I have been Phishin since the early 90's, and have seen a lot of shows..a lot...Alpine Valley, WI ...night one..was maybe the best show I have ever been to. Phish wanted to jam..some of the songs were on the shorter side but their energy was to flat out play..I think the night belonged to a good atmosphere, and a band that after almost 30 years is..well, phuckin' starting to peak..again..they were so crisp and sharp on this night..I agree with one of the reviews that some folks there may not quite know the magnitude of what they just saw..I had so much phun I had tears twice and Trey's smile plastered on my face the rest of the nite. The Tube>Ceremony>Suzy was a really phun start..Funky was good..and the Reba had a melodic jam in the middle that I have never heard them play before..it really funked out(was hoping they'd end it before the end of show) FUCK YOUR FACE?! That's all i can say about that treat..Alaska turned into a nice little groove and Back on the Train was the phreakin best I have heard, maybe the highlight of the show..maybe...Taste was fairly norml..but Tasty..huh..go figure. and Circus was a surprise and treat..Lawn Boy(sinatra style) was so fun with a hearty Sparkle... good Gumbo..and whew!! Antelope?! Phreakin awesome jam..maybe this was the highlight...oh, that's the first set, are you kidding me??

Second with a pleasent but short Sloth with a rocked out, jammed out DWD...great rythym that had me really goin now.Whats the Use was a great segue i think to Scent of a Mule, and I don't care what anyone says, Mule is a killer tune!! and rare and they played it very nicely..it was super fun to hear..the band was really on fire..and kept it goin for Mikes Song..Dirt was place a smidge in a slow spot right after Mikes but still really crisp...Sneaking Sally was a total treat..anyone remember when that was played last??!!...Weekapaug and Bug were just icing on the cake..for me, Quinn was song in a way that was a total tribute to Jerry..it is August and the Dead played some great shows at Alpine..what a way to end the show..I was thinking ..maybe...just maybe one more due to the shear force the show was played with..then I remembered there was another night to go!! no worries folks, Phish are really hitting stride..I was blown away..my friend and I could hardly talk after the show..we didn't listen to the radio..we just sat there and reveled in what just happened..if you were there and missed it, that sucks ..i did hear some folks really hoping for tunes and we all do..i'm a Halley's Comet kinda guy, but ironically the show itself was so fitting because it was a rare, special event that only happens every now and then..so in essence I got my Phish....I felt some emotions that struck pretty deep, stuff I haven't felt at a Phish show since..I dunno, maybe the Clifford Ball..what 95 or so? I encourage everyone who is a true phan to really listen to depth at which these boys are playing with..transitions, grooves,jams...on cue and just ...I just couldn't believe it..thanks gentlemen!