Recently posted a pic of the ticket "stub" to this show. It was a business card. Long story short: I was visiting an old friend in England, was discussing this experience, how much fun we had, how unlikely of an experience this was, and he says, "Hey, I still have the ticket stub!" Amazing. So glad I was able to witness this, and grateful that it continues! I think my ears are still ringing from these club shows.

As others have stated, this is an absolutely awe inspiring stellar show! I can't say enough good things about it (and I really don't care if it's a Lawn Boy or a Lawn Boy -> Jam... it's fucking amazing!) So... now that we definitively know that V3 can turn this kind of jamming on any time they feel like it, it seems like it is our (the fans) job to let them know that we would REALLY, REALLY appreciate it becoming the new normal! I'm still a mess from this thing... just outstanding!

I'm really confused by some of the notes and scoring of this tour. First off, how could this Your Pet Cat > BOTT not get a noteable jam attached to it. It is just phenomenal. Second, how am I seeing most of these shows (Dayton, Pittsburgh, and all of the MSGs so far) getting such low scores? This has been the strongest tour in ages. We may look back on this like we do with 95 or 97 and say "I remember those days!" But I'm seeing them hovering around the 4.0 mark. This is ludicrous. People, we are in the middle of history being made.

I'm not one to try and compare shows to others that I wasn't at... or even those I was at. The thing that makes Phish so special is that every show is a unique experience, one that every fan experiences differently. Bearing that in mind, this show was fantastic. The first set was a solid 4/5... but that 2nd set??? That second set encapsulated everything that has brought me to love this band so much - taking a song like 1999 that hasn't been played in 19 years and completely nailing it? Topping it with a jam that even Prince would have bowed to? Shifting Steam into the dark molasses of No Quarter? There's just no one out there who compares to the Phish, and tonight was exactly why. Bonus points to a great crowd that ate up every second of this show wit eager enthusiasm - Trey ate up all the love and it certainly fueled him - he was locked in for set 2. Epic stuff. Are we still debating no repeats? I think we're clear now, right?!?!

Though I've stuck with the Phish from Vermont through many a show, clearly the Boys had finally met the end of the road. After such a "jam-filled" Tuesday, surely they had nothing more to give. As the first set wore on with barely a > to be seen, my suspicions were confirmed. After a surprise opener with White Winter Hymnal (first set Powdered Donut song - powder/snow), the nail in the coffin was all but delivered with a snoozing Farmhouse. Surely, being that they couldn't not possibly follow up the previous night with another tear-down-the-roof rager, so I was ready to just enjoy the moment for was it was - just another night with the boys with wholesome type I fun. WRONG! With a hint of jams to come, a statement was made when Trey dived right into a tight Type II sonic landscape of face melting tones, yet again proving all doubters wrong. You thought they were never going to jam Tube again? You thought they would just phone it in? So so so very pleasantly wrong. This one was for Harris. If there were any doubts about whether that Tube was a fluke, all concerns vanished in the air once the opening rift of Carini was heard. Strap in, because this was gonna be a wild one! If the Chicago Carini was a bliss-filled, white light, slow burn, this Carini was a tight, action packed behemoth, moving effortlessly from theme to theme. Eventually, the boys hit an open spot, laying out the landscape for Trey to lay down a tight Mr. Completely lick. It couldn't be - with last weeks jamout bustout, they couldn't possibly follow it up with an encore performance. And yet they did. Tight fucking jam. Rather than go into a blow-by-blow, you really just need to hear this second set to believe it. A fee highlights: 1999. Honestly, did not even know what song this was, but Page killed it on the pop-synth sound. When Trey gets Page to finally give it up in the jam, that's when things get on the next level. Steam. OMGGG dark and sweet like a good BA stout. No Quarter. Perfect placement for the ethereal Zepp tune. 2nd set snow/powder themed song. Zero. Trey returns to Guitar God status with some soul slicing statements. E: Powderfinger. Perfect mood for getting ready to leave the Garden. Good in the encore slot, can't thing of it doing much outside of first sets and encores, but you never know with this band. 5/5

4 out of 5 stars from me to this show. The Phish debuts were great, of course (are we getting spoiled?) The first set carries its songiness well, but Gumbo and especially Tube get some TLC. The whole second set is must-listen Phish, in my opinion. The primary difference between this show and the preceding show is that Trey sounds more inspired or confident. But when even Steam and Character Zero feature interesting jams, you know you've got a great show.

Not all phish shows are created equal. And sometimes there are predetermined factors that will drive a show to greatness (costume album, a rare set of bust outs, a 30 min Lawn Boy, etc). Simply put, tonights driving factor was the second set. From start to finish this is easily one of the most complete, well thought out, perfectly executed sets of 3.0. Not a wasted moment, not a deflating song selection, nothing but a commanding 80 minutes of expertly crafted goodness. And of course it never hurts when you have a wizard running the lighting rig. A truly amazing performance. The attention to detail is impressive, the energy is contagious and whatever this version of phish is right now, I'm just happy to be a part of it. A residency is proving to be an incredible thing.

Listen, every show that this great band has played has during the Bakers Dozen run been a gem in its own right. There is no denying that. Tonight was no exception. The highlight of Set I was, without question, the oh-my-God-they-actually-jammed-it-out Tube. Harry Wittels would have loved to have witnessed this. Listen for yourself, it's just freaking fun. Set II had plenty for everyone to love. A blissful Carini. Another strong Mr. Completely after coming alive once again on 7/19/17. But then. But then, after 557 shows, Phish showed us why tonight the fans in attendance and listening elsewhere were going to party like it was 19-friggin-99!!! A unbelievable bust out that traveled into the great beyond. An epic cover that fit perfectly in what has already been an epic run at MSG. But then. But then Trey and the boys kicks out a downright dirty, rascally, translucent, spacey, extraterrestrial Steam. Valleys and peaks and valleys and peaks. A perfect placement following Prince. But then. But then No Quarter. I remember being at Dicks when Phish jokingly played "Lushington" and closed the spelling with this Led Zeppelin classic. This time around, Page made us remember why (at this moment) he is the undisputed MVP of the Bakers Dozen run. His synth. His voice. His cold cut coolness. But then. But then the band played their always-ready Character Zero to close out the set. Well, except this was not your typical Zero. No, no, no sir, holy freaking cats they gave this Zero a whole lot of character compared to their other versions! A wonderful close to this wonderful set. But then. Powderfinger. Haha. I mean honestly. Tonight's donut was a "traditional powdered donut." I think the traditional part was that Phish played with no "theme" (see Jammed, Velvet, Strawberry), it was just you good ol fun-filled traditional show (with plenty of power hits, of course). The "powdered" portion was up in the air during thr first two sets. But Neil Young's beauty, Powder Finger, brought the powder and the power to everyone. Trey deserves tons and tons and tons of credit here; he played the song's riff perfectly. It was such a jovial end to an amazing night. It's impossible to say that any one show during this Bakers Dozen run is "so much bettet than the others." Each show is amazing in its own right. Tonight was no exception. Listen to this show, especially set II. They may have said "traditional," I say "POWdered!"

Waiting for headphones on the whole first set and a lot of the second... wtf?!?!?!?!? Sample. Great. Lawn boy? Lawn man. Myfe? Meh Stash and gin? Yeah alright I dig it. Fuego? Sure. Thread? It has potential. Cross eyed? NOICE. Policeman? Yaup. End of Sessions? Great Tuesday? My second in a week. Great. Cavern? Yass. Encore: Yes. Yes for the follow through.

