Expectations are a reality of the human experience. They affect our evaluations immensely whether we like them to or not.
Friday's Phish show at Dick's came on the heels of an unbelievably high peak at Watkins Glen, the best summer tour in ages and the Dick's tradition of starting every Labor Day weekend with huge setlist surprises. In any other context, last night would be seen very differently than what I see in the net ratings right now. This was a very solid 4+ star show with plenty to offer, even a swinging vacuum phallic!
First set highlights include the firey Bathtub Gin which whipped the crowd into a frenzy. There's a lot packed into its 11 minutes. 46 Days is the latest in a welcome trend of songs that finish properly and then move on to a second jam that was more exploratory than the first.
The Blaze On and Golden Age combo will get the most replay for me and showed that the type II machine from the second half of tour is functioning just fine. A little bit if nasty, funky and serene kept my mind on the fact that all is still creative, fresh and inspiring in Phishlandia.