Favorite show I’ve attended, and I’ve had the fortune of seeing some doozies the last few years. It also holds a special place in my heart due to the circumstances. Just a few days prior, I had no intention of going. A joke of making the last minute trip turned into egging on by friends, followed by an offer by one friend to let me crash on his floor, then a frantic search & find of the ticket, and finally resulting in a 10-hour drive that began early the morning of the show.

The flow of both sets is flawless imo. The show starts off with a pair of fun classic tunes- Alumni > LTJP > Alumni. There aren’t many Phish songs older than these, and I’ll never say no to some bacon.

This is followed by a great Mike’s Groove with a HUGE bustout bridging the two songs. The Mike’s jam is lean and mean, but fades beautifully into only the 2nd Glide II ever, 23 years after its debut. The friend I saw this show with wasn’t even born yet!

This very tight and jubilant Weekapaug segues perfectly into my favorite Phish cover and a song that I was chasing. If I didn’t get an inkling that this show was going to be a special one for me up to this point, I most certainly did now.

Then Crosseyed melts into the debut, 22 years in the making, of Bliss! Wow, we’re being spoiled here! Billy Breathes is well played and NMINML is always a welcome party.

Weekapaug was undoubtedly the jam of the set to me, and perhaps the band felt the same, since they called up a reprise jam in the weird Tube.

If this entire show has a “weak point,” it’s that they don’t end the set there. Instead, they play a song that has had mixed feelings among fans. It’s certainly not among my favorite 3.0 tunes, but I can’t really complain about MORE Phish, especially after this wonderful set. And it’s a reliably hot way to end a set or show, as Trey just does his rock star thing.

Set 2 opens with what is, imo, the strongest of the recent Halloween costume songs. I could see Cool Amber existing as a Phish tune, outside of the context of Kasvot Växt

Next is the centerpiece of the entire show. This Everything’s Right is my favorite jam that I've seen live, and I’ve had the pleasure of seeing the two big Simples of 2017 and the longest jam of 3.0, the Alpine Ruby Waves. Still, this is the one that holds the key to my soul. Yes, it’s not a long, multi-sectional journey. But it’s not a minute longer or shorter than it needs to be to accomplish its goal. The goal being to make you look inward and remind you of why you’re here. The band is in perfect unison throughout the entire jam. I don’t feel like one member stands out above the others as the “MVP” of this jam, although Trey was having a particularly strong night overall. Every member contributes to a majestic soundscape that had my jaw on the floor.

Trey continues his very tight playing in the Plasma that ensues. And then we’re treated to another fantastic jam in Light. This version has two distinct jams, each ending with a nice peak.

Light fades into space and has a Velvety transition into a gorgeous and earned Wading. Then the set closes with a mindf**k of a Split Open and Melt. I had a terrible headache at this point in the show, so this call seemed fitting, and yet was still appreciated. For some, this was the jam of the show, and I can see that. At this point, it was all bonus to me, and an exclamation point on my dream show.

The show ends with a fun 4-song encore, which included two more firsts for me in Funky Bitch and Wilson, a Rocky Top where my friend and I got a kick out of watching a couple of dudes square dancing on the bridge, and finally a faceplant tease-filled Cavern, highlighting just how much fun the band was having that night.