At some point in the recent history of the world, someone thought it was a good idea to create a full-sized, professionally crafted flag that said nothing but "CLIT" on it. Someone else thought it was a good idea to buy that flag and bring it to a Phish show. This same person, along with some neighbors in the seats next to them, directly behind the stage, had the brilliant idea of hoisting this flag at the sickest, spaciest moment of a beautiful Type II Runaway Jim jam, just when the stage lights were illuminating that section of the arena. The crowd roared and it wasn't quite clear whether they were cheering because we had all just collectively and suddenly found the CLIT or because Phish had just entered altogether new musical territory and was soaring into the night. Or maybe it was both. But that's the kind of show it was. Runaway Jim's jam was the best part of a very fun evening. But other highlights include: Wolfman's Brother jam, which was like wading through gooey caramel Halley's Comet jam When the Circus Comes landing after the Halley's jam Cavern set 2 opener - rocking YEM vocal jam Good Times Bad Times - rocking our faces off

I don't review very many shows. Up and back from Fairmont, WV for this one, with my two mid-20's sons and a good buddy from a bit north. My biggest takeaway when sorting and cataloging the day's events in my head in the 30 seconds I had between hitting the sheets and falling asleep at 2:30am..."I'm too old for up and backs to the Burg for concerts...oh holy shit I have to do it again for Gordo on 1/19...zzzz". I did make it to work only 15 minutes late this morn. We busted out of the Ft. Pitt. tunnel around 3:15pm, swung through the Strip District so my bud could pick up some of his favs from Penn Mac, and headed on to Oakland. Parked in the same garage as in '17. Sipped a few casually out of the back of the Sienna, shooting the shit and watching some profs and other faculty make their way to their cars for the commute home. The first car to park next to us happened to be people that live a mile from me back in Fairmont. Cool, small world. Getting a bit chilled and annoyed by the loud fan (like mechanical fan I mean, not phan) we decided it was time to eat. Down the hill and over a block to the Thirsty Scholar we went...it was more on the empty side when we got there but did get pretty packed. Service was as poor as it was in '17, but this time we actually did get food and a few more beers. Back to the garage for a couple more of those and some tunes before heading in...was playing Harry Hood from my second show (4/10/94) when it all of a sudden went quiet...yeah dead battery. Oops, and uh oh...no time to fuck with that now we locked up and headed to the venue. Some great song selections...loved the debuts and the bust-outs. Really nothing that I didn't want to hear. I thought it was well played throughout and with high energy. A better show than '17 IMO of course, never mind the Caspian and Mr. C from that year. Crowd energy was high as well...and the dude in the aisle next to us in 6A was rocking his Guitar Hero prop like a pro. I enjoyed Fishman's encore antics and I'll take a Julius closer any day. Only two or three times during the show did the dead battery come to mind and it was out of mind just as fast. I mean I was having too much fun to fret over anything. The van still would not start post show, the third group I asked about jumper cables actually had some and they were kind enough to drive over and give me a jump. Thanks much to you if you happen to read this! The garage was pretty easy to get out of, though my bud did step out to stop the pedestrians pouring down the sidewalk so I could creep out into traffic. And street traffic was really minimal at that point, much to to my delight...given the 90+ minute drive. The dirve was still long, but blessedly uneventful. Fun experience with my sons and friend, and so glad to be able to catch this show, my only one for the fall. Already looking ahead to my first ever MSG shows in just a few weeks!

This one was special for me. Decided to go solo for this show since my buddies couldn’t swing a 5 hour trip to Pittsburgh on a Wednesday. Understandable, but something in my gut told me that I’d get something unique. I’m spoiled because MSG is my home venue so I was pretty stoked when I saw the prices for tickets. I ended up being Page side, in the corner, up close. Like closest I’ve been for a Phish show. I could break down every song, but I’m not gonna do that. This was unique for me because I got to see these guys interact with each other. I got all giddy when I saw Trey flash Page a smile when the Chairman was killing it on the keys(something he did all night). This is definitely one of my favorite shows in my short time of following Phish. Goddamn, I can’t wait for more moments like this.

This show was very good. First review of a show and this one got me to post because I'm still giddy. It was a show of wild coincidences and gems. Best seats of my life in the first level of the stands just to the left of CK5 with some of the most fun and nice neighbors I've had the pleasure of grooving with. My sweet, not-heady-at-all girlfriend was with me for our first just us phish show and her 4th. We both are on water related fields so the loose water theme throughout was great. All four band members seemed really on; all their licks and choices were falling just right. 555 opener; Friendly host at the bar fans were hanging out at pre-show announced over the PA 'Hey wooks its 5:55 2 hours til showtime!'. Great. Said girlfriend partakes in experimentation with certain cabbages at the start of Theme and surrenders until the end of GTBT. So great. Funky Bitch ripped a few steps harder than recent takes and it lit the place up with energy that was surfed for the remainder of the night. Wolfman's was sick and slick, really catchy licks from Trey. This Halley's jam may be the tightest little number in awhile. Straight 90's funk out of the gates into a very much appreciated favorite cover. Earlier and the day my girlfriend and I were talking about how funny it was that the Pittsburgh students dorms were so close to the show and lot and I say "Yea its crazy that the circus just rolls through their school". Another peculiar coincidence. Folks swaying and holding hands and such, wonderful. Victim debut was fun and the antelope is short but supremely listenable, once again benefiting from great phrasing by all. Cavern set 2 opener feels good. Runaway Jim reaches that extremely exploratory space so quickly upon the jam starting. This should be called the Pitt Clit Jim because CK5 lit up the fans in behind the stage and then some people unfurled a large sign that had "CLIT" written on it. Everyone was going wild and the everyone saw it haha, band included (Page at the very least). You can hear this go down around 10:00 on the LivePhish recording. Runaway Jim also happened to be the song playing a the aforementioned bar when we walked in, strange. The jam is deep and segues into the debut of Ghost of the Forest which is beautiful. I saw one of the GOTF shows with my brother in DC and it was a really special time so this was awesome; sounded amazing played by phish in the big room. Brief backstory to set up the biggest coincidence of the night: Earlier in the day we are walking around the Cathedral of Learning on Pitt's campus because it's an awesome building. We decide to go to the top floor for fun, I send a picture to my friends captioned 'Phish energy is here' looking out over the city. I sit by a bookshelf and there are all these fascinatingly thorough, old tombs detailing our anthropological periods and other encyclopedias, just standard fancy college collection stuff. One spine catches my eye titled "5 Years Before the Mast". I immediately think of A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing and look it up, the lyric in ASIHTOS is "10 Years Before the Mast". I make my only call of the night on the spot for an ASIHTOS. The ASIHTOS was perfectly placed and the satisfaction of the call was immense. My dancing girlfriend really had her mind blown by that moment, very phishy. This may be the most densely packed 7 minute jam I've ever heard, so much going on. Prince Caspian slips in smoothly and then the others drop out so the song can start in full, fun version keeps the jam feeling going. Fuego is so fun live which is why I may tend to skip the composed part while listening to shows to preserve its enjoyability when I hear it at a show. This one had us rocking and singing and then the jam got Bakers Dozen deep in a great way. YEM is my personal favorite phish song and this one was played really tightly and then blisteringly hot. Loved seeing my girl experience it. This is the most musical vocal jam I have ever heard and actually had the crowd rocking by the end. So great to have another song to cleanse the palatte after that though and the Zeppelin worked well. The encore was so fun, just added to the overall far reaching nature of this show. One of the highlights of the night was Fishman hitting a top tier bass bomb with his vacuum solo during Terrapin. The Julius was earned and like everything else tonight was played well and bursting with energy. I will say that there was an opportunity to take this show from great to clearly epic: If they went into Drowned after the GOTF debut. But then maybe the awesome ASIHTOS wouldn't have happened. Who knows.

