A good time all around. I still don't understand this obsession with 'length of song' that people have. The boys were having a blast and so was everyone around us in our section of the lawn. Feel bad for those insanely critical debbie downers who don't have a good time because Phish didn't play the songs they wanted to hear. WAAAH!

The 1st set took a little while to get grooving, Rift, Cities>Maze is where the fun really starts

A BLISTERing good time 2nd set!!

A good time all around. I still don't understand this obsession with 'length of song' that people have. The boys were having a blast and so was everyone around us in our section of the lawn. Feel bad for those insanely critical debbie downers who don't have a good time because Phish didn't play the songs they wanted to hear. WAAAH!

The 1st set took a little while to get grooving, Rift, Cities>Maze is where the fun really starts

A BLISTERing good time 2nd set!!
Score: 2

I could not agree more!!!! These highly "critical" folks that keep ranting about song length and jammin are driving me nuts. Take the MONSTER 94 memorial show that had 33 songs with a second set that had no song over 8 min other than Fluff..this show is no question a classic Phish show..so please stop basing your criticism off wanting a 98, 10 song set that aint going to happen..and as far as I am concerned, if your not actually at the show...ur review gets half credit!

anyone using the word MEH or EH in the review of spac2 is not seeing clearly. unadulterated FUN is what this band does most times. i agree that the 1st wasnt deer creek or JB but cmon people this band is truly giving love and passion right now. fun show IMO. 3.75/5

I was at the show (credit) and I've been seeing them since 93' (more credit?)........ just bustin balls, but I was at the show in the balcony and that thing was swaying back and forth because the show simply rocked ass!! Yes there were a few jams that got cut a little short, but they made up for it with insane build ups and peaks. Good Times to close the 1st set shredded and the Mikes in the 2nd set rocked incredibly hard, one of the best I have seen. After the 2nd set ended I was running through tunes for the encore trying to figure out what would fit/what they would do and they surprised the hell out of me with Sabotage. The place went bananas!!! Overall just a fun, rocking, raging show. I could go on about the Maze, Bathtub, Disease/Blister, Scent, and others but if you want to hear a rocker, give this show a listen.

I am so blown away by this tour that I literally don't know which show to comment on...or even what to say. I was at all of these, jones beach, worcester...SPAC was magical...crowd at jones beach an interesting mix of douchebags...worcester was an absolute shit show. I guess for future people reading this...you should definitely download and study almost every show of this tour. Absolutely masterful musicianship. I've noticed a lot of the other guys who know what they're talking about on this site have been pretty speechless too.

Now for my actual 'opinions:' Back in the old days before mp3s there used to be these things called cassette tapes that tapers used to make and then they would get circulated. If you didn't go to the show, and you didn't know a taper...and when I first started listening to Phish I was in high school...then you pretty much had no idea what you were missing excluding the gracious reviews on dotnet of course. So the many tapes I did have typically were from '93, '94', '95...and the easiest way to listen to Phish was to actually buy their studio recordings of course. I've owned at one point or another all of their albums. Rift twice, junta twice, lawn boy twice, picture twice...literally wore them out, and bought them again. So I think for the 'jaded vets' out there...it's a little different starting out at 1.0 ...than it is for someone who's first show was '09.

All that being said...I feel like I stepped into a time machine and Phish is crushing like it's '94. The intricacies of their playing are probably lost on the vast majority of the crowd. All these noobs are so 'let down', and the hipsters are 'so dissappointed' because they heard from people that the 'jamming is so weak and always aborted.' These sets are so 'meh'...and these versions are so 'standard.' I'm sorry but a flawless Foam with all of the added complexities is fucking awesome...and I think there is definitely a division between people who just don't get it (posers essentially, not necessarily their fault...they never had to work to be a phish fan...they didn't have to earn anything to pretend to understand Phish...they have everyshow at their fingertips...they never had to blast a shitty AUD on their tape player in their car while all of the passengers cringe at the awful hissing sound.)...division...yes...and the people whose eyes are filled with tears of joy that their favorite band of all time is not only still playing but absolutely destroying, and I can only speak for myself but I've devoted a substantial part of my entire life to this band, and I am sure their are others that can share that sentiment.

