Set 1: An unfinished Caspian into NMINML is an intriguing start right off the bat, and that start gets all the more intriguing with a Ghost that escapes the "set 2 jam vehicle goes to Set 1 and loses its Set 2 powers" straitjacket with a glorious (if now slightly familiar at this point) major-key jam that really gives Trey and Page a chance to shine. The rest of this set keeps up with that energetic start, and caps off with a Classic Groove distinguished with the band playing around with the intro to Mike's Song (kinda like the super slowed down 7/22/97-aping version, myself, although the Easy Skankin' version is also fun). Weekapaug will never not be a way to get you pumped up, and ending a first set with it only stokes the fires in hopes for a huge second set.

Did we get that huge second set? Well, if that eye-popping setlist doesn't convince you, let me see if I can do the trick:

1. Kill Devil Falls immediately plants a flag as yet another in the long and storied history of killer 7/31 jams, as the band slowly extricates from the usual KDF rhythm (Page switching up his piano playing, Trey flipping on an effect) and dig into a dark and gnarly space, then Page moves to the organ and pushes things in a more relaxed and contemplative direction (Trey's tone again goes 2.0-ish), before Fish picks up the pace, Trey moves to chords, and they hit on a glorious classic-rock groove. But just when you think the jam is going to peter out, Fish starts working his trusty woodblock and some glorious funkiness enters our lives, and then Trey pushes his way to the front and plays Rock God as the tempo picks up and we get the jam's true peak. So that's a exceptional 23 minute jam to open the proceedings, and as the band puddles into gooey ambiance and the embers of the jam fade away...

2. ...one of the great surprise calls of the past few years comes with Martian Monster batting in the 2 hole, and its usual "instant energy" explosiveness is given a new quality by the instrument switching. It's not quite the most musical thing you'll hear in your life, but rotation jams aren't always such, and the sheer craziness of the proceedings serves both as a throwback to mid-90s Crazy Bastards Phish and a sign that Martian Monster continues to mutate beyond its CTSOTHH boundaries. And, after they've gotten the weirdness out of their system...

3. ...they proceed to leap headfirst into the Pool of Bliss with Twist, which does not take long to move into an utterly *gorgeous* jam with Page on the electric piano and Trey playing some of the most sympathetic notes you'll hear. It's actually a very fine companion piece to the 10/28/14 Twist, finding beauty in lightness where that Twist found beauty in darkness, and it once again shows how much 3.0 Phish can do with 10 minutes. As that jam dies away, Trey hits upon a familiar opening riff...

4. ...and they work into Back on the Train (I think a case for -> could be made there; it's no Tweezer -> BOTT from 7/27/14, but what is?), and the band cranks into a fine version of the tune - note that this is the *breather song* for the set - before Trey makes a great call...

5. ...with a fourth quarter Reba, and this Reba is a match for Shoreline's very strong version (Reba has been *great* the last few years, and a pretty reliable indicator of a strong show, as - 8/2/14 aside - it's shown up in a run of very good-to-classic shows from Reading 2013 to this one), with Trey really going off like it's 1994 again and the band matching him step by step. They're really doing a great job switching up setlists in 2015, and as if to prove that statement...

6. ...we get a closing Bathtub Gin, the first such to follow a Reba in 25 years and the first ever Set 2 closing Gin (I can't believe it either), and this Gin is full of hilarity (Trey somehow squeezing Reba's post-jam whistling into the opening, Page hinting at Reba in his piano playing, a freakin' Guy Forget tease at the 7 minute mark) and musical piss & vinegar (the Classic Gin jam here is absolutely on fire) and is one hell of a way to close out Set 2. Farmhouse > Zero is an encore to which nobody will say no.

Final thoughts: if you think your life is complete without hearing this wonderful show, much like dissing Dre, you're dissing yourself. Don't diss yourself.

Bonus final thought: http://forum.phish.net/forum/permalink/1376081146

Long time fan of the band and this site, finally created an account to make one comment about last night's show because I see nobody else has pointed this out and it is relevant to the observations about the false starts to Mike's Song.

After Rift, Trey made a quick remark, something to the effect of "now we're going to pick up the tempo." He was obviously kidding. Then the guitar was the first instrument to begin Mike's Song. The other band members surely knew where he was headed because the crowd did. And at that point, Fishman played what sounded to me like the beginning of My Sweet One. I took that to be him joking in response to Trey's joke.