This was my 50th show and what a show it was! Perhaps the coolest venue I've ever seen phish play (SPAC is pretty spectacular as well) . I caught a Dead & Co show at Fenway a few years prior but honestly I wasn't very impressed. The sound was terrible (as everyone told me it would be) but the sound at this show was great! Worlds apart! The venders were very nice and seemed to enjoy the show. The set list was incredible (Carini opener! No set break! Mexican Cousin! What's The Use?!) and to see phish less than an hour from home with friends and pham?! It doesn't get much better!

This show's rating should have a big, fat * next to it. No, it didn't have the depth and exploratory jamming as many other shows, but it was a straight up, high energy dance party with a pretty ideal setlist (for the most part). I don't know if the low rating reflects the poor sound quality for listeners on SiriusXM or bitter fans that think Phish sold out, but the score does not accurately reflect the quality of this show. Also, I think it's interesting that people NOT going to The Met were worried about it being an amazing show, and people GOING to The Met were worried about it being a generic "radio" show. In the end, it was an above average show and everyone should walk away satisfied. ✌

My capsule review is this show was well worth the time and aggravation it took to find decent tix on COT long after the show went on sale, and the general difficulty of attending a not-exactly-hometown-but-definitely-regional weeknight show while not totally falling down on professional or parental duties. This was my first time in the venue. It's a weird space, because it's smaller in horizontal dimensions than one would expect, but larger in terms of vertical dimension, giving the sense that everyone is stacked atop each other. We were halfway up the upper deck at what would be mid-court, and it still felt like we were high above the stage and almost on top of it. The initial sound by us was merely fair and quiet, but by Funky Bitch and especially the second set, the volume and clarity were much better. I wouldn't be in my upper tier of attended shows, but of note, it was remarkably even, in that I never groaned at a song choice or thought the band made any real missteps. It was very enjoyable in the moment, and despite some of the song lengths, every jam launched very quickly and reliably. The type-I playing was fiery and tight, too. I didn't pick up any new songs other than the two Phish debuts, but I did get my first YEM, Caspian, HYHU, Circus, and Sample in more than 10 years; first CTB, Water, and Bag in more than 15 years; and first Funky Bitch and Terrapin in close to 20 years. So I was quite satisfied with those replenishments. GTBT continues to be one of my great statistical outliers, with me improbably catching seven versions in 39 shows. The lights were great to watch from our unique perspective, and I loved how Kuroda was able to use the new rig to add new elements to the YEM VJ, while still maintaining its spirit. Very wild and disorienting to see in person, for sure. No black-letter, all-timer jams or versions here, but if you have the time, it wouldn't be wasted by checking out: - Halley's - Jim - Ocean - Fuego - YEM But my guess is if you start listening to this show or one of its sets, you'll let it play through due to the excellent song selection, nuanced playing and extra mustard, and brisk pace. Plus, it was obvious from both my in-person experience and relisten that the band was relaxed, confident, and was having a lot of fun. Under a more refined rating system, it would merit a range of very good to excellent, so under the choices available to me, I'll give it a 4/5.

My third show. Even though my first was in '90, I really didn't like them for a while so I didn't go back. Then saw Union College 5/17 and realized I should give them another chance. So, I was home from college for the summer, and although this venue is almost an hour from my house, it was still a hometown venue to me. I had seem my first Grateful Dead show there in '88 and had been going here steadily since I was 11 years old in '83. So I talked one of my party buddies into taking the ride up in my red Chevy pick up. Passed a cop in the median on I-87 near Saratoga while I was taking a drink out of my bud light bottle. He never followed so it was a win already. Got to the venue early enough and it was very empty. Like, probly a hundred or two people on the lawn total for Phish. i remember seeing at least one taper, but didn't know the songs well enough yet to recognize anything. I vaguely remember the Santana stage set up and that Phish came out but it was more of just another fun night at SPAC rather than a Phish show. Saw every Phish show at SPAC until about 2016, hated that my streak ended.

Bonus show! Got to see the boys 5 times this year with bookends in Cleveland & Pittsburgh (which is great because I live near Youngstown). On this frigid, flurry-filled, winter-coat-weakening evening, the Phish brought us the heat inside the Pete! S1 was a typical high energy experience with lots of fun choices. Crowd was locked in early for BAG & CTB. Sample & Theme had some great interplay as well albeit nothing outside of the box. Wolfmans, Halleys (esp Halleys) and Antelope were the real fire of this set and everything felt nice and tight. Victim was a welcome addition to the Phish arsenal too!! S2 was also a blast! No 20+ min monsters like Mr Completely a couple years ago. Really loved the work in Jim and thought it could’ve lasted a bit longer. > GOTF was ultimately the reason for this since they hadn’t played it yet in full artillery. Fuego > YEM was a great touch with again more thoughtful playing and a really cool vocal jam. Encore was awesome!! First HYHU and boy did Fishman suck to blow. John Sullen Melancholy!! Julius sends everyone home happy. Thanks Phish for stopping thru the Midwest on this brief late fall tour! See you this summer!!

