well this was my very first phish show... at the time i was so over whelmed with the whole scene and the sheer amount of wild carnival antics going on that i missed the true esence of the first couple songs... cities came out hot and i was back in my comfort zone... funly bitch was fun, but the reba was special to me... it was just as it truely started to get dark and the jam was epic...

the second set lengthwise > maze was what to this day turned me into the fan i am. that special moment i will remember forever.

Finally getting around to reviewing a show, and I figured I might as well review my first phish show ever. Oh what a 2 night run! Little did I know that my life would be changed forever.

My friends had convinced me to tag along on their trip to the shows. They had hit our hometown show in Portsmouth earlier that summer. I had unfortunately missed that show and my phriends refused to end our summer without all of us seeing a show together.

I had listened to some phish and really enjoyed a few songs (fluffhead, chalkdust, wilson), but didn't know much about the band or the scene. Driving into the lot, I witnessed a scene I had never seen before and could hardly believe what was going on. I really had to do a double take. We hopped out of the car and began to explore the lot and shakedown and everything it had to offer. As we walked through the lot, my phriends filled me in on the scene and everything we encountered. It was such an amazing environment. Everyone was so friendly and everyone was there for the same reason; their love of phish. Needless to say I had the biggest smile on my face and the music hadn't even started yet. All I knew was that I was thoroughly enjoying myself and I wanted to learn more.

We walked into the venue, found some great seats and got ready for the boys to walk out on stage. Again, I couldn't believe how nice everyone was acting towards one another. People all around us were wishing us to have a good show and conversing with us like we had all known each other for years.

The boys walk out and the crowd goes nuts. The first notes of fluffhead ring out (a tune I was familiar with) and off we were. The crowd joins in, "the banker said, I ain't got that. But I sure got some powerful pills... Ohhh yeah!". I thought to myself, holy sh*t that was the coolest thing I've ever been a part of. The crowd was groovin' like I had never seen at a show before. I was loving every minute of my experience and the night had just begun.

KDF was next, another tune I knew, and the crowd continued to get down. The cool breeze blew in off the water as the sun began to set. I thought to myself was a perfect night. After KDF, was a fun version of Cities. I love the funk and this cities did not disappoint. Funky bitch was a tune I hadn't heard and I loved every second of it. I knew it would become an instant favorite. Funky wound down, and the first notes of Wilson start. The crowd joins in and I'm blown away by it all. Another moment I'll remember forever. Glow sticks begin to fly as the night becomes darker. Trey whips out the toy guitar, "I must inquire Wilson, can you still have fun?" Still one of my favorite Wilson's to this day. Reba comes in and I vividly remember the jam being one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard. Walk Away, Wolfman's, Possum round out to end the set and we're just pure fun.

Set II was filled with a few songs I knew and many unfamiliar ones. I loved every minute of it. Highlights for me were Mike's, Simple, Rock n Roll, and Weekapaug. Encore was two more unfamiliar tunes, both which I really enjoyed. Show of Life lyrics were really profound and after experiencing everything that night, I knew Phish would now be a big part of my life.

I don't think I was really able to appreciate those two shows as much back then, as I do now. This was definitely because of my knowledge of the band at that time. In the coming months, I really learned to appreciate the band, their jams, and everything about the community and scene as my knowledge grew. Now, 2 and a half years later, I've now seen 38 shows. Phish has caused me to experience so many new things in life. I've met so many great people, traveled all over the country, and made so many memories I'll cherish for the rest of my life all because of this band. So I'll always remember and cherish the night that started it all 08/17/2010.

