This is the kind of show both noobs and jaded vets alike will either hate on or be indifferent to. Nevertheless, I'm here to remind you in a simple way that Phish tears the roof off the sucker every time they play. Set one is mostly a normal 3.0 affair but Stash goes type II for the 2nd time in a row. Not as hetty as St. Louis (by a long shot - that is a very impressive jam) but still above and beyond the norm. Frost is a great and underplayed song, but based on the crowd reaction you can see why. Ruby Waves was a GOTF Phish debut that I think went type II. YEM was a great call and played relatively well and briskly, but this was a short version even for 3.0 standards. This is a great sounding venue. We had relatively close seats but the walkway between the lawn and the pav was the loudest and best part so we did most of the show there. Very solid rage zone.

Now take a look at that second set. Have you ever seen a Phish set remotely resembling that? To me that would be reason enough to check out the show if I hadn't've been there. Plasma jam instantly went to a major key, and I think to type-II-land before segueing (unfinished?) into a Kasvot Vaxt tune. That one also went type II (I think?). I guess you'll have to consult the playback to find out. Wingsuit was sort of an odd call but I guess I'd rather it here then as a late set "you know this show is almost over" song. Golden Age was the improvisational highlight of the night. You'll want to hear this one jam if you're a picker-an-a-chooser. I thought the set from here had solid flow. Even though none of the jams went anywhere, the segues did not feel forced. I'm recalling echoes of some of the Chaifetz 2012 show; remember that one? I absolutely love the encore...takes me to church or rehab or the hospital, I'm not sure which. Thank you Trey, I'm ready for the Lord now.

Pretty good Tuesday night Phish!

Stash is making a case for itself as jam vehicle of the young tour. This one is only 12 minutes, but quickly goes to wondrous places following the composed section. Psychedelic and dreamy, this Stash really packs a punch! In its' Phish debut. Ruby Waves gets a very nice jam. YEM ends this set with an exclamation mark. It's nice to see the return of Sample in a Jar and Frost as well.

The second set is solid enough. Plasma doesn't get too far before before Trey opts for The Final Hurrah. With the help of Page, Trey steers the band to a nice beachy groove. I'm a sucker for a good Wingsuit, and this one is lush with washes of with color and sustain provided by Trey and Page. This Golden Age is phenomenal. Mike and Fishman provide a solid foundation for Page and Trey to lay cerebral textures on. It really deserves another relisten, or three. Unfortunately, after Golden Age, the show loses steam. IAWITW doesn't do much for me in this slot. Prince Caspian, If I Could, and 46 Days are all performed well, but lacking the propulsive energy earlier songs in the set had. This is the first time I'm aware of 46 Days ending the second set of a show.

Overall, not a great show, but pretty solid! Definitely listen to the Stash, Wingsuit, and Golden Age!

I've now listened to this show and (I think) digested it. I wasn't there - I don't know how it felt, how the vibe was, etc. but I think history will be kinder than these first several reviews and ratings. I mean, it's not like its' Spinal Tap Mark II or something. It's a weird setlist that was well-played. I thought there were moments of great energy and a higher-than-average amount of quieter/slower stuff. I understand why a lot of people would feel that this one didn't live up to their expectations, but it's not because of any lack of musicianship on the band's part - this is not a show of flubs - it's because the band subverted expectations.

I don't understand that choice of encore, but otherwise I really enjoyed listening to this.

