I'll just come out and say that I LOVED this show. I am not a fluffer by any means and actually lean towards probably being a slightly jaded vet. But last night was incredible. Maybe it was my seats (4th row center right pav directly in front of Mike). This was all I could ever ask for in a Phish show and I think it would be greedy to think otherwise. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I'm also entitled to think they are out of their minds. Let's break it down.

First Set: I walked in during Sample so that was cool, but is there anything like strolling down into the pavilion while Moma Dance kicks into gear? This was funky as hell and it just seemed like they were locked in. Wombat continued the funk and people were grooving. Number Line is absolutely PERFECT in this slot of the first set. I've always said that I like the song, but it just doesn't fit in the mid second set coming out of a jam. It's a rocking happy first set tune to get some heads bobbin. Roggae, what else can I say that hasn't been floating around in other reviews and posts? It was absolute bliss and it was during this jam that I knew they were on the same page and playing brilliantly. Best song of the set. Again, The Wedge, perfect placement for a classic Phish tune. It doesn't NEED to be type II. It's a cool song, we all love it and they should play it right in this slot every time. Wolfman's killed it and continued the funky Sat night party vibe. For me, if Mike is going to get his "song" to play in the first set, please let it be bluegrass - I'm not a fan of Yarmouth Road or Sugar Shack so I was happy to hear Nellie Kane. Lawn Boy is fun as always, I don't like the Line, but yes, perfect placement. Sure. Stash was evil and distorted and I really liked this jam. Suzy did what it always does and took us to set break on the back of Leo going NUTS on the piano.

Highlight: Roggae (wonderful), all 3 funk tunes

Set 2: I won't break it down in insane detail, but just will say generally that this notion of ripcords and a song needing to be jammed out 20+ minutes is a little misguided. What's the difference between a huge jam on one song or the Carini-Ghost-Steam sequence if each jam is fresh with ideas, diverse, smooth, inspired, and well played. The crowd was in a frenzy - Trey was absolutely crushing it and Fishman was doing his octopus thing. I had the "oh shit, crumpled, curled lip face" the whole time. Amazing stuff. Mango was perfectly placed and classic Phish in just the right spot. Not a huge fan of Monica, but a quick pee and back to my seat to hear some pleasant sounds. Again, if you can't get it up for this Light-2001-Hood run of songs, I don't know if an overdose of viagra could even help you. This is PHISH, our favorite band doing what they do best - playing off each other, creating on the spot, finding a special groove and moving into a new song, whipping the crowd into a manic frenzy, and smiling the whole time. Just great music. Top it off with a Julius and that to me is a Phish show.

All in all, maybe I was just at the perfect mellow buzz, perfect seat, and good mindframe, but this show was great. They were communicating and the setlists flowed incredibly well. Sometimes we all over think it and get greedy - me included, but I was thrilled with the kick ass rock and roll show I saw last night from my favorite band that I have seen countless times before. This all coming from a slightly jaded vet.

Dosque