I'm very glad I'm a 3.0 noobie. It allows me to take it in without preconceived notions. I barely listen to them other then when I'm in the building because I want it to be as fresh as possible and it seems to work. For me. As this show did. A lot. Along with my peeps Ali and Angela we helped Phish rock the balcony. A lot. In '96 (Hershey Park, my 1st show) I took this way too seriously. In '09 (Jones Beach, 1st night, my 2nd show) I took this for what it is meant to be: the serious business of having fun. And though the 1st five songs may not have been "best of" versions, I was feeling the vibe: serious fun. Then the Party Time sealed that and it was a personal "best of" version, the band ripped it a new orifice. And me and my peeps were off and running. The next four songs were rather unfamiliar to me but that didn't matter, I was having a great time. Then If I Could. Beautiful. The (and my) 2nd SOAM of the tour. Blessed to have caught the both of them, they were a bit different but this one rocked the balcony and left me exhausted. But the band instructed me to pull on the bootstraps just a little more. Have mercy, indeed.

The 2nd set was, as Neil Young so succinctly put it, "...one long song" with multiple titles such as Axilla (rock and roll), Light (beautiful exploration) and Twist (no label, lol!). The KDF was a personal "best of", it slayed. The MFMF was typically scary, the Swept Away>Steep just downright gorgeous. Piper was the highlight, 15 minutes of band jam bliss and then they reminded me that I can truly be Free of the issues confronting me at this troubled time of my life. Then they bought it all home with the Kung>Hood>Cavern>Bowie, couldn't have asked anymore from them and, gauging from the crowd's reaction, neither could the assembled masses. Then Paige thanks us for showing up when it is us who should be thanking them. For the YEM encore. And for allowing us to have some serious fun. Thank you, Phish, for entering my life. Exactly when I needed you the most.

Next stop: My birthday show Friday night@Dick's. I'm a lucky dude...

Peace,
Alex