Just finished reviewing the second Camden show, and this was definitely a stronger show. Unfortunately, I missed Night 2 of Merriweather which by all accounts was the show of the tour so far.

Set One:

A little too much new material for me, but I was impressed by the improvement I have seen in Backwards down the Number Line and especially Sugar shack since last year. I'm really digging them responding to phan requests, and Trey's banter on playing "Tuuuuuuube!" had me cracking up. We'll probably be hearing that more now that we know how to get it! stash was really solid, and 46 days is a reminder to me to be patient with new material. This wasn't my favorite song when it was new, but it has become a welcome selection with big jam capability (Massive 46 days was really the only highlight of last year's lackluster Merriweather show.)

Set Two:

Set two was the first 3.0 set I've seen that really screamed these guys are back and as good as ever! R&R opener was solid but not mind blowing. Free is always welcome, but I would have like more in the jam, as it really only consisted of an extended solo for Mike(which was kick-ass). FEFY was beautiful and well executed (see my comment on this song's history). Tweezer was vastly better than last year, dark and funky. The Horse->Silent was standard but always welcome. Wolfman's was one of the more interesting versions I've heard, and seems to have been infected by the earlier tweezer, leading to an unusually evil, but still funky jam. Slave is always a great closer, and the transition into Tweeprise brought down the house. First time seeing Show of life and it kind of felt like an old Phish song I had never heard before. GTBT was typically kick ass, and I left the venue knowing I was going to miss an absolute throwdown the next day. Oh well, things change: Wife (she was there), kids, a real job...to be continued at Jones Beach!