A new year another summer tour opener I attended. I went with some high school friends and had great seats right before the pit. After arriving a little late we walked in the middle of Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan. I like this song as an opener. The next grouping of songs are well played with some phish classics and some new songs off Fuego. Then we get the highlight of the set with Stash. This Stash is sick, I’ve listened more than once and it just hits the spot. It’s not ground breaking by any means, but it’s what I want in a Stash. Couple more phish classics and then we get Wingsuit. This is also a very strong outing and ends the set great. Set 2 starts out with mikes song to the crowds delight. This is followed by Simple and Free which are very well played. A fun start to the set. As time has gone along Waiting All Night has really grown on me, it is a great ballad. If you disagree so be it, just this man’s opinion. The first highlight of the set comes with Ghost->Weekapaug Groove. Ghost has a great jam, I wish it went longer! Nonetheless the transition into Weekapaug Groove is masterful. I honestly believe this is one of the best transitions since they’ve gotten back together. After this fun outing we get the highlight of the show with Harry Hood. This Hood is very unique and has a really cool type 2 jam. This is one of my favorite Hoods I’ve ever seen and I always revisit this version at least once a year. Cavern ends a very fun set. Julius closes it out and I must say this version is very good. It’s definitely a different take on the song. All I know is Great Woods got down during that. Set 1 highlights are Stash and Wingsuit Set 2 highlights are Ghost->Weekapaug Groove, Harry Hood(highly recommended) and the encore Julius. This was a solid show and was happy with it being my only show of 14. I’d rate this one a 4/5.

My first show!! Now, I’m not your typical “first show” Phish fan…. I’ve been a casual/moderate fan since the early 90s as a teenager (had all of the studio CDs growing up), but no one told me how important it was to see them live! Listened to them a lot in my 20s, 30s, and early 40s as well (mostly the studio stuff still). Then two years ago, on a recommendation from a friend, Fukuoka infected my soul and I have been completely obsessed with live Phish ever since. I’ve listened to over 300 full shows, couch touring at least 50 shows in that time. But geography and job and family just have not aligned for me to get to that FIRST show!! Until now… I drove four hours down with my 19-year-old son (also his first show). The lot was fun. We got into our seats early and started soaking up the vibes as the crowd started filling in. The excitement when the lights went down was palpable for me, as the anticipation had been building for a long time. The show was incredible. I took a 30-second video of the opener, and then put my phone away for the rest of the show, just taking in everything. The sound was superb. The venue was awesome. The crowd felt like family. The show lived up to every expectation that I had and I’ve been floating ever since. Thoughts from set one: Spanish Moon was a treat (the crowd reaction was fun). Reba is my son’s favorite Phish song, so thrilled to hear that! The Final Hurrah was a sweet jam. I love Bluegrass Phish, so hearing My Mind’s Got a Mind of Its Own was super fun. The guitar solo in hey stranger was killer. Walls of the Cave set-closer was an absolute ride (we all went nuts). Thoughts from set two: Slow Llama was so funky and cool. Down With Disease - the longest ever! Wow, I mean I had no clue what kind of time we were getting into with this one until after the show, but it was an absolutely captivating jam that will always be special to me. That last four minutes is some of the best Phish I’ve ever heard. Truly a behemoth!! Twist Sound Effects battle was hilarious. The Well was a party. Sightless Escape - no clue what this song was until after haha, but what a jam!! Second best jam of the night in my opinion. And then into Chalk Dust Torture and Suzy to end the set: yes!!! Wow, what a set. Perfect encore too. An absolutely amazing first show!! Can’t wait for #2…

While not achieving the heights of Saturday night, Sunday was still an excellent show. Returning to the type 2 style jamming of night one, said jams had a much more natural flow and consistent energy, especially in set one. The highlight of which was the "evil" jam out of Thread. It was obvious they were having fun before Trey confirmed it with the audience, "hope you has as much fun listening to that as we did playing" 🤣❤️ The other highlight of set one was the cover of Walk Away which caused the crowd to erupt! Set two featured a great Tweezer > Ghost. The Golden Age jam meandered a bit but the energy level recovered with a strong Slave set closer. The party out triple encore of Meatstick, Turtle In The Clouds and Tweezer Reprise was a feel good ending to an excellent weekend.

