and he doesn’t relent until 10:00. At that point he relents and Trey pushes the band into a nice serene space. Cool melodies after 12:00 that sound great with whatever effects Trey is playing with. Opens up into a slightly more ambient sound around 13:45, then contracts again once Trey starts up some rhythm playing. He starts soloing again and it sounds awesome, then Trey starts using reverb pedals to fire off notes into the void and it’s all too beautiful for words – REALLY nice section here. Finally the jam starts fading into the abyss and we are left anticipating the E. I’m a big big fan of this jam, this thing really has no dull moments as far as I’m concerned. One of the best 3.0 Chalk Dusts and probably this show’s most underrated jam! Emotional Rescue: lmao. Hilarious. Glad they picked this one for this slot. Mike sounds horrible here, like truly unbearable. No matter. > Fuck Your Face: had to happen! I like the energy of ending the set with this. Also one of my favourite ripcords in the band’s history, Trey abruptly starting this during the Emotional Rescue outro is hilarious. What is Trey saying in the big outro flourish here? — ENCORE: Grind: perfect! Meatstick: even more perfect! Love the Phish from Vermont. — OVERALL: so here’s the rub with this one – if I were closely following Phish at the time this show would have blown my head clean off. This is a revered show for very good reason; I see many people describe this as the moment Phish was truly ‘back’ for them, and I really can’t dispute that too hard, even if I definitely prefer certain shows from early 3.0 up til this point. I mean, five massive jams? A band that was willing (albeit forced) to explore again, even if it didn’t always work out? An absolutely classic setlist gag that started a trend that continued up to a few years ago? Fantastic stuff, and if the Phish you had come to know mostly shirked type 2 jamming, 8/31/12 would’ve been so damn refreshing. As for me personally, I really like this show, though definitely dispute the idea that it’s perfect or deserves a place in the highest echelon of 3.0 shows (it is for SURE up there though, just not in my top 5 or 10.) As I implied the flipside of the band needing to jam more out of necessity is that not all of these jams are zingers. Carini and Jim have attractive timestamps but there’s not much there in the way of sustained brilliance – both are worth relistens but they do detract a little from the full show experience for me. The setlist gag also makes the flow a little strange at points, especially in the second set, and the LivePhish mixes for these shows are a bit iffy if that’s an issue for you. Having said that: a possibly career-best Farmhouse, a possibly career-best Undermind (though one that might be a touch overrated in the grand scheme of the band), an awesome underrated Chalk Dust, a great YEM with a top 5 vocal jam ever, and good renditions of KDF, Ocelot and Alaska. Hard to argue with that! 5 stars on paper, 4.2 stars in execution.

One can argue that this show stands as the greatest Phish performance of the 21st century because it functioned less like a traditional concert and more like a single, continuous piece of music with a clear artistic vision. From the opening Buried Alive into the shocking early arrival of Tweezer Reprise, it was immediately clear the band was deliberately inverting expectations, using Reprise not as a punchline but as a recurring musical anchor. As the first set unfolded—through a pristine, patient Reba, the swagger of Funky Bitch, the psychedelic looseness of Roses Are Free, and a deeply exploratory Split Open and Melt—each return to Tweezer Reprise reframed what had come before, tying wildly different styles and eras into a cohesive narrative. Rather than feeling repetitive or gimmicky, the motif gave the entire set purpose, creating tension and release on a macro scale instead of within individual jams. The second set expanded that idea into something joyous and expansive. A wide-open Kill Devil Falls and fluid Twist established a relaxed but confident improvisational flow, while Golden Age delivered one of the night’s most luminous jams before snapping back—again—into Tweezer Reprise, by now greeted with recognition and celebration from the crowd. Boogie On Reggae Woman provided pure release, and the placement of You Enjoy Myself felt intentional and profound, highlighting the band’s core values of playfulness, communication, and risk. When Tweezer Reprise surfaced yet again, it felt inevitable rather than excessive, completing a musical circle the band had been patiently drawing all night. The encore finally delivered a full Tweezer, transforming what had been teased and fragmented into a complete statement, and Harry Hood sent everyone home on a wave of warmth and shared understanding. Phish absolutely melted down SPAC and this show will go in the history books as one of the greatest Phish shows of all time. I hope this one day this will be pressed on vinyl and we as Phish fans should make it known to have anyone who joins the community listen to this show as a staple to what Phish has truly become. Rating: 4.65/5 5 Stars

Just thinking about this show today in preparation of a new MG tour in March. What a freaking show. I am local to this venue and really enjoy going there and this show was no exception. Very small, intimate theater where most of the staff that work there are retired volunteers who love music and the arts. Love this tour as they played a lot of the tunes from their new album (which I loved even on first listen). I remember the vibe being wonderful, not too crowded, everyone had space, we were all dancing in the front of the stage/aisle without issue. Drinking tall boy Yuengling's (bleh!). I remember someone saying that they saw Trey on the side of the stage and calling BS but low and behold, he was there. The show itself without Trey was really fun but once he came out the roof went flying off the place. If I'm not mistaken, I think he was playing Scott's guitar which was pretty cool to see. I remember them starting up with cities and the place just lost it. What a great memory. I am sure a recording of this show exists, and I also think they have some shots from the balcony on YouTube (if it has not been taken down over the years). it does not do the show justice but take a peek to get an idea of what the scene was like. Pumped for some more MGB!