Dude...the days of four song sets are OVER. They are back to where they were at the pinnacle of their musicianship, before the thirty minute loops. They are too good to play a repetitive funk jam, everything they play leads into something else, and they don't stop. Musically...they are probably too embarrassed to pull that off anymore...I can't see Trey playing the same three notes for twenty minutes again...I can't see Page playing the same five chords for an hour over a loop...and so on. But if you listen very carefully...you will find the richest jams you've ever heard compositionally obscured (purposely arranged this way I imagine) in the middle of a 'meh standard version aborted jam vehicle.' This tour in my humble opinion is by far the best since 1.0...and they are playing with such a fiery passion, and joking around...quite frankly...I think that it is the best Phish ever. I will always be a harbinger of how awesome the various eras of 1.0 were (very distinct eras...(write that down poser))...but this is the tour I have been waiting for my entire life. I would advise trying to catch some shows, to say the least. The four greatest musicians on the planet, are also quite good at one other thing: fucking with you. The more of a 'jaded vet' you are, the more these pranksters are going to take you for a musical ride. (Insert opening riff to possum) I hope you aren't too 'let down,' and with any luck you might join me in saying Phish is Destroying yet again.

And for all the haters, I hope you had fun at camp bisco and don't forget to catch further while missing Phish at SPAC we look forward to your insightful comments.

Saw the boys a bunch between 91 and 96, but I have only been to a handful of shows since the hiatus and this was my favorite since 12/30-12/31/09. Definitely reminded me in some parts of a 95 show. Pretty much the whole first set and parts of the second brought me back to that era, in the days before spacey jams. Not that those didn't happen. I remember a 94 show in Tucson with a 25 min Tweezer that went way out, but for the most part, back then the band as all about playing tight and having fun. Definitely a throwback show.

Great show, probably because it was my first... My friend got me HUGE into phish, and 2 weeks later, we go to a show. Had such a great time, oh my god. We pushed our way ALL THE WAY UP to the bar at the end of the lawn, being only 15 both of us, and I even jumped the fence before getting shoved backwards by the guard! Great show all around, great music, great people, great band!

HAH! I'm giggly with boner to be the phirst phishead to mention this: there is joyous Smooth Criminal Jam (MJ) right in the middle of 2001. Perhaps Trey was listening to Michael this week? LOL. It's possible I guess? What a tour! This show and every show this phirst leg of summer tour makes me glad glad glad to be a glide. Thank you, PHISH!!!!

Bouncin7

Yo legba223, first off what I wrote was not a review.....I was only responding to another review. I was not at the show, and haven't even gotten past night 1 to listen to it. As far as me not having any show under my belt pre 3.0....sorry Im younger and and from CO. But I don't review shows from years back that I didn't see. That said I have seen enough live music, and put in enough hours of listening to live phish from the past that I think I have some context to draw from...example being my reference to that 94 show. I only have a problem with criticism that doesn't aim at what actually happen, only at what did not happen....and continually pointing out what Phish doesn't do anymore (like a 10 song jammed the fuck out show) is not being critical. Its more like desperately wanting an experience from your past that is gone gone gone....As far as being a dick....I just like talking shit, but in the end its all love, and who fucking knows we might end up next to each other in a future show having a blast....Fuck ON.

I think the reason i was loving this show so much was because Phish my favorite band covered all of my other favorite people too, from the Rolling Stones, to Talking Heads, to Zappa, and Zeppelin! And then to top it all off the Beastie Boys. Like c'mon how could you not appreciate this show.

I'm almost positive the Blister in the Sun theme and the fact that the show or perhaps only encore was dedicated to MCA were purposeful. The Violent Femmes and the Beastie Boys both began with the intent of being part of the early 1980's American hardcore/punk scene. They are the only two bands I can think of from that scene that achieved commercial success and later they toured together. I also found a video of Brian Ritchie from the VFs new band doing a cover of Fight for your right. There may be more to the relationship between the bands idk about.

I'm also quite sure that the Blister in the Sun throughout the Second set was part of a larger theme of fun up-beat songs with corny and/or goofy lyrical songs during second set. BITS is the eptimity of corny upbeat fun and goofy songs of course but also Down With Disease and Boogie on are goofy and corny as is Golden Age. Backwards is perhaps the most corny Phish lyrics and Prince Caspian, while diverging this theme slightly, is for a slow song sort of an upbeat goofy song that builds up to the line with stumps instead of feet. Scent of a Mule lyrics are frankly out there; Mike's Song, while dark at times line "Me no want no nice guy" is obviously sort of out there. Contact too. The Beastie Boys music is sort of like this; upbeat fun with goofy lyrics like "I like my sugar with coffee and cream" or corny like "You got to fight for your right to party."

