New livephish release - $$$ once again! Set I A throbbing Tweezer opens the show and by 5:30 is oozing with loops and textures as Page and Mike cook up a simmering groove, Fish accenting the downbeat nicely. This is a full on groove machine within seconds. Trey really takes his time in emerging and lets Mike and Page drive first, before a delicate 4 note pattern fills some space. By 7:20 he’s in the mix, without taking over, and the playing very nicely with Mike complimenting (or Trey complimenting Mike). This is slow head bobbing stuff. By 9:40 they are cooking something with a bit more spice and Trey’s run starts a full band crescendo, which gains in purpose and intensity in patient fashion. It must be noted that Mike is straight thumping here, and Page is playing admirably as Big Red does more with less here (sticking with a 4-5 note pattern) until he starts screaming at 11:30 and kicks in the reverse delay. It’s ’99 now, and Trey fires off some screaming notes and trills and gives us some good peak playing. The rest of the band is on-point and this full band groove reaches a satisfying conclusion. Fish is back on the hi-hat at 13:45ish and they lower the volume as Trey kicks in some final siren loops over a boiling low bass bump from Mike. End song. What an opener! Following that up with Roses is a fine choice and a very good pairing to start the show. Nice song selection. There’s a small lyric flub and a small “flub” in the middle by Trey, although to be honest he makes lemonade out of one little lemon note. Wilson drives some purposeful rock and roll into the show, which is a nice change of pace from a mellow (but fantastic) Tweezer and a fun romp through Roses. Rockstar Trey drives a nice heavy jam mid-Wilson and, it being ’99, Trey throws on the reverse delay over a thumping Mike and some cool (keytar sounding) work from Page. A nice loopy bridge out of Wilson threatens to go into a space jam, but does not. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the ensuing Maze that emerges, however. There’s a lot right with it in fact. Some loops persist at the beginning giving this one an even more sinister than usual feel. A fiery version ensues and yields to a mellow Brian and Robert, the set’s first breather. A nice, long, funky Tube is an inspired choice to bring a good dose of dance party time to the set. This is a standout version and is easily the set’s second highlight, just behind the Tweezer. Enjoy this one, as it finds Rocky Top to close out the set. Overall, this is great first set, although it doesn’t fee particularly long (at least by today’s standards). Some fabulous jamming in the opening Tweezer, the spacey outro of Wilson, a well executed Maze and a funktastic Tube make this an easy winner. Roses, B&R & Rocky Top serve their purpose well. On to set II! Boogie On starts with Trey and the rest of the band enters, Mike shining (of course). The band runs through the song in fine fashion, with a good solo and a little more rhythm play at the end that slows down and appears headed for a conclusion. Just as you start to wait for the next tune to kick in, Fishman jumps right back in and the band Boogies Onward. Well, they churn through to a pleasant ’99 style jam, with good playing from the full band as Trey leads the band into nice upbeat melody. This puppy cruises serenely along, settling into hose land, with the full band unified via an uplifting groove that patiently peaks and showcases some fantastic textures and playing from an underrated tour (year?). The eventually resolve back into the tune and conclude. It’s not my favorite jam, but boy it is certainly good. Meatstick is up next and has some fantastic commentary from Trey about needing to teach the west coast the “new macarena”. Well after a fun romp through the song, the band tacks on a nice funky churning jam at the end, which resolves nicely in Free. Great version. Free is plenty of fun. It’s not super atypical, but Trey makes fantastic use of the reverse delay during the solo, before shifting into high gear and just slaughtering the climax. Very great ribbon on top of an excellent three song opening segment. Bouncin’ fits nicely here. It’s a good little mellow addition to the set, which, while full of great jamming still manages to feel pretty laid back. Harry Hood pops up next and this is a fine version. Like Free, it might not be 100% atypical, but it is totally worthwhile and has some fantastic sections. The 7 minute mark initiates some fine soloing and great coloring by page. It’s nice and ethereal. Trey stumbles a bit, but around 10 minutes starts to cook and finds some good climbing patterns which manifest into some rapid playing around 11 minutes and picks up momentum replete with trilling and peaking notes throughout the remainder of the jam. A fine note at 12:20 brings the victory lap and a fantastical finish ensues with 13:25 sticking out as a rapid fire Hood jam explosion. Nice version. Frankenstein appears to signal the finish of the show, but a nice version is followed by a rocking Cavern, sending everyone home full of adrenaline. Well, the Contact encore is always a good choice and the Tweezer Reprise serves as a fitting bookend to the first song masterpiece. Overall, this show is pretty damn good soup to nuts. Great song selection (set II looks pretty odd on paper, at least no formulaic set II songs aside from Hood, which still pops up late/mid set in a slightly altered placement). Lots of good '99 spacey textured stuff, very easy to lose oneself in these jam. If you had to pick on something - let’s be honest, this show has its share of slop. But let’s also concede this produces some inspired jamming. Maybe Rolling Stone got something right when they wrote this about Trey: "His epic solos balance technical finger-work against screaming climaxes, and they're exciting even when he's sloppy. Especially when he's sloppy.” 5/5 Great Show!