I love this band... I mean... I really do. I've been following Phish since my first show in 1992, and I've been "hardcore" since 1993 when I first decided to do a tour. But that being said, it doesn't mean that I love everything that they do. Unfortunately, this is one of those shows that really doesn't work for me.
Overall, this show is lacking on song selection, replete with mostly shorter songs that don't really have a lot of room for improv. And the few songs that could be jammed out, generally aren't. Like I said, this show really isn't my cup of tea. Don't get me wrong, that's not to say that there's anything wrong with this show... it's just not my kind of show.
That being said, there are a few standouts here, and I really don't want to overlook them. The overall SAT score for this show is a less than stellar 891.74, with the major contributors being a strong Stash (108.51... very good, but not as good as St Louis) and Golden Age (171.90... an absolute must listen). There is also a brief, but enjoyable YEM (155.28), the new track Ruby Waves (64.45), and a well played Drift encore (56.59, if that's your kind of song). Other than that, I'm looking forward to Cuyahoga and putting this show in the rear view mirror. Let's hope that they got this out of their system for the tour.

I came in here to defend the honour of this criminally low-rated show. There is no way this is a 2.8 rated show. Like...pfffft! I have a feeling a lot of people who rated it, did so on a quick glance at the setlist. Was it the setlist I would've wanted? No, of course not, but it was the setlist we got, and I'll take that any day over anything else going on out there in the concert scene. This show is ranked lower than the Rochester 2013 show (!) which was definitely and still is, the "worst" show I've seen, and a full point (!!!) lower than the random juke box setlist show in Syracuse in '16. I remember walking out of that show, and sitting quietly in the passenger seat on the drive back to our hotel, thinking that the end of the road may be on the near horizon.
Then came the Baker's Dozen. The way that run revitalized these guys, is still very evident two summers later. Their playing is way better, the segue's, the jams, everything! This was a very well played show! No flubs. A lot of fire! The fact that they're throwing new songs into the mix, while clearly annoying to some of you, is a great sign. This band is full of energy and life, and some of these new songs seem to me to be Trey, in a much more direct way because maybe we need that, reminding us all to read the fucking book!
The show? Well we got a Bag opener...ok...have had that a few times, but whatever, we were still making our way to our seats...555, ok. Ocelot, my youngest daughter's original favourite song, so she was thrilled, and it gave Trey a chance to stretch out. Sample...bit of a bust out, and another big sing-along. Stash was beautifully played. I'll always take a Wedge. Frost was new to me, as was Ruby Waves, but placed in an optimum time slot for a bathroom and fresh beer break. We had three noobs with us...my two nieces and my oldest daughter's boyfriend. YEM was talked about a lot during the afternoon with them for some reason...so when we got one, it was high fives and smiles all round. The 2nd set was a bit up and down, but never did I get the feeling it was just going off the rails in any way. Wingsuit had a beautifully soaring end. Golden Age is the jam you'll want to hear, If I could has special meaning to me, so despite it's rather odd set placement, I thoroughly enjoyed it. And that 46 Days! The Devil was definitely drawing near out of that heat.
Which brings me to Drift...which I've never heard. "We move through stormy weather (yes we do and presently are), we know that our days are few (I know this all too well), we dream and we struggle together (100% accurate, my family, and the bigger phamily I'm sure), and love will carry us through. As I looked around our group, there was nothing but exhilarated smiles, the noobs among us smiling even more brightly, knowing they just saw something they maybe didn't expect they'd enjoy so much, and beyond our group, the same all around. Spiritual reset completed. Love will get us through.

Nothing like a hometown show. Alright, well technically Toronto isn’t my hometown, but when you’re Canadian and the last time they played your hometown was your first show 25 years ago, that’s about as close as you’re going to get. In any case, with this band, every show is a home game. On that note, Phish seems to have aligned with the sports gods heading into this tour, playing St. Louis on the night they won the Stanley Cup, and then rolling into Toronto the day after the Raptors championship parade. Of course the band actually landed on the day of the parade, and I know because I ran into Trey and Fish on Queen West on Monday evening on their way to dinner. Not a bad way to start to trip. After 25 years of chasing that particular white whale, this one was a win for me before the show even started.

