We drove up with no tickets, got them for 60 dollars flat at the box office, wandered on to that lawn and had a blast. The band sounded tight out of the gate. My only thoughts were "turn it louder" - which they did, and I also moved up as far as I could to that speaker.

I haven't looked at the track lists or anything but I wouldn't be surprised if KDF, Tweezer and Obvlivion were all 20 minute jams. There was legitimately not much downtime at all in these shows. They were either locked into a beautiful jam or bantering almost all night. When you see this rating, know it was well deserved. The band was ready to deliver on this Sunday and they did just that. Amazing scene as always in beautiful upstate new york. Perfect weather. Perfect band. So glad me and my bud made the trip for this one. Worth every penny and then some! Listen to this entire show. It was hard to find a time to pee during this behemoth. I could write alot more about this amazing show but I'm going to let you guys listen and see for yourself! Can't wait for MSG. Tear it down guys.

What a show. We were in the lawn, roughly center, and the sound, view, and weather were great. Phish started it off with "Free" (a favorite of mine) and solidly moved through song after energetic song, finishing the first set off with a kick-ass "Kill Devil Falls" jam. The second set was a real treat as it contained two tasty ≥ 20-minute (?) jams with "Tweezer" and "Oblivion." The second set finished with a really fun "Possum." The encore was also lots of fun, with plenty of Trey and Fishman banter, a vacuum solo, a blissful "What's the Use?," and a great Tweeprise sendoff. In my opinion, there wasn't a dull moment throughout this Syracuse show - definitely one of my favorite shows/concerts, Phish or otherwise.

I had mixed expectations for this one, especially following two stellar shows at Star Lake, and the fact the last time Phish played this venue in 2016 the show was… just not the greatest. But this is Phish mind you. Happy to report, my 25th show was an absolute heater.

Free is a great way to get things going. Always will be.

Steam had a different bridge arrangement with woo-ing that I’d never heard before. I like it.

McGrupp is a welcome rarity.

Evolve! For many this one is a bathroom break song but not for me. My absolute favorite Trey song from quarantine and I’ve been chasing it since Phish added it to their rotation in 2021. I was jumping around like a little kid when this one started. So glad I finally got one live.

Stealing Time through Theme is relatively standard fare, but all were well played and a lot of fun.

Kill Devil Falls this late in the set meant one of two things: it’d be a short one or it’d be a long one. Twas a long one. Outstanding improvisation, bliss, HOSE, groove, all of it. Must hear Phish on all levels.

A Suzy second set opener. I’m still waiting on my pizza. Props to the guy cranking out orders at light speed. At this point I’m feeling it might be Tweezer night.

And it was. Mike sounds great in this one especially. Moving through bliss, dark soup, and crunchy grooves, safely add another to 2023’s monumental Tweezers. This was the first of two “holy shit, Phish just did that” moments of the night. 28 minutes later, Oblivion awaits.

Trey dragged out the initial Oblivion jam to great benefit as it nosedived into darker territory. About ten minutes in it surfaces into a serene groove, which eventually builds up to an incredible HOSE peak and lands. Second “holy shit, Phish just did that” moment of the night.

Miss You was a much needed breather. Nice sing-along as I recollect myself from the previous two monster jams.

Wolfman’s was a groove fest to pick things back up, and then a smoking Possum tears the roof off the amphitheater. What. A. Set.

Fish is the hometown hero, so he gets the honors of a vacuum solo in I Didn’t Know. What’s the Use is a surprise, but a very welcome one. Then came Tweezer Reprise, to burn the amphitheater down for good measure.

Just a top to bottom smoker of a show. For my 25th show I got tent pole jams and a song I’ve been chasing. This is why I Phish. 4.5/5

Long time lurker, first time reviewer. This show was spectacular! A real Sunday treat with heaps of standout, relistenable moments. The Phish gods were smiling upon me and my two amigos when we were bestowed pit tickets in the lottery. We wondered if we’d be cramped in there, but we had plenty of space to dance like goons with clear sight lines to each member of the band. Idyllic Summer Sunday in beautiful upstate NY, and a great venue to boot (big ups to my better half who insisted I seek out a new venue for this tour).

