Both Merriweather shows so obviously had "classic" written all over them that I couldn't help comparing them to shows (tapes) from the '90s. Whereas the previous night had the feel of one of those tight, anthemic shows from '94, '96, or '98, this one had a darker vibe that reminded me of '95 or '97. Among the idiosyncrasies facilitating this comparison are:

-- a multi-section, type-II "Stash" that vacillates between dark, bright, and groovy;
-- a weird, hypnotic Mule Duel;
-- the fact that the opening to set II doesn't deplete the band's type-II reserves but builds toward a mid-set centerpiece;
-- a jam (out of "Light") that grooves rhythmically but is all kinds of harmonically wacky; and
-- an extended, type-I "YEM" to close things down. (And in 3.0 terms, it's definitely extended. The main jam section runs several minutes longer than some recent versions, and believe me—a few minutes make a huge difference.)

This show didn't have me leaping for joy the same way as the previous one, but it had merits of its own—namely several moments of slack-jawed disbelief, of the good, Phishy kind. All things considered, I'd put this night just a notch below the other, but it's very competitive. All the aforementioned songs, plus "It's Ice" and probably "Twist" (which veered close to the type-II precipice before Trey brought back the vocal coda), should be heard by, well, everyone.