amazing show. tube was sick. caspian raged. and then set 2... just a proper set of phish. nice ghost into an absolutely ripping ruby waves. hose city--the whole band was playing with such intention. just continued to ramp up the intensity even when it seemed to be at its peak. extremely efficient improvisation as well; 25+ mins and not a minute wasted. must listen

then a jammed mfmf as well as a little bonus treat. incredible.

A few thoughts….

I have seen shows in each era, several shows since the resurrection, and this is my second 4.0 show. In my opinion, right now may be the best they have ever sounded and hear is why I think that…

- You can hear Mike much more clearly, his tone and place in the mix are markedly improved.
- They’ve been listening to old performances you can tell… I heard ‘94, ‘97, ‘98, ‘99.
- Trey is using the low synth tone far less and his place in the mix is far more balanced. I heard ambient style jams and nostalgic tones!
- There were meetings, things were confronted and modified. Big changes and a lot of intention are what I witnessed.
- They are not taking this 40th anniversary lightly. They are out there fighting for it.

I feel overjoyed. If you are a Phish fan, go see a show and witness history because this tour is going down in it. The band and crew are on fire!

This was my second show, a couple weeks after I turned 18. There were some really nice jams like Ghost and Ruby Waves. Got some nice dance moves from Trey on First Tube. I really enjoyed Page on Undermind and And Flew Away specifically; I was quite surprised of what a turn Undermind could take. During Possum, it looked as if Mike somehow ended up behind from the other members which caused him to skip a line to get back on track. I liked the extended Roggae intro since Trey's guitar was out of tune. I had my brother throw glowsticks at a 7-ft tall Tom Hanks that kept blocking us during First Tube...see video on YouTube soon. Not the most detailed review, but all I can say is that I give the stamp of approval.

This was my first show in 27 years. Crazy right? I saw a ton of shows from 93-96 and then hopped off the train...for a long time. I have got to admit, my expectations were low for this show because I wasn't sure if I would even know any of their new stuff but I had heard that they bring it for Alpharetta so I was up for anything. Boy was I surprised. The crowd was amazing, the lights were so trippy and the music...well, I was sucked right back in. For me, the end of the 1st set jammed with Roggae and Undermind - I really got my groove on and that was the first time I had ever heard those songs. But Prince Caspian! Oh the memories, I almost started crying. They really brought back my young adulthood in so many ways. The 2nd set was rocked and MFMF was the pinnacle for me. Incredible jam and I was enjoying it fully. I am sure my review isn't very in-depth musically but all I can say is that They are still the Phish I used to know and I am officially back on the TRAIN. Damn, 40 years of this and still rocking. These guys are legends.

SET 1: Kill Devil Falls: Good opener, happy to see it in this slot.

Theme From the Bottom: Really like Theme in this slot. Well played. >

No Men In No Man's Land: Good stuff, again love the placement and how this setlist is being constructed. Page’s piece is nice and funky. Very engaging jam would have loved this live – tons of energy. Trey’s trilling at the end is fun. LOL at the architecture and fan banter, very funny.

Axilla (Part II) – Did they write this setlist out – because it feels like it. Another perfect song for the first set. >

Tube: Nice! More Your Pet Cat teases in the late 3’s and early 4’s. It goes major mode directly after this. Back to the darkness where it belongs in the mid 7’s. Some effects and a ripping solo later and we can safely say this was a very fun Tube. Nicely done. >

Roggae: Trey absolutely tears this one a new one, very impressive – this was awesome!

Undermind: Impressive work from Page on the baby grand! Trey gives his part a proper ripping. Fish crushes the ending. >

Prince Caspian: For a split second this sounded like it was going to be Carini. Tons of effects and some fire from Trey. Good set closer.

SET 2: Ghost: Really good, intense playing through about the 9 minute mark which then flips to an upbeat, major mode. Spends some time there and then the rest, a very good bit is effects and pedals. Not my bag but I am sure many loved it. >

Ruby Waves: Pretty typical up through about ten and half where this takes a hard left turn. It gets dark and dissonant. You can even hear Mike! He has that fat meatball tone going. This nightmarish soundscape sounds like something out of a modern day SOAMelt. Trey teasing around with Soul Planet stuff in the early 13’s and then this effectively breaks the hold of the dark jam. The next ten minutes are a bliss jam that builds towards a big peak that sounds like so many that have come before it. I bet many people loved this jam.

...And Flew Away: This sure sounds a lot like FYF in the intro. This is sort of a two part song. I though it was over and then they kind of go into a different section I guess. Not a fan of this one.

My Friend, My Friend: Pretty, pretty freakin’ cool. Easily the longest version. Stays sinister and dark – true to its nature. Well done Phish, would highly recommend this. >

First Tube: Standard.

ENCORE:

If I Could: Broadway Trey makes an appearance – not too over the top though. Used to love this tune. Just don’t care for the new arrangement. Maybe it’s not even a new arrangement, but the lack of a big solo at the end in favor of going quietly into the night – it’s not for me.

Possum: Standard.

Summary: Thought the first set was really good. Broadway Trey was nowhere to be seen and he was playing his guitar for the most part. The effects that he did use were mostly tasteful and kept in check. Good second set for sure. They are getting in the groove here in the third show of the tour. I would rate this as a 3.9 out of 5.

Replay Value: Tube, Roggae, My Friend, My Friend