When Phish plays shows like these, it's tempting - maybe even necessary - to go back and pore through the first set, to look for clues as to what the second set would have in store for us, any sort of inkling at all. And this first set certainly offers up those clues - everything is played with a crisp efficiency, Back on the Train has a little extra snap, Divided Sky features two different key changes and sets a marker as different from the 3.0 pack, and (most importantly) Roses actually steps out for the briefest of moments, offering a sneak peek to what's in store for the rest of the night. A first set like that either leads down two avenues - one where it's the better of the two sets, or one where people end up talking about this show in hushed tones.

That being said, you could also argue that studying the first set is a fruitless exercise, because no matter how good that set is, how can you possibly - *possibly* imagine what the band would have in store for us in this second set? How could you imagine that, just listening to the first set, we would get:

- a surprising fan-related bustout;
- a Tweezer that slowly and hypnotically winds its way into a midnight-dark groove, Trey taking the lead (this is a Trey show, through and through) all throughout, then goes Godzilla-destroying-Tokyo heavy like Tahoe's did, *returns* to deep waters (with two different Mike-bomb moments), enters a contemplative space not too far removed from the famous Island Tour Roses, and ends in a squalling, feedback-drenched guitar solo;
- the best Golden Age yet (only 7/3/12 is close), immediately rolling into a thick spacey jam out of the turn, exploding into powerful funkiness, and then puddling into dark ambience and ending in a flurry of effects and massive Fish percussion, all with no muss or fuss;
- a beautiful, *joyous* sequence where Piper heads off to the races like it always does, then suddenly finds an upbeat classic-rock riff and segues *neatly* into Takin' Care of Business (it's like something out of 1994, it's so slick and unexpected), which the band laughs through and then ends with a bubbling ambient fog, from which of course 2001 makes its presence felt, and this is a *wicked* 2001 to boot, easily a cut above the usual 3.0 2001;
- and, finally, a powerful Sand and a delicate Slave that peaks in glorious fashion, a fantastic way to end a massive, massive set.

We've got nine shows left in this Fall tour, but not only has the bar been set, that bar is practically scraping the stratosphere right now. This is a "dig into your couch cushions for the download money" show.

Hampton 10-20-2013

So I did not attend the show, though was able to watch the stream and I have re listened twice today.
Julius is the way to come out of the gates. They stood up early and said “Don’t take another step” unless you’re ready for some funk. Dropping a sweetly danceable, Jazzy Julius Jam getting everyone’s blood pumping preparing them for the tasty funk bombs up next.

Funky Bitch, I ain’t got nowhere to go! And I don’t want to go anywhere with Page tearing up the keys on this hot number. The pure Phish Funk Soul comes out for this tune most every time and Hampton III was no exception. Mikes kept the Bombs flying and his voice sounded way better than the previous night. Being the second song of the night it was good to hear Mikes voice so strong so early. Page was steady and hard hitting whilst Trey shredded nice and neat like. Keeping it crystal clear and whaling away. Fishman kept it steady as always.

Back On The Train was the perfect choice for the next song in my opinion. I didn’t see it coming which is always nice. I like they played this at Hampton, it leads me to believe we’ll be seeing it some more this tour which is always good. Funky breakdowns and some real cohesion among the band. This is my style Phish. Amazing song selection so far, flow from song to song is crucial. Keeping with that they slowly make their way into

Roses Are Free which I will never complain about especially post Funky Bitch. I had to resist all the urges that made me want to shout whilst the kids were sleeping and I had the show on full volume on my headphones. Strong version of Roses and I love a first set version, it lets you know you made the right choice ditching your loved ones and your obligations to go to the Phish Show and it will in fact be an unforgettable night. Just kidding. Everyone got a little time to play in this flower of a song. The jam was spacey and short. Not the best Roses but it was solid.

