, attached to 2015-08-22

Review by Campster

Campster This is a show belongs with the best of the best. It compares well with any show they've ever played, save Cypress (which is just incomparable). Whether you prefer different eras/styles/shows, that's fine personal opinion, but it's hard to argue this one wouldn't belong in the conversation.

So the day set, which they treated like a daytime set one.

I called Divided Sky to open and Moma to follow, which one of my neighbors was pretty impressed by (thanks for boosting my ego friend!)

Divided was gorgeous and fits the day set of a festival like a glove. They played it very well.

Moms Dance was a nice dose of dancing and funk, but not as strong as the SBIX version they had played a few years prior.

Mound was another fun tune, which again failed to hit that amazing SBIX version. Nonetheless off to a nice fun start.

Army of One gave age a chance to shine and was fine.

Scabbard was cool to hear. Like Suskind Hotel at SBIX, I didn't really see this coming. It was pretty well done for my money.

Sample in a Jar gave us a chance to belt out some lyrics and keep the party going.

Tube was perfunctory. So not the finest version. That said, good dancing for a few minutes.

Halfway to the Moon gave us some more Page. This was a nice version, but standard.

Camel Walk! Great call (and the set really turned good from here). This one is always so fun.

How Many People Are You... boy would I like them to keep this in rotation. Absolutely belting rock and roll. The jam was great, the song is tons of fun, and they just generally rocked hard.

When the Circus Comes to Town is a favorite for me. Perfect breather and I honestly never say no to this one. Emotional.

Undermind was another great song to get. Kept up the momentum, although this didn't break the mold.

Run Like an Antelope was bonkers. I have to say, no versions in 3.0 (apart from some tease laden ones) have really distinguished themselves to my ears. This version, however, harkened back to the days of yore, when Antelopes charged free in a tension filled craze that could deviate and twist and turn to avoid any pursuing carnivores. Well this was a winner. I'm comfortable placing this as a top version of 3.0, but probably not near the top overall (can't really beat the early 90's for these bad boys).

Overall Set I: It was a set I. If there's anything to refute my opening salvo about how great this Phish show was, some people would (rightly?) cite this first set. But really, overall, there's at least a top Antelope to point to.
Highlights: Run Run Run Run, How Many People Are You

Well the second set. This one's near perfect (dare I say perfect?).

Wolfman's was a nice and energetic start. Good call to open the set. I was hoping for a Went style version. Well this one stayed straight, but gave us some funk and a nice fiery climax. The 3.0 versions don't have that sparse funky jams of old, but man those peaks are great. Good, but fairly typically.

Halley's Comet was a tune I had picked to pop up in Set II. This was a quick jaunt through, but I like this tune, so I was happy.

Well 46 Days gave us the first big jam of the day. This one was very strong. They didn't even make it back into the final chorus from what I recall. It went dark and light. It had some of that patient emotional guitar playing that I hadn't heard since the end of the Hampton 2013 Tweezer. Very beautiful. They found a nice little peak as well at the end.

They transitioned nicely into Numberline, which might have some setlist haters calling me out for hyperbole at this point. This version was standard. Always has a nice jam, but this one wasn't one of the better ones I have heard.

Another crossroads for Phish and boy did they deliver. This middle set had been fun and had some good jamming, but we really needed a big boy here. Well Tweezer. That'll do. This one kicked in strong and came into the jam with some dirty and well times echoplex. After some good work there they just found this zone where all four members were contributing to a fast paced melodic, major key jam. This thing cruised in a perfect blissful excursion. So satisfying. Then they segued into Caspian.

Well people seemed a little bummed, but boy did Phish have the last laugh on this one. For me, Caspian was just a placeholder as they quickly dropped back into a Tweezer jam. However you want to call it, this jam was good, long, and peaked damn near as hard as last night's Gin. There's a Mike meatball effect with a four note descending line in the final climax of the jam somewhere around four or less minutes left. It's why I see Phish. Those moments, where everything is plugged in and they play all the right notes, without knowing them beforehand. Well they ended the set with some of the best playing I'd ever witnessed.

Overall Set II: It wound up being perfectly constructed for me. A nice rocking start. BIG JAMS in 46 Days and Tweezer>Caspian. And just nice "filler songs" Halley's and #Line (hey I am just happy Trey is happy!)

Classic Set.`

Well after that monster we all wanted more.

They started off with Meatstick, which felt like a nice fun choice to just get everyone moving ease us back in.

Blaze On was up next (the summer 2015 anthem?) and boy did this deliver. The lyrics are a little cheesy, but the Little Feat/Time Loves a Hero sort of feel make this such a fun tune. It's hard not to sway and smile. Once they kicked into the jam this puppy was rocking. After they had there fill of some great melodic work they just took a turn and we found ourselves in an effects laden space jam. It was fantastic and somehow gracefully landed into Possum! It was a surprising segue, but really was sublime.

Possum carried it's typical swagger and was a fun bopping version. Great fun after a big ol' jam.

Well Cities was up next and it was another doozy of a jam. Not the longest (I think I recall under 10 minutes or thereabouts), but it managed to hit a great jam space with some Mind Left Body work.

They kicked into Light and you knew after all this top shelf jamming this version would bring something to the table. Ever the reliable 3.0 vehicle this jam was creative and actually steered clear of a lot of the well trodden Manteca type jamming that Light can sometimes rely on. I just thought they crushed this one, with some particularly strong playing from Trey.

555 was a good spot for Mike to get a chance out front. Well played, good swagger.

Wading was Page's turn and fit the breather slot very nicely. Like Waste the previous night and Dirt the next, it was a song you don't love to hear, but when it's placed in the right spot it is perfect.

Well Walls of the Cave is often a set I closer these days, but it was nice for them to throw it in the final set closing spot. What an absolute clinic from Trey. Great fiery jamming. It was in the box, but a perfect cap on ANOTHER classic set.

Encore: Boogie On - super fun, nice choice. Tweezer Reprise brought the house down and gave us more to salivate over while we waited for the "not-so-secret set"

Overall Set III: Another absolute beast. More great song selection and the jams were so original. Blaze On was a major highlight, but Cities and Light were both more than notable. Throw in a really unique segue to Possum and a rocking Walls of the Cave and this set had some additional incendiary moments.

Overall show (since I won't review the drive in - jut grab that tasty morsel): Well this was about as good as it gets. Set II and III were full of big long jams and great rocking tunes. There were perfect breathers and cool downs. Every jam was so original as well. A peak show. Throw in a nice fun day set and this one will live in Phish lore.

4.5/5 Truly at the top - you can put this alongside any show and it's not going to be overshadowed.


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