On our way from Baltimore to Pittsburgh, my buddies and I were playing a game. The game was to spot triple numbers on license plates. The goal was to get them all (000,111,222) etc. We almost got them all. Show starts with 555. V cool. Every song seemed to be played well in the first set with the highlight being the jam out of Halley's. It was an unexpected funk jam that had some cool parts. CTB was cool to hear. Victim was really cool and rockin. A buddy I met at the show thought it sounded like that song "feel like makin love," so we were improvising our own lyrics during some of it (not loudly to annoy anyone, I promise). Wolfman's and Antelope did there usual badassery. Strong first set. It was hot in the 200 sections. I went to get some water during set break. I stood in two lines and they both had ran out of water. I was like "what the heck?" Luckily the 3rd line had water and a bottle was only $3.50. Better than Nassau's $7.00 bottles, in fact, 2 times better. I also saw a buddy of mine who I met at Baker's dozen in that 3rd line. We got to connect and want to meet up in Charleston. V cool. The second set started after I met the other people next to me who were from Scranton and we talked about the Peach Fest. The lights go down. Cavern was a cool way to open the set and you just knew they were gonna play a jammer after it. And they did! A sweet, groovin' Runaway Jim. It got dark and light in short periods of time. Phish is so good at packing great stuff into shorter amounts of time nowadays. CK5 was doing some master work last night and lit up the stands behind the stage during Runaway Jim. Someone back there was holding up a sign that read "CLIT." We all had a laugh. V cool. Ghosts of the Forest was a cool debut and Jim melded nicely into it. The highlight of the second set for me was ASIHTOS. Phish went to several different sections in this song; apparently very quickly. I could not believe that it went for only 7:10 on livephish. This song was a splash of beauty; don't miss it because it was so short. Prince Caspian was a good ripper to ride the wave after ASIHTOS. I love it when they pair watery songs. After the water, they needed to balance it out with fire and we get Fuego (Faygo). Fuego had a cool quiet down jam after the heated type 1 journey. Typically YEM is always welcome. I was sad to get this one only because my friend is going to the Charleston run with us on Friday and she has never gotten a YEM. It appears as though Phish is not repeating a song this tour (knock on wood), so sorry friend :'(. GTBT was a treat. I love seeing a set not end with YEM. HYHU is a great encore! I love seeing Fish jump around stage. And to get Terrapin made it that much better. First since 2004. V cool. Julius? Sure! Send us out feeling even better. It was a fun, snowy night in Pittsburgh with some great friends! Can't wait for Charleston!

I hope everyone in attendance had a fun time. Makes me think how cool it would be if Phish did a tour of weekends or residencies at such venues like the Met. Overall, it looks like a good, albeit generic setlist - and sounded just like that. Granted, there a couple of cool things sprinkled in (Tweezer->Blaze On, Mike's Ass Groove, 2001). Glad they saved the new tunes for the phans in Pitt. Here's to hoping I can catch some Phish in 2020! also, @S1177375 - maybe ease up on the booger sugar?

I have to agree about Providence, the venue and the fans. The shed was rockin' and you could tell that everyone was really focused on the band. None of this yammering on about your time at summer camp or constantly checking your phone. Everyone was dialed in. I really appreciated that. You could hear a pin drop during What's the Use. This is rare nowadays. Go to MSG and it's all jabronees on drugs talking their heads off and smoking like chimneys. Half the time they don't even know what song it is...... Nuff' said. A+ for Dunkin Donuts Center. Security was almost non-existent. No pat down. None in the aisles. No flashlights. Take note... this is the way to do it! And everyone was well behaved. Plus there was a nice sized shakedown in a skatepark across the street. No hassles. Lots of beers. You could tell they just said it's not worth making tons of petty busts. Overall we loved Providence and New Englanders are great. Waking up at 5am to beat the storm back to Canada was pretty brutal though. My only complaint is that the Nitrous Mafia was in full effect. What a disgusting drug. Most litter intensive drug too. Balloons everywherrrrrree. Cops seem to ignore it. Wish we could get these criminals out of the scene. This was the better of the two shows. Gin and Piper and Hood are worth another listen. As well as the first set Stash (until Troy rip-corded for the Plasma gag...). I'd go back. Peace gaw.

I am absolutely certain that being at this tiny, intimate venue for a special, once in a lifetime performance by our favorite band had to be one of the coolest experiences that any head could ever ask for. That had to be just thrilling... for those in attendance. Unfortunately, the rest of us got to experience this show via the magic of Sirius XM... and let me tell you... at least for this listener, it was a markedly different thing tuning in from afar. The sound quality was noticeably bad on the simulcast... very compressed and muddy. And the show was, quite frankly, boring. The only moments worth a listen are CDT (which gets horribly rip-corded in order to do the Tweezer weave), Waves/Twist (just because they are great songs... not special versions), and 2001 (the only thing with any replay value). When I first saw this set list, I thought to myself... FUCK... I wish I could have seen this. Then I saw the dismal score and couldn't fathom the dichotomy. Now, I fully comprehend the rating and honestly, it's pretty generous. I gave this show a 2 based upon the merits of the 4 songs I enumerated above. Otherwise, this is the worst Phish that I've heard in a while. Go ahead... rip on me now... GO!

This show was all about being there, the intimacy of a band and it's fan's. Sadly I was not...I listened in and the first set was pure unadulterated gold, except Drift While Sleeping, a song I love, but Trey got play that song in an intimate setting already so lets just stick to Phish. Other than that, it was a fun rocking good time. Second set felt like another really good first set and towards the back end they just kept doing their microjam thing and didn't allow much to develope with the exceptionof that gnarly 2001. I ask you is this attendance bias? It might be because Nassau also had the microjam's rolling and it felt fine, and last night I had some moments of "why!?". The one thing I want to say about microjams is this. It feels ripchordy when done wrong (ha like I know) and it feels like cheating when done right. Like video games, books or movies, music, especially improvisational music needs that journey of exploration and then the satisfying conclusion. The micro jams feel like a cheat code or a fast forward to the end of things. The journey allows reflection and transcendence and if miss one you lose out on the other. As I write this I feel the nagging selfish thought that we are never happy and just need to enjoy the moment. To my ears it sounds like when they are falling into familiar jam territory they pull the plug and move on. Whats annoying is they are finding these wonderful spacey pockets and or peaks and letting them fizzle out. I wonder are they taking what would be the Curveball jam and spreading it across song codas? Thats why they are just falling into these spaces so quickly because they have been rehearsed and practiced...I wonder..... Now my other half is digging their segues and it feels like thats the focus of the tour, the segues, returns and playing with time signatures. So for the most part I am digging this tour and 2019 in general but I crave that big monster jam and will be jealous when I miss it. Finally I just wanna say if you were there last night...man that must have been special !!! Hope it was as good as it sounded. Looking forward to the NYE run! Hope y'all have a great rest of the tour, I will be listening in!

