Set 1: The Ghost wasn't too bad for a 1st set Ghost and they played Buried Alive & BBFCFM and Reba was quite nice and Mule was scary and spooky and blah blah blah just get to Set 2 already. Okay.

Set 2: So, here's one way to look at this set - "I love the tradition of playing classic albums, because it's an established 90s tradition, they play albums I'm generally familiar with, and it's a lot of fun to listen to live. This? This is sabotaging that tradition just to play original music, which isn't all that great to begin with. It's the Wingsuit debacle all over again. Just imagine all the pissed-off people that paid $300 and got this? I really hope they finally play Eat A Peach next year."

Here's another way to look at this set - "Phish has played 6 musical costumes, 7 if you count last year's (which you should). They want to continue the tradition, but they want to do it on their own terms. Not only did they find a clever concept for said musical costume, but *they actually composed their own music*, ten totally new pieces of music, without those pesky 'lyrics' and 'vocals' getting in the way. They're playing a structured soundcheck, AND they're playing it with CK's lights and a fun theatrical bent to it. Oh, and did I mention the music generally sounds fantastic?"

I know which of those ways of looking at things seems more appealing.

So, the music. The first two songs, to me, are meant to ease the listener into a hot bath, more about introducing the concept of "musical accompaniment to spooky sound effects album" than exploring musical ground. But from The Dogs on, it's all about hearing 3.0 jamming at its finest, its most experimental, and (most importantly) its most fun; every band member is loose and on point with their playing, showing how much work went into this piece of music. The Dogs utterly soars, Timber swaggers with menacing 70s-rock energy, Your Pet Cat is a crazed funk-fest that apes the 12/7/97 Tube in the best possible way, Shipwreck is a Page-driven effects-laden trip through fog and darkness with a great Trey solo at the end, The Unsafe Bridge is Phish Does Ennio Morricone, The Chinese Water Torture bounces energetically (Fish has a great drum part here) and peaks nicely, The Birds (the set highlight) is a heavy jam that Page goes sample-nuts on (petition to exchange "They attack!" for "Woo" during stop-start jams), and Martian Monster lives up to its name with trippy vocal samples ("your trip is short!"), a wicked groove that Page splashes clavinet magic over, and a droning finale not unlike Halloweens past. Trust me, you would have been quite happy to hear any of these songs come out of any jam from the last six years. And once the crowd figures out what's going on, about 3 songs in? They're totally on board. It's a joy to hear their enthusiasm, a far cry from the hands-sitting of the Wingsuit set. Add it all up, and it's one of Phish's boldest moves, and a set of music with ridiculous replay value.

Set 3: Save Trey getting a bit too antsy moving into Tweezer and Guyute having some fugly moments, a "second" set on par with the last two wonderful nights. Golden Age rediscovers some of its Fall 2013 mojo thanks to Page on his 70s organ and clavinet, Tweezer kicks into a tasty groove SB-style that suddenly reverses course into a sweet major-key jam before Fish speeds up, finds the Heavy Things opening drum part, and everyone else shrugs and nicely segues into Heavy Things with him. But the real drawing card of this set (other than how nicely it's structured, another great aspect of the last few shows) is Sand, which starts life as a fierce Type I Trey soloing showcase (think 10/20/13 II), but instead of ending in its usual manner (Fish has gone back to the usual Sand beat, note) Page and Trey keep things at a low simmer, the band moves into a disgusting funk space (with plinko-y notes meshing with that dang clavinet), they bring on the "woo"s (which you gotta expect with this kind of danceable jam), then in one final surprise rebuild into a ferocious blues-rock breakdown, with Page still wailing away on the clavinet, before Trey catches onto Tweezer Reprise, the rest of the band catch up with him (Fish stumbles a bit, but recovers nicely), and we get another great segue into a fiery Reprise to end the set. The surprise cover (give the lyrics a listen and think on them) and Frankenstein round out a superb, superb night.

Final thoughts: I'll step aside from any debates about this show's place in history and the Phish pantheon and all of that for now. All I ask is you give the show a listen and make up your mind for yourself. I think you'll like what you hear.

I wrote this at 1:20 am at http://soundandphission.blogspot.com . It may not be the most technical review of set II but I think it stands for itself. I edited out some swear words just because.

"Set two just ended and I wanted to jot down some quick words on it as it happened in real time.

HOLY EFFING CRAP THAT WAS AMAZINGSAUCE AND I WANT STUFF LIKE THAT ALL THE TIME AND THIS IS WHY WE PAY ALL THE MONEYS AND SPEND ALL OUR TIME TALKING ABOUT PHISH AND TRY TO GO TO AS MANY SHOWS AS WE CAN AND JUSTIFY IT TO OUR FAMILIES EVERY TOUR AND MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T MISS OUT BECAUSE AFTER 30+ YEARS OF AMAZING CONCERTS AND SHOWS AND FRIENDS AND LIFE EXPERIENCES AND EXTRAVAGANZAS THEY CAN STILL PULL JAMS LIKE THAT AND NO OTHER BAND CAN DO THAT AND I LIKE UMPHREY'S AND I LIKE OTHER JAM BANDS AND I LIKE ALL SORTS OF MUSIC BUT NOTHING WAS COMPARABLE TO THAT AND NOTHING WILL COMPETE WITH THAT AND THAT WAS JUST SIMPLY STELLAR.

So in other words, I liked it a lot."

I mean, how do you talk about that set in objective terms? Incredibly unique. Incredibly well played. Incredible stage presence. And just great top to bottom. Will we ever see these songs again? I'm honestly not sure. I would be ok with it either way though. But damn can Phish still bring it.

This show has inspired me to write my first Phish.net review. Thank you, 10/31/14!

Buried Alive: I've been seeing the band since 96 and I'm here to tell you this is as solid a version as I've heard. Nice exploratory playing by Trey down the stretch.

Ghost: Solid version. Certainly not of the best versions of all time, but one of the sweetest placements of the song ever. Ghost 2nd song in! Are you kidding me.

Scent: Always a pleasure - rather pedestrian version - certainly nothing special. Nevertheless, Scent following Ghost as the 3rd song is a "on paper" pleaseer.

Sample: Sample is straightforward.

Reba: Simply the highlight of the set. Peak playing from our four favorite people on the planet - spouses excluded of course. "The chill section" is divine. One of the strongest versions of the year.

46 Days: Very solid version

Big Black Furry Creatures: Always a treat. Last played 87 shows ago, so definitely qualifies for bustout status.

Lawn Boy: I would let Page father my children if I could. Not really - just thought I'd offer some levity in place of not having much to say about the tune.

Saw it Again: A tune that's only been played 3 times in the last 100 shows constitutes bustout status in my book. Plus it's such a cool song - love the opening drum beat of this tune like no other.

Tube: Straightforward - nothing special

Wolfman's: In a year that has seen some truly exceptional Wolfman's, this version rates as

Set Two:

This in my opinion may very well go down as the best Halloween stunt they've ever done. Only 10/31/94 can hold a candle to it as far as this reviewer is concerned. While musically, I think the White Album may have been better, when you factor in the stage design, fact that they emerged out of the haunted mansion in full makeup and costume, the originality of playing a soundtrack to an amusement park attraction, and the fact that the music was amazing - my conclusion is that set two elevates 10/31/14 to the level of one of greatest shows this band has ever played. That right, I put up there with the 12/31/95, 12/30/93, 12/6/96, 12/30/97s of the world.

I have finally decided to dive in and write a review. I will leave the musical analysis to others who are far more qualified than myself. I guess I would like to concentrate on on the feeling this show gave me. If (when) I get long-winded, I apologize in advance.

My first show was '95 Dane County during that fabulous Fall Tour. I knew of the band, had heard Junta thoroughly in the dorms, and came in with spirits high. That show is still the "scariest" Phish show I have ever been to. The YEM got dark. The Sleeping Monkey confounded me. The Antelope left tracks on my back. I left with a concussion and I loved every note that beat my brains that night.

By the time Spring had rolled around, and Jazz Fest accompanying it, I hit the road with some friends and did the obligatory first trip. For anyone that was there, you know how much fun the weekend was. The rain at the end of Stash and The Meters afterwards and the bars trying to keep the Heads out on Bourbon Street. I dove headlong into culture and it responded with that perfect amount of mockery and respect and welcoming that a new family does.

I was hooked.

