Another great show. Didn't quite reach the heights of last night (a tall order), but an absolute heater of a second set with multiple great improv sections.

*NOTE* The following review is most from the "in a vacuum," as it were. obviously, bc this is the first tour back and also my personal second show back, the excitement and enjoyment is through the roof. however, for the sake of the annals of .net, i will review with somewhat of an objective eye. with that said, objectively, this was a fire show.

set 1 was solid. by far the standout moment was the stash, which reached deep type 2 levels. it was a layered improvisation featuring standout playing from all four members, particularly fishman who has been on fire this run. good to see them really take it this tune for a walk. love it.

the earlier moma dance was also quite good, with trey delivering some extremely smooth lines. loved this version. spirited roggae and back on the trane as well. the rest of the songs were all a pleasure to hear and very well played. good set up for set 2.

second frame begins with the first ever 20-minute everything's right. absolutely fire jam. they are ripping off 20+ minute versions with ease. utterly effortless; such a pleasure to watch. what's the use is well placed here, love an early set version. fishman then pulls out his personal mic and it's on--crosseyed. one of my faves to hear live. this version didn't disappoint, going pretty far out in a very short time. and then trey puts a cherry on top by leading the band back into WTU before they drop into a quality DWD. Wading is nice--if they're gonna do a cool down, this is a worthy choice.

then possum comes on, one of my personal favorite songs. this is an absolutely flaming, machine gun, down and dirty sick ass possum. page destroyed his solo. then trey comes in: machine gun central. he really was relentless here--peak after peak. incredible. listen to this. perfect end to a great set.

drift encore--standard version (will admit here that this is not one of my favorite songs, but a good way to send folks home nonetheless).

phish is on fire

Writing this as I’m arriving back at my air b ‘n b. What a great Saturday show. And as always, phish switch up their act to keep us on our toes. Where Friday saw phish delving into deep water territory with unbelievable improv, Saturday brings us the band in a much more optimistic and care-free summertime fashion. Not that they didn’t stop to take some songs out for a ride. Everything’s Right is the first up to break new territory (and I believe also the longest to date?). The WTU turned the crowd sentimental. Everyone in a quiet awe while band brought it down to 1 (again, as opposed to yesterday’s 11). My gf, who had her 3rd show tonight said WTU? seems like a song that would have been played in a sappy Twin Peaks scene, and now that I’ve pictured it, I can’t not hear it any other way lol. The >Crosseyed> WTU(!!!) came in to wake us up and turn the lawn into dance floor. And finally, Disease takes us to church. I lost track of the time, but it felt like Trey sustained that note for 2-3 minutes.

In summation, this is a damn fine show. Yesterday’s show has spoiled many fans. And tonight’s is a sort of “yang” to last night. Everything felt right. Phish in 2021 are training for a marathon, and tonight was the light run. Stay kind and stick around because this band is doing things.

Absolute scorcher of a show. It’s funny because I absolutely thought this show was better than night 1. Guess it goes to show that we all truly do fish(Phish) differently. The energy in the building was brimming with blissfully good vibes. Everyone was settled in from night 1 and we were surrounded by an even better group. Knew it would be a special evening.

Fun crowd control opener got us moving right away. After a nice and danceable poor heart, we were treated to a delightfully funky Moma. Funky phish is my sweet spot, and this one hit the spot for sure. Train through Roggae was all great and the band was absolutely locked in. Debut wave of hope was nice and then it all happened….

STASH. This may have been one of the best jams, let alone stashes I’ve ever heard. Honestly it’s hard to even put into words how good it was. If you do anything today, listen to this Stash. It has it all.

Set II was chock full of jams. Three mamooths in Everything’s Right, Chalkdust and DWD took us to exploratory heights. Beautifully placed Velvet sea and a rocking Possum taboot to cap off the set. Sweat pouring completely down the body is always a sign of a goooood ass show.

Drift while your sleeping was welcomed as the encore and wrapped up a complete show for me. #43 was indeed a great one! Can’t wait to see what’s in store for tonight.

