First set was very good. Not bad at all....not excellent. But very good. Had some ups and downs. LLama, Moma Dance, and Possum opening set awesome tone. Some slop, but Possum redeemed itself. Instant Karma! was fun, but sloppy and a novelty. Bowie was EXCELLENT, IMO. Rhymes was disposable. Divided Sky seemed to be well received and Stealing Time was a great set closer.

Overall SET I: Very good playing. Really good energy. Flow disrupted a little too much by 'Instant Karma!' and 'Rhymes'. First set ended with me feeling optimistic, as Trey seemed to be getting into it and Page was on!

Set II was a great set. Many people seem to get down on tunes they cant jump around to. Personally, I enjoy songs with space and that make one listen. Back On The Train, Bug, and Pebbles and Marbles were great. The highlight of the show was Rock and Roll > Mango. This will be a highlight of the tour when all is said and done. Awesome! Not a big fan of Meatstick, but people seem to enjoy it. Halley's was par for course. Antelope was great!

Anyway, some shows are more than just the setlist or even what you 'hear' on the SBD. This show had good energy. The band played some rhythmic hits as the crowd chanted, "Let's Go Bruins." I thought this was the best 3.0 they've played at GW so far (which is not too hard to do). I recommend this show for download.

Seriously, how is this not included in the Show Notes?!?!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztyi5jhdZWc

I will have to say this night was special. Last few mansfield shows were so-so not so amazing, but tonight was different and special and they brought the magic back to the comcast cetner (great woods). From the first song Llama to the end with Suzy you knew the band was on and having fun. I think the band has finally fully caught their grove since coming back in 2009.

Highlights of the night were:

Divided Sky = one of the best versions i've heard to date

Rock and roll -> mansfield jam -> mango = this will probably be one of the best moments of phish 3.0 that you will see all summer. It was just that freaking amazing.

Pebbles and Marbles= was freaking fantastic. They jammed it just right

Run like an antelope= best way to end a concert in my opinion.

Suzy= place errupted when this song started and everyone went nuts the whole way and page jammed that sucker out on keys in a way only page can.

What a night. Only thing i hate about mansfield is the parking lots. Its gridlock for hours upon hours after the show but that just leads more time for more tailgating after the show

For my first this year, this show was excellent. They're playing was exeptionaly tight all night. Plus this killed the previous two sub par greatwoods shows. Highlights are a killer divided sky in the first set. The seccond set had a great rock n roll, bug was excellent, much better than in Worcester. I loved pebles n marbles, my fav jam of the night. This was my first meatstick to. Run and Suzy were hands down above par. Overall, this was a sick show

overall this was a nasty night. the llama opener let everyone know they weren't messing around and that they were coming back to MA to tear it up.
i'd have to say my highlights of the night were the divided sky in which trey paused and the antelope when fishman missed the end of the middle jam.... after that trey said "ladies and gentlemen, on symble...jon fishman!" (fishman proceeded to crash the symble).... i thought that was awesome

Never been to Great Woods before and I was glad to see the relatively relaxed scene before the show, arrived a couple of stress-free hours before the 7PM ticket time and spent a couple of them touring the entire lot scene from ends to ends and enjoying a shirtless, beautiful sun-soaked afternoon.

Found the venue to be kind, barely a pat down and never bothered inside. Typical shed but I must say this: it was one of the most polite crowds I've ever interacted with, my movements to and fro were met with kind movements and words. Everybody, including the staff, seemed to be in a good mood and pretty much paid attention to the dialog occurring on stage...:-wink/smile.

I'm guessing it was my 1st Llama, having attended 'bout two dozen since Jones Beach '09, and it rocked. The Moma Dance moved quickly forward to the funk (thanks, Angela!) then Possum made the 180 back into the unique sound that Phish is when they rock. Though two of my favorite all-time Phish songs, I've seen them maybe a bit too often over recent shows and perhaps didn't appreciate them as much as if I hadn't heard them in a while. Regardless, two pretty solid versions.

Cities is one that I never tire of, an inspired choice for a cover song, and this one did not disappoint. "Find yourself a city to live in." Indeed.

