preface: i streamed the show, wasn't there

blaze > plasma > blaze was a great way to start the show. Both the initial blaze jam and plasma jam had some heat right away, it immediately felt like they came to kill it tonight. Always down for a vultures, but who isn't? As far as stand alone songs go that don't have a typical jam, vultures is one of my favorites. Trey looking into fish's eyes during the drum solo part implied to me that they wanted to overpower the woo's, but eventually Trey was clearly egging them on. Steam as usual feels like a killer jam is about to happen but ends up being short and sweet, walls also felt a bit short but sweet.

Considering that (at least in most of 3.0) the highlights of the night usually seem to land somewhere in the 3rd quarter, first half of second set, it does bring up the question of what the function of the first set is. If you ask me, a 1st set doesn't need to have a monster jam to be a "perfect" first set. I love the idea of a first set that functions to just get you amped as fuck for the second set. A few nice moments, jams and song choices that set the tone for the rest of the night etc. During the actual improv sections of first set jams, you get a glimpse into how the band is feeling - how inspired they are. The improv sections of these first set jams were filled with ideas, no autopilot phish mode in sight. The ghost to end first set, I don't think you could possibly get me more amped for a second set than this ghost did. They kept the energy low but with high anticipation for most of this jam, with all four members just shitting out great ideas left and right. Real sneaky and grimy energy. If this jam was at the start of second set, I'd be thinking they're about to obliterate this venue. When they finally started to amp up the energy of this jam, they reached a really strong moment, I heard a sound come out of this band that I'd never heard before, for just a second. It was too powerful for them, started to lose control for a second but very quickly started making moves to just end the jam. This left me practically begging for more, as excited for a second set as I think you could possibly leave me.

WOH had mostly all you could ask for. The jam quickly found it's way into a mega deep zone, the type of textural effects soundscape stuff that's been getting more prevalent the past few years, but this one was a bit more ambient than usual. Fish was exercising some brand new techniques. He kept doing these insane snare patterns that I'd never quite heard before, but he was so slick with it that you'd think he'd been playing stuff like that for 30 years. Fish leveled up HARD for this show, but even with that it's hard to say whether fish or mike were the MVPs of this section, mike was constantly throwing in ideas that kept this jam at a consistent level of depth. A lot of jams that explore this newer brand of textural effects-laden heaven seem to operate in waves - depth > coasting > depth > coasting etc, but not this one, and I credit mike for keeping it so consistent. Eventually this jam led to a very very above average peak. There's been a lot of discussion in recent years about peaks, since for a while there they mostly did away with them, leading people to talk about how "peaks are easy for phish and therefor cheap", but when a jam can get really out and eventually lead to a strong peak, that shit is strong, and this peak was very strong. What I said before about the ideas the band puts out in the first set has implications about what you'll get in the second set, this WOH jam delivered what we were told to expect.

This golden age was remarkable. After a short few minutes of jamming in the first major key section of GA (containing a signature sound by Trey very reminiscent of the incredible rosemont '18 version), they quickly move onto the typically meatier minor key jam. Fish takes a big risk here and starts playing an atypical pattern, almost tribal sounding. It stands out a lot, the type of move where you either have to really lean into it and make it go somewhere, or else give up on it and let it exist as a weird choice that went nowhere, but fish absolutely did not give up on it. The band explores this space for a while, finding their footing with it and exploring ideas on top of it. Eventually it reaches a nice zone that solidifies the payoff for fish's experiment here. I always say that one of my favorite things about trey, is that he can "go over anything". You can give him the most bonkers backing track and he'll find a way to solo over that in a way that feels like he's specifically practiced it. Well here is one of those examples, once this fish experiment pays off trey quickly starts going over it in a big way. This ramps up the energy towards a more typical high energy second set phish zone, but fish does a great job of keeping this jam unique with yet again his brand new snare drum superpower. At one point after he's finally a few bars passed moving on from this experimental tribal pattern, he cleverly drops into a tresillo (think the common dancehall or reggaeton beat) for just a bar or two. This lands so strongly and feels like the climax of the jam, that is until for the big peak moment, trey turns on some straight up harsh noise shoegaze guitar effect just lets that build in intensity for the final bar. I love the noisey phish, and I love the shoegaze effects, and this moment basically made me cum. They get to a clear point of playing out the finishing bar of the jam, but when they land on the "1", fish is found softly playing that initial tribal pattern again for just a second. Slick as fuck. This jam actually rocked me. So many good ideas, so many new ideas, they stuck every landing. Very unique jam for phish, but at the same time the type of jam that only phish could pull off. I am very surprised that this jam is not mentioned on other reviews, don't miss this one.

