"The first set failed to meet any of my three criteria for enjoyable first sets — bustouts, classical Phish composed songs, and jams of some kind." -Solargarlic78

I couldn't disagree with you more solargarlic; the ONLY criteria for enjoyable first sets are as follows:
1) all 4 dudes up on stage, playing the tunes we all know and love!!
I thought last night was FIRE! Trey in particular, was a madman on the fretboard all night! Seriously, what is there not to love about that funk throwdown of a first set, followed by a killer lineup of excellently executed heavy hitters?? You've become spoiled, over analytical, and dependent on the things you think you need for a show to be any good. If you did not enjoy last night's show, i feel sorry for you bud.

Easily the best Northerly Island show Phish has played between last year and this year with one more show to go on Sunday (review written morning of the Sunday show).

From weather to music quality this show was better than good and just short of epic. Which is to say yesterday's show was good, had moments of greatness but was not great top to bottom. This show as great top to bottom. It was just shy of going epic.

The Moma Dance opening offered a great Blues / Funk opening to a Chicago show with perfect 78 degree weather and the Chicago Skyline in the backdrop for great atmospheric mood. This was some seriously tight funk jamming. Trey nailed this one.

Wolfman was a great tune to follow this up and seemed to be a great selection to keep the funk energy going from Moma. It was a tight and very sound Wolfman, not super jammy, but certainly crisp and right on target.

Gears shift into Devotion to a Dream. Trey. His voice sounds so strong and exact these days. Great vocals from the whole band which I must say stood out on this song and all the Feugo songs I've heard in 2014. WOW Trey's vocals made me smile here. The pace worked great to keep the crowd energy at a nice building incline.

46 days has become a pretty awesome tune and was a tune that keep the funk going. Some fast and tight jamming here. It was vertically deep and not long and sprawling jam. Hot jamming nonetheless.

Yarmouth Road - WOOO HOOO!!! This just fit great and the energy the band had - especially Mike on the vocals was a great call. What a steamy sound with a Bob Marley and the Whalers type beat to it. It was a happy sounding blues funk jam sound. Never heard this one before and it just sucked me in. Such a catchy tune and great fit in this set.

One of the better Brian and Robert renditions I've heard. Not better than Alpine 1998, but better than any I've heard since. During this song, the sun was just setting in a pinkish transition toward dusk against a city skyline with lights just coming into view. A good cool down song choice to let the audience catch their breath and enjoy the backdrop of a great skyline and beautiful night in Chicago.

Wingsuit - sounds SOOOOOOOOO much better live than it does on studio. They just nailed this song. Trey was so soulful and full of emotion which the band also pumped into this song with their vocals and again I have to say I'm so impressed with their vocals this tour more than any other since 1998 and I think perhaps their vocals are the best they've ever been at all ever...

Brian and Robert and Wingsuit let the crowd catch their breath for an explosion with Tube. They pace picks back up and Cactus (Mike) got filthy on the bass with that thumb slap!!

Free was played with a high paced energy and was nailed by the band! Some great building jams that are always a crowd pleaser. Trey was hot all show and brought a flame thrower out for this one. What a ripping version of the song. Vocally, song started a touch off and got better as it went on.

Roggae - If there was a song that kept this show from being epic... It was this one. Just didn't sound right, sounded like feedback issues, and feedback issues seemed to effect tempo and band vocals. Wish I could have heard set without this tune. It didn't hurt the show so much as it just didn't go that well tonight.

That sag was totally tightened up with Heavy Things believe it or not the band freaking nailed this Heavy Things and may have busted out the best one you'll ever year to date. Jamming made this overplayed Farmhouse track a new tune to me. Holy cow!!!! Page goes nuclear on keys at the end and the band jumps in on the Page show with some filthy filthy high paced jams to pick the set way back up. Mike's bass was even more pronounced in this song than ever too.

The band follows with a knockout version of Antelope. This sent the crowd into a frenzy!! What a hot rendition of this song and they NAILED IT. This closed a long and blazing set for the band. They had the crowd jumping with an energy not seen the night before and they had built it through this set. Very high energy set with great song selection linked up through it. VERY VERY VERY HAPPY PHANS!!

Set two opens with Carni keeping with the tone and overall beat mentality of the first set. This gets the crowd right back into the swing of where set one left off.

Waves - I'll just say wow what great technical precision by the band on this one and Page and Trey just seem to be so on point through the speed and complexity here. What awesome guitar work from Trey. Was X for the ears.

Fuego - what can I say but the band plays these even better live. They got funky and energetic in this one. Heavy booming sounds and the band was just perfect on this. I can't say enough of how impressed I am with their vocals this year. Can't say it enough.

Twist - Light followed and again great vertical sharp jams that were fast and complex. High energy and keeping the crowd pleased. Great song selection from first to second set.

Twenty Years Later - I love the vocal arrangement on this song. They kept it safe and enjoyable in execution. No risks on this song, but solid and one I had wanted to hear for a long time. They didn't blow the hinges off this song and if there were songs they struggled vocally it was this one and Roggae from the first set.

