SET 1:

Cars Trucks Buses: sure. A pet favourite opener of mine, maybe less thrilled with it for opener of the final night of THIS particular Dick’s run but it always gets the job done. Well played.

AC/DC Bag: there it is. Fun, full of energy, succinct, and plenty of dexterity from Trey on display. >

Down With Disease: OKAYYYYYY! Now we’re talking! Similar placement to last night’s Tweezer, a jam vehicle getting thrown down early in set 1 is always a good sign for the show. Played at a great pace, so fast in fact that Trey’s enthusiasm clearly gets ahead of his brain and he screws up the first verse’s lyrics, LOL. It happens. Trey takes a more soaring, contemplative approach to the solo with a good amount of whammy, clearly angling for a Camden CDT-type thing. He never quite finds it though and eventually returns to the head to finish the song. Intent is definitely there to do something with this one but it doesn’t really happen. Oh well.

Bathtub Gin: interesting call for this slot, two songs with historically very similar jams. You wonder if Trey is going to attempt to get where he wants with this one, even if it didn’t work for DWD. Good jam, goes pretty high up and Trey takes the usual peaky Gin route - the distinguishing factor this one has is that Fish rides out a disco-style four on the floor throughout this jam, which gives it a uniquely dancey flavour that I appreciate. Check it out, it’s fun.

Nellie Kane: standard. >

Sample in a Jar: definitely iffy on this placement, but this is actually a great Sample with Trey ripping all over the place. If for some reason you’re looking for a 3.0 version of this to check out, this one is great.

Back On the Train: little bit all over the place here. Standard.

Rift: standard, but very fast. If you want to hear a 3.0 version that approaches the mania of 1.0, here it is. There are admittedly a few flubs from Fish and Trey. >

Free: weird, but sure. Standard.

Ride Captain Ride: ooo nice! First exciting call since DWD. Bring it back Phish! Cool effects at the end and a Mike bomb take us >

Maze: great follow-up, injecting some energy back into the set here. Absolute pandemonium from Page in his solo and some great work from Trey in his solo too, screaming and soaring. This is Maze the way it should be done! Nice!

Halley’s Comet: set has definitely turned around after a strange middle section. Good follow up to a Maze. >

46 Days: expected ripcord here, this one feels pretty abrupt though. Raged as expected. >

Possum: rocked, raged, etc. - so standard.

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SET 2:

Sand: nice. I miss when this was semi-rare. Sounds good with the early 3.0 drum and bass tones too. Some funky, Latin-ish Page and Trey early in the jam, but otherwise pretty standard until 9:00, where the band briefly goes HARD into funk, then settles on a floatier, more wandering sound with Page first playing loose washes of clav and then freely soloing on electric piano. Fish strips back his groove at 10:00, then Trey starts some droning pedal tones, and we get an even more free-form, exploratory space. Zero gravity here. Hardcore space synths at 11:30, seems like prime territory for a transition, but then Fish and Mike reform a groove around a two-note bassline and we’re back into a jam. Page adapts to the droning two-note sound quickly, and this is when things get super good circa 13:15. This is so uncharacteristic of the era. They make their way to a satisfied, Caspian-ish two chord groove around 15:00, still with plenty of synth work for the first little passage but less so come 16:00 once Page moves to electric piano. Jam is now light and airy and major key. But wait - Trey plays some fast rhythmic strumming around 16:30 and Page reciprocates with a dramatic progression, and it becomes clear we’re laying the groundwork for a peak. Building and building and building. Trey starts soloing in earnest around 19:20 and it’s real good, more triumphant than the darker soloing in the previous night’s light - definitely N3 vibes. Making the guitar SCREAM at 20:30, wow! He’s possessed! Absolutely could’ve kept that peak going for a minute or so longer, but he throws out some sustained chords around 21:00 and wrangles the band towards a droney, ambient outro… except not, because out of thin air, Fish starts the Sand beat, and we’re back playing Sand for a little! Sick! Sustain stays running in the background, then fades while Trey sets up some choppy rhythms over the traditional Sand groove. This bit is awesome. Then there’s something new happening - I actually think Mike is the one who pushes this transition! Before you even realise it, we’re going -> Ghost! A really good jam, not on the level of N2’s Light (or N1’s Chalk Dust for that matter) but not much is. Some wandering here and there but the second half definitely delivers the goods. Recommended! ->

