Wow, what can I say, blew last night away completely. Got some time on the train, now begins the early review!

Set 1:
The Sloth opener into YEM gave me high hopes, and the boys delivered, not a dull moment all set. Brilliant, one of my favorite sets I've heard from them. (And here's my personal bias, this set was like my own personal greatest hits) Simply gorgeous.

Set 2:
More of the same, save for one or two lulls. (The boys had a bit of time until they all got in sync during the Weekapaug jam, and Character Zero had an awkward beginning) However, energy was built, and sustained. This is a set begging to be heard (Especially Chalkdust -> Hydrogen, seriously, hear this!), and lived up to the expectations set 1 set.

E:
Loving Cup. Meh.

Great show, gives us all high hopes for the latter half of the run.

Sidenote: to the asshole who stole my coat during Weekapaug, A. Why? B. I was within a foot of it, you have balls to take it so close to its owner. And C. Please redeem yourself by putting it in the lost and found. I'll get it Saturday.

Oh, and D. Fuck you, that shit was brand new.

I'd rank 12/28 above this show, if only for the excellent Cities jam and the beautiful Carini > Tweezer.

This show did have some really nice highlights, though.

In the first set, I love the "Sloth, YEM" opening combo. Although far from legendary, it was a good sign. BOTT was funky, and the song choices of Maze, Roses, and Halley's were pleasing. Sadly, they're nothing to write home about.

In the second set, the Simple > Lifeboy was magnificent. The Mike's raged, and the Chalk Dust placement gets an A+, even if they should have closed with it (or better yet, Chalk Dust Reprise!). The Weekepaug Groove screamed. Unfortunately, the end of the show fell flat for me. A Zero set ender with a Loving Cup encore feels as run-of-the-mill as you can get.

Overall, a nice show, but one I probably won't listen to more than once.

The energy at this show nearly blew the roof off the Garden, but man, I woulda killed for a Ghost or Disease or anything that had a bit more exploration/risk. With the exception of the Chalkdust -> Hydrogen segue (How f'in incredible was that moment?!), the boys played it relatively safe tonight. Although, YEM as the 2nd song on the 2nd night?!? Wouldnta predicted that one in a million years! And whether you love Simple or you hate it, you can't deny that playing it in MSG brings one of "those moments" that only Phish can deliver - WE'VE GOT, SKYSCRAPER!!!!

12/29 was the only show of the run I made it to, and it was incredible. Sloth was a huge surprise and made a great opener. I could not believe when YEM started, it was my first one. BOTT an Moma Dance brought the funk, and Funky Bitch was murdered by Page. He was standing up and kept extending his solo. Page was great in the Maze that followed, as well. The next few songs of Roses and Halley's Comet had MSG singing along. Crosseyed> Simple wasn't too exploratory or Type 2, but I think Simple was beautiful. The segue into Lifeboy was nice and I was really excited to hear the first one since 2009. Guyute had some sloppiness, but also had lots of energy, as did the rest of the show. Then, of course, the Mike's Groove was a big highlight for me. Chalkdust> Hydrogen was a really cool moment. Weekapaug Groove was one of the songs that first got me into Phish, and I'm glad I got to hear one of the best ones of 3.0. The end of the show was predictable, but featured good playing, and ended the show at a high point of energy. Some people may not think this show was especially good, based on a lack of exploratory jams, but I had a great time. I'm betting the vast majority of people that were there agree with me.

this was one of those shows that fully supports the part in bittersweet hotel where trey goes

"i don't care about flubs.. or if we missed a transition.. to me its all about the energy"

last night was all about the energy.. did he play the yem intro perfectly no was guyute flawless no

was crosseyed a little sloppy to start yea i guess does it matter NOPE

last night was all about the energy an fit sure was palpable. what a great rock n roll show to have seen. ridiculous first set.. some beautiful moments in the second... most notably the simple jam featuring beautiful work by m gordon.. and a marvelous transition into hydrogen engineered by trey.. little bit of everything and the garden happily lapped it up.. CHEERS TO PHISH

phish ftmfw .. can't wait to see what else they have in store for us

I'm gonna steal a tweet I saw posted last NYE run. The headlines in the Times today should read "MIKE GORDON DROPS BOMBS ON LOCAL HOCKEY ARENA. CROWD REJOICES"