Harry Hood - WHAT A HOOD THIS WAS. One of the most solid Hoods you'll hear. This one had a crowd jumping and the vibe this monster jam put the city in was great. Like this is WHY YOU GO TO PHISH SHOWS!

Cavern followed Hood like a great uppercut in the late rounds of a fight. Just such wonderful energy and set the crowd on fire.

Encore - AWESOME rendition of Grind and they really opened up the jam on Bug and played it with what I call loud force that has really showed the evolution this song takes on from it's days appearing on Farmhouse as a studio track. SUZY to end a three song encore??? Suzy is ALWAYS a great opener or closer. With all the songs and the vibe this show had in great tight jams, speed, and spirit... It just fit. Great choice to end the how. The crowd was jumping and shouting to close this out.

Again, great show and best they've played at Northerly. With the weather being picture perfect too. Top to bottom a great show which was just shy of Epic.

https://medium.com/the-phish-from-vermont/11ea786bd64b

4th Quarter Comeback?
Or, too little too late?

In my review of Randalls 1 I discussed the concept of “house money” — where particular jams are so great they give you peace and comfort with whatever Phish does for the remainder of the show. Well, a similar concept might be the “4th quarter comeback” (Some Phish fans have gotten into the habit of dividing shows into quarters, withe the 3rd obviously being the most important in terms of improvisation): a scenario where Phish finishes a show so strong that it makes up for a rather unexceptional first three quarters. Judging from the reaction on twitter, last night’s “Light”-> “Twenty Years Later”->“Harry Hood” appeared to fulfill this mission for many fans. In my humble opinion, it was simply too little too late in a show that overall suffered from the increasingly dull and repetitive song selection and the recent (and alarming) lack of inclination to let jams breathe and open up. The latter is so odd since that is what defined the first 8 shows of tour.

The first set failed to meet any of my three criteria for enjoyable first sets — bustouts, classical Phish composed songs, and jams of some kind. For the first several songs, they were essentially playing the exact same set as Pine Knob. Does Phish realize how close Detroit and Chicago are? Do they understand many in the audience were at Pine Knob just a few nights before? That said, this set featured the best “Wolfman’s” of tour (it really hung out patiently in the funk section for a good while), a nice “bustout” (of a kind) of “Brian and Robert” (although does anyone really go to a show dying to hear this song?), and “Roggae” which I love under any circumstances. Yes, there were other highlights: the “Smoke on the Water” (or, as Trey explained at Camp Osewego in 1999, “Cat Scratch Fever” is the exact same riff!) tease was cool in “Tube”, Fishman singing “They Might Be Giants” in Antelope is certainly a rarity to behold, and, according to @secretcabdriver that was the first time Trey said “spliff” (a slang term for marijuana cigarette) instead of “spite” during the Antelope lyrics since 1988 (that can’t be true, can it??? I feel like I’ve seen a show where this has happened).

The second set started promisingly enough with “Carini” which some would argue was the best jam vehicle of 2013. Almost formulaically at this point, the jam modulated into major key “bliss” territory. Eventually Trey settled on a beautiful descending line of octave phrases (again, I hypothesize his Soule Monde sit in on 5/1 is what instigated this summer 2014 obsession with octave phrasing) — even if he hit a few wrong notes along the way. But, before we knew it, Trey opted to end the jam in favor of “Waves” (the same “Carini-> “Waves” combo from SPAC and reverse combo from Worcester 1 in the Fall). Don’t get me wrong, this “Waves” featured powerful and emotive soloing from Big Red during the first jam segment — a reminder that type 1 jams need to be appreciated and savored — but, where’s my heady “second jam” in Waves? Instead of going into an exploratory type ii segment out of the “On the wind and under water” part (which has been almost the norm lately), the opening piano chord of “Fuego” interrupted (honestly, that was the first time those opening chords bordered on jarring in my view). Before tour started, I was controversially arguing that we had no reason to believe “Fuego” was going to be this open ended jam vehicle that everyone expected. The first three versions of the song (including Mansfield) were totally contained, the jams were surrounded by intricate composed sections, and the song felt to me like a “Pebbles and Marbles” or “Walls of the Cave” that rarely opens up. Well, I was ecstatic to be proven wrong with the amazing SPAC and MANN versions. But, what the hell has happened since? At Randalls, the song was unfinished but did not open up, and the next three versions have all been in set 2, but have been self-contained finished versions (No different than the version they played for the web exclusive on Jimmy Fallon, which I, btw, blame for the reigning in of “Fuego”). OK, apart from the odd and seasonally inappropriate tease of “Little Drummer Boy,” we lost 1o minutes there (even if I still love this ‘effin song). “Twist” was another reminder of the merits of “type i” jams — pure thick, funky nastiness and amazing interplay between all four members on this one. Fun teases of Fuego (which kept coming back) taboot. “Light” was clearly the improvisational highlight of the night to this point. As is the case in many “Lights”, this jam was about rhythmic grooving between the members. However, I found the jam a bit meandering for the bulk of it, with Trey quickly shifting back and forth between playing chord-based “rhythmic stabs” and then playing rocking blues licks. The jam never really settled on anything until the end where it opened up and employed some spacy loops and ethereal playing from Page, Mike, and Trey. The last 3-4 minutes of “Light” were a keeper, but overall this was not a top version of this song. “Twenty Years Later” was a really strong if straight ahead version (if we simply forget about the 10/29/13 version). The jam stayed in the box, but was really was spacious and textured (no member playing too many notes).

