First of all, big props to Otto's in Portland. $4 for a local beer AND a great slice of pizza? Yes please!

Anyway.

The pizza was probably cooked in an oven, but it could have just as well been cooked in last night's arena. It was -real- hot in there from the get-go. Body heat was rampant. From ten rows back, dancing room was somewhat limited, but the energy in the place was incredible.

The first set, top to bottom, was a bucket of fun. The Grind opener was probably a nod to the 300th show of 3.0 and was pretty cool to hear. Cars Trucks Buses was a real treat.

Kill Devil Falls got the energy to the next level. Trey was smearing mustard all over it like it was something you put mustard on. I don't really know what that would be. I don't like mustard that much. Maybe a hot dog? A big pretzel? Anyway, pretzel or no pretzel, the place was ecstatic throughout the entire song, and then The Sloth dropped out of nowhere. Yes please.

Other big highlights were MFMF (again, energy!!!!!), The Line (seriously. I got really pumped during this song. If you get over the stigma it can be really exciting, esp. in a first set that's all about fun) and Stash, which got taken out just long enough to serve as a fitting capstone for this groove-heavy set.

----

Speaking of grooves, throughout the SPAC run the second set had opened with a high-ish energy dance number to get things going -- Sand, NMINML, SSP. Here, First Tube was given the responsibility, and it did not disappoint. Small indoor show + a high energy first set led to a lot of excitement during this opener. And then Tweezer? Yes please!

Admittedly, this Tweezer was, let us say, truncated. Still, it covered a fair amount of ground in its short duration, like a pirate that sails the seven seas and then dies of scurvy by age twenty-eight.

Into Guyute! There were some struggles during the barblarblarlblarlblarlblarlvslr part (you know which part) from Trey, but the whole thing was still exciting. Into Mike's.

At this point in our program, it became clear that this was just not going to be a show rife with improvisation. Once you get that idea out of your noggin and you think about the whole thing as an energy experience, the show becomes so fun. The whole band really built up during Mike's, with the rhythm section in particular locking in nicely.

I love slow Phish. I would argue that the average Phish show does not have enough "stand still close your eyes and listen" moments. As such, the Hydrogen slot here was great for me. If you're looking for a thirty-minute Ghost you were probably bummed, but I thought this whole thing was outstanding (see if you can hear anyone shout "YAY" at the beginning of Wingsuit -- that's me).

(Devotion to a Dream, to be fair, is just not that great of a song though. If I had to cut anything of this show, it would be that.)

The solo on Wingsuit was exquisite. The solo on Wingsuit is always exquisite, but as part of this extended cool-down section (in that sweaty arena) and all the passion we'd seen from Trey all night, the whole tune was nothing short of gorgeous. Bittersweet Motel is also a favorite of mine, and I never thought I'd get to hear it live. Changing things up and giving the solo to Page was a nice touch. After the long Wingsuit solo, it was nice to hear someone else take the lead.

Fluffhead was a treat as well, with the whole place really thrilled to hear it and even a brief sit in by a guest percussionist!

Something to note about this set is that, with the decision to not improvise so much, we did end up with two long composed pieces. It would have been easy to mail it in with a bunch of three-chord songs, but the group decided instead to spend their time on some fan favorites that take a lot of focus. That, in my opinion, is really respecting the audience. You may not be doing the number one thing they want, but you're filling the void with something that requires a different kind of effort.

The Weekapaug ending, of course, tied the whole thing together really well.

So, let's think of this set like this:

High-energy opener > short improv adventure > Composed masterpiece 1, Mike's Groove with an extended but still very beautiful mellow middle (except as noted DTAD) and composed masterpiece #2.

My point is that I see this show acquiring a 2.8ish rating as I write this. This show was a unit. It had structure in the same way that my review has tense agreement issues. The setlist was obviously improvised and they churned out something that flows really well. It might not have as grand of a replay value as say Magnaball (esp. If you weren't in the room), but to write it off as directionless is, in my opinion, the result of very narrow expectations.

I would expect, out of the shows I saw this summer so far (this + SPAC) I will replay this one the most.

Blah blah blah noob, blah blah blah fluffing, blah blah blah attendance bias. To hell with it, I had a great time. I look forward to revisiting this special night in Portland for a long time to come.

Is this hitting bottom? Disappointment turns into concern. What's wrong, guys? The world is growing more difficult, even for sonic superheroes. Is there anything we can do to help? I realize I'm heading towards having another post deleted due to a lack of concrete connection to the show at hand. Fair enough. I will make more of an effort.

Here's my experience of the night. I live on the west coast, and work prevented me from catching the first three songs as they happened, which on paper, make me giddy with envy for everyone who did. Following those, Billy Breathes is probably my favorite Phish ballad. It and The Sloth have long been on my short list of chased songs. Follow those with a Myfe, I would have been an embarrassingly happy camper there in person. And yet, all three were mediocre executions at best, at least as heard through headphones streaming from afar (thanks to all on Mixlr who make this possible!). Stash offered a bit more to chew on at the end of the first set, but not enough to overcome a growing sense of malaise.