I can’t remember having an easier time ever rolling into a venue and up to the front. The weather was perfect, warm sunny and not too hot, and the band took the stage early. After the fitting "Bag" opener the band treated us to some highlights in the first set that are definitely worth hearing. Trey seemed pretty dialed-in and nimble from the get-go. The "Ocelot" boasts bouncy touches from Mike before a patient and uniquely melodic soulful build led by Trey. Aside from a couple more obvious jams ("Stash," "Golden Age"), I thought the strength of this show and what made it more of a start to finish strong offering for me personally were these moments. Solos like this, and earnest engaged playing from the band even in short simple songs was something we took for granted in the mid-90s and which often marred big chunks of sets in later and even more recent years. In any case, they were clearly having a good time. "Sample" re-emerged from its longest gap ever (??) and packed a legitimate, you-should-actually-hear-this punch, complete with signature Trey fist pump at the end. A major-key type II Stash followed, picking up where the St. Louis version left off, the first of a trio of songs seemingly a nod to playing in the Great White Frosty North. The Canadians in the crowd gladly co-opted the “the great divide” as our border, as a fan brought a “We the Wedge” sign to the front of the stage, a nod to the local Raptors motto. I might also take this opportunity to say however that as a Montrealer I was pretty proud (and surprised) that the most visible sports symbol in the crowd, deep in Leafs and Raptors territory, was the dude front row centre with a Montreal Canadiens Gallagher jersey. Props.

Page hammed it up big time in "Halley’s," vocally and otherwise (maybe inspiring the "Lawn Boy" later in the set), before the band launched into the debut of the Ghosts of the Forest tune "Ruby Waves." This one clearly has some jam potential and they took it out for an enjoyable ride. Still feeling around its edges, but don’t be surprised if this resurfaces in a second set as a launch pad sometime soon. Machine gun Trey brings it home. And I will take a first set "YEM" closer any night of the week, which seems to be a Toronto staple now.

This may have been one of the oddest second sets I’ve ever seen in terms of song selection, but I can honestly say I wasn’t let down or bored for an instant. They were really tight and inspired tonight, and it began off the bat with a "Plasma" that wasted no time in going into a few minutes of jammy type II territory leading directly to a flawless segue into the third appearance of "The Final Hurrah" from the Kasvot Växt set. "Final Hurrah" boasted a similar efficient shift into exploratory full band interplay by the four-minute mark, and spent the next five in blissful neo-millennial territory that they had so much success with at MSG over the New Year’s run. I’m a sucker for this atmospheric, melodic Phish. Everyone took turns leading some impressive turns in this engaging jam. I thought Fish and Mike carrying that inspiring control of the groove right into a pretty inspired and even somehow eventually menacing version of "Wingsuit," if such a thing is possible. "Golden Age" would prove to be the real jammy meat of the second set, and it doesn’t disappoint. Page leads this one off with some "Meatstick"-esque swells and Trey laying back with funk riffs, Fish pulsing everything along with a steady shuffle. By seven minutes we see a return to the nimble full band interplay of "The Final Hurrah," only this is funkier, dancey territory. Mike shines here dropping ideas left and right. I love the electro groove that drives "I Always Wanted it That Way," and I thought it worked pretty well here. I’ve become pretty fond of "Caspian" in recent years, and though this one was short it was inspired and landed directly in "If I Could." Maybe I’m getting sentimental but this might have been my highlight of the show. Page and Mike earnestly set the stage for to Trey just absolutely smoke the solo, with patience and perfectly chosen, soulful notes and tone. If this doesn’t get your soul swirling, I don’t know man, what are you even doing here?
"46 Days" was a bring the house down affair with Mike and Trey in full face-off mode.

I think the Ghosts of the Forest album might be the best studio project Trey has been involved in in ages and was happy to hear another offering from it in the encore, though I can’t for the life of me figure out why they aren’t playing the title track yet. In any case "Drift" gave Trey another chance to showcase that heartfelt, piercing, old school phrasing. He and Mike trade-off some beautiful notes as it comes to a climax, and you’re encouraged to hear it through to the end if like me you’re a fan of that kind of thing.