I think this show is pretty underrated. It's less impressive than 12/30 on paper but it's nearly as good in terms of performance IMO. This NMINML is one of, if not the Jam of the year for me. It's just completely flawlessly executed and flows so well. The whole second set carries the vibe of that jam so perfectly.

Just going through a relisten of all 12/30 shows and I have to say this (IMO) maybe my favorite of the modern era. One thing I noticed was Moma through Cities has this great opening drum kick and funk beat. Gumbo sounds like a reverse Moma...just something I noticed almost two years later. Have a listen to this behemoth

I really don't think you could ask for much more from an 80s show than what's offered here. There are numerous strong jams as noted on the charts but my favorite part of the show is the jam that bridges Hydrogen and Who Do? We Do!. That's just one of the several great segments found in each of the three sets. Highly recommended.

Nothing out of the ordinary in the first set, although it is always thrilling to hear Trey at the height of his powers weave his way through a Foam jam. The Horse has a long than normal intro as well. Antelope and Hood are the standouts of this show. Lizards is also a bit longer and looser in Page's solo section. The rest of the show is average '93 stuff, which is just fine by me.

@N00b100 Hey man you got your wish today on LivePhish! You're 100% correct this show is straight fire. I've listened to it a few times on phishows.com and instantly fell for that slow moving first set Tweezer which seemed pretty common in '99. The entirety of this show is amazing but both set openers were just killer. So happy for the official LivePhish release today! Enjoy all!

Gods, this show was my first exposure to Phish and it blew my mind! I worked down the street and headed over as soon as I was done, so I missed most of the 1st set. For folks who remarked on it being a beautiful day, my memory was HOT! Like 100 degrees. I recall garden hoses running through the mini-golf to the parking lot for people to get water and cool off. The stream was a great scene on that day ;) Honestly, this is a show I'll never forget.

The lot was angry that day my friends, more tanks than the eye could see. My first show, listening to the band since I was 9 ,just missing out on 03-04....i was ready. To this day, after 50 shows, loudest ive heard a crowd was during the Jim during the slow build to trey ripping(you know the part). I was wanting a reba and very glad to have gotten it. However, after years of not listening to this show, the Bowie is up there with what the band has been doing lately. Trey is in solid form, no lackluster, full energy. Surprised no one has talked about that on here. I think most would agree, the bonnaroo shows were a let down after this show. On paper, this show is up there for 3.0 and some of the jams live up to it. Its funny, this show got added way after dates were announced, thankful that happened. The energy of this show is very similiar to what was going on during 12/30/17, but first show bias has alot to do with that. But if you were there or at both, you probably would agree. I think what made this show so special is that it was many people's first show and def many first show since hiatus. Glad I was there with you all. Summer 18 here we come!

You like mid-jam Catapults, smoking Mazes, Gypsy Queen-infused Jims, surprise segues (->Halley's), ferocious YEM jams, and all-time great Hoods, right? If you do, you'll find all that and more in this phenomenal show. If you don't, well then I don't know why you're reading this. Maybe give this show a listen and see if it changes your mind?

