I was lucky enough to pull pit tickets for this show. The fist set was no slouch, and when they played Free I was excited because 1) I enjoy the song and 2) I felt that it opened the door to anything as the first real repeat of the tour. I thoroughly enjoyed the Theme > Suzy > Fluffhead and thought all were strong versions (despite some sloppiness in Suzy, I think Page's performance made up for it and then some!) But I won't harp on the first set...

That second set...mind blown!

Mr Completely featured a jam that really got started with Fish and Mike driving a thumping groove that trey and page traded licks over with spacey effects in tote. The groove speeds up around 10:30 and Trey and Page continue to trade licks off off each other, with Trey emerging into a blissful and satisfying solo! Page takes a turn after and the jam ascends into space, with beautiful ambient-spacey riffing from Trey. 5 minutes of beautiful music there, with the jam heading further and further out to space, all the while over a strong, pulsating backbone laid down by Fish and Mike. It ascends into the cosmos and we hear the countdown to BOAF.

BOAF is fairly straightforward, especially in this set, it does build to a satisfying peak and features strong interplay from Trey and Page. We get the "we attack" sample and closing riffs to BOAF and it transitions immediately into Ghost!

Ghost had a nice low first mini solo, and the jam starts in space at the 4 minute mark. This is a very satisfying jam given it's length, and builds slowly from effects-laden space ambience full of Mike bombs to a dark and crunchy solo from Trey, featuring some melodic trilling while the intensity builds around the 8 minute mark. We get some page/trey interplay of the space-rock variety before the jam descends into a crunchy, gut-wrenching groove that methodically transitions into Gin...somehow. I almost feel ridiculous trying to verbalize that jam...

The Gin - you must check out the transition, it is unique. It "infects" the whole Gin in the best meaning of the word possible (especially in these times). Like Martians hijacked the song (as another review alludes to). The jam is fairly satisfying-normal from the 4:30 mark to about the 7 minute mark, then the tone gradually descends to a minor/darker tone. Trey rips it up until about the 10:45 mark (this a a great passage of guitar work, with Page throwing in licks throughout). Trey throws in a crunchy effect towards the end of the solo and the jam gradually starts fading into space around the 11:10 mark and takes it's time transitioning into 2001!

2001 is a short version, but I actually really enjoyed the short, funky groove that developed first with Mike and Fish laying a relaxed funky groove, then Page laying the synth over it, and finally Trey adding ambient licks over it all. Good stuff!

We get an awesome-chaotic SOAM to end it all, and I use that word in the best way possible. This one is full of dissonance and synth bombs until about the 8 minute mark, when Trey comes in with some middle eastern-style licks! The intensity starts to build around the 10 min mark into what I would describe as space funk. Trey comes in hot with the licks around the 11:40 mark. Around 12:40 we get some tasty work on the keys with riders on the storm-esque vibes to it from Page. From here we ascend into chaos... pulsating, space-funk chaos! Somehow we arrive back to reality with a smooth transition to the traditional closing of SOAM. We were treated to band introductions at this point and Trey even shared his secret...the song was in the key of C#! I don't think I need to explain the irony of tying this passage of music to a particular key.

Character Zero closed it all with some added flavor.

I felt I had to review this set...it was a privilege to experience it. Thank you Phish!!