Ghost: that transition really is primo, big fan. Sand -> Ghost really is a funk fan’s dream. Definitely a sharper, more uptempo Ghost than usual with some of the Sand loops running through the composer section. The early going of the jam is pretty floaty and freeform, then by 7:00 the playing stats incrementally raising in energy. This would be absolutely gripping in person. Trey is soloing all over the place over playing that speeds up and up. The late stage of this solo has a sort of drum and bass feel to it, and this is finally fully realised in a proper DnB groove around 9:30, kinda like a late 90s Piper. This section is awesome! Mike and Trey absolutely bumping - great theme from Mike in particular that he sticks to appropriately. Page is actually the one to call it quits on the groove, playing some light, atonal electric piano runs, which encourages the others to fade into space. A lovely passage follows where Page solos meditatively while Trey lays down some delay-driven loops, very good stuff - reminds me of Pink Floyd a little. Once this has run its course, Trey moves > Piper. A great Ghost, I actually prefer this one to the Sand as far as anytime listening goes. Ideas are more attentively explored I’d say. >

Piper: great call for this stage in the set. Standard Piper stuff from the outset, then a roiling, strange space at around 5:00. Some nice melodic Trey stuff here, playing out over Fish essentially soloing. They collectively move towards freeform psychedelia after this. Trey on octave pedal and Fish just barely tapping out a polyrhythm. Very interesting unique sound here. Trey lands the ship around 8:20 and pushes for a more conventional groove, but Fish holds firm on his strange, noisy playing. Not seeing much potential left, Trey goes > 20YL. Interesting little jam here, I respect the dedication to type II. >

20 Years Later: definitely not a fan of this song but it’s not bad in this slot. >

The Lizards: ahhh nice. Absolutely down for this, we’re in the celebration portion of the set here. Good aside from the fast 16ths which Trey hasn’t nailed since the 90s anyway.

Harry Hood: celebratory call! Pretty out-there intro, some unique piano work from Page and some stop-start shenanigans - like an old school version. Nice held note to kick off the jam, then some unhurried, Dead-like space for a while. Adorable theme from Trey around 8:10. Absolutely no rush to get to the peak just yet. Things build slowly from there, with every member putting in the hard yards, but Trey especially is great this whole jam. 11:00 and onwards he does everything he needs to. Good peak, great 3.0 Hood! Obviously nearly no Hood from this era comes within striking distance of the best of 1.0 but this one is really nice. Trey gives thanks at the end of the jam over a bunch of loops, with some other fun banter directed at Mike and Fish and then a big ending flourish.

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Character Zero: I appreciate the call honestly, Trey clearly thinks this run speaks for itself. Slightly darker start to the jam than usual, then it builds up to the usual rock peak and ending.

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OVERALL: the worst of the three Dicks 2012 shows, which is in itself pretty high praise considering how great the run is and how tough it is to beat nights 1 and 2. A better first set would’ve done wonders, but as it stands it’s only solid with a pretty jukebox mix of tracks (but few that feel unmissable.) Some good type 1 versions of Maze, CTB, Bag, 46 Days and Possum, an enjoyable dancey Gin, and a slightly limp good-effort DWD. Set 2 is obviously why people come to this show and it is indeed great start to finish. Love the Ghost, enjoy the Sand despite some wandering, enjoy the Hood. Overall this show feels more like a victory lap than a bona fide thriller. Lord knows they’ve earned it, though!

4 stars, no more no less.