A few days removed from my second two last show and the famous "jam filled" night.

This was no ordinary show as evidenced by the set I opening Sample. We got in a few minutes later than normal and I was just grabbing a beer when Sample started. I figured, great I've got 5-6 minutes to get to my seat. Luckily as the jam kicked in we got settled and started grooving. Man, best Sample ever. Not anything so mind blowing musically per se, but a statement of intent and a very well executed jam. Plenty enjoyable.

Lawn Boy was next and I think had people pondering whether or not jam filled was going to be carried throughout. Well the keytar solo from Page was obviously an atypical move, but the jam that followed was pure unadulterated Phish madness. It's the stuff of dreams and legend. There's a ton to love in this 30 minute behometh, personally, the moment when Trey kicks into the warp speed hyper drive riff and fishman goes mad on the drums to pick up the tempo is my favorite moment. That said, amazing funky jamming, great deep space, peaks, and a nice smooth conclusion caps off this all timer, which slides quite nicely into MFMF.

MFMF is another amazing choice, which would have been welcome even if by the book, but of course this night was not by the book. Another stunning jam featuring some darkness, space, and lovely ambient playing makes for perhaps my favorite single passage of the set (but who's counting really).

Stash kicks in and is a crowd pleasing, but straightforward version. Still a nicely played and well jammed selection, which did nothing to diminish the energy and served as an excellent choice.

Bathtub Gin assured us of the (5-song!!) set's conclusion and the only question was whether they'd give this extra legs. It stayed linear, but slightly elongated from the typical 11 minute type I versions. This one was certainly by the book, but was an excellent and fiery conclusion to the set. Nothing under 10 minutes to be found here!! 5-song set. Best ever first set? (ok I'll still take 11/17/97) This was amazing. Simply amazing.

Well set II, how could they top that? Short answer, they didn't. Longer answer, they played an ALMOST equivalently amazing set full of stellar jamming and surprising song selection.

Fuego opened up with it's revelatory chorus and 3.0 charm (er, cheesiness). I love this tune and the jam was both long and excellent. This isn't your typical major chord bliss filled peak jam (has a nice peak though), but is a smooth and textured jam, colored by some chording from Trey, electric piano from Page, synthy stuff and Mike going to the drill. So it's one of those amazingly smooth, but equally odd jams that is absolutely a joy to behold. Sublime.

They slide into Thread, which I didn't know too well, but actually enjoyed in this slot. Not bad.

C&P is the big money jam of the night and boy is this a beauty. Super long jam that had it all. Serious groove, major leak peaks, multiple segment madness and some deep space that I think was only slightly less deep and trippy than the Waves on Sunday night. Basically this is perfection and some of the Phinest Phish you'll ever get, certainly in this incarnation. They make their way back to the C&P theme and complete a stunning over 30 minute version. Well just grab it.

Makisupa was up next and was a very fun call. Trey worked a jamming quote in there, gave some time to the other band members with the lyrics and they turned the end into a spacey section that slid effortlessly into End Of Session! This was perhaps one of my all time favorite moments. Sheer beauty and such a poignant selection to start winding down a legendary show.

Not to send us home with too calm a demeanor, the band kicks into Tuesday > Cavern, which really does cue a celebratory vibe, which was only outdone by the following night's 1999. Odd, but interesting choice to close the set. Certainly welcome to me and those around.

Julius was the encore, which felt a bit underwhelming, but the re-emergence of Lawn Boy provided that special cherry on top moment that only Phish can provide.

Overall, this is a classic show. Upper echelon and one of the most complete performances the band has given. It's right there with Magnaball N2 or any other show that might be your favorite. No reason not to love this, if you don't, Phish might not be your thing!

5/5