It was HOT on the NYC streets pre-show, which seemed to lead to less congregating around the Garden - phans made their way swiftly inside. A local with a Nazi skull ring told me he owned the corner of 33rd and 8th and to shove off with my attempted sticker sales. Other than that run-in, the vibes were high and there was still chatter about the previous night's 'Melt.'

Got to see the show from Sec 1 which has to be my favorite place in the building. Perfect sound, you get to see Kuroda at work, and the light display is laid out in all its glory. Great row-mates - a crew of young guys, one of which was seeing his first show with zero expectations. It was really fun to see the night through his eyes. Fist bumps all around.

BOTT got us grooving and felt very appropriate having spent the day on the train down from Maine. A very nice Disease which was surprising in the 2 slot and brought me memories of the Bangor Disease, the last show I'd seen over a year ago. 'The Dogs' was rockin' per usual - would love to see it as a blistering jam platform as opposed to a set piece. I must confess that I rarely seek out any of the 'Thrilling Chilling" material.

A great 'Bug' for Jovie - don't know how this is considered a bathroom break tune with it's white lights, fist pumping anthem... I'll never complain about hearing it. Sugar Shack and Evolve definitely sapped some energy from the room, for me at least. SS is a fun, bouncy tune but Trey often stumbles with the solo - he managed to make his way through this one mostly unscathed. Whether SS or 555 or other Mike tunes of that ilk, I generally find them to interrupt setlist flow, and they don't tend to appear in any of the EPIC shows. It is what it is. I'm happier to hear them in the context of MGB.

Horn, a tune many consider another opportunity to head to the concourse, is a special treat for me always. It brings my back to the days of listening to Rift on cassette - Trey's solo melody is IMO one of the more beautiful written parts of the early Phish canon, alongside melodies found in Golgi, Divided Sky, and the Lizards. The 1-2 combo into Foam brought a decidedly old school feel, and I literally jumped for joy finally catching the elusive tune for the first time in my 27 years of seeing the band. Worth the price of admission!

Moonage to close the set and good lord, the energy level was through the roof. I have not been particularly impressed with previous versions I've heard them do - this was the best yet, to my ears... just blazing. The Garden went absolutely bonkers. Hell of a way to cap off a set. The guy who was catching his first show said "Ok, I get it now!!" and was glowing with sweat and a smile.

Set 2 -

The Wedge also has its detractors but its another favorite of mine. For the guitar players out there - have you ever tried to solo over the jammed part of Wedge? It takes a lot to wrap your mind around the progression - very challenging stuff! For me, the tune transports me back to the Went and the huge cheer going up with the line "Limestone blocks so large..."

Fuego was bananas. I can't really review it without a proper re-listen, but it reminded me of the 12/30/19 Tweezer with all of the different themes and moods that it moved through. Must be a longest-ever version of the tune, and an instant entry into the jam charts and probably a JOTY candidacy.

Oblivion is my favorite of the new material - it feels so comfortable right out of the box, like its been in the catalog longer than a month. I expected that it was going to go DEEP and that we would be looking at a 4-5 song set, but I think they covered so much territory in Fuego that there was less to say with Oblivion.

Some audible disappointment when Wingsuit began, but then we were all swept up into its crystalline beauty. I've had its theme running through my head all morning. It's such a gorgeous composition, though I could do without the "Cuz it feels good" lyrics.

2001 is something I hope for at any and every Phish show as I am, first and foremost, a fan of the Cow Funk. When the first theme was complete and they dropped into the jam segment, the crowd began to roar... and Roar... and ROAR and it just got louder and louder until it was almost deafening - the collective crowd energy in that moment was such raw, goosebumpy power - I wonder if it will be noticeable on the SBDs. Bonkers! As the official reviewer commented, this 2001 had legs - big time - visions of a huge version a la the Vegas numbers show danced in my head, but then the beat cut out - whoa... what? Had this ever happened before? I couldn't think of any version I'd ever heard where the beat stopped but the jam continued... My row mates and I were all mystified and then cheers and laughter broke out as the HYHU theme began, with Trey beaming over at Jon, as if they were getting a good one over on him by forcing him to do his schtick. And a schtick he did.

Henrietta took center stage with two giant cymbals, one with a taped-on letter B, the other similarly taped with 'AH' spelling 'BAH'. If there was a reference there, I missed it. But Trey hopped on drums and then began...Cracklin' F'ing Rosie. We laughed, we sang along at the top of our lungs... Glorious Phish weirdness at its best. Afterwards Trey joked something to the effect of 'Anyone seeing their first show, that's all we've got" which of course led to more fist bumps with our row mate getting his initiation.

Santos closed the frame and brought me back to standing in that same section, watching Trey and Mike suspended in their silver space suits a few NYE's ago. I will definitely always remember where I was.

As we waited for the encore, first-show guy says "Watch them come out and play Farmhouse!" Everyone laughed. I think it was the only tune he knew coming in. And then they did. We lost it. More fist bumps. As Farmhouses go, this was a really beautiful, contemplative version... My other row mate called First Tube to close and bang, 2/2 calls made by row 17. Super high energy version, as they all are, but the ending was just an explosion of light, color and sound, as Kuroda blitzed our eyes with a grand finale of light show fireworks and Trey held the 'Doc aloft.

Back out onto the NYC streets - the fan vibe seemed to be that we had left it all on the floor and gave the band all the energy we had. I like walking away from the venue - the further you go, the fan base peters out until they are all left behind, and the only the city remains. Tonight, a Sunday show awaits....