Sure, it's been done, here's another Went Review. Set 1 opens in breezy fashion with the Wedge. Like the Makisupa in the previous show, it's a great table setter for a festival. Beauty of My Dreams and Dogs Stole Things are fine, but not exceptional. It's not the strongest start to a show, but Vultures follows up and is always a treat. Water in the Sky brings back a mellow vibe, but surrenders to an incendiary Maze that lights a fire, only to be doused by a mellow Bouncin'. While the majority of the set is a little bit uneven to this point the ensuing Tweezer>Taste is some classic '97 stuff, with a funkified Tweezer featuring a Cities jam and a Taste (in its finest year?) that features a temendous solo by Big Red. Carolina closes the set. Overall, it's a set with plenty of fun, but most folks probably start with the Tweezer. Set II opens with the rumbling of DWD and this version is a doozy. Fiery soloing, yields to some upbeat blissful playing, followed by some slow & dark space funk that features Mike and Trey trading licks and treating the listener to a wonderful concluding bit of interplay. The long version transitions nicely into the Went Gin, which is of course notable & ranked by most as one of the best jams the band has ever played. The upbeat hose is at the very least inspiring and it deserves its place aside Riverport as the best Gin the band has played in their career. The surprising but perfectly played segue into Uncle Pen is equal parts weird and perfect. 2001 is given the full treatment as the band members take turns painting during the absolutely funky madness of a 20+ minute version of the tune. While it segues into the Art Jam which is a cool moment, it doesn't quite carry the musical muster of the previous songs. Hood closes the perfect set in majestic fashion. Trey instructing CK5 to lower the lights for the ensuing jam is magic as it progresses from delicate to magnificent and all things in between, with Trey giddy as a child over the first ever Hood glowstick war. Overall a perfect set, with nothing at all to complain about. It's perhaps the finest set in the band's history? Set III is not much in comparison to the previous 5 festival sets. However, there are some moments to enjoy for sure. Buffalo Bill is slightly jammed out into NICU, which is a cool set opening. Weigh Guyute & Dirt are all adaquate. SOAM is very cool with a good DDL jam. The Caspian is perhaps the set's highlight & it is a very good version indeed. When the Circus Comes, Tweeprise is a great conclusion. Overall this show contains the best set of the festival (if not band's career), however the other two sets do not quite carry the majesty of the previous day's performance. Still an easy 5/5 and essential (repeated) listening for any phans.

