If 7.12.03 Set 1 was Ying, tonight's was Yang. Polar opposite sets in terms of any measurable or intangible aspect of Phish. 7.12 was a little lackluster, disjointed, non-fluid. 7.13 was powerful, focused, and low viscosity. Runaway Jim gets things off to a rolling start. A peppy version taking on the traditional linear build to an energetic peak, it was a standard, but standardly-good, show opener. Last night's second song was Mexican Cousin, tonight's is Scents and Subtle Sounds. That juxtaposition alone should tell you the direction we are headed this evening. The deeply psychedelic opening bass and guitar riffs rumble through the Gorge natural amphitheater like thunder. Not quite as dreamy and spacey as Shoreline's (how could it be after that -> from Twist) this version is an all-star in the #2 slot. It has a more "shred" quality to it, compared to Shoreline's bliss, but either way you spin it, this is a top shelf second song of the show. Keeping the energy levels high (and showing NO signs of last night's lack of flow) Axilla rages and screams through the speakers, amplifying and compounding the energy that was created from the first two songs. Great start so far. Carini! Whoa! Did NOT see this coming. I am completely unfamiliar with this show. Literally never have a single song a single listen prior to a couple nights ago. So to have Carini drop into the 4th slot, after an already phenomenal start to the show, man, this is awesome. As I have stated every time Carini pops up in 2003, this is not be compared to the major key Carinis of 2012 onward. These are dark and gritty and gnarly. This version is all of those, and fits a perfect niche to harass energy, evoke emotion, and keep the groove train steaming through the Columbia River Gorge. It's darkness is not scary, but it is uncomfortable. It's grit is not dirty, but it is rough. A fantastic set 1 jam. Dog Faced Boy provides a nice respite, eerie and almost creepily placed, it fits the bill of focused, energized, weird nature of the set. A good break in the intensity for sure. Round Room comes in next and again, is perfectly placed. Some folks like the Vegas version the best, perhaps because it is longest, not me though. This one, of the very small sample size, is my personal favorite. The jam bounces along, not quietly, but not intrusively, it flows just as the Columbia River would before a heavy rain: with purpose, but not violent, a calm before the storm. What a set so far! Halley's Comet in and of itself isn't exactly a storm, but the jam it gets into surely comes into contention for jam of the set. But Funky, it's not even 9 minutes lon-QUIET YOU! Time is not an indicator of quality. This Halley's jam really takes off with a purpose. Two minutes worth of highly focused, inspired, high energy jamming finally relents to quiet space, where... wtf... is... is that.... bagpipes? (runs out to balcony to see if Portland Unicycle Darth Vader Bagpipe Guy is rolling by... he is not). It is bagpipes and a quick stopover on .net confirms Mike is playing electric bagpipes. Weird. And awesome. f***in Cactus. The bagpipe playing spills over into a soft opening of Guyute which eventually flows into full Guyute. The song and/or placement neither excites not deflates me. It is pretty well played though. A TOTALLY unexpected YEM comes next and whoa! YEM to closet set 1!? We're already an hour into the set! NICE! Taking a more placid approach (more 7.9.03 than 2.26.03) this YEM was calm and peaceful. The composed section was nearly flawless. The jam was patient and serene... almost a little lounge-jazzy. No peak on this version, but who cares when it closes set 1. A fantastic set!

Set 2 opens with a bang. Llama. Funk yeah! Screaming into the night, this Peruvian beast gallops through and around the venue with ferocity nothing short of a disgruntled alpaca... don't know what that means, but I'm on a roll right now, go with it. It was a smoking hot version. A thick gooey Wolfman's comes next. So dirty. So x-rated. Wow. deep, slow funk grooves with a couple breakdown sections (and a JJLC fakeout) highlight this fantastic version. The JJLC tease was filthy, and had the segued into JJLC at that initial tease point, it would have been amazing. Instead, the band drops out of the tease (more like Trey does) and jams for another minute before cycling back to the JJLC theme where there is a pretty rough -> the song proper. Jesus swayed and paced through the night, featuring some fantastic Page work. As Page lets off, Trey takes over, slowly, quietly, then builds into a great, cathartic peak. Seven Below comes in next and I have mixed feelings about this jam. It starts off very good. A twinkling, patient full-band ping pong match staying within the framework of the song's theme. Really good stuff for the first ten minutes. Then, Trey starts to take it out, and this is where things, for me at least, start to break down (for better or worse, it appears the populous is split). The jam meanders on before settling into some spacey noise during it, it seems, they are all waiting for someone to find a lick or groove they can lock into. Almost like they're trying to build into a Hood jam or something. It's like they're saying, "No you play something - no you - no you..." and the jam kinda... sits there... for a couple minutes. Fishman finally said, "enough of this crap," and starts a hard rock, kinda metal-y beat that is, in a word, jarring. Comes outta no where. Trey tries to find a lick to play over this and eventually gets there... but the whole thing just feels forced, very inorganic, unlike the rest of the show. They lock into a nice groove for a couple measures then crash into the Seven Below refrain. AN odd version worth listening to, but, I dunno, just doesn't feel complete to me. A nice, welcomed Hood comes in next, and much like YEM, it is soft and patient. It never really reaches *that peak* that most 2003 Hoods do, but hey, the Gorge always, always gives us a quieter, spread out take on classic songs. Thinking this was going to close the set, I was about to take a wizz break before encore and then BAM Chalk Dust! A little on the sloppy side, this version rages nonetheless. Nothing to write home about, but a solid, unexpected, and totally welcomed show closer! The First Tube encore was ferocious. What an exclamation point to put onto this amazing show!

Must-hear jams: Round Room, Halley's Comet, Wolfman's Brother -> Jesus Just Left Chicago
Probably-should-listen-to jams: Carini, You Enjoy Myself, Seven Below