BDTNL - Epic version here....listening to the 12/30/12 version made me revisit a bunch of versions of this song in the 3.0 era and this version smokes

This show was one of my Sunday, screen door open correcting papers shows...
Holy moly is this show grand! An opening Fluffhead could be a claim of immediate grandiosity or a risky endeavor for a warmup song lends itself to grandiosity! Riding a Spinal Tap-like Wilson into a gorgeous REBA jam. A Walk Away that blows up in its apex right smack into a hairy Wolfman's. Animalizing a Possum...I must note that as I am now a Southeastern show-goer after being from the PAcific Northwest for ten years, I have always noticed a different feel to the show audiences - Eastcoast are there to party, Noerthwesterners are there to MUPPETIZE! This Nikon show feels ALOT more like a MUPPET SHOW than most east coast shows do to me.
The Boys were there to Gorge themselves in New York!
The second set opens with the rare Lengthwise as the catapault for Maze as it is done on one the greatest studio records: RIFT!
A well placed Mikes with a monster tight jam with a SIMPLE to begin a four song mediation between the Mikes Song and Weekapaugh. I am a huge fan of Simple as it is more difficult to get one since Coventry. WELL PLAYED GENTLEMEN!
Dropping into Backwards was seamless and this version tells a little tale about where Backwards can go when they choose to open it up!
Prince Caspian is a great result of the Backwards jam and I can imagine Kuroda's yellows, oranges and reds flooding the audience in this entrance. A Rock N Roll that was teased early on comes to fruition and into the Weekapaugh payoff.
The Buzz of this Clean Loving cup earns its honor in this tremendous set. Not a single downturn, and a guaranteed hope that you went to the bathroom at set break...cause there is not a single good time in set two.
This is a tremendous show!

amazing show. just wanted to write a review since there is only one. you can't really go wrong with any tracks on this show. starts great with a pretty nice fluffhead. the cities was actually just standard, but the wilson, reba, and wolfman's really started to show the energy of the rest of the night.

then it happened. the possum, and especially treys choice in riding a slow ascending scale through about two bars is just the most wonderful thing i've heard in a possum for quite sometime. it defined the night in a lot of ways. just absolute perfect peaking pinnacle to a super attentive and well played possum. an absolute treat and a must for a possum fan. and a reminder of the energy that they bring to the nyc area. (i.e. 12/4/09 first tube, yem)

a fun lengthwise to open set two. a pretty good maze and halley's and the beginning of a nice mikes>stuff>groove. the simple i thought was really above average. spooky kind of ending that foreshadowed what for me is one of the best jams of the the whole summer tour.

i have always love Backwards Down the Number Line. yes, i have. ask anyone and i have always saw the potential of that tune. but this night, absolutely epic. after they moved into this intense sort of tone or approach at the 6th minute, i got excited for what i felt would be a real nice BDTNL. but then they really opened up and by the 9th minute (of a 14:14 BDTNL) they were just simply OFF! i mean such flow that you almost can't believe it. is it jam, is it d'n'b, is it really phish? i couldn't believe it when it was happening, and still am totally blown away when i listen.

so i have researched this a bit, listened to previous shows, and found that they explored like this on 6/12 of the summer tour and tried to get to this level, but it just didnt quite make it. and i haven't listened to all the early versions of the song, but i do remember back in 09 at SPAC and IL, they really started to let the tune open up, and thats when it really hit me how nice that jam could turn out. and i think that Jones Beach was the pinnacle of that song for me, and possible for them.

but i would be happy if they stuck with this jams' new 'approach' and continue to let it take shape. the way they listen to each other during this new found groove, is just, for me, the epitomy of what this band has become.

oh and yeah, rock and roll was fantastic too.

Just listened to this show today after listening to the entire 2010 summer tour over the past 2 weeks. This was one of the better shows. Very strong playing and the BDTNL was top notch as others have already noted. The Simple was no slouch either. Same goes for the Weekapaug. You can really tell they were enjoying themselves this night and the playing is tight. Check it out.

So much of this show wasn't exactly my kind of cup of tea but the brilliance of this show just cannot be denied. Best version of Rock and Roll I've ever easily witnessed in my short touring lifetime (14 months) and the best I've ever heard. I'm guessing since it's a NY-themed song that they were pumped to do it here. Heck, there was nothing wrong with the execution of the show itself, especially the second set. Every song was a virtual highlight. Some of the jams are just unreal (pick just about any song in the 2nd set and would be all good...), they've got the uncanny ability to take it up and then take it up just when you think they taken it up as much as they can. What I'm personally lacking is the or an emotional attachment most of the material. Regardless, this band is playing at such an elevated level that it's been a privilege to witness it and I can't wait for the ending night of this kick-ass summer '10 tour...

only one review ????? wats up wit dat ?