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

To begin with, I am almost fifty, have raised three sons to maturity, have three granddaughters, have been a musician all of my life, write music of my own, and have been a rock and roll fan since the day I first heard, as a child, some of that rockabilly stuff playing on WMPS and WHBQ in Memphis. My life span has been parallel with that of rock and roll, and the music has influenced me profoundly. I have been through obsessions with Elvis, Gene Pitney, the Beatles (that was a big one), Led Zeppelin, Three Dog Night, Billy Joel, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Tina Turner, and more recently Pink Floyd (another big one), and now Phish. Now, I've gotta tell you, I was bulldozed into the Phish thing. My son John (twenty-one) wouldn't let it rest! He kept shoving it down my throat.
When I first started listening to the Phish music he played for me, I was not very interested. It sounded like repetitive nonsense to me. It was a time when I had lost rock and roll. I just couldn't follow it. It was really fragmenting into a hundred different categories, because rock bands were so determined to be "unique" and original, most of them being neither. It seemed that everything had been done by the end of the `70s, and the Green Day genre of careless, unemotional, I-don't-care-whether-this-does-anything-for-you rock and roll was making a big entrance. I was jaded and unreceptive. But Phish (and John) won out! Given no real choice, I began to listen and receive.
But it was my first Phish concert that really convinced me. I bravely took four students from my music appreciation class (at the private school where I teach) to the Charlotte concert in fall of `96. I was in awe of Trey's incredible skill on the guitar. His playing revealed a very unique and quixotic personality that smacks of delayed development in the most pleasant and creative way. I was mesmerized by Page's keyboard work. It was on one hand naive and clumsy, and on the other, focused and heart-driven, sometimes revealing measures and measures of hypnotic momentum. Fishman's punky, Animal House style seemed the opposite intellectual extreme and gave a rounding-out effect which saved the group from being too "ozone-layer." And Mikestable, unflappable Mikeplugging away on the harmonies and the basic beat, never giving us a hint of the man behind the bass line. They seemed the perfect ensemble musically and spiritually.
After that I went to the Boston `96 New Year's concert, four concerts in the `97 Summer Tour (that's another story!), the shows in Hampton, VA, in November `97, and the show in Lyon, summer `97. It is this last night to which I hitherto refer.
John, Marie (a German seventeen-year-old whose family relocated to Spartanburg with their business when she was twelve), and I left our dorm in Lyon to head out for the unknown enclave of Americans and a small-venue Phish show in Lyon. We were really psyched! It was Marie's first Phish show. But John and I were coming from huge Phish shows in the U.S. where the individuals on the stage were somewhat impersonal little dots through a haze of smoke and noisy fans.
We came early as all Phish fans know to do.The summer daylight fades very late in France (9:30 PM in July), so we had lots of visual time in the lot. We were not surprised to see people there in the casual organization that Phish fans usually take before a show, but we were somewhat surprised to see that there were so few there. They were clustered under some trees there doing their usual stuff, and being friendly if approached, but not intrusive to others' personal space.
We could hear the soundcheck, but when John, unable to contain his amazement that he was this close to an open door where the elusive four were actually playing something that he might otherwise be barred from hearing, took his place alone by the door to listen, the few authorities there officiously closed the access! So, we decided to find the entrance and camp out there. There were five guys at the entrance from various parts of the Northeast U.S., drinking a little wine and talking about Phish and life in general. That was one of the best parts of the experience. We had time and something in common. They were a little put off by having a mom there at first, I think. I didn't try to assert myself, but as time went on, sitting on the asphalt together, they offered me a swig du vin, and they relaxed about my presence. That was such a special gift to me of which they were probably unaware.