I know that if a couple of dates and a couple of places were replaced, the above stories could mirror almost every persons' journey here. Every one of us has given time and money and sweat and blood to the music that these four men so graciously give. That is one of the reasons I love this band so much. It doesn't matter if you have 10 shows or a 110 shows on your belt. If you have experienced "IT" you share that feeling with everyone else who has felt "IT". It truly is a community in that regard.

As the years have dragged on, and as my belly has grown and the temples have a touch of grey, the feeling of absolute pure euphoria that I got during those first shows has somewhat diminished. The shows have (for the most part) always been enjoyable and to get my elusive Tela brought a couple of tears, but simply put, I have gotten older. Life has happened, as it does to all of us, and the blissful feeling of only having to worry about getting Mail Order has been replaced by so much else. Frankly, I have no problems with it either. I actually kind of enjoy it.

In the last few years, the quality of play and the rekindled friendship of the band has really jump started my love for the band again and that enthusiasm led to my girlfriend getting me Halloween tix for Vegas. The Halloween show was one large hole on my Phish checklist and the enthusiasm that accompanies an Oct 31st show swept me up as well.

Speculating about the Halloween show meant spending much more time on this website. That led to revisiting shows long past, putting these new years in perspective with old, and starting relations and conversations with you folks. It has made that community that I felt so connected to 15 years ago, real again. I felt like a fan sitting in the lot getting killer French Bread pizza from Arizona Guy and talking about Guyute. And it felt great.

The only thing left was the show. And what a show it was.

That was what I loved about that show more than anything. The collective sense of NEW. Every person in that arena had an experience that got them there, but every person in that arena was joined by the uniting fact that NO ONE HAD EVER EXPERIENCED PHISH QUITE LIKE THAT.

It was exciting and it was fun and and it was smart and creative and over the top and all of the reasons that Phish is Phish. It had all of the reasons that we fell in love with Phish. And every person had the same deflowering to that experience. We were all like-minded in our stupefaction, and when the curtain fell, the mutual jubilation and appreciation that was on the tongues of every person there reminded me of a feeling that I had long thought gone.

We had witnessed something special. We had witnessed something unique. We had a witnessed a moment that completely encompassed "IT."

I always hoped, but never truly expected, to feel the same way I did in New Orleans. I have always wanted, but didn't think possible, to have a musical moment on par with The Riverport Gin. I have always dreamed, but didn't dare hope, to have my head spin the way I felt after my first show.

And yet, they did it.

It was the perfect bookend to a trip that blasted off 19 years ago and the audience was the perfect crew to share the cabin with. It was special. Truly, truly special...

If this show is wrong, I don't wanna be right! Phish took a huge risk this tour, spending countless hours rehearsing one of the most profound musical endeavors of their musical career. Everyone I talked to who was in attendance with me was completely blown away by the second set. At times we could hear what has already been a theme in their jamming lately: Take a familiar song or melody, alter it ever so keenly to where it sounds new and run with it. There was a Tube jam, a Free section and BOAF to only name a few. Of course, some of the sound effects became over the top, but only to add to the ridiculousness of what we were witnessing.
Enough about the second set. This show could stand on its own with only the epic Sand to anchor a two setter. The first set brought real jamming for one of the few times this year and every song brought the fire. I also love the set list narrative fun continuing. You're buried alive by a ghost of your own making until your decomposition causes you to stink like scent of a mule. You smell so bad that they have to put you into a jar, bag you and tag you for 46 days until you mutate into a furry creature from mars. Wandering out on the lawn, on second glance, we notice you're just our smelly wooked out buddy returning in tatters from phish tour.

The third set began much like the show: a hight octane chase scene. Golden Age got our boogie going, but the energy in the room when tweezer dropped was explosive. What a fantastic segue into Heav Things! Yes, yes, yes! Was heard all around me at that point. Sand is my jam of the tour so far. The band did not want to leave the stage and kept digging deeper and thicker. I could barely hear the Reprise transition because people were going nuclear all around me. Mike shined during the encore and if our palate wasn't already blown to Smithers, Page continued to bring the hammer down with the Frankenstein encore.

The entire band was assertive, confident, creative and connected the entire night. The amount of top shelf playing is staggering and I'm so glad that we all experienced it together, whether in person, webcasted or in repeat listens from now to eternity. THANK YOU PHISH for outdoing yourself once again!

In one line: this was one of Phish's most consequential performances of their career.

In more lines: There are so many occasions in life in which the path of least resistance is strong. It can incrementally take us away from what we are passionate about. This time, I pushed against the various forms of resistance and made it to the show. Met some great friends, old and new, on the floor of MGM. And it was undeniably one of the great peak moments of my life, which I am still processing. Thank you PHISH. I truly love this band with all of my heart. Soooo, for my review, I'll admit that it could be tinged by personal meaningfulness

In many ways, this story begins in Hartford, in 1983. Trey went to his first Grateful Dead concert. At the time he was really into dark, heavy metal. He recounts this experience in a CT Forum joint interview with Bob Weir. If you haven't seen this interview, you can and should watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90ItoM-wrmc /> As Bobby observes, "it knocked the metal right out of you." And since that defining experience for Trey, much of his compositions have been relatively bright, happy bits. They do sometimes have a dark, heavy rock sound. Carini and PYITE are go to examples as gateway songs for our metal friends who might be phish-curious. Not like I regularly proselytize Phish or anything.

So, with that said, last night was a BIG stylistic departure for The Phish. I'm not saying it was metal, but it was dark. All the talk since last year of feeling too constrained by musical costumes meant they were thinking really big when they reconsidered a cover album idea. They really thought about what would make an amazing show for HALLOWEEN. Trey and the others went pre-1983. It was a big risk and one of the most creative steps in their entire career. 30+ years in. Phish once again proves their relevance and keeps anyone labeling them a nostalgia act on seriously weak ground.

As soon as I saw the Phishbill (and figured out what the hell it was about), I wondered how the crowd would react. There are always a good number of phans on psychedelics, which don't always mix well with dark music and gory imagery. And to be honest, there was some tension and anxiety when the set began. One guy completely lost his shit, took off his clothes, and was alternately kissing other dudes on the mouth and pushing people around. His presence was menacing and like nothing I've ever seen at a show before. I believe he was finally removed from the crowd after 5 minutes of rampaging around. And maybe it wasn't the music and he would've acted like that during Sparkle -- who knows… But the darkness was new to a Phish show, and with a little time, the crowd adjusted. I would say that by the end of the Very Long Fuse, the crowd was completely locked in, dancing, and totally embracing it. I would love to hear what the behind the stage phans thought. They had an amazing view for this set.

Musically, I was blown away during the show. The band sounded very tight, and they must have spent a ton of time writing and rehearsing all of it. I've relistened to the set today, and I do have some thoughts. Compositionally, it's not as complex as much of the Phish catalog. Also, Trey didn't take a ton of soloing risks. There were moments that were open for a little shredding, but Trey seemed to opt for clean, melodic solos. So I would not at all call this a heavy metal set. It was pretty dark though (yet also quite funky and danceable). Fish's drum lines were driving and tight. I think there's room for him layer these more. Everyone is wondering if these songs will enter the normal rotation. If they do, I think some of them could develop into absolute beasts.

I could also talk at length about sets 1 and 2, but other people have already done that. I will say that "Is This What You Wanted" was beautiful and featured some pretty soulful singing from Mike. Great, very fitting choice. The ultimate grade on this show should be heavily weighted on what they did in Set 2. Set 2 is what puts this show in the conversation. It's what will make this one of the essential listening pieces for Phish for any phan. Think about that. From here forward, how can you comprehensively discuss the band without mentioning this show? All in all, I give this show somewhere north of 4.6. My rating on the 5 point scale is thus a 5.

As far as I'm concerned, this was Phish's application for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and it came in on 3.0 stationary. Sets I and III showcase their diverse sound -- Jazzy Buried Alive and PYITE, Prog with Reba and Guyute, Straight Up Rock with Sample, 46 Days, Saw it Again and Tweezer/Reprise, Quality covers of Golden Age, Is This What You Wanted, and Frankenstein, the Jewgrass Mule, metal BBFCFM, lounge lizard Lawn Boy, pop of Wolfman's and Heavy Things, a couple of segues, the genius improv of Sand and SO MUCH FUNK.

Also, there was set II which was thrilling, chilling stuff of the highest order.