If all you’re chasing are big ticket song choices and monster jams, this might not look like the juiciest offering on paper, but I can assure you that if your tastes have come full circle enough to understand that it takes more than that for a solid front to back night of Phish, you might be pleasantly surprised by this one. Try this freaky experiment on for size: skip the jams and check out the "If I Could," "Samplem" and "Ocelot", and then ask yourself, why am I chasing anything?

My word, this show is being assailed! I was not at the show, nor have I had the chance to listen to it yet on LP, but I have to imagine a lot of these votes are cast without having listened. There should be a 'did you listen' question a la the bot questions we all get at different sites (including this one) that one should have to answer before posting.

That said, this rating is abysmal. What is the lowest rated show on Phish Net?

This was my first show. I have been listening for about two years (listened to everything from 94-03 and some of 12-19). This show had weird pacing to start and sub-par song choices in the latter half. The setlist doesn't do it much justice, and you shouldn't let the lack of a 20+ minute jam fool you. I'm gonna listen to the show while I write this to hopefully have a little less bias.

First set started promising with AC/DC Bag then got slowed down a lot by 555>Ocelot>Sample.

But once Stash hit it was on. Don't be deceived by the 12:30 time, there was great type 2 jamming, started with lots of great playing from Mike and Fishman while Trey slowly built for a few minutes with short interjections by Page then they locked into a lick for a few minutes reached a beautiful peak then rapidly dropped back down into Stash. A tad short but super sweet.

I know The Wedge is just another of those by the books songs that doesn't really change much but this was like my favourite song for the longest time and probably still lands top 5. That drumming by fishman is unreal. Stash has been teased in The Wedge a lot but only once played before The Wedge (in '03) and twice after ('03, '95).

I had never heard Frost before. It sort of interrupted the groove that just built from The Wedge which would have gone really nice next to Halley's (which would have been another rare occurrence).

Halley's is also one of my favourite, so I was really happy to get this seeing as it is on the uncommon side.

I haven't gotten around to listening to the ghosts of the forest. Ruby Waves was pretty sick, it sounded like it went type 2 but I haven't heard other versions.

Lawn Boy was placed just after the sun set and it was a bit cloudy so it fit really well with the lyrics. Page definitely had some fun with this version.

YEM came and all was well.

I felt like I got pretty much the bare minimum of what I wanted (Stash, Wedge, Halleys, Lawn boy, YEM). Overall my hopes were high if this was the first set what could the second have in store?

Plasma was another tune which I'm not really familiar with. It was pretty good with a nice ambient jam.

I really dig the Kasvot Vaxt stuff, although I haven't listened to much of the stuff past round room. Final Hurrah really picked the energy back up after the ambience of plasma.

Wingsuit is another song I'm not really familiar with, so I'm not sure how out of the ordinary the jamming was. It did a good job of playing off the energy built by Final Hurrah.

Golden Age I have heard and despite it being a jam vehicle I don't actively seek it out. My only excuse is that its technically not a phish song (but that didn't stop me from getting giddy about the crosseyed and painless tease, too bad it had to be saved for the monster BOaF the next night). I was slightly disappointed at this point because I knew that with the length of Wingsuit and the typical Golden Age it was unlikely any other large jams were coming.

Needless to say Golden Age melted face, definitely changed my mind about the song. Lots of great interplay between Page, Mike, and Fishman while Trey stayed back for the most part chiming in here and there with heavy sustain. The teases and jam saved the song.

I Always Wanted It This Way fit beautifully next to Golden Age. It doesn't sound nearly as cool in recording as it does live. The echo effects along with sustain by Trey are super trippy.

Finally Prince Caspian hit and all was well, everyone was back to singing along joyfully. The type 1 jamming by Trey on this was really something else. He voices his guitar perfectly especially on the "afloat upon the waves". I swear I have probably heard prince caspian 100+ times in live recording and never came to appreciate how well Trey plays that riff.

