Set 1: O Canada, full of Hendrix-type distortion and clanging accompaniment, is a highlight of the set, as is Maple Leaf Rag popping up incongruously in the middle of Guelah, as is the lovely McGrupp > LxL duo at the end. Always love Walk Away, too.

Set 2: Golden Age, as one of Phish's current Big Time Jammers, kicks off the set, and the band is content to luxuriate in its usual jam before Mike pushes towards something darker and more mysterious (almost that Phrygian mode you may remember from the 8/21/15 CDT), but Trey takes the lead and the jam kicks into a new gear with Page on electric piano and Fish's snappy beat carrying things. Page's synths swirl around as Trey plays some snappy chords (man, those synths really changed the game this year), and the jam begins to pick up speed without moving towards major key (a nice counterpoint) as Trey's minimal licks take the forefront before he gets off a nice solo and the jam comes to a ghostly close. Leaves follows, and I actually like the move; the eerie crowd silence as the song starts up is something to behold, if nothing else.

Swept Away > Steep feels like a nice relaxed mid-set breather, but instead of closing out Steep Trey plays some increasingly dissonant notes before switching to chords, Page goes to the effects as Mike rattles some ribcages with his meatball effect, and Fish kicks into Drummer God mode to urge the band forward into improvisational territory. The jam grows in power and energy, Trey steps into the limelight and really shreds, and they hit a really powerful and thunderous peak. This is a truly awesome jam, and the 46 Days that (a tad abruptly) follows is just as good, sandwiching a pretty interesting Marimba Lumina percussion-fest with some grimy funkiness on one side and an echo-filled spaced-out Mike-driven groove on the other. Piper blasts off into the stratosphere before downshifting into a stripped-down effect-laden jam with Page flashing on the keys, then gets really dark and weird before Fish actually steps to the forefront and Trey sings 46 Days quotes for some reason before the jam comes to a stomach-twisting end. A tension-ratcheting Possum (Page and Trey basically find a Maze peak) closes out the set, and the second Ziggy Stardust cover of the run makes for a fine encore.

Final Thoughts: One of the more overlooked shows of the Baker's Dozen (if the rating is any indication), which I think is a mistake. The second set contains some of the darkest and most interesting music of the run from start to finish, with Steep > 46 Days > Piper the clear main event. I mean, you're not gonna skip a freakin' Baker's Dozen show, are you???

A very good show! This was my 10th Phish show (woot double digits!) and I had a ton of fun raging GA with my Mom! We were about 4 rows back from Mike Gordon the whole show.

The first set got off to a slower than average start for this fantastic run. The energy picked up a bit during "Daniel Saw The Stone", and by the time "The Wedge" rolled around, the band was locked in and jamming. I was very pleased to get "Guelah Papyrus", "McGrupp", "Limb by Limb", and "Walk Away", as I had never gotten any of those songs at a Phish show before!

"Limb by Limb" and "Walk Away" were definitely the highlights of this first set. Both songs were full of energy and had wonderful peaks. Great versions of each.

The second set started with a jammed out version of "Golden Age". Some really nice interplay arose between the four musicians, with Fishman and Gordon impressing the most. The band played their second ever version of "Leaves", and this song impressed me! Trey's soloing was fantastic, and I think we can expect great things to come from "Leaves" in the future.

"Swept Away" > "Steep" came next, and this pairing was fantastic. Gordon was dropping bombs about 15 feet in front of me that reverberated throughout my entire body. Mike was truly killing it in this second set! A really nice bliss jam erupted out of "Steep"; this has to be one of the all time great versions of this song.

"46 Days"' sharp tone was a happy addition to this set, and boy were we in for a fantastic version of this song! After some fantastic riffing that sent MSG into a dancing frenzy, Trey headed over to the Marimba Lumina, and soon Page and Gordon follow suit and are on each side of Fishman's drum kit. A fun and groovy percussion jam lasted for several minutes, before Trey headed back to his guitar and transitioned into "Piper".

"Piper" was also a fantastic version. Gordon once again truly impressed me with his playing in this jam. Maybe it was because I was directly in front of him, but I truly felt like Mike was having an astounding night on the bass.

