(Published in the second edition of The Phish Companion...)

Mmmm…Las Vegas, where nothing is what it seems. A tour closer in Las Vegas, Sin City, the desert oasis…this was definitely not to be missed. When we flew in from Austin, TX, on Thursday night we immediately headed to the infamous strip. The Aladdin is in the middle, bisecting the strip between the MGM Grand and Caesar’s, right across from the Monte Carlo. The Aladdin was one of the last privately owned and operated casinos, and was smaller and friendlier than many of the new mega-casinos. We easily found it because of the big sign that said "PHISH Friday 8pm — Sold Out." We were definitely in the right place…there were fans in the casino, gambling away.
One blackjack dealer told us that TicketMaster had oversold the show, and that the casino was going to close its doors early the next day and be extra tight on security. She said we should get there really early. This was a funny idea, a casino closing its doors? Hahaha. But it did scare us into getting there at a decent hour.
On Friday the casino was overflowing with Phish fans, who were snagging the slot machine cups to beg for spare change and give their ubiquitous puppies water. Security was being cool, only asking the obvious riff-raff and schwillers to go elsewhere. This was in the days before “wookies” became the dominant type of tourscum. The show had a special feel to it: everyone had traveled to get there (not many fans live in Vegas) and it was one of only two shows on the tour to sell out in advance (Halloween being the other). When it got close to show time the Aladdin high command decided that they were not going to let people enter the theater through the casino: everyone had to go out and around. The reasoning was they didn't want their regular patrons disturbed. The World Rodeo Championship was also in town that week, making Phish fans the second most dominant group, behind rodeo-loving country-music fans (guys drinking bad beer and straddling bulls — never really got that).
The Aladdin was the only theater booked for the whole tour. The main things that set it apart (besides the size: it only held seventy-five hundred) were the size of the stage and the placement of the lights. The stage was small and the band members were much closer to each other than they had been in awhile. Page and Fishman were actually in the same time zone, imagine that! The ceiling behind the stage wasn't too high, and they didn't construct huge light risers, so the lights actually shined on the band and out into the audience. This was one of the only shows in the recent past that was really loud. After taking our seats in the eighth row (which was quite close, compared to eighth row in an arena) we eagerly waited for the show to begin. We knew they had something planned (from a “rare” Fishman leak) and knew that since it was Vegas, and that everyone came here, it wouldn't be a standard tour-closing show. They opened up with “Wilson” and from the beginning it was clear that there was a sense of urgency. This was diametrically opposed to NYE 1996's “Wilson Lite”.
The band was clearly on and the rocking began, complete with heavy-metal licks and serious feedback. “Wilson” led directly into a well-played “Peaches En Regalia”, which had been exhumed in L.A. just five days before. “Peaches” is a welcome treat and was a great tune for the "2" spot. (Note: it wasn't an old-time “Wilson” -> “Peaches” with Trey singing the "blat boom" part of “Wilson” as the intro to “Peaches”). “Poor Heart” followed and actually rocked out. No kidding, really…Trey extended his solo for four extra measures and wailed.
Everyone's friend, egomaniac Trey, was in the house. After “Poor Heart” the space began and “2001” emerged from the murkiness. This was the tour where “2001” came into its own and became a song, not merely a lead-in. This version, clocking in at nearly ten minutes, didn't disappoint as Trey and Page each took multiple groovin' solos. For an added bonus Trey threw in the James Brown lick that he had introduced the previous week in Sacramento.
This was clearly the beginning stages of the funk as we know it these days. The low point of the show followed: a mediocre “Llama”, which Trey started by chording out of the post-“2001” space. This was the only tune the whole night that wasn't superb, which is surprising since “Llama”s are usually excellent.
A strong first-set “YEM” came next. It was nothing earth-shattering, but an 8:30 PM “YEM” is always welcomed. It was complete with a "Donuts, I love donuts" vocal jam which melted into a standard but always fun “Cars Trucks and Buses”.
Continuing the best set of Fall Tour 1996 was a standout version of “Down with Disease” that seemed to merge the grooviness of the Halloween and Seattle versions with its old-school 1994 roots. The outcome was an energetic and jammed-out “DWD”, easily one of my favorites from 1996. The set ended powerfully with a tight “Frankenstein”. This first set reminded me of a first set at Halloween, which is so good you expect them to say, "thanks a lot, good night," at the end. It was an all-encompassing set that could have been a second set as well. A “Wilson” > “Peaches” opener, “Frank” closer, and some hearty meat in the middle. After a rather lengthy set break (almost an hour) it was time for more action.