Corporate promo gig or not, there isn't a Phish fan out there who wouldn't have liked to be in attendance for this show, with its intimate 3,500 seat capacity. Reminiscent of the Flynn '97 which was a one-off small venue show as a Ben & Jerry's promo. To see Phish in such a small venue is a rare treat for any fans who weren't seeing shows in the early 90's. The Met was one of the most hyped shows in quite some time, and all those who couldn't be there were tuned into the audio stream to find out what was going to go down. Musically, this show featured some interesting segues, some funky grooves, and markedly slower tempos on a number of tunes. Tweezer, Chalkdust, Mike's, and Twist notably had a more slinky pace than usual - not quite to the extent of a "Slow Llama', but quite apparent. This listener happens to be fine with a slower paced funky groove and voiced no objections. The several return segues to Tweezer made for an interesting setlist construction, but in at least one instance (out of Moma?) felt very forced - as opposed to the same-key slickness of Tweezer>Free. Though 'Hello my Baby' was the biggest show-gap bust-out of the show, the tune that felt like the biggest prize to pop up in the first set was 'Jesus Just Left Chicago' which found Page in very fine form, and Trey boasting some tasty blues riffs. Standouts in Set 2 were, IMO, the slinky groove out of Mike's and the true gem of the night, 2001. The odd Mike's Groove sandwich of Sparkle and Ass Handed were amusing, in classic Phish fashion, but didn't exactly provide re-listen value. The 2001 on the other hand is probably the one track most fans will revisit from this show - 11 minutes of goodness that peak into an interstellar liftoff, aided by deep envelope filter tones from Mike and wild synths that created an exciting, futuristic soundscape. For a tune that seems to rarely get the 10+ minute treatment any more, this seemed to be the gift of the night - with Phish pushing into exciting new territory which I hope will be revisited and expanded upon. For those who managed to get into the building, there is no doubt that this was a special night - maybe one of the most special nights - in their history with the band. For those listening along at home, there were some tasty nuggets sprinkled here and there along with some playing that was at times disjointed, as if the band was having trouble hearing each other, keeping time, and making cues. That said, the good far outweighed the bad, as it always does with a Phish concert. I, for one, am heading off to listen to that 2001 again.

Average show at best. Bomb Factory this is not. Some cool segues, especially that Tweezer>Free and the Tweezer>Blaze On but utterly devoid of any jamming last night. CDT had promise but forced back into Tweezer for the gimmick. Twist got really crunchy and I thought it would take off but fizzled out. 2001 is the only thing worth revisiting. Nice deep space version. I'm sure it was better in person to be there in such a small venue and to see our favorite band, but couch touring this one left feeling very meh.

Worst show of the tour but the band is playing really well it just didn’t have any jams but I’m still excited for tomorrowI have a few predictions and the rest are hopes and dreams of what I’d love to hear We still haven’t got a YEM. So I expect small trampolines and hopefully a really long bass jam and a very short vocal jam not a fan of the vocal jams I love sneak and Sally through the alley but not when they do a vocal jam in the middle. Here’s my long list of things they must still play and probably won’t play and all of which I hope they play some of because this would be at least four sets Trenchtown rock because Pittsburgh is shaped like a trench and I love Bob Marley going with the reggae Rastafarian theme they already played drift while you’re sleeping so mellow mood and have mercy passing through is the only song I like on Kasvot I don’t mind pussy drop interrupt middle of the road you never know and Marissa And crazy sometimes all great Mike solo songs as far as Bluegrass ginseng Sullivan is my favorite if I could and fast enough for you if it’s going to be one of their original tunes. Yeah I am I’m pretty much betting has to be played At least in North Carolina if not PA. I love Esther contacts foam and icculus and sanity from their first album Yet to be played. Now for rarest of the rare Colonel forbin into fly famous Mockingbird Tela McGrupp And the watchful hoseMasters And most peoples personal favorite Harpua. Not mine mine is lizards harpua is a close second or third behind maze and Reba and Harry hood I love all the dog songs dog stole things the dogs are pool and there’s probably other ones that I’m forgetting but I have three cats so I’d love a my pet cat. Onto the list again the squirming coil a very elusive coil I’ve been to 19 shows this will be 20 and I’m still not caught that coil I feel like the devil and I am Satan trying to catch that darn thing I already mentioned Reba they still haven’t played that I don’t really want to hear run like an antelope but they got a play it at some point. I love the mango song very underrated song just like sleeping monkey it’s right in the middle of popularity but it should be up with simple in FarmHouse. My friend my friend is an absolute masterpiece like guyute. Prince Caspian but they just played it at the same venue so I hope they don’t jam it out again and less they can top the last one which is very unlikely waiting in the velvet see but only if they jam out with a really nice guitar solo that peaks properly a lot of times they’ve been just letting it die out and playing it really mellow I don’t like the velvet sea played mellow. I like it played really building to a climax like they do with slave to the traffic light and Reba and hood but all too often they do it like versions of when the Circus comes to town or farm house we’re just stays really mellow that’s OK but it’s not favorable Speaking of building to a climax with a guitar solo dirt I love the song dirt lyrics and all I really hope to hear that again I haven’t heard it since 2 22 2003 and 11 29 03 both 16 hrs ago. Piper I would love a second set piper opener with the really long jam Guy Forget. But it sounds like key for shay when they sing it. Round room and Mock song are fun little songs They’ve already played light but it has potential every time to be amazing I heard it last at Meriwether 816 2015 but it was a terrible version totally blasé. Even sneak in Sally through the alley couldn’t save that show. SASS I love this song I heard maybe their best version of it the best two versions one at Camden 730 and then again a year later at Camden 812 both amazing versions I would love to hear the song gone mostly because of the lyrics but the music is pretty as well those are some poignant lyrics I too was a former heroin attic so I can totally relate to treys lyrics on that one. Devotion to a dream is a nice catchy song better than heavy things or bouncing around the room but still very normal and catchy but if it’s played during the first that It can be nice. Running out of time would be a nice slow song after a big jam in the second set also poignant lyrics and in that vein a life beyond the dream a ghost of the forest masterpiece Albeit slow Listen to the guitar solo at blossom this last summer it is epic I want to hear those two black stallion’s again. Way down in a hole or make sure that my grave is kept neat from the donuts covers those are two really fun songs I want to hear a show of life encore or a Petrichor maybe I’m the only one that likes that song but I think it’s beautiful I always wanted it this way when we’re in a zeppelin ish psychedelic second set part like a no quarter But I don’t particularly like no quarter I would much rather hear their original I always wanted it this way. There are far better Zeppelin tunes than no quarter in my humble opinion. I would love to hear golden lady instead of boogie on reggae woman every time and there was one song by Stevie wonder which would fit perfectly into phish repertoire. Much like the Zappa instrumental peaches en regalia It has no lyrics and it’s off Stevie wonder’s best album in my opinion Songs in the key of life It is called contusion and it sounds like trays guitar which has that Spanish Santana sound and if they’re in the mood for a really good melody I’m not sure if Trey can pull this off or convince the other bandmembers but my favorite is summer soft that is one of most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard in my lifeThey obviously like golden lady so if I can’t get summer soft I’ll take golden lady. Just a few ideas to make my favorite band even better I love you guys you bring happiness to my life like tray says in bittersweet motel rock ‘n’ roll is a bunch of bullshit on a certain level but music is not music is the realist thing in the world to me and I could not agree with that statement more

My first show. Arrived late due to flat tire issues on I-5 just outside of Portland. Encountered a mild amount of "fuck you, hippie" attitude from the Evergreen students so entering the gym in the middle of My Friend, My Friend was mood-capturingly excellent. As I made my way to the pit (this was not a packed gig) some rado grabbed me into an awkward waltz / singalong to the chorus. Was Page Side a few years before I heard the term, about 15-20' back from the stage and Reba kicked in, seemingly note-perfect. I was such a n00b I hadn't heard any Gamehendge at that point, leaving Forbins > Mockingbird more intriguing for me than exciting. The acoustic set was a surprise and fun. I was still in the concourse when Halley's started and made my way back to my spot on the floor right when Antelope began in earnest. Needless to say, "Liftoff." I remember the long, snoring pause in My Sweet One freaked one of my companions out, the Antelope sandwich freaked me out, and by the time Catapult landed it was just freaky all over. 25 years later my familiarity with the band and its music is exponentially greater than when I was a wee lad of eighteen. I also know enough to realize how fortunate I was to have been there.

