There are a lot of great sets. The list of great complete shows, however, is significantly shorter. 1/2/16 has certainly earned a place on the short list.

The first set is easily one of the best of 3.0. Near perfect song selection, coupled with near flawless playing from all four of our boys, makes for an extremely enjoyable listen. I read a comment over on the Phish subreddit not long ago about how the composed sections of older tunes "eat Trey's lunch." This first set could easily be a direct response to that. Trey nails these older tunes with near laser precision. The composed sections of "It's Ice" and "Divided Sky", as well as Trey's solos in "Horn" and "Julius" are all superb. Don't miss the slowmo version of "Bag" either.

I think it's helpful to remind ourselves, once in a while, that it's not always about the extended, monstrous jams, though I am guilty of chasing those alone. In fact, a monstrous jam is often the indicator of a great set, rather than a great show. This "Tweezer" clocks in at 22 minutes, but its brevity does not detract from its sacchariferous nature. It is the highlight of the show, but "Sand", "LxL", and "Suzy" all continue the trend of superb accuracy. You can tell the boys are enjoying themselves. Fish is screaming and takes a "LxL" solo, Trey is giggling, and even Mike is smiling. The only flub of the show arrives in "Harry Hood," but is easily overshadowed by the quality of the rest of the show. YEM is a crowd-pleasing closer, executed well. What can I say about "The Lizards" and "Tweezer Reprise" that hasn't been said? It's a one-two feel-good punch to close out a stellar run.

While 1/2/16 may not be studded with huge jams, it may be the best executed complete show of 3.0. If, by some obscene circumstance, you haven't given this show a listen, I can promise that it will be worth your time from start to finish.