2.26.03
I had great seats for this one, lower bowl Page side. It was so, so cold outside before and after this show. Had great people around me. Bathroom situations was unbelievably bad.
SET 1: You Enjoy Myself: Ummmmm, what? I came out of my shoes for the opening notes. Only ten times has YEM opened a show, and it has only happened twice since: 7/9/2003, 2/22/2019. Intention is clear, they were going to nuke this place tonight. Mike Gordon just OWNS faces in this jam. Just nasty as hell. Trey absolutely smokes this jam, crushed doesn’t aptly describe it. This tune opened the show people. Think about that for a second!!! Some stats: YEM has been played 626 times. Only 13 times has it opened a show. Last show before this one that it happened 6.29.97. Only twice this happened after this show 7.9.09 and 2.22.19. Pretty amazing. >
Clone: Good stuff, cool Mike/Leo Kottke song.
Roggae: Outstanding version, Mike sounds great especially. Great, full band jam – all parts seem equal really.
Drifting: Sitting here listening to this I got major goose bumps as it came on. Love this tune. The backing vocals are rough. Great, little jam.
Blue Skies: Meh.
The Moma Dance: When Trey holds and sustains that note late in the 7’s and the rest of the band just show off – nothing better. Mike thumping, Page getting super funky and Fishman driving the bus. What a perfect way to kick off this epic, all timer. Mike crushing that fight bell late in the 11’s = clear indication that he loves this jam.
Final Flight: Love this, love the note bending in the early going and Trey just blows away this solo, it’s fantastic. >
Maze: All timer, face melter, incredible. I love the false peak (whish is annihilated), and then Trey turns the reins over to Mike to thump it all to hell, all the while Trey is summoning demons from beyond with intense note bending. They truly create a pure hellscape in this Maze, it is completely frightening. The real climax is thrilling. What a set closer!
SET 2: Stash: They only played Stash in the second set four times after this and two of those were in 2.0: 12/31/2003, 8/9/2004, 7/2/2011, 7/15/2016. In the 437 times they have played Stash, they have played it in the second set 78 times, or 17.8% of all times played. Pretty interesting, for me anyway. Trey’s delayed delivery on lyrics in this Stash are different. I love how quiet and patient this one gets and then Trey hits up the staccato playing – very cool. This version doesn’t have screaming climax but the entire body of work – IMHO – makes it an all timer. I love this Stash!
Ghost: Good Lord, Mike Gordon just owns faces in this Ghost, absolutely outstanding. Career highlights type of playing in this one. The theme that they hit on early on in this jam is so good it sounds like it could have been rehearsed. Page gets super creepy in the late 10’s – you have to hear this to believe it-> Low Rider: The segue into this is great, I lost it – like when YEM started up – I think I practically came out of my shoes, brief jam and then… ->
Makisupa Policeman: Wow, can put a segue together any better than that – super smooth. Still cannot believe Trey references the hotel fire in an obvious joking manner in light of the tragic incident just 6 days before and an hour south of Worcester. Some self-awareness maybe? ->
Ya Mar: The segue into this is another jaw dropper. What an unbelievable segment Ghost through Ya Mar was – peak Phish for sure. Good version here.
Guyute: Standard.
Waves: Standard. >
Prince Caspian: Nicely played. ->
Frankenstein: The segue out of Caspian is incredible. Wow! >
Golgi Apparatus: Standard.
ENCORE: Loving Cup – Absolutely ripped wide open and actually jammed. First and last time I called a friend on the phone so they could listen in real time. Trey is a rock God. I believe this is the 2nd longest version to date with the first being 6.12.19. Don’t be fooled by the time stamps on 9.14.00, 7.6.98, 12.31.97.
Replay Value/Summary: You Enjoy Myself (all timer), Roggae (all timer), Drifting, The Moma Dance (all timer), Final Flight > Maze (all timer), Stash, Ghost, Loving Cup. Show is incredible and an all timer. Moma and Maze are all timers for sure. For me the show just couldn’t hold it’s momentum after Ya Mar, but it was still very solid. Best show of the tour so far. I spent the next two nights in some dump of a hotel in CT – doing my best to recuperate and steeling myself for the final two nights in NY and NC.
Show rating: 4.5/5