First show at MSG tonight. Great seats and GLORIOUSLY GREAT tunes. White Winter Hymnal. Cool. Debut. ACapella. Powered Donut plug. Breaks the "S" streak for BD S1 Openers. Fun! CTB. Finally!!!! Where have you been??? You always sound so splendid. Locked in. More fun. My Soul. Great version! Better than S1 opener in Pittsburgh. MSG is bringing these guys to a stellar point of precision. Roses. F yeah! Jam that shite!!! Very Long Fuse. Jam even more.. grind up your jam... eat it real good... and keep eating more jam because it just tastes so good. Gumbo. Set breakthrough #1. There's not alot of versions that top this one. I mentioned precision before.. now add it the deep dark delicious funk to go w it. Must listen... Indeed. Yarmouth. We love funk and jams.. More please. Pebbles. Another unburied gem coming out at the right time for all to appreciate. Pebbles got a bit nasty too like everything else since Roses. Farmhouse. Another first ever (CTB, Pebbles). Farmhouse and Pebbles give this audience all kinds of breathing room for the masterpiece to come. TUBE. Holy wtf moley. Gumbo built a bridge and Tube just knocked it down with 2 big axes. Oh, and throw a couple drums and all kinds of keys in the mix and destroy any other jam in S1 tonight, which is not easy to say (I really love that Gumbo, but goodness gracious that Tube was fn good). A phenomenal S1 closer that is every bit as good if not better than PittCaspian last week in the same roll. S2. I think for anyone reading the setlist on paper needn't be too concerned about length of jam or song. I'll try to be brief if I can (no promises). Carini. Welcome back to MSG, Pete. We much like it when you get mean and jam a lot. And downright lumpy. Mr. Completely. I was at the Pittsburgh show last week when this monster was revived and had the dust and cobwebs removed. It emerged as the beast most of us know that it is. Not everyone yet, but most of us. I cannot truly express how surprised I am that I heard Phish play this song twice in one week (let alone 15 years!!!!!!!!). I loved the Pittsburgh version and always will. This one may have done more in less time. And there's that precision again. 1999. This set cannot get more unpredictable. Seriously. I mean I know there's the "line in my pocket reference " but did anyone remotely expect this song to (basically) last about 15 minutes? I don't think they took it for such a ride in the glory years. But why not now?!?!? WOOOO!!!!! Steam. Deep. Dark. Spooky. Funky. Darker. Darker. Jam away we go!!!! Beat Steam ever. No Quarter. More darkness. Crazy good jamming abound with this version also getting best ever nods. Boys won't quit. Zero. Some people who just read this on paper think "maybe Phish phoned it in tonight". Au contraire mon frere. Zero has always been a great damn song and this version absolutely slays. This building just exploded with sound, lights and happy phucking faces (or phaces... either way). Encore give us another fun debut/powdered donut reference and the cherry on top for a top to bottom exceptionally well played and performed evening for all involved. I loved last night. I love tonight. Why do I have to choose? Really, I don't. The Golden Age of Phish is here (and that's even before they wind up playing a 20+ minute Golden Age at some upcoming BD show). This is my favorite show I've been to and I could not have enjoyed it more. Thank you Phish team (crew included) for doing an amazing job and giving me a true MSG first memory to remember for a long time... Indeed.

By the end of Summer '17 Tour, I swear 5 of the Top 10 3.0 jams will be sandwiched between the Northerly Simple and something ridiculous on the last night of Dick's. I know that sounds insane, but at the rate we're going, it's entirely possible. The aforementioned Simple and MSG Lawn Boy are already there. Honestly, I don't even know why I have to limit myself to a finite period like "3.0" anymore. I guess it's not so much to put things into perspective (as we all know it used to be), but to avoid the absurdly overwhelming nature of trying to compile a best jams list. Narrowing the scope eases that burden. Realistically, I think we're so bombarded with all sorts of Top 10 lists that we artificially limit ourselves without even realizing it (or at least I do). It needs to be a Top 23 List or Top 35. If we could do something like the Top 48 Phish Jams of All-Time, my brain wouldn't short-circuit trying to figure out why on earth I would exclude the Tweezerpants or Randall's Chalkdust, or to justify nixing all four of the monumental Diseases that have been played between '11 - '15. Same goes for entire shows. It's just too hard to work it with just 10: Baker's Dozen #4, Magnaball #2, Dick's FYF, Halloween '14, Dick's Sunday '16, NYE '15 would all get included in my Top 31 Phish shows of all-time, whereas just the first two on that list would make my Top 10. I'm just so happy for the younger Phish generation - the kids who were turned on to the band in middle or high school late last decade or sometime earlier in this one. For the past 3-4 years, they've gotten to experience super high quality Phish. And if they were lucky enough to be in attendance at MSG last night, they were exposed to the best that this band has to offer, no caveats or qualifications necessary. This show will match up with any two-setter from the golden era. I was 1,800 miles away in Colorado, yet even through my computer screen and HE-1000s (which are obviously no substitute to being enveloped by the sound, lights, and crowd energy in MSG), it was a sight to behold. And we still have 9 left, plus 3 shows at Dick's!!! Name another band that can play as well as they did 20 years after their supposed "peak" (a.k.a. Phish Destroys America). Hell...just name a band that is still [i]playing[/i] 20 years after their supposed peak with the same lineup. There are a few that can satisfy the latter requirement, but I can't think of a single one that still performs like its members are all 32 years old and in the prime of their existence.

Phish gave an amazing performance in this show, and one that shows a dedication to satisfying their fans that some bands don't put the energy into (or so consistently pay off, in doing so.) Songs that are usually not jammed Type-II were, here, and in the first set! Five-song first sets are as rare as they come. I really appreciate that Lawn Boy, rather than tacking a jam onto its usual song structure, departed into a Stubblefield-influenced, Fishman-led, Fuego jam-sort-of rhythm to begin with. For me, the most successful jam of the first set and maybe even the whole night was Bathtub Gin, which I'll explain thusly: Gin jams tend to have an inspirational, sometimes soaring, usually victorious cast to them, which seems entirely fitting to end a five-song first set. That Phish is more than the sum of its parts depends upon all four members being locked in--listening intently, which is a lot harder to achieve even upon playback of their shows than one might think, let alone in the moment and surrounded by 20,000 discerning listeners, as well--but it also has to do with the individuals comprising the band sharing a musical adventure: one that's coherent because of a kind of serendipitous magic that also results from decades of blood, sweat, and tears invested in the project to the point that its vision comes across clearly to phans and innocent bystanders alike... There's something wholly profound happening at any given moment of Phish. I think maybe the constant push-and-pull (Loving Cup pun intended) of trying to remain wholesale true to oneself and the band is delicately balanced in this band with trying to attract, welcome, satisfy, and namely improve the experiences of an ever-regenerating, immanently oncoming barrage of perspectives about what this thing means, whether it means anything, what it [i]should[/i] mean... maybe you can see that what I'm trying to say is that there are so many variables involved in the Phish phenomenon that the willingness to offer up experimentation and vulnerability in a context as visible as this is staggering in the first place. It's the sort of thing where maybe the journey is the destination. I know that listening to this night's show and seeing the reactions to it here on .Net have caused me to adjust at least one priority in my phandom, to wit, that I promise myself to direct more energy into supporting the band the way I would a close friend or even a romantic partner, and I'll tell you why. I was born in 1983, a few months before the band was founded, and so I have a lifelong connection temporally with what's happening in this milieu, but beyond that, Phish has aligned so closely with my own personal zeitgeist or spirit of the age so many times and even over sustained phases of my life, that my relation to the band really has come to resemble a love affair. And what is the Golden Rule? Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I understand more fully now--and this is rambling reflection will soon come to a pause--that Phish represents and comprises something unique and valuable on its own merits and for its own sake, and that if we're not careful with it and respectful of it, we could lose it. Logistics require that shows be scheduled in advance, that some ideas have to take a backseat for a while or be put on hold (Page has been quoted as saying that the idea of a Baker's Dozen residency circulated before 2007), and through it all, I'm pledging myself to remain open to changes within the makeup of what makes Phish what it is and who they are, and who [i]we[/i] are, because this is something I believe has power rarely precedented and scarcely seen, and which will continue to reward good faith as long as we all shall live. Amen.