Instant Karma!, honestly, didn't do it for me. The rest of the set, however, did. Bowie rocked, Rhymes was cool, I was wearing my Pat Metheny Group The Way Up t-shirt and they graced me with what is IMHO the most Metheny-influenced Phish composition, The Divided Sky, it reminds me of Metheny's The First Circle. I'm actually a bit surprised that no one mentioned that Trey flubbed one of his guitar runs toward the end of its run near the end of the song, I winced a bit but he got it back on track and, overall, it was one of the better versions witnessed. And though I love Faulty Plan and appreciated it being thrown in after TDS, it never really was jammed out as other versions have proved that it can be. Still, a very solid 1st set which definitely had some very great moments.

Moved from under the pavilion to the seats in front of the lawn for the 2nd set to hang with some of my peeps (thanks to Ali, Justin and Abby!) and was greeted with smiles and Back on the Train, a fave but one I had written off since it had been played a mere two shows before, they've played better versions but that didn't matter to me, I grooved it as hard as it could be grooved. Rock and Roll, oh boy! The jam that ensured was one that legends are made of, by legends...:-wink. I'm a relative newbie, don't know if this was a Type 1, Type 2 or Type whatever jam, all I know is that they jammed and we were all shaking our booties so whatever it was, it was successful...:-smile.

Might have been my first Mango song, it grooved but others grooved harder to it than I did. It's all good. But I think I grooved harder to Bug than most, a personal fave and I wasn't shy 'bout showing it. Then my personal highlight and I'm guessing my first attended version of Pebbles and Marbles, the first part of the song with the lyrics was great and the last part when they collectively kicked the song's ass every which way they could was the highlight of my show. Wow!

The rest of the set was solid, Halley's Comet felt (?) a little short and so did the Meatstick but after being fortunate enough to witness the legendary MSG version I guess all of them afterwards are going to feel "short", LOL!

The Antelope ran straight into the end of set 2 but not without making us frantically chase it down in a musical sense. Good solid version. I knew that there was a 11PM hard curfew and was surprised when they first pulled out Suzy for the encore then finished it@11:03, here's hoping that they had a five minute grace period from the powers that be. Regardless, a rocking way to end a very very good show. I probably had a better time hanging with my peeps than the show itself but don't get me wrong, it was a very solid show with some very worthwhile playing that should be seeked out by those that weren't fortunate enough to be there. And those that were.

Onward to Camden, 2nd night Merriweather and the rest of the 1st leg. So far, so good...:-smile

Peace,
Alex

Returning to the East Coast, Phish lit up a fire that will extend back down through New York, New Jersey, and Maryland before the final Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia push of the 1st leg. The opener was 'Llama', one of the most common songs not played thus far in 2011 yet its only the 4th show it has made an appearance at in 3.0. Phish showed they were ready for fun, and the last time they opened with 'Llama' a fantastic show ensued (10-26-2010). After staple selections of 'The Moma Dance' and 'Possum', Phish pulled it back to the chuggin' 'Cities' cover originally by the Talking Heads. Then, Phish unleashes a song they had only covered once before - last year at the Blossom Music Center in Ohio - 'Instant Karma!' by The Beatles! 'Instant Karma!' is an uplifting one-timer sung by Page that is a nice deviation from the normal Fab Four tunes our own Phab Phour likes to cover... namely 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' and 'A Day In The Life'. While Page struggled a little bit with the lyrics this time around, the tune still became a refreshing first set selection. Whereas Bethel's Bowie was a pinnacle peaking rocket and Clarkston's a patient experiment, Mansfield received a 'David Bowie' that was also a new creation. Then came a new groovin' cover, 'Rhymes', originally by Al Green. An outstanding 'The Divided Sky' (compared to Holmdel, especially) and satisfactory 'Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan'. rounded off the first set.