One of things I appreciate most about Phish is how they continually find new ways to tweak their sound and keep us guessing. So far this tour, a slower tempo has been noticed and commented on. Initially I interpreted this as an intentional and concerted effort to approach old standbys from a new angle, which has worked brilliantly in the past. And yet, I'm starting to wonder if there is any such intention right now. Ten shows in this tour, and the tempo has only grown more erratic, the song selection more narrow, and the stints of exploration more infrequent. As much as I don't want to admit, I can no longer deny a growing sense of concern for the band. Something seems off. Execution is unfocused and cohesiveness is strained.

Set two started off somewhat promising, this time with First Tube making the rounds. Who doesn't work themselves up into a spinning vortex of bliss when this simple yet effective groove gets thrown down? Then came the highly anticipated Tweezer. Slow and meandering, yet solid and satisfying nonetheless, launching into... Guyute? Okay, I can get down with that. Except that uncertainty and sloppiness seep back in and never seem to leave the party again. Mike's Song, a cause for celebration last year, has so far gone nowhere this year unfortunately. Up next, Tide Turns into Devotion for a Dream that not even Wingsuit can save. Bittersweet Hotel made me want to give Trey a hug and ask if everything is okay. Fluffhead paled in comparison to the previous outing at Wrigley Field. By the time Weekapaug finally rolls around, I'd almost forgot it was coming. A normally novel and fun Contact encore sounded defeated and limply passed the baton to Tweeprise to complete the night's compulsory affair.

A harsh take on the evening, I know. But I write this with the hope that all is well with them and that this is only a rough patch about to give way to the elevated levels of musical freedom and expression they're more than capable of reaching and surpassing. No matter what, I believe, good times and bad.

A small venue. Indoors. Close to their homes. Middle of the week after a few days off. The formula for success? ...YMMV, but for me, it sure was fun to be at. That being said, last night, and much of this year, have been average, middle of the road Phish shows - a handful of moments I dig and will probably re-listen to, some nice/standard versions of tunes that I won’t re-spin, a song or two I didn’t like, and some flubs that were a little cringe-y. As usual, I met some nice people, got sweatier than myself or anyone would have preferred, and. Had. Fun. The whole point of attending.

A few other show-day observations:
Lots of fingers in the air around the venue on my way in. I got in line at about 6.15, and was not surprised to see how many people had already gone in. GA bowl, GA floor and a very different poster likely the cause. The lights went down at Phish o’clock, and the heat started to rise. The energy in the room was actually similar to the first night at Wrigley, but with 40,000 less people, and 40,000 more degrees of heat. Surprised to see them a capella the start of the show, but as with the opener of set 2, it felt like we started both sets with an encore, which was a nice change. The energy and heat won’t be apparent on the recordings, but if all you spin is Stash thru Mike’s, you probably won’t be mad at the 45-ish minutes of music in this chunk of show.

Every tour I make a playlist of my favorite moments. Last summer, the playlist was crazy long. This year will be less long for sure, but it’s not that different than the ones I put together after summer ‘11 and ‘13... And for fuck’s sake, tour’s not over. I’ll probably re-spin Stash, First Tube, Tweezer, Mike’s and the encore, maybe also Yarmouth and Things People Do.

Ok. Soapbox time.

I have no idea how many shows I’ve seen. Never kept score. I started going in the early/mid 90s and have lived mostly around the Northeast, so it’s safe to say a goddamn shitload. I caught the first six shows this year, skipped SPAC, and made the drive to Portland from New York for last night’s show. I don’t regret it in the slightest, because I love Phish shows (a shocking revelation to find on this site, I’m sure.)

No two ways around it, last year was special. Yeah yeah yeah, Trey came off Dead 50 boot camp, everyone has pointed that out. But Mike also came off a number of shows with his band, which I think made an equally huge impact. Judging by his Insta feed, he enjoyed it immensely… I digress.

To me, this year is what ‘98 felt like after ‘97 and ‘96 after ‘94-95. There’s nothing “wrong” with the band. IMHO, that’s just ridiculous chatter. Bands with something “wrong” don’t write new material at the rate these guys have in the last three years plus all the Halloween ‘14 material that is still appearing in sets. There’s nothing wrong. If anything, this is kind-of a pupa stage, and yet another version of this band will come out. Maybe you won’t like this one as much. Maybe you will. What-fucking-ever. Recordings are your time machine. At 1600 or so shows, there’s probably stuff you haven’t heard yet, and riches to be found if you don’t like what’s happening right now. It’s not nearly as depressing as 2004 was to me, and for all the shit those shows get, there was some goddamn good moments then, too.

See you in SF, my next trip. I’m already excited.

Not sure where to start with this one - but it was not good. 1.5/5, 2 would be a big stretch.

To start, the place was seriously a sauna (like, I nearly passed out) and I wonder if it affected the band too.

Trey missed notes all over the place, most painfully in the Billy Breathes solo, and the band could simply not hook up on anything. Successful improv, in particular, was essentially non-existent. The Tweezer sputtered out fast, as trey couldn't settle on any theme for more than a minute or so.