Finally, the doors opened and the excitement built as it always does. Random cheering and unnecessary but habitual hustling for a place in the relatively small line at the unimpressive entrance to this Transbordeur place proceeded in good order: a sort of microcosm of the bigger venues.
Inside, we found to our delight that this was a stand-where-you-please bar place. People learned of each other and the circumstances of being in such a strange place in the summertime. There was lots of smoking and tossing of the hackey-sack. We were almost first in, delayed by queuing up at the wrong door inside, but we found that we could stand right up under the stage. John was ballistic at the prospect of actually being spat upon by Trey in concert! We struck up a conversation with a "granola-type" male of early age who instantly started making protest about the smoking of tobacco in the club. I decided that I would go to the grandstands in back and smoke my one cigarette that I allowed myself. I began feeling out-of-place and decided to stay there for a while and observe. Often, people at Phish concerts think I am "event staff" or a journalist or review writer, so I just go with that. I enjoyed watching the various individuals and their pets and personae parading by me. That is always a spectacle that I enjoy about Phish concerts.
They came out with no fanfare. The concert began with some random reference to "Pierre" of Haagen-Dazs. I was bewildered from the beginning with that, but before the concert was over, Trey revealed the mystery of Pierre. I'm still not sure what it was, but everyone else seemed satisfied that Pierre was cool and it was part of the enigma of many Phish references: random, ironic, humorous nonsense that is fun to figure out.
They began with a low-key version of "PYITE". The familiar music was accessible to all and instantly united us all. Cheers rose as a short, happy jam began. The Latin beat and tinkling piano ended the song quickly, and the band and softly segued into "Prince Caspian". Phish has an uncanny knowledge of "programming." The concerts are often like a long story line, which is followed intuitively by those who know their style. Listening experience is required for the full experience. The melancholy, thoughtful idea of "floating on the waves" was a gentle invitation to join in the fantasy. It was a particularly sweet version. We settled in.
"Ginseng Sullivan" shows the penchant for their eclectic style, never wanting to be pigeonholed. Nashville, step back! It was short and probably threw the uninitiated totally off. Then a funky drum beat introduced "Split Open and Melt". The introduction defied a tonality until the lyrics began. It began normally enough, but as the music progressed past the traditional nontonality of the song, it became evident that the jam had begun. I hear John's delighted "whoo-hoo-hoo!" It's right there on the tape! This pulled me back to standing under the stage. It is wonderful how the coming together of a few elements of organized joy in the music can bring one to such a state of well-being. That jam made tears roll down my face. I don't know why. The immersion of the entire essence of one's being in the communal experience of music and fantasy is a powerful thing that Phish can elicit better than any group I've known. They are not media gods. They are ageless, classless fellows in nonreality. We rocked!
Keeping things slow and relaxed with "Dirt", Phish delayed the real excitement. Trey's sweet, epic guitar plays the lead line of the break while he intersperses little soft vocals underneath. A very short version, it could almost be considered a prelude to "Taste", which crescendos in with that running guitar and dampened cymbal pattern. What good musicians these people are! Their often-apologetic vocals put us all in their league, but never obscure their musicality and heart! In this jam, with its soft, fast underpinnings in the bass and percussion, you can hear the excitement of the entire concert begin to build. Masterful in his guitar solo, Trey takes us to the first level. And Page, alternating between duple and triple meters in the background, adds to the ascent. Good golly, we're off and it feels good! The crowd roars and whistles as the jam comes to its inevitable climax.
Then as Phish does so well, it goes from the sublime to the almost, but not quite ridiculous. The crowd was adoringly polite and receptive as the group broke ranks to come way downstage. I heard myself on the tape laughing aloud as they began an a cappella version of "Sweet Adeline". Now, here is where we have bragging rights at this concert! We were looking up their noses as they sang. Wow! Fishman's dramatic solo brought supportive laughter and applause.