I've been to hundreds of concerts of all types since I was a teenager and the only thing better than this was Big Cypress. As an in-person experience, for sure a top 10 phish show, that's all you could hear or talk about walking out "that was one of the best concerts I've ever seen" "maybe it's too early to talk best show ever, but..." "rivals Clifford Ball, NYE 95 as best 3 set show ever." As a recording, the myopic among us might wish for a long-form improv more like the Chalkdust-Piper from night 3 but the progression of 10 minute jams were all bursting with creativity and the Sand is freaking spectacular.

If you didn't love this show I feel sorry for you. Between the amperage in the crowd, the costumes, the staging and lighting, the custom-written Halloween album, the brilliant, complete performance, and especially the company of the great friends I got to share it with, this was really one of the most fun nights of my life. I love 2014 phish but I didn't really think they could best our ridiculously high expectations, and they did.

I wouldn't call myself a 3.0 hater, but I am one of those that has always said that 3.0 just can't touch what they were doing from '93-'99. Like Halloween '96, this show may prove to be THE pivotal show of the era. Trey's playing on this night, and for the rest of this run, had a swagger that I had not seen/heard from him in some time. After spending most of 2014 sitting on rhythm and guiding jams that way, this was the night that he remembered how to grab a song by the throat and just rip it. If the approach he took this run carries over to 2015, I may be singing a different tune when the 1.0/3.0 debate comes up again.

Set 1:

Is there a better way to open a Halloween show than Buried->Ghost? Quite simply, no. Buried got everyone loose and for those that thought the 1st 2 sets of the previous year's Halloween show were not so hot, well, it got some of those concerns out of their head for this year's go at it. Ghost won't stand out as an "all time keeper," but you can't complain about the action you get out of it in the 2 slot. I really like Trey's playing towards the end of this jam. It really has a "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" feel to it. Mule comes in hard in the 3 slot. This may be my favorite version since the 90's. The lumina marimba is cool, but it's nice to hear them lean on some old fashioned weirdness and not that in the middle of the mule jam.

The next few songs have a bit of a "standard first set" feel to them. No complaints on Sample after the 1-2-3 punch that opened. Reba is welcome anywhere. This is a nice pleasant version, but in the grand scheme of Reba's, I'd have to call it average, at best. 46 Days hits a pretty typical rock and roll climax and sets up BBFCFM nicely. Lawnboy provided a nice breather before they hit the homestretch. Trey has some nice licks in "I Saw It Again," which doesn't pop up as much as it should. I'll never complain about a short Tube, and like many, this one packs a punch. Wolfman's lands a bit more on the abstract end of the funk spectrum than most versions, and it sent everyone into break wondering what the hell was about to happen in set 2.

Set 2:
This set was just to SHOCKINGLY GOOD. I have seen some good Phish in my day, but this is the first set in over 15 years where I absolutely could not believe what I had seen. When everyone got their Play Bill, we all knew to expect the unexpected, but man, this was something.

The Haunted House has Trey at his raunchiest and filthiest. This is almost like Phish mixed with Zappa and Black Sabbath. I knew right when he hit that first power break that this set was going to be something. I really didn't give the Longest Fuse a great listen until after the show because I was captivated by the stage antics. It has some nice playing by all the members. This wasn't my favorite song from the set, but it has some nice potential. Dogs and Timber brought the edge back to this set, and lord only knows how these two songs will work their way into the catalog. Your Pet Cat sounds like one long Tube jam. Ship Wreck, Chinese Water Torture and Unsafe Bridge moved like something off the Siket Disc but with a fresh spin. The Birds brought everyone back up as the set started to come to a close. I think "They Attack" is going to be in the Phish lexicon for some time. Then there's "Martian Monster." This puppy is going to be the next Phish-Funk slammer. Get ready kids. Your trip may be short, but this song is not. By the time the band laid this one out, they already knew they were victorious, and this was the victory lap. The whole arena was going balistic.

This set, my friends, was legendary. Unlike the Wingsuit set, where they just debuted new songs, Phish came out and debuted a new sound. Unlike the wingsuit set, this worked. It more than worked. It blew everyone in the room away. There were no talkers. There was no texting. Everyone's eyes and ears were all focused forwards.

Set 3:
For most of this set, it felt like they just couldn't find what they were looking for. You could definitely tell they wanted to deliver some more heat, but they just couldn't find what they were looking for. That said, I don't think there was one person in the MGM that didn't feel like they had gotten their money's worth already, and they did find a little something towards the end.

PYITE was a nice opener. After so much "new," in the 2nd set, Punch brought everyone home. They took Golden Age on a nice long exploration, but this was the one jam of the weekend that they really couldn't find anything. I always appreciate them trying, but even Trey knew it was happening. That's why he gave this jam a little mercy killing in favor of Tweezer. The Tweezer jam started to take some nice twists, and then Fish happened upon Heavy Things. Sure, this killed the Tweezer jam, but I'll be damned if it wasn't a perfect segue. Guyute was well-played, and it fit the mood of the evening. Then they cranked up Sand. Initially, this played out like a normal "dance party Sand." It hit its typical rousing climax, and it made a move like it was returning back to Sand. It was immediately clear that no one wanted to do that. They found a nice funky groove, and Page, Mike, and Fish left it to big red to deliver the goods. Ladies and Gentlemen, the man delivered. He put every jaw to the ground with a classic Trey rock star solo that made sure to touch on Alice Cooper along the way. Eventually, he pulled this one into a rousing tweeprise closer. The segue was less than seamless, but that was more than forgivable.

The first encore song asked "Is this what you wanted?" Hell yes. Halloween was back!! Frankenstein was merely the icing on the cake.

Top to bottom, this is one of the best 3.0 shows you are going to find, and it kicked off what could be the best 3 night run I have ever attended.

Phish....hats off to you guys for this gem.

In my opinion this was the best show since Cypress, Top 5 show-all time. It was obvious the band was stoked to be playing something different and it showed. They were so crisp and tight throughout the night with smooth jams and segways. Fishman's textured drumming set the tone for much of the evening.

It's amazing that after 19 years/50 shows (for me) this band continues to blow my mind. The reason I spend all the money and time on Phish is for moments like Halloween 2014. They continue to stretch the limits and do things no other band would dare to do. Simply mind blowing. Thank You Phish!!!

Listening to the Second Set and I already know what I will be playing through my front door for all the tricker-treaters next year (and the indefinite future).

Agree that its not exactly Siket Disc but shows off variegated nature of their mature jamming style. I've not listened to Vida Blue, but now I'm going to have to.

I wonder if this explains the spotiness of the fall tour. They obviously worked out this music and practiced it quite a bit. So perhaps this was the "distraction" that everyone was speculating about. If so, then quite frankly it was worth it!

Great idea Phish - love it!. Original, well executed, clever, funny, and, above all, musical.

I might be guilty of apostasy here, so flame away, but ... I don't get the myriad show lists in which Trey supposedly teases "San-Ho-Zay". I'm not hearing it. Trey's style is simply derivative of Freddie King's in some way, and I think someone is hearing it because they want to. To me it sounds like Trey has a natural language inflection in his licks that conjure references to other songs, but they're really just syntactical elements of the blues rock genre we're accustomed to.

I'd love it if someone would cite the time in the Phish performances as matched to the time in San-Ho-Zay where said teases are present. I love to be proven wrong. It keeps me ethical and clear headed.

Anyway, I attended this show, and it was amazing. I was in the next to last row of the venue in the nosebleeds but with a near frontal view of the stage. The sound was great, and the sets were simply un-dead.

My review of last night!

This show has inspired me to write my first Phish.net review. Thank you, 10/31/14, you are a total stroke of genius!!!

Buried Alive: I've been seeing the band since 96 and I'm here to tell you this is as solid a version as I've heard. Nice exploratory playing by Trey down the stretch.

Ghost: Solid version. Certainly not of the best versions of all time, but one of the sweetest placements of the song ever. Ghost 2nd song in! Are you kidding me.

Scent: Always a pleasure - rather pedestrian version - certainly nothing special. Nevertheless, Scent following Ghost as the 3rd song is a "on paper" pleaseer.

Sample: Sample is straightforward.

Reba: Simply the highlight of the set. Peak playing from our four favorite people on the planet - spouses excluded of course. "The chill section" is divine. One of the strongest versions of the year.