Copy-pasted from here: http://forum.phish.net/forum/show/1377439620#page=1 Whelp, I was honestly not going to write any sort of a review but after last nights show, I feel obligated. This was my 11th show. First time ever on the floor or anywhere remotely close to the band. I live in Manhattan and went solo. I got to the venue around 2:50 to cop a Millward poster, waited in line until about 4:50 to get it. I was probably about 80-90 people back. Some of the people I met in line were some serious phans and poster junkies. Ended up meeting a nice couple from Kentucky and played Mario Kart with him on his Nintendo Switch to kill the time. Didn't get to say goodbye to them as we got split in line (they were letting 10 in at a time). Hope they enjoy the rest of the run. I went to Stout NYC after that and their basement bar was completely empty when I got there. I made friends with the bartender and he let me use their outlet behind their bar to charge my phone (score!) and had some food and drinks. They were streaming Saturday's Strawberry show (which I was at) so it was an awesome post up spot. Gonna go again with friends this Saturday pre-show. Since I was GA and had no clue what the experience would be like, I got in line around 6:15. Here I met some even crazier heads, including some girl who told me she and her friends have been riding the rail all tour, and that she was hanging with Pollock at a Waterwheel party earlier this week. Having never been GA, it felt like I was special. I got the jam-filled donut and it was great, then met some more people on the floor and found a good spot Page-Side Rage-Side, about 10-12 people back. Perfect position to get the full light experience and also see the band up close. Sound was sooo much louder than any other section i've been in, my ears were actually ringing after the show. ===== As for the show... ***DISCLAIMER - I have not re-listened to the show yet*** Sample in a (jam) jar was a great opener, one of my favorites of what FZappa20 would consider "chomper" songs. But about 3 minutes into Sample, they jump right into a jam, and I knew we were in for a treat all night. Lawn Boy came and I thought nevermind ....Until Page broke out the Keytar, they played the Lawn Boy riff for a bit, but then came a Mike and Page breakdown, and the rest was history. At one point it sounded like they went into a new song because it sounded rehearsed, but I checked the setlist later and saw that it was indeed still Lawn Boy. Some random woman was trying to dance with me during it, and I tried to shoo her away / ignore her.. Phish was playing a 30 minute Lawn Boy for God's sake!! Any other night and I might have considered it.. 8D MFMF came next. And I actually thought it was Guyute for the first minute (total noob right?). After the breakdown I knew they would absolutely jam it, and from what I remember it raged pretty hard and got really dark too. Then came a standard 3.0 Stash (not saying it didn't pack a punch, just nothing crazy) and a blissful Gin to end the set. Woof. Everyone around me had shit-eating grins on their faces. SET 1: 5 songs / 5 stars (you do the math) ===== Was feeling either a Mike's or a No Men in No Man's Land to begin the second set. Got hit with a Fuego instead. Thought it was going to go deep like Lawn Boy, but they held off until Xeyed for that. Still was a pretty good spacey jam iirc. Had no clue what Thread was when I heard it, until it got to "You're ALONE!" part. And I drunkenly thought to myself "yeah I'm alone at this show but it sure doesn't feel that way." Crosseyed was so hype. Dude in front of me was absolutely loving it. There was a part at the end where they mellowed out and then got back into a new jam. The mellow part was amazing. I was not high or on acid, but I seriously was seeing some crazy shit looking up into the lights. Second hand high maybe? Trey was doing some ambient whale-ish calls, and Page was laying on heavy with the synth (?). The lights were just flawless in this moment. When they brought it back to the chorus, it felt a bit forced. Still I couldn't complain after a night like tonight. Makisupa Policeman was also awesome, and I had originally called Jammin' to open the show so it was fun to see Trey quote it. End of Session - everyone around me had no real clue what they were playing, and I only found out on the train ride home what it was. Needless to say, that's a pretty special bust-out. Just wish I would have known at the time. I was expecting them to end the set with Tuesday, but I learned yesterday to not expect anything from this band. Cavern is one song I've been chasing and had honestly forgot about it. I was so hyped up when they went into it. Crowd was loving it. Not a big Julius guy but it was a good high-energy encore song after a jam-filled show like that, and I thought the show was over, but Trey was eyeing the other band members to break out Lawn Boy for one final closeout. Set 2/encore: 4/5 (really good top to bottom but def not as good as first set - which isn't saying much!) ===== As far as GA goes - it was definitely an awesome experience. It feels really intimate when you are that close. That being said, I don't think I mind 200 level seats that much. The sound is arguably better BECAUSE you can hear the crowd cheer a lot better, which is always fun. And you can really experience the lights completely from up there. The crowd talks a bit more though, so GA is better in that regard. Also, it seemed like the GA crowd was much younger. Everytime there was a huge cheer for a bust-out or something fun, it was mostly coming from the stands. The rail-riders seem crazy tbh, I would never put myself through waiting in line from 4am on, the band doesn't even notice them.. That was probably the best show I've ever been to, of any band. Honestly can't picture them topping it the rest of the run, but seriously what can we predict with these 4 amazing guys from Vermont?? Final two shows for me - this Saturday and Sunday. Hope the donuts are scrumptious....Will be tough to top jam-filled!

[b]I don't tend to review[/b] these shows; I both don't consider myself enough of a Phish scholar to be insightful, nor do I consider myself much of a writer. But in the wake of this show I have to let out some of the pent up excitement I have over how mind blowing this performance was. [b]In my limited[/b] number of Phish shows, the first set was undoubtedly the best single set of music I've ever heard, and is probably the best set of live music I've ever heard across every artist I've ever seen. Sample started with an incredible energy, and then the jam on Lawn Boy was mind blowing. Even despite a few bumps in the first verse of My Friend, My Friend, the band still was rocking, and the jamming (in the theme of the night's donut) was outstanding. [b]But Stash had to be[/b] the highlight of the first set. The energy just kept building and the entire crowd was feeling it. They'd captured the energy of the room in a way that was impressive even for them. Ending with Bathtub Gin was inspired, and Paige nailed it on that track. [b](Side note: while all of them[/b] played out of their minds, Paige was the hero of the night. He was incredibly funky all night, and his work on Lawn Boy, Makisupa Policeman, and C&P was unparalleled). [b]The 2nd set was also phenomenal[/b], but really it boils down to C&P. I am no Phish historian, but that C&P had to be an all-time C&P. The jam would not stop, and just when they brought the energy down to potentially jump into another tune, they came back strong into the C&P groove, and Trey was lighting it up on guitar. While the first set may have been the best cumulative set of Phish I've heard, if there's one track you get from this show, it's C&P. [b]The Tuesday>Cavern set finale[/b] was incredibly high energy and high tempo, and was a great way to climax the set without trying to eclipse what was a once in a lifetime performance of C&P (although if there were ever a night where they could have pulled that off, it would've been tonight). The Julius encore was also phenomenally rocking, and the Lawn Boy reprise was both hilarious and a phenomenal way to end the night. [b]I cannot recommend this show enough.[/b] It probably was the best show I've ever seen, rivaled only by the 5/28/11 and 10/27/13 shows (right now this was clearly the best of the three, but I still think I'm riding a high from the show, so I'm trying to be unbiased). An incredible night of music in every conceivable way.