'Back on the Train' opened the second set and featured no new explorations.. but the next song, 'Rock and Roll', simply stunned the crowd as it hit over 17 minutes of pure improv-goodness that sounded like a literal and figurative walk in the park for the Vermont quartet. This is the Type-II ambient jam we like to see, a steady and purposeful intersection from four soulful people. A seamless transition in 2011's first 'The Mango Song' wooed the audience into a frenzy after they witnessed a few minutes of glorious improvisational rock. After a brief chill-out 'Bug', which has recently been in the encore slot,and some annoying cheering by annoying Boston fans, we arrived to the wonderful composition that is 'Pebbles and Marbles', making its 4th appearance since Phish's reunion in 2009. I guess Phish assumed we already received a great 'Halley's Comet' this tour with Bethel's 12 minute masterpiece, because after a few short minutes rthe band abruptly launched into the summer's second (and arguably the year's third) 'Meatstick'. The 'Meatstick' theme continuing into some teasing throughout the first couple minutes of the summer's second 'Run Like An Antelope'. Trey yells, "On cymbals, Jon Fishman!" before the final peak of the song. The encore, 'Suzy Greenberg' was a surefire killer, with both Trey and Page teasing 'Meatstick' again and again which made for some good fun. Mike played with some deep distortion effects for this version, possibly making for the best yet this summer (it is the third Suzy so far). After a short second dosage in Massachusetts, the boys finished up and walked off stage to head over to Darien, NY.

I had a great time last night. I didn't make it to the venue until right before showtime so I missed the paug meet up unfortunately.

I thought the 1st set was really fun and well played. Llama was fun to open the show. Moma was standard yet Funky. That's the 5th time out of the last 6 shows I've been to that Possum been played :frustrated:, but they sure ripped it. Instant Karma was a nice kickdown and Rhymes had a nice groove. Dsky was complete redemption. Trey nailed it! Bowie was well played as well.

Very Solid 1st set and I really liked the flow and the song selection!

2nd set started out great with GBOTT and R&R. Mango was fun but not what I was looking for in the 2nd set. Bug was actually enjoyable. I hate it as a set closer, but as a slowdown song not bad. P&M was cool. I'd never seen it live before. Thought we were going to get a Hailey's Jam, but then Meatstick happened :frustrated:. Antelope was a barn burner and the flub was not bothersome live. Kind of funny, especially with the Fishman cymbal gag. When I looked at my clock after Antelope and saw that it was 10:55 already, I said to my buddy what the hell are they going to play for an encore to make curfew. I was glad to hear Suzy. I like it as an encore a lot. The 2nd Page sole was insane! :crazy:

Trey has definitely practiced a lot and they sounded great to me. Best I've heard since they came back quality wise. This was my 1st show this year. Mid to late 2nd set song selection and the force into Meatstick is my only gripe, but a lot of people like Meatstick I guess.

Some incredibly high points throughout the night including a sparkling "Divided Sky," and an extra crunchy "Stealing Time" in the first set. In the 2nd set the jam after "Rock and Roll" was mind numbing, as was a furious "Antelope" to finish.

Overall the show seemed to have a hard time gaining momentum and it seemed that as they were finally hitting their stride... the house lights came up. Not a bad show by any means, but a bit of a letdown after this past weekend.

I guess, looking back at all of the shows I've been to, this one is just right in the middle. Regarding the music, I remember the Llama opener, and this great scary feeling I got listening to it. Most of my memories of this show are of Great Woods prior to the show beginning.

I'd heard of great woods for years, but I'd never been. Honestly, I was expecting it to be something like Tanglewood. Boy was I wrong. The place feels post-apocalyptic. I remember shirtless 15 year olds bumping hardcore rap in the parking lot looking tough..this general sense of unease I had with the cops everywhere, eating these amazing lobster rolls we bought from these dudes from Maine...very sunny day.

Great Woods is weird...I'm not sure of the exact history, but it seems that whoever created the place had a Tanglewood/SPAC vibe in mind, but that throughout the years, this original vision became totally perverted. There are these pathetic half-assed patches of greenery all throughout the damn thing. I remember looking at some dude passed out in the mulch and just feeling kind of pathetic for being there. I don't have a problem with passed out dudes, and I don't have a problem with mulch, but the combo was just really sad.