I for one welcome our new corporate overlords. I am sorry, the haters: Phish rocked the SiriusXM-branded show at the Met in Philly. Rocked it hard. Tweezers abound in S1 and S2 highlights were a very strong Type II coda jam out of CDT and an extended, heavy metal Marimba Lumina-powered 2001. Disclosure: I was one of what I’m told are approximately 300+ fans who wrote our name with a sharpie on a piece of paper early afternoon before the show, and then returned later to stand in line (roughly) in the right order on the Broad Street sidewalk across the street from the Met. Around 715 or 730, amazingly kind gentlemen who I presume were Sirius or band/venue staff started moving us across the street in groups of 10. We were then handed tickets and wristbands and welcomed inside. I am in disbelief that this happened and was real, and expect the dream or simulation to shutter to a halt any time now. Thank you to PhishatMSG and Mdawg for spreading the word about the fan-made standby list on Twitter. Further Disclosure: I was born in Philly, grew up in the Philly burbs, now own a home in Philly and work in Philly. I have been to all Phish 3.0 shows in Camden/Philly, I have Phish posters in my office and had tried to call in to win tix during almost every Met Drop. I had made peace (mostly) with the idea that Phish was going to perform a free concert at a small theatre in Philly and I was not going to be there. Then see Disclosure #1 above. The small confines of the Met squeezed the band’s traditional setup, both spacing of band members and CK5’s rig were compressed. No floating / bobbing drone lights tonight, which felt kind of old school. Trey and Mike seemed dressed up for a Night at the Opera. Page and Fish were in standard attire though. The band opened with a Hello My Baby acapella bustout, eliciting roars of approval from the Met crowd right out of the gate. Then Trey rips into Tweezer. Similarly to the Ghost at Nassau, we get a Phish classic high up in S1 that very successfully creates Type I peaks. Tweezer nicely > into Free, and we get a standard solid reading of Free at our free concerts. Moma threatens to get just a little outside the funk-box and the band takes us back into the Tweezer jam ! Just a few funky Tweezer minutes before another nice > into Blaze On. Again, a standard solid rocking version. Jesus Left Chicago is a nice surprise and the band tears it up. Did I mention the sound in the small confines of the Met was outstanding? KDF is next, a nice rhythmic jam emerges and before long we dip back into Tweezer yet again ! A few minutes of Tweezer jamming gives way to the always welcome Ya Mar, and then the set closes with DWYS, my third version this year and second in the Met. I think this is one of the stronger GotF songs but I wish maybe they’d insert a bit of extended improv in the reggae portion. In any event S1 Tweezerfest in the books. Lights hit and S2 opens with the anthemic Chalk Dust Torture. After the standard lyric-refrain closing Trey continues scratching away and we go into Type II, the band creating intricate rhythm-scapes in real time. Very successful CDT jam. And it goes back into Tweezer yet again !! Just a short Tweezer interlude before Trey launches into Mike’s Song. Mike’s is a fist pumping standard-great version, power chords resounding in the small space. The weird and funny pairing of Sparkle (the Met has a sparkly chandelier) and Ass Handed make up the meat of the Mike’s Groove, and then Weekapaug gives us a very fun Ass Handed reprise segment before the traditional feel-good peaking jam. Miss You is a cool down but Trey kind of shreds the shit out of it. Waves (as in radio waves) emerge next, and is nicely played but not jammed, instead moving directly into Twist, which rocks but stays very much within the lines. ADITL is next, a bit of a surprise and it’s a spot-on rendition, maybe it would end the set? Incorrect, instead we get the second S2 highlight in a 2001 that gets evil and weird in the best kind of way. Heavy metal shredding, Marimba Lumina sci fi tones, sick funky synth and bass, this 10+ min version is a keeper. More is next, and you people better believe I am vibrating with love and light as it closes the set. Waste is poignant and beautiful as always, and then the band blows the doors off with Tweeprise, sending us fist pumping out into Broad Street. I still can’t believe I got in. Get to Pitt and Charleston if you can.

Enjoyed this show, but not as good as the night prior IMO. 2019 Phish is exemplary for how deftly Phish goes Type II in just about every jam, and this show is maybe one of the best recent examples of this trend. That said, I felt that the song selection on this “Island Tour Revival” run left something to be desired (having been at both nights of Providence and Sunday in Nassau): the 20YL sprouting from the remnants of the Page-ified Ruby Waves was decent enough, but one could feel the room’s energy deflate immediately upon the beginning of the BDTNL that followed (and this from someone who likes that song). Maybe this doesn’t translate as such on repeated listens (attendance bias goes both ways!), but I was sober in the nosebleeds at the time, so make of that what you will. Minor gripes - overall the jams were pretty much what you’d want them to be if you’re clued in to the fact that contemporary Phish can squeeze an entire mammoth jam’s worth of development into sub-10/15 minute takes on just about any song in their repertoire. Surrender to the flow and all that. Highlights: Ghost, Timber, Tube, ER > Carini (loved Fishman’s toying with the beat - and Trey’s subsequent poo-pooing thereof - on Cities BTW)

There are shows you absolutely love. There are historical shows. And then there are “set aside shows”. These are shows that stand out as different from most other. This was the show that started with a typical show ending. First slave opener since 89!!!! Then dwd? And already at wtu in the three slot? Whaaaaat? The rest of the show was very much above average. And then coil encore with the huge long miles bass solo. This show wil stand aside alone as that. Two big huge different things happened that may never happens again. Did wonders for the vibe. And that is why the next day (in my opinion) is the greatest since dicks show in history). Instead of cheering and clapping for encore the crowd chanted “still waiting”. Only time I ever heard that too! 8/10. Epic night!

