Just got back to the hotel from my only stop on leg 2. You may notice the second set did not stop between songs once. It all flowed really well tonight, and I feel really grateful to see this band. Some may have read my forum post about a certain dark part of this community, in which I wondered if I could enjoy another show after that experience. Needless to say the boys alleviated any apprehensions I had. Must hear work in Golden Age and the biggest suppose segment of Chalkdust into WTU was more the worth the 9 hour drive from south Florida. Thanks to Phish for another great night!

Let's be honest. One does not simply have a bad time at a Phish show. Atlanta '12 was no exception - at least for me. It was a blast.

With that in mind, let's turn to the show. When considering what Phish did on leg 1 and the previous shows in leg 2 this year, it's hard to say that this show will be really memorable for anyone who was not there. Sure there are highlights like there are most nights, but as a show it does not pack the punch of say SF3 or Birmingham or St. Louis (after Atlanta). Not a bad show - but its 3 stars - maybe a little less (but not 2).

Nothing in this show was poorly played, but there are definitely some ups and downs.

Chalkdust> WTU is what you came here for and what people will come back for. And the Antelope was particularly good too.

Would I go to this show again? Of course - but lets not fall all over ourselves about a show that just isn't the caliber of other outings this summer.

Take out golden age and calkdust and you have a very sub par show. Bad venue combined with a drunk crowd with scatt jamming and you have another below average show in atlanta. This makes 4 questionable shows in Atlanta in the 3.0 era minus the 4th of July.

I loved this show, but I was kinda surprised to hear quite a few people ragging on it in the lot afterwards. The 1st set had an old school vibe with an awesome 4 song run to open up. Alaska even had a some good moments once the singing stopped and Maze started off slow and trippy, bursting out of its shell for the climactic ending.
This was one of those good KDF's and it led into an even better Golden Age that had the entire place dancing their asses off...Gordo was just dropping bombs of bass insanity all throughout the Golden Age and didn't stop the rest of the night. Free was nice although it was about this point that people began talking...with many of them just completely ignoring the show and having very loud "conversations". But this is what it's usually like at most big Georgia shows, the frat crowd comes out in full force.
Light was called up next and you knew at that point that the set wouldn't be a dud. Although short, this Light has it''s moments and isn't ripchorded...it just sorta fades into Velvet, which is chill and pleasent..but once again the crowds killed the jam.
When the band revved up Chalkdust I thought we we're gonna get another song filled 4th quarter but holy shit I couldn't have been more wrong. This Chalkdust left the standard realms of the song really quickly and the band jammed on some slow, melodic beauty for about 6 min or so but it felt like 20. The jamming felt immediate, organic and once again they just sorta melted into WTU? The DustJam was amazing but once again the crowds were just stupid. I braved the lawn for a few minutes but it was impossible up there.
I didn't care for the Joy call so soon after Velvet but after that all time Chalkdust the band coulda just walked off and I wouldn't have cared. The Antelope was the icing on the cake and they nailed every segment. It was a great Lope and the Day In The Life was perfect, the psychedelic sections were like a punch in the gut.
Check this show out, it's probably gonna be better on tape cause you don't have the frat boy nonsense assaulting your ears.

1. I don't think it counts as a tease if he plays it every single time they Play Alaska.

2. .net reviews get more stupid and ridiculous every time I read them. Jesus, I'm sick of good vibes. Just give me an honest review of the show. I don't care how grateful you are to see Phish. I don't care if the band is radiating love or nullifies any chance of an ego or any other retarded coming down from L bullshit talk. And it's definitely bullshit. Anyone who thinks Phish is creating some kind of transcendental aura is insane. I don't care if IT flowed out of your speakers and Soaked your body. And "Ridiculous flow and insane musical density" is not descriptive. It just sounds like your another retarded hippy who stumbled out of the show and had to throw out some buzz words to prove to everyone that you're a "real fan".

Sorry for bitching but reading this retarded dribble is just infuriating. The reason Phish pushes themselves is because they know their fans are critical. But you all just sound like a bunch of groupies waiting backstage to try and get a glimpse of greatness.

Please vote me down all you want. I'm just being honest.

I agree. I listened to the audio stream and all you could hear in the first set was loud talking. It was the most outrageous thing ive ever heard. If I was at the show I seriously would yell shut up lol....

its ok to talk a bit here and there, but constantly and loud? idk so when you said you heard the same it made me want to post.

come on people you paid for phish talk later....

I loved the show tonight. I am not going to get gloppy, however, this show was gorgeous! I love when a great show happens in my hometown. It gives me hope that the boys will look forward to another opportunity to be with us and that energy will be payed forward for another mind blowing experience. Maze as hands down the greatest exploration of set one. The second set was undulating and gave such variety to the night. Each song took an opportunity to find a new essence and what's the use out of light was wondrous.
The only Bitch i have is the girls who stood behind me and talked through some of the sweetest jams of the night finding that their phones and what they were wearing were more important than the creativity happen before their ears and eyes. Thank you Chris k for an impressive light show. Second to none!