An energizing, propulsive, whimsical, and downright badass "Possum" ended the set. This was the third "Possum" I've seen Phish do live, and it's by far the greatest version of this song I've ever heard. This "Possum" might've actually been the highlight of the show for me. It was just perfect. A must listen.

This show will probably not go down in history like 7/25/17 and 7/30/17 will, but I genuinely feel that this was an excellent concert.

Phish are playing so fantastically well throughout this Baker's Dozen run. Like I said in an earlier review of mine, I believe that the summer of 2017 is going to be one to remember. Can't wait to go back to MSG and do it all over again tomorrow!

I attended four BD shows: 7/28, 7/29, 7/30 and 8/1. There are so many highlights from those shows but overall, start to finish, 8/1 might be my favorite of the four. Maple was deeply intense and emotional for me. And as far as re-listening goes, 8/1 has received the most playbacks of the four shows I attended. I've really been enjoying listening to the entire show, start to finish, whereas with the others, I just go to certain highlights. I have read that a common critique of the show is that it "starts off slow" and I think people are referring to the tempo/song choice. I'm assuming this is in reference to Sugar Shack, Circus and Army of One? Personally, I love slow, patient, contemplative Phish and I forget that there are a lot of people who do not.

I felt the O Canada>Crowd Control pairing to open the show was done with a slight wink but also a great deal of intention. Trey's vocals and Fish's playing in Crowd Control are intense and I got the sense that they needed that release as much as a lot of Americans do right now. I know I really connected to that opening sequence and was singing along loudly and pumping my fist to Crowd Control. It was very cathartic for me. Sugar Shack was the obvious pick and solidified the Maple theme and I always enjoy that groove. I love it anytime Phish can surprise me so when "Circus" arrived in the 4 spot, I was thrilled. It was unexpected and again; so patient, quiet and intense. The crowd cheers after Trey sang "I never thought I would make it this far" brought tears to my eyes and still gives me chills. I'm sure a lot of people had Jerry on their minds as well. The fact that a Gospel tune followed next just seemed so appropriate to me. The BIG crowd reaction to Daniel was great. I love the personal nature of Army of One and the themes of struggling and just trying to survive (again, big fan of slow, contemplative Phish). And I thought Page was so present and felt his vocals and playing were really great. I'm assuming everyone loved Guelah, McGrupp, Limb and Walk Away as much as I did. The fact that they played a Scott Joplin tune in between just pleased me to no end- especially after hearing them do "In The Good Old Summertime" this tour. The fact that they are paying homage to tin pan alley and such an old form of music is so cool to me.

I know the second set has been talked about a lot. I'll just say that the transition from the Golden Age jam into Leaves was one of the most intense moments I have ever experienced with this band over the past 20 years. It stunned me how quiet it got during that moment. The energy and intensity around me was palpable- very tough thing to achieve in a room the size of MSG. I love the lyrics to Leaves and really enjoyed this performance. Again, thematically I thought Leaves fit so well as a continuation from Crowd Control, Circus and Army of One. I loved the build and jam out of Leaves and when they went into Swept Away I was stunned once again (and excited, as this was my first time seeing Swept Away>Steep). Again, the fact that the band would be so patient and slow down and get quiet again, I think is a big risk. It's a risk that really thrills me when I hear it live. The Steep>46 Days>Piper>Possum was wild and I think represents some of the most dynamic jamming of the BD run. The Rock N Roll Suicide encore was so appropriate to me and again, kept with the lyrical themes that started in set one.

When I consider some of the lyrical lines from this show, beginning to end, and then consider how beautifully the music and jamming moved along with them, it adds up (for me) to one of the most emotional and intense shows I have ever experienced. I am so grateful to have been there. And grateful for the ability to listen back and re-connect to it.