Overall, it was a good experience. This show was where my girlfriend and I started likening scary crowd vibes to the "zombie apocalypse." We use this term affectionately now. I love the zombie hordes...sometimes Phish shows feel like the closest thing you can get to being a zombie movie, which is a really cool experience.

This show showed me that things were still righteous even though the DCU shows I attended weren't the best. This one motivated me to buy tickets to DCU 6/8/12, which was when shit really started getting serious for me.

To sum it up, it was a good transitional moment.

I could say a million things but I won't. This is by far one of the best Phish shows I've ever been to.

My first show and boy was it a doozy! I was extremely surprised at just how awesome everyone was and even though I didn't know all of the songs I still felt welcome. The show started out with the infamous Llama Momma opener, which was a brilliant way to open. Both songs were wonderfully played with some fine jamming. The Momma Dance went into Possum which was just alright, but surprisingly everyone was digging it. Cities featured some synth from the Chairman which was the first I'd heard of his skills on the Moog. Instant Karma! was fun and I don't think anyone expected it, overall not great but it was cool to hear Page rock John Lennons vocals. David Bowie was absolutely sublime. Trey really out did himself during the jam and it was very tight. Rhymes was kind of a joke and kind of confused everyone following the crazy Bowie. Divided Sky was pretty awesome, but I was in awe of hearing my favorite Phish song live so they could have played it terribly and I would have been just as happy. Stealing Time was jam packed with energy and perfect to finish off the crazy first set. During the break my Ginger friend was told he should be a model by this random cougar and I met up with the people around my seat. Everyone was nice and willing to share cigs and past Phish expieriences. When we came back everyone was pretty amped for the next set. Back on the Train was pretty routine, nothing special there. Rock N Roll was pretty forgettable, but the transition into the Mango Song made my show. The Mango Song introduced me to the whimsical side of Phish which I have come to enjoy very much. Bug was good until after the song when the Boston crowd started chanting lets go Bruins. Leave that crap at home! Pebbles and Marbles wasn't too special and it took my friend and I a second to figure out what song it was. Halleys into Meatstick was great and doing the Meatstick dance for the first time is something I'll probably never forget. Then came Antelope. This was the first Phish song I ever heard and when I finally got the chance to see them rip it up live I was unbelievably excited. The Meatstick teases were fun, but the overall jam was just harrowing. When the boys finally left the stage I was so pumped for the encore that I started grooving to the weird music on the sound system. When they came out and Suzy started the place went crazy. It was Page's house and the perfect end to a great show. I left with a sense of satisfaction that I had finally seen my favorite band live and could now die happy. Thank you Phish and thank you Phans for making my first show so awesome!

Overall great show! Amazing set list with some good teases. The Rock and Roll was fantastic, even though others have been better since. Would have liked to see a different encore. Divided sky went perfectly with the setting in mansfield. Hate the venue, liked the set list. LOVED the bruins chant at the end!

At least 3 animal songs...a couple of food-related songs...an Al Green song which is crazy because I told some kids in the lot before the show that they would "play Al Green tonight!" All in all a killer time...one of my favorite shows of the tour and possibly all time...the energy was totally there throughout the entire place...3rd show at Great Woods my favorite so far!!! Oh yeah... Pebbles & Marbles...whaaaaaaaaat????

