fall tour 2018 was already one for the ages, but this vegas run really puts it over the top. absolute MONSTER show. worth a listen from top to bottom in my opinion, but let's break it down.

first set starts off with a standard rocking cavern, setting the tone for a high energy affair. beauty of my dreams is always nice to hear, and this version is well played. next is if i could! a huge bust out. here is where the set really takes off. my favorite phish ballad easily, and they rip up this version, with some emotion playing from trey. then, keeping the excitement high, they drop into weigh! one of my personal favorite phish songs. a great solo from page as always, and some tasteful licks from trey as well. next begins sand, and we knew we were in for something. this sand was akin to the chicago version; never really went type 2, but that didn't matter. some of the most incredible type 1 peaking i've seen live. unbelievable energy with the band and the crowd feeding off each other. energy continued with back on the train - another awesome, ripping type 1 version. martian monster was standard, fun as always. now, on to the centerpiece of the set. simply put, this mercury was stunning. a great pre-marimba jam, but then this turned into a type 2 beast. at one point, after a funkier minor section, it seemed like they were going to drop into taste, with trey hinting at the opening chords. but instead, the band built up into a magnificent major-key hose jam. truly must-listen phish right here. the first set jams this tour have been beyond belief, and this might be the best of them. a standard suzy to close on a high energy note. wow! what a first set. on to set 2:

just about every song in the second set was jammed well. we start with soul planet. this jam, while not incredibly long, was another fantastic type 2 improvisation, with the band playing both a minor and major section. again, absolutely incredible hose jam to close this one out. soul planet dissolved into the familiar disease opening. this disease was rocking and high energy, and then a nice type 2 jam was tacked on the end. again, not the longest version, but top notch improvisation. phish is just playing so well right now. disease transitioned nicely into guyute, which is always a treat to hear. this was not the most pristine version, but that doesn't matter. guyute finishes up, and we were at an important moment in the set. they could have gone with a less inspired song choice, but instead phish opted to continue to blow the roof off MGM by dropping into sneakin' sally! this version is no standard sally. while it doesn't stray into type 2 territory, it does contain an old school phish funk out. awesome version, well worth a listen. next up is light, which, as usual, contains some fantastic jamming. at this point, it's repetitive to keep saying that. simply put, every opportunity phish had to jam during this show, they took advantage and delivered the absolute goods. just an unbelievable show, jam-wise. slave to close, and you could tell the band was feeling it. this was no standard 3.0, formulaic slave. this felt, again, like a old-school, emotional, seriously peaking version. what a set!

the encore was just so much fun. HYHU is always absurd, but this bike contained some extra antics by fishman. to sum it up: at one point, he was standing on top of page's piano. it was an awesome, again old-school way to close out the show. trey referenced this before launching into GTBT, saying "this is kinda an old show, so let's do something old." can't lie, definitely thought they'd bust into some crazy gamehenge song, but GTBT absolutely raged.

honestly, can't recommend listening to this whole show enough. no dull moments. truly an epic phish concert. cannot wait to see what's in store for the tour closer!