My first time at Blossom, a venue that's become one my favorites for seeing Phish. It's just a beautiful place that offers an all-around excellent concert experience.
As the excellent Phish Companion review correctly points out, the lawn was indeed half empty. Plenty of room to groove, and from the very first chords of Carini, it was a no-holds-barred dance fest. I thought it was nice to hear Sleep. Caspian was long and jammed-out, as was typical for 2000.
I led an impromptu drum circle of sorts during the set break – a handful of people were banging on the lid of a large plastic trash bin! I was actually giving instructions to everyone (“Stop! If you all bang on this thing at random, it will collectively sound like ass. I'll start with a simple beat, and everyone slowly add something complimentary and equally simple...”)
The magic really started to unfold during set 2. The extended Boogie On > Twist segment was quite nice, and Fishman's excellent fills really made the jams. I have fond memories of brazenly cutting a rug with a group of equally ecstatic strangers on the wide thoroughfare between the lawn and the pavilion. McGrupp was spot-on. I've sometimes wondered why Halley's tends to make fans so excited... upon giving this show a careful second listen, this Halley's justifies its status as a fan-favorite: it rocks and rips hard! It will likely remain a mystery why Trey abruptly walked off stage as the song wound down (at the time, I was too busy dancing to even notice).
Taste worked really well in the encore slot; it's one of my all-time favorite Phish tunes. The unusual chord progression gives the illusion of an ever-ascending crescendo, and Trey's brilliant licks pack an emotional punch.
Overall, this was a pretty damn good show! If you like the 2000 vibe, give it a listen. The aud I have ain't too shabby, either.