30th show! I kept saying I wanted my elusive Crosseyed that I’d been chasing to be caught tonight.. more on that later!!

First set was not always attempting to be crowd favorite. Lots of expository going on that (although necessary in the overall ebb and flow of Phish) didn’t hit the mark as well as hoped. I found it fun and mostly happy. Stash is the clear standout, which had a nice little trek into ooey gloomy before a nice section of more happy and finishing in fine form Stashy, kudos. Biggest gripe is Trey and those damn lyrics. Clearly he’s practiced his guitar. Get this man a karaoke machine!

ER in S1 opener was welcome and deserving of this golden opportunity. When following greatness from the night before (in 2 20-25+ jams S2), sometimes ur best not to compete with any other jam than your own. ER does this and shows the ferocity and versatility it has grown into as an amazingly inspiring go to jam. The interplay with WTU was a solid touch, and largely because of the meat within the 2 slices of grilled cheese, otherwise known as..

CROSSEYED!!! Tour debut and so glad I got my wish to catch this song at my 30th show. Seriously, like a really blissful moment and I am so thankful for this band.

Given the sludgey jamming of late, DWD being played again was par for the course. This version had a surprisingly enchanted tone to it. It’s like a Robinhood-esq crusade for justice.. This DWD is the type of jam that’s rescues all of the macaroni and bacon baked grilled cheeses and gives them to people for free. Just what the doctor ordered. Rockin Possum for the S2 win was great too!

DWYS is a fun song that I wish more people would enjoy watching it develop. Love will carry us through!

I don’t feel this night is as strong as night 1. The 2nd set was complete fire and had a lot of synergy, which is to be expected anytime Crosseyed gets played of late. Although my catch wasn’t an all timer version, it reminded me that for how long I have been still waiting.. that elusive moment ends, momma dance. And I didn’t end up in the hospital #Phishing

In a review of Alpharetta 1 I said that show should be in the running for best of tour. I stand by this thought but would now slightly amend the list of other shows. Since it is not possible to edit reviews after posting, here is the revised Top 5 shows of Summer Tour 2021, in chronological order: Alpharetta 1, Deer Creek 2, Hershey 2, Shoreline 2, and Dick’s 3. Now, on to a review of this show.

Here is the second installment of a three-night Deer Creek run, coming after a two-night run in suburban Atlanta, and then another two-night run in downtown Nashville. It’s interesting how the first two Deer Creek shows can be viewed as mirroring the Atlanta shows. While the first night in Atlanta sees the band taking advantage of the first and second sets to explore pacing, dynamics, energy, and sound, the second night’s first set is devoted more to building momentum for an explosive second set. At Deer Creek, the opposite is the case, as the first night is all about the second set Blaze and Simple.

Set One

Night two begins with the relatively uncommon appearance of Crowd Control. It’s a solid rock tune featuring Who-like riffs and an anthemic chorus, but not much distinguishes one version from the next. In fact, nearly every performance of this song since 2009 has opened a first set, the one exception being Maple Night of The Baker’s Dozen when O Canada took the number one slot. Thus, while it could very well be overstating the case to say that it is significant this show’s opener is Crowd Control, lyrical elements of the song are nevertheless later echoed in Army of One, and then once more in A Wave of Hope, the second track off Trey’s Lonely Trip.

“Do something, or we will.” Is this a provocation, a threat, or simply a statement of fact? While Crowd Control dissolves into a crackling mess of half-strummed guitar chords, the question is answered as soon as asked. Here comes Poor Heart, and it’s thumping. Although not the fieriest version of all time, Mike is forced to squeeze in a quick solo before Page completely steals the show.

Mere seconds later, it’s on to The Moma Dance, and it slays. Three minutes in, before a word has been sung, this version is already bursting at the seams. Later, Trey manages serve up a thick-sliced slab of guitar solo just in time for BOTT to take over where Moma left off. Another cooking Trey solo, and out of it emerges a lengthy sustained note more typical of a second set jam, but it’s only five and a half minutes into a seven-minute song and this note alone lasts almost thirty seconds.