Don't have much to say about the rest of the show really. After those jams they can do whatever they want, who cares. Play bouncing 5 times in a row, I got what I needed. Fluff encore diverged into a hyped bouncy minor key jam for just a minute before re-arriving at the typical triumphant jam it usually has. First set might have had better flow, second set had 2 unbelievable jams, I don't like rating shows with numbers so I don't know, but this show basically had everything I could ask for out of a phish show, and from memory this is the best tour opener in quite a long time. Multiple jams from mexico a few months ago that blew my mind, and now this insane opener. This year is really shaping up to be something special

Highlights of show:
Blaze on > plasma > blaze on
Ya Mar
Flawless Vultures
Wave of Hope

Honorable mention:
Ghost
Fluffhead

First set was great. Start to finish they played everything above average.

Second set started off hot w Wave of Hope but then was meh. No mens was below average (still solid but they have so many amazing versions that this one didn’t live up to). Golden age ssijt so much for most of the song but ended on an. Wet strong note. Bug and wedge were rough.

Overall, solid tour opener. 3.8/5.0

Idk man that sounds pretty damn good for a tour opener. Wasted absolutely no time taking Blaze On into the deeps, and the -> Plasma -> Blaze On were perfectly executed. Vultures was a tasty surprise, and Ya Mar had some real nice pep to it (love the Fishman drop-out). Wave of Hope and Golden Age were both phenomenal jams that I'm sure will end up in the 2023 JOTY bracket. Fluffhead encore had a couple hiccups (most do these days), but the Page / Trey solo duel was fucking awesome.

Haters be damned. This band is still fantastic.

Some cringey reviews on here so I feel obligated to add a normal one. By the way, we don't care what beer you drink. Anyways, welcome back Phish. Im out on the east coast and will only make it to the end of these shows if they keep me entertained. And yes i was awake till 2am to watch this show. I felt there was very little rust and they came out BLAZING ON (sorry) which led into a fantastic plasma transition. Then a great vultures. Off the bat i knew phish was going to play a good show tonight and they did. Nice long 1st set and well played. Mikes new bass sounded great. As for 2nd set, its highlight is the wave of hope which touches 20 mins and was the best jam of the night. Nothing afterwards hit that round of excellence but it was still such a fun 2nd set. Also got to love a fluff encore.

1st set: B
2nd set: B+

See you all tomorrow. Ill be awake, hopefully.

After going to Mansfield last summer and this show I feel like the band specifically crushes tour openers these days. That was some top level mid tour ish jamming last night with the WOH and golden age
~grunge sea creature jams~
Felt like they were getting into some new sci fi sounding territories they’ve been exploring since 2021

Can’t wait for N2! PNW phish is always worth the trip!

Where to even begin. This was my first show since phoenix ‘21and my buddy Chip’s first show since maybe ‘12 in Alpharetta? We met up with my oldest bud David Einstein who flew in from Tulsa….
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Flashback to 9:45 day of the show and Chip and My flight getting cancelled from Spokane. Apparently a volcano is erupting in Russia and the smoke boggled the flights west to Seattle. We managed to grab a car from Hertz and enjoyed blue bird skies the entire almost 5 hour drive. Thanks Alaskan Airlines…..not to fret, Seattle is still beautiful and our digs in the Fremont community are just peachy…
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After a quick drop of the backpacks and the car we made it to Fremont Brewing, and perfect neighborhood jump off. The pours were a bit spendy so we skipped a block to the Pacific Inn, a total dive (but clean) and known for their fish and chips. No food was had but the beer was cold, and by this point we felt “great”.
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Fast forward to the show. What a clean venue. Pristine. But let’s just say, $13.99 for a 16oz Coors Light?! WTF. I love local beer, so I opted to “save” money. It’s a beautiful venue, and the sound was decent, but cough, $13.99?!?!
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No song by song review, because honestly…who cares….but for a tour opener? Damn. It was the heat. The band is almost all in their 60s and just still torching down cities. I still show up expecting little and walking away with my jaw in my hand; tonight was no different.
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Let’s all enjoy Seattle this Saturday, drink local beer, see the sights and come ready to melt Saturday, 4/15
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P.S. Wendy’s on the road is still not good. Except the fries are tasty. And when did a medium become a 32oz?

This show kicked ass , golden age had some nice Pac-Man noises. Who can deny a Martian monster on n1 of tour. Bagged my first ever Yamar , grateful. A wave of hope was the biggest jam of the night. Always love when vultures makes the list. Fluffhead closer, nuff said.

The climate pledge arena is beautiful. Every place I snagged a view from was perfect not a bad seat in the house. N1 peak for me was golden age. Seattle is a super great city and a wonderful place to see phish. West coast cities in general are super laid back. The wedge and bug are some classy classics that always make me smile for ear to ear. Plasma on your opener always hits right. They played that at providence 2019 n1 , fall tour opener. Overall I like this show and would pay double face value to relive it!