On top of that, much of the song selection was just bizarre -- Mikes>Tide Turns>Devotion to a Dream, in the middle of the second set? Not something that sounded any better than that looks on paper. Really took the air out of whatever potential was left in that set.

And as the crazy bonus, some idiot actually jumps on the stage and manages to play on fish's kit, refuses to stop, and needs to forcibly removed in the middle of Fluff. Fish, to his great credit, literally never missed a beat somehow. But it was ugly, and it sucked to see Fish having to deal with this threatening guy on his kit.

There was a bit of nice playing in Weekapaug. There were about 3 minutes of interesting stuff in Tweezer. Sloth is rare. Bittersweet is fun. They played Fluffhead.

But I cannot say anything else that was redeeming, really, about this particular show.

I'm happy for anyone who enjoyed it, I really am, but honestly, I'd say that if you are at all interested in listening to Phish critically (not criticizing, listening thoughtfully and in relation to the band's other shows) -- that it's hard to argue with the idea that this show was a flop. Even the best bands have off nights, and this was a profoundly off night.

Let's honor the heights this band regularly reaches by acknowledging the times when it does not make it there. To insist otherwise is kind of silly, at best.

Honestly one of the worst I've seen in my 150 or so.

I bet (and hope) they come out swinging before this east coast run is out.

Couldn't agree more with the sentiments expressed here that something is awry. Overall uninspired playing, choppy setlists, no steam 4th quarters, obvious tension on stage between members, nearly no assertiveness from trey . . . . . . . . all of this truly has me worried for the band we all love. Something isn't right. And I know I am not alone in feeling this way now that we are past the early tour jitters.

I truly love Phish. I have been seeing them since '97 and listening to them avidly since '94. Being a musician myself, I understand how bands grow, develop, and change their sound. It is something I have welcomed with open arms when it comes to Phish, and there are periods where the drive is there! Most of us here have witnessed it first hand. It was there last year in my opinion, some really excellent shows were played. I understand that Phish and ANY band have good and bad shows, and that is part of their beauty. But we need to call a spade a spade here, at this moment, on this tour. This isn't average Phish. This is sub-par at best. Its causing concern. And I am tired of people bashing honest reviews or giving people who comment a hard time saying "you weren't there so you don't know what you are talking about and f*#k off." Strictly speaking in regards to quality of music and setlists, this tour is simply sub-par. Im sorry, but it is the truth, and an alarming one at that. You shouldnt have to be at the show to be able to listen to it and say "this is great!" We have all done it for years listening on tape, at shows we may or may not have been at, whether it was last year or 25 years ago, and be able to judge for ourselves the quality of the music, the flow of setlist, the palpable joy of the band that you can HEAR, and not have to see . . . . . this translates with a pair of headphones, through a live stream, or on the television just as well as it does when you are actually there. I love phish, I love the music, I love our community, but I would only be a liar and fooling myself and anyone else if I said these shows are great and that I have no concern whatsoever for this tour, and more so, the band that I love. I hope this turns around and they can shake off the very thing that seems to be haunting them this tour. To me, it seems they would rather be doing something else, and that joy and unity are missing . . . . . just my two cents.

The beginning lines of "Sleeping Monkey" come to mind, and they have been playing that quite a bit this tour . . . . .

Not sure if this is just another example of a "you had to be there" show but after streaming last night things just felt off.

Is it great to hear Cars Trucks Buses and Sloth? Of course.
Is it great to get Tweezer, Guyute & Fluffhead? Of course.

But does any of that feel as good if the setlist seems like it was picked by throwing darts? Not for me.

The intimate setting and raucous crowd seemed to help, but stretches like Tide Turns>Devotion>Wingsuit>Bittersweet Motel were rough to get through.

Onward and upward to CT & MA this weekend!

I was there, and to my mind, there is clearly something awry with the band -- or at least with Trey -- right now. It's not simply that the song selection and combination was weak, leading to inexplicable dips in energy, because, after all, the band can play whatever they -- or, again, Trey -- want to play. No, the real problem was with the Trey's playing. There were innumerable missed cues, botched landings, awkward transitions, notes missed, riffs started in the wrong key, measures dropped, or added, and so on. Whether or not this matters to you is purely subjective; _that_ is happened is objective fact. For me, and for a lot of people I saw at the venue, this made for a really lackluster and uninspiring show. If you had a great time either in person, or listening in on the streams, I'm really happy for you. Truly. But one of the things that drew me to Phish was the virtuosity and precision of the band, and especially of Trey, and I have not seen much of that in evidence this tour.

I love this band, but to all the wooks or whatever else you are who keep on telling people to behave themselves and blindly say that every show or song they play is great or amazing, I ask what's wrong with you? They aren't playing well at all compared to any of the last few years (especially 2015). That's not interpretation, it's pretty much as factual as it gets. Flubs, slow tempos, and just lack of any flourishes from Trey that are customary (see end of Fluffhead--no guitar work).