Set II opened in fitting fashion with a rockin' “Julius” (after all, we were in Vegas) followed by the show's only throwaway song, “Sparkle”, which was its usual waste of time. As the “Sparkle” sped up we wondered what was next. They had played “Bowie” and “Mike's” the show before, “YEM” in the first set…maybe “Bathtub Gin”? Then out of left field “Mike's Song” was dropped on our heads. This was the most surprised I had ever been at a Phish show. “Mike's” was the toughest monster jam to get and here it was, twice in a row. Wow! They definitely weren't fucking around tonight. The “Mike's” was twelve minutes long, tight, and evil. It featured the gold lights that were added for the holiday tour and tested in Vegas. The “Mike's” disappointingly segued right into “Simple”. There was this guy who draped a huge "Simple" (the shoes company) sign over the balcony. What a schmuck, make a good sign dammit. Luckily my friend Speed Racer prevented me from going up there and strangling him. Nevertheless, the crowed roared with approval from the first notes of “Simple”. This “Simple” was actually pretty good, mellowing out to some nice work by Trey and then building gradually. After eighteen minutes Trey nodded to Fishman, who started up “Harry”. This “Harry” is one of my all-time faves and includes some of my favorite intro jamming. The end jam was nice and drawn out, and came to a real peak, which many don't accomplish these days. “Weekapaug” exploded out of the conclusion to “Harry” and the energy never let up. I am a major fan of “Weekapaug” bursting out of high-energy songs, instead of starting from scratch, like at the following show, 12/28/96 (three “Mike's Grooves” in a row — must be a post-1988 record), where it began after the “Strange Design”, which had sucked all the energy out of the whole city. The 1997 New Year's show is a prime example: instead of starting the “'Paug” after “Circus”, they threw in the Ween tune, “Roses are Free”, which served as a platform for the “Weekapaug”. Well, back to Vegas. The “Weekapaug” was masterful and started out with some high-energy jamming, which then out of nowhere came to a dead stop. Fish then started up the “Weekapaug” again and the place exploded.
After doing this a second time, they moved into a pretty section that featured Trey using his watery Leslie effect, and came to another dead stop before punching into the “Weekapaug” finale. This was reminiscent of the hilarious 1991 “Weekapaug” at the Somerville Theater, where Trey ends the “'Paug”, and the set, three times! Vegas had a fantastic “Mike's Groove”, which was followed by the necessary respite, “Sweet Adeline”. Then it was time to "get the Led out." I breathed a sigh of relief as the band started “Good Times/ Bad Times”. It seemed like they were going to end the show in normal fashion and that everything was going to be a-okay. But then it happened: instead of ending the tune after the requisite Jimmy Page-like solo, Trey's ego took over as he took it through for one more monster chase to end the tour. The dissonance built up, Chris chased the lights, and Fishman banged on the drums, and Trey exploded out of it wailing on "the note." You know, the one you always want but don't get anymore? The one that makes the ALO version “Slave” melt in your mouth, hands, and brain? Wow! Shortly after, the “GT/BT” ended triumphantly and I gave the band the rocking signal…because they absolutely rocked. At this point I will already argue that this was the best two-set show of the tour. The energy and intensity of the playing was unparalleled. It was a shame the tour didn't go on for another week — people would still be talking about it. By the time the holiday run came around they had lost the tightness and intensity. Too bad.
There was an encore that began with, "We'd like to bring up a couple friends to help us out with this one, Larry and Les from Primus." And like all good stories, this encore started with an oom-pah-pah. “Harpua” started out slow and funky…they were playing it in 4/4 as opposed to the usual 7/4. Following the standard beginning, Les chanted the old-time story of the "Wildwood Weed." Then the real story began. You see, Jimmy was getting bored of suburbia and decided to go to Las Vegas…after a full day of walking he realized he wouldn't make it so he set up camp with his favorite feline, Poster Nutbag. They loved each other so much that they stared in each other’s eyes and started to yodel. Enter the August Sisters and John McCuen on banjo to play an old-time country tune “Cowboy Sweetheart”. Fishman came out from behind the drums to get a better glance at the well-endowed sisters, with a sheepish grin on his face. The next morning, Jimmy and Poster woke up refreshed and realized that they were in fact close to Vegas. When they got there they were confronted by the four Elvii. Fishman proved he was quite a man: with some help from Chris' lights he sang “Suspicious Minds” better than the four Elvii (who did dance better than him, though).
Finally they made it to the Aladdin where Jimmy put his whole $12 life savings on number seventeen on the roulette wheel (coincidentally, $12 wins $420 in roulette). But just as the wheel started spinning, “Harpua” appeared across the room. Well you know, big fight, yadda yadda, dead cat, sad kid…. “Harpua” finished and launched right into “Suzie”, which included Malachi from the movie Children of the Corn on percussion, Les and Larry, the yodelers, and the Elvii who were quite pleased to be back onstage. Following the second chorus, Trey pointed at Mike, who gave a "who me?" and then Les stepped up and showed Mike how it was done…beginning the funk breakdown which lead into Elvii madness. Trey played leader firing his megaphone at everyone as the Elvii hammed it up for the crowd, singing “Suzie Q” among many other things! Leaving the show all I could say was "Rock" since that was all that was necessary. Everyone understood. Phish destroyed Vegas…Vegas-style!
Epilogue: in fall 1997 the Aladdin was demolished to make room for the new Planet Hollywood Casino. This marked the end of the independently owned and operated casinos on the strip, and the second venue that had to be razed after Phish played a monumental show there on 1996 fall tour (The Omni in Atlanta being the other).