Here is my review. Did not attend. Just finished listening via the Live Phish app:

PHISH, FRIDAY 04/14/2023
CLIMATE PLEDGE ARENA
Seattle, WA

SET 1: Blaze On: Very good opener and well jammed. Nice and mellow. Great way to start a show and the tour I thought. Pretty good segue, likely practiced… ->

Plasma: Love the opening to this song and it sounds like this version elicits many cheers as it should. Great placement. Bit of a statement, the band means business. Short jam. This jam was always meant to be a brooding, dark jam. This one lives in that major chord space but sounds great all the same. ->

Blaze On: Not sure I agree with the track listing on LivePhish as to when this actually goes from Plasma back into Blaze One. But the Blaze On ending is a bit of an afterthought and feels tacked on. Still, this was a great way to get started with these jams.

Vultures: Throws a bit of a wrench into the momentum previously created. But a good way to measure the bands chops and to see how much they may have practiced before the tour. Has some whale call elements in the beginning of the jam. 2009 and 2010 flashbacks. Stupid ‘Woos’ ruin the ending. Sad.

Sample in a Jar: Broadway Trey’d with that vibrato. Trey has minor problems with the solo.

Ya Mar: What is this annoying sound, almost makes it sound like my air pods are blown (they aren't). Issue with the drums. LivePhish version. Mike and Trey team up nicely in this one.

Steam: Pretty standard version other than it has some wooo ooooo ooooo's vocals ad libbed from Trey. Can't say I have heard that before. It's...not great. >

My Friend, My Friend: No "Myfe" ending so they have Page guide them through a cool segue into – sounded practiced to me… >

Walls of the Cave: Oh man, Treys first couple of lyrics in Walls are very, very bad. Standard and short jam.

Ghost: They don’t let this breathe at all coming out of the composed section. Things seem tentative and out of sync for the most part in this very short jam. They should have saved this for a better spot or another show. Also, there is some whale call stuff from Trey in here. Not much, but it’s there. This Ghost is a real head scratcher.

SET 2: A Wave of Hope: That annoying sound I referred to in Ya Mar comes back in the early going of the jam here. Briefly. Mike with that new bass sounds great at about ten and a half minutes in. Still, things are slightly tentative in here, they are all kind of feeling each other out. 11:30 here come those sound issues again. Early in the 12’s, Trey takes the reins. The next seven minutes are hard driving and big bliss jam peaks.

Bouncing Around the Room: LOL.

No Men In No Man's Land: Decent jam although again, there seems to be a lack of all in sync and much of it – to me – comes across as tentative until they find themselves awash in briefly in effects and then lazily into… ->

Golden Age: The early part of this jam sounds GREAT. Trey has this strumming thing going on with cool delay effects and Page is painting a beautiful portrait behind him to back it all up. Crazy and fairly annoying new effect late in the 8’s and into the 9’s. Very dark and murky from the 9.5-minute mark, good stuff. I imagine all this paired with CK5 had some heads spinning a good bit. By the 12-minute mark Trey has the reins, has a clear purpose, and sounds fantastic. This is great Phish. Big fan of this jam, this is what I am looking for these days from the band. Not a recycled bliss jam but a coherent, collaborative, and competent jam. Very well done!

Martian Monster: Poor placement.

The Wedge: Man, they have killed the momentum. I just don’t get The Wedge in the middle of the second set. At all. Never have, never will.

Bug: They struggle mightily to get this one started, rough. Very short Trey section >

Back on the Train: Is this bizarro world, Jerry? It sure feels like it. Hopefully, they have something really special planned for this version…Unfortunately, this was not the case. Trey’s vocals are laughable. Out of the jam and back into the vocals is very rough. Really strange second half of the second set.

ENCORE: Fluffhead – Played 275 times and 9 times it has graced the encore slot. 6 of those times were 3.0 shows. This version is far from technically proficient, but I sure appreciate the nod in the encore, and it does a bit to help the overall rating of this show. Interesting little jam in this one and then the end shred is one that will leave you smiling for sure. Good stuff.

Replay value/Summary: I wouldn’t necessarily recommend or seek out Blaze On or A Wave of Hope but do recognize that both have redeeming value. If you are bliss jam fan, then you are going to love A Wave of Hope, they definitely crush it in that realm – it’s just not my thing. I will strongly recommend Golden Age, that jam is seriously great Phish – I loved it. I would rate this show as a 3.7 out of 5.

I wasn’t there, nor have I listened to the show, but seeing as they didn’t even open the tour with something like DSOTM or even a Gamehendge tells me everything I need to know.

One star.

And just so you know I’m legit, let me demonstrate my vet-status by taking this moment to trash Sample in a Jar.

Please put Sample in a Jar in a jar far away and only use it in a Baker's Dozen scenario. Ugh. Nice encore. But I was unable to surrender to the flow. The band is awesome, of course, but much of the fun of a phish show is unpredictability. That only happened with the Fluffhead encore. C'mon guys, blow our minds with something completely out of this world! The Utah Dark Side comes to mind. Anyways, I still liked it. 3.5*. And happy for anyone that happened to be there.