this show was highly anticipated, being the first show since nye 95. sure, it did not live up to the hype, but hey, that happens. it's still a fun show with some nifty highlights.

yamar works as a nice jazz fest opener. also, its nice and accesible for those seeing phish for the first time in this massive "non hippy" festival setting. ac/dc bag is played well, and it provides a little something for everyone. sparkle seems to be aimed more at the newbies/non phish fans, but stash brings everyone back around. not the fieriest version of stash, but it gives the guys their first chance to really cut loose. cars trucks and buses wails. micheal ray really shines on this one. the yem was pretty straght forward. the jam had a nice loose feel, but it did not go particularly deep. then out of the vocal jam, they start up an accepella wolfman's. trey eases the band in musically, and i must say this is the first really interesting wolfman's. scent really takes off with the whole russian jam thing, and they lend a particularly jazzy feel to 2001 before diving into a worthy hood. the rest of the set is pretty standard. the bowie works particularly well in the closing slot.

overall, this is pretty damn good for a single shot festival set. usually, these single set performances, whether they be opening for santana, festivals in europe, etc., tend to be pretty bland. this is certainly not the case. in fact, cars trucks and buses might be a best ever performance. very good with micheal ray.

highlights:

ctb, yem>wolfman's, mule