On to the “Harry Hood.” This was for sure a really epic and interesting version. But, and I’m certain this will not be a popular view, count me as one who is somewhat ambivalent about the slew of type ii “Harry Hoods” this tour. To me, “Harry Hood” is defined by its beautiful type i D major jam. It often fits perfectly at the end of the set to punctuate the more improvisational music that should have come before it. Last night’s “Hood” featured another modulation into a minor key and, eventually, employed some downright anthemic rock chords that built and built to a breathtaking peak (the chords almost had a “Not Fade Away” feel). Then, a very nice transition back to D major and the “Hood” ending. All I’m saying is I would have preferred this amazing “rock jam” to exist in “Carini” rather than “Hood.” In fact, if it did, we would be saying “That was a pretty good Carini” instead of saying “That was a Hood for the ages.” One reason we loved the rock jam more than perhaps its musical merits suggest, is because it existed in Hood where it wasn’t supposed to exist. Nevertheless, it was great, and definitely the highlight of the night. My bottom line is: more type ii jamming in the 3rd quarter, could allow “Hood” to fulfill its best role — 4th quarter type i melodic bliss reflection (alternatively, why not open up a second set with Hood and see what where it goes?).

The encore featured the silly “Grind”, a funny “Bug” (funny because they seemed to forget much of the structure of the song and were singing “It doesn’t matter” over and over again in inappropriate times — on the other hand, this “Bug” might have the shortest guitar solo in history, which I usually enjoy quite a bit), and “Suzy” (with more Fuego-teases!). Can’t complain about three song encores.

Hate to say it, but this tour is feeling like a mountain that reached a thunderous peak with Randalls 3. That, of course, can all change tonight. But, for that to happen, Phish really has to open up the catalog in set 1 and let the jams breathe in set 2. Hopefully the “never miss a Sunday show” dictum still holds!

Always think its funny reading reviews or talking to other heads after shows. Everyone has there own opinions and can vary greatly. That said , what a solid show!!! We had an amazing time, solid first set and again an amazing second set.with a killer encore. Left very very happy. Hats off to the boys.

It was simply, after Randall's N3 the funnest time I had couching a show this tour. Nothing was stretched out..no bust-outs, no Gamehendge, nothing out of the ordinary. Just simply great music performed expertly.
Trey has been astounding...sounding even better the last few nights than he did most of last year. Hood, Wolfman's, Wingsuit, and Fuego were excellent. The tightness of the band right now is at an all-time high in the 3.0 era. Can't be happy enough for them, or for us.

There is no need for a two page review to get the point across.... This show was great! NOT the best ever! NOT even the best 3.0! But damn, can't people just simply say "great show" ... This show was simply a nicely executed show.... Still better than WSP, SCI, Phil Leash bands and every other band on the planet!

It might seem pretty easy to write off this show on paper -- numerous repeats, no signature jams, no off-the-wall curve balls we expect the band to throw out every now and again. And if we're strictly discussing the first set, I would be inclined to agree with that assessment. It was a mostly-jamless melange of standard 3.0 first-setters, a couple of new songs, the one-two ambien punch of Brian and Robert and Wingsuit (which, frankly, seems to work better as a second-set cool down in the wake of a fiery jam), and a few old favorites thrown in for good measure. Looking at a standard Antelope closer, you would be forgiven for thinking it's worth glossing over, too, but be warned: you would be wrong. After such a lackluster first set, the quality of this Antelope came as quite a surprise and whipped the crowd into an absolutely frenzy. It included a wonderful jam segment, and the high-energy reading and wacky Istanbul teases gave it a certain playfulness that is reminiscent of some of those fabulous 1.0 Antelopes that we all know and love. I know you have probably heard 1001 versions of this song, but DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS ONE! It's wonderful!

Going into to setbreak, I felt that the Antelope redeemed what proved to be a mostly-pedestrian first set, setting the stage for what I hoped would be an extremely strong second set from the boys. Ultimately, I felt we got exactly that and more, though it seems the opinion in not shared by all. To be fair, I understand, but I don't agree...