Again, love them, but come on--see the writing on the wall. Something is wrong, and hopefully 2016 is not the beginning of the end.

Phishsx78 said:

"It's hard to accept that one's favorite band thinks songs like "Tide Turns", "Friends", " Devotion to a Dream", "The Line", "Wingsuit", "waiting all night", etc are good songs and are worthy of charging $75 to get in the door. I am heeding your advice so have fun holding hands with your fellow concert goers during these all night ballad parties."

What about those of us who happen to think, along with the band, that those are good songs too?

Months back when I first saw that Phish would be playing in Portland while I would be in town my heart skipped a beat. Phish at a small venue? In one of my favorite cities? In Maine? With floor tickets? It all seemed too good to be true! Did the show live up to the hype? For the most part, yes!

Walking into the venue it become immediately apparent that there was not a bad seat in the house. We got up to around the 14th row just in front of Trey. As the crowd filled in so did the heat and the air became thick with with smoke and all the smells one comes to expect at a show. Down went the lights and showtime!!!

It was a welcome surprise to see the Acapaella mic being brought forward. Grind had a soothing effect to start things off and then Cars Trucks Buses kept up the jazzy vibe. I've always enjoyed CTB which held true tonight. Blaze On, Yarmouth Road and Kill Devil Falls were all solid with a special nod to Yarmouth Road which they nailed. The next few songs gave Trey some trouble and flubs persisted throughout the rest of the set. Some of the changes seemed difficult to master on this night which made the choice of My Friend, My Friend a questionable one when it began. My buddy and I asked each other why Trey would want to do this to himself and we settled on him wanting a challenge. Luckily they nailed the My Friend with as good a version as one could ask for these days.

The Heavy Things, 555 and The Line all saw more flubs, but were played with gusto otherwise. It kind of seemed like at this point in the set they were throwing out songs trying to have something take off, but none ever really did. I really enjoyed Things People Do as I've been missing the old Bluegrass tunes making this song a welcome addition. Stash was the clear highlight of the set for me and they nailed this one. Trey's guitar danced around the arena and the jam got deep and massive just before they nailed the peak. All in all a solid if not remarkable first set.

For the second set we decided to move elsewhere. We ended up basically on the far end of the rail on Page side which had loads of room for dancing and was a good 5 degrees cooler than the middle. The sound was also noticeably better. Yay!

From the moment First Tube started it was clear that they were a different band from the previous set. It was rockin! I was especially glad to hear this song since I woke up that morning and immediately had the opening dum, da dum, da dum, da dum in my head. I felt a Tweezer coming next which was the band seemed to feel as well. I feel like of all their classic jam songs Tweezer has improved and evolved the most. They were immediately locked into a thick groove for the song structure itself. I turned to my buddy and said that the sound of the second set seems larger than life. The music was flowing and in the zone. I had a vision of a huge steel engine turning it's gears to the music. The jam itself started out deep and soon got very pretty, sounding more like a Simple jam.

As the jam wound down Trey started strumming the intro gallup to a wonderful, triumphant Guyute. This was a *great* version. I can't recall enjoying one as much since The Great Went. At one point during the song I thought, "this song right now is everything good about Phish." It had classical music elements, 70's prog rock, a Gamehendge vibe all thrown together. Classic Phish.

The Mike's Song that started had a slinky backbeat to it. A bit mellower than usual which was fine because the groove was tight and flowing. A string of slow songs followed that seemed a bit out of place, but were all very well played. The Bittersweet Motel was especially great and to my ears had a Brokedown Palace type vibe. And then out of nowhere came Fluffhead! Woo-hoo! Just like Guyute this was masterfully crafted from start to finish. Amazing that after the first set flubs in the changes they nailed two of their more complex songs in the second set. Never underestimate these guys! Weekapaug followed on the heels of Fluffhead and was the perfect closer as always.

We weren't sure what to expect for the encore, but I doubt anyone saw the Contact coning. Trey mentioned it was a personal request from Mike. A lovely version that had the whole crowd swaying with nostalgia. Then came the Reprise that just about blew the roof off the place. A fantastic second set that I look forward to hearing again very, very soon.

Attended show. Very intimate. Felt like seeing Phish in a high school gym. However, it was hot as balls! Many of us had to retreat from the rink to seek cooler air.

I was surprised by the flow of the set list especially second set. Maybe the band was as hot as we were or they were concerned that if the played a rager half the audience would have a heat stroke.

Personally, My Friend and Wingsuit were highlights. During both songs Trey goes full volume on guitar and with its hollow body nature it tends to feedback. I love this sound and style of playing because it feels like Trey is fighting to control his guitar. The battle that ensues has a Hemingway like quality.

This show is another example of the poor playing that has been the hallmark of this tour so far. Another setlist that looks like big fun on paper, yet doesn't translate to the music itself. I agree with the majority of the posters on here when they say that something feels off about the band this summer. I also agree that it probably isn't internal strife. As someone else points out on here, bands with chemistry issues don't churn out new material at the rate this band has been. I have come to accept (and Trey has touched on this point numerous times in interviews) that bands of this nature need to be playing together constantly in order to maintain the type of quality playing for which Phish is famous. The extended breaks they've been taking make this difficult to say the least, and at their age I don't see it changing. The days of 2-3 major tours every year are over, for better or worse. I'm not angry about the lackluster performances, mind you, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed.