Quickly, the boys manned their former positions and began a bumpy, unphrased, non-continual intro to "Harry Hood". Humorous unpredictability is a definite trademark of Phish programming. Where are we going now? Seemingly, nowhere! Then as we think they have wandered into discombobulated indecision, sounding somewhat like an exhibition of styles and meters, and no one can convincingly boogie, the non-sequitur "Thank you Mr. Minor" makes the conundrum more intense. The experience descends into a very chilled-out guitar and bass duet with a bit of celeste-type diddling on the keyboard. But then you hear it, a gradual perception of building intensity, and you know the jam has begun. It's a code from them to us. There was another mention of Pierre and a corny reference to "AC/DC Baguette" as the little crowd roared!
At the beginning of the second set, they mentioned Pierre again to some surreal synthesizer noises. This gave way to the first watery blurbs of "Down with Disease". This is one of John's favorites, so I was glad to hear it begin. It's a classic, full of "hooks" to grab your memory and keep you wanting more. I love to sing along with this one. But not at this particular concert
The twelve-bar blues shows up with "My Soul". An unusually fast blues song, this one rocked along almost like a ragtime number with its fast-paced piano breaks. And what was that maniacal laugh near the end?
Next, with no break, comes "Cars Trucks and Buses" to give us a bit of jazz-rock. I love it when Phish cools down and plays in a jazzy style. Page's improv alternated between genius and klutz. I love that about his playing, it's always human enough to make him believable. He really revs up at the end playing chord clusters and thickening the texture. This piece is always a bit of ear-hormone to listen totoo fine.
Now when Bè©la Fleck and the others came into things, it got a bit complex to gather up. We didn't know for sure that they were coming. We heard rumors going around of all kinds of guests. Bè©la has played around our parts a lot (the Carolinas), so I recognized his group immediately as they came out, and I was really glad to see them. I can't remember the sequence of things as Fleck and the `Tones appeared. I know Future Man played with Fishman first. This strange-looking gadget that he plays on is past my comprehension. He presents a really good synthesized percussion performance on it. It seems that he can do a thing or two that a primitive trap-set drummer can't do, but I miss the visual, visceral backdrop power of the drummer. And I have never seen anyone who entertains me more than that incredible bass player, Victor Wooten.
In the "You Enjoy Myself" jam, things get much cooler and thicker in texture with this ensemble. The whole thing spins and spins with little bits of competitive, tandem repetition of ideas with variation according to the artist.
"Ghost" was an awesome collaboration for me. The octave-apart vocal harmony in the slow, funky tempo, combined with those "blatty" low-note interjections by the tenor sax and the insistent, popping and slipping bass part by Wooten made for constant just-short-of-hypnosis involvement. The end of this one is a random, noisy "train wreck" of atonal "spastisism" tripping into the first strains of "Poor Heart". Very fast and ultra-traditional, this song simplifies things for everyone, dispelling any mysticism. Jeff Coffin (special guest of the Flecktones) went wild on tenor sax in this one! He was right in front of me freaking out! It broke the mood, for sure! But Phish never lets you rest, do they?
The finale at the end of "Poor Heart" included several themes and endings from other songs, drawing from snippets of Gershwin to an Irish jig, radio jingles to stripper closers, rock and roll knock-off riffs, and ended on a grand vaudevillian final chord. This went on for quite a while as each of the musicians on stage tried to one-up the others. The crowd wouldn't let them get off easy. They continued to insist as long as there was any hope for more music.
Trey called up Pierre to the stage. There were the ubiquitous calls for "Freebird" from the audience, who didn't really know what to expect at this point. They brought this Pierre person out on the stage and sang "Hello My Baby" to him and to us all. That was some hot barbershop stuff! We participated with laughing, whooping support. What a celebration! It was an American island in the middle of France, and we were all acting very American!