Wow. I'm really glad I went to this show haha. I was part of the horde of raised of fingers wandering around the 7th Ave entrance, and fortunately got a cheap ticket from a phriendly phan (thanks!). By the way, all the "normal" folks asking me what the fingers up meant was pretty funny. During set break, a guy next to me at the urinal asked what the opener was. When I told him "Sample in a Jar", his response was "Ok that's missable." Normally, I would agree, but Trey gave us a sign of what was to come when he extended his solo in the middle of the song, which was greeted with pleasantly surprised approval from the crowd. "Sample" rocked! "Lawn Boy" in the second slot? That is surprising. What was even more surprising was Page grabbing the keytar after Mike's bass solo. And what was even more surprising was that Page's keytar solo led into a 30-min jam! On Lawn Boy! And this was not a throwaway jam. The amount of peaks and valleys in this jam was unbelievable. I was sitting up high Page-side, and what a good night to be Page-side. I watched Page use every piece of gear he had on that stage, it was awesome. "My Friend, My Friend" is always a welcome song for me. The song composition is really cool, and the crowd gets really into it when the song breaks down after the intro. I will say I thought Trey struggled a little on the intro - I heard a lot of Page over Trey. Skip the "myfe" and head into another tasty jam. "Stash" killed it, per usual. This song was very welcome. Always a crowd pleaser, love the crowd participation in this song. "Stash" always has really cool jam potential, and on a night where jamming was the theme, we knew we were in for a good one. The boys delivered. The guys next to me were going back and forth at each other, "This is a 4-song set! We are seeing a 4-song set!" Wrong (same guy was also wrong later in the show when he called "Buffalo Bill" during the first few notes of "Makisupa" haha). I was wondering too if that would end the set, but then here comes "Bathtub Gin", another crowd favorite. Always good for a fun, dancey jam, and this was no exception. I LOVED THE FIRST SET. Blown away by set one's jam-filled donuts. What on Earth are we getting next?? The band came in with "Fuego" which can be kind of a polarizing song - some people like it, some people don't. I like it alright; it's a good jam vehicle with some cool riffs. "Fuego" jam was pretty good, lead into the song "Thread". Out of the new songs, this is one that I like more. Trey mainly stuck to the composition on this one, they didn't try to go far out. They ended "Thread" and went right into "Crosseyed". That really brought the crowd back to life! Huge applause of approval, time to dance! The back-up vocals seemed a little lost on the lyrics at times, but Fishman held it together perfectly. Fishman was hyped! I am a huge Talking Heads fan and this was my first time seeing Phish play "Crosseyed" so I was pretty stoked. "Crosseyed" jam was definitely the highlight of the second set. Another long jam with high peaks and low valleys - very enjoyable. The band gets low and we move into "Makisupa" - universal 'light up your joint' cover. Time to toke and have some fun. This was a pretty good "Makisupa" too - Trey was passing off the lead to the other guys and the song held together pretty well compared to some other versions I've heard where they don't know what to say haha. We had a little "Jammin" tease from Trey, appeasing all the folks that called it for the jam-filled donuts theme. "Makisupa" jam lead into the brief "End of Session" section, which I thought was pretty cool. It reminded me of some of the far-out, low, ambient jams you'd hear in 1.0. However, the set went way downhill from there. The low point of the show was definitely "Tuesday". I try to keep an open mind for the new stuff, but I'm sorry, this song stinks. I couldn't wait for it to end. Trey did his best to liven the crowd with some high-peaking guitar soloing, but it didn't work. At this point it was past 11pm and I was wondering, "Are they really going to close the show with this song?!" Thank God, they threw in "Cavern". I like "Cavern" a lot and I thought this one rocked well. I laugh to myself when the entire crowd is singing along with the last verse (the "Give the director..." part). It's just such a goofy verse - hearing thousands of people shout along to it is kind of funny to me, but also really cool. I think anyone seeing at their first Phish concert might be pretty confused haha. Encore we got a mediocre "Julius" which didn't blow any one away. Fine song to dance to, but doesn't really ever blow the lid off the place. Getting toward the end of the song, and what do you know, Page is out from his station and has the mic in his hand. "Lawn Boy Reprise"!!! Loved it. Definitely capped a very unique show, I think one that will go down on that all-time list of memorable shows. Again, all I can say is... I'm glad I went!

I saw my first show in 2004, so I missed the "glory days." The 30 minute jams, the experimental and deep improvisational quests they would go on nearly every night. In my 76 shows since I started seeing them there have been some truly incredible performances, but regarding watching 4 friends make music that has never been played before, all of my other shows pale in comparison to last night. If you want a note by note analysis you can read other reviews, or please do yourself a favor and listen to the audio of the entire show. They came out to a Tuesday night crowd (the die-hards, if you will) with a "jam-filled" donut theme and many speculated as to what the theme would be tonight–she don't use jelly? raspberry beret? one long jam? Instead, we were treated to one of "those" shows. A show that every fan wants to see, a show that every fan wants to hear, a show that leaves you speechless, a show that leaves you asking yourself, "What next?" Onward and upward, always.

This show will be talked about for as long as people out there talk about Phish concerts. A few things that might not get said in other reviews but are noteworthy: On top of everything, the debut of "End of Session"?!? What an unnecessary mega-bonus! Another interesting part of this show that is eclipsed by the rest of this amazing show is "Tuesday," which is one of those songs that, imo, no one exactly CRAVES to hear when they go to a Phish show, but it was SO well-placed, and it got the Garden RAGING. The second ending to Tuesday blew the roof off. It was insanity. And when "Tuesday" gave way to "Cavern," the 1-2 punch resulted in an insane explosion of crowd energy like nothing I've personally witnessed at a Phish concert. After "Lawnboy" reprise (!!!), Page gave Trey a big 'ol bear hug before leaving the stage! I cannot think of an entire 3.0 show, or even many ENTIRE 1.0/2.0 shows, that will be more re-listen-to-able than this one. Thank you Phish.

Wow best show since 2282003 and before that cypress and Sugarbush 94 a acid trip lawn boy the grass is greener on the dark side of the division bell I am in aww of this show the stash is tight the still waiting is patience bliss and mfmf and lizards are my top 2 so anytime they play it I jizz in my pants precummers of the snl world unite wow