After Wednesdays better than expected opening night to the run, I was, to say the least, excited to see what the boys had in store for us on night 2. Needless to say, they came out, guns a blazin, with Sloth and YEM, letting us know they came to play. The YEM was killer, and I knew it could only bode well for the rest of the night. BOTT was a nice little interlude before Mike dropped bombs on us all with Moma and my highlight of the first set, Funky Bitch. This Funky Bitch was absolutely filthy. A dirty Phish funk party at its finest. I was pretty sure Page was going to pull his B3 apart during his solo. Also, MIKE GORDON DROPS BOMBS. Maze and Halley's kept the funk flowing around a pretty standard though high energy Roses (isn't EVERYTHING in MSG high energy?) and Antelope sent us into setbreak completely elated with a monster of a first set. Before tonight, I'd been talking a lot about how first sets in 3.0 have, save for some exceptions, sort of gone by the wayside. I'll STFU now, that put all that to rest.

I'm going to add the disclaimer that first set I was behind and above soundboard with an incredible view of Kuroda's handiwork, and 2nd set we moved up into the 300s Fish side, a bit further back than I'd like to be, and a different energy up there. Second set started off thumping with a driving though standard version of CE&P into a very beautiful Simple, with one of those jams that makes you well up a bit inside. Mike was playing simply beautifully during this jam. Then Lifeboy, which is one of my preferred mellow/slow Phish tunes. I love these lyrics, and this was a beautiful version out of a beautiful Simple. Guyute was standard, nothing to write home about, but fun. Mike's then got the funk going again, and the CDT segue kept MSG rocking as hard as it had been all night. Then, the segue into H2 was simply gorgeous. Well worth a listen, it's one of those moments that is why we see Phish. The boys took a minute to get Weekapaug together and actually "share" in the groove, but once they did it was very tight, and the building was again raging. That's when they dropped Show of Life on us. I'm going to preface the rest of this review by saying I know how lucky I am to be here and that they're playing for us at all, so please forgive my gripes, know that I am grateful.

So until the Show of Life/Char0 set closer, I'd have given this show a sure 4/5 stars, but Show of Life may just be my least favorite Phish song. Char0 I don't have any problems with aside from the fact that it guarantees the end of a set. That really bothers me sometimes, because that song has such an amazing build and such killer energy that it hurts to know the show is ending. I'd love to hear what kind of energy would flow out of a Char0 opener! The Loving Cup encore was fine, standard and pretty short but sweet, but they boys had taken the 2nd set to 11:30, and as far as I know, MSG has an 11PM curfew, so no complaints from me for the short encore.

All in all, this night blew the first night out of the water for me and I can't wait to see what else our fave 4 have got lined up for us.

something about this show left me COMPLETELY SATISFIED.

this show was beautiful. the energy was fluid as the ocean. the minutes seemed to last a lifetime. the light was so bright and the AUDIO MIX(live and on the download(and i chose the lowest quality possible) is superb. Everyone was loud and clear in the mix.

The first set was very well played. they came out strong and fun and kept the funky, danceable grooves going through the first set with some serious highs throughout, especially in Antelope.
**The segue between Chalkdust >I am Hydrogen in the 2nd set is worth the download alone**.
Lifeboy is a rarely played song, and one of those delicate tunes that
requires patience, pathos and pacing to pull off. This one had all three.
I know Show of Life bums a lot of people out. If your one, contact me and i can see about helping you buy your heart and soul back.

and finally, i really dont tire of character zero. it fucking rocks. its like a rinse cycle, it shakes out all the accumulated energy of the arena and gives us all once last chance to feel alive and throw down as a soulful tribe of humans before turning back into a mindless horde of selfish american idiots filing out into the insanity of metropolis.

***disclaimer: I don't relate to Phish like one might a sporting event. For me it's not: "ok i paid my two bits, now you perform like this and choose the right songs and do this that and the other with them". No. For me, each show is a continuation of the journey, the saga, the mystery and evolution that is phish and its community of followers/listeners/participators. That being said, they did play a bunch of favorite songs and played them with gusto and love on this night.
When i saw the cohesive playing and energy of night 1, i knew i had to come back. and sure enough, night two turned into a straight up ladder of ascension. porthole-sound-chamber-pyramid style. yes, the next chapter in my journey was well told. it spoke of power, freedom and magic gardens.

thank you phish, phish crew, and the waves of people.

