There was a recent post about fall 2009 which sparked my looking back to this show and re-listening to it several times. After seeing that band for several years in the mid-1990, I stopped going to shows due to several factors (e.g. marriage, kids). Nonetheless they were always on the edge of my radar and I picked up what shows I could from friends who were still actively attending shows. The whole day ended up having a mythical sort feel to it – like I was trodding on ground that I had not stepped on for years… My sister (who has seen quite a few more shows than myself) and I headed down the i90 in the early afternoon. It was a heady late fall day – not too cold for late November in upstate NY and the sun was actually out. Someplace around Weedsport I passed into a different time and space with the realization that it had been 13 long years since I had been to a fall show and I let the everyday stresses of work, responsibility, etc go. Today was all about Phish and that fact that they were back together again. We tossed around song titles that we’d like to hear back and forth and before we knew it we were there. After parking in the garage not too far from the On Center, we ditched the car and headed towards the Blue Tusk – one of our old watering holes from days gone by. After a few hours sipping Ithaca Cold Front we headed back to check out the lot. Tons of good stuff to look at. We bought a few beers and walked around for like an hour – saw a few folks from the Ratdog show a few months earlier and chatted a bit. It was the perfect fall night – no real wind to speak of and those nice cool temps. Time passed in a flash and suddenly it was time to start making our way over to the venue. Only once we got to the front doors and inside did I realize how small the place was – all the better and not really a bad seat in the house. We were on the Fishman side of the sage, not too far up and settled in.

The crowd was pretty into it by the time the boys walked onto the stage – the tick tick tick tick tick of Fishman’s high hat meant only two things to me – either Bowie or Maze and Bowie it was. I thought that as an opener it worked and the place began to groove – a kind of a welcome back into the fold. A dude in front of us sat down and put his head on the railing and in this position he would be in for the rest of the show – the old too much too fast syndrome (or just too much). Been there before and glad it was not me as the first strains of Julius started up. A solid second song and they kept it going with Sparkle – I find it a fun little number and since I’m not smart enough to understand why a lot of folks hate/dislike or are indifferent about this song I rocked out. Kill Devil Falls was next – new to me at the time and it kept the energy going – it’s kind of a straight up rocker and that is one of the amazing things about Phish that keeps me coming back around to them – they can do it all – pop (yeah pop – e.g. Waste), out there shit where your taken to another plane, rock, jazz, funk, etc. A nice solo from Trey at around the 4:20 mark rounded out KDF and then into Lawn Boy, where Page took us down a notch to relax a bit. Heavy Things was up next and got the place hopping again – a nice Page interlude at 2:26 and then into Funky Bitch – which IMOH was really solid. Sample was up next and although there were a few rough parts here and there it seemed to keep the flow going. As Sample wound down, there was that crazy bass intro and Boogie On was underway. Again a solid version. After Boogie is where Set 1 broke down a bit – Let Me Lie was up next – I like the song, but it seemed oddly out of place… Beauty of a Broken Heart kept the energy levels down a bit until the fabled opening notes of Stash washed over us. Lots of clapping during the pauses and everyone getting down. A few lyrical flubs, but solid playing and for you Type II types they seem to flirt with that moniker bit around the 7:49 mark, but what the hell do I know about traveling at the speed of light… So ended Set I – again, nothing too crazy out there, mostly solid playing, and a rowdy-ish, fun crowd.

Set II – you can hear the audience singing Meatstick as the band takes the stage again. Then the notes of Drowned roll out from underneath Page’s fingers and we are on our way. A heady rocker through and through – if you listen to anything from this show it should be this and the “jam” after it… Out of a Type II and into Twist fairly seamlessly… Around the 5:23 mark it seems like there is a brief reach out there, but it’s quickly reeled back in. Twist ends by Piper – one of my favs and you can be sure I was getting down. Piper rolled (more like smashed) into BBFCFM and the general wackiness that goes along with it. Lot’s of good banter in here about Fishman and Syracuse as well… Tube next and like Sparkle, a quirky fun number to keep the energy going. Theme was next – I’m a big fan of this one (actually anything from the Billy Breathe’s era) and it seemed well placed – kept the groove going, but slowed shit down a bit. Tick tick tick tick tick of the high hat again, which meant we were in for a Maze. Yes! I remember swirling lights and the crowd getting into it as the boys guide us through and out to the other side… No Fall 97 type here – but keeps us up and jams out. We pop out of the Maze and into the Horse and Silent pairing. Get in a rest before Character Zero kicks it back up. Character Zero is solid and as it ends First Tube kicks into high gear. We get down accordingly… A brief pause and then they come back out – a stock GTBT and then it’s over – did they really open up with Bowie??!!

A misty haze hangs in the air as we make our – the place was so hot from everyone rocking out it was kind of like we created our own weather system. The cool night air hit me like a ton of bricks and suddenly we were free of the crowd and reality sets back in… A few more hours and I’ll be on my way to work, although it will be three more days until I can hear anything… Bring ear plugs next time asshole; you’re getting old…