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An outstanding tour opener and triumphant return to the mothership.

Trey came out pumped and the wolfmans brother only heightened the energy in the room - with what has become a rarity - a jam in song 1. This song has been an unsung hero of 3.0 and this version provided a nice upbeat jam that reverberated off the walls in a way you only get indoors.

Runaway Jim followed and was accompanied by another high energy jam that is never there in early set I Jim's. The place was melting two songs in!

Mound followed, enjoying its 2013 resurgence, and keeping up the energy for what was to be a standard but high energy chalkdust. Again, you couldn't help but appreciate the lights and the sound and the captured energy that you just don't get with expansive open or half-open amphitheaters.

Army of One and Nellie Kane provided some breather before - a interesting - stash. I am still struggling to describe it, with a unsteady type feel to it. Certainly unlike other stashed of late but a good listen to be sure. Ocelot, nothing above average for the past year or two - it's been bringing some extreme heat...it's still waiting to take the next step into showstopper but it's starting to blend into the set more naturally now.

The walls of the cave again served perfectly as set closer. Started off so tame before the energy got boosted to 11. An above average first set.

The second set was phenomenal to jam out to. The slow opening build twist was incredible fun while accompanied by a longer than usual type I jam that took for a turn toward the dark side at the end to build into a Free. It was a perfectly placed Free, with the high energy being brought back in and really nailing the peaks. It was a standard version that contrasted sharply with Roggae.

Roggae is a rare treat and it is a pleasure to see it appear as some variety in a mid second set that some claim are stale (maybe it is in some small degree in terms of written - but definitely never in how it's played)...it was a deep slow funk that should not be lost in the amazing Carini...

The Carini is why I love this band...as I said to the n00bs I brought with me to the show that you couldn't give tickets away for. But my gosh was this a non stop party....jazzy, funky, relentlessly upbeat, almost like it could have been its own instrumental song at points. It was candy for the feet ...the dancing was effortless....it is must listen to Phish...

Even the backwards down the number line fit in...it was placed well...which I rarely say. My biggest critique of this song is that it sticks out in a set like a sore thumb sometimes with its intro (see NYE run 2012 for one of 50 examples). But not always and not here. The fourth quarter was beginning but not without yet another beautiful rendition of 20 years later. It's really become a gorgeous live ballad. The ending Antelope was its usual self with a little stage banter too boot before a beautiful circus and high octane Suzy sent us home happy.

Welcome back to the mothership!

(Apologies for typos-written on cellphone)

Review for Carini-timings from livephish recording

Notes: Tour opener show, Carini appears in the middle of the second set, around 35 minutes into the second set, the 6th song played and the second "jam" song (Twist opened the set).

Soundscape jam:
3:05- Jam begins, Fishman on ride cymbal, Page on grand piano, Trey playing some high sustained notes on the fretboard. Trey drops out and at 3:50 he comes in with some effects-laden scratching immediately taking the jam into a layered sound feel.
4:15 Gordon drops out briefly and comes back in with a thumping bassline. This approach is found throughout this jam with the band members all responding to a noticeable change by one member and all responding in the next measure. Page switches around on keyboards settling on organ. Trey is playing some effects-laden notes here. At 4:52 Gordon puts on the Fishman Powerbass effect taking full melodic responsibilities as Page continues to lay the organ sound over the jam.
5:32 Trey comes back in with a melody. Gordon keeps on his effect and switches back to the clean bass sound. Page is really leading the jam in this part with Trey patiently listening.

Major key jam:
6:25 Trey modulates on a vamp chord and Page follows on the organ. Page does an amazing job of layering the sound over this section as Trey is less active only adding some rhythm and effects. 7:14 Page teases Tears of a Clown and Fishman switches to the hi-hat giving the jam a more driving feel compared to the space previous.

8:11 Trey rhythmically scratches a clean chord and the band locks in immediately. 8:32 is a seamless communication with all the band and they lock in. Fishman plays fill after fill, Trey vamps a nice melody on the upper register, Page keeps on the organ nicely eventually adding the grand piano.
9:31 Trey keeps playing his melody and Page compliments him nicely on the grand piano. Fishman answers Trey's rapid notes with the snare, great communication. This jam peaks nicely.
11:10 Jam peaks and Trey plays a riff closely resembling Quinn the Eskimo and Page plays a full on tease of the melody of the verse at 11:20.

Minor funk
11:25 Trey modulates the jam again and the band immediately locks in on a dime. Mike takes over with some funky lines, 11:59 Fishman changes the beat and adds some cowbell, giving a serious funk breakdown.
12:42 Trey settles for a less driving role in this section playing some tasteful licks and coming in with a reggae upstroke. Extremely syncopated jam, and Trey puts some wah that shifts it to full funk mode.
13:39 Trey comes in with a melody line and repeats it a few times before settling on a chord, once again the band is immediately responsive. After a Fishman tom fill signals the band...

Page-funk
14:15-The band vamps on a single note for a few measures seemingly waiting for someone to make a move. Page really leads it by playing a two note walk down (14:36), the rest of the band immediately mimics the next measure. Page then slips over to the clav and lays down a solo that is extremely funky. The band rides this groove until the jam settles on the opening chords of BDTNL, though it seems Fishman wanted to keep the jam going as he dropped a new beat right (15:57) before Trey signals BDTNL.