First set was full of tight playing and great listening by the band and they executed at a high level. HBD and the orange muumuu shoutout started things off with a fun, casual vibe. Loved the new(?) vocal additions to Steam! McGrupp was bang on with everyone nailing their part. Things really started to gel with Evolve. That song is a bop and the guys were moving in lockstep. Great work by Fishman and Gordon. Theme always hits my spot and this one was no different. The jam portion had some intriguing moments and hinted at the inspired playing that was to follow in KDF (and Tweezer, and Oblivion). KDF in upstate NY just feels right, and this one really delivered the goods. Type II, hose jamming with some dazzling and catchy lines from Trey. I was whistling those riffs all through set break.

Suzy was a fun little romp that quickly went into Tweezer and became one of the jams of the night. Amazing playing all around. So many great ideas flying back and forth, with plenty of effortless modulation. At times the jam sounded equally major and minor. Fascinating stuff that I am grateful to have witnessed firsthand. Smooth transition into Oblivion that also went deep and continued the Sunday spectacle. Miss You is perfectly placed and beautifully played. Q4 Wolfman’s was a funky dancefest with a nice jam on the end, and Possum ended the set on a high.

Loads of laughs during I Didn’t Know with a pensive WTU? to follow. Cool! Tweeprise left the place a smoldering shell of its former self.

Highly recommend a listen to this one. Grateful to have been there for this gem.

Peace to all, and enjoy the rest of tour!

Great hometown show - much more energy than last visit to this shed. Had some friends come in from out of town which made it even more special. The Tweezer - Oblivion was the highlight for me. Great KDF to end the first set, too. Awesome to get my first Poor Heart. Fitting since it also a hometown show for Moses Dewitt.

What a show! The venue is beautiful and the weather was perfect... The Happy Birthday was cute, could tell they were in a fun mood kicking it off.
1ST SET:
Free is a good opener, they didn't get down and dirty w it but it was a solid version, McGrupp! Yes Please! unfortunately it seemed like half the audience had no idea what it was ????‍♂️ but me and a few ppl around me were stoked, I've been going to shows since 95 and it was only my 3rd one ????, Evolve, Little early for a bathroom break, but ok.. Stealing Time and Meat are always welcomed, both solid, Walk Away was ripping, Theme was as beautiful as it usually is and the Kill Devil Falls was a big one, great jam to end the first set! 2ND SET: Amazing!!
Kicking it off w a Suzie was great, didn't think we'd hear it tonight since they played it not that long ago, Tweezer, nearly 30 min and absolutely banging! Oblivion, the song is decent, not my favorite by any means, but they threw down another big jam that I believe was over the 20 min mark, but could have been just under, at that point it was hard to keep track ????, Miss you was a well timed and much needed bathroom break at that point, Wolfmans Brother is always fun and the Possum was a great closer w tons of energy
Encore:
Loved the I Didn't Know w a classic vacuum solo from Syracuse's very own hometown hero Jon Fishman ????, What's the Use? was great and then topping off the night w an anticipated but shredding Tweprise
Overall it was another top shelf performance by our favorite band, The Phish from Vermont.

A fun show with some real highlights. For the first time ever I missed the start of a Phish show, due to exceptional venue organization (see below). Only missed the Happy Bday and a couple minutes of Free, but I like to see the full show regardless. So I was contending with a bit of a scattered mindset at the start, which took a bit to fade.

I, unlike many, quite enjoyed Trey's high singing in McGrupp. Does he have a future in the opera? No, but it's clear he's been working hard on his singing voice and it shows. I thought the higher range gave the harmonized vocals a nice shimmery effect, and injected some different energy to the traditionally stoic vocals of this oldy. Nicely executed McGrupp with some great play on the Grand by Page.