I am John H. Davis above, and the first review at the top is my mother. Awesome memories of this show. The jams on the tape are fun, though maybe not amazing given all that we heard from Phish in 1997. But this show is definitely still worth hearing.

And we're back in France for a second go-round this tour. This is kind of a weird show, featuring Pierre, the friendly Häagen-Dazs employee, and a sit-in by Béla Fleck and The Flecktones.

A really rough PYITE starts us off -- this tune was a real rouser by the time Fall came around, but I guess they just didn't have it sorted out earlier in the summer. Caspian is next and it's just odd setlist placement, especially after a rough opener. The question marks continue to pile up with Ginseng (a song that I usually love!), but the set takes a turn for the better with the ensuing Meeeeeeeelt. The only other one of this tour was also in France, two weeks prior. This SOaMelt is a real Jekyll and Hyde version, taking a major mode excursion before breaking back out into more familiar Melt territory. Despite this adventure, it's surprisingly mellow throughout, never really coming to an insane peak -- it just sort of rollicks along. As far as Dirt goes, I *just* listened to it and I have no recollection of hearing it. So yeah, I guess nothing really to report there. Taste is solid for '97, which means it kills overall -- the finish is nailed and it's flawless through and through. I can't really hear Sweet Adeline on this recording though Trey does ask Chris for the strobe lights beforehand I believe. It's the only Adeline on this tour, the first since the one on SSandP (Hamburg), and there have only been four more since this one. The 1C Hood is great, and includes an extended outro with loads of yelling about "AC/DC Baguettes" and other Phishy ridiculousness.

The second set starts off with more hooting and hollering about Pierre, and how should Lyon open up a Ben and Jerry's, Pierre should quit his Häagen-job and work there instead -- before dropping into DWD. This is a nice and solid DWD, but not Jamming Chart worthy or anything. Just some solid, Type I, balls-to-the-wall DWD action, including a nice coda of the jam segment (I love it when they do that -- i.e. when they actually finish the song). Then things get a little strange -- they play 3 consecutive songs that they had played during the previous show. My Soul and CTB aren't anything to fret about, but then the YEM -> Ghost sequence comes along. Right near the tramps segment, the Flecktones make their appearance, and it leads to an unbelievable, chaotic, all-over-the-map jam segment, at one point featuring Mike and Victor on the *same* bass (!), with tons of teases taboot (DWD mini coda!). Now, this isn't my favorite YEM ever, not even close, but the epic novelty of a half hour long dual-core YEM must not go ignored! Check it out! And if you're into this YEM, that's cool, because Ghost picks up right where YEM leaves off -- in fact it's not entirely clear that Ghost has begun even until the vocals start -- and they almost rush through the composed section to the drop, at which point we're back firing on all 8 cylinders through the rest of the tune. (Do pay extra attention to Victor during the tween-verse jamming -- damn he's good at bass, and it's almost like he already knew the song beforehand!) To put the appropriate cherry on this sundae (sorry I can't help it, gotta jam some ice cream references in there), they close the set with a bluegrass tune. It wouldn't be right to bring the Flecktones on stage and not play some bluegrass! This is a long ass Poor Heart (> 8 min!), primarily due to some extended outro jackoffery including some teases that aren't in the show notes above (Free Bird, Rhapsody in Blue, etc.) and some more Pierre yelling, but most importantly, a nice "pass the solo to the left" section in the middle where Mr. Fleck flexes his banjo chops, after which his friends go to town, and a little of the boys showing they're a force to be reckoned with in the bluegrass realm too. [Nerdy aside: this is the only time I can think of that a *guest* has dropped a tease during a *Phish* tune. If you know of another instance, PM me.]

And just when you thought you'd had enough special guest gimmickry, Pierre gets called out on stage for a last hurrah, while the band serenades him with "Hello My Baby" -- those Euro's just *can't* shut up during an a capella tune can they?