"Show us why we came here before we lay on the ground" (Crowd Control)
"Never thought I would make it this far" (Circus)
"'Cause now if these wings should fail me, Lord I want to hitch on another pair" (Daniel)
"Comin down to redeem a mighty world" (Daniel)
"I just can't compete with the weight of it all" (Army of One)
"It's the salt that's in our tears" (Wedge)
"Up or down it's up to you" (Limb)
"Someone's always telling me to breathe" (Leaves)
"We built a kingdom out of lies and we blindly fanned the fires" (Leaves)
"The crowd intrudes all day..." (Swept Away)
"Lets turn on and be not alone. Gimme your hands 'cause your wonderful" (Rock n Roll Suicide)

Just an awesome show. A lot of people are complaining about the pacing, particularly in the first set, but to me the slower/newer songs at the beginning were the appetizer to the first entree that began with The Wedge and ended with the absurd Walk Away. The appetizer may not have been exactly what you had in mind when you ordered it, but you ended up enjoying it more than you thought, and you subsequently enjoyed the main course that much more.

A quick note - after attending some of the first shows of the run, I was legitimately worried that the band has misplaced their 'hose'. The band was incredibly cohesive and was able to carry the songs/jams to interesting places, but Trey seemed to be timid. There was a lot of noodling, but no soul-crushing solos. Last night (and parts of the Jimmy's show) totally put that concern to rest.

While I had not heard 'Leaves' yet, I have to say I've never heard MSG so quiet and attentive as when Trey sang the first verse by himself. Nobody left to go to the bathroom or started talking to each other...it was just silent. Maybe it was the attention they demanded after the Golden Age jam, or maybe it was the product of a tired weekday crowd, but it was incredible to see/hear.

I personally LOVED the Swept Away through Piper segment...it's kind of like Phish's version of the Abbey Road medley in that once the first song of the medley is played (Swept Away), your ear expects to hear the rest of the associated songs, and the band delivered. The insertion of 46 Days was a nice segment within this medley.

Did anyone else pick up on some friction between Trey and Fishman at the beginning of 46 days? Fishman was really trying to keep a slower tempo (from my memory, closer to the tempo from Round Room), but Trey was insistent on a faster speed. From what I could hear, this led Fishman to mess with the rhythm of the jam segment...there was a lot of abrupt speeding up and slowing down by Fishman, all punctuated by particularly heavy drumming. Trey looked back at him several times throughout this, and I wasn't sure if the vibe was that of 'messing with each other' or 'I see how you want to do this'...

Normally not a fan of Piper, but after the hose was turned on from the first set, they weren't able to turn it off - Piper and Possum were a great ending to the 2nd set.

While I love a good Bowie cover, the encore very much took the air out of the room, but while it was slow, luckily didn't affect the show's overall punch.

In short, it was a very balanced show. The slow songs, which normally kill momentum, only helped to improve the show's pacing, and in the faster songs, the band really brought it. I could sense an overall relaxed feeling both in the band and in the audience.

Final note - this run specifically has reinforced to me that who you're next to at a show affects your overall enjoyment of the show as much if not more than the actual performance of the band. At the Jimmy's show, the person next to me flail-danced the entire time, which normally would not phase me, except that they were in full dance mode throughout the Harpua narration. If you're going to wildly dance and take up several seat spaces, at least just do it when there's music. Last night, I was between two great folks who were very much there for the music and not for aimless gyration, and having that company in the same mindset as me allowed me to enjoy the show that much more.

Ladies and gentleman , MSG 9 recap : the first set had its moments, but definitely the firepower came in the second set . First set contained some polished versions of Circus , Guelah , McGrupp , and a nice jam in limb by , which I thought would close it , but Walk away rocked us into intermission . The second set opened with a strong Golden Age into a solid 20 minute jam . Leaves was strong , with several peaks into Swept . The 46 days was a great second setter 15 min plus jam , followed by a brief "46 Days" reprise before Piper . Piper was a beautiful jam into one of the most epic Possum's I've ever heard . The band seemed to go into a deep space, building , growing ...directly prior to the Possum Jam Peak , then climaxed the set . Encore wasn't required for this show, listen up

Fun times at the Garden. Got to my seat and noticed I had a fairly dead on view of the Maple Leaf flag. Then I look in front of me and I see a guy with his Toronto Blue Jays baseball cap on. I notice it has a maple leaf logo next to the Blue Jay logo and ask him about it since I had never seen the Leaf before. He says him an his buddy drove down from Toronto and it's his buddy's first show and it's his first show since Coventry. We traded traffic stories from that show. He is pleased that is a Maple donut show. I joke beforehand that we could get some Rush or an acapella version of O Canada. We get the Hendrix-lite version of O Canada and the Canadians are singing and gesturing to the song. Fantastic.