What I am getting annoyed with are the posters throwing a temper tantrum every time a long time fan calls it like they see it. To suggest we don't have the right to critique a show as we see fit is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. Whether your a newbie or a long time fan, if you went to these shows or simply listened to them at home and enjoyed them, well, more power to you. No-one is trying to convince you that you shouldn't be having fun at them or enjoying listening to them. It's just that some of us know that this particular band is capable of so much more than they're dishing out at the moment. I was lucky enough to be a teenager living in New England in the mid 90s when Phish was really picking up momentum. My first show? That epic Sugar bush '94. I was hooked after that, and attended probably 60-70% of the shows they played from 95-00. I realize that we will probably never see them return to that sort of form on any consistent basis, and I truly do try to appreciate each performance on its own merits, and not try to use those epic mid 90s shows as a bench mark. I can forgive a lack of improvisation on some nights. I get it. Inspiration strikes when it strikes. It's not gonna be magic every time. What I have a hard time with is the sloppy playing, and that's something I can't overlook. It's really lame to make vacation plans, buy tickets, book hotels, pay for flights and rental cars, only to see a band that struggles to play their composed material properly.
That said, if your looking for tight playing and mind blowing improvisation, I highly recommend Umphrey's McGee! They're always tight, the music is super complicated, and if Phish played a show these days that had as much T2 jamming as an average UM show does ppl would be losing their minds. Seriously. If your not hip to them, you need to get on it. They NEVER disappoint. It's just varying degrees of awesome. I'll always go to Phish show, and there is nothing quite like catching them on an inspired night. But when I wanna get down to business these days, I go right for the Umph, and never look back.

"Seems like everyone who is either listening or watching from another state have an a awful lot to say. Most of it negative and the ramblings of sour fans whom long for a day that doesn't exist anymore. To all you "phans" please stop buying tickets, please stop clogging these review boards with how unhappy you are with music you didn't get or wanted to get bit instead got something like "Wingsuit" or "Devotion to a Dream""

It's hard to accept that one's favorite band thinks songs like "Tide Turns", "Friends", " Devotion to a Dream", "The Line", "Wingsuit", "waiting all night", etc are good songs and are worthy of charging $75 to get in the door. I am heeding your advice so have fun holding hands with your fellow concert goers during these all night ballad parties.

I didn't see or hear this show. In the spirit of the SPAC3 thread, that qualifies me to talk down to every one who did.

Don't tell me the show sucked. I didn't hear it and I'm telling you it rocked! Phish is the best and they are making America great again!

I'm so thankful that they rake in hundreds of thousands a year just for us! Practice? They don't need to practice. You kidding me? Who does that?

After enough time on the job, your boss doesn't expect you to actually perform, does he? No, of course not. Just mail it in.

The review? Oh yeah...I didn't hear the show but the negativity here just sucks. Let's see....

Grind...CTB...Blaze On...and Heavy Things! The Line!...You know they should play those every night, in my book. I think The Line should open set 2 in Mansfield. Let's really stretch it out boys! It has such potential to be a scorcher.

So tired of jaded vets who don't appreciate what they're doing right now.

it's about process. The process goes like this...They book the venue...you buy the tickets...you show up and go wild and buy a shirt...they try to act like they're 25 for three hours then they pass out on the bus. They do this 20 more times and they've supported their families and we talk about it like it matters.

Trust me. i didn't hear the show. I know what i'm talking about. it was great.

Hot Night, Slow jams, Thick air.

First thing to note: the last time I saw phish was in 1991 in California...http://phish.net/setlists/?d=1991-03-28.

As an early fan that had been on extended hiatus, I can say that the boys have definitely matured. I know that not all of the recent sets have been as deeply laced with slow jams, but this was a fairly low energy night. There's nothing wrong with that, they were just creating good waves of up/down. The room energy was great, everyone getting along(maybe it was too hot to be aggro....), and as full as I've ever seen the CCCC. The lights looked great, who needs lasers when you've got some thick Maine coast fog in the building.

Overall, there were some great little gem moments, including MFMF, which was just so funky!

Fun show

If this were my only show of the summer and I was considering this show in isolation, I would walk away satisfied - not blown away by any improvisational prowess, but happy with an energetic crowd in a small venue, hearing some (fairly) rare tunes that sounded good (if not great).

I had earlier commented on a Wrigley setlist I thought was great - because it seemed a departure from the norm, which was exciting to me. If they were experimenting with different songs in new positions and trying to find a new way to use them to create, I was (and am) all for it. That setlist seems less appealing now given what the past few weeks have held and the concerns of some in the community.

I continue to hope that disjointed setlists are a sign of experimentation. Going back to my original comment - if this were my only show of the year, it would be fine - but this is the first of 8 I get to catch this year and I will be disappointed if the next 7 follow the same pattern as the last few.

