The Paradiso shows are, in my estimation, as close as we'll get to the oft-speculated question "what if Phish played a whole show the way they play soundchecks?" Both shows, the unquestioned kings of Summer '97 (even if you throw in the US shows, I'd think) are chock full of great jams, weirdness, and moments where the band just totally goes off the reservation in ways they wouldn't dream of doing in the US. Both of them are well worth your time and really should be at or near the top of your wishlists for the next LivePhish remaster.

Night One kicks off in audacious fashion with Ghost, then still a new song (only its seventh airing, although they were playing it with a frequency that would make Fuego blush), and it moves from funk into a churning, dark jam (with the infamous Worm yelling) and back to melodic upbeat hose - lots of it, too, like it's 2004 or something - before clanging to a fine finish. But don't skip the rest of the set - Ya Mar is fun, LxL soars before cooling down and segueing masterfully into Ain't Love Funny, and the Reba really does find a nice peak to make us forget the composed section bobbles. Lots of shows would kill for a second set that matches this first one.

Set 2 starts with a "solo" from Fish on the organ that morphs into a deliberate and typically dark Timber, then gives way to a monster Gin, and I use the term "monster" in the scary sense rather than the massive sense. Things move along at the usual Gin speed before Trey flips on his "1980s hair metal" effect and the band moves into a darker and funkier and very Europe '97 space before segueing wonderfully into Cities. And this Cities is one for the record books and the night's highlight, as they first run through a molasses-slow version of the tune, then kick into a pulsing, downright *weird* jam that rolls forward with an unhurried menace before Trey moves things into a more upbeat zone (it's here that you get the teases mentioned above) and the band charges to the finish line with another dose of funk. Loving Cup and a ghostly, ethereal Slave make a fine finish to the set, and Circus is the cherry on top.

Final thoughts: the better of the two shows; really one of their finest shows, and one as out of step with Phish's usual methodology as Fukuoka or 7/27/14 or even any of the Gamehendge shows are. Strongest possible recommendation - hell, this and the next night all by themselves are arguments for why you need to listen to AUDs.