After the technical mishaps in Mansfield the night before, I fully expected Phish to bring the heat in Hartford, and boy did they deliver! Having attended 6 shows on the Summer 2016 run, and listened to every performance, I feel confident in saying this was, by far, the best show of the run thus far.

The energy was plentiful as they launched into Pigtail (which they made fun), another solid Moma Dance (not as good as the SPAC3 performance, but still great) and Birds Of A Feather before the REAL fun began -- Meat followed by Vultures (one of my all-time favorites) into a powerful Free. Then the bust-out Let Me Lie, one of my guilty pleasures as a cool off. A feel-good Halley's Comet, punchy Julius and rare first set YEM closed out set one, leaving everyone breathless.

The second set began with dance heavy faves DWD and Sand before my mind was blown with my first Tela (only took 97 shows! LOL!)

The hits kept coming with a raucous Carini into Twenty Years Later into Run Like An Antelope before jerking everyone down to earth with a Number Line. I would knock off a 10th of a point for that, but I honestly found it hilarious how fast the mood shifted to confusion and disappointment in my general area with that choice as a set closer.

I don't know if Phish considered it a "gag" of some kind, but after a solid Lizards and Loving Cup encore, everyone was left elated.

It was my only pit show of the run, and I feel incredibly lucky to have had the experience. The timing was perfect. What a night!!