Crowd Control through Wedge are played well with the Wedge having a little extra mustard to it. After Army of One, having heard two Undermind songs already, I thought the Coventry Canadian had brought his time machine with him. Guelah starts up and the crowd is happy. And they are more than happy to hear Page break into Maple Leaf Rag. Mcgrupp starts playing and this is a very good thing. I've been seeing Phish since 2000 and had never seen one. Well played and we slip into Limb By Limb. Once again, well played and we hop into Walk Away. Walk Away falls into that category for me, where you could play it anywhere in a show and I'll be happy to hear it. They really jam it out and it could have made a nice transition to Tweezer Reprise if they wanted to.

Set Break--Canadians are pleased with the first set. So am I. I have been to many MSG shows, mostly NYE run shows, and this is easily the most mellow a crowd I've been around. It is welcomed.

Before the second set, I concede to myself that it will be a Golden Age opener and Piper will appear at some point. I am not a Piper hater, but the song follows me relentlessly. I've been treated to the SPAC 04 version so I guess I am indebted to the song. Golden Age starts and we get Trey leading the way. Sounds like a hint of "Oye Como Va" from Trey and then later in the song we get some Santanesque licks. Good stuff. We drop into a pile of Leaves and the crowd goes limp. They manage their way into Swept Away>Steep? Seems better as a cool down song than a springboard to the jamming that would ensue, but hey, Phish knows what's good for you! Jam into 46 Days which hurriedly gets to the jam and GOOD stuff indeed. The heart of the set and Trey is having a freakin ball. He gets on the Marimba and here come Page and Mike to lend a hand on Fish's drum kit. Canadians are digging it and so is everyone else. Out we go into old friend Piper which is solid with a nice jam as well. I was expecting the Possum to be played the upcoming weekend but I am not complaining. They do Possum proper with an extended buildup and some nice light work. The light work in 46 Days and Piper was commendable as well. The encore was not drenched in syrup or Sugar Magnolia or Sugaree, but the Canadians are plenty stoked after the show.

Side note: How do the donut recipients have enough self control to NOT eat the donut right away? Saw people taking selfies with their donut, discussing the evening news with their donuts, and bronzing them in remembrance.

I'm late to the reviewing party, but how can I go any longer and not talk about my first Phish show? This turned out to be the best BD show for me to go to, I had been in Canada less than a month earlier so when they opened up with O Canada, I totally cracked up! Being on the floor was awesome, I was on the Mike side too but about 50 feet back, still had a great view. The songs that really stick out for me were Daniel Saw The Stone, Limb By Limb (I always feel that has a very Jimi-esque feel to the beginning of that song), and then Walk Away to close out the first set.

Golden Age, I feel was well placed in the show and set the mood for most of the rest of the set. Loved all of the meandering through 46 days and that point when (I think) all four of them were on percussion. Sadly my recollection of Piper is hazy other than that 46 days tease at the end but as soon as I heard the first note of Possum, I erupted. (as did most of the rest of the crowd) One thing I will mention about myself, I am not a dancer, but for Possum, I was dancin'! Also, does anybody else feel they had "A Day in the Life" tease starting around the 6 minute mark of the song? Anyway, blistering version of Possum, can't get enough of it.

And finally, the encore, RnRS. I've read the other reviews and I don't get most of the criticism its received. I totally loved it. The line "You're wonderful... give me your hand" makes it the perfect song to use as a closer. The fact that Phish has only played that song twice has to change. The other thing that has to change is I have to couch tour much less and get my ass to my second Phish show. Peace.

Following a wonderful stay at Shelburne Farms* on the shores of Lake Champlain in Vermont in celebration of m’lady’s birthday, the two of us drove to New Jersey and booked into our friend’s house for our first two nights of Phish’s Baker’s Dozen concert bonanza at Madison Square Garden.

