Full review from me

Mini review: amazing 1st set with no slow points. 2nd set had great playing and great jams, if a little disjointed near the end. Sand, ER, CDT, and Caspian were all fantastic. They nailed Foam!
Lots of great synth work out of Page, and Fish is having fun with his samples.

(Writing up in retrospect to 2021 from the next year).

This show is absurdly great, if a tad bit uneven in the last quarter stretch. Phish are clearly cruising on the steam from the night prior and bring us yet another all-timer jam in only their third appearance in 2021. But first thing's first: this first set opens up properly with Sand. A groove-infested pedestrian jam leads us to Everything's Right. ER has proven to be a premier jamming vehicle since its debut nearly 4 years prior (from this show), and this one proves no different. Straight away, only 2 songs into their third show, ER gives us a taste of what's yet to come. Lots of different effects and synths are utilized to their fullest capacity, and roughly 16 minutes in, things die down. But that's no problem because for 2021 Phish, this is second-nature. It probably came just as natural as breathing. The rest of the set is fine, and surprisingly no ballad/slow number to think of and Stash and Gin close things out properly. Stash is played exceptionally well. Again, I think we take songs like Stash for granted because we've heard it so much over the years, but this song is not easy to perform at all. There are so many intricate nuances and cues in the song proper that it would be easy for performers even at Phish's level to miss some steps. But this one has only minor flubs. Can't even tell it had been technically shelved for over a year.

Now onto the meat of the show. CDT is the big takeaway jam and it's one of those jams that's always left me scratching my head since hearing it the first time. It clocks in at 26 minutes, bettered in length only by the Randall's '14 CDT. And yet, every time I listen to this one, it's over before I even realize it. There aren't really a lot of different movements in this one, and it basically plays on the same/similar themes for the first 22 minutes. 22 minutes of pure unadulterated musical joy; the type of jam to have you snapping or tapping your foot along with a smile across your face. The last couple minutes, like the Carini from the night before (a similar styled jam) build up to a big crescendo and we're left lifted off our collective feet, minds equally blown. Another observation regarding this one is that Trey and Page are very restrained in their new effects/synths here until the very end when they're used ever so gently. This jam proves to me that if you stripped Phish of their new sounds, underneath it all, this jam is not only possible but entirely plausible.

Up next in the opening triptych is Steam>Caspian. Steam is a nice breather; the proverbial cigarette after such an intense experience the song prior. But Caspian. Let's talk about how this Caspian packs almost as much a punch as the ER in the first set. Firstly, Trey and Page are not restrained at all in using their new toys. And the result is an almost dissident-sounding jam which gives us (or me, at least) a much different feeling than the carefree lyrics would have us feeling. To put it shortly, if you're going to listen to the CDT, you need to tack on the Steam>Caspian. Well, after 45-ish minutes of some of the most thrilling Phish in 3.0/4.0, we get a Golgi, Bag, and Shade. All well deserved, and (again) surprisingly polished-sounding. Mike's>Silent>Weekapaug sends us off happy.

I'm feeling a solid 4-4.2/5 on this one. It's insanely well-played, but I have to account for some set list oddities in the back end. Still well worth giving 2.5 hours of your time for.

Great 1st four run to get the place sizzling. Stash jam was great. Gin was good to hear but I didn’t feel they clicked in the jam. Chalkdust continued where Stash left off and took it all the way. Caspian Golgi AC/DC bag was another good run. Band and crowd were having a great time. I personally enjoy LBTD. Very beautiful guitar that ramps up with emotion. Cavern always welcome.

This is a great show, worthy of a download on your favorite source for such things.

My wife and I took the waaay back of the lawn, Page side. The sound, sight lines, and atmosphere were on-point.

As for the the music: it’s good. Damn good. The band is tuned in and hitting all cylinders despite only being 3 shows into a tour after a very long hiatus.

I won’t go into too many details on each song, however some highlights: Everything’s right has a nice winding, happy jam. Maze is fierce and a bit angry, as we expect. Stash is a great offering.

Much will be said about the CDT, and right rightfully so. It’s a jam beast with many twists, while staying generally happy. The stash and caspian that follows are solid.

Several others commented about the “weird” placement of Golgi, AC/DC, and Shade. As an old vet, all I can say is the following: the sooner you realize that the band is out there to make themselves happy, the better. They play what feels right, and what makes them happy. The benefit for those of us listening: unleashed creativity that, more often than not, feels right too. Golgi in the second frame? F’yeah. I will sing and show my stub whenever you want to see it.

This show is great. Full stop.