There's plenty already written about this show - but considering it was one of the first live SBDs I was fortunate enough to stumble on, i'll give my take. Set 1 is maligned in Bittersweet Motel by the band, and certainly has it's sloppy moments. In spite of this, there's some GREAT jamming and killer song selection. Makisupa feels like a great way to break into a long festival and open the festivities. The Gooball lyric is an inspired choice and the slow reggae tune is a nice place setter for the slow funky jamming to come. The segue and culmination of the Clifford Ball Harpua in the two slot must have been something to behold. Really cool nod by the band and can't go wrong with this one. Chalkdust Torture is a bit rusty at the finish, but the road the band takes is inspired with a frenetic full band peak and some wizardry from Trey. Fantastic take if your willing to eschew some flubs in favor of guitar theatrics. Theme is up next and, like CDT, breaks some new ground within the jam. It's "type I" but wholly unique and has a really fantastic middle section before the conclusion that's a little more spacey than you'd expect from the normally soaring linear peak. PYITE carries a funkier than usual intro and, while not perfect, is a great festival tune. Ghost is a good take, without being as clinical as some of the versions from earlier in the summer. It's nonetheless a good funky and fiery rendition. Pantheon of Ghosts - no. Fine set I addition, absolutely. Ginseng is the odd man out, but a little does of Mr Sulivan never hurt nobody. YEM follows up and returns us to the funk. It's not perfect or particularly exceptional, but it will get you moving. Train Song is a breather and is promptly obliterated by a fiery Character Zero. The Squirming Coil closes out a long and funky first frame with a gorgeous festival sized outro from Page, who encourages the crowd to "Stick Around" - as if there were any other place to be/go. Overall it's a very fun set. While there is plenty to hard on from an execution standpoint, the jamming is actually quite good and atypical takes on CDT & Theme provide really wonderful surprises. Set II is where things get legendary. The opening Wolfman's is LONG and FUNKY with a molasses thick funk work out that features Mike absolutely thumping on the bass. An inspired full band groove at the end sees Trey lock into a fantastic little lick/melody and the band creates something purely cohesive resolving into Simple. The Simple is also inspired with a Trey solo that is pure perfection. Magical notes seem to simply flow through the guitarist as he channels the heavens in this version which finds its way into a weird odd couple jam before a strange turn into the maligned My Soul, which is adequate. After a spacey interlude the band drops a devastating Slave, which is perfection in placement and canonical in its jam quality. Rocky Top>Julius is a fun finish. Looking at the setlist on paper its something that is completely off the wall and unexpected but seems to work just perfectly. Must hear Phish. Set III closes out the first night with aplomb. A jammed out Halley's features a throbbing bluesy kind of groove with a nice magical segue into a thick and funky Cities. It's so slow and funky ... damn. The two opening jams are concluded with a fiery segue into a maniacal Lllama that snarls to a finish and resolves in Lawn Boy. What a whirlwind! Limb x Limb follows up a wild sequence in perfect fashion. This is extended and contains excellent full band improvisation before e set closing Funky Bitch ends the set in fiery style. Contact>Loving Cup is a perfectly fun encore, with Contact always being a treat and Loving Cup providing a good exclamation point to the show. Overall: Fantastic playing throughout. Plenty of unexpected jams alongside the typical big boys. Great festival set, perhaps only slightly weaker than the next day's show (although if we are scoring all 3 sets, I just might take this one in light of the next days "weaker" set III) 5/5

Thirty some shows later, this show, my first show, still stands out in my mind. Not only was it my first time seeing phish, it was the moment I decided "yes, I will spend stupid amounts of money to see these guys all around the country." The first set has a tight stash and undermind. But the highlight of the show, without a doubt, has to be Antelope. The Stash teases and Stealing time teases Trey sneaks in there are sickkkkk. The second set has my favorite slow phish song in Dirt. Theme, Fuego, and Light were also pretty nice. Moral of the story, Check out this Antelope, forreal.

This is a short show clocking in at 2:13 with the most first set looking second set I've ever seen. Aside from the SOAM in the first set, this show has none of the mind-bending exploration that Fall 94 is famous for, and for that reason alone, I would rank this as one of the lesser shows of the tour. But the nice thing about 94 is that even when the jams are scant, you can still rely on incredibly tight performances and Type I play, as evident in Jim, Divided Sky (w/near-silent pause), and the iconic YEM from A Live One.

This first set works really well for me song selection wise. I'd prefer something else besides Loving Cup as a closer but that's about it. First Tube and Punch is a high energy opening pair and as an unabashed Farmhouse devotee I like its placement in the cool down slot. Moma is its typically funky bad self and Disease stretches out into a pretty nice first set jam with a brief section reminiscent of the Boise Bag. Roggae and BOTT are what they are. I wasn't always a big fan of Guyute but I've seen the error of my ways and now welcome the Ugly Pig in any first set. The last Peaches until its return at MSG in '09 gets things off on the right foot to start the second set. The following Possum is not a noteworthy version but it keeps the momentum of the set trending up and sets the table for a pretty great 50 minute stretch of music to close the set. Wolfman's is the jam of the night and builds into a really pleasant groove with a solid foundation while Trey leads things melodically before it spaces out segues into Lizards. I think Lizards works great coming out of a jam because it can start out nice and quiet but by the end the energy is right back up. Sand probably won't blow you away on its own but you have to love the segue into Misty Mountain Hop (and the song itself). Even though Wolfman's is the only major jam of the set, it all holds together very well. Good transitions and song placements make this set greater than the sum of its parts. Boogie and CDT make strong encore choices to close the show. 4/5

Sloppiness detracts from this show as a whole but there is no shortage of material worth listening to repeatedly. It's pretty amazing that Phish can still feature some great segments despite (or because of) them being off their game. A botched Fee leads to one of the most unique, off-kilter jams ever played and the whole Gin through Axilla bulk of the second set (SBD available) is great. Bathtub Gin enters a funky zone that drops perfectly into Moma Dance and this Mcgrupp has an ambient outro jam that builds feedback and slams right into Axilla.