12/6/2016 today. 20 years ago today…

Warning this is more of a story than a review. After 11/30/94 McNichols show when I took the crown off of Jerry’s head when the big man forgot the word INSPIRATION in Terrapin (my last dead show) and handed it to Trey- there was no looking back. (Don’t worry Jerry will always be KING) Many dead heads were saying hey Shred, they suck (jerry’s dead phish suck get a job sticker forecast), their lyrics suck blah blah. I said listen Trey can hold a room like MSG on the tip of his dick and fuck it in every position. Period. Now those Neh sayers have seen more Phish shows then I have as I actually did get a job. Everyone should be thanking me as we just saw PH play one hell of a 2016 Fall Tour, no other band could have filled those shoes.

It was the first official show in Vegas. The Aladdin had no idea what was in store. The theater was gorgeous. Very small I would guess less than 10k. I was literally front row center. Right in front of Trey. I really don’t need to review the show. Everyone knows this show. It’s one of the all-time greatest. Live Phish Release. First set completely ripped. Second set melted faces. If they played a show like this now Miner’s head would explode, PT would go black, twitter would be trending #phishaladdin and facebook, well it would still suck.

During intermission I was given my courtesy crack and peel to the clinic. And after the show I headed back. Even though I had a lot of friends at the show, I was really more or less flying solo. I got back stage a little too quick. The only people there were me and Les. So I grabbed a Sierra Nevada pale ale. Cracked it open. Took a huge sip. Grabbed another. put one in my back pocket for later and started to talk to Les about the show. He was very excited about playing. I have seen more Primus shows than I care to admit. I am a fan of his and he is one of the greatest bass players so this was fun. Didn’t take long for me to run into my crew. We hung out for a while than eventually made it back to Mikie from Telluride’s room at the Aladdin.