There were then a couple other rhythmic sputters to the start of the song but to me it all felt like the band was just being playful in the same way that they can pull off the insanely dexterous feat of whistling Reba while playing Gin.

I'm sure it won't be long before someone who has listened to the recording of last night will confirm or contradict me here, and either way is OK. That was just a point of delight for me last night that stuck with me all the way through to this morning. Looking forward to sharing in the groove again tonight.

The boys took it to another level last night.

They came out of the gates with Caspian, which in 185 shows I had never seen as an opener, but it still didn't change my personal opinion of the song. Being my first show of this tour I was eladed to get a No Men's... A new song thst has amazing energy and got my dancing feet going early after the snoozy start. Ghost is and always will be in my top 5 songs to see live. My crew and I call it getting "Ghost'd" and they certainly gaves us a wonderful combination of slow funk and spontaneous exploration all throughout. The Wedge was clean and fun and kept the good spirited high energy rolling. The Moma came in thick and heavy and the entire crowd seemed to all start dancing a little harder as this set was picking up some serious momentum. How many people came on and while it certainly is not my type of song it didnt slow down the momentum the boys had been acquiring. The rift was sloppy and flubby, yet still shocked and persuaded my soul to ignite. I dont know if that sloppiness carried over into the mikes song, but what for 5 seconds sounded like was going to be an epic disaster, turned into the slowest funkiest Mikes Song intro any Phish fan has ever heard. It was really nice to wind down to the sweet sounds of Hydrogen and then take off into a Weekapaug that was straight fire from the gates closing out a first set that easily smashed my expectations.

Kill Devil got us rolling into the second set, which I was fine with because the song has good energy. Unexpectedly they turned it into a jam vehicle and played hands down the Jam of the night weaving in and out of some transcendent shit. Trwy came out just ready to melt faces. They segued into Martian Monster, which has become a personal favorite. Earlier in the week I had spent close to an hour driving through the foothills of Maine and New Hampshire listening to the Halloween version on repeat. Our trip was anything but short as Mike and Trey played from their backs then Trey went behind Mike to play bass, behind Page to play leys, then behind Fish to play drums. Mike met Trey on the drum kit as Fish picked up the bass. Then Mike went over to Treys guitar and every ma fcka in the building was about blast off. They each got back to their instruments and went into a smooth, slow, funky twist, that I personally felt could have gone longer. But they kicked it into high gear with BOTT and no one missed a single note. Straight heat through and through. During BOTT my buddy and I made a mad dash for the pit, to get a better view, and no one checked our stubs. The Reba was the cleanest Reba I have ever seen, and I do not say this lightly as I have seen over 30 of them. The Rebalope from Gorge 11 was my favorite, byt this was the cleanest. I look at my buddy and say "they better not fuck up the whistle." To my disgust they completely skipped the whistle and started right into bathtub. I was pushing my buddy and so irritated. After the first verse of Bathtub, as only this band can do, there comes the Reba whistle just to stick it in my face that after all of these years they still blow my mind over and over and over again. Bathub was fire all the way through as all 4 members were hearing each other beautifully and just absolutely slaughtering. The whistle kept coming all through the song to further my amazement. Job well done.

Farmhouse came on, again not my favorite, but after that show they couldve come out and played time thrns elastic and I wouldnt have been upset. Character Zero was high energy and got the whole crowd going again one last time before shutting it down at 11pm on the nose.

A complete show through snd through. The first set was beyond ragin for a first set and got everyone excited. The completely segued second set was absolutely perfect and made me so happy. I think this is just the beginning of an absolutely incredible summer. With Jerry's Birthday tonight everyone is anxious to see if Phish is going to swallow their pride and give the fans a Grateful Dead tune. While I am skeptical, I remain hopeful. Cant wait to get back out there and do it all over again.

I just want to say I hope this isn't the final notes on this show. It doesn't even mention Page's teasing of Reba in Gin. Not to mention the fact that Twist is definitely not the only noteworthy jam in there. KDF, Reba and Gin all contend for the green highlight and KDF deserves it for sure. Not to forget the martian monster. The boys were on another level for that set. Just my opinion I guess though.

This was my first Phish concert.