BOTT wraps, and a flurry of piano notes signals that Page wants to sing. It’s Army of One, but a deeply felt version of this second cut of the night from Undermind. Like the earlier Crowd Control, Army of One is a relatively rarely played song, and almost always shows up in the first set. In fact, four of the last six sets featuring the latter has also featured the former, going all the way back to Summer 2016.

Following his turn in the spotlight, Page takes a moment to address the crowd, and says how happy the band is to be back at Deer Creek. It might be argued that the band has a somewhat ironic way of expressing appreciation to its fans considering the rather low opinion most have of the next tune. Still, even Bouncing has its place at the setlist table, serving here perhaps as a sort of amuse bouche before the next course of songs, much the same as Poor Heart before it.

Mike and Fish take turns leading the charge as Ya Mar gets the party started up again. “Play it, play it, play it for us, Leo,” warbles Trey, and the casual lyricism of his sing-song delivery is reflective of this rather soulful take on a cover that has over time become as much a part of the Phish canon as any of their own songs. Page responds with what seems a relatively quick run through his traditional solo organ spot. Then, following a return to the chorus Trey takes his turn spreading the good cheer, playfully soloing this summertime classic out to its end.

It can be interesting sometimes to observe how the band changes their approach to a song from tour to tour. The last time a performance of Roggae crossed the nine-minute mark was on November 3, 2018, and before that on August 7, 2018. On both occasions the tempo was faster than in the version under consideration here, and on both occasions Trey’s solo built to a (for Phish) straightforward big rock peak.

This Roggae starts the like all the others, with the same base song structure, but even leaving aside the slightly slower tempo there remains something different about it. From the beginning Mike and Fish are more present, as was also the case in the preceding Ya Mar, but about a minute into the jam they get locked in tight with each other. Then, echoing each other, back and forth, bit by bit the jam is pulled just enough off its standard course so that Trey must build his solo to a different, much more psychedelic sort of peak. It’s a spellbinding performance.

Out of Roggae’s ending comes an unfamiliar chord progression. Well, for anyone not yet conversant with Lonely Trip the first Phish performance of A Wave of Hope is certainly something novel, if not necessarily unfamiliar. A single live version of the song had been performed by TAB in October 2020 as part of one of the Beacon Jams. It’s an interesting song, featuring a single verse of irregular line lengths and a repeating chorus, and it will also be interesting to see if the band takes future versions farther out.

Stash is up next. Trey’s vocal delivery is pretty much standard this time, but the jam after is most certainly not. No sooner has the final “maybe so, maybe not” been left behind than the rest of the song has been left behind, too, and the band is already venturing out toward new territory. Seven never to be repeated, brilliantly inventive minutes of group improvisation later, suddenly out of a fast-decomposing peak there arrives a fully developed groove recalling the beat of Jibboo to bring the refrain of Stash around. While the preceding jam has little in common with the precision tension and release playing of the canonical version of Stash from A Live One, there is evidence in it of a different sort of precision, of each band member’s careful attention to the shifting dynamics of their shared musical space from one moment to the next. Call it the sound of precision listening.

Stash ends, and Cavern begins, for only something like the eighth time ever. This is a somewhat surprising statistic, considering how many times both songs have been played over the years, and continue to be played. Cavern, of course, can appear at any time in a show, but unlike Chalk Dust, for example, it is usually performed the same way, excepting the very rare slow and funky version. Nevertheless, Cavern seems always to be welcome anywhere it appears, and it is a fine way to arrive at a rousing sing-along conclusion. Says Trey, “We’ll see you in fifteen minutes.”

Alone, none of the songs from this first set are likely to be considered among their best versions, except for Stash, perhaps. At the same time, each one is in its own way quite a bit better than average, especially Roggae. Does a combination of above-average performances add up to an above-average set? Certainly, but it could be there is more to it, or at least not just that. More on this after the second set.

Second Set

Everything’s Right seems to have acquired new status as a favored second set opener following its call-up to that slot on the first night of the 2019 Dick’s run. However, it was the exploratory first set performance at Barcelona Maya in 2020 that revealed new improvisatory dimensions of this song. Now, the band returns to the stage and launches into a version that sees them breaking even more ground.