We had seats near the back of the pavilion, Mike-side. Right on the outer edge, which afforded excellent people watching. Kids chasing balloons, adults feeling the effects of balloons, EMTs hard at work, attempts to fool pavilion ticket checkers, etc. The sound was ok. Mike was hard to hear, and this being my first Serek show I was unsure whether all the anti-hype I'd been hearing about it was true. I missed the clarity, punch, and depth of the Modulus at this show. Spoilers, he sounded great on the lawn at the Mann the next 2 shows, so it wasn't merely the Serek at fault. On the other hand, Trey's tone is great. To my surprise he was not playing the 4.0 Languedoc, instead playing the late 90s 'Doc. He does seem to struggle getting the same sustain he used to, but he's optimizing his rig a LOT (see his What Are You Doing? with his guitar tech) and overall I think this is his best post-hiatus tone yet.

I had high hopes they'd go deep on TFFB when it started up later in set 1, but they had me fooled and instead went to town on KDF. Wow. If you like big jams, just go listen. They cap it off with a soaring, major-key theme that felt Allman-esque.

Imma say it...never been a fan of Suzy. But it did T up a monster Tweezer, so props for that. Old Faithful Tweezer; every version I've seen live has just cleaned up. This one went for over 27 minutes, and I feel it had two distinct movements to the jam. The first section had some nice exploration and was largely major-key. I thought I caught an allusion to Zeppelin's In The Light (the intro, upward run) in here, and also heard them revisit it somewhere during the Mann shows. I love me some dark/minor Phish, but they seem to be inhabiting major-key jamming a bit more frequently these days (especially compared to many of the 2022 summer shows I caught, which featured lots of dark jams and dissonance). Anywho, the lads flirted with the main Tweezer riff on and off, but didn't pull the plug. Good things often come when Phish doesn't pull the plug, and after the second round of the main riff around 22 minutes in, Page was like "HOLD MY BEER" and started laying it out thiiiiick on the synthesizer. Section 1 gives way to Section 2: Groove. Mike turned on his distorted synth effect, Fish loosened up the beat, and we had us a full blown dance party on our hands. Page went to town, faces began to drip onto people's shirts, and he eventually ceded control via the chaotic rising twister effect on the synth. Trey immediately jumped in with what was definitively the dirtiest, most disgusting little run I've ever heard someone play on guitar. It wasn't just in the pocket, it WAS the pocket. Absolute madhouse groove in this moment. A couple minutes of more subdued groove close this out and transition beautifully and ethereally into the new song Oblivion.

This song has big Warren Haynes vibes in my opinion. I like it. Trey is clearly excited about singing in the higher register, as this new song exemplifies. The boys then stretch this, the third rendition of a brand new song, into a 22 minute monster. After the varied exploration of Tweezer, this jam felt more consistent in theme and pace, and more contemplative. Plus, mostly minor-key this time around. Two 20+ minute jams back to back?! How rich are we? And also a first for me. Big jams are my favorite part of seeing Phish, and I was feeling rich indeed after 3 huge jams in one show.

Can't end without shouting out the encore. IDK had some witty banter re: Fish's Syracuse upbringing and dead end prospects as a teen. Great vacuum too; that low end Suck just has to be experienced at concert volume. WTU was powerful and sensitive. I love how the wall of sound just flattens the audience when the full band hits after the intro guitar notes. This is one of my favorite Phish songs, it's such a beautiful exercise in restraint and full-band dynamics. CK turned all the lights off during the quiet middle part, with Fish barely suggesting the tempo on the cymbals to bridge the two halves of this song. With all the lights off, I could see that Trey still has his candles, and wondered if they're scented. Does anyone know? But anyway, Tweeprise is always the right song choice wherever it comes.

We're in a really cool era of Phish where you can go to any show and have a really good chance of seeing a huge jam(s), big white-light peaks, goofy Phish stuff, ballads, and oldies all in one show. Just go see them.

A note about the venue. Don't drive there, unless you plan to show up hours early. The bus from town or biking in seemed like much better options (now we know). Arrival parking was a nightmare, rivaled only by my experience in Hartford '22. It was 2 hours from leaving Dino BBQ (4.7 miles away) to getting our tickets scanned. Poor parking design, minimal staffing, and poor traffic/crowd flow abounded. The venue funneled cars and people alike into 1-at-a-time choke points. Entrance to the venue involved a 1+ mile walk from the parking, to be greeted by a 45 minute line at the gates. I've never had such a slow entrance experience at any concert. Either the venue is critically understaffed or they've put zero thought into any of this stuff or they don't give a shit. So if you go to a show here, heads up that getting in is an utter nightmare. On the other hand, getting out was lightning speed (getting parked so far away has some benefits).