Before I begin let me preface this with some backstory on the night so anyone reading this in the future will know. It was a miserable cold and icy rain night in the tristate area, and driving to Uniondale from Philadelphia was an awful experience. I was ready for Phish to throw down to make the trip worth it and lo and behold, they did. The lights go down, and we start with a crunchy Ghost, one that finds its way and peaks, with some nice trilling action from Trey quite quickly. This will be a theme throughout the night, shorter jams (in the 10-15 minute range) that get to where they need to faster. It seems the band is being able to cut out 4-5 minutes of meandering in the mid section of long jams and get to the point with ease. Ghost ends and Trey launches right into Rift, which is played with fervor and intensity. The band is tight and Treys guitar lines are hit perfectly. TMWSIY comes next for a little cooldown and it's airy arpeggios waft throughout the building, until Avenu Malkenu arrives for a jaunt and the crowd swells are joins in the singalong. Another theme for the night seems to be massive crowd singalongs during certain songs/choruses (Timber, Cool It Down, Cities, SANTOS). The wedge comes next with a nice micro jam in it with more focused playing from Trey. Words are then exchanged between Page and Trey, and Martian Monster launches into deep space. It's a grimy, dirty version with some different than usual sampling from Page building into a cosmic noise before crashing back into the main riff. Timber arrives next, and although I've caught 3 of the last 4 Timbers, it's always a nice time which good band interplay. Cool It Down is after, and the crowd joins to singalong especially in the chorus. The band looks happy and rocking, and there's some good instrumentation in the back half of the song. Roggae follows and is serviceable, nothing to special about this one but it's played nice enough before jolting off into Poor Heart which grabs the crowds attention straight ahead. The energy is back and high after that and some more words are exchanged between the members and Tube begins. Can we stop here and appreciate how good of a song Tube is? It always brings good jams, whether short or long, and tonight is no different. This multi-peak jam is joyous and upbeat, with more trilling from Trey. It's the highlight of the first set and a must-hear, before landing back into the bluesy-bridge to finish out the song. At this point we all thought the set would be over, even though the ending of Tube wasn't the big rock closer as usual. Trey talks to Mike and the band launches into Character Zero. Feeling like a victory lap on a great set, the energy is high and both and crowd and band are rocking. Overall a wonderful first set, with some classic sounding Phish, bookended by two great jams (Ghost, Tube). The second set hype is real now. Set break goes by and the band takes the stage promptly at 10pm. Seeming unsure of what to start with, there's a little hesitation before choosing Everything's Right. But alas everything is right as the song delivers yet another great jam. ER is becoming the most consistent jam vehicle of the past few years and I have no problem with that. And this time we get another deep spacey cosmic version. It's dark and gyrating, and unique without any traditional peaks. Mildly reminiscent of 12/30/18's ER at times. Mike hits some bass bombs and Trey and Mike exchange words and a drone begins before Mike slams the intro to DWD. It's a feverish version with no wandering around. Peaks are hit high and fast and a deep groove is landed on when.... Okay this is the weirdest moment of the show by far. Trey starts singing Cities over the groove and it fits and the band lurches into a slower groovier rendition that's continued through the chorus and second verse and jam before catching up to speed later. It's a completely unexpected transition and took everyone by surprise, even the rest of the band. This is why we Phish though, you never know what you're going to get. The groove settles down and Carini crashes in like a truck to a brick wall. It's heavy and dark and gives a short but sweet jam before fading into Ruby Waves. RW is becoming another nice jam staple and this version is another one for the books to check out. Another cosmic jam which settles nicely. 20YL starts up and the crowd seems to not be too pleased with it, but then I remember 6/30/19 and how great of a jam came out of that... The main portion of the song reaches the darker bridge and we can all tell it's only going to get darker. More cosmic untraditional jamming as the stage feels like it might lift off and blast into space. It's a great version and might be the highlight of the second set. Number Line follows with a joyous type I jam but we're not over yet. SANTOS closes the set with high energy. A perfect cap to a weird and unique second set with lots of interesting, yet untraditional jams. Encore begins with Roses Are Free, a nice tip of the hat to 4/3/98 and we close the show with Slave, which is always a good choice. Overall a wonderful show. It might not have been an upper echelon classic show, but it's a standout of the year with a tight and focused first set and an exploratory second one. Attendance bias leaves me to give it a 5/5, although if we had half star ratings (WHICH WE SHOULD) it would be a 4.5/5.

