Flew in from New York to help welcome Phish back to Portland for the first time in over 20 years, and it was worth it. The sound in Moda Center was a bit uneven in the first set, but that might’ve lent the band a feeling of looseness, or at least a little more leeway. Trey seemed to be rushing a...

4/20 / Easter / the return of Phish to Portland after almost 26 years (or 46 days x 200). The expectations were high and Phish was clearly on a mission to burn the mutha down to the ground and then salt the earth for good measure. Sound quality in sec. 221 was pristine - especially Mike and...

I thought the first set from start to finish was smoking hot. My first post-COVID show. Hard to believe I’m saying this but the Sigma was a freaking monster version. It far exceeded what I was hoping for. I thought the second set was just a tick below the first. Call it 4.6/4.4 or in that...

Show opening version kicks things off with swagger and wastes little time getting aggressively rhythmic. Mike sets a gritty tone while Page and Trey add lift. A weighty conversation develops that blooms into a delicate and satisfying peak and return.

-> from a small "Cities," Trey guides the band through a passage of subdued, moody sound, the sort of improv at home deep in some second set. While for some time the tempo remains thoughtfully slow and steady, Trey does augment his tone which, despite Mike adding some wild ideas, ultimately marks a decided shift. After the ten-minute mark there's a push to somewhat patterned and familiar play. This, though, is marked by a strong peak that overshadows a bit of a hiccup as the band drops back into the song's primary riff and return to close the song, proper.

Heats up quickly with a suspenseful minor jam out of the gates before sprinkling in some major at 9:40 and then fully shifts at 11:00 for a brief bliss-out. The next few minutes are transitional (though Mike is getting busy), but soon enough the jam roars back to life as the energy builds and builds to a blistering peak and then smoothly return to the final refrain.