SET 1: First Tube: Not as much Trey shredding as I am used to. More groove based. Tired from Vegas… >

Wolfman's Brother: Has a bit of that good, ol rageahol, but not enough to get one to revisit.

Back on the Train: Fresh off the hiatus announcement, these particular lyrics were raw for me at this show: “Now I'm gone, and I'll never look back again, I'm gone, and I'll never look back at all, You know I'll never look back again” Standard version

Beauty of My Dreams: Standard.

Vultures: Standard.

The Inlaw Josie Wales: Love this. Absolutely love it.

Billy Breathes: First set is very first set. Trey struggles a good bit with this one. Hiatus looms.

Llama: Trey was likely looking to blow off steam after his BB struggles and ripped this one wide open with crazy effects and sounds. “Smack yourself in the face, turn to the person next to you and smack that person in the face, make passionate love the person next to you” LOL LOL LOL

Lawn Boy: Standard.

Runaway Jim: Build this up to a big peak but unfortunately Trey is all out of tune and sounds bad. The effort is there but the execution is not. Hiatus looms.

First set summary: Outside of the Llama, there is just nothing here at all of substance. The band is still recovering from Vegas. My buddies that I convinced to come with me to Phoenix instead of going home to Denver after Vegas are giving me the serious side eye at this point.

SET 2: Roses Are Free: Great opener, now we are getting somewhere. But, short and standard >

Piper: Rips so hard, absolutely shredded. 7 minute and change version slips into ->

Guy Forget: Debut. Only the most astute fans could have known what was going on here. Whether or not you were in the know, the jam is fantastic and becomes the clear highlight of the show. Here is the link to the history of Phish and Guy Forget, it is quite comical and worth your 5 minutes to read this https://phish.net/song/guy-forget/history Fishman is AMAZING in the 9’s with his work on his kit and wood blocks, you must listen to this! This jam gets way, way out there in the ether with big, big loops. Outstanding stuff if you are into that less is more jamming, kind of sparse and ambient in a few spots in this jam, this segues nicely into… ->

When the Circus Comes: Not a fan then or now really, did not need all this momentum to come to a screeching halt, many likely will not hold this view. Played beautifully though. >

Camel Walk: My first Camel Walk, so I was pumped!

Driver: The start/stop of the momentum of the second set is annoying at this point. Driver deep, deep in the second set? C’mon man.

David Bowie: Decent Bowie except Trey in the ending is sloppy here and there but there is nothing here that I would revisit. Good closer though.

ENCORE: Waste: Not going to lie, I loved this in the E: slot. My buddies that were not continuing on with me to Chula were not amused. At all. Their last song before hiatus.

Second set summary: Piper -> Guy Forget and Camel Walk make this a decent set for me. But outside of that the set is choppy with little flow in the. Coming off of a solid show in Denver and two ragers in Vegas I knew there was a big chance of a letdown in Phoenix. That is what this show is. I would rate this as a 3.5 out of 5. It is rated as a 3.93 on .net, that seems generous. Or I am just a cranky, old man. Likely a little from column A and a little from column B.