Well this wasn't a very popular take when posted as the recap but I'm going to add it here too anyway for posterity, because after listening to the show again, I stand by it, maybe even more strongly. I think this show is a great example of how much appeal Phish can have for many just by being silly, selecting great songs, and popping off with high energy at the right moments. Not that those can't be valuable take-aways, but if like me you're more satisfied when the band is really tight, communicating clearly, and weaving things together as a cohesive unit, and pursuing unique ideas with patience and purpose, you might find this show more lacking than some others have suggested. For whatever it's worth—which I'll readily admit may be nothing at all—I thought the much maligned show from Toronto earlier this summer was miles ahead of this one as a front to back offering. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ --- [b]A Big Black Furry Hot Messy Marsupial Thanksgiving Feast[/b] Ok turkeys it’s recap time! For everyone at home keeping score the year is 2019. The date is November 30th, and it also happens to be Thanksgiving weekend. (Here in the USA anyway; back home in Canada where I’m from we do Thanksgiving a month earlier. But don’t worry, we have a long terrible genocidal history with respect to our indigenous population too.) Anyway, a lot to be grateful for tonight, and I’m sure a lot of folks went home happy. I’ll start my recap by offering some gratitude for finally having met @Icculus face-to-face, a solid 25 years after our initial exchange via a B+P of what I believe was the Bomb Factory. On that note, the band certainly brought out some heavy artillery tonight, but count me among those who hope that “Plasma” reprise is now safely stored away in its holster for the foreseeable future. I thought the show had some powerful moments, and also some surprisingly rough ones, but we’ll get to that… Phish is coming off an interesting summer, one that saw them playing a ton of new songs, dropping type II micro jams in deft, unexpected places, to varying effect, and at least a few incredible macro ones as well (the [url=http://phish.net/setlists/phish-june-19-2019-blossom-music-center-cuyahoga-falls-oh-usa.html]6/19[/url] Birds is my favourite jam of the year fwiw..). I thought the band was pretty tight all summer, and Trey especially sounded soulful, purposeful, and on point, channeling the emotional heft of the [i]Ghosts of the Forest[/i] material. So I was surprised tonight to find him as rusty and slow as he was out of the gate and through most of the first frame. Not having heard anything of the previous night and kind of scratching my head at it, I assumed the band would be warmed up for a big rocker tonight on some very old, familiar and storied territory. The “Turtle in the Clouds” opener felt a bit clunky to me, though I was happy to hear it in person for the first time, and the “Punch You In the Eye” briefly spent some interesting time in spacey unfamiliar territory before a choppy “Landlady” sequence and the second set of dance moves between Mike and Trey in only the second song of the show. The slow(ish?) funky “Llama” seemed like a nod to me to this rust Trey especially seemed to need to shake off, and that followed suit with the slow, predictable chop of “Meat,” which I thought was one of the first set’s few, if brief, bright(ish?) spots. “Old Home Place” gave a nod to the stomping grounds Phish have been playing since they first ventured beyond Vermont way back in the 80s (yes, those 80s, kids), and I’ll admit that I had some lively expectations for my first show in Providence. Funny that for having seen the band so often in the region, even around this time of year, going back to Thanksgiving weekend in Worcester in 1997, and the year after in 98, and many others nearby since, I had never been here. I have to say that tonight the plea of “why did I leave the plough in the fields, and look for a job in the town” resonated, and I could have done without navigating the masses and the sticky beer covered floor, and reckoning with all the damn plastic water bottles at $5 a pop. Or maybe it’s just because I’m reading [i][url=https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/28596619-civilized-to-death]Civilized to Death[/url][/i] by Chris Ryan right now, but I digress... At this point each song was being introduced by silly banter with Trey mocking the part of the mainstream arena rocker on a nostalgia tour, and Page complementing it with a ‘THX-surround-sound’ vamp (that, like the “Plasma” gag, also started to tire, imo..). But it’s hard to hate on first set staples like “Lawn Boy”—especially when Page walks over to Mike’s side and looks out at the crowd lovingly and says “Mike’s side.”—and Fish picking up the vacuum on “I Didn’t Know.” I have to say though that from here on, with the exception of a couple interesting jaunts in “Gotta Jibboo” and “Stash,” I thought the set was a pretty terrible hot mess. Trey was just not hitting super basic changes, seemed uncharacteristically distracted, goofy, and a step behind. I root for the guy every time but I also gotta call it as I see it, and tonight on many occasions it seemed like the band was playing a ton of composed sections a half-step slower than normal so he could keep up. Old Home Place, Maze, Stash, Golgi, Hood were are significantly messy in either their composed or lyrical sections, and in some cases both. Maybe this doesn't bother you, but it did me. The second set was a different story. I don’t want to suggest it was a completely night and day affair, as if a different band came back on stage, but it had a lot more emotional weight, energy (at times off the charts), and overall appeal. I didn’t necessarily feel that Trey was ever in that more purposeful, soulful control we saw over the summer, but they cranked out some interesting stuff all the same. Surely on paper it’s impressive and I bet a lot of folks had a swell time. So how it did it measure up in the flesh? Driving down here I listened to the wonderful and woefully underrated (imo) [url=http://phish.net/setlists/phish-november-29-1998-worcester-centrum-centre-worcester-ma-usa.html]11/29/98[/url] “Bathtub Gin,” and thinking about how reliable “Gin” was in that era for big second set anchors, of which I’m fortunate enough to have seen a few. Coming out with it in the one slot to open set two seemed like a statement to me. The last time they opened set two with “Gin” was at the Mann Theatre in Philly on [url=https://phish.net/setlists/phish-august-12-2015-the-mann-center-for-the-performing-arts-philadelphia-pa-usa.html]8/12/15[/url] (which, spoiler alert, was a way better set than this one), and it felt to me like an attempt at a bit of a reset: a slow, old, reliable big gun the band could use to steer this ship back on track, without being too obvious a choice. It definitely had some punch and got taken out for a ride, but felt more to me like blowing off steam than masterful storytelling or band interplay (they’d go back to this energy later to better effect in “Harry Hood”). The pull back around to the “Gin” theme to close the jam felt pretty forced, but hey, I’ll take an 18 minute second set “Bathtub Gin” opener any night, and I’ll be curious to listen back to it for other signs of life. I’m not much of an “Alaska” fan and it sure seems to follow me around considering how infrequently I see the band in this era, but I’ll admit I really enjoyed the slow, crunchy space that emerged from the end of it, which lingered for some time with Fish especially hitting the toms with an oddly emotional gusto. I was still wondering about Trey at this point, whether he was finally warmed up and feeling good, and out of that space came an incredibly beautiful, if sadder than usual “What’s the Use?” as if to respond to the validity of that question. The band came to what seemed like a longer than normal full stop in the middle, and then Trey pulled out a chillingly gorgeous string of notes that—and I’m not one to often drop this comparison or even think it’s usually apt—really reminded me of Jerry. Nick Paumgarten did a [url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/postscript/robert-hunter-gave-the-grateful-dead-its-voice]beautiful tribute to Robert Hunter[/url] (may his soul travel the heavens and underworld alike in peace!) in the [i]New Yorker [/i]just two months ago when he passed, which you should read—not only because Hunter was a poetic giant who planted (or harvested?) so many of the collective symbols and myths this weird community of ours still trades in, and it’s a great tribute, but because of its chilling opening portrait of Jerry doing “Black Peter” at, yup, the Providence Civic Center on 4/1/86. I had the briefest moment of feeling that same dirge from Trey in a way that was both beautiful and haunting, and after a couple dark speculations took a moment to really appreciate and be grateful for the fact that these old guys are still standing, dancing, and playing for us turkeys. (And that I’m still standing for that matter! If they did play “Llama” the way they might have in the 90s, I doubt I’d have been able to keep up…) The show had suddenly taken a powerful emotional turn, at least for me, and the “Piper” coming out of this space was the perfect choice. I would have gladly welcomed an old school slow build “Piper” here, but this one went up and outwards and stayed in safe, if danceable and energetic territory. “Golden Age” offered more of the same before settling and clunkily and unnecessarily providing an opportunity for another blast of “Plasma.” A pretty solid overall offering so far though in terms of the second frame. The “Hood” that closed the set is a gnarly beast, though there too I felt Trey was distracted and struggling to nail some of the composed sections. That was quickly forgotten as the jam went type II out of the gate, and revisited some of the frenzied energy of the “Gin” that opened the set. Eventually Trey brought things back around to the “Hood” theme, and it sounded like he was going to lead the band into a soft landing of “you can feel good” and call it a day, but the opposite happened. Instead Trey just churned out a really aggressive, frenzied build back to a more typical Hood finale. Again, maybe not with as refined a touch as I on some of those classic “Hood”s, but the energy was through the roof on this finale to the set. And closing it with the THX sound effect was the one gag tonight that did land for me. Finally, it looks like the band is having some fun with the encores so far this tour, eh? The “Big Black Furry Creature From Mars” made a lot of sense for the energy the band was channeling tonight, and I thought the “Kung” was a poignant cherry on top, whose ‘stand up!’ dare I say even felt briefly political (speaking of run-away golf cart marathons…). “Wombat” and “Possum” sent us home like some strange marsupial Thanksgiving dish, with one baked into the other … and a little too much “Plasma” on top.