Intense versions of Vultures, Jibboo, Bug, and Ghost are the jam standouts of this show but the surprise segues in the second set are really nice too. I especially like the transition to Hydrogen out of Steep. Anytime Hydrogen can emerge from an ambient jam is fine with me. Not really a fan of stacking up the Farmhouse tunes at the start of the second set though.

Nothing mind-blowing but a good tight show. The YEM jam locks into a repetitive theme that distinguishes it somewhat. Bouncing also has a wee bit extra on it in the intro and outro. Hey for BATR, I'll take it. The Forbins>Mockingbird>Possum run to end the first set was the best part of the show to me, with Maze and YEM coming through strong in the second set. It's not August yet. 3/5

I was there and this is still one of my favorite July 4ths ever. National anthem to start no surprise followed by Punch to basically start the show which is always a nice get up and go. There are those moments during a show when they let you know they're going to bring the heat and that first BUMP from Forbin was it - it's going to be one of THOSE shows. Camel Walk follows Mockingbird and is nicely played as well. By this point, we're feeling good. Now, as far as seeing shows - I'm probably still in nooby territory (definitely at this point) - whatever I've listened to hundreds. But this is the first My Friend I've seen up close in person and listen - it blew my mind - and everybody that was with me. Big build and release and is still one of my fave Phish memories of all time (and that says something because you all know what comes later in the show). Anyway - My Friend is pretty much the start of quarter 2 - Oh hello LIGHTS. Lawn Boy for a cool down and Bowie for a gas-up. Bowie was good and Jibboo got us to break. Both were played well and had plenty of peaks. Great first set. As for the second set - Disease>Piper>Ghost to start us off was just fuel on top of fuel. We just kept climbing. Waste was a nice breather into Julius (one of my compadre's favorites). I don't remember the Mike's getting particularly deep but it did pack a nice Type 1 punch into the Tela sandwich. And just when you're ready for the Weekapaug - Oom Pa Pa. Now look - Harpua was cool enough and the place was already going bonkers - what with the alternate history stuff and the true meaning of Phish lyrics - we didn't deserve that RATM. But sometimes it's not about what you deserve. Either way the place was poppin off by the time Jimmy found out about his dead cat right on into the Groove. I really like First Tube as the cherry on top of a great setlist. I think it works. It definitely worked here. We walked out knowing not to do what you tell me and lit up way more fireworks than normal. Happy 4th - this one was tough to beat.

Here's one of those really rare examples of a show where the first set significantly outshines the second. Everything in set one except Melt, Heart and Papyrus is absolutely exceptional and played to perfection. And those three songs are all strong... just not stellar. The second set, on the other hand, is an example of what I don't treasure in a Phish show... a bunch of disconnected songs with almost no jamming. Brother, Landlady and Lizards are all passable. Possum is a keeper because of the secret language instructions. Otherwise, treat this as a one set show and enjoy the piss out of it!