Instead of embarking on their usual summer tour, in 2017 Phish only played a couple of cities before taking up a record-setting thirteen-night residency at the world’s most famous arena. Apparently it’s a concept the band had cooked up decades ago; a doughnut-themed baker’s dozen of shows in the heart of New York City.

Part of the idea was to give out actual doughnuts to fans as they walked through the door. On the first night of the run the doughnuts handed out were coconut flavoured and whattya know, Phish pulled out two new cover songs that aligned with the theme: Shake Your Coconuts and (Lime In The) Coconut.

“So that’s how it’s going to be, is it?” thought Phish fans worldwide.

Speculation exploded online; what could be next? Pass The Dutchie? Raspberry Beret? Blueberry Hill? I threw my guess into the ring: a maple/bacon doughnut with a Canadian theme…Neil Young, Rush, maybe even (hope against hope) The Tragically Hip…there would be lots of great cover potentials available.

August 1st, 2017 marked the ninth night of the Baker’s Dozen run and sure enough Phish announced that the evening’s doughnut flavour would be maple. I tingled with anticipation all day. Our hosts barbecued up a delicious feast for the four of us before we drove into the city for the show.

We went straight to the Tempest bar where we met a dozen friends and had a drink with each of them. Much of the chit-chat was centred on the evening’s theme and somehow m’lady and I got it into our heads that the maple theme meant that the band was going to open the concert with O Canada, a cappella. We spread our theory far and wide throughout the back rooms of the bar until it finally was time to go. We all finished our drinks and walked kitty-corner across the street to Madison Square Garden.

M’lady and I were seated semi-behind the stage, a great place to be at a Phish show. And that’s where we stood at attention as the band did indeed open the show with O Canada. They did it Hendrix-style, which was so, so much better than our predicted barber-shop style, and frankly much easier to pull off. I stood and sang along in my best hockey-game voice as the spotlight shone on a Canadian flag that hung from the rafters of the storied arena.

What a cool band.

The show was epic – as were all of the shows on this run – and we just had the time of times. There would be no Neil Young (though they had played two Neil songs on the run already), no Rush (even though I was absolutely sure they were going to play Closer To The Heart. From my beside-the-stage vantage point I had noticed a second guitar behind Trey’s rig and had convinced myself that it was a 12-string. My hopes were dashed when I took a closer look during the setbreak – it wasn’t a 12-string after all), and there would be no Tragically Hip (obviously). The only other obvious nod to the doughnut theme at the show turned out to be a short solo Maple Leaf Rag from Page McConnell’s piano.

But c’mon, O Canada? Who saw that coming? Oh right, we did.

*Talk about understatement of the year! Set on 1600 acres of manicured land, Shelburne Farms holds a collection of palatial barns and a 150-year-old mansion full of antique furniture. The restaurant serves the freshest farm-grown everything, our room had a four-poster bed and a clawfoot bathtub, and the games room had a gorgeous old snooker table that was to die for. It was like staying at a museum. Or in a game of Clue; there was a library, a study, a drawing room…the whole shebang.

When we visited the barns I milked a cow (“Can adults try it too?!?”), an exercise that I found surprisingly masculine. Not that it made me feel masculine; quite the opposite actually. Let’s just say that it’s a sensation that heterosexual men are not quite familiar with. Entering the chicken coop instantly brought me back to the few times my family stayed at a relative’s farm when I was a kid, where it was my job to go out to the chicken coop every morning and bring back fresh eggs for breakfast. It was like nature’s own Easter hunt.

Rest assured, a stay at Shelburne Farms is expensive, but I really can’t recommend it enough. But guys, I would suggest that you don’t try milking a cow. Lordy, lordy; I sure wish I hadn’t.

toddmanout.com

N9 is upon me. I hope it is fantastic.
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It starts off with O Canada, because the theme tonight is Maple Donut.

It goes into Crowd Control. I don't know this song. I like it so far. That was a fun tune.

I also like Sugar Shack which I have never heard before.

Beautifully performed version of Circus follows this.

I didn't know Daniel Saw the Stone, but it was fun and upbeat. It made for a fun pick me up after Circus.

They go into Army of One. Page sounds really good. Otherwise it isn't too special, although it is done very well.