I love Phish and all the shades they come in, but these days I prefer the shred. Not interested in frolicking or cruising, I want to dodge asteroids at high speed whilst face melting. The darker, the heavier, the stickier, the better. There was a bliss segment of the Tweezer jam that was suddenly (and pleasantly) hijacked and trampled by orcs. The soft meadows and flowers were turned to ash with great vengeance and furious anger. It blew my hair off. As far as type II shred goes, the whole second set was phish crack. We’ve all have those moments when we were like “is it just me, or is this fire?” Judging the energy and faces of the crowd- it wasn’t just me. Not tonight at least.

Weird 1st set with disappointing lows (how did Trey forget how to play Jim?) and very well played moments like the Wolfman’s, Stash and Walk Away with a few curious placements (Thread, 555, Drift While your sleeping as closer?) What a difference set break apparently makes for our favorite 60yr olds because the 2nd set was pure fire. First SYSF of the tour into Tweezer was excellent make up sex and after 47 minutes of bliss, the segue into Ghost was perfect. Ghost and Golden Age were must listen to material before giving us a breather before a well played Slave to send the A+ crowd into happy land. If you had Meatstick, Turtle in the Clouds in your encore bingo, congratulations to you. Super fun continuation of the 2nd energy into the greatest 3 minutes of music ever (reprise). Congratulations to those of you who were there with me, that a ride we won’t soon forget (and it was more than an adequate make up for the last Sunday show played in Chucktown.

As an OSU grad and a local this was a great tour announcement to see. I set very low expectations which is always recommended, but sometimes leaves me hyped after any decent show. #14 for my wife, guess that’s my ‘crew’ these days. I’ll probably lean biased here but it’s easier for me to compare shows I attended to critique the final product. With that in mind, I liked this show better than Starlake or Dayton 23’ but not as well as 7/27/24. Bag opener was a solid way to get started, standard version, crowd engaged. Roggae pretty standard too but a nice summer tune into VULTURES, YES! A personal favorite, played well enough for me and got me dancing to the ensuing funkfesty Martian Monster. I love a good Mike song and Mull got Mike firing on all cylinders as Trey pushed some groove based jamming into and back out of a major mode jam and stayed within the groove fighting off a blissy diversion. This was a killer jam that i had to revisit a couple times. Strawberry Letter / Undermind was ok, not a highlight. Petrichor is a beautiful composition probably never going to please fans but a first for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The band nailed the new crowd favorite Life Saving Gun to close a solid Set I /////////// Set II highs were Wave of Hope (not a must hear but a very solid version), Waiting all night, a totally slayed Piper(a must-hear if you love Piper) and above avg Loving Cup to close what i thought was a solid set II with a passable Q4. Love Mango /Antelope to close the encore and cap off a good show. Not a top show in the context of 2025, my fav tour thus far since 2021, but I think it’s well worth a listen for anybody and the highlights will be well regarded.

Worcester night 2. I went solo again and was excited to see what was in store after a very solid night one. Set one starts out with Party Time. It was ok, not really my favorite song. What follows is, Punch You In the Eye emerges and Worcester is getting down. Still might be the loudest “Hey!” I’ve been apart of. Great song choices the rest of the set, but everything was pretty standard. I think this was my only ride captain ride ever, which I enjoyed. Stash and David Bowie was also a highlight for me, it just gave me that spooky fall vibe. The execution and flow was top notch though. Set 2 starts up with a surprise Drowned. What a jam this is! Absolutely beautiful at the end. I highly recommend this version. Light is next and very solid. This version definitely gets out there. The rest of the set just rips and was so much fun. Sand and Theme were sick and Mikes Groove with No Quarter…yes please! Encore was weird lol, fishman gets off the kit and another drummer starts hammering away. The band seemed confused as well, but they gave us a couple pretty unique versions of Boogie on Reggae Woman and Possum. First set highlights Punch You in the Eye, Stash, David Bowie Second set highlights are the whole thing. If you only have time for a couple songs Drowned>Light was awesome and highly recommended. I absolutely loved this two night run and all Fall 13. I’d rate this show a 4.47/5.