This show overall was great with lots of high energy. Funny story about this day was that me and my buddy @bhutch27 were walking around NYC singing The Sloth all day, and to hear them open their show with that just set it off. YEM being the second song of the night took me by surprise, but it really turned up the energy in the buidling. As much as they all played well that night I have to give the most credit to Mike. He had it down that night and showed us all with his solos and intro to Weekapaug. The highlight of the night for me was Antelope, because it was my first Antelope and I had been waiting for so long to hear it. Definitely a night to remember.

This was my first show. I loved every minute of it. Although they didn't jam as much as would've liked them to, the incredible energy made up for that. Everything was rocking. Loved the Sloth opener. The YEM was awesome. the vocal jam was pretty short but im not the biggest fan of the vocal jams. Loved all of the songs in the first set. I thought everything was well played and full of energy. Second set. Mikes groove was killer, definitely the high point of the show. Guyute was fun. All in all, it was an amazing show for me, probably in part because it was my first show but it was awesome anyway. personally, i dont think i could have asked for a more fun first show and i will always cherish it for that reason.

I went to the first 3 shows of this run and thought this show by far was the best. But I am a lover of the straight-up rock based ripping shows. I love when Phish just shreads a show and this one had plenty of it.

The first set did not let up for a moment from the first note of Sloth to the end of Antelope there was not one down time in the set where I was scratching my head. So much effort and power put into each and every song and all of them had that little extra umph. From the YEM, to Page's solo in the Bitch, to a great Rose and a nailed transition from Halley's > Antelope...this set was a tour de force.

I will say this that I love Lifeboy and always revel in the moment when i hear it - this small little gem was the biggest highlight in a night filled with them. It just existed as this diamond in all the nasty, awesome rock and roll that was going on around it and I love those moments. Everything is swirling, Garden going nuts, C&P > Simple just nailed and we are going to drop into the breakout, very rare Lifeboy - a real, real highlight - just flat-out awesome.

I will say that the Guyute was the only flat song of the night, but Phish quickly redeemed themselves with a complete, nasty, ripping Mike's. And I know people love the Chalkdust > H20 transition, but to me the real power was in the Mikes > Chalkdust - just balls to the wall, Garden going beserk -- i love it, love it, love it.

12-29-11 was a tremendous Phish show and if you like the rockers/rippers and since that is my cup of tea i had a complete blast

So now that I have almost a few days to recover from the madness that was the NYE run, I figured I'll limit myself to reviewing only one night of this pretty good run of shows. I still can't believe they played Pebbles and Marbles the only night I was there... especially since that's the one song I've been calling since last year BUT ANYWAY haha here's the review.

Set 1
Sloth: Wow this was an awesome opener that caught me and my crew off guard, nicely played and high energy opener.

YEM: The opening notes of YEM had me almost jumping off the balcony of section 413, haha I mean we went nuts! Great YEM that had a nice mainly Page and Mike led jam except for a short Trey solo. Really funky YEM jam.

BOTT: I thought things were gonna get crazier after YEM but Back On the Train was played and played pretty well. Standard

Moma: Alriiight, nice and funky Moma, I'll take it. Good pick and great way to get the energy back up.

Funky Bitch: good high energy song that honestly raged, but yet again it seems like this song rages every single time I see it. Page was all over this one with Trey just shredding over him. Awesome jam.

Maze: Me and my friends actually called this one on the way up to our seats (section 413 row a) which just happened to be on the 9th floor and took forever to get to. Anyway, pretty good rockin Maze, yet almost rockin in a completely "standard" way because Maze always kills. Yet another Trey and Page jam combo that was awesome as always.

Roses: Hell yeah, great pick. It kinda felt like a 25,000 person sing-along... don't know how much I like that but it still was awesome, seem like they put a little extra energy into this one tonight. Good Roses.

Haleys: As soon was this was started I pulled out my phone to see what time it was; it was a standard run through the song itself but then once the jam came, they started slowin down the groove a little bit and not gostraight into something I got pretty damn excited. But just as soon as this jam was truly starting to gel (complete with Streets of Cairo tease from Trey!) it segued weirdly into

>Antelope: Good really REALLY high energy Antelope that honestly Fish was the MVP of, he was just on for this Antelope! Great set closer.