Sample In A Jar was next to bat. It was not a surprise to see Sample in this slot. Normal stuff here but Sample is a great song that makes the crowd feel as one. I feel like BOTT and RAF are serious dance numbers and Sample is a feel good song. It really does bring a sense of togetherness. Trey seemed to slip a bit in the beginning of the solo but he brought it back nicely and almost blew the top off of this tightly sealed “Jar”. Not a super long version but you could feel the band was into it. After some discussion they decided to drop

Ginseng Sullivan. Keeping a nice pace they nailed this song like normal. A mood lightener after some funk and rock. Just some good ol’ folky bluegrassy fun. Then the lights went away!! And out came those dirty old

46 Days with a hard rock and roll working mans feel. Trey has really become a master of this tune. Displaying an almost 8 minute Rock and Roll anthem about his old light man. 46 days was a nice slap in the face of Rock. So much energy coming off the stage. The attendees where a lucky group of phans. Trey switched gears and downshifted into

Divided Sky. Which should go down in Phishtory for the lighter pause. This was an amazing moment which I believe was sparked (pun intended) by pter (Saturdays Child). He or she relentlessly posted about getting the lighters going during set break night II of Hampton. This carried over to the Divided Sky pause. Shear awesomeness. I bet the band really appreciated the love. Good work Saturdays Child. Other than the sick pause Trey played the song near flawlessly and it was a beautiful moment for everyone (band included) I’m sure. This is what Phish is about. Great song, beautifully executed. The almost 20 minute version led me to believe that this monster would be the set closer. I was wrong, they were just simply opening the door for

Bold As Love. Bold is right. Page is a beast stepping up for this one on vocals. He does an amazing job at covering the great Jimi Hendrix. Page has the soul boy, he can let those love songs fly and we appreciate it, every note. Just ask the axis. You know what I’m saying. Play me out Trey!!!!

A much needed set break happened.

Paul and Silas was played due to some dudes dressed as Where’s Waldo making Trey think they were dressed in Prison Stripes. During set break they must have decided to rock it out for these guys only to find out they weren’t dressed in prison stripes at all. Ooops. Either way they played a great version of the song playing that jail house ,snappy dappy folk funk. ALL NIGHT LONG!!!

Tweezer was an absolute Powerhouse following P and S. Turning the mothership inside out with deep dark jams. Kuroda doing his thing and doing it well providing a spacey ,funky light orchestra or buffet of heady lighting if you will. Enough to melt the most sober person face this was. The band seeks and destroys. They pushed the envelope and proved they can find new places to go. It’s so interesting watching them try to weave elegantly in and out of different formations of jamming. Experimental Phish is just Phish doing what they do best. I love it and I want more. Let’s just say Tweezer verified why they call Hampton The MotherShip. I thought this set would open with

Golden Age, though I was wrong again. They placed it after Tweezer. Why? Because Phish knows better than me. This Golden Age was defiant and mean. They tore into it fast and didn’t cease. I’m not the biggest fan of the versus but the chorus is catchy. Once they hit the jam they split the thing open. Exposing the middle gooiness of Golden Age. All the good stuff came pouring out. Wave after wave of knowledge vibrations.

Piper was to follow. Spreading immediate anxiety through the audience in anticipation. Knowing what is to come, the layering of vocal attributes and the intoxifying musical arrangement that waits. Trey played crisp the whole way through. They sailed their way through the jam not to disappoint. This was a solid Piper and fit the set list perfectly IMO. You’d think this set was shaping up for a sick 2001 next. Right feel and darkness to the jams. They are in the Mothership. It’s all adding up but to everyone’s surprise they rolled up their sleeves and segued into

Takin Care Of Business with loads of energy coming from the stage. Lights a Blaring and guitar a rippin!! Page banging the shit out of the ebony and ivory on the Grand. Trey belting out lyrics and playing that Rock and Roll. Mike keepin steady while Fish kept that sweet backbeat. Gotta love a cover they have obviously practiced the shit out of. They were really feeling the crowd which made the music and energy that much better. Once they finished taking care of business they dove into what we all knew was coming. Welcome to The MotherShip!