Fall 13, what a special time. Fast forward a year later and I’m back in Worcester for a two night run. Vibes were high with how well the band had been playing, and this two night stand continued one of the best tours since they got back together. Set 1 starts out nice with a couple good standard versions of funky bitch and wolfmans. For me the highlight of the first set comes next with Wilson>The Curtain With. Trey sings the same verse in Wilson for his friends and the curtain with is powerful I remember being mesmerized. Cities> Rift is a fun duo and everything else is standard good phish. Vultures was also a treat. Set 2 we get down to business. Waves>Carini is fantastic and a must hear from this show. Excellent jamming in both especially the last few minutes of Waves. Caspian is alright, but then Number line emerges and it rips. One of my favorite versions I’ve seen. Ghost is next and it is a very good version, always surprised this never got jam charted as well…what can you do. Dirt is next and is beautiful. DWD follows in an interesting spot with a solid jam. I told my neighbor I wanted Sneakin sally bad and it emerges so I get swamped with high fives and hugs from some new people I met(I was solo for these shows). Rest of the set is fun and I remember really liking Antelope. Encore is just Phish goodness and everyone goes home happy. Set 1 highlights are Wilson>The Curtain With, Vultures Set 2 highlights are Waves>Carini(highly recommended), Backwards Down the Number Line, Ghost, Antelope. I had a blast at this show I’d rate it a 4.38/5.

Just to clarify, The Paradise was larger than 300 capacity. I think closer to 500-700 capacity in those days. I looked it up last year & found something that stated around 900. But I don't think it was quite that big back in '89. Not sure if they may have done a renovation at some point. As for review, I went to many of the early Boston shows including many at the Paradise when I was around town for school & not seeing the Dead or other great bands of the day like Shockra. From a song perspective those all "melt into a dream". Lots of fun & funny moments. But no clear song recollections except for a few cases like the full explanation of the writing of Harry Hood at Johnny D's & walking in very late to BBFCFM at the 1st Molly's and thinking it was still an opening band on stage. The Paradise had some wild psychedelic paint scheme on the walls & some wild small strobe lights hanging down from the ceiling that were occasionally used. I do recall one night at the Paradise watching from the middle right by the support beam pole a couple guys in the front row. One obviously knew the band well and had taken his noob buddy. Trey got into it and was doing his little squat crouch thing he used to do when he was shredding hard. Trey was playing right to those towo guys practically in their faces at the edge of the stage. The noob was having his mind blown and the buddy was loving seeing his friend's mind being blown. A great moment!

Now that's what I'm talking about! Right out of the gate this show sounded like fire! The energy, the mix, the focus - everything dropped into place. The whole first set was just non stop fireworks! Jesus Just Left Chicago blew minds. Destiny, Monsters, Plasma - there was just no way to keep up! A second set classic Mike's > Hydrogen > Groove and a spectacular Mercury continued the mind melting. Quick break at the start of Soul Planet, back for the jam and still rolling! You think Hood would wrap up the set, then boom! I Am The Walrus tore the roof off. Encore of Carolina and SANTOS was the cherry on top. Best show of the tour I've seen so far. On to Sunday!

The best adjective I have for this show is "interesting". The song selection and placement felt almost random, and they added sauce to everything quite liberally. They clearly were in a "it doesn't matter what we play, we just want to jam" mood, and that always works for me. Even the stuff that didn't go long went deep, and Trey was cultivating a vibe. The New Wave of Hope and Life Saving Gun are standout jams. I want to add that the Schott is a cool venue. Convenient parking, good airflow, good sound, good sight lines, great staff, and a very comfortable vending area made this a great place to see a show. The small bathrooms would be my only critique.