Now, I completely understand how, lacking the kind of exploratory jams we saw at Randall's Island or the unorthodox quirkiness of the previous evening's second half, you might want to write off this entire set as typical average-good Phish. On paper, it might look like a series of jams that failed to take off, leading to segues or ripcords into other jam vehicles that also failed. It may have even seemed that way over the webcast, though I can't say for sure. I will say, though, that the energy coming from the band through this seamlessly segued set translated incredibly well to those of us dancing on the lawn. While none of the jams took root and flourished in the way Phish fans especially like, there was not a single moment of aimless noodling or uncertainty. It's also probably worth mentioning that the only true ripcord of the night came during Fuego, stranding it solidly in the type-I category, but setting the stage for an excellent Twist. Much has already been said -- rightfully so -- about the wonderful Harry Hood in the penultimate slot, but I would be remiss if I didn't at least mention the exciting-but-compact Light jam, which seems to have cruised right under the radar for many due to it either being A) too short or B) too similar to other versions. But does such a reliable jam vehicle have to produce totally original 20-plus-minute jams to be seen as an asset? Likewise, do we need to pick apart the individual pieces of a set to determine how that set works as a whole?

The reason I ask these questions is because, from way back on the lawn at Northerly Island, I felt that this second set, taken as a whole, was an absolute masterpiece. Phish at their finest. Sure, it didn't include a three-headed monster jam like that Randall's Island CDT > Light > Tweezer, but the jamming throughout was masterful without a single second of wasted space. The setlist itself was immaculately constructed, providing a fluid range of emotions, colors, and hues. The songs were played with such finesse that they were perfectly suited to a wild Saturday night in the big city with a gentle Lake Michigan breeze in your hair and Kuroda's impressive lights in your eyes. Rather than judge the second set on the merits of each individual jam, try to see it as an immaculately crafted psychedelic whole -- a journey from the dark anxiety of Carini's lumpy head through water, fire, and light, finally concluding with a triumphant feel-good anthem for the ages and a celebratory cave party serving as an exclamation point.

And that amazingly quirky three-song encore? It doesn't get much better than that, people. A perfect epilogue to the harrowing journey of one very special set by one very special band. As I mentioned before, I can't speak to how this one translated via webcast, but from my spot way out on the lawn, the second set was magic. But, hey -- don't take my word for it. Give it another listen and see for yourself. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

I just listened to this show twice ~ first in an out of sequence set of segments, rummaging for what I assumed or hoped would be good combinations or jams [with an eye on the duration of the tracks, inevitably] ~ and then I listened to it a second time from start to finish and just allowed it flow over me without interrupting it.

I'd say let the dust settle on this one. And then blow the dust off it again in a few weeks' time. It is a fine show ~ good composure, tight playing, a clever tour de force mix of compositions, and an affable and slightly buzzed celebratory feel towards the end.

Taken as an intact slab of music, I think the second set sequence of Carini > Waves > Fuego > Twist > Light > Twenty Years Later > Harry Hood > Cavern will end up being quite admired and also quite rewarding to those revisiting it. I just enjoyed it considerably more second time around and in its correct order, not distracted ~ during, say, "Carini > Waves > Fuego" ~ by any Phishological anticipation of how good the "Light > Twenty Years Later > Harry Hood" was going to be later in the set.

Second time I was less eager about going directly to hoped-for hugeness without passing go, and more in tune with the fact that the whole thing is one thing ~ and not a thing that needs necessarily to be heard in terms of having good bits... and better bits. The first set asserted itself with me on the second spin in much the same way.

It's the sort of show I could share with thoughtful music loving friends who don't want or need a half hour version of anything and yet do "get" the blend of jamming proclivities and sheer musicality of the band.

Chicago Night 2 (also published in STTF 42 Dick's Edition)
www.surrendertotheflow.com />
We arrived at Northerly Island early this picturesque afternoon to enjoy the the serene, great lake-side “lot” scene. There was no Shakedown, but IT was fun to watch the crowd build. Set I started on the tar pit in a funky fiery fury as the boys dropped The Moma Dance. The Saturday serenade continued to burn as we were visited by The Wolfman's Brother. Devotion to A Dream was next and the curtain came down unveiling 46 Days. The boys took us for a Joy ride in this classic. The coal may have run out, but the smoke billowed from below the surface w/ Yarmouth Road & Brian and Robert.
If you haven't seen Mike's video for Y.R. I highly recommend a view. He ends by singing, “Don't make me feel like a guest in our own home.” As members of a tightly knit community we often overlook the fact that we are guests of the venues that house us. We were children playing all around & this one was for us, but not for long as IT was time to put our wingsuits on. Easily my new favorite, Wingsuit embodies the epitome of our collective concert experience; to fly high & feel free. After a ferocious 4 minute Tube that's exactly what we did as Trey's thunderous axe ground out a lightning clear Free. Flowing into Roggae, the peaceful dreaming was awakened by Heavy Things. Rounding out the set came a Turkish-Spliff themed Run Like An Antelope.
At set break we took a stroll up to the lawn to visit Trampas, Brent and Fly Guy. IT was Brent's b'day show so we raged hard. We stayed up there for the first few songs & the boys resumed their positions. They set ablaze a pyre with Carini and sent him burning off into the Waves of Lake Michigan. This is the 2nd time I've seen this pairing and the 3rd time the former has ignited the latter in his last 6 appearances. This duo makes for an interesting juxtaposition as if the boys were seeking some calm after the storm. IT wouldn't last long as we were stuck in the high gear of this show.
Initially, Fuego exploded out of Waves like lava; however, the boys quickly tamed that fire and kept IT roaring at the normal album duration; including the ending of this beautiful disaster. The dissonance displayed during Fuego's finale sounded as if the flames were being stoked once again as they kept it rolling into Twist. Twist spiraled with raucous Woo-filled wailing which continued into Light. If Light isn't the fire that has been burning the torch carried in 3.0 then I don't know what is. Light illuminated us for a solid 13 minutes of pure Type 2 jamming before guiding us back to the floor and into another look at the past.
Twenty Years Later came next and while it's not technically about my 2 decade long journey w/ Phish the song has become a new favorite. TYL, a jewel of 3.0 then segued back in time 30 years to our dear old phriend Harry Hood. With all of the hype about last summer's Holly-Hood (which was amazing) and several gems to follow I must stress how integral this song was to this set at that moment in time. All felt good as Hood finished, but not before slipping into the night for a final mission...IT was clear; burn this Cavern down & destroy IT they did.
The flow of this set, the Chicago skyline dancing in the background & the feeling of oneness prevailed that night as the phellows performed en fuego a la extrema & proved that they are in this for the love of the music, the community as a whole & are ready to keep giving...so long as we read the book, play with fire & most importantly take care of our shoes! As they took the stage for the encore the boys huddled up & once again delivered the goods. Grind is always a welcome treat. Bug grows on me each time & Suzy Greenberg showed us the boys weren't ready to douse this Great Chicago Fire!