I was pretty happy to get an If I Could considering its rarity but if you asked me how do I want set 2 to close I wouldn't have said If I Could >46 Days. I was really hoping for Cavern but it got played a couple nights before.

46 Days brought the groove which was sorely missing from the rest of set 2 aside from Final Hurrah.

Set 2 had a decent amount of jamming sprinkled with a few rarities, it was a pretty calm set overall. The flow felt much better than the first set.

Drift while you're sleeping was another new one for me. It worked really nice as a show closer.

Despite feeling like an avid listener I still got 5 songs which I didn't really know (goes to show just how unpredictable these shows are).
The first set was very up and down, I think it would have gone smoother if they put Sample and Frost after Ruby Waves.
Overall I give Set 1 a 5/5, and Set 2 a 3.5/5.

Can't wait for next time!

On June 18th, 2019 m’lady and I went to see a Phish concert. Certainly nothing unusual about that – but the fact that we didn’t have to cross the mean old scary US border to do it, well, that was a rare and special treat!

Yes, Phish was playing in Toronto at the Molson Amphitheatre (which had recently been re-dubbed The Budweiser Stage) again, and by “again” I mean like they did in ’99, ’00, and in ’13, so it’s not like Toronto is a regular stop for the band or anything. I had been at the ’99 and ’00 shows and had intended to see the last one too, but it had been postponed (due to beautiful weather) to a day when I would find myself committed to be on another adventure almost a thousand miles away. Anyway, it’s safe to say I’ve seen Phish almost a hundred times since I last saw them in Canada, and I was pretty psyched for the day.

(I was even brazen enough to bring my few remaining Capitalism Sucks t-shirts to sell in the lot. It’s mostly performance art [“End capitalism now – buy this t-shirt” and “Change the world for just $10”] but I did sell a couple. M’lady didn’t do as well selling her Kasvot Växt/Häagen-Dazs shirts, but she wasn’t trying too hard.)

And so it was that we showed up at the lot nice and early and immediately hooked up with my great old friend Anne-Marie, and in short order associates and acquaintances started appearing out of the woodwork. The next three hours were spent hugging friends and sharing smiles; the weather was great and everyone was in a super-great mood. Heck, the pre-show was so fun I hoped showtime would never come.

When the sonic deadline finally loomed I said goodbye to Anne-Marie (who, along with her friend Kim had come to the lot solely and specifically to hang out with yours truly. I am humbled) and headed for the gate. In the short and fast line we discovered a few more handfuls of friends – same story once we got in and hit the concession area – and before you knew it we were on the lawn raising plastic cups and cheersing with still more familiar faces.

The show itself was…what can I say; average? No, that doesn’t work…an average Phish concert is pretty off-the-hook. Let’s say the show was: somewhat underwhelming but still pretty darn fine. And while that doesn’t come off as a ringing endorsement I think it’s both accurate and not overtly critical.

But really, that’s irrelevant. As it stood I had (at least) six more opportunities coming in the next few weeks to hear a stellar Phish concert, but this was my only chance of the summer to see such a great number of fun people before and at the show, and I had a super-duper great time start-to-finish.

The next day when social media pointed out to me just how many of my friends I didn’t see at the show I got a feel for how fantastic it is for all those lucky Americans who always get to see the band play in their homeland. To think that I’m only getting half the experience…

(In the lot before the show my friend Dave was kind enough to offer m’lady and I a pair of free electronic tickets for this concert, which we thankfully accepted.)