Happy Birthday to You: >

Free: Broadway Trey.

Steam: Standard. >

McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters: Trey’s vocals are very distracting.

Evolve: Standard.

Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan: Standard. >

Meat: Standard.

Walk Away: Ripped up the front and down the back.

Theme From the Bottom: Standard.

Kill Devil Falls: Love, love, love the direction this jam starts off in. Check out the way Trey sounds at 4:25 – that tone is straight out of summer 97. Super crunchy and weird. Awesome! I really wish they would have explored this at greater length. A much more upbeat, major mode jam emerges in the early 6 minute range. Outstanding echoing effects at 9:00 and then things really shift gears 30 seconds later. A much funkier tone from Page, Mike, and Trey while Fish keeps the tempo very fast. Trey alternates between a bunch of effects and a funky tone but by the 12 minute mark he opts for an exclusively clean tone and runs with it. So, the same thing I heard in Light from Wilmington (sounds like Gloria in excelsis Deo tease that starts at 11:28 – the theme is repeated a number of times through 12:44) emerges again here in KDF starts around the late 14 minute range. This is quite a jubilant section here. Like I said, it starts in the late 14’s and goes through about 17:15 with huge trills and a monster peak. Thrilling, all time version of Kill Devil Falls. Incredible set closer!

SET 2: Suzy Greenberg: Standard. Good energy coming out of the gate. >

Tweezer: What a wild ride this one is, another stellar, looooong Tweezer. Lots of whale call from Trey in the late 9’s and well into the 10’s. By the 15 minute mark they have managed to ramp this jam into complete chaos, very cool stuff. Big wall of sound as Page is leaning hard on the synth – that is what is driving the bus into the chaos. Trey gets a great, repeating theme going at 15:25. At the 19:15 minute mark they start playing the original Tweezer intro line and by the late 19’s they are riffing off of that and moving on. This piece eventually moves into extremely effects that frankly, sound like a lot of fun just listening to them on tape so I bet live this had to be a hoot. Great Tweezer! Another all timer as far as I am concerned. This slips so nicely into… ->

Oblivion: Broadway Trey to the max. Geesh. Mentioned this about the Oblivion from Wilmington but heard it again here in the Syracuse version - In a couple of spots in the composed section there are small snippets that – to me – sound a lot like A Real Hero from Electric Youth & College. Lot’s of that Trey reverse reverb/backwards effect going on in the 9 minute range and beyond, super cool. Very psychedelic. He has been digging into that this tour, love it. By the late 12’s, they have managed to climb out of that deep, dark psychedelic hole and Trey is leading the band into a major mode jam. Trey charging hard towards a peak in the late 15’s but doesn’t quite take it there just yet. Lot’s of trilling at 17 and half, there’s that peak. Outstanding version and the best to date of the three played so far.

Miss You: They earned this ballad in this spot. Such a great tune.

Wolfman's Brother: Rare late set two placement. Only three times in the past two years has it been placed here, or even mid second set. Pretty standard version.

Possum: Standard.

ENCORE:

I Didn't Know: Very funny banter.

What's the Use? - Very nice! >

Tweezer Reprise: Standard face melter to close out a great show.

Summary: Three all timers (KDF, Tweezer, Oblivion) = great show. Fun first set too. I believe the current rating of 4.231/5 (386 ratings) is right on the money. I am all in at 4.2 out of 5.

Replay Value: Kill Devil Falls, Tweezer, Oblivion

At the show I remember thinking..."This KDF takes me back to Lakehood 2015 KDF from N1 Set2 opener", or "MSG NYE15 KDF".
I still love both of those and this one got added to that list. TYPE2 all the way.

Then we got Tweezer and Oblivion....If you enjoy type2 Phish like I do then go listen to KDF, Tweezer, Oblivion.

Great show and great jams!