As in Mexico, the lately added “Na, Na, Na, Na, Na, Na” refrain continues to develop, but with the singing done there is very little left over to recall previous performances of Everything’s Right. In a sense the jam simply picks up where it left off before Stash ended. Each band member’s playing is full of care, sensitivity, and emotion, while the music itself is all patterns of light and shade, constantly shifting and changing like the sky reflected in a mountain stream. Bob Dylan surely had something different in mind when he said it, but this might be Phish discovering their own “thin, wild mercury sound.” Perhaps thin seems an odd choice of word here, but this sound is not packed down, it is opened wide. There’s so much space, and in that space is room for the music to find its own way.

It’s over sixteen minutes later, and a seemingly random squiggle of feedback flickers out as Trey strikes the first chiming note of What’s the Use? Mike and Fish jump on the beat, while Page begins adding sweeping synth tones behind. At a little over eight minutes, this is one of the longest versions in recent years, and the first since Summer 2018 to appear as the second song of the second set. While most recent performances have been relatively straightforward, the band here stretches out and takes advantage of the extra room to explore. Fish and Page, especially, find fresh corners to color with rhythmic washes of sound, and Trey uncovers hidden resonance in the song’s lead.

Crosseyed & Painless now makes its first appearance in a second set since Fall 2019. Although shorter than most other recent performances, the band takes this one at a quicker pace. Fish attacks the beat with the same intensity he has brought to nearly every song so far this tour, while Trey ramps up the intensity at the first instrumental break by using a reverse pedal during his solo. At about the nine-minute mark the jam begins to peak on the back of some riffing somewhat in the vein of Can’t You Hear Me Knocking. Peak now in the rear view, Fish deploys a snare roll to reign in the tempo, almost as if he is signaling for BOAF, except the beat continues to break down. A quick outro to What’s the Use? then emerges from the ambient stew left in the wake of this high-energy version of a Talking Heads classic.

Meanwhile, Mike triggers a couple effect pedals, and from the rumbling sounds being made by his bass everyone knows it’s time for DWD. This version covers some of the same ground in the first six minutes as the one that launched the second set of the tour-opening show on July 28. There’s even a note Trey hits at roughly the same time in both, at 6:22 on 7/28 and 6:25 on 8/7, but here it leads to a C & P tease which sets things up for the jam that follows. Or, rather, here it serves as a pivot point, for the jam that follows quickly shifts toward brighter territory, Trey and Page playing off one another to great effect over the course of several summery minutes. Then, a bit past the eleven-minute mark Trey hammers down on a single high note and refuses to let go of it. It’s a very interesting, even perhaps confrontational choice, as it induces a radical shift of tone. Whether or not one calls it a peak, this sustained note effectively demarcates a point from which something like the standard DWD jam cannot return, so with nowhere else to go but outward the jam gradually flows into a more ambient zone before resolving into Wading in the Velvet Sea.

Velvet Sea is a lovely song, and an always welcome return to the spotlight for Page. Having said that, most performances in recent years have not featured the complex Trey solo that some probably have a hard time hearing the song without (two exceptions being second set ending versions from 1/14/17 and 7/23/17). This version, while it does include a brief solo from Trey, returns to the chorus on the back of a watery-sounding guitar part that repeats in a way somehow suggestive of rolling ocean swells.

Possum gets off to a quick start, but the abbreviated intro isn’t indicative of what comes next. Page takes the reigns following the first chorus, and at about the three-minute mark he teases Long Tall Glasses, a Top 10 hit for Leo Sayer in 1974. It isn’t the first time the band has teased this song, but there’s something about it that captures very well the spirit of the moment. Page plays the tune of a line from the song’s chorus, in which the narrator of the song might be singing, depending on the line, “I know I can dance,” or perhaps “Of course I can dance.” Trey immediately picks up the reference and repeats the tune of the line. It’s almost like Page signals “Hey, I’m ready, let me run,” and Trey responds, “Right on, man, we got you.” Regardless, Page’s solo is great, and builds to a double-handed key-pounding crescendo. After Trey’s solo reaches its own screaming machine gun peak, Mike brings back the chorus so that all might joyfully sing the possum’s demise one more time.