46 Days: Very solid version featuring peaks of increasing stature.

Big Black Furry Creatures: Always a treat. Last played 87 shows ago, so definitely qualifies for bustout status.

Lawn Boy: I would let Page father my children if I could. Not really - just thought I'd offer some levity in place of not having much to say about the tune.

Saw it Again: A tune that's only been played 3 times in the last 100 shows constitutes bustout status in my book. Plus it's such a cool song - the opening drum beat of this tune is makes me a happy, happy person.

Tube: Straightforward - nothing special

Wolfman's: In a year that has seen some truly exceptional Wolfman's, this version shines as one of the best. Pushes 11 minutes and featured all around stellar improvisation from the phab four.

Set Two:

This in my opinion may very well go down as the best Halloween stunt they've ever done. Only 10/31/94 can hold a candle to it as far as this reviewer is concerned. While musically I think the White Album may have been better, when you factor in the stage design, fact that they emerged out of the haunted mansion in full makeup and costume, the originality of playing a soundtrack to an amusement park attraction, and the fact that the music was amazing - my conclusion is that set two elevates 10/31/14 to the level of one of greatest shows this band has ever played. That's right, I put up there with the 12/31/95, 12/30/93, 12/6/96, 12/30/97s of the world. Song by song review coming soon.

Set Three:

Punch You in the Eyes:

Only the 2nd Punch of 2014, and third in the last two years. Features some really cool playing from Mike in the intro.

Golden Age: Love this tune, because it's the truth!. Nice looping effect from Trey in the intro. Cool spacey, exploratory playing in the middle. Clocking in at 11 minutes, I'd rate it as one of the year's best versions.

Tweezer: Yes I'd like some more awesome sauce. While a paltry 10 minutes, it's the old adage quality over quantity that is most apropos.

Heavy Things: Perfect restroom break set placement. Very thoughtful of the boys.

Guyute: Only the third time played in the last two years, so that's rad. One of the finest compositions in the catalog, Guyute is wonderful to any setlist.

Sand: This is a champion Sand, clocking in at just over 18 minutes. One of the best versions you'll ever hear - clearly the highlight of set three. Funk so fine, you blow my mind.

Tweezer Reprise: Unusual to end the 2nd set - typically closes out the encore, so cool in that regard.

Is This What You Want: Yes. A tune never played before, a Leonard Cohen tune, capping off a masterful evening - yes, Phish, this is what we wanted!!!

Frankenstein: 1st in 100 shows - and only the 2nd time played in 150 shows, so cool in that regard. Also the Page on keytar trend continues - he's played it every version in the 3.0 era.

Thank you, Phish! Thank you for your creativity, your commitment to keeping things fresh, and for the masterful performance that is 10/31/14. From Asheville with LOVE!!!

Phish review 10/31/14
Las Vegas MGM

Back in September we celebrated 18 years of marriage. My wife,being who she is, agreed to Halloween in Vegas with Phish as our way of celebrating. This is what I wanted. You see, we first met at a pregame party before Phish played 7.25.1992. (You've got to check that set with Santana if you have not). We married years later. For both of us this band has been a central theme in our lives. She got on the train early while (briefly) attending UVM in the mid eighties. I was the guy holding a sign for tickets for "Fish"tickets not long after. Eventually, we hit several of the big festivals together. So it wasn't to big a stretch to hope we could celebrate our union in Vegas this year.

Halloween got off to a rough start for us. Convinced our flight was at 9 am, we would arrive in plenty of time to relax and rest up for the big weekend. The excitement and anticipation may have led to the consumption of a beer or two more that necessary on Thursday night. At 7am Halloween Friday, I discovered my error, first flight had been at 6 am. Obscenities flew, urgency took over. Instead of a casual start, we had to start sprinting. The ticket agents at Jet Blue were very helpful. Yes, we had missed our flight, but they could still get us to Las Vegas. There was a catch, a 6 hour layover in JFK. And a 9 pm arrival time in Vegas. Well so much for the first set. Maybe it was the martinis, but for what ever reason we decided that airport sushi was a good idea. By the time we landed my favorite girls belly was messed, she needed to sit this one out. Armed with an extra ticket I sought a friend in need to miracle. Then there she was, a Pfamily friend, recently relocated to the west coast who like us had a crazy travel day, flew in ticketless but with the faith that it would all gel. "Well then, here you go friend." In we marched as the second set began.
I will do my best to review the first set by ear, but as many of you know, "it ain't nothing like being there".
Burried Alive has become a favorite opener for all of us and this did not disappoint. Page and Jon start the counterpoint rhythm. When Treys overdriven tone starts,the panic begins. Clawing my way to the top is what I hear.
Ghost starts next, the Clav is right up front where I like it. A patient Ghost from the onset. No urgency here, "you see people we have got all weekend to blow it up." Let's enjoy this time together, have I ever told you the story. Yes, you have, tell it again I love that story. Intro blends into jam. Stories are being told. Mike and Jon keep the steady pace. Piano and guitar chat it up. Trey starts to heat up as the lead soars. Sweet string benders. Rhythm starts to drive it harder as the song closes.
Mike gets the Scent of a Mule going, things are building here in Tomahawk county. I smell it. Page franticly crushes his lead piano piece. Then the duel. Balm, balm, balm, balm balm balm balm. Crowd loves it, but can not wait for the tension to break. I always think of some kind of Yiddish celebratory dance before Mike then finishes sounding like a Muslim prayer. Here we showered ourselves in lightness.
The chords to sample in jar ring out. In your grasp the fears don't last. After the crazy mule it's nice to settle into this anthem. The simple songs and good times feel all wrong. Pretty sure I could here 19,000 voices here. Trey builds it up. Jon hits those skins hard as the solo concludes.
Reba. Bag it tag it. Intro into jam per normal greatness. Mike drives this one from the down low. Bum bump. Guitars soar. Bum bump, bum bump, bum bump. Everybody working together through the jam. Listening, but working it together. She peaks then starts a wind-down. Then she peaks again. Whistle while you work, it's always more fun that way. And we are to the outro. Bag it.
46 days. Cow bell heavy. Taste the fear. 46 days and the coal ran out. Organ pans, things start clicking. That guitar is talking to me. Piano peaks in. Counter play all around. Mike and Jon are locked. 46 days continues to build to climax to the out.
Big black Furry creature from Mars are all around. We can punk too. Why do I try to kill you? Because. We will punk you haters. We will kill you. Ready? Ha.
Lawn Boy. Moist green organics. Michael Gordlione. Cactus makes that bass a jazzy tool to complement Pages Vegas lounge act. Complete with Fishman solo on cymbal and then the whole kit. Everyone is back on the grass, anticipating.
Saw it again. A form in my window, wants to come in. I try not to look. And I am fully awoken. I saw it again. The spooky tunes go on. Fine Phish form here. Everybody is clicking as it jams out. A great build up.
Tube. Funky Clav rules this one. Love how the bass fills the spaces between. Then we take off up the tube. So stupendous. So stupendous living in this tube.
Wolfman's starts with a cheer. You shouldn't have took more than you gave. Mike steps it up. Trey fills in behind him. Or is the other way around? Here comes that Clav funk. Everybody has got something to say here. The boys are having some fun stretching it out. Complete synthesis. Doing what they do best right here. Everybody is talking at once, but the conversation is so coherent. It just makes sense when they do it. Everybody keeps adding to the conversation. Wolfman's.

Spooky wind to start the costume set. Nothing to compare this set to, just go for the ride. Creaking. Erie Dracule sounding synth. A foreboding guitar lead crescendo leads to a drumming build up to a creaking door. She introduces the Haunted mansion that you investigate, but from which you never return. Cats shriek. Pounding piano stress. Screaming lead tones bring everyone into the present. Then we start up the stairs to investigate. Screaming wailing voices unsettle. dissonance. One and two and three four.
Creaking again.( whoopy cushion)
The fuse is lit. Plink. Plink. Da da da plinko. There you go. Gonna blow you up. We are gonna blow. There you go now. Bam bam bam bam. Boom!
Mans best friend? Awoken in the stone hut by the Dogs. Better get going now. They howl and snarl. They are coming for you. Terror. Power chords hint at the severity of the situation. Here they come again. Closer. You scream. Hear the the dogs come. You better run.

