Set 1: The Ghost wasn't too bad for a 1st set Ghost and they played Buried Alive & BBFCFM and Reba was quite nice and Mule was scary and spooky and blah blah blah just get to Set 2 already. Okay.
Set 2: So, here's one way to look at this set - "I love the tradition of playing classic albums,...
wow. what a show. another just insane phish show, but in a different way than normal. i'll start with the 'regular' phish and then move on to the 'costume' set.
first set is pretty standard fare. personally never seen buried alive live before, so that was a treat. it was especially sick when...
I wrote this at 1:20 am at http://soundandphission.blogspot.com. It may not be the most technical review of set II but I think it stands for itself. I edited out some swear words just because.
"Set two just ended and I wanted to jot down some quick words on it as it happened in real time....
fall tour 2018 was already one for the ages, but this vegas run really puts it over the top. absolute MONSTER show. worth a listen from top to bottom in my opinion, but let's break it down.
first set starts off with a standard rocking cavern, setting the tone for a high energy affair. beauty...
I lost count of the number of times I smiled on the couch for this one.
This was an actual dream come true. I remember years ago, bored in a meeting, doodling out a numbers-based setlist.
They beat me at my own game. Breakouts, deep jams out of time and space, and a slow wink the whole...
My very first show and now I don't know what to do...
Extremely grateful I get to do this again tonight. I want to do this every night.
The crowds reaction to the if I could bust out was insane, so cool.
Weigh is awesome.
I almost expended all of my energy during sand, the jam was...
what an awesome cap to an absolutely incredible run and, in trey's words, an "unforgettable tour." unforgettable indeed! while the first set was not the behemoth that was friday's S1, it contained some awesome moments and another coveted ballad bustout. set 2 is, simply put, a monstrous phish...
While this band is no Kasvot Växt, I decided to catch the show as I happened to be passing through Vegas. While it's too late to give a play by play of the entire show, the band was on fire as has been the case all tour. I rokked out the entire show and am looking forward to another heater...
wow wowo wow wowo wow wow wow wowo wow wowo wow wow wowo wowo wow wow wow wowow o wowo wow wow wow wow ow wo w wow wow wow wo w wo w wo wow wo wow ow wo wow wo wow wo wow wowow ow ow wo owow wow oow wowowow w ow wo wo wo wo owwo wo woow ow ow ww ow ow wowowow ow o wo owowwo wowowowowow...
If you needed a reminder of the heights this band is still capable of reaching it's right there in the second slot of the second set. Twenty four minutes and change of absolute bliss. Hard charging while holding down the groove with two monster peaks before crashing at full speed into Simple....
"Ghost" gets its almost-always-spot on Halloween night and it does not disappoint. At 10:30, the band locks in after searching around. Fish's play drives the jam and Trey's soloing leads the way. The upbeat jam slows considerably at 14:00, with the ensuing play sounding reminiscent of a "BASOS" jam. From that, emerges a murky, effects-laden jam. Mike's bass playing towards the end is a highlight in the longest version of the song since the IT Festival.
Punishing play, typical of the song, cools. Out, then, from the song's familiar closing refrain, Trey shapes his tone, his sound heavy as a stone, and offset by spaceage Page. On-point (somewhat incendiary) Fish, Mike anchors what becomes an oozing, liquid event. Lazer-like, the band enters a jam that evokes Floyd inside the walls of a cave, with terrific lead Fish. Listen again and again - Trey is so inventive - as there is always something different to hear, or say.
Kicking off what would become the instant classic "numbers" show, Phish unleashes the version of "2001" we've been waiting for. A 17 minute true representation of the power of "2001". The intro alone is 7 minutes (longer than some 3.0 versions). This take is Phish as tight as the entrance to the MGM. It's a full sledgehammer of groove that is impossible not to dance to. Moves into "1999" to form 30 of the best opening minutes to Phish you will find.
Quickly shrugs off the usual jam structure and embarks on a thrilling exploration of multiple disparate themes, the last of which is some spooky space that leads back to "SOAM" at 18:30.
The first segment consists of strong and varied "Mercury" style jamming, highlighted by a hypnotic groove in the 13th minute. After regrouping at 15:30 the song's theme returns but in a major key and propels the jam to a peak and a bit of echoey play at the tail end before > "Suzy".
At the time, the longest 2001 since the MJ version, and best since Darien 2011. Trey leads out in the second jam and the MGM turns into a DMT paradise. Things get evil, spacey, and the band quotes "Fame" while Mike liquefies the crowd. Monster version fitting of the monster 2016 Vegas run.
Supercharged -> from "DwD" sparks breezy, airy playing, which breaks down around the 5:00 mark. Page is great, and the jam never loses momentum as Trey modifies his tone and the band fluidly floats through a few different tempos before, ultimately, alighting upon a suspended plane of marked beauty and sustained grace.
Really nice band interplay between verses, then a heavy fog rolls over the post-verses jam, almost "Echoes"-like in nature. Very cool effects from Trey and Page here. Strong version, especially for a first set.
While there's no Trey-led jam nor even a Bass & Drums section, the full band contributes, especially Page, to a raging improvisation that culminates with everyone on drums before the vocal jam concludes the festivities.
A solid and "complete" version, breaking first to some growly, echo-filled play, which settles to a rhythmic foundation for Page and Trey to play off. At 7:45, the jam brightens in tone, but remains low intensity, then mellows further with quiet musings led by Page.
Religions could be founded around the eternal question, "shall thy lumpy head be happy or angry this evening?" This gracious offering promptly responds with fleet-footed and upbeat major key jamming that shows adept and confident peak building. A massive wash of heavenly synth tones blasts from the PA at the 8 minute mark; this pleases his lumpiness, who then gets angry at its departure and turns for darker pastures. After the many moods of the great drum tech is expressed, -> "Lonely Trip."
Quite the version in that it keeps the intricacy and speed of the traditional "Bowie" jam but in a major tonality and then swerves back to wrap in normal fashion.
Trey's favorite delay signals this version will break the mold, and a fully-formed, feel-good jam quickly emerges. A bit of the 2021 "Sci-Fi Soldier" sound creeps in before the final lyrics and becomes more pronounced in the outro until > "Free".