As has been noted many times in many places, the thing that makes these guys special is that you never know what you're going to see on any given night. I love bustouts - but as a complement to a tight cohesive presentation of music with improvisational exploration as a core component. The exploration is what keeps me coming back multiple times per tour - not the bustouts.

With respect to the setlist, I don't have much additional to offer beyond what has been stated before... some good tunes, but did not feel cohesive.

Here's to these guys finding a good groove soon.

Seems like everyone who is either listening or watching from another state have an a awful lot to say. Most of it negative and the ramblings of sour fans whom long for a day that doesn't exist anymore. To all you "phans" please stop buying tickets, please stop clogging these review boards with how unhappy you are with music you didn't get or wanted to get bit instead got something like "Wingsuit" or "Devotion to a Dream"

30 or so shows for the year and you just complain. Please, just buy the LIvePhish app put on the '97 tour, close your eyes and live out the rest of your fandom from over there. This show was great, just under 3 hours of all phish, no covers.

So what the jams weren't as deep or exploritory as in years past, that's not happening this tour, get over it. Your negative attitude is cancerous and spreads through the community as people just stand there, hands on hips barely tapping their feet as the songs drift by.

The band does their part but when the audience is filled with negative, sour fans it sucks for the few remaining folks who are just there to enjoy the 3 hours they get, dance and be with the thing we thought everyone loved, but apparently would rather criticize to the point of hatred.

The music may not be barn burning this tour but your shit attitudes are like a hot plate of day old direhhia and frankly suck to be around.

Show 3.9/5

Cars trucks
My friend
Stash
Mikes
Tweezer (ish)

Caveat: I streamed the first set only. For me, the head scratching continues on this tour...

Some gems on paper, but man, the flow was just goofy, or forced, or some combination of the two. And Heavy Things on back to back shows, and it had flubs! Poppy chord change flubs, not composed Gamehendge arpeggio flubs. Curious to see what others say.

I did enjoy listening to the live stream of this show, but the setlist choices were choppy and Trey was not really on it too well. The slowdown during Mike's was weird, but Fluff was a nice treat and there were lots of fun moments during the first set in particular.

One question....is Trey still playing the new guitar? If so....maybe he needs to switch back....just a thought....

To keep it short, there wasn't much jamming in this one. Two composed tunes is in the second set, with shorter tunes. This tour has a different vibe to it, and I feel like the Tide Turns>Devotion>Wingsuit after Mikes sends the message they "hey we know you don't love this but this is what we're doing". The jam in contact makes me scratch my head because its clear they could be going deep every night. Seems as if they're almost moving away from the big type 2 improve. Time will tell where all this goes. Certainly not a bad show but not a must hear.

This was a weird show. Odd song choices, some awkward transitions, some flubbiness and less than inspired playing with almost no flow in the second set. That said, it was not a "bad" show, certainly not like some bad shows I have seen/heard. 4.0 is a B-, and that seems fair to me.

I didn't attend this show but I did attend the 3rd night of SPAC which many people didn't like but I really loved, it was sloppy but the energy was high and the songs/ jams were awesome. So I was pretty excited to hear this show and to be honest... It was mehtacular. Set one was clunky with the highlights being my friend my friend, and cars trucks buses. Set two was much tighter, the mikes> tide turns and bittersweet motel>fluffhead were fantastic but overall they're playing lacked focus and too many flubs and botched changes made the show overall forgettable. Hopefully they shape up for Mansfield and Hartford.

Not impressed . I love this band truly for there Improv, there Jamming, Changing the setlists every show, the segues, and there music of course! But when they basically stop jamming all together where your lucky to hear 1 decent jam a night ? And the setlists have gone to totally random w no effort or thought put into it, it would seem and w a ton of slow ballads forced into each set. And there were a ton of flubs, miscues etc. I don't know what they are shooting for this tour, but if it's not to be a jam band anymore which by definition a jam band jams on songs which phish has almost rarely done this tour then there not really a jam band are they. And they are the best at it don't get me wrong. So why have they stopped ? Now they are starting to turn phish shows into an average rock concert with great lights. I love this band very much but this tour has been mostly a let down a few good shows but this show was a total let down. Yes u can argue that they played ctb, mymy, Tweezer, Fluffhead etc. But when they sound bad n have a ton of flubs n no real jams that does not make it a "Great Show" . Mediocre at best and that's pushing it. I hope this band that I admire very much turns it around n destroys the rest of the tour! But to say I'm nervous about the rest of the tour is an understatement. And yes there's always gonna be negative comments on shows that they didn't play this or its not the same since 97. I am not one of these people. And cannot sit back while certain phans n newbs blow smoke up the band's behind n people on the .net that the shows are awesome and great When cleary they werent, with this show in paticular. Last year was a triumphant tour ! Well balanced n some great jams! But this tour thus far has been for the most part a big disappointment besides a few earlier shows. I hope they turn it around n quit forcing all these slow songs and ballards and expect everyone to cheer n scream to them. And jam maybe more than 1 or 2 songs a nite . Come on guys ! Hoping for better shows on the rest of the tour.

