first set started off with fee and curtain... enough to intrigue to say the least. 46 days reached a pretty huge peak and brought the first touch of heat to our faces.

two sweet, well executed songs later they played a sand that to my ears seemed ripe with flourishes. page getting quirky, trey adding flairs, the type of phish clockwork that foreshadows a huge jam. & unlike the other sands of this tour to my ears, the band didnt seem to be chasing a theme or sound. the groove calmly and self sufficiently swelled and broke in a finish. nevertheless, sand finished at an ordinary length and was still sick.

saw it again and fuego paired were a lighthearted nudge against fans reminding us of two things: the band still fucks with us, and the band is still doing it for us.

to follow that up, an awesome and perfectly placed set closing yem. only the second yem of the tour, and felt earned after spac's crippled composed section.

and thats only the first set.

as a bar setter for what a first set to an epic night should be, it can almost stand alone in signifying what this night was. rarities, risks, jokes, phishyness in its essence was radiating from the music. and, the songs happened to be fantastically executed and placed.

for the second set, i will let the merits of experience assure you of most of this sickness. anyone that has listened to the original tweezer fest, or any goofy/segue-infused show for that matter knows the thrilling nature of this type of playing. last night, not only did phish play a set with five tweezers and circulate the stage instrument-less like poorly synchronized jesters, but they did it in an era where they don't tend to and certainly don't need to. the band may have proved itself 20 years ago, but last nights second set is a thesis for the argument that the band is still alive, toying with ideas, and most importantly playing for fun.