I caught my 50th (according to phish.net) back where it all began at Great Woods; my first of 2011. The 'Llama' opener was heavily favored going-in and we were off and running. Phish 'Cities' have become less and less interesting to me since its return in the late '90s and the clunky 'Instant Karma' seemed kinda goofy, but both were well-intentioned. The feature of the 1st set was a slick 'Bowie' that just might be my favorite since '04 SPAC. In the 2nd set I got what I seek from Phish with psych-out pedals, subtle loops, and REAL depth to the jam out of this 'Rock&Roll' monster. [I’ve really enjoyed 'R&R' in the Phish repertoire since day one -- 2nd set floor of Halloween '98 -- and have caught more than my fair share since. Sure, the whole Saturday night theme to it was too predictable over the last couple years, but this song consistently brings out some of the more inspired, interesting, and free-formed jams of this, current, Phish era. For me, the first really artistic playing in the return of '09 came in the 'R&R' at SPAC to end the tour.] Anyway, back to Mansfield…the 'Mango' that followed was a fun treat and provided release. After the shed-shredding outro to 'Bug,' the band had us fraught with tension, wondering where things were headed. A seemingly disjointed set, yet so well-played with my personal highlight already behind me, I comfortably embraced the 'Pebbles and Marbles.' The 'Halley's'>'Meatstick' that followed made for a very nice, unexpectedly pleasing, pairing that really clicked and got everybody back into the fold. The tease-laced 'Antelope' was a great close-out to the set and nice to hear since that flop from the tour-opener last summer. The encore’s 'Suzy' keys solo got hyper-bassed by a zappy deep-space syncopation segment with Mike before Page went back to tickling the grand. What a fun weeknight in a show that kept you guessing, but kept you happy just the same.
Remember: Keep your ears open; don't let the setlists fool you.

I really enjoyed the show, hard to pick a single highlight for me but the ‘Rock & Roll-Mango’ was nice! Thanks guys!

Good show got my first Llama and i thought Possum ripped even though i hear it every timne i see them , i was in section 5 pav and i was very suprised how loud it was which is great because the last 2 shows i saw at MSG & Providence were not loud enough
finally got my long eluded Mango Song as well which was great '
strange flow to the second set but who really cares they ripped it up as always and the the only thing that sucked was the curfew , seemed a bit rushed at the end
Pebbles & Marbles was another great addition , we talked about them not playing it too often in the lot
overall a great night , 2 giant grilled prime rib steaks on my concert pals 30 year old propane grill and a few beers made for a very mellow time
my highlights
Llama , Divided Sky, Rock & Roll , Mango Song and Pebbles & Marbles

Anybody else think that Fish shouted Dr. Gabel at the end of Suzy? That would be the third appearance of Dr. Gabel...not the song, but another appearance anyway...let me know what you think out there! Killer show!

'09 - "relative newbie"...You're about as new as they come haha. But no worries, we all started somewhere sharing in this groove. I'm just happy to see another new comer who is haplessly addicted to the road haha. Reminds me of myself ten+ years ago. I remember feeling like a guppy when I started back in '97... we've come so very far in at least as many years it's just too bad you missed out on europe, cypress, and the island tour...

Hope to see you at Merriweather and the Ball.

Oh and to stay somewhat on the topic of a review, the second set almost made me split open and melt. So glad the boys played Pebbles, being one of my newer favorites. the R&R>jam>Mango was absolutely white hot, even through all the lyric flubs in mango which just made it more joyful and carefree, to me anyway. The teases in antelope and Suzy capped off the show in a very positive jovial way for me, and made the show feel a little more intimate to me.

- Seany

"It's stupid. That's how."

Yea you're right, cause Phish has never been associated with sports. As the great Harold Ramis says to the great Rick Moranis in Ghostbusters II; "Very good Louis, short but pointless".

"It's stupid. That's how."

Yea you're right, cause Phish has never been associated with sports. As the great Harold Ramis says to the great Rick Moranis in Ghostbusters II; "Very Louis, short but pointless".

Loved the first set. I was really feeling the grooves of Cities and Rhymes. The Instant Karma was actually really fun cuz EVERYONE was singing along. Divided Sky was played really nice. I took a nice stroll through the lawn during it :-). Second set was amazing!! Loved Back on the Train>Rock n Roll>Mango !!! Everyone was feeling great after that Mango! Nice little "Let's Go Bruins!!" chant after Bug..the band even started playing along with our chant and ended up sweetly going into what ended up being a damn good Pebbles and Marbles.. Haileys Comet>Meatstick was the icing on the cake for me personally. Everyone was getting into a jolly groove during Haileys Comet and a nice little glow stick war broke out during it, i always love to see the glow sticks flying during a good feeling groove :-) Suzy Greenburg was a great encore and everybody freaked out when they started playing it. Overall solid playing and I had a f**king blast! Thanks guys!

"Seriously, how is this not included in the Show Notes?!?!"

It's stupid. That's how.