Back to back ragers in Charleston. The bust outs continue! Strong first set overall but Monsters was extra climactic and the Gin brought some serious high grade hose to conclude the set. Trey really has stepped it up. Off to the races. Extra sauce on the Mikes Groove… heavy disco funk vibes, they’ve been jamming out the Mercury’s lately… but Soul Planet things went up a notch. Intergalactic, we were taken to another planet and the band was fully locked in. Joy was a lovely cool down, followed by my fav hood in recent memory. The second it ended I start heading to meet my friends for the encore… I got 20 feet from my seat and oops the band was just joking… more in store.. and they went into the Walrus… I turned around and went back to my section. If that wasn’t enough of a bonus treat… it was one of my favorite jams I’ve seen. Full melt evil! the building was charged up. Carolina Acapella and a raging Santos to conclude a top notch night. After a killer night 1, and plenty of other great shows this tour we’re deep in some serious stuff now!

Ahh yes 6/7/12, this show made me want to follow Phish everywhere. I grab a ride to Worcester with friends and go to the box office to claim a ticket from someone I know who is in Germany. This transaction doesn’t go so well at first haha, so I lose my friends in the process. They finally give me the ticket once the person I know calls them from Germany. I never made it to my actual seat this night. I meander down to page side like 5 rows from him and buried alive starts up, love this as an opener. Jim and torn and frayed are next before I get kicked out of the section and I’m on the move again. Really solid start to the show. They are just ripping it on stage once I hit my new section around rift, everything is so well played. The highlight of the set comes with Possum, which is an awesome and strange version of the song. Never heard one like this again. Rocky top sends us to set break happy. During intermission I find a friend and now am in the 100s looking directly at the stage. This second set is awesome and was a delight to witness. Carini has a beautiful jam (don't be tricked by its length) that melts into taste. Taste is also great, still might be the best I’ve seen. Ghost starts up and it is very good and funky, surprised it never got jam charted. Boogie on is next and this is an absolute barn burner. Amazing playing here by everyone. One of the best ever IMO. If I could is a cool down and is absolutely beautiful. Quinn> hood>cavern>buried alive reprise… hell yeah that’s how you end a set. Loving cup is standard but puts a stamp on the show. This is still on of the best tour openers since the band got back together and is still one of my favorite shows ever attended. Set 1 highlights Possum, Rocky Top Set 2 highlights Carini-> Taste> Ghost> Boogie on Reggae Woman> If I Could. (Whole segment is highly recommended. I’d rate this a 4.5/5 what a show.

Second show ever at the same venue. Once again was a broke college kid trying to get into a phish show. I got a ticket for not much in the seats before the lawn and was ready to go. Set one starts out with a nice llama, moma dance> possum. I was much happier with this start than the previous year. Cities was fun, Instant karma was awesome and the whole place was singing along. Bowie delivers in an interesting spot and then we are into my favorite part of the first set. Rhymes is an awesome cover (wish they did this one again). Then we get a beautiful Divided Sky which really hit the spot. Set 2 starts up and delivers right away. The opening three songs is great. Rock and roll> the mango song is my highlight of the night. Bug was nice and the let’s Go bruins chant before was fun, being a huge Bruins fan with the band playing along was great. I like to think Phish helped us capture that Stanley Cup. Pebbles and Marbles appears and I loved it, I wouldn’t get this song again for 11 years! Rest of the night is standard rock Phish which was fine by me. Set 1 highlights Instant Karma!, Rhymes, Divided Sky(highly recommended). Set 2 highlights Rock and Roll(highly recommended), The Mango Song I’m a little higher on this show than the current rating I’d give it a 3.8/5.