I started the day in New Orleans and started putting the pieces together as I was packing the car that if we didn't fool around on the drive back we could maybe, possibly, feasibly, let's-not-fool-around-because-I think we can make it to Atlanta by showtime. My wife drove most of the way with me saying "It's ok - if we make it, great - if not, no big deal." That mindset changed about the time we hit the Georgia state line, at which point I took over driving and my wife and her cousin just closed their eyes and held on. Long story short, I walked into Lakewood during Jim, which is always a nice way to greet a venue. If there's anything I will say about this show, it's that really every single song is placed well. That's not to say that this is the greatest show I've ever seen or heard. But as far as the pace of the show goes, the boys really hit it tonight. I don't think I'd seen Blaze On before this show, and it was nice to see jammed out. Halfway to the moon was a good breather. Ocelot I usually can take or leave, but even that had a bit of extra juice this night. Heavy Things>Theme>Antelope to close the set was sick. I really like Theme in this spot because it starts off as a breather but by the time it's done you're pretty gassed up again, and Antelope is just great as a close down. During set break, I remember thinking - that was a pretty great first set and just being stoked for round 2. And boy did round 2 start with a bang. From the opening hit of Tweezer everybody knew we were about to get lit up and that's pretty much what happened for about 26 minutes. Solid Tweezer y'all - it goes a lot of different places. I don't know Waiting All Night that well but it was just about a perfect breathe-for-a second song after that Tweezer marathon. Now a lot of people don't go for Backwards, but I like it. Say what you want but that song builds and it peaks and it does it here in spades. And right as it does - BOOM Carini to start the 4th quarter. Place went nuts. Glowsticks. Yelling. Screaming. Dancing. Maybe even a head bang or two. The whole thing. Waste again was a great breathe and build song to bring us to SAND - for real? By this point we were ready to explode right on up to the Reprise. Good lord that's a second set. We really didn't care what they'd play for encore because we knew it was gonna be awesome - and of course we got a (at the time) super rare RnR in the encore slot. Really perfect icing on the cake. Don't sleep on this show. Both sets are a clinic on how to construct a set, and everything is really well played and jammed. Definitely worth the drive.

First show at Dick's for me. Don't understand the sub 4 rating for this show because I thought it was lit. Ghost opener set the mood right from the beginning. Icculus, Theme, Stash, and LxL were all highlights from the first set for me. Man that set break seemed like it would never end, as they often do, but then it ended - as they always do. Set 2 starts with a PYITE which I've seen a lot, but it's a pretty fantastic set opener (1 or 2) so I won't complain. Sand to follow was great. Walls of the Cave was insane into OKPC>Hood. Now this is my only problem with the show. Hood's unfinished and although I'm always thankful, Mr. Miner, I really wanna feel good about Hood. And this Hood started really great too. Anyway I figured they'd eventually get back to the Hood but they didn't. Twist and Slave were both great and the encores were really fun - Oh Sweet Nuthin was a nice surprise. Also this show was supposed to spell something, as most shows do.

This was my first show of 3.0. Somehow I was singing Hello My Baby on the way up to Knoxville - let's just say I had a feeling. Jim to open follow by Punch was a great 1-2 punch. The second Undermind into Mike's Groove was very nice. You'd think that would end the set but nope - Coil - now we're done right - nope again Zero which got the crowd going. Set 2 also had some great spots. The Waves>ASIHTOS>Bowie was a really nice segment. Bit of a dip with Army and a strangely placed Reba into - well whatdaya know - Hello My Baby to finish the set. Nope again - Julius Cavern Hood to wind us up and a cool Frankenstein to send us home. This show is always special to me because of the special feeling of seeing the boys again. So many times during the break I wished I could just see them one more time. I'd listen to old shows, but everybody knows it's not the same. And so I left with a great feeling after having a great time. But I don't listen to the show very often because they got far better as the years went on. Far better. One of the reasons the sets ended with so many closers is because the jams just didn't last. I don't remember how long the Mike's Groove ended up but relatively speaking it was short, as were most of the other jams. I do remember the Waves>ASIHTOS segue being particularly powerful - the first time I "got it." Really cool segment and one I would (highly) recommend. But while the show was fun and well-played, the best was yet to come. I would see many more shows since and they always seemed to get better and tighter (and looser somehow) at the same time. I give this show a 4 because 3 is too low.

