Anticipation ran high for this run, but let's just say anticipation would keep building after this show. Well, I've never seen one like this...

Suzy- This was a nice, unexpected, rocking opener. It certainly got the party started!! Page, as always, was on point.

Wolfmans- This followed Suzy very well. It kept the Friday night/party vibe rolling. Trey and Mike pave the way on a scorching funk jam. The climax hits hard. All that said, it still lands in the middle of the pack amongst 3.0 versions, but hell, it's a consistently good song.

Number Line- I was glad to see it pop up in the first set and not kill a 2nd set jam. That's all I've got to say about that.

It's Ice- This was a very fluid version. The SPAC version, while being technically proficient, still felt a bit stiff. They sound checked it there, and had to run through the reentry 3 or so times. Well, by Chicago, they were back on track. This one had that great Phish loose but still tight feel. Trey and Fishman were on point. Great version.

Moma Dance- Straight forward funk. It fit well after Ice.

My Soul- As overplayed as this was from '97 on, it has become a bit of a rarity. This was a strong, well-received version. Trey's solo was short but strong.

SOA Mule- BOOM!! This is a favorite of mine, and I hadn't seen one since '03. The Marimba Lumina added a nice change to the middle section and fit in with the duel well. I love it on this song, but I hope it works its way into other songs/jams.

46 Days- This is not one that I particularly clamor for, but it fit well after Mule. Not to mention, it's a solid pick for the first set. It didn't do anything crazy, but it did provide Trey with another opportunity to belt out a nice bluesy solo.

Limb by Limb- This one seemed to be a touch more ambitious than most first set versions. Trey and Page dug down fairly deep and came out roses on the back end.

Julius- A bit cheesy for my taste, but it seemed to fit the bluesy/rocky/party vibe of this set.

Set 2:
DwD- I like to get the predictable out of the way early in a run, and it doesn't get much more predictable than a second set DwD opener. Trey led the charge on a solid version. This was a well-paced jam. They landed in a nice realm. As it dissolved into space, everything felt very natural. You could see a guy w/ a head set on come talk to Page as Trey steered everyone into...

Caspian- It's no secret. I hate this song. That said, there's one thing that I learned that I hate more than Caspian. That is cancelled shows!!

At first, I thought they were just fucking the song up, but then Trey awkwardly stepped up to the mic to tell everyone they needed to go back to their cars. He apologized but explained that a massive storm was coming. Now, anyone that was at Deer Creek in '09 didn't budge. We'd heard this before, and the people that left at set break there missed some fire. We milled around for a while, but once a security guard told me to leave, I left. There were confused, glassy-eyed wonders everywhere. Some were optimistic and thought the should would go on. Once I left the gates with the masses, I knew getting everyone back inside would be too much of a shit show for this show to pick back up. As I left the venue, I joked "Hey, tomorrow we get three sets, right?" Sure, I was completely bullshitting, but I was right! Either way, as bummed as I was to leave the first night of a highly anticipated run after two (mediocre) songs into second set, I knew the Phish would make it right. Some would say this was the run from hell. Some would say it was just a tough road to victory. In my opinion, this show was the hard road to victory.

Overall:
I would have to rate this as the worst show I saw, but that is simply because the second set was called short. Playing in the first set was strong. Sure, DwD was not an all time keeper and Caspian is Caspian, but the playing was solid as the second set got rolling. There is no reason to believe that something big was not on the way.

Highlights:
Ice, Mule, Limb