We were partying there for a spell then headed off to gamble. Like an idiot I forgot my wallet so we lost the group. Grabbed my wallet back at the room. Then Mikie and I went to another hotel to gamble. We were hanging out at the casino, when we ran into Trey. Mikie knew him from Telluride which obviously surprised me. And the three of us were hanging out and talking. Then Trey said he wanted to go somewhere else. They jumped in a limo and left me like a lost puppy. So I went to the Olympic Gardens and got a few lap dances before I passed out next door at the Holiday Inn. Fuckers.

The long encore doesn't particularly light my candle (Harpua never has really done it for me - I wish I knew what to tell you); I bet it was awesome to watch live, but on tape I'm just waiting for Suspicious Minds and Suzie Q to take things out on a high note. Thankfully, the first two sets are awesome enough to make up for it. Set 1 has a really good 2001 that edges closer to the dance-floor monster of 97-00, a great YEM with a funky as hell B&D segment (as the jamming chart notes - I'd personally give this version the bold-font treatment myself), and a really smoking hot DWD, while Set 2 has my favorite and one of the best Mike's Grooves ever, including a top 3 Simple (it's this, 11/16/94, and Hampton 98 for me) that doesn't stray outside the song's usual melodic boundaries but still serves as one of the group's best "chill out with headphones on and your eyes closed while lying in bed in the dark" jams. I imagine the Claypool craziness and the Vegas experience helped get this show officially released, but the music makes a purchase totally worth it.

this is just a great show top to bottom, action packed all the way. Strong first set with Peaches, YEM, DWD>Frankenstein. The Simple jam gets lots of attention in the second frame as it should, but the Hood and Weekapaug in particular are very nice as well. The energy and crowd reaction when they stop the Weekapaug jam ON A DIME(!) and then kick right back into it is just ridiculous. One of my fav versions for sure. Oh yeah, a killer GTBT closer and some fun with Lary, Les, and the Elvis' to top things off? Ah, Vegas...

Whoever said '96 was boring?

In the history of stacked shows, this is right up there with the most stacked. Even with that Julius, Sparkle opening segment, we all know the greatness of Set II. Here we have a classic Mike's Groove with a heavily emotional centerpiece in Simple>Hood. This is when Mike's Groove could be a real statement, a group of songs that could be expected or unexpected but still worked together as a suite of music. This one isn't your classic combo, nor is it a bunch of greatest hits sandwiched between Mike's and 'Paug. It's a unique and unified group of songs, an inspired and ultimately moving chapter of the show. Obviously the big musical highlight.

And of course it gives you something to come back to that isn't the eye candy of an encore. This is probably what this show is most known for, with two thirds of Primus, a weirdly straight-timed Harpua, and every cheesy Vegas schtick they could fit in a half hour. It is, of course, great fun, and as a kid who owned the Vegas 96 CD, it was what I listened to the most (I particularly enjoyed the bass battle in Suzy between Mike and Les, where Mike is a bit low in the mix and Les proceeds to obliterate him with a creative and zany solo that only he could pull off).

But I also find myself returning to this first set time and time again. I mean, what a way to start a show! It doesn't fall into that "two second sets" lane, as many of these songs stay in the box and are often placed in the first set anyway. But boy do they pull out all the stops and tear them to shreds. The show begins in classic "we're going all around the world" fashion that screams energy, not lack of direction. We basically go from Hard Rock Cafe>Prog>Lightning Bluegrass>The Mothership Has Landed to start things off. The 2001 in particular is a personal favorite and certainly one of the earlier versions to push the theme into funkier, spatially exploratory terrain. Trey's playing contains a real melodic swag that's just infectious. I'd take a 2001 like this any day. The set's rounded out with a very solid YEM and one of those super satisfying Type I '96 Diseases that I love so much. The energy never falters.