James Fitzpatrick Peitler
Glenwood Springs, CO

I really have to agree with pretty much everything @solargarlic78 said. While I had an absolute blast on this run, this show will definitely fall by the wayside in my books.

To start off, I have to say that I was battling a headache all day. One of the guys we were staying with forgot to turn off the stove overnight and someone found it like that in the morning. I'm assuming that gas leaked in the apartment all night however...

1. I was the only one that had the headache

2. The apartment did not blow up upon wake n bake

Whatever it was, I was pretty much battling this thing all day even trying put down beers at Reggie's. Anyways, on top of that I was also in attendance at Pine Knob. I had a great time at Pine Knob despite the lack of improv because I had a lot of friends that I took to their first show and they were loving it so I in turn loved it as well. However, after they started up Wolfman's a few people around us started grumbling. One guy even reminded of how I would do a Phish show; let out a slight complaint while still dancing! When Yarmouth Road started up and I looked around the crowd, @mymomadontdance said "You can't tell me this was played at DTE too?!" being well aware of the streak that was happening. We considered that it could be a gag they were pulling, then I realized if that was the case, it would be the worse gag they've done (I may go back on that comment)

Nevertheless, this had sucked whatever energy I was clinging onto while trying to drown my headache with water. I was very happy to hear Bran & Robert as well as the rest of the set, but I have to admit my mood was killed and my mind went elsewhere. During Tube I noticed the girl I met that worked the beer tent last year just grooving 20 feet to my right with a friend. I took Free as my chance to go talk to her and stayed around and smoked with them until the end of Heavy Things and went to rejoin my group for the awesome Antelope closer.

During set break our group wandered around the grounds of the lawn and ended in the psychedelic chill tent in the back. I remember coming back from taking a piss and looking at the monitor in the distance and seeing the band take the stage. I came out running out of that tent to Carini, as I felt this could be the jam of the run! I allowed Waved to cut off what seemed like a typical go-nowhere jam, but was pretty much going through the motions as soon as it was aborted for Fuego. I loved the fireworks from Navy Pier as I didn't get to see them last year. While a lot of people loved that Harry Hood jam, I didn't find anything that amazing. Its another typical jam style that they've been milking since Fall Tour last year (perhaps earlier).

I love to see the band take new direction and do new things that you don't expect. This is why I lost my shit during the Piper -> Halley's Comet -> Wombat from the night before and The Wedge and Ghost jams in the Mike's Groove from the next night. The kind of things that, when its happening, makes you think NO. EFFING. WAY. This night, while I could see it being so much fun to the right person, did nothing to me personally.

Hopefully I'll go on to review the other nights giving them much more credit, I just felt like sharing my feelings about this one right now.

I was unable to attend night 3 of this run, but I was more than satisfied with this show capping off my trip. Brian and Robert was rough, but I was hoping for either this or a Frankie Says bustout so no complaints. Tube>Free>Roggae was slow, thick, and fun. Antelope jam to close set one was customary fire.

Carini as a second set opener obviously had everyone's expectations up only to be ripcorded into Waves (though the Carini jam is still very much worth listening to IMO). Twist had some great moments and a brief section of tension that almost seemed like it could have gone type ii. Light was a lot of fun, with Twist-esque wooing in the intro and chorus. Fireworks from navy pier during the jam added some great visuals to what became a nice type ii excursion. I was totally expecting for the jamming to be done, but the playful interplay in the intro of Hood signaled that we were about to get another treat, and it definitely delivered.

