Buried alive was a great opener - band and crowd fed on each others' energy, which was pretty intense throughout the entire show. Check out Trey and Mike guitar duel in Scent of a Mule. Big black furry creature was a treat, but the real delicacy was set 2. If you haven't seen it, check it out on YouTube to get a flavor. But "you had to be there" really applies, and I'm so grateful that I was! After last Halloween, which I missed, I had no expectations for set 2. Reading the Phishbill before the show, I wondered how a 1964 Walt Disney record could possibly provide the basis for an interesting set of Phish. Lots of speculation after the first set as the stage hands cleared away keyboards, drum kit, etc., which left a large opening at center stage. Hmmm, what's this all about? I see where Fish and Page are going to be, but where are Mike and Trey going to stand? What's going to happen at center stage, perhaps a bunch of dancing ghouls and goblins while the band plays weird sound effects adapted from the album? Guess we'll just have to wait and see! When the lights went down and the haunted house was rolled out, it soon became clear that the band was inside the haunted house playing, but you could only catch brief glimpses of their outlines flashing on the walls of the house due to the light show inside the house. The first number played out and the second number finally provided a clue as to what was coming. The very long fuse finally burned out ("You thought there was going to be a huge explosion, didn't you?") and the second floor walls of the haunted house folded down to reveal the band inside (see YouTube video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yKaZVKeF2A at the 12.5 minute mark). Each of the ten vignettes were accompanied by newly composed instrumentals - check 'em out; the boys really outdid themselves! The Birds is my personal favorite ("they attack!!") and Martian Monster is great, too ("your trip is short!").

Set 3 deserves a listen, too. Sand included a very tight, very well developed jam, and is rightly designated as highly recommended. The Halloween show is currently the "best rated show" of all time, although I suspect it's rating will continue to decline as Phish 3.0 haters vote it down (as they have the 7-27-14 show). That's their problem - this show was phenomenal, and I am so grateful to have been there.