SET 1: AC/DC Bag: always cool with this as an opener. Really solid Bag! Trey takes a couple runs at the end solo and comes out of the gate with some cool plucky country playing. Good way to kick off another Gorge run. > Timber (Jerry the Mule): LOVE this placement, exactly where it needs to be. Standard, does what it normally does, no more no less. Wolfman’s Brother: usual clav-driven funk to start opens up into another typical rock jam that Trey (for the era) rips to shreds. Rock god scenery chewing all over this one, he’s full of energy tonight. Would recommend! Funky Bitch: it’s a funk rock night at the Gorge! Great placement - not ready to let up just yet. Similar to Wolfman’s this is shredded by 3.0 standards. Hard to get much better than this in the era - really good stuff! Happy Birthday to You: adorable, for Kuroda. If this is the cooldown song in your set so far things are going pretty well. There’s randomly a small Satisfaction jam following this one (???) and then Trey calls for > Wilson: cool! Trey talks during the pause about an NFL player named Wilson, I’m not a football fan so can’t comment on this - context? Possum: non stop rock n roll indeed. Standard for the most part. Tube: nice, was hoping for something jammier/funkier and this delivered. Standard mostly but definitely enjoying Trey’s playing in the jam here - the 90s called and they want their wucka-wuckas back. Funk for days. Secret Smile: oh wow okay! I’m a big fan of the studio version of this song, one of my favourite Phish ballads in that incarnation. Live it’s… just okay - the production/performances that make it so magical are stripped away. Respect them for giving it a go though. McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters: yeahhhhhhh very nice. Good placement! Sounds clean to my ears and has an awesome transition > The Ballad of Curtis Loew: fun! Page sounds good! Split Open and Melt: good set closer. Fast out of the gate and the jam, while nothing special, gets the job done. Good set. — SET 2: Crosseyed and Painless: awesome! Fits the vibe of the first set perfectly. First 9 minutes of this is given over to Trey who does all the usual rock god theatrics, then it moves in a weirder slightly atonal direction for a while. Fish and Trey move to dissolve into space but then both attempt to reform it at various points over the next few minutes, to no avail really. Shuffles along in slightly awkward spacey wanderings until eventually it reforms in a half-time feel with a couple minutes to go. Sounds EXACTLY like Roggae for a minute there and would’ve made for a perfect -> but Trey opts for Twist instead. Not a great jam IMO. Soloing is good at the start but a lot of this is very uncertain-sounding and tentative. Don’t believe the timestamp. > Twist: what is Trey doing during the last set of ‘twist around’s? lol. HEAVY Tequila tease at the start of the jam. Jam mostly goes the usual route with some atonal edge to Trey’s playing, then he fires off some funk siren notes and we get a minute or two of really cool spacey playing reminiscent of the middle section of Echoes. Mike fires off a few fight bells here, he’s clearly a fan! Then out of absolute nothingness this forms > Steam: wow, nice transition and call here. This actually gets a really solid type 1 jam, rages more than you’d expect. Check it out if you like this song. > Waves: nice, definitely enjoying the mellow vibe this set is cultivating after that Crosseyed. Cute first jam and then a very pretty outro that I wish turned into a jam of its own. > Twenty Years Later: standard. > The Mango Song: yeah!!! Perfect for the sort of set they’re cultivating here. Playing isn’t perfect but who cares. Gets a little extra length at the back end. Bug: nice! Played well I thought. David Bowie: nice! LOVE Trey’s dissonant quote of the Bug theme in the intro - that’s how you create a narrative for a set. Chill jam for a while with a big Crosseyed tease from Trey. Nice strumming at 10:00, then a quick move into a standard peak. Not topping any highlight lists but goes over great all the same. Rocky Top: awesome! My favourite bluegrass tune now and forever. Set closer? > Character Zero: very cool with this as the REAL set closer. Trey asks ‘Toph’ (lol) to turn off the lights and the band starts howling at the moon during the typical solo, amazing. They tack on a noisy AMM style jam at the end here before finally ending the song. Love it! Great set! — ENCORE: Harry Hood: love whatever Mike’s doing in the intro here. Trey’s playing in the leadup to the miracle riff is AMAZING, like really really melodic and beautiful, but then he just sort of slams into the end without the customary minute or two of rock shredding. A shame as this was shaping up to be an exceptional Hood. > Fire: fast, sloppy, fun. A reference to wildfires in the area, apparently? — OVERALL: great show! I’m a big advocate of this show, it really delivers the goods and then some. What it lacks in brilliant extended jamming (C+P is extended but not brilliant) it makes up for in setlist construction, goofiness and type 1 playing. Set 1 is balls to the wall rock-out music and set 2 is serene and calm and must have been great on a summer evening at the Gorge. Clearly surpasses the following night for me! 4.2 stars.