Oh yeah. The Wedge. A classic. This was one of the first Phish songs I ever heard back when listening to Phish XM Radio back in the early days for me. A good Wedge, but again, nothing really standing out too hard.

We then Guelah Papyrus. This song I always forget about, and I feel like I gotta get more into the Picture of Nectar deeper songs. I like this song. It still doesn't push any crazy jamming territory. But the song works well. Page went into a solo Maple Leaf Rag before the band going back into Guelah. No real jamming happening at all here.

Next is McGrupp! Finally we get some actual jamming. Its some upbeat type I.

Then we hit Limb by Limb. It doesn't go much longer then McGrupp did, which wasn't too long. It stays in that LxL feel, but it has some nice soloing from Trey. It went back to the LxL refrain and then into Walk Away.

Walk Away really makes Phish sound like the Dead in my opinion. I like the way Page sings this one. Set I was okay. I liked the songs and the performance, but the improvisation wasn't there. That isn't necessarily bad, but it isn't as interesting as I'd hoped. I hope Set II picks it up.

SET II
It opened with Golden Age. This one finally goes to some space. The jam goes deep halfway through it starts getting more ethereal. It has a nice groove going for a while until the very end it trails off into space. Finally a great jam in this show.

Then right into Leaves which just premiered on 7/14. Another Sigma Oasis song that I love so much. Leaves goes along really nicely, and it descends its silence after a while.

Swept Away into Steep was nice with jamming that didn't capture me too hard. I liked it though.

46 Days immediately comes busting through the door. A very explosive song and great for a mid set pick-me-up. All of the sudden we're in a nice funky jam. The jam remains mostly funky and mellow throughout.

Piper was very nice with some upbeat jamming towards the beginning, it gets groovier and quieter, and then it gets funky and more mellow throughout the end.

Possum was Type I greatness, but again nothing too special. Overall, Set II was a bit better than set 1, with a lot more long jamming, but it still didn't stand out too hard.

Encore is Rock n Roll Suicide and its a good cover to end the night.

Overall the show was decent. It had some good jamming in the second set, but overall the show was just a normal show with good songs played. The jamming that did happen was good, but not incredible. This one wasn't as good as the previous night, but it is still worth listening!

This show rates as a solid, average-great 3 out of 5 stars, to my taste. The Phish debuts are cool, with the O Canada instrumental recalling Jimi Hendrix's fabled interpretation of The Star-Spangled Banner, and Maple Leaf Rag is short and sweet. With the possible exceptions of Daniel Saw the Stone and Walk Away, though, the remainder of the set is pretty much standard. Daniel stands out because Page continues to amaze me, and Walk Away does so for the same reason, although this time they're his vocals that I laud highly. In the second set, Golden Age is long, but not particularly groundbreaking. It's still good, of course; it's just not as revelatory as some of the other big jams in the Baker's Dozen have been. Leaves has an attractive little jamlet at the end, and Steep is jammed out for the first time ever live (I think.) Given its rumored origins in "The Blob" that was mined for Side-2 material on Billy Breathes, it makes some sense for it to finally be given a little room to move around in. I don't think the rest of the set or the encore are that exceptional, but opinions differ. Maybe the intentional no-repeats strategy is starting to show a few bare threads in setlist construction, but it's more obvious that the energy is just kind of middling in this show, IMO.

I'm just gonna keep it real here guys. Baker's Dozen has been a Phish fan's wet dream come true. We've had some truly magical and unforgettable experiences so far, filled with antics, gags, laughs, bustouts, etc.

Tonight however, was not one of those nights. Again, unpopular opinion here, based on the current 4.2 rating, but last night's show was mediocre, there, I said it. Other than LxL and Walk Away, the first set is very slow, even wedge is lacking energy. Yeah, it's great to hear McGrupp, but as we've often seen/heard, rarities (and at this point I guess this really isn't that rare anymore) don't make a show.

Second set golden age jam starts to go into some unchartered territory but doesn't make it terribly far. 46 days is when things finally start to pick up and get everyone going (with a fun drum jam taboot) and Possum has an extended 'breakdown' part which is a lot of fun.

Rock 'n' Roll Suicide. Woof.

tl;dr - We've been spoiled with other great shows and this one wasn't great.