At least in my little corner of Seattle, the overlap between Phish and the Seahawks is giving people a reason to listen to the band again with open ears. This was my 29th show, and I got to share it with a couple friends who had never been to Phish show before. We all had a blast, and this setlist ended up being a great introduction for new fans.

The first set is overall very tight and covers a lot of territory -- you get old stuff (Cavern, Wilson, Rift), new stuff (The Line), some antics (Lawnboy, Sparkle), a rocker (Kill Devil Falls), and a couple of good jams in Wolfman's and Bathtub Gin. The Gin closer is where I think my friends really started to 'get' what the band was doing musically -- that song is so much fun because it lays down a theme, wanders out into the wilderness until you've almost forgotten where you came from, and then almost magically brings everything back around to where you started. The ability to take audiences on journeys like that is one of the things that defines Phish, and this was a fun outing that made sure people didn't get too lost along the way.

The second set is a great example of how the band can take a group of songs and make a whole that is larger than the sum of its parts. This is another defining characteristic of the band for me, and it was great to hear that on display. Fuego through Sand was particularly good, even if the Sand was a little on the short side for my tastes. Closing the second set with a Hendrix cover was a nice nod to the hometown crowd...and what's not to love about 'Bold As Love' anyway.

I don't think I could throw a lot of superlatives at this show, but I did get everything out of it I wanted -- I had a blast, my friends had a blast, and we're looking forward to seeing more shows together.