This would also explain why there wasn't much dark, spacey jamming during second set than many would've liked but frankly I think that was more due to the fact that it was a saturday night during a three-night weekend run. Friday was funky with some nice jams (97-98 like), saturday was more just fun rock and roll (something more like 94 and to a lesser extent 95) and sunday was more laid back and spacey (later 90's, post-hiatus). These seemed fitting to me at least.

Another SPAC attack show! The Phish from Vermont never seem to let down the SPAC crowd. No, there were no 20 minute spacey jams, Type III explorations or outer-worldy mothership connections - but a pure straight out dance party. From a fiery first set romp to a seamless barn burning second set - just a great time. The Mule Duel always seems to get the crowd pumped. Blister in the Sun was a fun tease. IT never felt so good to be with close friends and family at SPAC. My 115th show and last of my Leg I shows is one for the record books. Explosive!

Yo legba223, first off what I wrote was not a review.....I was only responding to another review. I was not at the show, and haven't even gotten past night 1 to listen to it. As far as me not having any show under my belt pre 3.0....sorry Im younger and and from CO. But I don't review shows from years back that I didn't see. That said I have seen enough live music, and put in enough hours of listening to live phish from the past that I think I have some context to draw from...example being my reference to that 94 show. I only have a problem with criticism that doesn't aim at what actually happen, only at what did not happen....and continually pointing out what Phish doesn't do anymore (like a 10 song jammed the fuck out show) is not being critical. Its more like desperately wanting an experience from your past that is gone gone gone....As far as being a dick....I just like talking shit, but in the end its all love, and who fucking knows we might end up next to each other in a future show having a blast....Fuck ON.

Oh man, two completely opposite sets here. Set 1 is the epitome of "eh" but set 2? Oh man.

Start with Disease -> Blister. This is amazing, and not just for the novelty of Blister being busted out. Disease had a great jam to it, worth a listen.

Boogie was also good. I would've enjoyed a longer version (Who wouldn't?) But it was good for what it was. This takes us into Golden Age which was *phenomenal*.

Slightly above readings of 2001 and Backwards follow. Caspian is Caspian, nuff said.

But the highlight of the night? Mule. Yes, Scent of a Fucking Mule was the best song of the night. That's not to say the show was meh enough for it to happen, but this version was great! Page was on fire tonight, and where else would this show? (Maze in set 1? Ok, maybe the first didn't wasn't without highlights) But man did he bring the thunder. How could Trey answer for his part of the duel? More Blister! We were all happy to hear that.

Then yes, Mike's > Contact > Groove. Mike's was jammed sufficiently, Contact was as happy as ever, and Weekapaug was bangin' (To use an outdated slang).

Sabotage proves Phish isn't a Hiphop group, and that fact doesn't stop them from rocking out in such a fun way.

But the fact remains this amazing set 2 is brought down by it's slightly older brother set 1. Still, I'll take the amazing with the eh any day of the week.

Also! Tires are the things on your jam that make contact with the groove.

On July 7th, 2012 I woke up in a Hilton Garden Inn or a Holiday Inn or some such place in Saratoga Springs, following a night of Phish at the wonderful Saratoga Performing Arts Center and anticipating two more nights of the same (but different). And speaking (parenthetically) of “different”, I’d had a bit of an odd experience throughout the night when one of the people m’lady and I were sharing a room with accidentally crawled into the wrong bed after a bathroom break and snuggled up to me for a hug.

But that’s a story I’ve shared elsewhere so here’s another:

Following our pre-set plans for the weekend m’lady and I changed rooms (I insist this had nothing to do with the snafu I just alluded to). I’m pretty sure we were only able to book a room for the last two nights which is why we’d bunked down with Bernie and his girlfriend on night one. Anyways, m’lady and I checked into the new room and dropped our bags on the bed. I got to beering the fridge when a knock came at the door. “That must be Linda and Mike,” m’lady accurately predicted, opening the door and greeting her two long lost Phish friends who would be sharing the room with us for the remainder of the weekend. “Hi!” I blurted, bounding to the door and introducing myself. “Who wants a beer!”

