one more saturday night and Phish does it again! Set 1 was fun and balanced and Set 2 is a must listen especially for this moment in time with what is going on elsewhere on this globe...
the energy was high all around inside and out of da UC with better weather and less hectic traveling for most compared to N1. the floor was packed earlier and was notably louder.

the phishmen came on at 8 as usual and opened up with a fun and widely appreciated standard runaway jim. Martian Monster is always welcome with me as a reminder to all that our trips are short and an excuse to let one's mind blastoff a bit while simultaneously getting down and dancing. Sample can be a mixed bag but for me it as personal significance and here in the 3rd slot it seemed to function as a continuation of just straight saturday fun. I got to look around and catch other smiling faces. and then as if to reassure any skeptics or anxious negative nancys they took it out for a jam, which the crowd appropriately loved.

Weigh showed up as a bit of a bust out and again had meaning for me, to weigh and balance the many things in life. and the bit of darkness from wanting to cut someone's head off was a bit welcome as balance to a lot of the lightness during the weekend until that point. Corinna, another bust out, was so sweet and again meaningful. Love. Rainbow round my shoulder.

The next run of songs was great rocking phish. and let me say, the United Center seems meant for Phish. The sound has been outstanding and being so enormous it's amazing to be able to bring so many of us together and be a focus point in the midwest where we so badly need Phish and the love and community they bring with them. Every seat looks to have great views and while large it still feels cozy and the band seems to really love to fill the space.

i'm a phan of MEAP, Cavern (what a fun sing along), and yes even More. If you don't like More, let me just gently suggest opening up your heart. and if you don't, it's ok, the rest of us still love you.

Now, Set 2 is what Phish is all about in what one of my buds called a 'concept album': Chalkdust torture continued the phun theme and allowed us to ask ourselves and the world can't we be free to live while we're young/here and alive? but then the jam began signs of how maybe we can't always be so carefree...which is when Oblivion is perfectly used to express the distress about the hate and violence that some parts of humanity are capable of. It also seemed to me to reflect on the repercussions of greed for oil and money. SOAM took this even further and got so dark and so weird. words cannot capture. WTU was put to perfect Use. so touching, so contemplative, so being present. the 2nd set up to this point was just SO NEEDED that people poured out their appreciation. Everything's right risked being cheesy, but Trey's treatment of it felt subdued and appropriate after what had just occurred and hey after realizing there's really no answer to what's the use, except that just to be here now, who can argue that everything will be alright even if it all goes to oblivion. No quarter, again perfect. appropriately dark, violent, angry, and cathartic. Fluffhead capped it all off with more mixing of dark and light followed by release.

we all went nuts and poured out our emotions and appreciation.

the encore combo a life beyond the dream and character zero continued the theme, and really was just perfect. thank you phish. spread the love.

The lot was much more lively Saturday evening walking up to the show. All the usual chaos one expects to see for a Saturday night.

First set has a lot to love. Martian monster had some pep in its step, sample takes a great abrupt turn into jam land, and two lovely surprises in weigh and Corinna that were very welcome in our camp. Tube and 46 days give us more jam. Tube has a particularly great reentry and 46 days has a gorgeous blissy peak. MEAP, RIP Russel. Luke warm take: We did not need more after cavern.

Second set opens with a nice chalk dust and the jamming begins. Trey segues into oblivion (not needed) and what should have been an opportunity for more exploration becomes a quick rendition and ends to make way for what we all want, the weird. Melt does it’s thing, making knees weak and faces freeze as effects churn and collide in and out of time. What’s the use felt good as it’s not been nearly as over played, but when did we stop staying quiet during the pause here?! No Quarter features guitar god trey, really great solo from him here. A well played fluff signals the end.

Encore: Luke warm for me.

Overall had a great time as always, lots to love here. More first time seen songs. PSA if you’re in heels and completely tanked please don’t kick the air as you dance in the isle, you’re gonna hurt someone. Really loved have loud chomping, sweat flinging drunks infiltrate my personal space second set, narrowly avoided a heel to the face at least twice.

3.8-4 for me.

SET 1:

Runaway Jim: Great energy coming out of the gate, well played.

Martian Monster: Standard.

Sample in a Jar: Killer jam, loved this. High quality playing all around. The wrap up to the end of the song is a little messy, but who cares after all of that.!

Weigh: Sounded pretty good! This was performed for the first time since August 31, 2021 (108 shows).

Corinna: Such a chill tune. This was performed for the first time since October 15, 2021 (103 shows).

Tube: Well jammed. For a moment there I was afraid it was going to go full blow bliss jam, but they thought better of that. At 8:20 I thought Trey was going to forsake the ending and go for My Soul, but he decides against that and wraps up Tube. >

46 Days: Very cool Chest Fever jam that starts in the late 2’s, maybe early 3’s. Would recommend this jam for the nod to one of the best bands ever. Cool jam too!

NICU: Standard.

Most Events Aren't Planned: Standard.

Cavern: Standard.

More: Dreck.

SET 2:

Chalk Dust Torture: Nice interplay between Page and Trey at the beginning of the jam. This turns out to be an excellent jam. No wasted space. Great playing by all members. No bliss crutches. This proves that Phish can jam without simply relying on effects or bliss. Would certainly recommend this one and the segue out of it is very good too… ->

Oblivion: Standard. >

Split Open and Melt: Had to be there’d. Just a bunch of blip/bloop/blop. Just a bunch of noise/effects. Hard pass. This is a step in the wrong direction versus the one from Nashville.

What's the Use? - Standard. >

Everything's Right: Good, upbeat jam. >

No Quarter: Standard.

Fluffhead: Fishman during Bundle of Joy is very funny. End shred gets a little whaley.

ENCORE:

A Life Beyond The Dream: Broadway Trey. Terrible encore selection. Or at anytime point in any show.

Character Zero: Standard.

Summary: Considering the highlights and what surrounds them, pretty average Phish show. Those three highlights all feature solid jams with replay value, but nothing in this show jumped off the page for me. 3.5/5.

Replay Value: Sample in a Jar, 46 Days, Chalk Dust Torture