Yeah. Keep it coming boys and bummer re lack of glow sticks. The best part of this show was my friends complete satisfaction, qualified with ‘this is the best show ever’. Of course it wasn’t, but that’s the beauty. He had a blast. And to him it was the best ever (with a little help). It’s nice to enjoy a show with no thought on song choice, length, location, quality, etc etc etc. just being with new and old friends, dancing hard and singing together in the Shade.
yeeeeaaaahhh.

In a review of Dick’s 3 I said that show should be in the running for best of tour. I stand by this thought but would now slightly amend the list of other shows. Since it is not possible to edit reviews after posting, here is the revised Top 5 shows of Summer Tour 2021, in chronological order: Alpharetta 1, Deer Creek 1, Hershey 2, Shoreline 2, and Dick’s 3. Now, on to a review of this show.

The first set begins with a 1-2 punch, as a big rock version of Sand is followed by an ER that serves fair warning the band means business. A mellow jam dissolves into alien goo, out of which emerges a lovely soaring peak. Later, there is a second interesting pairing when Foam comes close on the heels of Destiny Unbound.

Maze and Stash both feature classic first set jams. While Trey builds a noteworthy solo in Maze, it is Stash that really showcases how well the band is playing their older compositions. The set concludes after a short but sweet and spicy Gin is put through its paces.

Chalk Dust launches the second set into outer space on the back of a Fish beat that just won’t quit. Having achieved weightlessness, Steam drifts down to Earth before Caspian catches a monster wave and rides it back to shore. Listen once, then listen again: these three songs are some of Phish at their best.

Golgi and AC/DC keep the party going before Shade cools things down for a few minutes. The Mike’s Song that follows is on the brief side, but features some excellent interplay between Page and Trey, as well as the concluding section that usually leads into Hydrogen. Except, in this case, a joyful Silent in the Morning gives way to Weekapaug, which takes another Fish boogie beat out for a ride before bringing the second set curtain down. The band then returns to send folks home with a soulful Life Beyond the Dream and a rocking Cavern.

The first set is one of the best of the tour so far, sand and everything's right started off strong, dance party in turtle and the clouds followed by a suite of well played classics. Stash and Gin both had great type 1 improv. Set two started off strong but definitely got a little song heavy. Brought a bunch of noobs to this show and they had a great time. Moment of the night for me was the guy next to me who leaned over during the stash and said I was "putting on a clinic" for all my noob friends. LOL Second night was what hooked them all though.

The first of the two Alpharetta shows was quite the show to be in attendance for, and showed that 4.0 was off to a roaring start.

Sand opens the show, and is one hell of a way to start the first set. Though your typical first set Sand, it is a great song to get the entire place moving. Everything's Right is next, and this one gets improvisational quickly. It gets to some nice territory, keeping the energy high. Turtle in the Clouds and Maze, while standard, are very high energy versions that keep the energy going. Refusing to cool down, Destiny Unbound and Foam make for even more fun. Up next is one of my personal favorites in Stash, and this version is excellent. Even though it is not long, it manages to pack a lot in its duration, keeping the high energy that had ben fostered by the rest of the set. Bathtub Gin, another one of my personal favorites, closes the set in fiery fashion. Ultimately, an outstanding first set.

With how exciting and great the first set was, the second set had big shoes to fill. Chalk Dust starts the set, and this one out of the gates gets improvisational. While not the best version of Chalk Dust out there, it covers a lot of ground and makes for an entertaining set opener and one of the longest versions of the song to date. Steam comes next, as it tends to do after improvisational behemoths like that. It is a good song and is always welcome to hear. Prince Caspian comes after, and this is a good version of a song I always really enjoy. The next three songs, Golgi Apparatus, AC/DC Bag and Shade, are fine, but feel out of place. Felt like a bit of a buzz kill after what we got earlier, I thought just maybe AC/DC Bag would get jammed out again but it was not meant to be. However, the band turns it right back up with Mike's Song, and this is a fun short version. They then surprise us with Silent in the Morning (without The Horse coming before it), and I enjoy hearing the song. Weekapaug then comes and is a nice energetic way to end the set.

The encore is A Life Beyond the Dream and Cavern, nothing remarkable but I am not complaining.

While overshadowed by the next set in my opinion, this is still one hell of a show, even if the second set is a bit disjointed near the middle, so I would recommend giving it a listen. I had a great time attending and it holds up well just listening.

This show was fun AF to watch from the comfort on my home, with my band of fellow phreaks. Our band plays 8 of the songs from this night so we were grokking over that quite a bit. By the time they did Foam (which we don't play obviously), I was smiling hard.