The band returns to the stage for an encore and launches into Drift While You’re Sleeping. It’s a song with multiple parts, and in this way is quite like classic Phish tunes such as Fluffhead and Divided Sky. Also like these songs, Drift features a concluding section structured in such a way that it can accommodate some improvisation. This section builds to a soaring peak and sends the crowd home on a high note. Someone, possibly Trey, even exclaims something like, “Whoa,” at the very end, as if to say, “That was great!” In fact, it was great.

Final Thoughts

What if a show, or the flow of a show, is conceptualized as a series of waves? Energy builds from song to song, and then it crashes, or it dissipates, and the cycle is repeated. However, there are moments when the energy can be channeled into a performance, and it is these moments that a band like Phish exists to fully capture, as a surfer dropping into the curve of a great wave rides across its face from the peak to the trough.

This show is a demonstration of how Phish goes about bringing those moments to expression in and through music. From Poor Heart to Moma Dance to BOTT, and from Bouncing to Ya Mar to Roggae, the first set rises from one peak to another before the bottom drops out of Stash and all the energy that had been building up flows out and into the jam. Conversely, the second set, following the ER that picks up where Stash left off, goes about gathering up the energy that has so far been released, as Crosseyed, DWD, and Possum reverse the path laid down by BOTT, Roggae, and Stash.

Finally, Drift completes a separate series of songs, beginning with Crowd Control, but that also includes Army of One, A Wave of Hope, and Velvet Sea. Perhaps in the lyrics of these songs there are something like various perspectives on a wave, snapshots of points in time isolated from this wave in which the wave’s shape becomes visible. Maybe so, maybe not.

Night Two of Deer Creek was a fun one-- coming off a scorching night one, the band had crowd expectations high and they delivered a fun setlist with highlights slewed throughout the show.

My buddy and I made our way through lot as we arrived at the venue again and, somehow, the scene looked even more packed than the night prior. We once again settled on Page Side and the band came out with a fairly standard Crowd Control. After following it up with a Poor Heart, the band's jamming really started with a fun Moma. The extended introduction to the vocal portion of the song got the band heated up and in sync which was heavily observable throughout the rest of the set. Trey took the lead in the succeeding BOTT which had a nice and cohesive jam portion as well. Army of One was nice as well (I'm a sucker for some Page vocals) and after Bouncing, the band played a really beautiful Ya Mar-- at about four minutes in, Page kicks off the jam and the lighthearted tone of the song was maintained by him and the complementary uplifting bass line by Mike. This led into another similarly drawn out Roggae with Trey as the observable leader as the band peels away from their vocals around 3:30 in. After the Wave of Hope debut, the undisputed highlight of the set was a monster of a Type II Stash. Stash is always one of my favorite jam vehicles, but the band got really experimental and funky with their jam about six minutes in. There were multiple segmented portions of the jam and the transition from the dreamy feel of the ending of the jam back to the chords of the traditional song was really impressive. Cavern worked perfectly as the set closer-- it built upon the energy created by that Stash without draining the audience too much. Nice first set!

The second set was an exceptionally unique one. The Everything's Right could hold a candle to N1's Blaze On and Simple-- if you like experimental Type II marathons, this one is for you. Fishman does a wonderful job throughout the entirety to continue to push Trey to explore other limits-- this may be my favorite ER I've heard. What's the Use builded upon the technicalities just exhibited by the band but, in my opinion, primarily served as a segue into everybody's favorite cover-- Crosseyed! My buddy had been hoping to grab a Crosseyed during this run and this version did not disappoint. They can always beautifully take this song to the trenches of outer space and the tone of this jam served as a beautiful complement to the introduction and reprise of What's the Use. This was, in my opinion, where the band's true versatility was most notable, as the gloomy and spectacular outbursts in What's the Use could not be any more technically different than the up-tempo Crosseyed. You'd be hard-pressed to find another band that can excel at playing both of these songs with that level of expertise. To follow that up with a classic like DwD was beautiful song selection-- the exploratory feel of the whole set was tied to conclusion with an extended jam portion. I'm a sucker for Wading in the Velvet Sea, even as a cool down, especially when the band picked it right back up with a monster of a Possum. It might have not been the longest (or even one of the longest), but it was 11 minutes of pure rock! The whole place was moving. I also really enjoyed seeing Drift While You're Sleeping-- I wouldn't be shocked to see them rip this one open one of these days.

