A few years after being at all three of the UIC shows I re-listened to what I thought then was an amazing 3 day run late in the summer on a few weeknights in Chicago.

This show kicked off a set of gems at a venue that may lack in acoustics, but man does it bring back memories of mid 1990's Phish. I for one was very happy about seeing the band and the Phans at this show. The audience and the band were sheer joy for this Phan.

The show was off to an energetic start with Back On the Train. Trey really goes off in the middle of this song and the band really finds that space together where they are just nailing it and knowing they are.

That launched into killer first set where the band just was clearly enjoying themselves and the audience really seemed to be feeding off them and vice versa. I mean, they looked happy while just tearing up a set with Rift followed up by Guelah Papyrus.

The band went nuclear by the time they did Scent. Jesus Left Chicago of course was appreciated by the native crowd as well. The Wolfman's Brother is simply the best WB I have heard. I can't get enough of it actually.

Alumni Blues to close that first set out pretty much blew the lid off of a very excited crowd. It was one of those sets where the crowd cheered for a solid 5-7 minutes and loudly at that in appreciation for the rocket fuel first set that had a fun Reba to boot.

The second set opening with Sand, Light, Dirt, Waves, Undermind Steam, Fire was strong and the band continued playing amazingly together through it. You just had a feeling with those choices that they were also letting you catch your breath for something special to close out with.

5 Song Encore Anyone?

Any show with a song debut and as far as I know the only 5 song encore ever is quite a way to kick off a 3 night run. I'll focus less on the song by song and just say that the band looking and seeming to be so happy playing as well as playing with energy was simply infectious.

The crowd was so appreciative with the number of deafening applauses the band got all night. They even stopped several times to smile at the crowd and each other. It was just one of those moments that made me feel good about sticking with this band and Phan base for so long.

It was also one of the nicest and just most fun shows I had been to band to fans to actual music and of course the great setlist with mega encore.

I got back on the train for sure after being a little doubtful of how I felt about the shows like Coventry and shows leading up to it as well as just after. The band really did stick out a tough time as a group and individuals to have a triumphant period in their history yet again.

For me... I guess it made me feel like it was never too late for me. I found it inspiring. I wonder if other phans felt that way too.

Thanks Phish!