The show started with The Moma Dance, which was funky punch in the face! And a punch that I wanted! I secretly was hopping for a Moma but I was actually hoping that the Moma would happen in the second set so the jams could be longer. And Moma jams are awesome! With that funky tone set, the boys then transitioned into AC/DC Bag, which kept the funk alive. Then there was a transition into 555. Now with this transition we had more of the groove move into a “dark/spacey” jam style, which marks of a lot the songs from the album Fuego. 555 also slowed down the pace a bit, which was nice set up for WAN (this song on my wish list before the show ☺). Heavy Things came next which brought back up the energy. A nice little happy birthday song and then a 46 Days. Now up to this point there had been no crazing jams yet but overall I particularly like all of these first songs because the boys diffidently brought the funk to this show, which I did not see in St. Paul. With the entrance of IDK, I saw the boys return back to earlier Phish years. And actually for the rest of the first set the boys were playing like they did in the 80s and early 90s. To describe early Phish would be to combine “weird/jammy/unpredictable/funny” feel into a giant ball of jamband rock that is what the rest of the songs in the set had. Also with Fishman coming out with the vacuum also told the crowd that the boys were bring us back to their younger years. Next song was a long and hearty Divided Sky and then a Cavern both songs again bringing out the old Phish sound. And then Led Zeppelin. E-P-I-C. Cavern moved in into an explosion of Good Times Bad Times. It really capped off the high energy, which was what the boys wanted to create in this show. Now I would have put this cover as the favorite song of this show because when the boys were playing this song I was getting shivers from the level of passion and intensity put into this song. Wild, rare, strong and beautiful, Good Times Bad Times was a mighty cry the boys wanted to crowd to here. They wanted to make an emphatic statement that this tour was going to be crazing, awesome with that Phishiness we all love. The hits just came coming. Carini opens the second set and it is hard, mean and slimly sick which actually had a Zeppelin like feel which was a carry off from the first set. This show was not your happy go lucky bouncy, Grateful Dead, 60 hippie feel. This was hard Rock! So lets get rocking! Carini transitioned into….the one…the only…TWEEZER. The crowd went wild, the type of wild like that would come from the Cubs winning a playoff series. My brother and I had Tweezer on the top of our wish list before the show so we were going crazy when the boys started to bust it out. And then the second song I had on my wish list was transitioned into: Fluffhead. It was beautiful because after the boys have chilled the crowd down with the Tweezer jam we then heard the signature first notes of Fluffhead rang through Wrigley and I was in utter awe and love. I would have never imaged that this combination was going to be played. It showed this beautiful combine of a “slimly/hard-rock/funky” jam with old school Phish. The two songs of Tweezer and Fluffhead and their jam combination was my favorite “song” of the night. Fluffhead slipped into to Piper which moved the set into more a spacey style jam of the show. It gave me a new respect of Piper for it really has a crazy/spacy sound. Piper actually moved into probably the best jam transition of the night, which was Steam. The energy and vibe had mellowed and chilled into nice funky groove to sooth the night at Wrigley. Steam went into WITVS, which was a nice calm touching song to end this 6 song jam session. After a small break the boys started up with Harry Hood or in our case at Wrigley “Harry Carry”. When the boys sang Harry instead of the crowd saying Hood we sang Carry. It was amazing that they played this song but it was a great gift for the Phish Phan’s at the home of the Cubbies. Harry then grooved its way into Tweezer Reprise, which was amazingly strong. Again, again, again the mighty Phish roared and again, again, again I was in awe by how powerful this show was. The second set like the first ended off with great strength and power of a hard rock jam energy. The encore was a special treat, a crazy Beatles cover. There has been a special affinity to The Beatles this tour and to cover I am The Walrus was good statement about how this show took some of that crazy style of The Fab Four. And in many ways this harder feel is somewhat impossible for Phish in 2016. The boys have been playing and giving us the groove for over 30 years and lets be honest, the boys could have given us a strong harder jammy feel in the 80’s or 90’s but now as Trey, Mike, Page and Jon have all crossed the age of 50, they do not have that same level of energy. But that is ok. The boys know how to redesign their sound that can still have the spirit of that hard jam from years past. In all, Wrigley was a powerful show and the type of power unique to our 2016 Phish.

The set started out of with a song I did not know but that’s ok because it was actually a fun song to start with. Pigtail is Trey original, and it has that hallmark Trey sound with gave the energy of “upbeat bouncing” feel for the crowd. I was particularly impressed with vocal harmony, which made it no surprise that the boys would want to play it. Wolfman’s Borther was lovely play off the energy from Pigtail and again it continue to give upbeat vide for everyone. Surprisingly, DSTS brought the crowd to a “bluegrassy/folky” mood, which was secretly what I wanted. In my heart of hearts I would have loved for a acoustic bust out from the boys but the first set brought two bluegrass songs which gave the feel that the boys wanted to great a folk/country feel for their time in St. Paul. Now when The Dogs came in, this the energy and mood entered into a more ominous, darker realm. The song is kinda scary and Lele even told me during the show that she did not like the song because of the barking. And I don’t blame her, the song definitely created a different tone from the first several songs that started the set, but it created this unique energy which I feel like the boys were trying to create in this Minnesota show. There was going to be this vibe of an “upbeat folk song mixed” with a “shadowy/spacy” sound (a type energy that came from the albums of Round Room and Undermind). Undermind kept this vibe but then came the cover of Dear Prudence which was an awesome cover. I was hoping for a unique cover for this show and I got two! Interesting Minnesota hippie fact, but Dead & Company also cover Dear Prudence when the came to the Target Center in the fall. Which band covered it the best? Well to be honest Bobby does have a better voice than Page. However, you felt a great connection between Dead and Phish through The Beatles. Stash, Round Room and Horn again all met that same vibe as before. Now there were some complaints that this show was chopping and not as fluid as other shows. Which I understand, but I would say that first of this show was the first of the tour so I think boys were playing it easy to warm up. But also feel that the lack of fluidity was done on purpose. I feel like the boys were making a statement with the stops, almost giving the show a stoic, weird orderly feel to it. But again who knows. After Horn came Uncle Pen which brought up the bluegrass energy for the crowd and who doesn’t love Mike singing! Then came HTTM was a nice call out to Minnesota since Page talks about going to Duluth in the song and the crowd gave good hearty roar when Duluth was sung about. Finally, the first set ended with WOTC, which was my favorite song of the show and I felt that the song signified the whole show to me. Again the boys for me were trying to create this “upbeat/bluegrassy/dark-spacey/jammy” feel and why there was not a lot of bluegrass in the song there was this beautiful mixture of upbeat energy mixed with the solemn spacey intensity, which I find unique to Phish. There was level of a bitter sweetness to the song as if the boys were mourning for something or someone. FYI WOTC is a tribute to those who died on 9/11. But again this unique energy was the perfect and awesome gift to Minnesota and I was really rocking when they played this song. Second Set started with a strong but rather standard Mike’s Grove. Nothing really crazy happened during it but I would have say Mike was just tearing it up on the bass! So that was treat. BATR was nice but I was not super impressed with Ghost. While it still matched the theme of the night nothing really crazy happened with that song. This could also be due to the fact that were no fluid connection between these two songs. The Line actually got me really in the mood, I think because I have really loved the Fuego Album and The Line is from there. Then came Simple ->IFAR, which I felt was the beast song/jam of the night. Again that same energy/vibe from before came out in these two songs and IFAR was an excellent Velvet Underground song to cover. Now I have never really gotten into NMINML. I first heard some shows back and it really has not catch on to me. But with this performance of the song, was when I really started to see Trey shredding. With that shredding I am starting to appreciate this song more. Then came a lovely BB with the ending of the second set with Bathtub Gin. Now here is another confession, Bathtub Gin gets old for me. It just does not tickle in the way it gets other phans. But again, there was some great Trey shredding in this song’s jam and with gave me a new appreciation for the song. It was great ending. Ok, saddest part of the show was the encore. I mean, common the boys, you couldn’t play a PRINCE SONG!?! I know that Mike said in his Star Tribune interview that covering Prince would be cliché but really? I mean Phish was really the first big summer concert for Minnesota so no other band had covered Prince yet. And the Boys have a relationship with Prince and his music. So it was a bummer, and the crowd definitely felt the same way. Trey’s speech about using one of his old guitar was nice but neither WITSK or CZ were special enough to make the encore anything really amazing.