I'm going to assume that you are already familiar with the top-5 Bathtub Gin that opens the show and the top-1 Buried Alive that opens the second set. If not, stop what your doing right now and go listen. Both circulate in SBD form and are widely available on the internet. Outside of Gin, the first set features a relative rarity in the form of Dog Log, the always welcome (by me anyway) Fikus and the debut of the new arrangement of Vultures. The second set is pretty close to flawless. The aforementioned Buried Alive segues very nicely into If you Need a Fool, which is a great Bluegrass cover that they should play again. The Lizards "jam" section is beautifully played and is even more delicate than usual. The crowd is surprisingly attentive for a 98 amphitheater. The second set closes with an excellent 9 minute Tube > Kung > an Antelope that starts with Fishman on the vacuum and proceeds to the usual Antelope territory from there. A three song encore is always welcome even if two of the songs are ballads. It may seem a little anticlimactic to end with Bittersweet Motel, but its just so pretty and seems to fit with the vibe of the night. Highlights: Gin, Buried Alive, Lizards, Tube > Kung Just another example of the many, many top-level Phish shows from Summer 98 4.65 / 5 Grade A Phish

On paper, this show looks like I wouldn't like it (lots of songs, nothing especially long save YEM). In practice, this show is absolutely fantastic. Interesting setlist choices and great flow throughout. Highlights of the first set include a straight-forward (rocking) Disease, a very funky Sally that benefits from not going full-on vocal jam, an Ice with lengthwise in the middle, and a funky bitch that gets very funky indeed (with the funk breaks that they did all time in 97-98). The second set features an atypical Contact with Mexican love style jamming (whatever the fuck that means) followed by a great version of Maze that goes on a little longer than usual and features excellent, and far more jazzy than usual, comping by Trey during pages solo. For the second show in a row, they played a little bit longer than typical version of YEM. So many weird song choices and the energy was just high level the whole night. This show is a winner. 4/2 / 5 A- Phish

Circulates as a matrix of an ALD SBD and an AUD tape. It is a much better recording than the one from 7/24. This show features 6 covers (including two debuts), two of which are Texas specific. For my money, thats too many covers, but your mileage may vary. Any first set with a Bowie and a Reba is ok in my book and both of them have the proverbial "extra mustard." The second set opens up with a raging rendition of La Grange that almost doesn't find its way back to the song proper. The highlight of the show is without question the YEM, which is 30 minutes of gooey funk punctuated by a chill and less-annoying-than-usual vocal jam. Perhaps the best YEM of the year is rounded out nicely with the debut of Albuquerque > a very pretty Simple. The rest of the show is about what you'd expect from the rest of a show. 3.83 / 5 - Good, not great Phish B+

This show will always be my favorite show solely because it was my first phish show and the concert that changed my musical mind forever. Absolutely beautiful day, which can be rare in buffalo. Prior to this show I had only listened to probably 15 phish songs that I somehow downloaded using a file sharing program. I went with my good friend and his brother and his friends. Partied in the lot beforehand and there we were ready for the show. Lawn section which is what I prefer. I'll never forget when they came on and started playing Nellie Kane. Everyone just started dancing and it was such an amazing thing to be experiencing. I immediately knew this would not be the last time I would be at a phish show. This was before knowin about the following and the band itself. The music was unlike anything i had ever experienced, and I knew I needed more. It was the perfect concert for a first timer. Lots of different styles. A few covers that I already knew, including a zeppelin encore. My first harry hood! Just amazing!

