This was a great way to start the weekend. “First Tube” opener is always a promising start, and the band seemed well-connected from the jump. A lot of reviewers point to Trey as the driver behind the band’s punch tonight, and he is front-and-center most of the time, with Mike and Page seizing plenty of spotlight too, but for me, it’s Fish that keeps this many-headed hydra together. The jams in NMiNML and MFMF shine with one sparkle after another, but behind it all is a cohesive ever-changing driving beat that lets the others go apeshit whenever they please. I think this makes the interplay between Page and Trey so natural, and this leads to a beautiful jam before the main theme kicks in again, which becomes yet another launching pad. Just listen to the drums while Trey is going nuts. Nobody in music can drum like Fish. Nobody.

That was so intense that after Trey welcomes us too the party, “Cavern” feels like a breather. This is dark and wonderful, and was fun live. My favorite moment, though, was watching the brilliant sign-language interpreters showing “the flesh from Satan’s dogs will make the rudiments gruel.” I enjoyed that part of the show a lot. They are incredibly creative, conveying intense subtlety with almost fleeting gestures and never-ending enthusiasm. I also enjoyed watching them in “Chalk Dust Torture.” Not courting controversy here, but they do a better job at conveying “All my vasoconstrictors they come slowly undone” than Trey does singing.

As soon as I heard MFMF’s opening, I knew we were going to get smoked. My last one was in Alpharetta last year, which was also a stunning piece of music. Tonight’s version was not nearly ass dark, and this reinforced a theme of positivity that I had experienced since arriving in the venue. Phish are really comfortable in this venue, and the crowd reflects that same energy back to them. The music is brave and exploratory, and it’s funny, at the show, Trey left me spellbound, but listening this morning (and, yeah, I am a happy mess today), Page is who stands out more… As soon as I wrote that, Trey just led this beautiful jam that led to a false end.

After such a start, the rest of the first set (save for the well-placed disco-infused psychedelic ASZ) was jukebox Phish, fun (rocking even) with one soaring lead after another, but safely coloring inside the lines. Trey’s mid-set realization that they could pace themselves with three whole nights seemed like a self-fulfilling prophecy. And, yeah, that’s not to say anything was disappointing—every song is actually crisp and hot—but aside from hints of insanity in 2001, these are different party goals.

It seemed to me the four troubadours from Gamehendge came back early from set break with a singular purpose in mind: We were to be splattered across the boundless domains of sentience. These conjurers of thunder (who look a lot like older versions of guys who inhabited a Time Factory) were going conjuring. “The Wedge” sets up the “Tweezer” that seems to get off to a rocky start but, man, when it hits… well, let’s say it’s a lot and you should really just stop reading this and go listen to it again. “Pillow Jets’ and “Piper”were jam companions of this Tweezer, and voluminous quantities of bodily fluids (sweat, I swear) surged forth from the effusive crowd. This is the epitome of 2024 fearless Phish. They have purpose but are not in a hurry and willing to paint our eyelids with every shade of tone, many times over, layering piece over piece, until we are all in the stew pot together, getting happily cooked. “On Pillow Jets” jam is one of my favorites of the summer.

One more shout out to the incredible placement of “Shine a Light.” That was really nice, and I realized it was actually 12 years since the last time I caught this one live. Too long.

Chalk Dust was another opportunity to get a delicious taste of untrodden terrain, and the band happily complied, but by now it is all gravy.

Thanks for coming to this great venue and showing us a real good time!