[DISCLAIMERS: A) My recreational Phish listening is comprised almost exclusively of ’97-’98, Dick’s 2012 and Mann 2015, which probably sets my “good show” bell curve unfairly high. B) I’m very much a Jam guy. Give me some – any – type 2 stretch-out improv, and I leave a show smiling and satisfied. If it’s funky jamming, I leave elated with joy]

To all the veteran fans who got shut out last night, you didn’t miss much (in my opinion, of course):

I don’t know what officially qualifies as a “bust-out”, but The Sloth, Bittersweet Motel, Fluffhead and Contact were all fun to hear, and well executed. Aside from that, it was a typical setlist, canned type 1 mini-jams show. Neither the Tweezer nor the Mike’s ever really grew wings.

As an aside, it was crazy hot in there, and some “fan” thought Fish needed a little help playing the drums during Weekapaug. Not sure how or why that was allowed to happen, but I’m grateful he appeared to be the harmless “hey, man” type…. could have been a lot worse.

In accordance with my disclaimer preface, I am admittedly too jam dependent. So be it. As always, I’m very grateful that my favorite band for 27 years of my life is still going at it, and playing very well 99.9% of the time. And those CK5 lights never hurt my eyes.

See you in Mansfield,
~Nigel

Unfortunate to say, but this was one of the worst shows I've seen in a while.

The first set was very fun. Zero complaints although I'm not a fan of The Line.

The second set started well and seemed promising until we saw several flubbed segments of Guyute. The tension between Mike and Trey was palpable in the opening licks of Mike's Song; almost as if Mike is saying ”No". This uninspired Mike's Song led to the lowest energy 2nd set stretch in recent memory. While Fluffhead>Weekapaug attempted to salvage the set, the damage was already done.

Trey let's us know before Contact that Mike requested this one. How you read into that, I'll let your imagination fill in those blanks. The encore was enjoyable to bookend the show with strong performances.

On to the next one.

Weird that this show has THAT rating.

Here's the deal: this is a great show. Why? Because it just is.

Phish could have been like any other band in the world that only plays the fan favorites. They don't. They know they've got a lot of killer tunes and a lot of their fans want to hear as many as they can. Isn't that why you go to Phish shows? You know, I would like to hear Devotion to a Dream, Things People Do, Tide Turns, and Wingsuit. I appreciate this band's evolution and growth. Shouldn't you? I can't stay stuck in the band's past and neither should they.

PXP:

"Grind" - Sounds like their here to have a fun time. Nice tune. I love the a'cappella stuff.
"Cars Trucks Buses" - Very strong, tight jam to fire things up.
"Blaze On" - I prefer a shorter "Blaze On" so this was nice. No issues yet.
"Yarmouth Road" - Great Gordon tune. Always liked it.
"Kill Devil Falls" - Ah, my very first Phish tune. Good introduction, I thought. Saw them on Jimmy Fallon when "Joy'" came out. Great song. This song's jams have yet to disappoint me.
"The Sloth" - A bit of a weaker version, but fun nevertheless.
"Billy Breathes" - I forget this song exists sometimes, but really like it when it's on. It's nice for a show to get to air out a bit. A chill, dreamy song. Oh yeah, you guys hate that don't you?
"My Friend, My Friend" - Love it. Always have. Extremely powerful every time.
"Heavy Things" - I take it you guys don't like "pop" Phish. But wasn't this their biggest chart topper when "Farmhouse" came out? It's a good song. Does that bother you guys?
"555" - Yes, I like "Fuego". A lot. Sue me. Just admit as far as studio albums go, it's very consistent, catchy, jammy, complex, and fun They obviously loved making this record.
"Things People Do" - I love Page's songs. This one is so quick and quirky it's hard to hate. Chill out guys...
"The Line" - Seriously, what's y'all's beef here?
"Stash" - Great piece, great (mellow at times) jam. End of first set.

"First Tube" - Welcome back! Powerful and groovy as can be.
"Tweezer" - Are you happy now?! Jesus...
"Guyute" - Classic tune, although not the best version, I'll admit.
"Mike's Song" - Will never top MSG '95 to me, but nice to hear.
"Tide Turns" - Uh oh, where'd everyone go? I've never had an issue with "Fuego" and "Big Boat" like you guys seem to.
"Devotion to a Dream" - NOW everyone's headed to the bathroom. Not me. Keep going. Jam the dogshit out of it. I LOVE this song. Fuck it, I don't care.
"Wingsuit" - Y'all are still with me on "Wingsuit", right? Damn, this song is good.
"Bittersweet Motel" - I like this song. In and out, that's what's great about this one. Next.
"Fluffhead" - You officially have no reason to complain. Might be my least favorite of the epics, but had fun with it.
"Weekapaug Groove" - Close that gap, baby.

And that my friends, is what she said. End of second set.

