I’m gonna be blunt, I’m just not that into phish these days. It’s a combination of things but I mostly just don’t have the time or energy to be as dedicated like I once was. After not seeing the band for a few years it was hard to pass up a hometown show and I’m so glad I didn’t. At 40+ years into it they can still turn it on and bring it to create some of the most haunting psychedelic rock music ever. Last night was just that, a mind warp at the psychedelic circus. As my late friend once said about shows like these, they sent me to the far buoy. I needed that, thanks phish

Bustouts and warlock jams! This show is a boiling pot, just waiting to erupt around every corner. The setlist is brilliant, and the energy they brought to Pittsburgh is unprecidented.

I'm loving these extended YEM jams, by the way. Mind is pure evil; remember the pot I was just talking about? Well right here, the warlock is stirring it even faster, hell bent on creating chaos. I mean seriously guys, hide your kids from this one, it's possession material for sure if not dealt by the right hands. I started to feel the urge to kill John Lennon, but then I was brought back to reality by a very cheerful Caspian; ~oh that damn captain will be the death of me~.

This jam is only for the most veteran of Phish enjoyers. It should not be taken lightly, especially not by the faint of heart. With that being said, it is just immaculate. A complete whirlwind of sound. Pair that with the stellar 1st set, and we got ourselves a new summer classic. Check this one out. Off to Texas we go!

In a show of what I would define as missed opportunities, they burned the Pete down and left us wondering why we ever miss a show. First set is quintessential "quarter - in-machine" phish. I won't dive in to much, but this is a great set, a Pagey Page set, that maybe lacked a little flow but rang rich through the stadium. Gumbo is spicy, walls was very delicious, bust outs all came to play. The set had a blues-rich theme... So... Blues shall deliver poor me.
I am not a 400 show grump who thinks phish post 99 all sucks. I thought YEM was S - tier, but I'll allow those who know everything always to demote it to A tier.
So then there was the talk of the town: What's Going Through Your Mind. Song found it's legs early for what we all assumed would be a trey heavy typical climb to the summit, face blasting from kuroda, and a back alley abort to the next song on the docket.
We know nothing. Never bother predicting what's next. Dumb.
From the summit came the collapse into dark, synthe-absorbed space rock. Not everyone has the same taste for phish, I respect that. But if this isn't your jam, I am sorry for you. Evil, murky, space exploration ensued for what I assumed was a decade. We were filthy on the floor. Eyes wide open, gazing around, checking in on our neighbors (some not doing so hot a few people off Fishman side where I resided). Even chompers were forced into silence. THIS is what space sounds like.
The end of the jam felt like Fishman committing acts of violence against us for ten minutes, firing off machine gun fills into the void. The band had their fun, now they were down to business. At this point, the floor is dripping with yuck.
As any great phish show will provide, this show came with no different journey. We had fully embraced the darkness, emotionally rattled. Caspian came to save the day. It was a light switch of emotion. Everyone sings, everyone rejoices, kuroda shoots the all whites, the rinse is complete. I go to phish for this journey over all else. We were on to the home stretch.
Julius and a pretty good blaze on ended the set. A space-funk howling followed by a relatively tepid ghost sent us off to the night.

This was a great phish show.

I mentioned missed opportunities because page teased no quarter, trey teasing heartbreaker, during the peak of the Mind jam. It was there. It was begging. It would have probably taken more casualties. What the fck do I know, I'm a loyal servant. But they got us real low, and seemed like a no quarter was obvious. I heard mentions of a melt being the obvious choice to end set 2 and I disagree. We just took that journey for an hour, our little hearts couldn't do it again. I may miss the point of the value of being unpredictable, but if ghost opened the set, and yem closed the door, I feel the ghost would have had more leg room. Ghost's need leg room.
Again, missed opportunities, but an outstanding show. The fact they brought this level of play to the show following manch 3 is remarkable. Sell everything, get to tour asap.
The Pete 5/5
The crowd 4.8/5 (some serious spun folk)
The show 4.6/5 if you are so picky
The print/scene 5/5
Thank you, boys

Not gonna review the whole show, just want to say that the Gumbo in S1 is why I love this band. The song portion is sloppy and a bit uninspired. But then it bursts into a lovely major key bliss jam before reaching towering rock pinnacles and spiraling back into Gumbo. I’m not saying it’s the best Gumbo of all time, simply marveling at their ability to make lemonade out of lemons. Keeps me coming back after 33 years

With a couple memories:
-Only thing I ate was a turnpike 7/11 premade ham and cheese (less the soggy bread.
- met a couple cool people and when I remember his name, we will meet at the Mann. He let me hit his dab pen because I forgot my penjamin at home.
-hot as balls - major funk going on in there once people settled in.
-I got a parking spot on the street and only had to pay $1.20
-another new phriend, Daniel but he is buddies with one of the guys on the sound board. He didn’t lie about the lights. They were heavy at the end!

Also to the two young girls who thought I was trying to impress them when I had my shirt off at my car, I was simply trying to tell them their headlights were not on. 😂