Set 2

Crosseyed: Yet another one that we called, but this time I specifically called it at setbreak right before it happened. Good high energy opener and great way to get the crowd back up and groovin right away. It had a nice jam that started to kinda get spacey really fast but then all of a sudden Trey and Fish pick this Crosseyed back up to a straight rock-jam. It eventually did space out into

>Simple: Another good pick to keep the energy up. During the "We got, skyscraperrrrrs" verse, I just had this amazing feeling come across me. Great Simple jam too that was akin to most Simple jams as of late. Which means it was a very nice and soft, melodic jam that went straight into

->Lifeboy: I honestly thought for a split second at first that it was Lizards, but then realized I was gloriously wrong! HUGE BUSTOUT!! This is one I've been chasing for a while, and it was absolutely beautifully played. Great choice for a cool down which was followed by

Guyute: Good call to keep the energy up, they really nailed this Guyute too.

Mikes: Honestly, Mike's haven't really varied from version to version all that much in recent years, however, this Mike's honestly reminded me of the ones I listen to from the 90's. Trey straight shredded this one, the whole band was backing him up very nicely too with some nice fills by everybody. This died down into

>Chalkdust: I guess it was a good pick, but the jam had a very distinct I Am Hydrogen tease from Trey, which did eventually lead the band directly into

->I Am Hydrogen: This is just such a beautiful song and it's pretty rare nowadays, it was my first one and I loved it. Beautifully played and it was nice cause PEOPLE WERE ACTUALLY QUIET DURING THIS SONG!

>Weekapaug: This one started off with an extremely funky bass solo from Mike, but then was standard until the jam started. It started off with some "plinko" style jamming but then Trey started to change that with some nice bluesy licks which Mike and Page were right behind him helping the jam sustain a really amazing groove with Fish being the ultimate backbone of keeping the groove. They took this one out a little way before Trey and Page really really hammer out some melodic playing, then Trey ultimately shreds this one before they wrap it up, extremely above average Weekapaug and a total highlight of the show for sure.

Show of Life: I really like this song, the lyrics hit me pretty personally on this one, but I do have to say that it was damn-near perfectly placed. Standard version though.

Character 0: sort of killed the energy that this set had alot of, but it was well-played version. Trey really went to town on this one, he really killed his solo.

Encore:

Loving Cup: Well played, standard encore.

Overall this was a pretty good show that kind of had a few problems with establishing a steady "flow" but when they did boy were they killin it. I'd probably give this one a 4.1 out of 5.

Highlights
Set one: sloth>yem, maze, antelope.
Set two: crosseyed>simple->lifeboy(must-hear), mike's, WEEKAPAUG!!! (must-hear for 3.0)

I forgot two thing in my original review... Please Phish, never play Show of Life again, this song is just not good, and phans hate hearing it live. The second is another request: Please Phish, jam Roses and Halley's. These songs warrant a creative approach!

loved The Sloth opener into YEM , very cool choice , we were side stage 115 and i have to thank the annoying people around me for ruining my night --the Hiedi Montaug look alike in front of me that never watched the band and the 4 or 5 guys she was blowing after the show that leaning over me to high five her every 8 seconds , usually i dont let this kind of thing bother me but when you are tapped on your shoulder every 8 seconds and asked to get the other persons attention
ok back to the show
highlights for me -Funky Bitch, Guyute,Mikes into Chalkdust and a stellar Weekapaug
oh another thing -if you got shitty seats and you decide to move down to the aisles of another section and stand in everyones way , have the common decency not to look annoyed that the person trying to walk by that actually has a fucking ticket for that section or try to move out of the way you ignorant douchebags , maybe i am getting old but last night was the first time i felt like throwing an elbow

This show is a bit of a let down, when compared with the previous night. I know that many fans will disagree with me, but the band did not seem to want to take any risks tonight. Although most every song was very high energy and well played, the psychedelic element was sorely lacking. In my opinion this show contains very little improvisation, and is purely a rock effort.

They tore the face off of YEMSG with this show. Super high energy...first set was blazin'. They straight rocked out. Crosseyed is always good...made us think they were gonna pull the No Quarter...and they don't need to cover Led Zeppelin because we've got a band. Trey tore Simple up during the verse...he played beebop almost the whole song. Maze was an absolute shit show...it might be the best of 3.0. Come for the first set, stay for the crazy Mike's Groove. Can't wait for tonight. It just gets better and better.

This was my first show. At the time, I had known a decent amount of Phish songs, but not necessarily the most well-known ones. For example, I knew Show of Life very well but had never heard of Antelope before. At the time, I absolutely loved the show, and it inspired me to get into Phish, and by the time I went to Jones Beach 2012, I knew or was familiar with nearly every song they played hat run. But this show is the only Phish show I have attended where some songs were genuine surprises. The Sloth, Back on the Train, Moma, Antelope, Lifeboy, Guyute, and Hydrogen were all completely new to me.

