I brought a guest to the show. She was brand new to Phish; a great soul who doesn't always seem to see how beautiful a person she is; a 20 year old who had commented on her Twitter that she didn't feel connected to the music she had always thought she had loved. She came with an open mind....and she appeared to be blown away.

In fact, she was blown away from the very opening cords - as the room went dark, as CK5 went to immediate work - and as Trey lit the run off with an electrifying wailing opening riff of Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan. Her hands came together as if she - in just that one moment - that one split second - her self doubts were a distant memory and she had achieved total bliss - like it was the fulfillment of all she felt it was missing. She didn't say it, I saw it in her eyes. You could see love. Absolute adoration. It was less than a minute into the show. I watched her start dancing hard for Moma Dance and Funky Bitch...and then I watched her let go of herself - give in to her natural instinct to dance, give in to the jamming, loosing her limbs and let the music take them where they would...all with a puppy dog look as if she found a missing piece of her life. I watched her nearly crumble for the poignancy and power of Free and I watched her became teary eyed in Wolfmans...as they reached Little Drummer Boy...and then I watched her ready and waiting to dance as the band triumphantly returned to Wolfmans. She didn't stop dancing once...except to pause with a look of bewilderment on her face as if to say "I'm blown away."

And after set I came to a close, and we cooled off...sat down...rested our feet...I turned to her and explained... that the first set....was nothing. No real flow...lots of band discussion...seemingly between every song...except that Wolfman's - which was an INSTANT masterpiece. We marveled together about the deep funk and heavy Mike/Fishman in the jam just before and after the Little Drummer Boy...and how Mike and Fish never really seemed to stop playing Wolfmans while playing Little Drummer Boy.... But as to me referring to the set as "nothing" ....she didn't get it. She didn't understand how that amazing set was nothing.

But then she did. The second set, we both let go. The Wolfman's had left a smile on my face too wide to ignore...and had an affect on band to profound for them to ignore and the energy in the room was unlike anything I've felt in a long while during a set break. There was a lightness in my feet that compelled me to dance. The Tweezer was magnificent...20 minutes....I had no idea...felt like 8. It was 20 easy minutes - easy on the mind, soul and spirit... I felt free entirely. Breezy. I genuinely felt like I could've been sitting on a couch in the band's garage somewhere just listening to them play. But that Tweezer was not my highlight - that distinction went to the outstanding Maze. I loved the ominous peaks...and maybe it was just me in the moment...but those peaks seemed higher. They seemed stronger...darker...vicious...rabid almost...more powerful...as the sound ricocheted off the ceiling down on me, my mind melted and I had literally --- for the first time that I can remember in 3.0 --- completely surrendered every muscle of my body to the music...even my brain - not one thought to be had other than a subtle screaming in my mind of yes, yes, yes. Yes, it carried through Twist and Theme and it carried through Fluffhead and Bowie...both of which just seemed to have something extra that night...an extra energy...an extra force....it was driving band...it was driving me....it was driving my friend and everyone around me and for that first night the Garden had collectively released a wow.

...and my friend felt it too...and I couldn't be more excited about it...for what 2013 will bring...me...you...the band...my friend...

Loved the Wolfman's
Loved the second set.
Loved the show.

Love to you all and Happy New Year!