Yeah, we're looking at a real heater here. Essentially three very well paced sets, this is obviously an all time classic. Don't sleep on the real meat of the show: keep that encore as a nice little dessert and treat yourself to the full three courses!

At this point it's cliche to say that 1996 is an overlooked year in Phish history. As I was only 11 that year, I'll let the vets speak to whether 1996 was truly just a "meh" year. Sandwiched as it was between December 1995 and the year-long 1997 dance party, maybe that really was the case.

However, if you judge the year solely by the official releases - Deer Creek, Omni, Coral Sky, Rupp, and Vegas - there is an awful lot of meat on those 1996 bones. This Vegas outing has one of my personal favorite Mike's Grooves. The Mike's drops neatly into Simple, and the last several minutes of Simple contain this blissful, ambient haze that foreshadows what the band would do a few years on. The Hood is super strong and peaks gloriously before Fish smoothly ups the tempo into Weekapaug. It's a fantastic suite of music that holds the listener captive all the way through. Oh yeah, and you also get a first set that contains a Peaches, 2001 (with legs!), YEM, and DWD. And I'm going to stump for that 2001>Llama that reminds me of the Gumbo>Llama from Fukuoka.

So, looking back at the 1996 official releases, you can really see the band laying you a trail of breadcrumbs for what was to come in 1997 and beyond. Maybe the year as a whole is overlooked, but this release, and the others, shouldn't be.

"Oh, God," as Fishman says several times in this show! I'm underexposed to 1996, outside of some of the archival releases (of which this is one.) But the band's chops were hot at this point in Phishtory. Curiously, I don't perceive Mike to be taking much of a leading role in this show. I think Fishman is more driving the bus at this point. There are probably obvious implications to that involving the "grid"-style playing Phish was said to have been going for at this time, or the continuing presence of the percussion rack. I'll leave that to someone more knowledgeable. To get down to brass tacks: there are some quote-unquote gimmicky segments to this show, arguably: You Enjoy Myself has a donuts vocal jam (nice to coincidentally revisit this show so soon after the Baker's Dozen!), and of course the encore is the stuff of legend. Down with Disease in the first set is really fiery, though, and the Mike's Groove is remarkable. Simple gets very pretty. The Harpua in the encore is also notable (as if it weren't already notable enough) for being played in a 4/4 time signature, in contrast to its usual 7/8.

I got this show pretty early in my Phish listening days and it remains an awesome showcase of the tightness of '96 with some hints towards the funky '97 jams that would soon emerge.

Wilson > Peaches is a great opening pairing. Wilson does the rock and roll thing and Peaches is a great treat and very well played.

Poor Heart sounds great especially at the furious pace of the era.

2001 is up next and this is maybe the first version that gets a nice long workout. OK so it's only about 10 minutes I think, but it's good and funky and is a real window into the future of the tune. Definitely a great version and an awesome little time capsule.

Llama is up next and blows a lid. Nice fiery version, which is again serviced well by the tightness of the era.

Mid-late first set YEM pops up and boy is this a doozy! This was a favorite of mine for a long time and the fantastic bass and drums segment keeps me coming back. Tremendous version - which makes me a little sad that we may never see these type of YEMs again... good thing for SBDs!

CTB is nice and keeps the funk train rolling (pretty funky set I!).

Down with Disease is the pre-closer closer, and is absolutely liquid hot magma. This version smokes within it's type I structure. Nonetheless a great version.

Frankenstein finishes the set off, nary a respite in site in this set!

Overall a tremendous set I. Plenty of highlight jamming in 2001, YEM & DWD as well as some inspired song choices that made for a really rocking set.

Set II kicks off with Julius, which is surprisingly satisfying. They played a nice version in this show.