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

Well, Mom and I took off to study abroad in France for July 1997 and were lucky enough to have Phish come to visit while we were there. We really had no idea what to expect, having only seen shows in the U.S. A week before the show, we practiced the bus route to Le Transbordeur to check it out. I really couldn't believe they would play in a bar, but it appeared as such. The smallest venue I'd ever seen them in was a medium-sized theater in 1994, and Mom only had experience with coliseum/arena Phish.
The lots were just like any Phish show, except there were only about a hundred people out there. There were no French people, all Americans. Someone told me that many people had jumped off tour after the Italian shows. So there ended up being no more than about three hundred people there.
There were rumors going around the lots that Medeski Martin and Wood, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, and Blues Traveler were all in Europe and that we might get a guest performance. I was pessimistic. I managed to get on front row, which was a first for me. Trey started off the show with a query to the location of Pierre from Haagen Dazs before counting off “PYITE”. (Who's Pierre?) The first few songs of the first set were pretty solid. All the songs had a strange new energy to me. Phish in a bar; the way it was created and meant to be! “Caspian” was pretty in a quiet sort of way, compared to U.S. shows. To me, “Caspian” is one of those songs that depends a lot on mood. I still dislike this song at large shows, but it really did seem to fit the vibe of the smaller show. Instead of the soaring Trey solo, there is a more thoughtful and beautiful guitar solo. And Page had an opportunity to draw out the pre-ending with a delicate “Coil”-like solo.
The “Melt” was the gem of the first set. I had heard that Phish had "funked out," as a friend put it. This “Melt” illustrates that trend quite nicely. I knew something great was in the works when they started off much slower than usual, almost ponderous. Trey bobbed his head and strummed the slow groove with a smile. They kept the slow tempo through to the end. It was almost like hearing a completely new song. My only complaint is that they stopped after about thirteen minutes. The whole room was entrenched in the funk and would have been happy to stay that way for much longer! After twenty-three shows and eight “Melt”s, this remains the most memorable one I've ever seen, mainly because I think “Melt” was meant to be slow and funky.
“Taste” was a good energy builder and got the small group of fans present together with a smile. “Sweet Adeline” (and later, “Amazing Grace”) was one of the songs most improved by the small size of the venue. I was standing right in front of Trey's shoes and could hear each melody line coming from each individual singer. Despite the few yelled requests, the only problem was the multitude of flashing cameras. Trey said, "Chris, if you could just turn on the strobe lights and get 'em back…" Fish sang beautifully.
Like many of the modern ones, the beginning of this “Harry Hood” was fraught with strange sound effects and had minimal playing. The jam segment was pretty and relaxing, as usual. I was hoping that the jam segment would feature a delicate, peaceful interlude, maybe even a silent jam. Trey seemed to be trying to quiet things down, but gave it up for the classic tension-release style, resulting in a very nice “Hood”. Mom thought it was much more than nice, though, as she was almost brought to tears. "You can feel good about Fishman, about Haagen Dazs, about Pierre!" While the band drew out the end of “Harry”, Trey did some quick band introductions (nicknames, of course) and yet another salute to Pierre, and then to "all those people we met in the bar graduating from high school." Then, "You guys like that song ‘AC/DC Baguette’?" It's always nice when the boys are in a good mood.
Second set was a blast. I'm still trying to decide if I like this set so much because I was there, or because it was truly great. The answer to that is "yes!” They came out and explained, after yet another salute to Pierre, that they had all gone to a Haagen-Dazs, "the second-best ice cream in the world," before the show and talked with a guy named Pierre who worked there. Trey expressed his hopes that Pierre would work at Ben & Jerry's when they opened a store in Lyon.