Tonight's theme: Jam-Filled. Ooooh, sounds interesting! Set 1: Oh, hmm, Sample opener? Well, that's not really keeping with the cool opener theme they've set so far for the Baker's Dozen, but I guess I'll give it a listen... ...wait, this isn't the normal Sample jam, is it? This is more soaring and majestic? Page's piano work is ruling it? And then they rolled into a really sweet rockout before returning home? Well, shoot, that was a nice surprise to kick off the show! Hey, Lawn Boy's always a fun Set 1 song, guess I'll kick back and... ...wait, Mike's taking an elongated bass solo? Page pulled out the keytar? He doesn't do that ever, right? And now...hold up, they're kicking into a tasty funky groove? What the hell? Now Trey's turning it dark and inwards as Page goes to work on his synths? And...shit, it's picking up steam, and really growing in power on top? This is fucking amazing??? Fishman is absolutely wrecking shit? Well, wonder what song's coming next... ...oh, they're STILL going? They've gone major key now? They're touching on the fabled 9/6/15 Disease jam? Okay, that was a massive peak, guess they're gonna wind down and...oh, they're not? Trey's speeding up??? Now they're moving into brooding effects-laden spaciness? Mike's really stepping up as they're hitting a brand new gear? Jesus, ANOTHER peak? This is still Lawn Boy, right? Okay, it's collapsing into weirdness and a chilled-out groove, it's gotta be over now, right? ...Jesus, that was 30 minutes??? Holy shit, what a hell of a ride that was! Hey, love My Friend, My Friend, great call for a landing pad after that j...wait, shit, we're not going into "Myfe"? They're jamming THIS out, too? Oooh, it's heading to major key land as well? Man, that was really lovely! Three awesome jams in a Set...wait, One? It's still Set One???? How much time is left??? ...ah, just enough time for strong versions of Stash (really tense in the middle!) and Gin (really supercharged Type 1!). Well, I don't smoke cigarettes, but I'm off to buy and smoke an entire pack during setbreak. See you in "fifteen minutes"! Set 2: Set-opening Fuegos tend to either be a way for the band to get warmed up for the rest of the set or a statement of intent, and this bad boy is somewhere in the middle - not quite on the 7/30/14 tier, but certainly a cut above the typical Fuegos of the world, as after the typical gnarled late-night Fuego jam Mike whips out the drill and the band use that as an entryway to a quicksilver groove that Fish pushes while Trey makes motor-riffing noises and then pushes the band to a nice little peak. You can hear the willingness to continue with improvising (honestly, something we've heard a lot of the last three shows), and that pays off in exactly two songs. So, this Crosseyed and Painless. The second longest jam of the modern era, it's one of those jams that feels borne just as much out of sheer bloody-minded perseverance as God-given inspiration, and is all the better for it. The band drops into a lower-key groove out of C&P proper, Page on electric piano and Mike leading the charge. Trey and Page then slide into sweet blissfulness, the same warmth that they've delivered in spades this tour, and they head into Allmans-land with a brilliant patience before absolutely crushing the peak. But just when you think the jam's over, Fish decides to push the band along, a creepy fog floats over the proceedings (much like Sunday night's Waves), and the band floats off into space as the drill reenters our lives and a bevy of effects get fired off like we're back at IT or something, a perfect way to end the jam. Well, until Trey kicks into a lovely chord pattern, the band rebuilds itself like a friendlier version of the T-1000 reassembling itself in the factory at the end of T2, and the band rebuilds to yet another monstrous peak. The rest of the jam is a weird stramash, maybe not the most successful jamming moment (Mike first decides he wants to head back to C&P, then Trey decides HE does after Mike returns to improv mode, and we all know Trey's gonna win that battle), but that's hardly the worst thing after roughly a half hour of high-class hose jamming connected by scary 2.0-style weirdness. The beautiful Makisupa -> End of Session sequence is a wonderful way to close out the meat of the set, Tuesday/Cavern make for a head-banging end to Set 2, and Julius is always a fun encore, *especially* when Trey yanks the Lawn Boy riff out of nowhere and we get a reprise to end the whole dang show. I'm not sure Set 2 outdoes the first set (and how often can you say that about a show in ANY era???), but when both sets are this good, that's really just picking nits. Final thoughts: An absolute no-doubter all-time classic show. Wonder if the next couple billion years ahead of us will prove me wrong on that count. Kinda doubt it!

I've been to roughly 20 phish shows since 1/1/16, but nothing can really compare to this one. It was quite the special show. I always knew that this band played absolutely rippin shows on Tuesdays and this Tuesday in Particular proved that statement even further. I was kind of scrambling outside of the garden trying to buy a ticket but eventually got into the venue about 4 minutes into sample in a jar. Ever hear of the man who stepped into yesterday? Well on July 25th, 2017, 4 men stepped way back in time where jamming out songs for 30 minutes was quite common. Sample in a jar went places I didn't think it ever would and boy was it awesome. And it seems our little Lawn boy has grown up into a Lawn Man who can support the weight of tens of thousands of people dancing their ass off in Madison Square Garden. This Jam went deep into a spacey realm and turned into an amazing blissful peak and transitioned beautifully into My Friend, My Friend. Stash was awesome, but that lawn boy was an extremely tough act to follow. Gin was an awesome way to close a [b]5 SONG[/b] first set, I love the crowd energy when the song drops into "And We Love To Take a Bath!!!" Set 2... Fuego got the place jumpin, and thread kept it going. But the Crosseyed and Painless went into such a spacey jam that I think I saw a few peoples spirits leave their bodies, fly around the garden a few times and re enter their body [b]33 minutes later.[/b] When the jam dropped into Makisupa Policeman, every one lit up with happiness. I mean, how could you not like makisupa and the little reggae funk that it brings. End Of Session caught me WAY off guard, I didn't even know what it was at first. With all these new debut songs being played, I don't think anyone expected a song that was released almost 20 years ago to be debuted. Tuesday and Cavern was just the icing on the cake at that point, that second set was one for the ages in my opinion. And in the encore, when Julius ended and lawn boy restarted, the place went wild. What an amazing show, I hope Phish does a few more jam filled donuts before its all over! What an absolutely amazing jam filled show!!!

You know that feeling when you're either a new fan or an old fan who's just getting back into Phish? You go through the top rated shows on .net maybe to see what all you missed out on and need to catch up on, or where you might need to go to get started... I'm laughing right now just imagining someone's face when they look at this setlist. Phish has done it again.

Thousands of phans fantasies were satisfied in a single show. The highlights are the lead up to the show, the entire show, the excitement, the reviews. This is not the best show for some but will go down as one of *those* shows forever - Jim Symphony, NYE 95, Cypress, IT, FYF, Magnaball.... ...Jam-Filled

On the sacred Mayan "Day out of Time" (their equivalent to leap day), Phish played a show out of time. A show for the ages, but, with a 30 minute jam in each set, a show outside of any age. If there were any doubt creeping in as to who's currently the greatest improvisational group within the rock idiom, this show should dispel it. The band is at ease and locked in like no one else on the planet.

Attended these first 3 shows and couldn't be happier. If you are reading this and live within striking distance of NYC, get yourself a ticket ASAP! You won't regret it. Saturday night was the best show of the weekend. All of them were tremendously enjoyable with the bust outs, doughnut references and solo tunes, but this one had me reeling from start to finish. I love a first set jam, which we got with Moma, but it seemed like every song before halftime was stretched out and played brilliantly. Second set tore the roof of the mutha. The dark and dirty melt took me to the brink of madness and the disease reprise made me jump for joy. Shine a light to keep the euphoria rolling and then a 3 song encore. Peaches was flubtastic, haters! I don't see how you could give this bad boy anything less than 4 stars. I'd give it 4.5 stars if I could. When you think about what these guys are doing, playing 13 semi-themed shows with no repeats (it is obvious at this point given the song selection), it is fucking incredible. I also love the fact that every bar and restaurant within a 3 block radius of the Garden is catering to phans with specials and phish heavy playlists. It's not just the band who is in residence for 2 plus weeks. Had a great experience and it really sucks to be back at work today. : (