Well I decided to go back and review all the shows I’ve attended so far. I will not doing this off memory more than anything. 6/22/10 was my first show, besides listening to 90s shows in high school I was a complete noob. I remember showing up with friends having a blast in lot and then my 20 year old self took the walk in towards the seating before the lawn. Phish comes on and I’m excited as ever with no expectations. They start out the first set with Lit O Bit. Not gonna lie this was strange haha, but it wasn’t bad just had no idea what it was. Enjoyed the next couple songs, then divided sky was a little rough. I was still happy to get it, one of my favorite songs. The rest of the set is pretty standard, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Dr. Gabel was interesting, but never to be played again. Second set was a lot of fun and I remember the whole section was having a blast. Standard set, but a lot of songs I like. The highlight of the show for me is Sneakin sally through the alley->light->46 days. My friend and I were pumped to get limb by limb, even embraced with a hug when we heard it start up. I don’t think I’d change anything about this night, it was perfect even though this was a standard average Phish show. I walked out a different person and the trajectory of my life changed forever. I’d rate this a 3.5/5 today, but in my heart it will always be a 5/5.

Sorry if I’m not very articulate here, my mind is splattered all over the sofa after that show. And this was on couch tour! Imagine being at the damn venue! Unpredictable varied setlist + jams + sublime placement of otherwise controversial 3.0 tunes + bustouts + Trey ripping type 1 passages like it’s 1997 again = a perfect show. Best of tour for me and a real masterpiece.

This is the show you were looking for. When you come back to see Phish, usually it’s because they did that one thing long ago that you experienced and hope to witness again… this is the show where they did it again. I am the Walrus is straight up Acid Rock Trey ripping through the fabric of everything. Entire 2nd set was running like a wild horned creature, out of control

The slow Llama really got the vibe high right out of the gate and they followed through with a strong set one. This was my fifth Soul Shakedown Party and by far the best. It was the first time it felt effortless to me and the harmonies were on point. This isn't really a review of the show as much as it's a review of the Soul Shakedown Party. As a huge Wailers fan, I'm a tough critic and they really nailed it this night. One live!

This show was kind of a mixed bag for me. I thought the first set was fun. The boys tore it up out of the gate with Free, Rift and an unexpected Spanish Moon that really landed well with the crowd. Followed by Reba that seemed to skip the final part due to overextended crowd screaming! 🤣 Devotion To A Dream, though long unplayed, seemed to flatten the mood. Things picked up immediately with Kasvot Vaxt Final Hurrah, MMGAMOIO which is one of my favorite bluegrass entries. Hey Stranger was a personal highlight for me. I love that tune! Followed by a pretty epic set closer Walls Of The Cave. Set two, IMO, suffered from energy flow problems. The Slow Llama segued into DWD - but not all long jams are good jams - and although this 34:12 version had a nice payoff, it meandered through various, lifeless sections before finding its footing. Twist was fun, followed by The Well. Sadly, although this is one of my favorite new ones due to the "evil" minor key change at the end, it didn't seem to land well with the crowd. Likewise, GOTF tune Sightless Escape is an excellent tune - but the 17:03 version contained more listless jamming. The band knew what was up and went for crowd pleasers Chalk Dust and Suzy and much fun was had by all. Likewise, the encore of Los Lobos' When The Circus Comes got the crowd's heart strings tugging before dancing it out with a raucous First Tube that finally saw Trey get off his platform and ham it up at front of stage. Expecting good things for the next two nights. Will I finally get a Spock's Brain? Who knows? That's why we go!!

Phish just doesn't stop delivering this tour, its making me wish the tour was alot longer. If one of your critiques were repeats last summer, this tour is turning out to be for you. Tons of dust being cleaned off night to night. Right in the first set you get the Spanish Moon, Devotion to a Dream, Final Hurrah, Minds got a mind of its own as rare-ish bustouts. Im pretty jealous of all of those. As if that wasnt enough, the 2nd set opens with a slow llama..... and drifts into a 34 minute behemoth of a DWD.... fantastic jam here, one of the longer versions of the song I can remember. Sightless Escape has now been jammed out very well the last couple times, that song is very welcome to the setlist. Chalkdust and Suzy ripped to take us home Even the encore had a nice re-appearance of Circus and topped off with a first tube. Once again I ask in summer 2025; What else do you want from a show? Set One: B+ Set Two A- Rating 4.35