Anyway, as for an actual review of this show: it is what it is. And it is a pretty boring, standard show. Definitely the highlights were YEM as the second song (my second song ever!) and the flawless segue from Chalkdust to Hydrogen. But overall, the show is very 2011 - no real type II jams, just tight and fun playing. I would give this show two stars, but it was my first show I am giving it three.

the YEM in this show has so much energy... really great.

2nd set was the best set of the run

Stellar show. The surprise YEM first set was a treat. Maze was the (.)(.)'s and then you get Simple>Lifeboy>Guyute>Mikes>Chalkdust>Hydrogen>Groove. All awesome versions IMO. Great show all around had an awesome time

It's all about the energy!

Good show, good times... Haven't been to MSG since the 97 New Years show! waaaay too long to be away!! YEM for a 2nd song is awesome!! the whole 1st set was pretty awesome!! Funky Bitch tore it up, Roses is always fun! I love Haleys and Antelope, dont' need to say more, super sick!
2nd set?... CrossEyed! yes please! lol... LifeBoy? ok, rare treat! and I Loved the Mikes Weekapaug combo!! Loving Cup is always fun to end the night with, pretty classic encore but I'll take it!!

and ps... I dn't wanna hate, but I don't care how close you are to the boys, we've all been super close and yes it's fun, but don't think it's special!! and I'd hope we're all past that.. we're not 15 years old seeing the backstreet boys!! lol.. and I'm sure Trey wasn't looking right at you, he was prob looking at the cute girl right behind you!! lol,....

sorry, read a post that sorta bugged me?! anyway? MSG! good times

Sloth - Cool unusual opener
YEM - AWESOME spot for it! So unpredictable
BOTT - solid and funky
Moma - solid
Funky Bitch - Very good
Maze - ehh
Roses - solid
Halley's - pretty good, weird ending to it
Antelope - Very good

Overall I would give it an 8 for a 1st set.

Crosseyed - Solid
Simple - decent, nice transition into Lifeboy
Lifeboy - Never seen it, it was cool
Guyute - Weird spot, enjoyed it
Mikes - Solid Rock N Roll version
Chalk Dust - Awesome, nice weird transition into Hydrogen
Hydrogen - Not expecting it after Chalk Dust, cool
Weekapaug - Very good
Show Of Life - Horrible placement, half of the arena left
Character - Good, but the energy was already drained

Overall I would give it around an 8 and 8.5 for a 2nd set

Loving Cup - Fun

Overall I would give the show an 8

First set review upon relistening to a show I attended. All in all, a solid set that suffered from two key song choice mistakes; back on the train and haley's comet.

Sloth- another surprising opener. Fun.

Yem- yes! A real treat that the garden totally ate up. Great playing, listen for try yelling "oh my god" going into "boy". Page has a great effect on his solo and mike thunders. It was great to see the trampolines and even the vocal jam rocked.

Back on the train- the band had the garden hooked after yem - the show had a dark, rocking feel to it. It was therefore somewhat disappointing to hear BOTT. It just didn't fit. Wilson would have been great and would have kept Tahoe tone going.

moma>funky> maze - one of the best song series of the run. Funky bitch especially contains some serious energy and the crowd roared at the first bass drum kicks of maze whose energy tore the roof off the suck.

Roses>Haley's - two strange song choices whose happy vibe didnt really flows with the rest of the set. I remember Haley's actually being boring and truly one of the lowlights of the run.

Antelope- a great 1st set closer, though not close to the one at Superball.

A good set with some great gems - yem, funky bitch, and maze being highlights.

Here we go again.
I'm reviewing after relistening - sat in section A, row 5 - right in front of Page.
The Sloth - always love this song, great opener even if it wasn't the best versaion ive seen
YEM - really wonderfull - i was digging this hard
Back on the Train - I fucking love Trey's sound, Mikes groove, Pages everything, Fish - killed it
Moma - still loving life
Funky Bitch/ Maze - now were getting somewhere
Roses was pitch on perfect
Haley's - ok
Antelope - spent most of this watching AG twirl - he was 5 feet in front of me, never did anything to anyone all night - I was suprised

C&P - very happy I got this, I really think of it as a NYC tune
Simple - was brilliant - did I hear Zep teases
Lifeboy - jeez, been 92 since i saw this - didnt mind it at all
Guyute - always happy to see it, I thought they finished very strong
Mikes - CDT - Hydrogen - Weekapug - i was in the zone until they killed it with Show of Life

A side note on show of life - I saw it with TAB 2 times in 2010, I saw it 6 times from 8.17.10 to 12.29.11 - shelf it please. I'm show of life'd out.