I'd gotten into Phish sometime during 2003. I was going into my senior year of high school and I'd been listening to the Grateful Dead pretty heavily, since they were launching a series of reunion shows of their own at the time. I was completely oblivious to the newer bands--Phish included. I knew about them, but I didn't know exactly what their music was like. It also didn't help that I grew up in a place with people who didn't share the same musical interests, either. Nevertheless, when I heard that Phish was like the Dead, I picked up "Rift" and "A Picture of Nectar" and absolutely fell in love. However, I got into the band too late, as their "final performances" in 2004 dashed any hopes I'd have in seeing them live.

My interest in Phish waned a bit in the wake of the break up. For some reason, I started listening to them again when I started teaching in early 2008. Perhaps I was feeling "nostalgic" even though I was still, for all intents and purposes, a kid myself. While I was rediscovering Phish I had no idea that they were planning a reunion tour. I was ecstatic when I found out about it in October 2008 and entered the lottery for tickets, but my number didn't come up. Still, it was just great to have the band back and to listen to new material from them (Both "Joy" and "Fuego" in my opinion were very nice surprises). I had a newfound appreciation for the group, but moved on to other bands and genres, so I suppose I partly blame myself for not having seen them since their reunion.

Anyway, when I was making plans to see my sister in Atlanta in July and when she told me Phish was playing, I was fortunate enough to get tickets for this show at Aaron's Amphitheatre. I suppose things worked out well: the Dead's reunion shows with Trey earlier in the month got me back into the Dead's stuff. It was inevitable whether I was going to see Phish or not that I'd have given all their albums another spin.

Enough with the preambles, here, though. I saw the show and it was something I didn't expect at all--and I mean that in the most positive way possible. As a phan, I tend to prefer the older stuff from "Junta" through "Hoist," and was expecting to see more of that material be performed. However, I'm glad that it wasn't. Like many of the folks have stated in their review, it was surprising to see them open with "Prince Caspian" and close with "Character Zero." The first set was a killer one, as you couldn't beat "Mike's Song" > "I Am Hydrogen" > "Weekapaug Groove." For me, though, it seemed like it was building up to a gargantuan second set: the 25-minute "Kill Devil Falls" was by far "the" jam of the evening (which was a great springboard for "Martian Monster"), and I was completely blown away by "Reba" and "Bathtub Gin" being played back to back (coincidentally, they are two of my favorites). Padding all this out were the interesting jams for "The Moma Dance" and "Ghost," and I walked away with more of an appreciation from the songs from "Farmhouse."

Seeing Phish in concert after all these years, you just felt like you were apart of something special. I am glad to have "waited" (or procrastinated?) until this tour to catch my first show, as the band really is playing tighter than they have in the previous years. From the looks of it, I must've seen the best show on the whole tour. It doesn't matter, though: it was the best concert I'd ever been to. Period.

What can I say? I look forward to more shows in the future.

Well they really set the bar high for the run with this Friday show. I had lower expectations going in, as the recent southern shows haven't been quite up to par with other highly regarded 3.0 shows.

Caspian was a strange opener to me, it made for a mellow start. I think they were waiting for the place to fill up a bit more. NMINML got it going pretty easily. Ghost kept that momentum growing with an unusual placement in the three hole. Wedge kept me grooving and was followed up strongly by a nice chunky Moma Dance. I could never get tired of that song.

How Many People Are You? is a very enjoyable song to me. However, by the way the set was going I used it as an opportunity to take a leak. Rift was well executed, and got Trey warmed up for a very nice original Mike's Groove.

The start to Mike's Song had everyone loose and highly anticipating the next move. This made for my first Hydrogen which was beautiful to finally hear Trey spit those riffs in person. Paug ends the set on a very high note. Song selection was the key to this set. The Mike's Groove to close was a great choice and foreshadowed even better things to come..

Set 2 was one for the books. I don't think it has been over praised at all. Everything about it, front to back, was truly impressive playing by the band. Every song could be counted as a 'highlight' in my book. During the show I really couldn't get over the fact I was witnessing my first truly legendary Phish show. I was hysterical at times. Huge stupid smile on my face until I was going to sleep that night. They did so much more than what I was expecting and I am so grateful to have been there.

Heres to hoping there's another set up to this quality, but I honestly wouldn't be surprised if there's not. Easily best show of the tour.

"everyone is anxious to see if Phish is going to swallow their pride and give the fans a Grateful Dead tune."

The current manifestation of Phish pays homage to the Dead by writing 'like'' the Dead _Alaska_, and 'playing' like the dead _No Man's_ (or pick your favorite tease).

Terrapin was so cool because it was unexpected; for me, that's what made it great - people were visibly moved.

