Sitting in the Uber back and boy was that a heater— the highs were super high, the low points were low, and the experience couldn’t have been any better. My first time in both Philly and at The Mann: quick note, the staff and people were discernibly friendlier than nearly any other venue I’ve ever been to. The skyline is beautiful. Check it out. Anyways, without further ado:

THE LOWS: Trey had troubles connecting at times, notably in the first set. For whatever reason, the beginnings of choruses were off at points. Even the Stash intro and Moma had their own struggles. I also think that Drift While You’re Sleeping was a poor selection after the environment in the venue after Character Zero, but that’s neither here nor there.

The Good: First and foremost, the pseudo-space themed show. After breaking the streak to open the show, Phish responded with a Mercury and 2001 in S2. Additionally, Instead of having one marquee jam, the boys really stretched it out all over the show. The Halley’s first set jam is a must listen— genuinely my second favorite Halley’s behind Hampton ‘97. The Philly Tweezesteak sandwich was awesome and they really brought their all to the entire second set with confidence and without losing their pace or depth of jams. They built on the foundation from the S1 WotC closer and ran it all the way through a super high tempo Zero.

The REALLY good and personal notes: Aside from my first show, this was the most first-timers I’d gotten. Was really sure I’d never see Izabella in my entire life and after chasing for a few tours I grabbed a 2001; what more could you ask for? Oh yeah, some a cappella Bowie to open the show. If nothing else can be said about the show, though, listen to this Piper. In a night of really strong jams, this one really did it for me. Just a top caliber jam that was damn near flawless.

Probably a 4.5/5 for me. See you tomorrow night!