This was my first review, so I apologize for any redundancies or being overly positive.

This show was not bad by any means. It wasn't great for sure, but the teases and late set jams made it fun.

The first set was really cool to see. Funky opener (devotion to a dream broke up the funk fest but it was still cool. Yarmouth, B&R, and wingsuit showed the softer side of the band. While not a dance party, it is still nice to have a breath of fresh air from the rager friday night. The set ended a little haphazardly, building energy to deflate with roggae and heavy things, only to rebuild with antelope.

Set 2 was full of missed opportunities. Carini, Fuego, and Twist all should have gone somewhere, and 20yrs deflated the fun from light very quickly. Harry hood was excellent, and cavern was good.

The encore was the absolute best I've ever heard as well. It was perfect in that it had barbershop quartet, a slow emotional song, and a rocker to send us home. If every encore went that way, I'd be a happy phan!

My real gripe with this show is the odd set list that seemed to have more potential than what was delivered. If 20 years later had been ommitted, devotion to a dream followed wingsuit, or other little changes, the flow of the set would have pulled me in more. I really liked this run, more than the other shows i've streamed or watched live. It was no randalls run but it seems like it was "average" phish in a tour when average is fantastic. I can't wait to see more next year!

But also, there was a sesame street tease at 4:32 in waves!

Couch - just wanted to add a few things. First set was probably very fun to be there dancing. I thought Brian and Robert, And free, sounded way too fast, but were pulled off pretty nicely. Yes, free had a bass solo but doesn't go anywhere. That's o.k. Bluegrass songs and things like golgi also don't go anywhere, But they're still fun. I don't think I ever saw it happen before but I like that trey have page the nod for heavy things and let him take the solo. Riggae was beautiful. I'm sure Mike thinks he was playing to many notes, But it suits that song wonderfully. Speaking of suits, wingsuit, though odd after Brian and Robert, was excellent. Yarmouth road was fun too.
I fully disagree with the ripchord comments in set 2. Ripchord to me is when a jam is heading somewhere special and then out of nowhere trey just starts playing something else entirely. This is not new - my worst two seen were spetctrum 97 bowie into possum and great woods 99 Reba into carini. Heartbreaking stuff there. What I've noticed about great set twos and jams is that typically, trey begins to back off, someone else hts on something fantastic, The jam takes off and trey jumps back into the drivers seat. Every time trey backed of last night, the band fizzled off into lackluster ambience, practically begging for trey to start something else. If the jam isn't really working, I'd prefer to see them move on to another song aa opposed to droning on and meandering aimlessly, a trend I saw many times in 98 through 2000. I thought nothing ended before it should have last night - each jam did something cool, then ready for what's next. And trey totally hit a riff from time turns elastic twice during twist. Then an exceptional hood with trey walking over to Mike while they both totally goofed off and got weird during the reggae intro. Very playful and fun, But a little too safe overall to make the show all together exceptional, But very concise and tight throughout.
The band trusts trey to be the leader for a reason. He is probably the best if them to judge when it's time to move on. We may disagree with his calls, but I guarantee you - he's better than me, and probably better than you, at making those decisions.

Unfortunately I have to agree with Solargarlic on this one. This show certainly had moments, but for me it was marred by too many subpar songs combined with some sluggish playing. Perhaps I would have felt much differently if I had been there as opposed to webcast, but I kinda doubt it.

If the entire first set had been at the level of the Wolfman's, Tube and Antelope we would have had a frigging amazing set. The second set had it's moments especially with the Carini and Light jams, but just when they were getting hot they would deviate.

Totally glad some people really enjoyed it. For me, it just wasn't my style show. Let's see what happens tonight!

SET 1:

The Moma Dance: party started. Clav is immediately very high in the mix, as is common in 2014. Fishman’s vocals are through the roof too! Pretty standard and has a couple flubs but the band is audibly having fun in this one.

Wolfman’s Brother: more funk, why not? A classic ‘let’s shake off the rust’ placement after a similarly straightforward show opener. Jam IMMEDIATELY goes to a one chord 98-style funk jam - Mike slapping away, Page on the clav, Trey stomping the wah. The crowd responds with a slow roar, this has taken them by surprise. Jam slightly mellows and becomes less percussive as Trey starts his solo, but then they return to the hard funk. Trey strutting all over the place. Nice! They then build up the intensity to a rock space pretty seamlessly. Trey ripcords the end perhaps a little too quickly but the body of work here is spot on. Great little Wolfman’s. Show can go anywhere now.

Devotion to a Dream: fun, well placed. Underrated tune this one. Really feeling this in this spot actually.

46 Days: sure. Feels funkier than usual in the composed section. Standard rocking jam though.

Yarmouth Road: hilariously bad song but I guess I’m in a good mood today because I don’t hate this placement. Enjoying laughing to it today. The band holds on until the bridge whereupon the whole thing kinda falls apart. Fish and Page miss the transition into the bridge, Trey has no idea what he’s meant to play, and the vocals are shocking. One of the rougher Yarmouths out there, and that’s saying something for this song.