Timber. Woodsman sawing. Wah wahing. Dun dunt. Dun dunt. Love this one. Layers build in a phamiliar way. Until it all comes crashing down.
Your cat. Your pet is a friendly one. Until one day. Cat screech samples kick this one off. Lots of keys and deep bass. Leading the way to the plink/ screech solo. All the while Jon keeping it in time. I think Mikey likes it. Meow. Page keeps bringing back the funk. Huge roars from the crowd.
Shipwreck. "Are you too near the shore with its crashing surf and jagged rocks?" Felt like a rock opera intro on this one. Foreboding guitar hints at impending disaster. Sample is fragmented, hinting at a bubbly siren call. Your vessel creaks as you realize your mistake, is it too late to correct?
The unsafe bridge. Spanish guitar. You venture across the suspension bridge. You don't want to fall. Bass and drums hold it down. Piano counterpoint to the guitar until you fall.
Chinese Water Torture. It never failed. Operatic intro. Drippy piano. Dan-ant guitar. Wow. A very clever sample. Here comes Page. Driving you crazy. Wah. Plink plink. A very clever race these phish are. Chinese water torture. Trey is raging, frothing as we go insane.
The Birds. "You fear the feathered creatures with their sharp beaks and their clutching tallons." You fear. They attack. Bass pumping the Rhythm. Plink plink plinky plink - Into wailing lead tones. Bump a bump up. Here we go again. Che Che Che goes Jon on the splash. They attack. Ba ba Ba bump. They attack. For each time you step outside your house they attack. They attack. Snare like a shot. Scary fun.
Martian madness.
"Your time is short." The count down is progressing, because of the incedible speed of your rocket your trip is short. Palm muted lead. Mike putting it down. Jon holding it together while Page brings the funk on organ once again. Your trip is short. Your tripping. Your about to blast off. Here we go. These boys are on fire. Samples trip us out. Ba bump da Ba ta da bump. Your about to. Ba bump ta da ta da bump yeah. Blast off. When you reach Mars your are met by a Hungary welcoming committee. Crunch. Sirens. Blast off. Your trip is short. This funk machine does not quit. Even though your trip is short you've got a smokin soundtrack to listen to on the ride.
Blast off. Trey hammering. Sample warppling Bubbling bass sample brings the boys out of their box to take a bow with the zombie dancers.

Back to familiar ground for the start of the third set. Punch you in the eye. Killer bass thumping. Hey! Oh! Wilson. Hey. Ascending guitar riffs to solo. Nice version.

Golden Age. Oh It's gonna drop. The age of sound. Coming round. What you viewed as gold pollutes this space. Age of miracles. It came around. Don't you falter. There you are. You arms in the air. Clap your hands if you think your in the right place. Crowd roars its approval, because we know we are in the right place. The love from within the crowd became palpable. We will not falter. Into into jam as you would expect. Then we settled into the groove. Mike started to bring some of that swirly, slippery, whipping, envelope follower effect to bear and the jam took off between Page and Trey. Everybody listening. Unsure of who was to lead? Page took it to the Clav as Trey started foot tapping. Whaling? Crowd all ears as groove settles down and breaks to Tweezer.
It's gonna be cold cold cold. But not at the MGM tonight. Anticipation following this song is to be expected. Of course Tahoe, but more recently at Randalls there was another epic version. So won't you step into this freezer? Normal intro into slow down until a second phase build up. Slight dissonance then back into the main riff. Page takes over with piano, then hands it off to Trey. The interplay never gets old. Searching for a theme. Page suggests ascending scales. Trey jumps in on that idea. Jon and Mike may have something to add here. Page leads on to phase three build up to which Trey seems eager to play with. It's gonna be cold, but not in here. It's gonna be cold. Jon switches the tempo up for the segue into Heavy Things.
Steals my one remaining breathe. Stumbling as I fall from grace. Things are falling down on me. When I tried to step aside I moved to where they hoped I'd be. Nice little plinko & keys segment within. Woo woo whoa! Trey breaks down a descending line that leads towards the end. And Guyute.
He lectured me in language strange then scampered quickly out of range. It's such a triumphant tune. The march to the summit. We have such positive direction for a moment? Are we sure? Confused,we fall down unsure, until we get back up again and resume our direction with renewed confidence and commitment. I hope this happens once again.
Sand. Of course, what else would they play out in the middle of a oxymoronic city oasis such as this. "I would choose my own religion." It is to be here.
You can heal the symtoms and not affect the cause. Rage side more than holding his own here. Funkmaster P, growling. Rolling it up. Trey soaring. Jon the center, Mike right with him. Trey soars higher still, then he starts to tear it apart. Wrestling the gun from the hand. The Jam goes higher into a sweet "schools out for summer" tease then breaks. Overtones from Page and then it starts up again. Where are we going. Fire up that Clav brother, we swirl together, wondering where it will go. Loopy? Out of the Sand Jam. woo? We attack. Time & Space blend into, woo? No , we go to tweprise.

Possibly the greatest three and a half minutes of any show. My personal favorite rock of all time. This never disappoints. Step into it.

This night is a complete winner. The vibes from the crowd in the room were incredible. So much love you could taste it. The sound crystal clear. The venue dressed to impress.
Then the encore.
Is this what you wanted? So freaking insightful. Leave to these guys to point at the very special relationship, the inextricable bond between the band and the fan. We are different sides of the same coin. A coin that you hold on a table with your index finger, flick it with your opposite index, watch it spin, and hope that it never stops spinning. This is what I want. Not to live In a house that is haunted, but instead to occupy one where you feel our love. Like a happy marriage going on for decades. Ups and downs and spin arounds yes, but a marriage without skeletons or Frankinsteins left in the closet. Thank you Phish. Thanks for the efforts. The sacrifice, the commitment to each other and to us, your fans. Are all our lives enriched?

I know my review is a bit late but I was reading through and got the urge to write one. I got a miracle during the first set break, so I missed the first set but got in just in time for what was the coolest thing I've ever seen. Ever. Met up with some buddies who were behind the stage and didn't get to see all the zombies and such but that didn't matter. I had a great view of the House with Mikes back to us. Somebody said that they wanted to hear from people behind the stage and what it was like. It was my first time behind the stage, didn't really mind at all because I was in the venue. But it will not be my last time behind the stage. during "Your Pet Cat" I finally looked around and everybody was dancing. I like to look around at shows and watch people get down and for the second time (first time at Deer Creek 10) I got chills just from watching the crowd, everybody was getting down... HARD. Another awesome thing was that Golden Age "Clap your hands if you think you're in the right place" the place went nuts. Had flown in from Indy and searching all day for tickets and finally getting in, That part made me super emotional. I don't know why but I had some tears flowing I thought to myself "I AM in the right place" that's all I have to say.

I'll simply say that this show was flat out amazing. I don't know if the recordings will ever be able to translate what it was like being there, but it was some of the illest sh*t ever. An absolutely, amazing and incredible night. It was the type of show we always dream about being a part of, and for those of us who were there....we'll never forget it. Thank you so much to the band for taking a monumental chance and delivering something so special!

I have to say they do continue to surprise me!

"Just imagine all the pissed-off people that paid $300 and got this? I really hope they finally play Eat A Peach next year." -noob100

Loved that line.... good! no one should pay $300 to see Phish! That comment reminded me of 1998 when the guys were in the lot and got wind of the ridiculous prices people were playing.... and what did they do?
They played a good album.... Velvet Underground was good... but they saved the "Darkside" for Utah.... in front of what, 5000 people? Their way of saying haha, dont pay that much to see us.... and 2 thanks for the loyal fans who followed us to Utah with 1/3 the crowd.

It often amuses me that my review for this show is the lowest-rated contribution to Phish.net when I absolutely love this show and was complimenting it in my review.

If it wasn't so singular, I would say it was my favorite show of the modern era. However, because it is so singular, maybe it should be my favorite. I'd take 10/31/14 over 1/2/16 ANY DAY OF THE WEEK.

Anyways, I'm writing this second review in the hopes that it causes you, the reader, to question what you see and understand herd mentality.

I loved everything about the musical costume. I've owned the album since I was a kid (I was glad they declined to insert of the more racially tinged elements from Chinese Water Torture; gotta love that Disney classiness) and I was delighted and tickled by the music that unfolded from the very basic ideas laid out on the album.

I could not stop cracking up during Your Pet Cat, Dogs ROCKS, and Martian Monster should become a staple for a show that elevates itself into the "Dyamn that is syick" category.