A cover simply because it's Jerry's birthday, and because Trey did some gigs?

I hope not. I'd rather get Your Pet Cat (unlikely), or a full-blown Dave's Energy Guide.

I don't think you were writing in the pejorative; at least I hope not. I actually like the Dead quite a bit - but I like Phish much more. Sure the band could cover them - they cover the Apples in Stereo (or did). Truly, though, I'd only be interested were the tune carefully selected - maybe like a Sugaree.... Something to match the band's deliberate focus on meter and tempo of late (like last night's Groove).

Seems as though they have too much integrity to simply cover something to satisfy the incessant chatter.

tl;dr
An amazing night of music!
Check out this entire show, with a well-played first half (check out the 'Ghost' and 'Mike', if looking for highlights) and a phenomenal second set that is loaded, with a 20+ minute KDF, a rotation-hungry Monster, a sweet and delicate Twist, and loads of fun between the set-closing Reba and Gin. Totally no-regrets 5/5 at the time, and upon relisten

Relistening to this show from three months ago:

What a show! I hadn't heard much of the newest material except once or twice prior to this two show run I was doing with some friends and some friends of friends (who I would spend most of Magnaball with. such a blast!). Anyway, we ended up on the lawn, Page side, with good views of the stage, and with plenty of space for all of us to dance without running into our neighbors.

The "Caspian" was nice, I thought Trey was going to start into Bittersweet Motel to start the show in a real weird way, but I started reading the Narnia books when i was 6 so I always like getting this song. Also, to be afloat upon the waves would have been better than Hotlanta weather during shakedown street.

Getting "NMINML" as a second song was a treat for me, as I really dig the roc kin' grooves and think the lyrics are pretty funny and almost Dead-like and can speak really well to those in the expansive mindstate. Anyway, I approve (for those who were keeping track of things i approve: NMINML is a thing i approve. As is keeping track of things I approve of, but its kind of weird that others might also be keeping track of those things) Nothing exploratory in this version, but fun!

A first set story with a 3rd song "Ghost" is one I've never been told (sorry...). This particular ghost is pleasant and relaxed, with some nice Trey and Page action at about ten minutes, building gradually before slowing way down and coming to a stop.

"The Wedge" and "Moma Dance" are fun dance tunes for me to get my groove on, so I don't remember much about this part of the show, other than spinning around and shakin it (and jigglin' it) a bit. On the re listen, Wedge is well played.

During the brief pause at the end of the song, I think to myself that Trey sounds pretty great so far this summer, FTW practice and performance seems like it did 'something' for him.

That pause is quite brief as the funky opening to the Dance starts, and I return to the shoulder shake, head bop, and hip groove that everyone in the crowd seems to go to as their default dance move. or maybe that's just me.

Anyway, the first quarter is just straight up 2015 groove funk sound. Relaxed would be the word. Not quite languid or burnt out by the heat, but funky, swampy sounds.

The new Gordon/Murawski song "How Many People Are You" is a nice new way to accelerate. Only the second time they've played it (Phish, I mean, and to crowds - MGB played it many times this summer), the lyrics are Cactus to the bone. How many people like you get caught in the buffer? Trey has a brief solo in the final jam section before the return to the chorus.

The odometer gets pushed down further when Fish starts the opening notes to "Rift." Which has become one of my favorite studio albums by Phish due to the feeling that it has a somewhat organized theme (the dreams/nightmares of an evening), and because I like almost all of the songs off of the album. This particular "Rift" is well-excuted, but nothing particularly noteworthy occurs.

Brief Trey Banter at the end.
"We'd like to pick up the tempo now"

LOL!!!!

The person next to our group asked me what they'd play and I thought they'd joke with us and just slow it waaaay down with a Sleeping Monkey or a Lengthwise. Instead, we got "Mike's Song". They mess around quite a few times, slowing it down, letting Fish go a bit wild once, Trey screaming, starting it with a funk, and then going into it for real. I think they made the right call with this song! No second jam, but fun and makes me wish they had taken this one a bit into space before bringing it back and playin around with filters. Page is groovin', Mike and Fish are keepin' it movin', Trey briefly explores with ideas and sounds. Only my second "Hydrogen" comes next, the first real breather song in a set that goes from funky to rollicking as the sun sets and the temperature cools down! The last notes of Hydrogen go into the "Groove", and its Mike all the way to start this one!