“Down with Disease” opened fast and tight. This is the third song that was vastly improved in a smaller venue. They were just on! At the beginning of the jam segment, Trey almost went directly into a solo instead of the “DWD” riff. He was feeling the flow, as he didn't let up for quite a while. Page was chording along like mad, but Trey was in the spotlight for several minutes before I could pay attention to the Phish instead of just Trey. Trey's intensity spread to the rest of the band resulting in one of the best high-energy “Disease”s I've ever heard. All "Type I" jamming, but fire the whole way. This one's underrated, if you ask me! The energy led right into a fast and upbeat “My Soul”.
“You Enjoy Myself”. Hmmmm…I know some people think that a special guest makes the night twice as good. And others think it just dilutes Phish. Well, je m'en fiche, the rest of this set was incredibly fun!
A very quiet, almost silent jam in the beginning of “YEM”, with complete silence from the crowd, save for a couple of hoots and one cough. Gosh, I love that. Pretty standard beginning, other than that. After a few turns on the tramps, Mike and Trey stepped off and Future Man (Roy Wooten) and Jeff Coffin came out and jumped. They dismounted and out came Béla Fleck and Victor Wooten for a couple of bounces. The energy in the crowd immediately went up a notch or two. And thus began the rest of the set.
After the tramps, the four new additions got a chance to solo. Before too long, Trey introduced the musicians to Pierre. (All stage banter was directed to Pierre.) Future Man had the first solo, joined by "The Greazy Troll" soon after. If you have never seen Future Man, he plays a "synth-ax drumitar," which is an electronic drum set in the shape of a guitar. He designed this thing himself. After a few minutes of drums, Victor (one of the best bassists in the world) "lays it down in Lyon for Pierre." Then Jeff (tenor sax) blew himself apoplectic for a good few minutes. Trey really enjoyed this, smiling at him with that goofy grin. Last, but not least, Béla had his turn on the banjo for a few minutes before Trey joined him.
Trey and Béla stood facing each other and playing off of each other. It looked to me like Béla felt a little intimidated or out of his league, maybe. “YEM” isn't really like any song I've ever heard the Flecktones play. But, much like Mike, Béla has a hard face to read. (Trey seemed to be able to draw Jeff out easier than Béla.) But Trey and Béla did produce a beautiful duet, nevertheless. While this was going on, Victor and Mike joined in, both playing Mike's one fretless bass — Vic behind Mike and reaching around. I wonder if that bothered Mike? He was wearing his usual blank face, though.
After the dueling with Béla, all eight of them went into a very intricate and full-bodied jam. (Eight instruments at once is quite an earful.) This descended into a more dissonant, exploratory jam (Type II) for several minutes, becoming kinda funky. Funky led into “Ghost”, of course, with a smooth key change. At this point, “Ghost” was less than a month old and completely new to my ears. Because of this, I will forever hear a tenor sax in “Ghost”, much like I will always hear the Giant Country Horns on songs like “Suzie” and “Cavern”.
“Ghost” had some pretty unique jamming, as well. Vic and Mike had a nice duel, and I would have to say that Vic is a little better at soloing. Vic started to play the Andy Griffith Show theme when Trey and Mike came back in with the last verse, cutting him off. Oops! The jam started off like most “Ghost” jams, but quickly diverged from the norm when the four Flecktones added their voices. The jam eventually turned toward some really spacey stuff, which is interesting, to say the least, with eight contributors. It was not a very long “Ghost”, relative to what it has now become, but still the most unique one of which I know.
“Poor Heart” came out of the fray. Finally, we get to a song where Béla can shine, and he tore it up! Page also had a go, followed by some excellent saxophone. At the end, each person on stage had the opportunity to play a little solo and pass to the next person. Each member had two or three goes. Trey even started a “Freebird” tease during this jam. Trey ended the set, starting a chant of "Pierre! Pierre! Pierre!" which the crowd took up mightily after the stage cleared.
Upon the band's return for the encore, they asked Pierre to come up onstage, which he did. He was a lanky fellow with long, blond hair and a cigarette. They put him up on one of the monitors and stood around him singing “Ragtime Gal” to him. He didn't know what to think and look quite confused. It was a very good-humored way to end the night.
This show is the most well-rounded show I've seen and also the most fun. There were hardly any bland songs in the whole show, and the three songs with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones are unique and somewhat indescribable. Everyone should give this show a listen. And if you're in Europe when Phish is, it would be worth your while to catch a show!
John H. Davis

