PHISH BRINGS THE RAPTURE, SUMMER 2011!

What a day, what a day! My 13th show, and my first time back to my hometown venue of darien since I saw the boys for the first time in August 09'. Free theme park admission with a ticket, so prime! It was a blast riding the rides on such a beautiful blue day, espicially with phans being the only ones allowed in the park! I heard the band rode the superman around 5pm before the show, anyone know if this is true? Would've loved to have been there for that. Also, my girlfriends first show...safe to say she had her face melted a few times over, especially for the 2001>hood. So awesome to finally be able to share in the groove with her at the best show on earth and to introduce her to the scene I know and love. Safe to say shes straight up hooked! Anyways, on to the show.

Overall, a really solid and well played show. Nearly everything was spot on and played with precision, as was almost all of leg 1. Not much open, Type II jamming at this show as I would have liked, but I can't complain one bit. The opening sequence of Nellie Kane, Mellow, and Buffalo Bill was a bit unexpected for me and had a very relaxed feel (especially for an opener), but I was certainly diggin' it. All 3 songs were first timers for me so I was happy to hear them. KDF! the party hath started friends! Not as jammy as the bethel version, but still a ragin' rendition nonetheless. Wolfman's was TIGHT and GROOVY, as it has been this whole tour. Some nice four way communication going on here, dripping funk lines and pleasing exchanges throughout. Rift was played pretty well, but not without a few hiccups. Great to hear regardless, last time I heard it live was my first show at darien in 09', go figure. Undermind was boppin', certainly enjoyable. Ride Captain Ride! I love this tune, somehow I've caught it both times they've played it in the past year. IT'S ICE! YES FINALLY! been waiting for this one. Well played version and it was great to hear the boys fire through it on all cylinders. Dog Faced Boy>Brian and Robert was a bit mellow, but a nice little break before the set closing string of songs. 46 days was straight rockin', and had me jumping up and down like a nut, just barely maintaining my grip on the rail in front of the lawn. Tossed with the salad, and bailed with the hay! Gotta love this tune, a good version no doubt, nothing crazy but solid for sure. Char Zero was char zero, heard it a plenty, but I love it every time. Crowd was going ape shit. See you in fifteen!

Golden Age! did not see this one coming. My first time hearing this one, loved every second. Great way to kick of the second set, and certainly not the last time we would hear that funkingroovin' riff that night, teases abound! Mike's was on fire! not one the way out there, jam-oriented versions of the late 90's, but still played with great intensity and certainly packed a wallop! FEFY was awesome to finally hear. Definitely slowed down the pace, as do most songs sandwiched in between Mike's and Paug, but I was eating it up! The Paug was standout for sure, the boys were really locked in on this groove and throwing in the golden age teases was a great addition. Whats the use? came as a surprise, and shifted the feel from funk to all out face melting psychedelia. A great rendition that transitioned nicely into theme. I must admit, at first I was a little bit disappointed when I heard Page drop the opening notes to theme, not that I don't like this tune, but I questioned the mid 2nd set placement. However, my worries were quickly forgotten when the boys gave us a smoothly flowing and majestic version. The transition to number line was a little shaky, and its placement felt a bit off but it worked. While I feel it's been a bit overplayed this tour, BDTNL has certainly grown on me. This version was quite nice, precise as usual and had great leads by Trey. I was goin' HAM when I heard the droning/delay intro to 2001 out of number line. SPACE FUNK....ENGAGE! This version was absolutely outstanding! Chalk full of golden age teases, oozing funk grooves, and not to mention a flawless Whats the Use? mashup in the middle. What more could you ask for? Hood you say? please tell me more! The segue into hood was done very nicely. I couldn't think of a better way to close this show. The hood was stellar, and IMO, was a bit better than the bethel version I had seen a week or so before. This one contained a feel and sound that was something very special! Great exchanges between the boys, and the song peaked so beautifully I practically lost my shit. GTBT encore was rockin' and rollin' and a perfect cap on a wonderful show. Great work boys! I'll see you at the ball!