“I’ll have one,” answered Mike. I eagerly snatched two bottles out of the fridge. Turns out they weren’t twisties but that was no problem, I knew a little trick. I angled one beer upside down so the lip of its cap was leveraged under the lip of the beercap I was intending to open. Then I gave one bottle a quick jerk with the other and voilà!

All hell broke loose.

(I’d like to quickly interject that I have since learned that it is crucial that one hooks the side and not the edge of the leveraging beercap underneath the targeted beercap. In fact, this was pretty much the very moment that I figured out this very important detail but alas, all hell had to break loose for me to learn it.)

Because I was leveraging one edge against another it was basically a 50-50 split on which cap would come off. It was like wishing on a wishbone, and I lost. To wit: when the cap of the leveraging bottle unexpectedly came off, the quick jerking motion I’d added gave just the right shake to the bottle to cause the carbonated contents inside to spray directly upwards and into my shocked face like I was staring down a water hose. The gushing beer careened off of my surprised face and into the surprised moustachioed face of Mike, who was standing right next to me, before continuing on to spray the ceiling and spatter the walls. Half-blind with foam-covered glasses I thrust the still unopened target beer towards Mike. “Perhaps you have a bottle opener?” I suggested, my face and hair drenched and dripping. I’m all about first impressions.

Amazingly, m’lady and I have gone on to share hotel rooms with Mike and Linda several times since then.

Getting to the Phish concert, once the show began deep in the forested Saratoga Springs State Park we were treated to another cover-laden night of groovy, dance-a-licious fun. They opened the show with their barbershop musical life-count tally Grind before continuing with a set that consisted almost entirely of personal favourites of mine: Possum>Golgi, Moma Dance, Torn and Frayed, Rift, Cities>Maze, Lawn Boy, Peaches, Bathtub Gin, and Good Times Bad Times.

You can’t argue with that!

And believe it or don’t, once the second set started the show got even better! Down With Disease went into Blister In the Sun and then went back into itself again before morphing into Boogie On Reggae Woman. In fact, the whole second set was one big unending stream of music, as the band went into-into-into through 2001, Mike’s, Contact, Backwards Down the Number Line, and another tear halfway through Blister In the Sun. And tons more of course.

And then – are you sitting down? – for the encore Phish played Sabotage for the fifth (and as of this writing, final) time, dedicating the song to Adam Yauch who had passed away two months earlier. Not to cast mirth after sombre, but Sabotage seemed like a perfect cap to my error-riddled day (pun intended, of course).

I can’t stand rockin’ when I’m in this place

Because I feel disgrace because you’re all in my face…

And I can’t even begin to tell you about all the aftershow shenanigoats.

https://toddmanout.com/

Is Torn and Frayed a template for 46 Days? Is that why the names of the songs rhyme? As far as I can tell it's very similar in terms of chord structure and where the song breaks for solos. I'm not concerned about this, they're both great songs but it seems like the band wanted a song structured like this for a showstopper.

Is Torn and Frayed a template for 46 Days? Is that why the names of the songs rhyme? As far as I can tell it's very similar in terms of chord structure and where the song breaks for solos. I'm not concerned about this, they're both great songs but it seems like wanted a song structured like this for a showstopper.

i was at this show, have to say this was definitely one of the weakest shows of leg 1 imo. basically all jams were cut real short. nothin ever really materialized like the sneakin sally from night 1 or piper from nite 3 for example.

1st set, meh

2nd set, uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh fuck yah.

encore: the closest we'll ever get to seeing a mosh pit at a phish show?