Doozy of a show. The bustiest bust out of a night so far in this already bust out city of a tour! A handful of firsts for me which is always a bonus but there were jams aplenty to go along. First set eased in but Spanish Moon was a treat and Reba had some spice. Final Hurrah had some interesting moments and Walls had a more than solid finish. On to the second set… The Disease was a bonafide roaster. Meandered at first but the band hooked up in a range of styles a bunch of times and the final peaks wouldn’t stop until the place was shaking towards the end. Ripping, heavy Mike bombs... After the monstrous, noisey, ambient Twist in Manchester.. could only match or top it with some extra spooky spaced out back and forth weirdness between Mike and Trey. Being right behind the stage to see the interplay up close was awesome. The Well continued the Evil. Sightless Escape went out there and adding on the ripping Chalkdust.. really can’t ask for much more… Fishman botched the segue (I could see him laughing) but who cares! Tonight was one of those lucky nights. Circus, First Tube all gravy bonuses… and it’s just night 1!

I loved this show! Don't be fooled by the set list and time stamps. The jams in the first set, especially Mull and Life Saving Gun, are totally mind-blowing. Great melodic, polyphonic, energetic, and creative improvisation. The jam in Wave of Hope is worth listening to as well. I liked Axilla and Antelope a lot as well. Overall, just a fantastic show. First set: 10/10. Second set: 8.5/10.

Great show! Solid jams and transitions. Positive atmosphere in the upper decks. Set list felt particularly well crafted. First set was a little choppy and negative. Vulture and Martian felt especially sad/angry. Theme of transition and rejuvenation in Life Saving Gun and Petrichor connected to a more positive second set. Wave of Hope, Piper, and Number Line carried themes of positive relationships and supporting each other. Encore/third set opening with Bug led to existential themes of god and life’s meaning. Antelope was a completely unexpected and excellent end of the show. The more I think about it the more I enjoyed the evening. Thanks, Phish!

July 9th, 2025, is destined to go down as one of those great sleeper shows that find their way into discussions on most underrated Phish of "X" year or "X" tour or "X" point-o. On paper, some may scoff and dismiss the show as "meh" (which many have already done). However, this show has plenty to love. If they played this show during a lesser year, say 2016, it would easily be a top 5 contender. Unfortunately (or fortunately), in the year of our lord 2025, that ain't happening. The setlist of this show is a controversial one, but I was certainly in favor. Before the show, I was listening to [i]Fuego [/i](the album, not the song) and thinking, "Wow, some of these songs are great and deserve to be played more often." Waiting All Night was chief among them, so I was delighted to get it tonight. Meanwhile, Petrichor was a song I loved when it first came out, but after missing it during its first few years of existence, I figured I missed the boat on seeing it. Needless to say, I was stoked when they started it. Lonely Trip is another newer song I had been casually chasing, so I was excited to see it as well. In other words, some of the songs that garnered complaints from others (and trust me, I heard the grumblings in the bathroom during setbreak and postshow), pleased me greatly. After last year's notable reliance on repeats, tonight's unpredictability was truly welcome. Enough about setlist construction, what about the jams, man?! Were the A Wave of Hope and Piper as standard as they say? Well, yes and no. They were both bliss jams that relied on building toward a strong peak to get them going, but both got there in different ways. Piper, in my opinion, was the more standard of the two, but the energy in that room was pushing them towards that peak, and who were they to deny the fans what they craved? After all, they are masters of this sort of jam by now, and it's a pleasure to see them work their magic in person. Meanwhile, AWOH bobbed and weaved through various keys and threatened to break out of the blissful jamming into space multiple times. Although each time led them safely back into the main theme, there is plenty of unique play that I am sure will reward repeated listens. Mark my words, during the JOTY tournament, many are gonna be surprised by how much they like this jam, even if it doesn't make it past the first round (which, if they keep playing as good as they have been, is a real possibility). Even if you cannot overcome your disdain for bliss jams, the Life Saving Gun must be heard to be believed. Easily the jam of the night. Wow! I'd like to conclude by mentioning the lights. I had a glorious seat towards the back, and my-oh-my was it good to see CK5 work his magic. Since Deer Creek is my traditional stomping ground, I have had few opportunities to see the recent full rig in action (only the two nights in Dayton 2023), but boy, is it a joy when I do!

