This show was inevitably going to be a letdown after the all timer to lead off the Greek run. The Gin jam is superb Phish. Seven Below and 555(!) are highlights. They did some interesting things with KDF.

Really just came here to say that Jon Fishman is drumming like a damn GOD this tour. Mercy.

This show absolutely holds up despite the ratings so far, and here is why.

Set one was filled predominantly with older songs. Seven Below threatened to go somewhere and Bathtub Gin was a groove fest all the way through. Absolutely no complaints.

Set two will not look appealing to you on paper if you don’t like Phish’s newer content.
Farmhouse was only song they played in this set that came out before 2009…

Thus the argument to be made here is the first four songs of the set and what the band did with them. KDF had another extended stretch, a recent trend since the 2021 return. Fuego was CRUSHED. After shaking off a sloppy start the jam is nothing short of outstanding. Fizzles out into space soup with Mike adding vocal assistance, to trippy effect. It works. The band floats 2023-style and surfaces into a heavier drum-heavy romp that made me think of the 12/30/12 Carini. Very, very good. Light is an extended Type 1 affair, and is well explored in that regard. Now… Farmhouse > BDTNL would more than likely be a straight buzzkill, and to some it was, but this is 4.0 Phish, and these two songs are on a spectacular comeback campaign, and I think it really does work rather well all things considered. Lastly there are not many ways to better close out than a solo Character Zero encore. Enough said.

As of writing this show has a 3.5 rating, but after listening top to bottom I’m cementing 4 stars. This will be an underdog show in the coming years, you heard it here first.

Light was great. They probably spent 3 mins too long jamming in major at the end of this one, but I loved every minute of it. Lonely Trip to follow demonstrated the bands ability to go from joyful high intensity jamming and turn on a dime to a slow and beautiful song with such pretty lyrics. AND the howling sounds like Tube and Sand had a baby, was cool to get to hear that one!

people bitching about the list last night have no idea what they are talking about and i don't mean that the "list doesn't matter, it's what they play" argument, but i actually think the list means everything and last night was prime 2023 phish, you throw in Ruby Waves, Wave of Hope, Sigma, YEM and Moma and you might have the top 10 hottest songs going right now

and anyone really paying attention knows that KDF, Light, Lonely Trip, BDTNL are all crushing right now. i don't need to hear a damn note and i know that this set was way better than night 1. Fuck even Farmhouse being so freaking tender and quiet is a special treat right now in 2023..,and please it's been said a thousand times but a stand alone zero is as hot as it gets and is still the strongest encore.

KDF caught fire in Vegas 2021 and the continued through 2022 with the amazing Dicks version, Light has come back with vengence starting in 2018 and hasn't let up, BDTNL was so hot at Eugene '21 that they created a whole show for it at Vegas later that tour, and come on Lonely Trip is possibly only surpassed by Mountains in the Mist as the hottest consistent ballad.

i get these are my opinions, but to me last night's list is its strongest asset

Couch toured this show from the east coast. So I did get sleepy. Olivia's pool was a great opening choice and it led to an amazing seven below, a tune we have been waiting a while for. I will never complain about a 1-2 punch like that. The first set Gin was also a great jam, even better than the sweet jam in seven below. Not the most amazing first set of all time but had enough goodies to keep me awake for the 2nd set.

Now on paper, the 2nd set looks pretty whack. Did I still enjoy this set? Yes I did. But it was definitley a bit of a letdown considering how great Night ones set two was. Dont Doubt me as an opener is very odd, but different so kudos on that. KDF transition was a little rough and I prefer that tune in the 1st set. Fuego is a personal favorite of mine and I really enjoyed this version. Howling had a filthy groove to it. Def the best sci fi tune. Everyone loves to hate Farmhouse, but its essential. Placing or not, I still like hearing it. And a BDTNL as the set closer is a always a good choice. 2nd set sure was lackluster but had its moments. to me this was an average phish show!

Set One: B-
Set Two: C

Score: 3.45

PHISH, TUESDAY 04/18/2023
WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST GREEK THEATRE, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
Berkeley, CA
Soundcheck: Jam

SET 1: Olivia's Pool: Great and unexpected opener >

Seven Below: Extremely well done! Thought every moment mattered in this jam, no wasted space >

Maze: Standard as she goes. I had read a couple of reports of it being better than average but after a close listen I can’t agree with that.

Mountains in the Mist: Lovely as always.

Bathtub Gin: Effects heavy through 12 minutes and at that point Trey takes over and steers it into the major chord bliss jam territory. >

555: Great micro jam! Best version ever? My vote is a yes. This thing cooks BIG TIME! Big, big fan! Heavy, heavy effects, but man – it really works for me here. Could see myself head banging like crazy and seriously getting down to this.

Possum: Trey basically doesn’t play a note for what seems to be close to a minute in the early part of the jam. Odd. Technical difficulties? Other than that, standard version.

SET 2: Don't Doubt Me: Heady jam, nice and psychedelic. Love this right out of the gate. Sends the right message and energy. >

Kill Devil Falls: Excellent jam, fun romp through this one – This one stays dark mostly throughout save a little major chord section in the 8 minute range, good stuff! >

Fuego: Super dark, I LOVE it. Mike singing over the top as the jam starts with the “Starts to levitate” stuff is haunting. This one is quite patient. They take their time with it and gradually build the intensity. Mike clobbering the fight bell late in this one indicates his affinity for the progress in this jam. >

Light: Band sounds amazing. Tons of great interplay, the beautiful soundboard doesn’t hurt in relaying this to my ears. Big, ‘ol peak and held note around the ten minute mark – lovely – and then hose! Crushed! >

Lonely Trip: Huge fan of this placement, I realize I may be in the minority but this fits oh so well!

The Howling: Fans were going off showing the band so much love after Lonely Trip. To play this – big swing and a miss. Major missed opportunity! >

Farmhouse: Don’t get me wrong, I am a Farmhouse fan. But not in this slot! Not to mention the current iteration of this tune is played as about Low T as you can imagine, totally neutered. I miss the old versions – see 9.28.99. Set is on life support now… >

Backwards Down the Number Line: LOL. Brutal.

ENCORE: Character Zero – LOL. No attempt to make up for that crap played in the second half of the second set.

Replay value: Bathtub Gin, 555, Don’t Doubt Me, Kill Devil Falls, Fuego, Light

Summary: Show was fine until The Howling and from there it just went downhill. Too bad. Tough to follow up on that second set the night before, but they were doing a great job of it until mid-second set when they just mailed it in. Super weird! I just don’t understand what the thought process is to play what they did after Lonely Trip – that second set was fantastic until then. Ugh. I would rate this show as a 3.4 out of 5.