... but I especially frickin' love this show because I was there ... ***

I don't like when people do like to talk shit about this show. It was sloppy at times, but I especially because I was there I frickin' love this show. The "Blister in the Sun" themed second set was mad fun, and the tune itself was one I had completely forgotten about after hearing it a few times years ago; it had completely vanished from my mind until that show and it was a huge sort of blast from the past for my memory musically. I've heard people say that "the only damn thing good about this show was 'Scent of a Mule'", and, needless to say, I disagree with them immensely. This version of "Mule"really is fun though, Mike's voice manipulation in sounding female never gets old. I'll never forget any show of any artist I've ever been to, but this one'll always hold a significant space for me personally. My buddies Kev, Jesse and I rode up to Troy, NY, on the 6th and stayed with another hometown buddy that goes to RPI and lives tehre year-round. We wanted to see the show on the 6th and all seemed to have the cash (surprisingly) to do so, but encountered a festive frat party our friend Zach brought us to so we decided to stay. Despite our hangovers we got up early the next morning and made our way to Saratoga Springs to pitch a tent at Lee's Park. I remember the campground being only a couple miles from SPAC, and had already been housing (or homing) a gargantuan amount of show-goers for the previous night or two. It was a great frickin' weekend, I'd be more of a music analyst, as some people are here on .net, but I like telling the story a little more I guess ... Not to say I don't know music intricately or consider myself able to review the show from a musically analytical perspective, but the experience itself is more important to me is all I'd say. I also don't like when people say they didn't enjoy the last song of the night because I really liked the "Sabotage" encore and was wildly pumped on the lawn there when it made its appearance. SPAC's a great venue for Phish, hopefully they'll make a return to the spot for Summer 2013; if they do, I'm nabbing tickets for the pavilion.

I was in Canada during this three night run, a lot of my local friends went and said that the entire run was amazing. I was excited regarding the fact my best friend was finally able to see his first Phish show. He has been a fan of Phish for over twenty years, have seen Trey but never got the entire package of seeing Phish live. We conviced him to go and he did and loved it. I do miss SPAC it was in my backyard growing up and have love for the venue and the location of the area. Hope all who went enjoyed themselves and had a great time.

i missed the first night at SPAC but caught saturday and sunday, and i have to say this show was special. I was more pumped for this one as i though sunday's could be a little anti climatic. I was also at the july 3 jones show .. F skin it back .. i mean really !?!? anyway the second set of this show was pure money. jamming Blister in and out of the set was just so old school Phuck you we can do this if we want and we will .. just perfect blend of jedi skills. Contact nestled inside Mikes/weekapaug gave me chills ! and of course finally the props to MCA and Beasties in the state of NY via sabotage ..which sounded like a garage band rehersal ...but shouldn't it !!

That Peaches blew me away.
Blister teases had me laughing pretty hard.

I have to say I wasn't too impressed with this show while I was there. I did very much enjoy the last half of the first set, and the Blister in the Sun stuff was definitely cool. Also, Scent of a Mule was absolutely bonkers. However, at the show I couldn't help but be underwhelmed by a lot of the second set choices. I must say though, now that I have relistened to this show, I enjoy it much more. Perhaps I was a bit tired at the show, but upon relistening I really enjoy this one. That being said, Night 1 and Night 3 still beat it out significantly. But hey, that's some pretty stiff competition. Overall SPAC was an amazing run, and if this is considered a weak show compared to the other two, I don't know how this run couldn't be in the running for the best run of 3.0 thus far.

Attended this show,and though the show was decent i came away feeling a big diappointed. They dropped several jam vehicles second set but nothing materialized out of them. especially when golden age hit i thought here we go but once again as has been the theme over the past few shows it was cut short. my highlights were torn and frayed because i personally love that song, peaches into gin provided another highlight of the evening. other than that this show was no match for the shows they were dropping night after night earlier this tour. Hate to be a downer but i'm just being real. once again this is just one man's opinion thats all. all that being said i will be listening intently to the show tonight and hope to hear the magic that most of this tour has showcased.

Over all a pretty good night. Set was was "meh" the first half was so so and was saved by a much bettet second half. Highlights were on torn n frayed and cities>maze.
Set two was a lot of fun. Def made the show. The band had fun the crowd had fun. Cant wait for night three

hey custynoob, as far as im concerned if you havent been to any show before 2009, ur review gets no credit. what is the basis for comparison? the shows you saw last year or the year before? or just any music in general? i know that phish is better than any band out there, i dont need somebody to tell me that there's a difference between being there and not. i dont enjoy being a dick like this but it's frustrating reading a review like yours. just know there are fans who can hear a show and put it in perspective, w/o being there. anyway my time with them has come and gone, and this is your time, i hope you have great experiences like i did. stay humble and keep an open mind. i think we can both agree that no matter if its `94 or `12, phish is the be all end all when it comes to live music

Thought the 1st set was great. Gin was longer than usual. Maze was tight. Both those were standouts for me.

2nd set was weak sauce though. Guess they decided volume of songs trumped jammage. Lots of mistakes.. Seemed like they were not all on the same page.