A night like tonight, where they--and especially Trey--just can't quite lock into their best founts of creativity, the band and I can fall back on something to love, which is a catalog of beloved originals and rousing covers of other greats.

And while the show had but a fraction of last night's improvisational chutzpah, there were a number of highlights worth mentioning. First, a successful tweak was that both set closers tonight achieved their desired arc. I can't wait to hear character zero's closing moments again, extra mustard indeed! Same with the standard high-energy Rock and Roll. This as compared to last night's Antelope and Walls neither of which geared up the way they each often can. But tonights fiery closers and the generous encore did strike me as comping dessert and some drinks for the realization that the dinner and service didn't quite nail it, despite best efforts.

Also of note, check out the beautifully executed groundbreaking new song, Mercury--an improvement still on its first two renditions--and as others have noted the segue into Twist. And check out the end of Light: the other guys were feeling it and just wouldn't let Trey out of it! It's moments like that when you recognize the care and lighthearted support these guys extend each other in their musical conversations.

And finally, to weigh in on this great topic of whether "even an average for show is a great show." Phish inspires me. And by that I mean they give me so much to bring back to the rest of my world. Their work ethic, their creativity, their off days, their risk-taking, their brilliant moments, their flubs, their recoveries ... I like watching THEM *work through it.*

But then, of course, I do so love it when it fully arrives. Maybe Sunday night ...