Show #17 for me and my second time seeing Phish up in Maine. This 2013 summer tour opener was nowhere near as epic as seeing the band at IT in 2003, but I don't think anyone was expecting that. It sure was a breeze getting into town and into the venue. Found a free spot for the van on the street right by the waterfront park at about 5:30. I can't speak to the scene on Main St. or any of the various parking lots in town, but I can attest to the fact the area down by the river was one of the chillest and most positive pre-show hangs I've ever witnessed. So many older folks in worn Dead shirts, so many families, so little sketchiness, and a laid back security/police presence. It was so cool being able to see the stage from the park and know that many ticketless fan's would still be able to see and hear the show very well. Little did I know that a few hours earlier, some lucky fans had been treated to a soundcheck, portions of which have already appeared on youtube as of this writing.

As for the show, it was a high energy, if somewhat standard tour opener. This show was actually a slight game-changer for me, as it was the first time I was able to appreciate an "average-great" show for what it was and not be disappointed by the relative dearth of interstellar jamming. Maybe it was the great scene or the fact that I had better enjoy myself after driving up four and a half hours from Boston, but I had an absolute blast.

The first set might have had slightly better flow than the second. They took Jim out for an early set romp, flirting at the edges of type II without actually going there. The jams in Stash and Wolfman's were both solid. It was really nice to see them nail Theme (to my ears anyway). There's been some talk on this board about this tune being repeatedly botched, and I think we heard a pretty great version in Bangor.

The second set started off well with ten minutes of interesting jamming after the verses in Golden Age. The first ever set two version of Ocelot gotta pretty musically thunderous and I think we'll be seeing this tune spread it's wings even more during summer '13. But for the most part the middle of set two was just a standard fun time rock and funk party. Cavern came as a bit of a surprise, as it usually signals the time to wrap things up and I felt we hadn't really gotten too much meat during this set. After a high energy reading we got one of the better Antelopes of 3.0. A lot of interesting side paths in this one and some very un-Antelope passages. It all came together nicely with a good Hood.

Definitely listen to Antelope and Golden Age for the improv and if you're looking to hear a contemporary version of Theme, this is a great version to go to. By signaling out these highlights I'm not trying to imply that anything in this show was poorly played. You could totally listen to all 3 hours of the performance and rock the fuck out.