https://www.toddmanout.com

Drove up from Western New York to find free tickets in the lot, no vending, no anything, just a super mellow concert crowd. Wait, this is Phish in Canada, not Phish in Camden. Nothing too special to report in the first set. The end of Sample woke the crowd up from their legalization slumber. The Stash jam gave you that summer evening feel and liftoff which set the tone for the first Ruby Waves, which was really, really good. When Ruby Waves drops, it’s like a different band hits the stage. Focused and fresh, this version goes in many directions for a first set slot. Check the climax at the end where Trey exhibits some great work and hunger for this new jam, which shadows a BOAF jam for a few minutes. How they seamlessly come back to the main theme is nothing short of greatness. After many listens to this version, it sounds like one of the band members says “that was good.” Too bad that was one of the very few highlights of the show. Second set really goes nowhere at all. The jams have no spirit or momentum, but not every song (or show) can be an Ace! Really trying not to pile on here, but the Caspian was the most flat and short Caspian I have heard. 46 Days was hardly bearable in 2.0 and in 3.0, it remains the same and cannot revive this set. Even with this pure dud of a set, The Drift While You’re Sleeping is a masterpiece! Yup, f’ing masterpiece. My favorite version to date. Phish is like golf. You can have a terrible round, but that one pure shot on the 18th hole will keep you coming back for more, and this Drift is the perfect example of that analogy.

I’m ready for a punch you in the eye give me a my friend my friend calling it as an opener tomorrow. show of life or Quinn the Eskimo encore Another Roggae please a squirming coil into VE sea and sand into way down in the hole The WIRE HBO how about most events aren’t planned how about Bliss into swept away into the man who stepped into yesterday into lizards I love the song Gone sad beautiful song
Ok onto this show and not my wishes for a great blossom tomorrow show. Today I sing tomorrows song so this show well I only cared at Stash it was really interesting I don’t like the song stash but this jam is actually really good I listened to it on the way home from work at 3 am Followed by a stupid stow cop near Blossom Maybe we have to get a crowd control just to get these pigs off my ass. It is mellow easy and how all stashes need to be. Great Stash and I don’t even like indecisive people. I totally forgot about the wedge and lawn boy as “great to go to places” as a concept for a full show. The frost put me to sleep but pretty and the comet was standard but trey went ape shit lyrically so he is in a good mood that is contagious to a willing to surrender to the flow crowd in me. Ruby waves is a good song but about to run is the better rocker like 46 days a nice bluesy rocker. I wanna hear about to run again LIAR! Standard YEM but very rocking trey licks at the end I liked the first enjoyment of myself I don’t like long vocal jams anyways great great set closer no 1 will disagree with that as a 1st set closer go to!
I wanted my first if I could live but I missed it by 1 show but I have a feeling tomorrow will be better than today’s show. Golden Age was good but still yet to see a 20 + minute song in this tour. I need a 20 minute ANYTHING tomorrow at blossom. We need exploration not just orchestrated progressive rock I love the Woods songs far better worlds apart from pussy drop interrupt nonsense skandonavion bullshit that whole album blows and we were created not evolved from monkeys fuck that Darwin lie. Darwin saw birds ADAPTATING to their environment on the Galápagos Islands. That is fucking all he saw. He never saw a species turn into another species and a species or family will never become another family of mammals or animals or dinasours. They always stay within their kind. Liars u are all liars in the science world. The Big Bang theory is a joke made up by people that just do not want accountability to a moral sovereign GodAnd by the way Trey God does listen to what you say lifeboy is a liar. If you play life boy or friends at Blossom I will boo so loudly that everyone in the entire stadium will hear it fuck anyone who doesn’t believe in God

There is no denying from fall ‘13 to NYE 2018 there has been some incredible shows. Some might even say “the best show of all time” was played somewhere in that stretch.

But tonight was some of the worst of 3.0. The trend of playing less and less shows is going to catch up eventually and we may have finally gotten there. Hard to be straight fire when you don’t play live for 6 months, and the majority of shows over the last 18 months take place strictly at MSG.

Thankfully there is a god dam wizard running the lights. But even that only goes so far. Recoverable, maybe? But with only 18 shows left for the entire tour, not sure how they will ever get “dialed in.” Big swing and a miss tonight.