Overall, a beaut of a show. Was it as good as the classic that was DC Night 1? In my opinion, probably not. But it DID have some moments that I consider unmissable-- the Stash, Everything's Right, and WTU>Crosseyed>WTU should have casual fans turning heads. Me and my buddy talked to some fans from Burlington succeeding the show that were rocking out with us on Page side and we got one of their handwritten setlists on 'Boy Man God Shit' sticker-- I love this community. 4/5 and definitely worth revisiting.

So much fire from night one, I fear this one is being overlooked. A fate many shows receive.
I was fortunate enough to have seen all three nights, but I'll review this as a stand-alone show to give it the credit it greatly deserves.
Set 1 started out strong. Crowd Control & Poor Heart were both very well played. Moma was nice and sticky. BOTT, Army of One, Bouncin & Ya Mar were also standard. Again very well played - no flubs, not a lot of extra sauce, but the band really shows it's 3+ decades of professional, near flawless playing.
Roggae needs some props here. Probably not gonna be in contention for the greatest ever, but Trey (the consummate professional) knows how to let those high-notes ring just long enough to get us all fired up. Really beautiful.
Stash again not like the crazy-ass versions from the 90's, but there's some heat there.
Cavern - I so thought (wished/hoped/prayed) they were gonna close with Llama...
Set 2 not to be overlooked. I personally like how some of these jammed out songs have been finished instead of segued or fizzled out into oblivion. Everything's Right had ALL THE GOODS. Must hear!
What's the Use? was a nice surprise as was Crosseyed. I am of the opinion that length doesn't equal quality. This one grows some legs and travels around a bit and the WTU? coda was sweet.
DWD - there really isn't a standard version of this anymore. Plenty of sauce here.
Possum - RAGED - seems like Trey squeezed every bit of life from that roadkill. Not even Miracle Max coulda brought that thing back from the dead! Sweet, spicy and tasty!

DWYS was a beautiful encore that I hope continues to be played as long as these guys draw breath.
LOVE WILL CARRY US THRU!!!

Yes, night one was an insane mind-fuck, but the boys still had plenty of mind-fuckery they unleashed on us this night. Do not miss this one.

Set 1: Fun, tight Poor Heart. Roggae isn't a song I'm particularly fond of, but this version is pretty nice. A Wave of Hope is yet another lame new song. Trite lyrics, and nothing interesting musically. This is simply not why I listen to Phish. Struggling to find something redeeming in this crap Trey churns out gets really tiring. The Stash jam has some interesting moments, but nothing earth shattering. Overall a fairly standard first set.

Set 2/e: From now on when Everything's Right comes on I think I should just automatically skip to the 6 minute mark because I'm never going to like the song itself. Like the Stash jam, the Everything's Right jam has some interesting moments but nothing incredible. What's the Use is a relatively recent song that I enjoy a lot. This version is no exception. Crosseyed and Painless is one of those covers that Phish has really made its own (not necessarily in the sense of having a unique take on the original, but rather in the sense that it blends right into their shows and fits their style well). This is a fine, albeit unspectacular, version of Crosseyed. The way they bring it back to What's the Use is nice. After going through the motions of a standard Type 1 DWD jam, the band settles into a mellower exploratory mood about halfway into this version of DWD. They don't end up going too far out with it, but it's an enjoyable enough jam. Overall an okay second set. Drift While You're Sleeping as an encore is a good excuse to beat the crowds to the exit.

Altogether this is a slightly below average show. Not much stands out. It's kinda' just meh overall.