Overall, a fun first set! I probably overuse the words 'funk' and 'groove' to describe it, but that's just what I hear. It's a pleasant sound, and an enjoyable, well-crafted set that's for sure!

The setbreak is a good time to relax and take stock of our surroundings. The people are having fun, drinking, smoking, and carrying on, like they are known to do. After the show, the first thing my new friend Nick will ask is "so who called the 45 minute KDF to open the second set?"

While not quite 45 minutes, this is the most exploratory KDF to date (as 'jamming charts' notes). I had only listened to it once or twice since Magnaball (which has dominated my musicbox), but it's still just as good!

You can hear Trey raring to go, he signals KDF a few times on his guitar before the count off starts. This is the first time I've seen it as a second set opener (it opened the rocking 10/16/10 show), and its great. I am particularly entranced with all of the Mu-tron effects during the "Manteca-like tease", at around 14:00-15:40 minutes into the recording. I've relistened to that section dozens of times since then, and that sound is what got me to go back in the recordings and start looking for other Manteca teases [and other Mu-Tron uses] (thanks phish.net!!!!). And the arena-rock Tweeprize-esque build to that ending! Sick nasty!!! What could possibly come next after that mind melting???

Your spaceship is about to blast off!
I love the Monster, the first time I ever heard it was during NYE, my face melted to the floor and it has since become one of my absolute favorite numbers. It seems like they have a blast playing this one (but when are they not having fun up there??) That hot Trey/Mike guitar quantum entanglement action! I love when they mix it up - it's one of the things that got me into this thing!

> "Twist"
"Woo"! "WOO"! This one gets into a pleasant space groove pretty quickly. Trey is just so oozy that it lays an almost ambient texture, and Fish is so delicate, and it's all just beautiful. So great after 35 minutes of mind melting to open the set. And the build -> BOTT! It seems like Fish is the one to most noticeably have to 'grab on' to the segue, but that's probably just me hearing things that aren't there. Regardless, it's a nice -> !

What train are we getting back on? Touring? Sobriety? Life? a literal train? It probably matters if it does.

-> "Reba"

well played, and made me realize that this set was probably not going to have a breather at any point, which was A-OK with me! Trey plays nice and delicate at points before the jam cuts off.

Bathtub Gin starts off, which is nuts as a second set closer! And then Trey starts whistling Reba! LOL! Great! Enjoy yourself Trey! So many teases during this Gin, beyond the built-in Gershwin tease by Page!
We're all in this together! An euphoric, high energy section in the middle characterizes this Gin, inspiring that feeling of "this is where I'm supposed to be, forever!" and "thank you for validating my life choices!", and capping off a most excellent set from start to finish! As this song was coming to a close I was shouting "Third set!" so I missed Fish quoting KDF and the random scream. There was no way I wanted this night to end, they were on such fire! I had totally forgotten they would play an encore. Thank Icculus for another show tomorrow night, and that tickets were going to be sold at the door. "we're excited we get to come back another night, we hope you'll be there" - I agree, Trey!
A beautiful-to-my-ears "Farmhouse" encore, my first after twelve shows, and one of my favorite phish ballads, a song which makes me so appreciative of the trust, love, and kindness that I experience with my friends in the beautiful extended family this community offers. Followed by the typically arena-rocking "Character Zero," and the knowledge that tomorrow would bring another night of completely new music to jam to!

The walk out of the venue was probably the worst part. We took the wrong exit out of the actual arena, ended up walking an extra thirty minutes around the perimeter of the venue, before getting in the car, having all my smart-phone using friends realize they have no batteries, my dumbphone lacking a GPS, and we lacking directions to our motel. So the entire rest of the evening was pretty horrible, but the show itself was awesome, and I thought it was the best show I'd ever been to at the time. Can't wait to see them again!

History will hopefully be very kind to this show. I recommend everyone take a minute, or 77 and listen to the second set. The highlight of this show should not be the KDF, which was a great jam, but to me time doesn't always equal gold star. The gold star of the show goes to Bathtub Gin.

The band literally made bathtub gin on stage. They took the entire second set, tossed in the tub, and then brought out each of the flavors carefully and humorously to make a wonderful tasting Bathtub Gin. Listen to it you all must laugh.

If you can't appreciate that at least listen carefully to Martian Monster and see if you can tell when the instrument changes take place.