This show was about set closers saving the day. Far too many slow songs for me but that life saving gun, type 2 loving cup and the surprise of the night a third song for the encore which was a fun as hell antelope made the night super fun. I the sound was clear and crisp for my first time to this arena. Not a large crowd which I actually enjoy but as usual everyone there was ready to get down.

What’s great about this show is that it was circled long ago with a plan. A highlight of infrequently performed songs that the band really digs. And the Antelope which was purposefully held back until tonight. Love the Crosseyed teases in the 2nd set…..but all trails lead to the Antelope. That’s a treat that isn’t overlooked. Cbus always throws down. Always has.

2nd show for me since 2011 and 3rd since bands long hiatus. Still LOVE Phish just don't go to shows like I used to. I couchtour hear and there but use mostly use Phish app for my fix these days. Thought this was an above average show. Bag thru MM was a good start especially Roggae and MM. Mull thru Petricore brought the vibe down a bit. Petricore seems like it has potential, just not fully formed yet And probably won't ever be at this rate. LSG was jammed out and ended the set on an up note. 2nd set started sort of meh. WoH built its self up into screetchy guitar bliss, very standard, I've heard much more interesting versions. Nice to hear a rarity like Waiting All Night, which was well played (as was entire show really). Axilla rocked. Piper was good not great. Lonely Trip for me is a snoozer, ànd was incredibly poorly placed. LC thru Antelope was highlight for me, especially rocking LC. Had a blast with my 18 year old son who has cp, making my first MangoSong in 40+ shows extra special.

First show as a teenager so there is sentimental value here after all this time. But it was true then and remains true now - this is very overlooked DWD and if I recall, at one point Trey was on his knees ripping this solo. It’s 1999 fire at its best after an awesome 2001. But what sets this DWD from other 99 versions (Boise for example) to my ear is the way Fishman is playing and interacting with Trey. There’s magic in there and fishman is doing great work.

