I've been bored at home lately, so I have decided to review all of the shows in my collection. I've only been to this show but, I plan to go to more. But, I have a collection of over 150 shows. And I'm going song by song. This could take awhile. But, onto my first review of my first show.

Set I

Chalk Dust Torture (7:38): Can't say I was expecting this one. I had told my friend and a couple people that were next to me that Tube was going to open for sure. I'm glad I got to see this one though, despite the fact that it's pretty typical.

Moma Dance (7:26): I absolutely LOVE this one. I was glad that it got such an early placement too (easier to convince my mom that Phish are actually good). They didn't really jam on it that much though. Despite that, it was still a fun song to hear.

Divided Sky (16:35): Good god. I can't say enough about this song. This is what first got me into Phish. Excellently executed.

Alaska (10:04): I hadn't heard this one prior to this show. I can't say I really dug it. It just sounds too much like Tennessee Jed to me. Sorry.

Water in the Sky (3:07): Typical song. Good, but nothing that I NEED to hear again in any future shows.

Fast Enough For You (7:37): It's a pretty song but, it's just too slow for me.

Time Turns Elastic (17:26 freakin' minutes): I'm sorry but this is a set killer. Maybe if it was half of it's length. It just drags on for way too long. It's one saving grace is it's ending section. I'd be happy if I never heard this song again.

Gotta Jibboo (10:59): YES. Gotta Jibboo could save and revive a whole set of TTE's. I'm really impressed with Trey's solo and how no matter what- Mike kept the bass going.

Fluffhead (15:25): Now we're getting somewhere. Fluffhead is the "epic" song. Pay attention TTE. Unfortunately after Fluffhead, Phish took their break. Saving their energy perhaps?

Set as a whole: I'd say this set was about a B-. Fluff, Divided and Gotta Jibboo were the reasons for such a high grade. Without them it'd be a C at best.

Set II

Punch You In The Eye (8:36): A friend of mine absolutely loves this song. I never saw why until I heard it live. It just breathes energy. It's one of the few Phish songs that is completely unrelenting.
Tweezer (15:07): Once this dropped, I knew we were in for some crazy jamming. I never stopped dancing to this one, and I never dance. At around 5:30 (after the composed section), Page and Mike interplayed a dark, dank atmosphere which didn't let up till about 10 minutes in. After a short Page solo, the darkness returned with a vengeance. Trey had a killer solo, but my eyes were affixed on Pages wonderful rhythmic chord playing. At about 13:35, the wookie next to me leaned over and said: "This is when things get strange.". He was right. Phish took us on a short ambient jam, which I loved. Before dipping right into.......

Light (7:41): I thought this was one of the best segues of 09. I didn't expect Light to emerge from Tweezer, although it made sense thematically. This Light was anthemic and featured some odd sounds coming from Page. Trey took a little extended solo before he and the rest of the band got funky. Then, it was time for Mike and Fishman to lead us right to Back on the Train.

Back on the Train (5:45): A wonderful little shuffle song that I'd never have expected coming from Light. Fishman was in peak form this entire song. This song is always groovy and is possibly one of my favorites to dance too. After a really short (a minute at most) jam, the boys lead us right into Possum.

Possum (9:36): WOW. I can't believe that Phish don't do this more often. A BOTT>Possum makes perfect sense. I'm pretty sure Fishman just kept the same beat from BOTT going most of the time. I love it when Mike sings, so I love this song. This was the ending song in a wonderful little suite.

Slave To The Traffic Light (9:35): This is the song I always play newbies. It's a mind-blowing song that isn't too long, but not too short either. The band hits one of those moments where you realize that they are the best thing you could possibly hear at about 7 minutes in. The big surprise (and personal highlight) of the set came next though.

YEM (21:20): I thought I was the luckiest person alive. I got to hear YEM at my first show. And not, just YEM- but possibly one of the best YEM's I've ever heard. After a wonderfully played composed section, me and my new wookie friend turned to each other and yelled the BMGS section. I then spent most of my time dancing to some of the funkiest Phish I've ever heard. Page has a wonderful solo that comes up before the rest of the bands. Then it's on to a little rhythm section jam with Page leading the fray. Then, it's time for Trey to join in on the fun. Trey first starts just as backup, as Fishman starts banging out what would become a theme for the rest of the song. Right after that, it's Mike's time to shine. Mike lets out a wonderfully funky solo. Then Trey repeats the rhythm that Fishman started. It takes a little while for the rest of the band to catch on (check out the interplay between Mike and Page though) but once they do, Trey takes a little detour. Trey plays a hispanic, jazz solo that lasts about 2 minutes before returning to Fishmans theme. Mike then takes the lead on a solo that had some wonderfully low Mike Bombs. Then Trey takes control of the wheel again and starts playing the theme again. This lasts a good 2 minutes before it sounds like they're about ready to stop. But, wait! More Mike Bombs follow before a wonderful little section with the rest of the band playing the theme. Then it's buildup time again before the vocal jam. This vocal jam echoes the theme from the jam perfectly before building up to some craziness and screaming. The jam ends with someone (Fishman, maybe?) kissing the microphone. A minute later, and the best 20 minutes of Phish I would ever hear is over.

Encore:

Joy (5:20): Sorry mom. I know this is your favorite song that they did, but it doesn't do it for me. I took a break and recouped after the killer YEM during this one.

Golgi (4:34): A fun song. This always vaguely reminds me of Frank Zappa. It's a great sing-a-long, even though it doesn't really do that much.

Tweezereprise (4:03): You'd be a fool if you couldn't see this one coming. Some nice Page action before the whole band joins in. They do their thing and then it's done.

Set as a whole: I'd say this set was an A. The YEM deserves an A+ though.

Show as a whole: The two sets combined even out and give this show an A-. Highlights: Tweezer, Possum, YEM. Lowlights: Alaska, TTE.