I was at this show and think that it is criminally underrated. On one hand, the shows before and after this (Mann 2 and MPP 1) are top tier shows in a top tier tour. With the Mann, you have arguably the best jam of the year and with MPP, you have an incredibly *fun* and energetic show top to bottom. On another hand, Walnut Creek was a bit out of the way in the context of where the tour was taking the band. I think that this definitely had an impact on attendance and in combination with no webcast of this show being available, it is definitely not getting the love it deserves. Anyways, onto the show itself. SET ONE: The first slow Llama ever!! And boy did it get the crowd going. My buddies and I danced our way down the lawn to our pav seats during the jam and knew that the party was on. Chalk Dust was short but sweet. Next we have an unusual Moma Dance, but unusual in a great way. Lovely little jam in it that stays in major mode and finds itself in a lovely place. Trey's playing in this reminded me (a lucky attender of 7/3 Fare Thee Well) of how dialed in that whole experience made him and how it was paying off in dividends this summer tour! Next up was Yarmouth Road. Very well played, I love this song and welcome it anytime. Tube into to Bouncin was very nice and well received. Next up was Maze, which I would refer to as an above average version for sure. Very on point playing by all band members and definitely reminded the crowd that the boys weren't there to fuck around this tour. Waiting All Night was what it was (not a huge fan of this song). Lawn Boy was great, Page addressing the crowd and Mike ripping a lil' bass solo is always a treat. Devotion to a Dream was fine (like WAN, not one of my favs off of Fuego) and hey, two Fuego songs in this show and both were placed very well in Set 1! Next up was Wolfmans which was my favorite jam in Set 1. Instead of the normal funk, it opted for a straightforward, type I fierce energy-building jam that peaked nicely. Suzy was fun as always (love when Fish screams) and closed out a set that was pretty par for the course (the course being held to an extremely high standard - Summer 2015). SET TWO: Opened with the Wedge...have always loved this song and every time I get one, I immediately hope it will get jammed out similar to the one at Northerly Island in 2014. Unfortunately for me, it got pretty standard treatment but was nonetheless a superb way to start off a great set. Next out of the gates was Golden Age. It ended up being probably my favorite jam of the night. Starts off in typical major key jamming and then finds itself in some awesome funky flowing territory. Upon re-listening, there are definitely some themes that now remind me of 10/28/16's monster version. Anyways, from the funky section, Trey starts to lead us up the mountain in a real nasty and well played manner. Someone reffered to this as a "dirty peak" and I could not agree with that description more. The jam then fizzled out into some reflective quiet space and while I was praying that they would keep the jam going in another direction, the next best thing happened and Trey went into Reba! As far as I remember, there were little to no flubs in the composed section and the jam was rather decent for 3.0. (Side note: boy do I wish Phish could still jam Reba like they could in 1.0 and 2.0 - I hope to someday eat my words about a comment like this) Either way, a second set Reba is always welcome and ended up crashing into an absolutely excellent Mike's Groove. Would have loved a second Mike's jam like those lucky bastards did in Nashville but I was still very satisfied by clean and energized playing by our phour phavorite nerds. Ghost was song one of two that served as the sandwich in this edition of MG and it was a mean rendition that meant business. Trey put to work his echoplex and after ten minutes or so of multi-layered jamming, No Quarter emerged. God damn Page loves playing this song and I am so glad the boys let him. It was a great version and I was really happy to check it off my list. Out of No Quarter, the beloved rhythm dept brought us in Weekapaug and it was an impeccably played version. It somewhat reminded me of the Clifford Ball version and to me at least, was yet another reminder of what wondrous things Fare Thee Well had done for the Bad Lieutenant's playing. He and the boys brought it to a ripping peak and after some fun No Quarter Teases, it was time for First Tube. I often refer to FT as the song whose jam "can do no wrong." It always brings the energy and served as a a perfect closer to an incredible set. ENCORE: I am totally fine with Farmhouse being played as the first song in a two-song encore (It worked pretty well a week later at Watkins Glen). I always loved that song before I really *got* Phish so I'm never unhappy to hear it. Fire was a great way to close out the show. I had been hoping to catch one someday and while it lacks the energy that the RHCP brought to it during their performance at Woodstock 1999, I still really enjoy what the p-fish do with it. OK! I know that this show didn't have the bust-out *special* moments of Alpine, nor the *big jam* of the Mann, and obviously didn't have a set to rival either of the two at MPP1. However, it is an incredibly well-played show with an above average second set during (maybe) the best tour since Summer 03. Excellent song-placement, plenty of fun covers and well worth-it risk taking (slow Llama). Again, I understand why this show gets overlooked based on where it was on the East Coast, and its lack of a webcast. But I do challenge some of you to give it a re-listen and tell me I am not crazy for thinking that it is very, very underrated. Side Note about the Lot: There was a sting by the North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement and they ended up apparently arresting 65 people on lot...I remember seeing some very harmless folks getting cuffed and it really was sad to see. I am, for the most part, very happy with the work that law enforcement do for us citizens, but I thought this was complete bullshit and it was very obvious that they were targeting us phans. Anyways, as far as the venue, I loved every aspect of it aside from that. Looking back I really miss this tour! Had a great time driving down from northern VA for this show and then making my way back north for MPP and the Ball. So glad I made it to this show and hope to see them again someday and Walnut Creek1

I was at this show and think that it is criminally underrated. On one hand, the shows before and after this (Mann 2 and MPP 1) are top tier shows in a top tier tour. With the Mann, you have arguably the best jam of the year and with MPP, you have an incredibly *fun* and energetic show top to bottom. On another hand, Walnut Creek was a bit out of the way in the context of where the tour was taking the band. I think that this definitely had an impact on attendance and in combination with no webcast of this show being available, it is definitely not getting the love it deserves. Anyways, onto the show itself. SET ONE: The first slow Llama ever!! And boy did it get the crowd going. My buddies and I danced our way down the lawn to our pav seats during the jam and knew that the party was on. Chalk Dust was short but sweet. Next we have an unusual Moma Dance, but unusual in a great way. Lovely little jam in it that stays in major mode and finds itself in a lovely place. Trey's playing in this reminded me (a lucky attender of 7/3 Fare Thee Well) of how dialed in that whole experience made him and how it was paying off in dividends this summer tour! Next up was Yarmouth Road. Very well played, I love this song and welcome it anytime. Tube into to Bouncin was very nice and well received. Next up was Maze, which I would refer to as an above average version for sure. Very on point playing by all band members and definitely reminded the crowd that the boys weren't there to fuck around this tour. Waiting All Night was what it was (not a huge fan of this song). Lawn Boy was great, Page addressing the crowd and Mike ripping a lil' bass solo is always a treat. Devotion to a Dream was fine (like WAN, not one of my favs off of Fuego) and hey, two Fuego songs in this show and both were placed very well in Set 1! Next up was Wolfmans which was my favorite jam in Set 1. Instead of the normal funk, it opted for a straightforward, type I fierce energy-building jam that peaked nicely. Suzy was fun as always (love when Fish screams) and closed out a set that was pretty par for the course (the course being held to an extremely high standard - Summer 2015). SET TWO: Opened with the Wedge...have always loved this song and every time I get one, I immediately hope it will get jammed out similar to the one at Northerly Island in 2014. Unfortunately for me, it got pretty standard treatment but was nonetheless a superb way to start off a great set. Next out of the gates was Golden Age. It ended up being probably my favorite jam of the night. Starts off in typical major key jamming and then finds itself in some awesome funky flowing territory. Upon re-listening, there are definitely some themes that now remind me of 10/28/16's monster version. Anyways, from the funky section, Trey starts to lead us up the mountain in a real nasty and well played manner. Someone reffered to this as a "dirty peak" and I could not agree with that description more. The jam then fizzled out into some reflective quiet space and while I was praying that they would keep the jam going in another direction, the next best thing happened and Trey went into Reba! As far as I remember, there were little to no flubs in the composed section and the jam was rather decent for 3.0. (Side note: boy do I wish Phish could still jam Reba like they could in 1.0 and 2.0 - I hope to someday eat my words about a comment like this) Either way, a second set Reba is always welcome and ended up crashing into an absolutely excellent Mike's Groove. Would have loved a second Mike's jam like those lucky bastards did in Nashville but I was still very satisfied by clean and energized playing by our phour phavorite nerds. Ghost was song one of two that served as the sandwich in this edition of MG and it was a mean rendition that meant business. Trey put to work his echoplex and after ten minutes or so of multi-layered jamming, No Quarter emerged. God damn Page loves playing this song and I am so glad the boys let him. It was a great version and I was really happy to check it off my list. Out of No Quarter, the beloved rhythm dept brought us in Weekapaug and it was an impeccably played version. It somewhat reminded me of the Clifford Ball version and to me at least, was yet another reminder of what wondrous things Fare Thee Well had done for the Bad Lieutenant's playing. He and the boys brought it to a ripping peak and after some fun No Quarter Teases, it was time for First Tube. I often refer to FT as the song whose jam "can do no wrong." It always brings the energy and served as a a perfect closer to an incredible set. ENCORE: I am totally fine with Farmhouse being played as the first song in a two-song encore (It worked pretty well a week later at Watkins Glen). I always loved that song before I really *got* Phish so I'm never unhappy to hear it. Fire was a great way to close out the show. I had been hoping to catch one someday and while it lacks the energy that the RHCP brought to it during their performance at Woodstock 1999, I still really enjoy what the p-fish do with it. OK! I know that this show didn't have the bust-out *special* moments of Alpine, nor the *big jam* of the Mann, and obviously didn't have a set to rival either of the two at MPP1. However, it is an incredibly well-played show with an above average second set during (maybe) the best tour since Summer 03. Excellent song-placement, plenty of fun covers and well worth-it risk taking (slow Llama). Again, I understand why this show gets overlooked based on where it was on the East Coast, and its lack of a webcast. But I do challenge some of you to give it a re-listen and tell me I am not crazy for thinking that it is very, very underrated. Side Note about the Lot: There was a sting by the North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement and they ended up apparently arresting 65 people on lot...I remember seeing some very harmless folks getting cuffed and it really was sad to see. I am, for the most part, very happy with the work that law enforcement do for us citizens, but I thought this was complete bullshit and it was very obvious that they were targeting us phans. Anyways, as far as the venue, I loved every aspect of it aside from that. Looking back I really miss this tour! Had a great time driving down from northern VA for this show and then making my way back north for MPP and the Ball. So glad I made it to this show and hope to see them again someday and Walnut Creek1