Overall this jam contains many of the elements that would be present throughout jams in Fall 2013. If anything it demonstrates just how closely the band is listening to each other as many of the changes occur within a measure of a particular member "signalling" something. Trey is noticeably more patient opting for rhythm and phrasing instead of rapid fire notes. This results in a more "soaring" peak than a classic tension and release peak.

An average show with some unbelievable moments, mostly Carini.

1st set picked up at Ocelet and the end of Walls of the Cave was fairly spot on.

2nd set was good until BDTNL pretty much crushed the momentum which the band never seemed to get back. Roggae got interesting at one point. The Carini by itself was worth the price of admission -- vacillated between the new Carini ambient style and straight up funk. The Twist also had moments.

In short, the first reviewer nailed it. Without Carini it would have been an average show.

Carini was/is a joy to listen to. Funk city - great Page Hammond, Trey funky comping, Mike laying down the bottom.... I detected movement into Reggae Woman territory near the end but to no avail. All in all, what a jam! Some great sympathetic playing all around.

I thought the rest of the show was mostly well played, but Carini clearly was the star. I also enjoyed the banter re: Fish's flub at the end of Stash, to be reprised at the end of the show, with Trey ultimately giving Fish a high five. Finally, special mention to Mike's neon green Nikes and the power drill bust-out.

IMO, the momentum stopped after # line but, overall, a good harbinger for the rest of the tour!

That carini was absolutely fantastic imo. They were totally locked in from beginning to end. No searching to find "IT during that jam which was prevalent during summer tour imo.. Carini flowed beautifully. Definitely one of my top jams of 2013 if not on top. Great sign of things to come, just need more jams of this quality packed into every show. Also no ripchord which reared it's head a good amount during summer tour. Must Hear version. c ya in rochester

Had a blast at this show - especially fun and superb Carini, but deep second set of back-to-back-to-back Backwards Down the Number Line, Twenty Years Later, Wading in the Velvet Sea sucked the energy and vibes right out of the Mothership, and not even Antelope or Suzy could bring it back.

Great song highlights (also including Twist, Stash, Wolf, Jim) but overall, I'm sad to say that in my opinion, the show completely fizzled out hard after the Carini.

I've had to revise my rating of this show to reflect my just-now relisten, and I'm going from 3-out-of-5 stars to 4. It's a tale of two reasons: primarily the astonishing Carini in the second set, but also the tight-yet-comfortable energy of the entire show. The first set also boasts an outstanding setlist, with a lot of classics and... Ocelot. (LOL, I'm not a fan of that song.) The Twist to open Set II winds down into near-silent ambience, but the Carini is a true triumph of boisterous and celebratory energy that I really need to revisit more often. I'm somewhat of a pedant (English major, etc.) so I don't use the word "astonishing" lightly, but if anyone was not already super-psyched to be at Hampton for this three-night run, that Carini would've sorted them out!

Ah the mothership (ok it was my first Phish show there so I don't know if I can rightfully call it that).

I was super pumped to be able to catch the opening three shoes of Fall tour. I worked / lived in Charlottesville at the time and my good buddy was also in Virginia, so we were crashing nearby in Norfolk - a quick jaunt down the road from the venue.

Set I opened with Wolfman's, which was a nice signal of intent. This one didn't open up too much, but rocked nonetheless. Good start.

Runaway Jim was nice in the two spot. Fine version.

Mound was up next and this was a fun one. Nothing special but a good song.

Chalkdust was placed fourth in an interesting position. Kicked up the energy for sure. Band was definitely getting loose.

Army of One was for Page, and Nellie Kane was a nice nod to the southerners in attendance.

Stash had some good jamming, but they botched the ending, which led into a joke as Fishman had to redo it. Funny.

Ocelot was ok, loping along in typical fashion.

Rift and Bouncin' was exactly Rift and Bouncin'.

WOTC was a great closer and cranked up the energy before set-break.

Overall Set I: A good opening set, felt kind of like a warmup, which delivered some looseness, some fun, and a couple nice jamming moments in WOTC, Wolfman's and the Stash jam proper.

Set II opened with Twist. Twist was awesome. They took a good patient approach to the jam and found a nice peak then went straight ambient. Kuroda was lighting the back wall and it was really cool during the spacey ambient section of this one. I enjoyed this version.

I feel like I have seen Free in the second spot of the second set so often. This one was no different. (p.s. it's always fun)

Roggae was in the 3 hole and this one absolutely cruised into a beautiful peaking soaring space. Trey was unbelievable, but it should be mentioned the hole band kept driving him further and further to the top.

Sparkle was a brief and fun interlude before they kicked into Cavern and had me thinking a rock show.

Carini kicked in a destroyed all in it's path. This was a GREAT version. Dark rock, dancing funk, upbeat Trey. This had it all. Must hear Phish and foreshadowed the tour to come.

Numberline was a nice choice after that jam. This was a decent version.

20 Years and Wading were fine.

Antelope rocked, but didn't do anything too special.

Overall Set II: Good set, a couple really nice jams (count 3 - Twist, Roggae, Carini). There were some uneven moments, but overall a great first show.

Go get that Carini!

Overall: Good show, sort of felt like a tour opener get loose kind of show. Good songs mostly and one big jam that remained a tour highlight in a VERY strong tour.
3.75/5 Niiiiice.