SET 1:

After Midnight: A++++. Phenomenal opener choice, first since Big Cypress. Sounds awesome too, this is my go-to version - whole band sounds great. Settling in for a killer show.

The Sloth: LET’S GO!!!!!! Wow what a duo to open up the show, incredible. Two of my favourites back to back. Not perfect but the energy is absurd.

Alumni Blues -> Letter to Jimmy Page -> Alumni Blues: as far as setlist goes I think this is one of my favourite openings to any show ever? Probably? Literally how do you beat this old-school goodness. My favourite Phish song ever and just like After Midnight this is one of my go-to takes on this particular song. Awesome composed section (even for LTJP which is rarely smooth in 3.0), Page ripping it up on the ivories for the first solo section, excellent slow build from Trey in the second solo section - no rush to move anywhere quickly. When the peak does come it’s awesome. Fuck yeah!!! PLAY IT MORE!!!!!!!!

Mellow Mood: yeah spoiler alert I love this set and show lol. Imagine being Trey Anastasio and starting a show with After Midnight, The Sloth, Alumni and Mellow Mood lmao. Awesome cooldown tune, if you can call it that. LONG pause following this as Trey workshops the harmonies to to what sounds like Access Me, and the crowd swells...

Access Me: what is there to even say at this point? My favourite 1.0 and favourite 2.0 songs in the same set. I would combust if I were there. Trey does NOT know the lyrics at all here and his mic is higher in the mix than Mike’s which makes this a version I’m unlikely to return to anytime soon, lol. It’s all completely forgiven though. Even reaching for this song is insane. Rarities set big time. In love.

Llama: it’s like Trey reached into my brain and asked me to put together a setlist for him. No joke, all the songs so far bar Mellow Mood would be in my dream show. Trey calls for Leo at one point and then starts soloing, lol. Absolutely nailed soloing, the dexterity is awesome. Composed section has been better but whatever. Another long pause.

All of These Dreams: ah nice I’m happy to see this pop up occasionally. Well-earned chill moment even if not my favourite song.

The Curtain With: aaaaand we’re STRAIGHT back into it folks. Unreal. Sublime choice. Spotless composed section and nice little solo at the end. >

Scent of a Mule: continuing the ‘they’re playing all my favourite songs’ trend with this one, holy shit. Yet another tune I’d be happy to hear at every show. WAY funkier than usual from Page during the start of his solo (you can hear Fish tossing up whether he should join in or not), then moves towards uptempo klezmering with light Fish accompaniment, then the typical duel ending and out. Sounds great, good version.

A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing: ugh, Phish back to predictable choices /s. Great choice. Pretty good Trey solo.

It’s Ice: by the book but played largely well and at a good tempo. >

Walls of the Cave: totally valid exclamation point. Great version, recommended if you’re a fan. Jesus Christ, what a set of Phish!

—

SET 2:

Possum: oh yeah okay totally down for this. Hype. Great high energy performance, Trey is feeling it big time tonight. Even some neat tension and release at some points. >

Light: looks like it’s jam time. Happy soaring play for a while, pleasant all round. Trey begins to show intent to go darker around 6:15 and then at 7:00 a more contemplative jazzy space emerges. Hints of plinko mixed with nocturnal searching on top of busy Fishman - nice. Fishman changes the groove up to his classic cowbell-led funk at 10:00 and now we’re in a full on Manteca-ish groove. Sick! They ride this one out for longer than you’d expect, Mike changes up his playing and Page moves to the clav. First signs of Trey wanting something else around 13:15, and then a decently smooth fade out and > Mike’s. Good little funk jam here, check it out. Feels more 2014 than 2010. >

Mike’s Song: pretty much an IMMEDIATE slam into a Mission Impossible-style funk jam after the composed section, siiiick. No rock just yet. Of course we then get the rock and from there on out it’s standard. >

Simple: nice nice. Very light and mellow jam. Love Mike’s playing at the end. >

Makisupa Policeman: haha okay! Sure!! Back to setlist shenanigans. ->

Night Nurse: awwww. Awesome. Great tribute to Isaac. Wonder how many in the crowd knew what was happening. Wish they would do stuff like this nowadays. ->

Makisupa Policeman: sandwich complete. >

The Wedge: not the perfect placement but sure.

Ghost: ahhhh nice now we’re talking. Sounds locked in from the beginning. Standard 3.0 soaring Ghost space and then Trey starts firing out some insane machine gun around 8:30 and goes for a big peak. He absolutely knocks that out of the park, damn. Organic transition to an easygoing outro space with a nice repeating motif from Trey. Sounds like it might go somewhere new for a minute, but instead we get a great -> into…

The Mango Song: loving the setlist so much tonight. Only The Wedge has felt like anything less than an optimal call. Great execution to this one. Trey starts playing the Weekapaug riff as early as 6:50 looking for a smooth transition, but the band doesn’t bite, and we instead get a somewhat more abrupt >

Weekapaug Groove: so happy right now. Love it. Lol @ Fish’s drumming before they switch to the correct key, sounds like he’s playing Born in the USA. Barely a minute into the jam they go into a massive Can’t You Hear Me Knocking tease, cute. Upbeat Paug jamming for a while with some electric Page, then darker thematic jamming with major Ghost and Night Nurse quotes from everybody - sick passage wow! Gets super intense after the quotes with an ascending theme playing on loop and Fish deploying some Axilla-like playing. Finally they move back to the Weekapaug theme at absolute light speed, just like the old days, then out of nowhere… ->

Llama Reprise: takes a minute for the rest of the band to pick up on what Trey’s shooting for here, but once they do, HOLY SHIT! Awesome! They do one verse, one chorus and then finish the song. Crazy. Love this set, show and band.

—

ENCORE:

Show of Life: absolutely earned and totally fitting after that show. Totally happy to have something more sentimental after a wild show.

—

OVERALL: fucking awesome. Unreal. Proof that a 3.0 show can have next to no type II jamming and still be exquisite by dint of the setlist. One of my personal favourites of this era and a damn sight better than 10/30/10 which understandable gets more attention. Best to just sit back and let this one play out, but if you want a sample platter try Alumni, Curtain, Walls of the Cave, Possum, Light, Night Nurse, Ghost and Paug -> Llama. Easy as pie!

Feeling generous today: I’m giving this a 4.5.