Just listened to this show for the first time. Diving into the early years is fun, especially since I'd been listening to the long jams of 2.0 lately. So onto the show! The set opens admirably with Landlady and Llama, both of which were very well executed. Llama was a scorcher and the fiery playing of a younger band is on full display. A great pairing of Forbin's > Mockingbird follows in enjoyable fashion with a good, fun narration and a solid if not perfect Mockingbird to round it out. Off to a great start here. My Sweet One is a nice addition and it's followed by a solid Reba. I believe a previous reviewer noted that the ending of the jam is prematurely ended by Fishman just as Trey was climbing ferociously to a transcendent peak. The jam itself is fantastic, but the conclusion falls a tad flat. I Didn't Know is fine here and the ensuing Stash is quite nice. Again, very tight playing from Trey and a fiery soloing style that packs in a lotta notes. Good stuff. Mango>Poor Heart is a fun pairing, but the fiery Chalkdust that follows really caps off the set with some fireworks. Overall the first set is very very good. Sure 1992 isn't going to give you a huge type II jam anywhere in this first set, but the playing is really solid and the jamming within Reba, Stash & Chalkdust is pretty darn enjoyable. It's a great setlist as well, with a very good flow. Set II opens with The Curtain, which I always like in that slot. The band then jumps into a wild Possum, which is replete with some secret language & a long intro with several interesting tangents, which makes this a good listen for fans of the tune and anyone seeking something different from the younger incarnation of the band. Guelah Papyrus is a fun song that I'm always happy to catch and fits the post Possum slot nicely, as does a solid mid-set Coil. All Things Reconsidered pops up next, no complaints. The Brother, Sanity pairing is a really nice call. Brother provides some wild and fast playing and is an excellent version, with Sanity matching the madness appropriately. Cold as Ice>Love You>HYHU is what it is. The Sparkle>Harry Hood pairing is great on the back end of the set, with Sparkle being a fun and well played version. Hood has a bit of flubbery from Trey, but the ensuing jam is very good. There's a great deviation from the major key standard Hood jam and it showcases a band that is loose and taking risks, but also following one another quite closely and really listening to each other on stage. A suitable conclusion to the jam sends us back to the major key and into the stratosphere, before a Cavern rock-out resolves the set to it's conclusion. A fun encore of Lawn Boy (it was Page's birthday) > GTBT (victory lap Trey) ends the show with a smiling finish. Overall set II is also quite solid (like Set I) without any sort of massive type II playing that would emerge and take root later in August of '93. With that in mind, Possum is fantastic fun, the setlist flow is great with Brother and Sanity an inspired pairing. The triumvirate that closes the set is also worth celebrating with the Hood in particular bringing a really good dose of interplay to the show. Great fun listening and reviewing this one! Fans of '92 will enjoy it and folks less familiar with the early years will also be pleasantly surprised. 4/5

You know, between not touring for the first several months of the year, doing all the warm-up gigs for Santana and that disastrous Amsterdam show, you could argue that this was the first really normal show of 1996. And I mean that in a good way. It's refreshingly flub-free (unlike the previous Phish-only show in Italy on July 15), and has a nice, clean setlist performed totally fine. "Normal" and "fine" aren't flattering terms, but given how thoroughly underwhelming the first part of 1996 turned out to be, those are a huge step up. 4 stars, 6 stars in the context of this tour.

I've been seeing the phellas hell or high water since 1996 summer in earnest. There have been many watershed moments I witnessed which signaled a new tone, a new sound, a new passage, a new age, etc. These moments happened often from tour to tour during 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 in my experience.....to that point...the 2nd set opener Carini from Worcester in 2012 is my "sleeper" watershed moment for 3.0. When the sound we now enjoy and reveal in today took shape...I witnessed this somewhat innocuous Type II excursion in person and I knew then the phellas still had a lot more in them. The -> into Taste and the Ghost>Boogie>If I Could that follows drives home my point imo. This show really signaled them falling back in love with what they do. Enjoy another spin (if you haven't recently)

Trey was really fascinated with an octave-down effect produced by his Digitech Whammy II unit during 2.0 (and to some extent still is.) I think it's detrimental to his strong suits as a lead guitarist, and that it is overused especially in this show, where Simple, Gotta Jibboo, and Tweezer (3 out of the 4 ~20-min. jams in the show) all get kind of muddied by its murky tones. The jams are adventurous, but Seven Below is probably the most successful and that only because of the song's relative novelty at the time. Simple is pretty but colours pretty much inside the lines, Jibboo has two distinct peaks but they meander quite a bit between them, and Tweezer is just so 2.0-sludgy with that aforementioned guitar tone that it's hard to distinguish any particular arc to the jam. I still rate this show highly on merit of the tendency towards 4 20-min. jams, but I'm very glad this Whammy thing doesn't show up as often anymore as it did throughout 2.0.