If this kind of thing isn't your cup of tea, if you're still waiting for that Gamehendge Set or or Harpua > Thriller you should probably just start your own band and make that happen because these Phish guys are all about the new. New music, new musical discoveries and new ways of expressing themselves with us.

Thanks for such a fun Halloween, fellahs!

(Full review is at https://medium.com/the-phish-from-vermont/the-very-long-fuse-a9af353bb9f0) />
The Very Long Fuse: On Phish, Halloween, and tracing something back to its source.

Halloween is rich, fertile ground for crazy and big things. Phans know this, of course: Halloween (along with New Year’s Eve and the annual End-Of-Summer-Festival) represents one point in the three holy days of the Phish calendar. These are the moments when expectations rise and big things — no, Big Things happen, things like world premieres, pranks and gags, morning acoustic sets. Things like unannounced sets, stage antics, tricks and treats. This is where Garden parties, udderballs, giant flying hot dogs, time machines, cannonballs, gardens of infinite pleasantries, Clifford balls, and cheesecake become the stuff of legend. These are the moments when Phans break out in cold sweats in anticipation of telling their boss/partner/dogsitter/kids they need to go do this thing. This is where Phans make serious sacrifices in other parts of their lives to be There, wherever There happens to be that particular year. Because they know Big Things are going to happen.

So this is the backdrop to it all. In Fair Las Vegas, where we lay our scene...

https://medium.com/the-phish-from-vermont/the-very-long-fuse-a9af353bb9f0

My review for RS: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/live-reviews/phishs-chilling-thrilling-halloween-show-by-the-numbers-20141101 />
*The fact that it calls this the 7th Phish Halloween show (in the original RS piece) was an editorial miscommunication (it was referring solely to halloween since they started doing costumes). Should get fixed.

***

At last year's Halloween show, Phish's thirteenth, the band played an unrecorded collection of original songs. Friday night, it was unclear what they would do for their fourteenth: Would they fall back on the previous tradition of presenting a "musical costume" and cover another band's album, or would they challenge themselves to do something different entirely? Always moving forward, they chose the latter, taking on a long-forgotten record in an original set that entertained not just the devoted fans who made the trek to Las Vegas but the band members themselves.

Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House was produced in 1964 by Walt Disney Studios: The first side contains 10 narrated stories, but the second has only sound effects so that the ambitious could create tales of their own. Phish, of course, did just that, riffing on song titles and building on themes, crafting 10 original instrumentals for the second of their three sets.

This set in particular emphasized Halloween's spooky traditions over its "sexy superhero" present. Not all of these tracks deal with traditionally scary subjects (one is about a crashed cruise ship, another a wood cutter), but Phish – clad in zombie makeup and matching white suits – made them all fit the Day of the Dead mold. Throughout, zombies performed Thriller-esque dance routines in a graveyard, and the band played atop a haunted house and in front of a glowing full moon.

Sandwiched between "Buried Alive," "Ghost" and a "Frankenstein" second encore, Thrilling, Chilling Sounds was the highlight of a high energy, four-hour show. Phish is at their best when they're pushing their limits, and the new songs moved easily between heavy metal and funk. Some, like "The Chinese Water Torture," will hopefully be played more often. The utter absurdity of the Phishbill (Charles Manson did not play guitar on the original Chilling, Thrilling Sounds) made it hard to discern fact from fiction, but it's the surprise that mattered.

Excited by what they had just pulled off, Phish played all of "Punch You in the Eye," "Golden Age," "Sand," "Guyute" and "Tweezer" in strong third set. The first encore, "Is This What You Wanted," a Leonard Cohen original and Phish debut, would have provided fitting end to the night: "Is this what you wanted/to live in a house that is haunted/By the ghost/of you and me."

By the Numbers:

New songs played: 11

The capacity of the sold-out MGM Garden Arena: 16,800

Number of people dressed in costume: About 8 out of 10

Number of Phish themed costumes: Too many to count (winner: an especially good "Slave to the Traffic Light")

Most popular costume: Hunter S. Thompson

Price of a Bud Light: $9

Longest song played: "Sand," 18 minutes and two seconds

Shortest song played: "Big Black Furry Creature From Mars," three minutes and two seconds

For the first ten minutes or so I wasn't buying the gimmick, but as mentioned, the dogs turned it around and it just got better and better. Amazing.
My only 'complaint' is that Sand should be marked as a must-hear, they owned that shit.
Great show, man I love this band. But now, what are they going to do next year? They're getting into untoppable Leslie Knope territory now (if you'll forgive a Parks and Rec reference).

Set two here is of course the most interesting thing about this show – and I think it is great. Without analyzing the songs in detail after only one listen, I would say that in general they are focused and hard driving. The music of the set reminds me of Vida Blue with the Spam Allstars more than anything. This is not the spaceyness of the Siket or Victor discs (although I like those as well), but the funk of the Illustrated Band. They Attack! Check it out!

This was an incredible show, but being Vegas and all, they tolerate smoking in a non-smoking venue WAY too much. So to the obnoxious woman in the row in front of us who insisted on smoking cigarettes even AFTER we politely asked you to stop... I hope you're happy - you made it so unbearable for my wife to breathe that we had to LEAVE after the second set and miss what should prove to be a third set finale to one of the best shows ever.
The second set was genius. If you hoped for something different, you are making some grand expectations, which you should never do of a band as original, unpredictable, and incredible as Phish. My only expectation is of my fellow Phans to not smoke (cigarettes) at a non-smoking venue. I guess that's just too much to ask. The only thing those of you seeing on couch tour might have missed was the insane array of costumes that everyone wore. People really brought it BIG this year. It was insane. I've never been to a costumed event THIS big. My wife and I were dressed as Tela and the Multi-beast, complete with me on stilts. It was a blast, and thanks to everyone who complemented us on our costume.

This show get alot of praise and it deserves it all. It is tough sometimes to get the fanbase to agree, but everyone I've talked to says it was one of their favorite shows of all time.

The first set was great with a stellar Mule. But the meat of the show is the second set. My favorite tunes were Your Pet Cat, The Birds, and Martian Monster.

To see/hear the band I love create something brandnew and present it in such a unique way is special.

This review is focused entirely on the second set.

Phish is a highly improvisational band. They love to get loose and really carry songs outside the norm from show to show, so for them to play what was clearly a very rehearsed and well composed musical masterpiece just really displays their talents. I cannot believe there are people that have yet to hear this set. To take sound effects and rough story lines and compose a musical around them is quite impressive. I would love to see an animated film put to this set, it would be come an instant cult classic. I hope it is in the works, until then I will close my eyes and watch my imagination take this to the next level.

Buried alive was a great opener - band and crowd fed on each others' energy, which was pretty intense throughout the entire show. Check out Trey and Mike guitar duel in Scent of a Mule. Big black furry creature was a treat, but the real delicacy was set 2. If you haven't seen it, check it out on YouTube to get a flavor. But "you had to be there" really applies, and I'm so grateful that I was! After last Halloween, which I missed, I had no expectations for set 2. Reading the Phishbill before the show, I wondered how a 1964 Walt Disney record could possibly provide the basis for an interesting set of Phish. Lots of speculation after the first set as the stage hands cleared away keyboards, drum kit, etc., which left a large opening at center stage. Hmmm, what's this all about? I see where Fish and Page are going to be, but where are Mike and Trey going to stand? What's going to happen at center stage, perhaps a bunch of dancing ghouls and goblins while the band plays weird sound effects adapted from the album? Guess we'll just have to wait and see! When the lights went down and the haunted house was rolled out, it soon became clear that the band was inside the haunted house playing, but you could only catch brief glimpses of their outlines flashing on the walls of the house due to the light show inside the house. The first number played out and the second number finally provided a clue as to what was coming. The very long fuse finally burned out ("You thought there was going to be a huge explosion, didn't you?") and the second floor walls of the haunted house folded down to reveal the band inside (see YouTube video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yKaZVKeF2A at the 12.5 minute mark). Each of the ten vignettes were accompanied by newly composed instrumentals - check 'em out; the boys really outdid themselves! The Birds is my personal favorite ("they attack!!") and Martian Monster is great, too ("your trip is short!").

Set 3 deserves a listen, too. Sand included a very tight, very well developed jam, and is rightly designated as highly recommended. The Halloween show is currently the "best rated show" of all time, although I suspect it's rating will continue to decline as Phish 3.0 haters vote it down (as they have the 7-27-14 show). That's their problem - this show was phenomenal, and I am so grateful to have been there.