A decent summer outing front to back, but the Flecktones drop by for a wild, joyous final movement that's the only must-hear segment of the show as I recall. Yes, the 'tones bring a heaping helping of their trademark cheeseball virtuosity to Phish's sound, but everyone's in on the fun so that's OK. There's enough groovenasty ensemble playing to outweigh Trey's bright ideas (little improvised duets, haha). Not too deep, but worth the download.

An interesting show to say the least. There are some great reviews here already but I thought I'd throw my 2 cents in. 1st set is nothing special, but 2nd set is tons of fun and full of great playing. Taking an average between them, I give 4 stars overall.

I'll also say this feels more like a (wacky) jazz show than a phish show. There is a lot of shenanigans, weird sounds, fast-paced style changes, virtuosic solos/duets/etc, but not as much of the exploratory band improvisation phish is known for. So if all you're looking for is 'type II' jams, this one may not be to your liking. As someone who likes both types of shows though, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

An interesting show to say the least. There are some great reviews here already but I thought I'd throw my 2 cents in. 1st set is nothing special, but 2nd set is tons of fun and full of great playing. Taking an average between them, I give 4 stars overall.

I'll also say this feels more like a (wacky) jazz show than a phish show. There is a lot of shenanigans, weird sounds, fast-paced style changes, virtuosic solos/duets/etc, but not as much of the exploratory band improvisation phish is known for. So if all you're looking for is 'type II' jams, this one may not be to your liking. As someone who likes both types of shows though, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

An interesting show to say the least. There are some great reviews here already but I thought I'd throw my 2 cents in. 1st set is nothing special, but 2nd set is tons of fun and full of great playing. Taking an average between them, I give 4 stars overall.

I'll also say this feels more like a (wacky) jazz show than a phish show. There is a lot of shenanigans, weird sounds, fast-paced style changes, virtuosic solos/duets/etc, but not as much of the exploratory band improvisation phish is known for. So if all you're looking for is 'type II' jams, this one may not be to your liking. As someone who likes both types of shows though, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

SET 1: Punch You in the Eye: Standard. Trey botches some lyrics and laughs it off. >

Prince Caspian: This is a jam charts version but outside of Page’s pretty piano solo I don’t hear much that is noteworthy here.

Ginseng Sullivan: Standard.

Split Open and Melt: Cool, funky intro from Trey. Very funky as the jam opens up too. In the late 6’s – believe it or not – they take this into major chord territory, although it’s kind of brief. Actually, Trey stays in it for a good while, but the rest of the band does not. Works pretty well though! By 9 minutes it’s back to its’ minor chord, dirty, old self. Instead of the typical tension building, this one gets into funk mode around the 11 minute mark. Not too long after this it meanders to the finish line. Kind of disappointing.

Dirt: Gorgeous. Absolutely crushed.

Taste: Page is great in his section. But Trey… Um, I am speechless. That is a clinic. Absolutely murders this one. Jaw on floor. All timer. Crowd is thrilled after this. Wow!!!!!!!!

Sweet Adeline: Standard.

Harry Hood: Severely underrated version. Would highly recommend!! All the banter after the climax is must hear stuff, very funny.

SET 2: Down with Disease: Where’s Pierre? Absolute hell fire, holy machine gun Trey – WOW >

My Soul: Again, hell fire. Not sure what they got into at set break, but it resulted in very, very aggressive playing. >

Cars Trucks Buses: Page crushes it.

You Enjoy Myself: The DWD tease after the first note is super cool. Trey destroys the note, very impressive. Béla Fleck, Jeff Coffin, Roy “Futureman” Wooten, and Victor Wooten show up and the crowd goes nuts! What transpires from here, no need to review. It’s unbelievable, you need to hear it for yourself or if you already, have – perhaps you are due for a refresher. No way to rate this YEM, pure chaos and awesomeness. You must listen to this one. They do catch a nice groove during Jeff Coffin’s piece. During Bela’s piece, the groove Trey and Bela catch together, and the trade off’s is utterly sick. Bela and Trey remain ridiculously hooked up for many minutes in a row. Hard to believe until you hear it, just two amazing musicians that were completely on the same wavelength. ->

Trane To Conamarra Jam: Exceptional, like these guys play together all the time ->

Ghost: On the Relisten app, Ghost doesn’t actually start until about 3:10. Trey counts it off once and then again about 20 seconds later. The Victor/Mike jam is pretty sweet. This just devolves into a ‘noise jam’ and then into >

Poor Heart: Great picking in this one. Lot’s of false endings where everyone gets a solo turn and then Trey leads a Pierre chant. LOL.

ENCORE: Hello My Baby:

Replay Value: Taste, Harry Hood, Down with Disease, You Enjoy Myself, Trane To Conamarra

Summary: Great show! Taste and YEM are all timers but don’t sleep on Hood and DWD! A show I have listened to many times over the years and will continue to revisit. I think the current Phish.net rating of 4.383/5 is right on the money!