-Encore-
"Contact" - Fun as always. Clearly the guys love it. Again, they had fun, did you?
"Tweezer Reprise" - Not before they close it out epic as fuck, that's for sure.

Is it the lack of Bowie, Sky, CDT or Hood that's made you folks hate this show? I'm okay with that. Although I love all of those songs (though I'd say my favorite "epics" are tied up with "The Curtain" and "Reba"), it's nice to get a break every now and then. The jams? They were there, just not where you wanted them I guess. I saw the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2012. One of my favorite bands. I really do love them, and they put on a hell of a show, but it was basically a show of hits. Like the radio was on, but instead I just drove hours out of the way to share one radio with thousands of other people in a hot room where the t-shirts were overpriced. Not ideal. Phish on the other hand, knows the discography and wants to make sure every gets their jams, their bustouts, and their "classics" This show did just that, in my humblest of opinions.

This is one of my favorite shows and I'll defend it forever. Hell, I just ordered the sumbitch on CD (right, "Who the hell is this guy?! Stuck in 1992...")

I can appreciate this band beginning to end, absolutely everything in between. I just hope they give me a Mock Song one day...

This was the last show I went to. In anticipation of Curveball, I read a bunch of my old reviews and I really got a kick out of them.

I remember not really liking this show that much. Weird coincidence, it's been exactly two years ago since this one. Seems like it's been ages.

Scene outside was fine...I remember feeling a little out of place...oh yeah, baby was very young and I drove up from Boston to see the show. There was a coffee truck advertising marijuana sales on the loudspeaker...was there? I remember that. I don't know why they bothered using the loudspeaker, or why they wanted their business affiliated with weed sales (couldn't they get in trouble?). Hit Five Guys pre-show and grabbed some amazing free parking. City of Portland is great. In another life, I'd have more to do with the place.

Venue had REALLY SERIOUS security. I couldn't bring in water, which was a bummer.

Oh! Strangely enough, I ran into the guy that got me into Phish there! Yeah! He was walking up the aisle and boom! I hooked him up with a seat. Nice guy! I can remember the people sitting behind us---a guy with some claim to fame---maybe Trey had noticed him from stage? His girlfriend was with him and she had a beautiful way of moving to the music. She appeared to be fully absorbed. We also met some nice dudes to our side. A guy in rasta colored tie dye...Weird how I can remember people from a crowd at shows.

Anyway...as people have mentioned here, lots of flubs in the show. Little exploration. Didn't really feel like the songs were building up to anything. I wouldn't ever listen to this one again.

I got my first Fluffhead, which was cool. It was also cool that I saw that dude and got to hang out with him. I can remember buying him a beer as he left to chill on shakedown. He had a hotel room near the lot and I remember being jealous that his night was going to go on.

I knew that it would be the last show I'd go to for a while, which made it a bit difficult to hear them play as they did. I did have the amazing experience, though of showing up to the show alone and meeting cool people and having this weird Alpha and Omega thing happen where I saw the dude that started all of this. I knew that this was my last show for a long time (maybe forever).

But now, Curveball is on the horizon! Yeah! That'll be the next time I see the band for a while, too. Can't wait to leave on a better note (weird thing to anticipate, I know).

Many of the reviews already listed sum up this show. Sure, the 2nd set was a bit slow, but all I know is that I had a blast all night.

Some highlights for me :

CTB - Trey rips a solo, great 2nd opener.
Billy Breathes - not perfectly played, but still great to hear
Heavy Things - Nice page and Trey interplay during Trey solo
Stash - Maybe so Maybe not section, at the venue, it got real quiet. You could hear the crowd whispering 'maybe so maybe not'. very cool

Setbreak - During the 1st set, I was watching this guy dance super hard all set. He was having a blast. I went and found him during setbreak and told him i was spying on him raging - him and his GF were cracking up that I called em out.

Tweezer - gets there super fast, nice little concise version. def relistenable

Weekapaug - nice trey soloing

overall - I had a very fun time, met some new friends and sweat A LOT.

In the spirit of the Spac3 thread...let's keep the momentum going.

I didn't see or listen to this show yet so I'm obviously totally qualified to tell all of you that did that you're stupid and need a life.

I'm tired of the hate! Phish is the greatest thing to happen in America, ever! They are making America great again!

I don't need to hear the music. I can tell by the set list that they are killing it and you're all just jaded and ungrateful.

You should be kissing Trey's feet that he rakes in hundreds of thousands of dollars every year...and he does it for you!!

It's so selfish of you to expect him to practice. He has a life too! Does your boss expect you to do your job? Hell no! Once you've put your time in you can just mail it in. Admit it. You know it's true.

Grind was awesome.
Cars Trucks Buses was awesome.
Blaze On was awesome.
It's all awesome! I hope they play the Line every show. It rocks. What a dance party!

The negativity sucks!!

And thanks for the Tweezer. No, really. Thanks for the Tweezer. It was...the second song of the second set. No joke.

But the most important thing is we need lots of folks, like me, who didn't see or hear the show to get on hear and bash all these unthankful, jaded vets who think the band sucks right now. You owe it to them.