I posted this review on Miner's site, but before succombing to sleep, I now have the opportunity to share my thoughts on Phish.net. I just feel the need to share right now and can't control it. Wow that was hard to type. Now cut and paste.

Either way, here’s my 2 cents. This was beyond anything that I type. Period. This is a band that is meditating in a supernatural state of being that nullifies any chance for an EGO to become involved. Whenever there is a negative feeling produced from this being, the other 3 tentacles pull it in, swallow it, and let it free with a being that none of us ever knew existed until Sunday. This LOVE that is being defined from night to night is radiating out my pores and being. I can transfer it at will now and thank Phish for expanding it within me. If there is a webcast for the Dick’s shows, we will all look back 20 years from now and remember the time we all got IT at the same time and it changed the world. We’re close, but can go farther. And by the way, I’m not on any psychedelic of any kind. I’m trippin on the feeling of love that radiates through my fingers and soul.

This show was certainly not one of my favorites, but it definitely was not by any means a "bad show." I drive from South Florida to see Phish every chance I can so if I regard a show as a "bad show" then something seriously messed up happened. I brought two friends with me who had never seen Phish before and they had the best time I think I've ever seen them have. Do I wish their first show would have been July 4 2010? Definitely, but why tell them their first show wasn't as good as the others I've been to? I was very stoked when they whipped out Wolfman's Brother, and although some of the songs seemed out of place, they performed all of them well (Roses Are Free was another one I particularly enjoyed). I was kinda bummed they encored with another cover, because they had done so the night before at Oak Mountain. Also, I was not particularly fond of the location of the venue, but I hate on ATL a lot so that may be the reason. Other than those few complaints, great show, cant wait for Festival X.

#118 for me and have a few things to say:

CTB was awesome to see again after not seeing it for many shows.

Roses Are Free>BDTNL>Zero was wonderfully played. Backwards is my favorite "newer" tune and they tore it up for me.

Golden Age> Favorite jam of the night

Light>Velvet Sea just didn't do it for me at all. I believe the only other time I saw Light was at Festival 8 and the jam was sublime but not as spacey as some other versions I have heard and then, progressing into Velvet Sea, it was a complete let down. A girl standing next to me did hardly moved during **the entire show** until I stopped dancing during Velvet Sea and, when she started swaying and tossing glowsticks during the song, that made it even more of a buzzkill! hahahahaha--I can laugh now but I just don't like that song. I really needed the Chalkdust that came out of nowhere at the end of that song and of course, the chick stopped dancing which made NO SENSE at all. I was screaming "can't I live while I'm young!!!!" at the top of my lungs as a response to her literal non-participation.

Whats the Use? Kinda weird ambient jam that broke the mood to me when a rocking Chalkdust completely disappeared as Trey leaned over to tweak his delay pedals for the upcoming spacey tune. I hadn't listened to Siket Disc in ages and had forgotten what the song actually was and so out of the rarity of it all in retrospect was cool; but, in reality Joy, even being a slower tune, brought the set back around to me. I enjoyed that the last time I saw it at Festival 8 so it was nice to hear "this is your song, too" even though it was kinda slow.

But then of course Antelope blew the roof off Lakewood. Like an old friend you have been waiting on, Antelope jam was just like the old days with that primal PHiSH groove in the middle and power at the end. I might not have danced harder that night as during the jam in that song. Like it should be.

A fun first set, that seemed crammed with songs. Wolfman, Jim, Maze were all worth the price of admission. Character Zero is always a fun way to leave everyone ready for set 2.

From the Jam in KDF, the show dissolved into a spiraling light sound of beauty. Golden Age > Free > Light was the highlight for me. Bliss is the only thing that comes close to description. These songs are exactly why we see phish. If they had to dial it back with a wading, Chalk dust brings us back out of it and into a gorgeous WTU?

Maybe not the best show of the tour, but it was my best show of the tour as its the only show easily drivable from Florida.

Thank FSM we get phresh phish all summer!

I guess it's not the best show of tour, nor of the weekend, but that doesn't mean it's a bad show. Cars, Trucks, Buses is probably the best opener for someone at their first show (me). Maze still holds up very well and feels like it came straight out of the '90s.
Set 2 was what confirmed to me that I had found my new favorite band and would have look up what they'd done before. Hence, why I'm on here. Chalk Dust -> What's The Use? is still one of my all time favorite pieces experience and musically wise.
To finish it all off was a cover from my then current favorite band, so yeah, all in all a great show for a beginner who might be turned off by a 20 or 30 minute song.

CDT>WTU..... well worth the price of admission...omitting joy and diving straight into antelope would have made this a sick ending to a pretty nice 2nd set. see you all in NY!

Yet another second set worth writing about ~ 8/25/12 Georgia:
KooL to see them start off set II with KDF. Trey delivers unique notes to this version towards end - just wicked fast picking, but it's what bends out of Golden Age that starts the show < : : : : > an immediate funk-phest from Mike once Trey is done singing all those Golden verses - sounds so good to the ears Mike and Page funking it in, out and around. And the most welcome FREE phollows suit. Right on! Could they top that? YES INDEED melting from something impossible to put into words during Chalkdust Torture > What's The Use. I can spell it like this P H I S H. The last 5 minutes of Chalkdust are a phine wine making this second set a must here....like so many 2012 summer shows - Phresh Phish is available for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. And the light is growing brighter now - shone bright in Georgia! Happy ending never ending!