I can’t wait for Pittsburgh they played an amazing Prince Caspian and Mr. completely so I’m psyched to see what’s next for the same venue two years later and hopefully the band will be well rested because of two days off in between they can visit Pittsburgh at their leisure enjoy the college and the hotel without the pressure of moving on to the next city the over 4.0 ratings are promising for a good if not great I’ll be at very small tour. I am sure will hear drift while you’re sleeping or I’m about to run. Because we haven’t yet but I would rather hear another Ruby waves I love the lyrics to that song and the 30 minute one only was the icing on the cake that showed me I was wrong about thinking drift while you’re sleeping is the best on the album it’s good the reggae is good but that whole album is good ghost in the forest that just sounds cool what a cool name for a band Trey certainly loves ghosts and souls and water he is obsessed with oceans and waves and sailing And all the metaphors about the soul but what about the spirit just curious we are not just body and soul we are body soul and spirit I so rarely hear trey use the word spirit. I love all the animal songs and even though I didn’t like Kasvot it is starting to grow on me if it’s done correctly good placement and where I don’t have to hear all 10 songs in a row I still think turtle in the clouds is a shit song and the other nine N. that great but they are growing on me you’re still my favorite band so I have to put up with their crappy albums like round room. Don’t u wanna go Let’s go Timber Ho (let’s roll!!) Fuego (cuz u need a stolen car to get into heaven) Jesus just left Chicago When the circus comes to town Roggae Sing Monica You never know It makes no difference Ginseng Sullivan Antelope Set 2 The curtain with About to run. (With Eric Clapton intensity sprinkles) Runaway Jim Dog stole things Sloth Dirt Lizards 7 below Way down in a hole Make sure My grave is kept neat Pebbles and marbles Round room City Light! Encore Drift while your sleeping Wading in the velvet sea A life beyond the dream Show of life Even if they just play a few of these I’ll be happy and what really makes me happy is 20 minute jams I mean lawn boy jammed that was hilarious and whimsical and they need to do more of that kind of shit

The show was well played. I enjoyed the song selection in the 1st set. They never play TMWSIY, and I thought they did the song proper. Timber Go is always welcome. With the exception of that Tube that was jammed out, the set felt like the band was holding back for the 2nd set. The Everything's Right got heavy and launched everybody. The mega jam got traded in for several different jams, and it worked. I thought Kuroda also shined during the show.

This is why you never miss a Sunday show! I posted a review yesterday with what I felt to be constructive criticism regarding timing, focus, etc. Tonight's show countered that for me. This felt like focus and playing with intention the entire show! And what a first set. Pretty much from the opener up to Wedge I was grinning ear to ear. I'm not a big Martian Monster guy, but it was still tasty. Very fun Tube as well. It was funny streaming and watching Trey react to missing the intro to Poor Heart. He really wanted that! Just a beautifully played set. Second set had some new tunes towards the end, but they were very well played. The DWD > Cities was the highlight. The transition to Cities was so fun and unique. Really cool stuff. Second leg of this tour has some nice momentum!

Last night was the night that where (IMO) Phish mastered the microjam formula and used it to great effect. At no point did I feel let down, with song choices or a dip in energy. It felt like N2 of Camden, but done right. There was no big Tweezer or Roses but an entire second set that felt like one big jam with song segments and at no time did I feel the dreaded R-word, they were taking chances left and right. If I was not at the show and I looked at the song lengths, I might question to listen or not. Don't question it, from Ghost to S.A.N.T.O.S. this show brought the fire. One thing I want to add is how good 20yrs Later has become, I've caught it 3 times in a row and it has always brought the goods. While shortest of the 3 (Albany '18, Camden '19, now Nassau '19) this one combined moments of the previous 2. Sad that this is the 1st and only stop on the Fall mini tour but thankful I caught last night and have less than a month to enjoy them again.

Maybe this was one of those Rorschach test shows... a Phish litmus test. I realize there was no 20 min “tent pole” jam, but I was still surprised to hear gripes walking out of the Coliseum tonight, I thought Phish brought us the Sunday night heat in Nassau. Rocking Ghost show opener gives us a nice peaking jam right out of the gates, a rare and beautiful TMWSIY > Avenu Malkenu > TMWSIY, bust out Cool it Down, and a filthy peak laden 11 min Tube, what more would you like from your S1s?? How about a space jam Martian Monster > Timber combo, and a soaring Roggae? Excellent S1 in my book. S2 starts with Everything’s Right, and the band locks into a slick groove which seemed to carry into the next several songs’ jam segments. Each band member seemed to be doing work tonight, we got a mixture of white light peaks where Trey always dominates, sci fi synth psychrock from Page, driving locomotive beats from Fish, and pocket-vibrating low tones from Mike. Egalitarian jamming, in both distribution to band members and in the multiple pieces of improv distributed throughout the set. Disease’s brief jam melted into Cities obscenely effortlessly. Carini peaked hard and fast before giving way to a combined near 25 min of the aforementioned very successful full-band improv in Ruby Waves > 20 YL. BDTNL rocked, Trey has so much fun with this tune every time. S.A.N.T.O.S. was tailor-made for arenas like Nassau, and we fist pump as the Kasvot classic shreds the set to a close. Roses is sing-along fun and an unexpected encore, and then a concise but solidly peaking Slave to the Traffic Light sends us out into the Long Island wind and rain. The band looks well set up to deliver some heaters in the second leg of this fall mini tour.

An incredibly gripping show from start to finish. It’s tough to know where to start and how to process it all. But I’ll give a few tidbits as I’m heading back home after the show...the Ghost>Rift was an incredible one-two opening punch. The Ghost immediately had this gooey thickness and complexity that put vibes of 12-30-18 in my mind which never really went away throughout the night...the first set was full of incredible energy and each song a highlight in its own way, but special mention to Cool it Down. The song had such swing and swagger to it. The band was just oozing confidence...the second set was all about exploration, countering the energy of the first set. Each song seemed to get to its own unique place: the ER hypnotic, the Ruby Waves gentle grassy knolls, the Twenty Years Later hanging in midair while attaching itself to the sides of the venue, the BDNTL where Trey’s solo notes sounded like golden arcs of friendship. These songs went places. No one true highlight. More of a gel of a set with each song still retaining uniqueness...very special stuff and then a gorgeous Slave to send us on our way. Couldn’t have asked for more to end this lovely Holiday Weekend!

First, I'll say this was a solid show. Great energy, the guys are clearly having fun. Love that. BUT - musically there is very clearly some rust, forgotten lyrics, timing is a little off. This is obviously to be expected, but I must say I'm surprised to see a current rating of 4.3, which means some people are giving this show 5 stars. Based on my years of reading these reviews, it seems that almost ANYTHING other than just absolute love and adoration just gets bamboolzed by the masses, so I realize what I'm signing up for here, but please understand it's constructive criticism. I also realize that a great show can be comprised of many different things. Some people will give a five star rating no matter what, and that's fine too. I'm a live and let live guy at the end of the day. However, I think we're setting the bar just a bit low for this one at a 4.3. Perhaps I'm being a little picky, and I'm okay with that. I know these boys have a lot more in the tank and looking forward to that coming together when I get to catch all three nights in Charleston! Very excited! It's also so awesome to be able to live stream these shows. So grateful for the effort and production put in to that access.