With one day of rest between me and the opening weekend of the Dozen the first show stands out as both a fine run opener and a clear indicator of how the band seems to be approaching the run. All that to say, set I jamming, anything goes song selection, set II jamming, donut theme, and great encores! (basically awesome top tier Phish) Set I opened with Shake Your Coconuts. I didn't know the tune, but it was a fun and energetic start and set the tone with regards to the theme. Martian Monster works almost anywhere and it did so in the second spot. Good version with plenty of fun. Timber Ho! is similarly always welcome and this version is sublime. It's not too long but makes and immediate detour to the upbeat major direction and is really quite stunning. Fantastic first jam of the run. 555 was ordinary. Pigtail was afterward and similarly pretty normal. I did think it had a better than usual solo from Trey, but I can't say that definitively. Halfway to the Moon completed a bit of an odd run of songs, but this version also had a better than usual solo from Trey in my opinion. Surprisingly strong. Reba was very welcome with it's coconut reference. The composed section was not perfect but also not terrible. The jam was great and the finale peaked several times. Very strong and emotional playing. One of the best I've heard. Moonage Daydream carried my favorite guitar solo of the night. Boy did this thing slay. Trey was an absolute monster. Unbelievable. Almost wish he played with that ferociousness more ;) WOTC was a great choice and closed a very strong opening frame out in style. Fits this spot like a glove. Set II opened with a Tweezer that took a nice long road to a blissful peak. a very Groovy bliss jam basically carries this 16 minute version all the way home, with a sublime full band peak accompanied by some glorious Trey trilling. Seven Below emerged and was another fine jam and probably my favorite of the night. Definitely grab that opening 30 minutes!! Billy breathes and Sparkle was an odd but fun pairing. Everything's Right was new to me. Bad song. GREAT jam. This one was awesome (after the song part). Probably the second best jam of the night! Slave emerged from the jam nicely and was very sweet, albeit a bit short to me. Still beautiful and a nice conclusion. Suzy was a really energetic choice and worked very well. Page was absolutely on fire! Coconut was a riot. Great job. Encore of Mango to GTBT was pure inspiration. Both were excellent and GTBT was a clinic from Trey. Overall an amazing opening show. Great jamming all around in Timber, Reba, Moonage and WOTC; Tweezer -7 Below and Everything's right were all very choice. Great show top to bottom.

This show is the highest rated of the first three, but is perhaps my least favorite! (testament to the quality of these shows) Set I opens with an a cappella Strawberry fields Forever. Nice. Predictable, but awesome. A short and sweet Halley's doubled down on the thick strawberry goo theme. They dropped into Moma, which didn't waste any time in asserting itself as an atypical take. This one was long and moved around quite a bit. Really good jamming, without perhaps a signature moment, made this 17 minute monster a clear winner in the set. I thought it hit on a bunch of cool segments and was an amazing statement of intent, much like the previous night's Timber. Without finishing the song, they dropped into Breath and Burning. I've caught it before and expected a predictable romp after the deep Moma. Well I was happily wrong as this jam immediately moved outside the box and gave yet another fine experimental jam within the first 4 songs! Funky Bitch was a great call and the energy in the room just ratcheted up. Saturday night party time. Mound followed and was a pretty solid version. The opening notes of Foam were a joy to hear, alas, much of the song was not well played. That said, it was awesome to hear this tune, which seldom pops up these days. Roggae was the best peak of the set (and I've seen some great versions at Hampton 13, MPP, and Magnaball). This was one of the cleanest and finest peaks I've seen Trey hit in a while. Tremendous trills! Wowzer. Squirming Coil was a great closer and I thought was well played and had a very nice Page outro solo. Overall, another fantastic set I, Moma>B&B and Roggae were all very noteworthy takes. Jamming in set I continues! Set II opened with DWD, which was a nice albeit common opener. This version had a good long jam and lasted nearly 20 minutes and sure was fun! Definitely a great version and not to be overlooked. This version was a sublime showcase for the CK5 tapestry. Strawberry Letter 23 returned us to the theme, and was a pretty fun little choice. I thought it had a nice noise jam, much like A Day in the Life carries. BOAF was up next and I was hoping for a good long version. This one was short though. Certainly fine and fun with some more crisp soloing, but nothing to notable. I Always Wanted it This Way is not really my cup of tea as it's a bit electronic/EDM for me. If you like this tune and those types of jams though, this version will please you. It had a Marimba Lumina jam and was certainly a danceable time. All of These Dreams was a real treat (probably had some grumbling for a slowdown). I loved it. Melt was my favorite moment of the night. This one was crazy! Dark and dissonant. I thought it was fantastic (and really brought the edge back to the set). Great lighting and generally just awesome playing. I thought they hit the drop back into Melt proper at the end pretty nicely too! Well Trey got an idea to simply dive full speed into the DWD riff out of nowhere. At the time I sort of though it was a lazy move, but within seconds I let that thought go and just enjoyed that they could turn on a dime like that. They played a decent little jam too, without simply driving back into the chorus and everyone was feeling fine. Awesome. Shine a Light was nice and I love exile. It was a good conclusion. The encore was pretty special. Peaches (poorly played) was a nice treat, Cities was excellent and My Sweet One was just a bonus. Overall, it was another great show with plenty of highlights throughout. These shows are all easily top draw stuff for the era. Set I jamming is real and it's back!! Grab the MOMA, B&B & Roggae; DWD, I Always Wanted (if you like it) & Melt>DWD