Brian and Robert: not great out of the end of a butchered Yarmouth. Backing vocals are a bit shaky though that’s not uncommon with this tune. You’ve gotta hope something is gonna get the train back on the tracks next.

Wingsuit: lol. Yeah that’s not what anybody would have wanted at that moment, but I can appreciate they’re cultivating a chillout vibe in this passage. Somebody requests Harpua after this ends.

Tube: good way of getting back into it. Good tempo from the outset. Jam is just about entirely clav led, then they launch into a full band Smoke on the Water tease! Nice! After that it’s quick to get to the shuffle section and out. Happy with how well this brings back the energy. >

Free: reset complete. Taken nice and fast just like Tube. Very standard and short though with no Trey solo. >

Roggae: okay. This jam doesn’t really come together. Meh version.

Heavy Things: love this song, just not here and now. Page on the organ for the solo - fun. They sing the outro over Page going nuts.

Run Like an Antelope: Trey plays with Smoke on the Water a few times in this one and then finally plays it in the Rye Rye Rocco section, while Fish sings Istanbul (Not Constantinople). Very manic version from the start, the whole band is raging. Recommended if you want a good 3.0 version!

—

SET 2:

Carini: some rage to kick off set 2. Jam is very short and aimless. Trey brings it down to a quiet space but doesn’t seem to find anything worth pursuing and ripcords >

Waves: there’s a bit of a type 1 peak here led by Page, but nothing crazy and it ends before it really gets going. Ambient outro space with Waves lyrics goes >

Fuego: a short mid second set Fuego - nothing more 2014 than that. Pretty fiery Trey during the drum break though, one of the better takes on that section I’ve heard. >

Twist: nothing is sticking so far this set, song choice isn’t too bad though. Nifty little Twist here. Page rages on piano for most of it and Trey brings it back to the head well enough. Hopefully this gets the band locked in. Some extended ‘woo!’ing at the end leads >

Light: cute, good placement. There’s the feeling that this one is going to do something. The ‘woo’s from the end of Twist continue all through the intro of this one and the crowd responds in turn, very cute. Page is insistent on making this one a plinko jam from very early on, taking the lead like he has all summer. The rest of the band doesn’t really bite and the jam transitions into a meandering stormier space. At 9 mins in things get interesting, Fish starts up a tribal tom groove, then a snare groove, and the band takes on ominous, brooding play. WOW @ Page’s synths at the 10 minute mark, sounds more like an Ondes Martenot than anything else. Super eerie, very droney. Trey compliments it well with some rhythmic playing that eventually falls away into delay. The back end of this Light is good stuff, very very creepy. Page once again showing himself to be the MVP of this tour. Seems to foreshadow the Wedge from the following night too. >

Twenty Years Later: it’s Twenty Years Later. Standard. >

Harry Hood: nice. A good amount of quality effects-driven exploration in the intro from both Trey and Mike, with a great searing bass solo from Cactus. Good composed section, taken nice and fast. Listen to the crowd reaction, they’re very excited for this. Pressure is on the band to respond. Trey initiates minor key play at 7:30, but Page doesn’t bite just yet. They bring it down and then a hard edged Trey rock solo begins around 10 minutes in. Good stuff! Rock and roll at 11 minutes in, baby! Trey ripping. Trey brings it down again at 12 minutes, switches to major key, and begins another build more typical of Hood. Major Fuego tease at 13:30. Climax is mellower than usual, but that’s typical of the era. Good version for sure! They put in the effort. >

Cavern: nice and peppy. Set in the books.

—

ENCORE:

Grind: standard.

Bug: standard.

Suzy Greenberg: standard. 3 song encores for the win!

—

Overall: solid, very standard show. Would’ve been perfectly fun at the venue. Wolfman’s and Light jam very nicely, Hood they put in effort and Antelope has some uncharacteristic quirkiness. Nothing here is truly mind-blowing and there’s a lot of mundanity, but the whole thing flows well enough for my tastes.

3.6 stars.

SET 1:

The Moma Dance: party started. Clav is immediately very high in the mix, as is common in 2014. Fishman’s vocals are through the roof too! Pretty standard and has a couple flubs but the band is audibly having fun in this one.

Wolfman’s Brother: more funk, why not? A classic ‘let’s shake off the rust’ placement after a similarly straightforward show opener. Jam IMMEDIATELY goes to a one chord 98-style funk jam - Mike slapping away, Page on the clav, Trey stomping the wah. The crowd responds with a slow roar, this has taken them by surprise. Jam slightly mellows and becomes less percussive as Trey starts his solo, but then they return to the hard funk. Trey strutting all over the place. Nice! They then build up the intensity to a rock space pretty seamlessly. Trey ripcords the end perhaps a little too quickly but the body of work here is spot on. Great little Wolfman’s. Show can go anywhere now.

Devotion to a Dream: fun, well placed. Underrated tune this one. Really feeling this in this spot actually.