I know this is one of the higher rated shows of this tour, and I dig the Prince Caspian opener and of course I always enjoy Ghost. One other highlight from Set 1 that is missing on the SBD is a Rift tease, I think it was either before or after Moma, but I can't remember exactly when it was. I just know I told my wife Rift was about to play and then it didn't but later it did. I haven't found it while listening to the show from LivePhish.

My first review was of the Austin show, which I posted only in defense of the 46 Dogs, which I still think is one of the better jams of the tour so far. Still, didn't want my only review to be of a two star show.

First set had excellent flow, love the Ghost placement, No Men and How Many People were very hype, and you gotta love Mike's Groove to close the first set, particularly with the now rare Hydrogen. The slow groove intro to Mike's is goofball Trey at his best since the Fee from MPP last year.

I always wondered if and when KDF would make it into the second set, and this version is well worthy of the green ink, somewhat reminiscent of recent "Chalkdust" set two openers. The Twist is the jam of the night for me, simply beautiful. At points it sounds similar to "The Wheel," wonderful interplay between Trey and Page. Other reviewers had mentioned how clean Reba was, and boy was it! A hair slower and seemed to make all the difference, they NAILED it. All of it. Gin closer with Reba teases, what's not to love!

See y'all at Blossom!

Such a mix of fun and beauty is probably forbidden in some states. The “boys” are fifty, and they have fun like teens. From total controlled mess (see Mike's intro, or Martian Monster) to bliss (sublime 1st set Ghost), and adventurous as ever (KDF, which is so “noteworthy” that you don't need to be told, apparently).

You sure blasted off.

Starting thirt minutes early, the unusual choice of Caspian was a harbenger of the great things to come. For the show opener, I think it serves well to play a song like Caspian as a warm up, easing onto stage and into the set. Although i know it's no one's favorite, that song still has a place in my heart from the early days, specifically '96 Hampton.

An early highlight came next with No Men. I think most people are enjoying this one, you can tell the band is. And I wonder, when Trey switches on the new Mutron is everone pumped because it sounds killer or is everyone pumped because it's a nod to the Deads days?

Song after song, evrything worked flawlessly. Even my least favorite of the bunch, The Wedge, was place appropriately early in the first set (never should this be a part of Mike's again, please). And speaking of Mike's....how about a classic full Groove to close things out?! This Mike's aso featured many hillarious false starts. Would we get reggae Mike's? How about swing Mike's...Fuck it lets just do normal aweome Mike's. 2,3,4..

Kill Devil Falls is one of those songs like Ghost that can be a great first set nailer of second set blast off. Tonight we got the latter in a big, big way...I remembered they opened with this back in 2012, a set that would also bring us an awesome Chalkdust->What's The Use...this KDF did all of that ... on it's own!

Martian Monster! And it's a perfect coupling of a funky jam that also allows them to completely fuck off. I mean, one minute Trey and Mike are on the floor doing what must be this century's Landlady dance (bizarre) and the next thing you know Fish is dropping bombs and Mike is playing the Doc?!

Twist and Train were both very good.

And then...REBA!!! Always welcome in the second set. This was a very solid version that instead of ending, turned on it's belly for Bathtub Gin! Before singing began, Trey gave us the whistling end of Reba. And instead of Rhapsody in Blue, Page's pounding was all Reba themed. Simply fantastic!!! This back and forth reminded me of Orange Beach last Summer and the Boogie On Antelope.

I was hoping for Wilson as the encore. Also, I figured that after the show we had just seen ANY song would be awesome...Farmhouse was an odd choice (hence the four instead of five stars) and definitely not what I would have picked. But fine, it still worked and it aslo signaled (along with the early showtime) we would get a double encore. I think we all knew Zero was coming...And MAN....that song just gets more explosive the further back in the show it's placed. As a first set closer, it's an awesome way to say "we will be back". As a second set closer to say "no one can touch us, we are the greatest in the land!". But saved for the encore, Character Zero says "ARE YOU NOT SATISFIED?!?!? HERE IS THE THUNDER!!!"

It's a great time to be a Phish fan. And like Trey said, we get to do it again tonight.

On July 31st, 2015 I woke up at the Hilton in Atlanta, Georgia for the first in a four-night mini tour that would have me see Phish four times in three states.

I had flown in the day before and spent the night out on the town. After quickly breezing through a few trendy bars I ended up at the right place: a small local dive featuring a live blues band. I spent the night shooting pool and washing down the grimy R&B with a constant stream of sweaty Budweiser’s.