Set two here is, of course, the most interesting thing about this show – and I think it is great. Without going through the details of the songs (after one listen), I would say that the songs are focused and, for the most part, hard driving. The music of the set reminds me of Vida Blue with the Spam Allstars more than anything. This is not the spaceyness of the Siket or Victor discs (although I like those as well), but the funk of the Illustrated Band. They attack! Check it out!

For as long as I’ve ever known anything about Phish, I’ve known that they have a tradition of donning a musical costume when they gig on Hallowe’en, which means they reserve the middle of three sets on the special night to perform an entire album by another artist. In the past they have done albums by The Beatles, The Talking Heads, The Velvet Underground, and several others. I had experienced this wonder once before, when Phish covered Exile On Main Street by The Rolling Stones at a blazing weekend retreat in Indio, California, and on October 31st, 2014 I had the great joy to do it again, this time in Las Vegas.

As the calendar would have it, the Hallowe’en show was the first of Phish’s three-night Vegas run, and when the lights went down in the MGM Grand arena on that Friday evening the energy in the room was crispy. The room was littered with remarkable costumes - of course Phish fans do it up right for Hallowe’en - including m’lady and I who were a bona fide hit in our googly-eye covered formal wear. Our eyes certainly turned a lot of heads and it’s a good thing too; m’lady and I had spent countless hours sitting at our kitchen table glueing even more countless googly eyes of all sizes to pants, shirts, skirts, shoes, hats, and so much more. I mean we beat a path to Michael’s craft store and bought them clean out every time they received another shipment. In the end we looked spectacular, and every move we made sounded like the waves of the ocean. We posed for many pictures and didn’t even have to wear makeup or masks (always my primary goal in choosing a costume).

I guess I should back up a little. Part of Phish’s Hallowe’en tradition is the Phishbill, a mockup of a Broadway handbill that is given out to fans when they enter the venue. The Phishbill is always full of weird inside jokes and funny oddities, but it’s main purpose is to tell everyone what album will be covered that evening, a secret that the band always manages to keep well under wraps until the doors open on the 31st. Now, these Hallowe’en shows are very, very special events for die-hard fans, each of whom spends months hoping and dreaming that their favourite band will cover an album by their other favourite band, (whomever that may be).

And then there was this one time (in 2013, the year before this story) when Phish had either the clever idea or the unholy audacity to use their musical costume as an opportunity to debut their very own new and at-the-time still unreleased album, Wingsuit. And while some people liked the idea many others were downright pissed. I mean, you never saw people so angry at something they love so much. It was like watching your two year old spit up all over your favourite Pollock print.

Anyway, the handout we had all been handed as we entered the MGM arena on this evening was pushing the idea that Phish would be covering something called The Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House, inciting much speculation amongst the pre-show crowd.

I had never heard of this Chilling, Thrilling thing but by the time the band started their first set I had overheard and butted in to enough conversations to learn that it was a Walt Disney release from the ’60’s and it was a spoken word album meant to spook out children, if only a little. But from what I understood there was no actual music on the record…

The band loaded the first set with Hallowe’en-y songs, starting with Buried Alive into Ghost, Big Black Furry Creatures From Mars, Lawn Boy, and Wolfman’s Brother, though I suppose if it wasn’t Hallowe’en these rather standard plays wouldn’t have seemed particularly Hallowe’en-y at all. Regardless, during the setbreak the speculation over the pending set picked up where it had left off, amplified by the stage crew who busily cleared the band’s gear and set up an epic haunted stage complete with tombstones, crypts, and a haunted house.

And it was from atop this haunted house (and while made up as well-dressed zombies) that Phish would deliver what would come to be one of their most-loved Hallowe’en sets of all, which was indeed a series of jams played along to keyboard-triggered samples of the Chilling, Thrilling Disney album, a soliloquative narrative delivered by a female voice reciting nearly-creepy monologues following such themes as Your Pet Cat, Martian Monsters, and The Birds (They Attack!). It’s odd that the band got so many cosmic high-fives for jamming grooves along to a record while getting dissed so hard the year before for presenting an entire album of original songs with well thought out arrangements, but really, the proof is in the puddin’: The Chilling Thrilling set truly is exponentially better than the Wingsuit set, and I ain’t no Wingsuit hater*.

After all that it’s easy to forget (unless you were there) that there was an excellent third set taboot, one that was bursting with ragers, but the biggest joke of the whole affair actually came in the form of the first half of the two-song encore: Phish’s only time ever covering Leonard Cohen’s Is This What You Wanted, a song/question clearly aimed at all the Wingsuit critics from last year.

And the other song of the encore? Frankenstein, obviously**. With keyboardist Page McConnell playing the keytar, obviously. What a cool band.

Obviously.

*Never mind that when they actually released the album they had changed the title to Fuego, and no, they weren’t fooling anybody.

**Yet another hint of Hallowe’ening that doesn’t smell a whiff like Hallowe’en when it’s played on any other night.

https://toddmanout.com/

Since we are on the heel of a 10 year anniversary of this particular night in the town they call sin city in Nevada, I feel like it’s a good time to write my review of this show.

Now, I’m a 3.0 baby (Hampton 09 Sunday). But by 2014 I had seen my fair share of shows. There was always this silly debate on what, and how the band has been playing since coming back, especially when it comes to the jams (or lack there off?!). Bear with me, because it ties in very well with this show.

I somehow managed to score 2 tickets to 10/31/14 during the on sale (only show I did of the run). I was 25 at the time, and living with my future ex-wife. I pretty much told her “this is where we’ll be on Halloween” she obliged.

I managed to score a strip of WoW the night before we leave to the airport. We arrived on 10/31 probably around 1:30 or 2pm. Check in, get dressed in our costumes (pulp fiction), and go hit the strip. About 2 hours before show time (or ticket time) I’m like “oh yea, take this”. I rip the strip in 1/2 and off we went….

Now I barely remember how we found our seats, but we did. They were in the behind the stage, about 20 rows up Mike Side. At that point I couldn’t care less, the energy in that building was electric.

Set I: The lights go down and they open up with Buried Alive (oh snap!!), now for me there are just a handful of songs that sets the tone that the show your about to witness is going to be Fire. Buried Alive is one of them (Soul Shakedown is another one that comes to mind).

Ghost > “of course they play ghost, duh it’s halloweeeeen” is probably the only thought that crept in my gooey brain. Decent Ghost, nothing groundbreaking, but it was more of statement piece.

SOAM kept in the “creepy Halloween” music genre quite nicely. Having witness the one in Chicago that summer, I thought it was good, but not quite as immersives

Reba…. My favorite song of all time by any band. “Of course they’d play Reba, it’s a sure sign of a heady Halloween show like 10/31/94, or 10/31/96!! Well although that Reba didn’t touch either of those, it was still a Reba, and a Reba can only be appreciated and criticized in the scheme that no matter what, Reba jams are godly to see and experience. Def shorter jam version of what I caught in Chicago that summer, but it ripped, and I was on cloud 9.

Rest of the set with 46 days, BBFCFM, Saw it again felt like the “spooky songs” to keep the Halloween vibes to a max.

Set II: now Keep in mind I was completely disconnected on what was going to happen. Neither me or my future ex wife even got the Bill when we managed to get into the venue. I also don’t remember being able to look or read my phone for a good 12 hours that night. By the time the lights went down for set II, we both couldn’t communicate, and would just give each other a little head nod every 30 mins or so telepathically communicating “you good?” “Yea I’m good”.

Remember how I had seats behind the stage? Oh yea, well the combo of being on a head full, not seeing anything in front of me but fractals, and those seats, I didn’t even realized that they were playing on top of haunted house. I didn’t see the graves, nor did I even knew there were dancers. All I knew was that Phish was inside this Box a few yards away from me. (Storage jam!?? Part 2?!?) and they were playing music I had never heard before. Before the big revealed of the elevated stage, I was so confused. I thought it sounded like they were playing “Wipeout”. “Are they doing Beach Boys this Halloween!?”. Lol, no they’re not. Once “The Dogs” started, and I was finally able to see them, I realize that they were using some types of samples and were just jamming.