Sparkle is in the 2 slot, which is a bit odd, but continues the fast paced song selection.

Mike's is in the 3 hole and this one delivers big time. It's worth mentioning that the groove as a whole is a masterpiece, but this Mike's sets the table nicely. It's not the longest or most exploratory, but just good ol' mean playing.

>Simple probably is the show's jam highlight even though it stays relatively in the box. It's a good long version with a really great upbeat jam. It sort of stays within the confines of Simple, but really is great playing throughout. Must hear - and remains a top version for me.

>Harry Hood is the other song contained in this MONSTER groove. This version is awesome. Very good playing throughout all sections, with a majestic peak!

>Weekapaug is awesome and again hints at '97 with some great funk work, some start stop, some cool down and than a straight up sprint to a tight and fiery '96 peak. Absolutely killer!

Sweet Adeline and GTBT make good foils and send us home in style.

The Encore is wild, and certainly worthy of a listen, with Claypool's influence. Not the ultimate moment on tape, but fun.

Overall set II is a great set. The Mike's Groove that comprises the majority is 100% must hear Phish. Great versions of all songs within the groove. Throw in some great playing in the Julius & GTBT bookends, and you've got yourself a nice classic set.

The encore is of course more historical artifact than must hear music, which doesn't diminish it's value necessarily.

'96 doesn't get the kudos, but this show really highlights the virtues of that year, with fiery tight playing and a lot of great song selections. When they did jam big, they definitely hit the mark. Love the '97 foreshadowing as well.

Comfortable 4.25/5

SET 1: Wilson: Standard. >

Peaches en Regalia: Standard. >

Poor Heart: Fishman is in high spirits. >

Also Sprach Zarathustra: Super Bad tease by James Brown at 2:00. Super funky! Pre cursor to 97. >

Llama: Standard.

You Enjoy Myself: The lines Page plays during tramps I can essentially recite in my head. So good! The rhythm that Trey plays post tramps is so sick, so 97. Exceptional YEM, all timer! Donuts, I love donuts!!!

Cars Trucks Buses: >

Down with Disease: Oh God, oh God. That groove they hit at 7:25 is oh, so sublime!!! The trilling from Trey heavily throughout the 8’s – it’s what Phish dreams are made of. Incredible. >

Frankenstein

SET 2: Julius: Completely smoked.

Sparkle: Standard. >

Mike's Song: Love Trey’s staccato intro. That nasty space they get into at 7:45 is why I Phish. So dark and nasty. Trey’s trilling at 9:30 is so choice. The peak at 10:00 is about as high as you can get. >

Simple: At 12:00 this one finally busts out of the pretty picking and gets into a heavy groove in the late 12’s. Aggressive, dark and mean. At 14:00, it could almost go Izabella, but it was not to be. In the late 14’s this is going major jam, very blissed out. That theme that they hit at 16:49 just kills me every time, I love it so much, sound a bit like Blister in the Sun and then Fish starts singing it at 17:29. >

Harry Hood: How do you even follow that up? With a smoking Hood of course! The hose is realized right around the ten minute mark as Trey hits on the same repeating theme a number of times, gorgeous music. 13:39 is why I Phish. As you can tell this is one of my favorite versions. The peak isn’t even spectacular. But the build is a wonder to behold. >

Weekapaug Groove: Love Fish and Trey egging Mike on during his intro solo! Fun stop/start stuff two times. Definitely a solid version right here.

Sweet Adeline: Standard.

Good Times Bad Times: Smoking! Page’s vocals are as strong as any you will ever hear from him.

ENCORE: Harpua: Happy Trails tease by Dale Evans Rogers at 0:34 and at 2:34. ->

Wildwood Weed: Funny stuff. ->

Harpua: Jimmy in the desert. ->

I Want To Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart: Wish there was video of this. ->

Harpua: This is NOT Red Rocks in Colorado (lol). Trey calls on Fish but he must have been backstage getting ready for Suspicious Minds “oh, he’s gone” ->

Suspicious Minds: Absolutely hilarious, you have to watch the video of this – it’s so funny!!! ->

Harpua: Put all your money on 17 people.