It's called "Rainey Day Women #12 & 35"

There is nothing wrong with telling people to be quiet. I had to do do this constantly during leg 1.

I don't usually add my 2 cents from the couch but I have to for this show. IT sprayed out of my speakers in the 2nd set and soaked my body. Ridiculous flow and insane musical density. When chalkdust is a key player in one of the highlights of a fantastic 2nd set you know you have something special. They are locked and loaded right now on a nightly basis like we haven't heard in eras and they keep making strides each night. I agree with Phishm0610 - I have no concept of what is going to happen at Dicks. I will see you all before then at the Zoo though before we find out. Give the 2nd set of this show a spin immediately if you haven't heard it.

I was on the lawn and I swear I have never heard more talking in my life. It was like a huge frat party and I felt like most of the people had only "heard of" Phish. Let's go party at the Phish show.

Set 1: Maze and Roses was pretty sweet

Set 2: KDF > Golden Age > Free (I liked the free with a little Gordo 1 2 punch)

Average show but a fun night.

Random fact: The guy in front of must of left and went somewhere at least 20 times. Every single time he left he would put on his socks and shoes disappear, return, take his socks and shoes off, put them back on and leave again. Extremely bizarre. It may have been more distracting than the talking.

Everybody complains about the length of the show or the jams, but with a really good feel to it, the second set flowed incredibly smoothly which made my evening

@RobesPierre:

Perhaps it is all bullshit and perhaps you are being honest, but you're also been mean. Its akin to "does this dress make me look fat, honey?" Of course it does but you keep that opinion to yourself because there is no sense in offending her or ruining her night. If you're tired of the "feel good vibes" perhaps you could start your own blog. Also find your handle pretty ironic given your take on the situation.

Completely agree @RobesPierre

Between 6:30-7:20 mins of Alaska, do I hear a "Everybody Must get Stoned" tease?

I loved the show tonight. I am not going to get gloppy, however, this show was gorgeous! I love when a great show happens in my hometown. It gives me hope that the boys will look forward to another opportunity to be with us and that energy will be payed forward for another mind blowing experience. Maze as hands down the greatest exploration of set one. The second set was undulating and gave such variety to the night. Each song took an opportunity to find a new essence and what's the use out of light was wondrous.
The only Bitch i have is the girls who stood behind me and talked through some of the sweetest jams of the night finding that their phones and what they were wearing were more important than the creativity happen before their ears and eyes. Thank you Chris k for an impressive light show. Second to none!

An average-great show with a few highly notable moments in the second set. The first set features zero (0) songs that top 10 minutes in length, and the second set features no songs longer than 12 minutes! Duration isn't the only determinant of whether a jam is good or not, but it is one of the determinants, in my opinion. I really like to settle in and get surrounded by a jam. That said, Light has a beautiful coda that finds its way into Wading in the Velvet Sea, and the segue from Chalk Dust Torture -> What's the Use? is one of the better I've heard recently. It seems to me that at a hot-button venue like Lakewood in a hot-button city like Atlanta during an one-night stand instead of the usual 2 (or this year, 3!) shows, we'd get an all-timer of a show, but admittedly Phish has kind of migrated away from Lakewood towards Alpharetta for the most part in 3.0. Maybe Lakehood was working its sketchy magic on the band and/or the crowd this night.

(Day 2: Random Setlist a Day Challenge. I will be listening to and reviewing a Random Setlist a day for as long as I possible can. Hopefully my review can be helpful to you. If not, oh well...)
*Please note: I was not present for this show. My review is based on the SBD recording of this show.

This show seemed to be one where the boys were enjoying themselves. As stated by Mike at the end of the show, they really like playing this venue.

Set I: The classic Cars Trucks Buses opener sets the tone for this set. Throughout the boys are playing tight. Some sets get loose, some get tight; this set falls into the latter camp. Nothing incredibly special, but an absolutely solid set. This Alaska was actually pretty solid, and the Maze, Roses are Free and Number Line appears to be the peak of the set. Compact, concise and blazing solos from Trey fill the jam sections of these songs. Type I abounds.

Set II: The boys seem to veer off from the Type I- Greatest Hits Fest that was the first set. Here we see more Type II spaciness (ever-prevalent in the KDF>Golden Age>Free>Light sequence). In this set the jams get some legs, but nothing too epic. The real interesting part of this set are all the segues. Most of them are brilliant and show that a good segue can be as interesting as one long jam. Antelope is a scorcher, as usual, but I felt a little let down by the A Day in the Life encore. A good denouement, I suppose. Just a bit too calm after all the spaciness and the Wading in the Velvet Sea and Joy sandwich towards the end of the set.

Overall, a solid but fairly average show with occasional flashes of brilliance. The contrast between Set I & II is what stands out most here. Nothing to write home about, but I would not deter anyone who would want to listen to this set.

3/5 Stars