This whole set for Me was a big jam. Broken down in different parts by these specific samples the band was using, and it was electric! Pet cats, The Birds were ridiculous, I remember dancing like there was no tomorrow during those songs the arena was pulsating. Martian Monster was just insane. Having Trey tell You “your trippin your trippin your trippin” over this infectious groove sent me to the stratosphere. Over all, I loved every single notes. Again, for me it was just one big jam because 1. I had 0 idea what they were doing, and 2. All the songs weren’t “songs” in the same way Wingsuit was an album and performed the prior year. Just amazing, weird, funky music.

Set III: We both managed to go hit the bathroom, and got us some waters at concession. Both of us were “still good”. I loved Set III so much. You could tell the band was so loose from having delivered that incredible set II. Sand, Tweezer are highlights for me. Guyute was also awesome to hear. Heavy things I thought Trey was saying “boooo boooo hahaha” like a cute little ghost to be like “gotcha mother fuckers, you didn’t expect that did you?”.

Then the encore: I was by no mean a cohen fan, nor do I think I had even heard that song before in my life. But it was the most perfect and beautiful cover I have ever heard. Perfectly placed and played for this occasion. This cemented my feeling that Phish was quite in tune with its fanbase (is this what you wanted!?).

Yes phish, this was everything I ever wanted out of my first Vegas and Halloween show.

10 years will now have passed here in less than a few months of me writing this review. And I wish I could still live in that Haunted house for one more night.

There's been a lot of solid review and analysis of Halloween 2014 and most of it has been on point. This show is not overrated. It is just hear phish not only of 3.0 but of any era. It's flames. My personal top 5 easily and I'm a 1.0 guy. It's phucking phlames. I know what FoMo is. I had it the following year when my ride from LA to Las Vegas ditched me and left me to eat my tickets. (I will never forgive you Sam!) That said, I get it. It's easy to hate shows you didn't attend. I do it all the time. If the band plays Harpua and I'm not there, it's automatically the WORST Harpua of all time. Don't be hatin doe! If you weren't there, you missed out. Plain and simple. Enough of that though. I want to point out something less obvious...
That first set was phlame balls. The simple Halloween theme was consistent and tight. No flubs at all. Trey didn't shit the bed during Buried Alive. The Ghost was solid. I saw it again was awesome. (It's always awesome imo). It was all great. One of the best first sets I have ever heard this band play. It had a distinctly mid 90s feel.

Boy, was this a spectacle! The kind heretofore reserved for New Year's Eve, I might venture to say, and perhaps exceeding some of those "stunts." I was totally transfixed by the Disney sound-effect songs in the second set, though they have not--to me--weathered as well as the Fuego (née Wingsuit) album material from the previous year's Halloween. Lots of phans seem to really get off on the sound-effect songs, though, so what do I know? An unfortunate similarity between that year's songs and 2014's songs is that with the exception of Fuego, none have seemed to been jammed out extensively. I want Phish to be interested in jamming... not at the expense of their songwriting vocations, but isn't the unknown what we all seek in the Phish experience? Don't we want to be surprised? I've never heard anyone come away from a show saying, "Man, I'm so glad that show was just like the last show I saw," unless they were speaking generally about how awesome both shows were in their respective merits. To be entirely fair, Phish does still jam, and I love them for many reasons. But God, it would be awesome to see a huge version of one of these Disney songs, or many over a tour or any amount of time. The Sand in the third set is certainly worth hearing, too, since I kind of glossed over anything but the costume. Shit, Phish can do anything they want. I just wanna hear it.

the #2 for this show means the song was a debut but "the dogs" was played the night before so its not a debut, that should be changed hopefully an admin sees this. but by far i think this show 100% deserves a 5 star rating for this halloween 2014 show is this what you wanted?

Theatrics, Art, Creative juice. Tour closer.
Would be interesting to know the steps and process that went into creating the Halloween set and ideas and music adapted from the Disney album. Interesting that my very first phish show started with Buried Alive and that my very last show started with Buried Alive.
neato! See youse in MiYEMi

@phishatthemann

First off, I wasn't there. I'm rating this solely from the music presented on the soundboard. This is both a good thing and a bad thing.

Okay, so when I look at the Top Rated shows this one shows up in the number 21 spot of all time. I get that it has a really compelling second set (more about that later), but my real question is... is this show a one trick pony? In other words, take away the second set and how does this show hold up to listening scrutiny. So let's look at it and find out.

Set 1:

An 11 song first set is not always a great sign. Chances are that the jams won't go particularly deep. But the song list is compelling.

Out of the gate, the Buried Alive (wonderful opener) > Ghost (short, but really well played) > SOAMule (wonderful version) is a great sign of a highly rated show.

Sample is meh, but the Reba is, again, short but really well played.

Then the set settles down until the Saw It Again provides yet another spark (nice).

The rest of set 1 is fairly generic. On its own, set 1 is a 4 star [for a first set].

Set 3:

Just looking at the song list, I'm pumped for this set... lots of potential. PYITE is one of my favorite set openers and while this one is no Island Tour version, it is brief but respectable.

Next up is >Golden Age, which is one of the newer songs that I really look forward to. The body of the song itself is about 6 minutes, which leaves us time for a 5 minute, strictly type 1 jam. It is very danceable and well played, but really nothing to write home about. BTW, does anyone else think that the Phish version of Golden Age sounds a lot like a Bowie song? No... I'm not confusing it with Golden Years... to me it is reminiscent of Heroes.

And then the >Tweezer, the list entry most likely to make or break the set. Much like the Golden Age, this short Tweezer (10 mins) is half taken up by just playing the song. That leaves only 5 minutes of jamming and it's a pretty unexceptional (though solid) straightforward affair.

While I've heard others complain about Heavy Things, I've always liked the song. But coming on the heels of two potential jams that never materialized, this was pretty much the end of any early set 2 jam hopes. True to form, this five minutes made for a nice sing along, but no real wow factor.

And next... Guyute. Really? I have a love/hate thing with Guyute. The first section is just silly, while the composed section that follows is some really intricate playing. But my real problem with this song is that they never, ever jam on it! True to the rest of the second set, it is played well enough but without anything particularly memorable.

So with just two songs to go (1.5 really because the second is a Tweeprise) we get our last real chance to jam in a Sand. Now I'm a big TAB fan and I absolutely love Sand. The first thing that I note is that at 18 minutes it meets the "weight criterion". Turns out that this is a really, really good Sand! It never really goes type 2, but it does go through several entirely different postures before we get...

->Tweeprise... and it's a powerful, rock star rendition to close out the show proper. Hard to argue with a great Tweeprise to close out the set though, again, it's not really a jam vehicle per se.

So, set 3 has a super looking set list but, for my money, only one real jam. Other than that you get strong renditions of some great songs. I'll give this set a 4 star rating, up from the 3.5 I was going to give prior to the Sand... but that Sand is... WHOA!

Next, we'll check the encore. Two covers, the first one a debut.

Is This What You Wanted is a Leonard Cohen song chosen (I believe) as much for its title and references to ghosts as for the song itself. I find it an okay selection, though I probably won't be seeking out the original any time soon.

The show closer is an apropos selection of Frankenstein, both for its on topic title and the infectious, party atmosphere that it leads to the show. Nice!

So, I'll give the encores a solid... you guessed it... 4 stars.

So... now the $64,000 question... does set 2 somehow have enough magic to take a decidedly 4 star show to the next level (or 4.699 at the time of this writing)?

Set 2:

I'm not even going to try to do a play by play of this set. You need to listen to this thing on your own and form an opinion. That is what I have done [over and over and over] and I can honestly say that I find this set to be among the most creative, musical, enjoyable, jamworthy, unique, inspirational and downright entertaining pieces of live music that I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. It seems to have infinite replay value because the original music is exactly that... original! I love this thing in much the same way that I enjoy a multifaceted mega-Tweezer. And every time I hear a Martian Monster, or Dogs, or Pet Cat in a subsequent show, I just smile and remember how fucking good this thing is!

So, can a single massive set take 2 set and an encore from a 4 to a 4.699? Probably not. The correct rating for this show is probably a 4.3 or 4.4, but set 2 has earned a well deserved spot in my permanent rotation. It is at least as good as any of the other musical costumes and better than many. Nice!

I have only heard the first half of the second set and parts of the first, but from what I saw; it was one of the only shows in the modern era where I felt like I wasn't watching a castrated version of the band I knew and loved from 1994 - 2004 fronted by a walking rehab trope content to sit in the backseat strumming chords while his less-talented bandmates (save Fishman) drove the JEMP truck.

So, there's that. . .