Suzy Greenberg: Susie Q tease by Dale Hawkins. 97 funk shows it’s face in this one. Les destroys it in here.

Replay value: 2001, YEM, DWD, Julius, Mike’s, Simple, Hood, ‘Paug, Harpua, Suzy. Just an incredible show, so many significant highlights and then the madness that they threw down in the encore slot? Incredible. Wonder how hard they partied after this show? Anyway, this show is an obvious all timer and the second best of the tour – second only to Halloween! I would rate this as a 4.6 out of 5.

After all these years I never realized that the "donuts vocal jam" in YEM was actually taken from a Keller Williams song called "Donuts"
I always just thought it was ine of the bands "inside jokes" and loved it. This show for me really was almost like the end of an era... I love every era of phish buy before Aladdin, shows rarely sold out prior to day of and tickets by mail never let me down.

I got this show pretty early in my Phish listening days and it remains an awesome showcase of the tightness of '96 with some hints towards the funky '97 jams that would soon emerge.

Wilson > Peaches is a great opening pairing. Wilson does the rock and roll thing and Peaches is a great treat and very well played.

Poor Heart sounds great especially at the furious pace of the era.

2001 is up next and this is maybe the first version that gets a nice long workout. OK so it's only about 10 minutes I think, but it's good and funky and is a real window into the future of the tune. Definitely a great version and an awesome little time capsule.

Llama is up next and blows a lid. Nice fiery version, which is again serviced well by the tightness of the era.

Mid-late first set YEM pops up and boy is this a doozy! This was a favorite of mine for a long time and the fantastic bass and drums segment keeps me coming back. Tremendous version - which makes me a little sad that we may never see these type of YEMs again... good thing for SBDs!

CTB is nice and keeps the funk train rolling (pretty funky set I!).

Down with Disease is the pre-closer closer, and is absolutely liquid hot magma. This version smokes within it's type I structure. Nonetheless a great version.

Frankenstein finishes the set off, nary a respite in site in this set!

Overall a tremendous set I. Plenty of highlight jamming in 2001, YEM & DWD as well as some inspired song choices that made for a really rocking set.

Set II kicks off with Julius, which is surprisingly satisfying. They played a nice version in this show.

Sparkle is in the 2 slot, which is a bit odd, but continues the fast paced song selection.

Mike's is in the 3 hole and this one delivers big time. It's worth mentioning that the groove as a whole is a masterpiece, but this Mike's sets the table nicely. It's not the longest or most exploratory, but just good ol' mean playing.

>Simple probably is the show's jam highlight even though it stays relatively in the box. It's a good long version with a really great upbeat jam. It sort of stays within the confines of Simple, but really is great playing throughout. Must hear - and remains a top version for me.

>Harry Hood is the other song contained in this MONSTER groove. This version is awesome. Very good playing throughout all sections, with a majestic peak!

>Weekapaug is awesome and again hints at '97 with some great funk work, some start stop, some cool down and than a straight up sprint to a tight and fiery '96 peak. Absolutely killer!

Sweet Adeline and GTBT make good foils and send us home in style.

The Encore is wild, and certainly worthy of a listen, with Claypool's influence. Not the ultimate moment on tape, but fun.

Overall set II is a great set. The Mike's Groove that comprises the majority is 100% must hear Phish. Great versions of all songs within the groove. Throw in some great playing in the Julius & GTBT bookends, and you've got yourself a nice classic set.

The encore is of course more historical artifact than must hear music, which doesn't diminish it's value necessarily.

'96 doesn't get the kudos, but this show really highlights the virtues of that year, with fiery tight playing and a lot of great song selections. When they did jam big, they definitely hit the mark. Love the '97 foreshadowing as well.

Comfortable 4.25/5