YES!!!!! Finally after six full months since Big Cypress, I was seeing Phish again. 6/28/2000 was my first of four nights in a row on this tour and I was chomping at the bit by the time this day rolled around.

After a debacle involving a friend bailing on a ticket at the last minute and picking up another friend to take it even more last minute, I was finally at PNC with my game face on. PNC is fifteen minutes from my parent's house and for all intents and purposes is my "home base" venue. My Uncle Kerry had secured us with two VIP seats for this show, but because of the size of our group, we decided to split the show locations up. For the first set, I was on the lawn with my sister and other hometown friends.

The venue played the Star Spangled Banner before the start of the show, and why not! I love America. Chalkdust started the show with energy and purpose. It wasn't crazy insane like the 7/15/1999 version the year before, but it was still a lead-off home run on the first pitch.
A perfect version of The Sloth came next followed by a great Taste. The jam out of taste is very strong and overlooked because of what happened next. When I think about some of the greatest moments of my life, the 14:00 minute mark of this Bathtub Gin jumps to the top of the list with only a few exceptions above it. The build up and peak were unbelievable, building off of the previously played epic Gin on 6/23/2000 in Atlanta with shadows of the 7/29/1998 Riverport Gin built in. I'll take this one over Atlanta though. Kuroda was on fire with the bright white lights spinning at full speed, as the band finally climaxed at that incredible high-C note that gives me goosebumps today as I type. I also loved how we all yelled "WE LOVE TO TAKE A BATH!!!!" during the last verse, this is one of the first shows that this started happening. The first foreshadowing rain drop I felt happened at this exact moment. Anyway, the recording is just as good today as when it happened, it's an absolute must hear version.

So how do you follow that up? With a 100 mph Piper that I have never heard a rival of. There have been epic pipers before and since, but none that have shredded right off the bat like this one does and sprints for almost ten minutes. I'm sure I could check the chart but I feel like I don't need to bother. Must hear like the Gin. If I Could felt heartfelt and warm, like Trey and Page were playing it just for us. Short set, but I would still give it a biased A+.

Set 2, Page Side Rage Side, row 12 with my sister. And what timing! Everyone else we were with was getting soaked from the rain on the lawn during this set. Disease was raging, especially since we were so close. I couldn't believe I was hearing the Harry Hood drum roll intro out of Disease! I was counting my lucky stars. Gibboo was good, Circus was good...Boom! Pow! MIKE's. What a Mike's! Evil, intense, (not as evil and intense as Big Cypress Mike's but along those lines), stop and go jamming, LOVED IT!!! A nice Albuquerque pops out in the middle of the groove followed by a raging Weekapaug. It was time to head back to the lawn before the exiting chaos ensued so we could find our group. As our backs were turned walking up the stairs Fishman hit a single snare and kicked off First Tube. YES! This was my first First Tube and I really wanted to hear it played during this show. I actually predicted this as the show opener, but I would definitely take it in the encore. The Loving Cup was a cherry on top bonus and we were heading home happy. One down, three nights to go.