For show day it was a subway ride and a shuttle transfer to the amphitheatre on the outskirts of town. Walking through the tree-and-dirt parking lot with a solo cup I soaked in a bit of Shakedown Street and a lot of sun. Inside the venue I was on the floor, crammed in with a thousand others in a sweltering heatbox of jammy rock and roll.

The show started with a Prince Caspian that went mercifully unfinished, and featured a great, groovy midset Ghost. The first set closed with Mike’s>Hydrogen>Weekapaug and soon I was sweating Lim-A-Rita’s.

Second set Bathtub Gin closer pointed out the pool of perspiration that was rising at our ankles with the line, “We all take a bath,” before Character Zero raged things to a close.

The bus/subway combo back to the hotel proved shockingly convenient at the end of the night. Half-starved the only food options to be found in the area was a Hooters and The Hard Rock Cafe. The shorter lineup pointed me to the latter where I unknowingly purchased a $14 Budweiser that came with a ‘free’ souvenir glass.

I would later write to the company to complain and was shocked when the manager of the Atlanta Hard Rock Cafe personally called me at home in Ottawa to discuss the issue. He ended up sending me a $25 gift card.

PS The souvenir glass cracked the third time I washed it.

https://toddmanout.com/

This Twist is extremely powerful. Whole show is amazing, honestly, but something about the Twist speaks to my soul. It has pulled me out of some of the darkest times of my life and given me hope. At only 10 minutes too. Pure joy and euphoria. Give it a listen, then listen to the whole show all the way through. Truly special.

2015 was a standout year for 3.0 Phish. This summer tour was largely consistent with stellar playing, good jams, and unique song choice. I think if there is any tour of the 3.0 era that signified that Phish was really back to peak form, it was Summer 2015. This is probably the first of three truly stand-out shows leading up to Magnaball and its definitely worth the listen, particularly the entirety of set II. Highlights:

1) Ghost: Heavy bliss jamming around 8:00. Solid, upbeat jam with great interplay from everyone. Its sort of a slow but steady building towards a peak, where the volcano oozes with magma rather than erupts. I also love how it crawls towards its conclusion in that slowed down, chunky, thick molasses drudge.

2) *Kill Devil Falls*: Things get different for KDF pretty quickly. It's hard to describe, but its just good groovy energy with lots of space & funk. Multiple moments where Trey riffs on a very catchy theme for a minute or so and then goes searching for something new (in particularly, see around 18 min. Delicious). Everyone here really contributes to the astro soup. This metamorphizing monster finally coalesces at around 20:30. into an insanely epic peak. Godzilla has emerged from the icy depths to make sure we don't end this thing without chaos and devastation. Its gorgeous

3) Martian Monster: I can only imagine the energy of the crowd when the narrator first comes in after that amazing KDF. Hype city! It's worthwhile to seek out video of this one to see some of the antics going on (which aren't completely described in the show notes). Its a fun funky mess and the energy is present throughout the music even without the visual accompaniment

4) Twist: Very good bliss jam, that builds to a mini peak before a decent segue to BOTT

5) Back on the Train: short version, but Trey really shreds and builds a nice peak at ~6:20.

6) *Reba*: Trey's shaping in this version is on point! Patient building to a very gratifying peak. Stellar late set version.

7) *Bathtub Gin*: Nice Reba teases at the beginning. At 5:30, everything gets just groovy and the band is locked in. Trey is feeling the muse and the rest of the band is right there with him. At this point, I think the band is just riding high on the knowledge that they just destroyed this second set. Bravo, Phish!

I had initially rated this show 4-out-of-5 stars, but upon relisten, with some distance from the glow, I've revised that to 3-out-of-5. The setlist is really strong, but 2015 was in some ways a very awkward time for Phish. It seems to me to have been the beginning of the smoothing-over of the variety of jamming styles, except in songs here like Weekapaug Groove and Bathtub Gin that have their own distinctive (usually Type I) jams. The Kill Devil Falls is of course a huge achievement, and features some really interesting use of effects by Trey in particular. No Men in No Man's Land also makes use of his Tru-Tron, which I wish he had continued to use if only in that song. But, aside from not really liking what was introduced with the 10/31/14 songs being put in heavy rotation, the Martian Monster seems to follow a template that is being used all too often in these setlong Crosseyed-fests or Marimba Lumina jams, whereas in earlier Phishtory instrument switching or rotation jams were accomplished a lot more cohesively, as evinced first of all by the songs Acoustic Army and Keyboard Army.