CZ helped but i was show of life'd
Loving Cup - I wanted more

All in all good show - bomb ending, peaked early. I was 10 feet from the band all night - I swear Trey was looking at me just like Jerry did - almost saying " how do you want me to play it mike, I will, for you!"
HA!

Good times!

Going into this show after a great night one...expectations were pretty high..I liked this show...not as much as the night before..but nonetheless..still enjoyed it...the pre-planned whiteout seemed like a bust as I did not see that many white shirts...oh well..it was still a good idea..

Set I

Sloth: Liked this as an opener...played well...got the place going

YEM: did not see this coming...thought this would be either night 3 or 4...not a monster yem..but still could hold it's own...trey didn't do his little dance routnine while Mike dropped bombs...perhaps it was because it was in the beginning of the set...rather than at the end...either way...I was happy to catch it...since it seems to have dropped out of the rotation a little bit...

BOTT: I always liked this song...thought the jam went smoothly...but also it seemed that the set was starting to go off in different directions...

MOMA: this had the crowd grooving...pretty solid for the most part...

Funky Bitch: thought this was really well played...loud as hell...page killing it...definte highlight of set I

Maze: I'm a big fan of maze..seemed that this version was a little bit off at times...but was happy to hear it...

Roses: I was really excited to finally catch a roses...my first one since summer 00...thought this version might be rocked out...but as quickly as it started it ended....It didn't matter...just happy to hear it...

Halley's: Nothing out of the ordinary with this one...pretty much just a big sing along...

Antelope: All I could think about was the 97 msg antelope when this started up...I know I shouldn't compare...sometimes it's hard not to...either way...a loud antelope is always a good one I say..and that's what this was...

Highlights of set I: Funky Bitch, Roses

Set II

Crosseyed: They took a few minutes to themselves when they came out for set II...quite a bit of talking amongst themselves...had a feeling that it wasn't going to be an ordinary set opener...When this started up..I kept thinking that this was going to be one of those memorable msg sets...I like that this has been getting more and more play as of late...

Simple: this was a really fun version...crowd was very into it..as were the boys...

Lifeboy: Really? This was a complete surprise..my first one...couldn't have been more happier...

Guyute: I like guyute...it's got the happiness and darkness all mixed up together...pretty decent version...

Mike's : Again, thought this might be saved for the 30th or 31st...but everyone, including myself were really pumped up for this...In the back of my mind I was hoping the set would close out with a monster mike's groove...

Chalkdust: This was a complete surprise...as I was expecting "I am Hydrogen" as I'm sure a lot of people were...I liked the placement..it kept the pace going at a nice rate...

Hydrogen: the jam out of CDT was worked really well into hydrogen..and a definite highlight of set II

Weekapaugh: I thought this was one of the better versions as of late...crowd was pumped...nice pace..really well played and yes..a highlight of set II

Show of Life: Still on the fence with this one...maybe after a few more versions I'll convert...

Charachter Zero: Was really loud...an ok tune for closing out the set...I would have preferred Golgi or Slave..but beggers cannot be choosers...

Encore: Loving cup: I actually like loving cup as an encore...they play it well...crowd gets really into it...another big sing along...thought the encore might get another song or two...but was ended after one song..

Highlights set II: Simple, Lifeboy, Mike's Groove

I'll second Alek. Night 1 was hands down superior to this night. Very little exploration here despite the large quantity of potential jam vehicles in the setlist. I personally thought the Chalkdust>H2 was forced, with Trey focusing the direction instead of the band moving as a whole. Even Halley's, a song that can really soar, stayed relatively simple.

It's been nearly a decade since I've seen Lifeboy, but it was particularly mellow. I was excited for a nice closer sequence after a relatively long set, but Show of Life is a total energy and time suck.

None of this show will stand the test of time, whereas night 1's Carini>Tweezer and RockNRoll>NICU could get repeat listens. In a historic context, a 6.5 out of 10 musically, but personally had a great time as always. Looking forward to the 30th.