A review of my first show: I don’t typically start conversations. If I intend to do so, the words are seated in my brain’s lobby waiting to be said. The moment is there and will pass at any instant yet I stand there and ponder my position in this crowd. As these much older and experienced faces gather on the floor of the Moody Center, I look at myself and realize that I am an outlier. A lot of 18 year old Mexican Americans don’t listen to Phish, let alone know of their existence. But here I was feeling like an oddity in a crowd of predominantly caucasian adults. How was I gonna fit in here? It was only a matter of time before I found out how. I take my attention to a long-haired bearded man and manage to let out “I’m a bit nervous”. The man asks why and I follow up by saying the four magic words that make you go from “average joe” to “special”: “It’s my first show”. Immediately, I’m met with an enthusiastic reaction and a load of words that range from “Welcome” to “You’re gonna have a great time”. I guess these pre-show interactions helped me let off those jitters, but still I waited and waited until the lights came down and a roar filled the longhorn’s cauldron. It was showtime. Just as Trey and the gang took to the stage, the same man from earlier pats me on the back and says “Enjoy your first show”. The smiles and cheers all lined the rows as I first caught sight of all four of my musical heroes. I really had made it to this point and things were about to go down, but what would be played first? More than likely, it was going to be a song that I would instantly recognize having heard it lots of times throughout Classic Phish and Current Phish alike. But then to my surprise, the first drops of sound fell and it took me longer than 20 seconds to decipher what it was. I thought about the key and the BPM and I finally landed on Crowd Control; a rarely played tune from Undermind that is also the name of a fan hosted program on SiriusXM Phish Radio. My first response was to move my body and share in the groove because I guess getting this as my first ever live Phish song was something to be happy about. I was satisfied with my first serving and I eagerly awaited what else this band had in store. That’s when the first notes of Mike’s Song rang out and HOLY SHITTTRAPPEDINTIEMANDIDONTKNOWHAHHHHHHH!!!!! During the rest of the set, I experienced a community so vibrant yet kind of fucked up at the same time. Fucked up in a way that I was able to get by because the joy overshadowed the drinks, marijuana and mysterious small bags of “nose candy”. They all danced and related to my excitement at getting some of my favorite Phish songs (Taste, Divided Sky, their cover of Cities, Weekapaug). Heck, I was even given another bustout with Daniel Saw The Stone, last played at the Baker’s Dozen in 2017. Needless to say, I had become comfortable with the Phish crowd and I resorted to aimlessly walking through the arena having been mind blown. I quickly grabbed a bottle of water and a box of Reese’s Pieces as I made my way back to the floor ready to take on whatever was coming. Set 2 has always been what makes Phish the very best of the best. Whether Set 1 hit or missed, Set 2 was there to guarantee that there would be something more to talk about at the end of the night. Lucky for me, Set 1 was already hot, so Set 2 was where the fire was about to burn brighter. The band came back on stage and began No Men In No Man’s Land. I’m not exactly the biggest fan of this song but that opinion quickly goes out the window once the jam comes along. I believe that that was a major theme of this set: Phish songs that I don’t usually care for that happened to prove me wrong in just 90 minutes. The No Men’s jam, while shorter, was my first taste at this kind of euphoria that I can’t describe. Trey was approaching a peak in the jam where my jaw began to drop and a rush entered my system. I’m gonna call it the Drew Carey feeling. I don’t have to tell you what that means because you can look it up for yourself, but yeah, it was good. To make the moment even more special, a group of two fans put their hands on my shoulders just as Trey closed in on the mountaintop. They were like guardian angels showing me to the other side where the face of God appeared to me. In response, I let out the only thing I could think of: “YEAHHHHHH TREYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!”. I’d like to take a moment now to recognize the random guy that yells out that exact phrase during the Digital Delay Loop Jam on 12/31/95. He is my muse and inspiration to how I react to seeing Trey Anastasio in person and several feet away from me. The show then transitioned into the two twin towers of the night: Fuego and Golden Age which stacked together for a whopping 50 minutes of music. For that entirety, there was never a beat that missed. It was a complete rollercoaster ride going up and down between keys, speeds and moods. Perhaps the greatest moment came during a segment in Golden Age where the band slowed down and held a steady groove. It sounded like a death march was unfolding before my very eyes and I stopped and took it in the sight and sounds happening. Somewhere deep down, my heart, limbs and head took a breather. Things stayed like this for a few minutes, until out of nowhere, the band accelerated into a frenzy. There was that feeling again as thousands of fans jumped for joy and followed the band into another peak. The words “love don’t you falter” had never rang so true. I was now a witness to two back to back Phish jams that were both longer than 20 minutes (Fuego (23) and Golden Age (26)). For a fan during the band’s heyday, something like that was possible but incredibly rare. Yet here I was standing and getting that treatment one show into my career. From that point on, nothing could stop the significance and power of the night. After some well-received banter where Trey acknowledged his Texan roots, the band launched into a number of familiar hits. The Squirming Coil gave Page some time to shine although there was commotion in the crowd due to a drunk passing out and being escorted. Sand followed with a short-sized but strong jam that felt great to dance to, and then finally, being able to cry out the chorus of Character Zero was a big deal for me. With that, the second set was over and I was in a rush of emotion. I didn’t want the feeling to end even though I knew I had a second night after this one. Deep down though, I knew that this first night was going to be more special in the end. These thoughts run like a river through head to toe as these fans ask me what I think the encore would be. My only suggestion was the explosive First Tube as Phish had not played it during the tour yet and I knew that it was bound to appear. And what do you know! They get through A Life Beyond The Dream and then there it is. We jump around, laugh, smile and Trey sends us home with his guitar in the air. I stand as a witness to glory. The first thing I did afterwards: I ate dinner at Denny’s. That was how it went. Phil

Noel Redding didn't come out until a few false starts of Fire, where Mike pretended to flub the bass line over and over until Mr. Redding strolled out and took over. My only time seeing anyone from the Jimi Hendrix Experience live. Thank you, Phish! It's telling me this isn't long enough for a review so I'll just type here until it is.