46 Days: sure. Feels funkier than usual in the composed section. Standard rocking jam though.

Yarmouth Road: hilariously bad song but I guess I’m in a good mood today because I don’t hate this placement. Enjoying laughing to it today. The band holds on until the bridge whereupon the whole thing kinda falls apart. Fish and Page miss the transition into the bridge, Trey has no idea what he’s meant to play, and the vocals are shocking. One of the rougher Yarmouths out there, and that’s saying something for this song.

Brian and Robert: not great out of the end of a butchered Yarmouth. Backing vocals are a bit shaky though that’s not uncommon with this tune. You’ve gotta hope something is gonna get the train back on the tracks next.

Wingsuit: lol. Yeah that’s not what anybody would have wanted at that moment, but I can appreciate they’re cultivating a chillout vibe in this passage. Somebody requests Harpua after this ends.

Tube: good way of getting back into it. Good tempo from the outset. Jam is just about entirely clav led, then they launch into a full band Smoke on the Water tease! Nice! After that it’s quick to get to the shuffle section and out. Happy with how well this brings back the energy. >

Free: reset complete. Taken nice and fast just like Tube. Very standard and short though with no Trey solo. >

Roggae: okay. This jam doesn’t really come together. Meh version.

Heavy Things: love this song, just not here and now. Page on the organ for the solo - fun. They sing the outro over Page going nuts.

Run Like an Antelope: Trey plays with Smoke on the Water a few times in this one and then finally plays it in the Rye Rye Rocco section, while Fish sings Istanbul (Not Constantinople). Very manic version from the start, the whole band is raging. Recommended if you want a good 3.0 version!

—

SET 2:

Carini: some rage to kick off set 2. Jam is very short and aimless. Trey brings it down to a quiet space but doesn’t seem to find anything worth pursuing and ripcords >

Waves: there’s a bit of a type 1 peak here led by Page, but nothing crazy and it ends before it really gets going. Ambient outro space with Waves lyrics goes >

Fuego: a short mid second set Fuego - nothing more 2014 than that. Pretty fiery Trey during the drum break though, one of the better takes on that section I’ve heard. >

Twist: nothing is sticking so far this set, song choice isn’t too bad though. Nifty little Twist here. Page rages on piano for most of it and Trey brings it back to the head well enough. Hopefully this gets the band locked in. Some extended ‘woo!’ing at the end leads >

Light: cute, good placement. There’s the feeling that this one is going to do something. The ‘woo’s from the end of Twist continue all through the intro of this one and the crowd responds in turn, very cute. Page is insistent on making this one a plinko jam from very early on, taking the lead like he has all summer. The rest of the band doesn’t really bite and the jam transitions into a meandering stormier space. At 9 mins in things get interesting, Fish starts up a tribal tom groove, then a snare groove, and the band takes on ominous, brooding play. WOW @ Page’s synths at the 10 minute mark, sounds more like an Ondes Martenot than anything else. Super eerie, very droney. Trey compliments it well with some rhythmic playing that eventually falls away into delay. The back end of this Light is good stuff, very very creepy. Page once again showing himself to be the MVP of this tour. Seems to foreshadow the Wedge from the following night too. >

Twenty Years Later: it’s Twenty Years Later. Standard. >

Harry Hood: nice. A good amount of quality effects-driven exploration in the intro from both Trey and Mike, with a great searing bass solo from Cactus. Good composed section, taken nice and fast. Listen to the crowd reaction, they’re very excited for this. Pressure is on the band to respond. Trey initiates minor key play at 7:30, but Page doesn’t bite just yet. They bring it down and then a hard edged Trey rock solo begins around 10 minutes in. Good stuff! Rock and roll at 11 minutes in, baby! Trey ripping. Trey brings it down again at 12 minutes, switches to major key, and begins another build more typical of Hood. Major Fuego tease at 13:30. Climax is mellower than usual, but that’s typical of the era. Good version for sure! They put in the effort. >

Cavern: nice and peppy. Set in the books.

—

ENCORE:

Grind: standard.

Bug: standard.

Suzy Greenberg: standard. 3 song encores for the win!

—

Overall: solid, very standard show. Would’ve been perfectly fun at the venue. Wolfman’s and Light jam very nicely, Hood they put in effort and Antelope has some uncharacteristic quirkiness. Nothing here is truly mind-blowing and there’s a lot of mundanity, but the whole thing flows well enough for my tastes.

3.6 stars.

I for one loved this show. As I left the show I knew it had flaws and down points. But the energy and the upside to the show had me so excited. The Carini while under 10mins is very under rated. And to get Brian and Robert again was a pure treat. Tube with smoke on the water was a crowd boaster and a very under rated Roggae.

While the 2nd set wasn't a mind blower, that hood was a very solid version with the party jam inserted in the middle to let the crowd really let loose.

that encore to me was perfect. Grind always fun, A very solid Bug, and go out rockin with Suzy.

Not saying this show was a top show but very surprised it wasn't more like a 4 or 4.1 area imo. I had a blast. Shouting in the tunnel afterwards was also a great add on phans!