So much to note from a show capping a tour which has every fan thanking the band.

It’s fun to pick apart stands (Atlanta), shows (8/22/15), songs (Twist), segues (Cheezer), snippets (I Know You Rider), samples (Your Trip is Short!), shout-outs (Ween), and sound checks (Mercury).

**But how about an extra Set—as opposed to an encore—in a summer rife with thoughtful, exciting encores.**

Seriously…. The band may occasionally flub a line, or ‘miss’ a change (Who said that…. Brad?), but they NEVER miss a beat, ending the summer, and Dick’s(?), in classic Phish style: a feat of epic prestidigitation.

The music comes first. And it’s ‘in’ tonight’s music where we see the completely healthy, collective mindset of the band.

Where we see the ‘duality’ that is (can we just drop ‘Point Whatever?’) Phish.

There is set one’s The Landlady—who, we thought, turned bitter in the early 90s, sold her tenement, resigned herself to her fate, satisfied to reside inside PYITE—

This no more!

And this, when coupled with heavy Magilla and Manteca teasing, and the emergence of Scabbard, cements a sentiment which evokes ‘early’ Phish, a sound the band regularly employed before they came to believe that these numbers simply wouldn’t translate well into rooms ever-increasing in size.

A welcome return, truly. Even if only from an ideas / song-writing standpoint.

And Mercury(!)—played well night two—with is many and varied sections; here we find a veritable, a millennial sort of Fluffhead.

And what’s not to like about Seven, Caspian, BDTNL, The Line…. A fluid wave of fun with, who cares about the order, an extra-funky Moma, and a sonic Mule (this song is great in the first, as it lends itself well to a ‘What the F’ attitude. Which is what we got next, with Moon, The Birdwatcher (cool weirdness) and some Edgar Winters.

The second set is a bit of a monster. Even I thought the band would go Sand instead of DWD (well, honestly, not really….).

But the forty-minute or whatever throw down which follows is why we go to shows—to have fun and break free.

Silent/Horse and Slave illustrate yet another side of Phish (okay, if, like me, you follow the band from a religious ‘sense,’ which is different than ‘religiously,’ perhaps they’re pluralistic), the music both calm and transcendent, reminding you why you’re where you are, and, more importantly, who it is that you are with….

But back to duality. (And consciousness! Talk about the Once in a Lifetime cover…. ‘a dog, a dog….’ What imaginations…. What creativity….)

In stepping into No Man’s Land and Blazing On, Trey, (and who cares what the latter song is ‘really’ about / if you have any DOUBT as to what Trey and Tom are up to, tonight’s NO2 should put that to rest) seems to have arrived at a separate peace. He can put on his triple X black Jerry tee (ala 10/31/94) or, if not a Wingsuit, a pair of Bobby’s cut-off jeans.

Point is: It Doesn’t Matter.

He can acknowledge his past…. And he can use that to PROPEL his future.

Because, more than anything, Trey wears, and regularly, a huge, and happy, smile.

**People say ‘Thank You’ all the time. It’s uncommon that I really, deeply, feel ‘it’: Tonight I totally did.**

The tomb of the red queen is painted in vermillion.

Page is the Walrus.

For anyone who has taken the time to read this summer: Thank You.

And I bid you goodnight.