CDT was so long and good that I, like others I'm sure, forgot repeatedly what song we were in. Steam/Caspian was a nice break of sorts, then back to the heat with Bag. Shade is my new favorite ballad; it's gorgeous and Trey sings it well. Mike's had me jumping for joy and dude, I really, REALLY wanted a hydrogen, but alas I was Silenced.

Perhaps the best testament to the overall quality of the playing was that two bandmates had early mornings and were not planning on staying for the whole show, but....hey, we're in a phish tribute band for a reason! We love the music! And Trey remembered the words to Cavern yayyyy

Cheers

Was a blast to be at this show, and the boys didn't disappoint. Upon relistening, not only did I enjoy myself all over again, I was surprised to remember how much of the performance was dominated with groove-heavy rhythm and Type II jams, including a wide-open and usually Type I Chalkdust.

Only gripe is with the LivePhish audio. While it's an overall quality listen, sometimes Trey's effects don't sound fully connected into the soundboard...so occasionally, some of Trey's peak-building effects are only faintly heard on the LP recording, despite ringing loud & clear at the actual show. Hope a remix is forthcoming

This is a good show…First Set highlights for me are definitely the ER and Stash. The rest is listenable and groove worthy…my two year old son even started moving his body as we couch toured.

The Chalkdust gets things going right to begin the second set. Anyone watching the webcast or riding the rail undoubtedly saw Trey, as they ended CDT Proper make a signal with his hand to Jon - fingers pointing to the air like a spaceship launching into space. “Let’s blast off, Fish.” And launch us they did…as far as 3.0 CDTs go, only the BD and Randall’s versions compare. This will be relistened to and analyzed multiple times by these ears. (Like the Carini from Oak Mountain the night before.) Steam was a perfect call after that, like a cigarette after hot intercourse, and Caspian was well executed. Then, for me, a weird run of three songs killed a second set that could have been…Golgi, the late set Bag, and Shade were just oddly placed to me and kind of killed the vibe that Dust laid down to open the set. I like all three songs, and they certainly have their functions. Just odd to me. But maybe that’s just me. The Mike’s>Silent>Paug to close, however, got things going again and finished the show with some gusto. The “This exact thing happened to me…just last year” part was fun and seemed to elicit a huge release from the audience.

Encore of two songs that this Phan hopes they will shelf for good…

Good fun show. 3.75/5. The download is highly recommended, even if it’s mainly for the Chalkdust. Don’t sleep on the ER, Stash, or closing Mike’s>Silent>Paug either.

7/31/2021 Alpharetta

Set 1: Sand was thoroughly decent but not a "can't miss" version. Everything's Right is a terrible song. Just awful. Corny, cliche lyrics and nothing interesting musically. Just when you think it can't be more cliche, they throw in a bunch of "yeah na na na" refrains. Punctuate that with the awful new samples and this song has gone from barely tolerable to downright despicable. The jam in this version, though, is pretty great. It's not enough for me to listen to the song itself though...I'd more likely fade it in after the song proper ends. This jam is an example of how Fish can really contribute to a great group improvisation (ignoring the terrible samples though). It's a shame Trey pulled the ripcord on this jam because I would've liked to hear them develop it for at least another 10 minutes or so. Thoroughly decent version of Maze here. Nice version of Stash. All in all this is a solid first set. No all-time great versions of any of the songs, but pretty much every song was performed well. The Everything's Right jam (not the song itself, obviously) was probably the highlight of the set.

Set 2/e: It's still weird to me that Chalkdust has become a jam vehicle. Not weird in a bad way, just something that never ceases to surprise me. Around 12 minutes in I could swear Trey was on the verge of an I Know You Rider tease. They spend a lot of time just spinning their wheels during this Chalkdust jam. Towards the end Trey seems to try to bring it to a typical MDMA crescendo, but then he backs off that line and it gets interesting. The last four minutes or so are the best part of the Chalkdust jam IMO. The rest of the second set is unremarkable, other than noting that the annoying new samples are enough to take an otherwise okay version of a song and make it something to be avoided (the Weekapaug in this set is a perfect example). I feel like a broken record ragging on these samples, but they're that bad. The fact that people are cheering it in Cavern is not a good sign.

Overall I'd say the second set didn't live up to the promise of the first set. The highlight of the show is definitely the Everything's Right jam (avoid the song itself though at all costs). The Chalkdust jam did get interesting for a little while at the end, but the bulk of it isn't anything to write home about.