2001 was sweet. A little flub from trey but otherwise it was tight. Mike laid some nice bass lines in there that were new to me. I enjoyed Mike very much on this number. Page is always solid on 2001. I wish Trey would let him just GO for it longer. I feel like he cuts him off more often than not. But either way this was a standard 2001 from my view. I’ll take a Standard 2001 any day though.
Sand was next on the list. Being they are playing Sand more and more over the past few tours is making the song that much better every time. They have been so many places with it now I think they feel very comfortable jamming this all day. And I’ll listen. Smooth imagery of hourglasses and gun shot wounds. Questioning religion and your conscience all at once. The lyrics along with the riffs of this tune are BAD ASS. Sticking with the feel of the show this was another great pick for song selection. Performed with concentration and skill Phish nailed this one.
Slave To The Traffic Light was the pick for Closing the second set. A perfect choice. One of my favorite Dark, funk ballads. This is as heavy hitting as they come folks. Everyone played with love for the crowd. Trey played the solos great and the funk element was exactly where it was supposed to be. Rounding out a solid set with one of their best tunes.

Encore Break

A Day In The Life……Sick. Always sick.

Tweezer Reprize was of course the only way to go out. Great and powerful as always. Short and to the point. Step inside.

This is my first review of a show. Go easy on me.

whoever says this is an average show is out of the goddman mind. the boys killed it from start to finish.

paul and silas > tweezer > golden age > piper > takin' care of business > 2001 > sand > slave

with absolutely NO BRAKES throughout the second set... dark, funky, dancy HIGH ENERGY and flawless playing showcasing a very un-rushed trey who sits back and lets the cohesiveness of the jams form before lifting off.

I've been to tons of shows since 99 and I put this one up as easily one of my faves. PHISH IS KILLING IT RIGHT NOW.

"If it were easy as fishin'
You could be a musician
If you could make sounds loud or mellow
Get a second-hand guitar
Chances are you'll go far
If you get in with the right bunch of fellows
People see you having fun
Just a-lying in the sun
Tell them that you like it this way
It's the work that we avoid
And we're all self-employed
We love to work at nothing all day"

So, I'll start off by saying that my wife and I weren't originally going to make it last night. However, it was just too good to resist, so we (she) caved and showed up in Hampton around 6:30 to grab a couple tickets. Well, it turns out we were right to go back to the Mothership for night 3. The two of us set up shop Mike-side further on up in the seats almost right above the stage. The energy in the building was, as anyone would assume, bubbling with excitement, the people in our section were pretty great, and we ended up all starting the "wave" that lasted a couple laps around the arena. On to set 1....

You knew Julius was coming at some point in the night, but I'm not sure anyone expected them to come out firing with it right out of the gate. Definitely got the crowd off to a good groove right off the bat, and continued with Funky Bitch and Back On the Train. You can tell Mike is still struggling with a little bit of a cold, but the guy was a champ and fought through his vocals. Now, I've always loved Roses, but like most, I definitely wish they would extend it more these days, and even turned to my wife right off the bat and said, "well, here's another standard 4 minute roses." I'm so glad I was wrong, because the nice extended jam on the end of it was a little foreshadowing for the rest of the night. Sample, Ginseng, and 46 Days follow and are all very well done and rocking. Divided Sky was definitely the highlight of the 1st set among 8 other wonderfully played songs. Trey really was on point and did a very good job(mostly) with the composed section, and the place went crazy of course during the "divided" part (it did look pretty great in there with all the lighters). If this was going to be our form of a "breather" I was not going to complain. Bold As Love capped off one of the best first sets I've seen.

Well, we DID all know Tweezer was coming, but what the band did at the beginning of the second set was a very pleasant surprise. Paul & Silas entered by sign/banner request, with the statement by Trey, "I'm NOT playing this for you. So don't enjoy it!" Then came the Tweezer that we were expecting. Well, sort of...while definitely not the Tahoe Tweezer, this one was definitely exploratory and spacy at points, with some dark rocking points as well. Golden Age really did step up to new levels, although I wish Trey would either re-learn the lyrics or just read the teleprompter sometimes. Piper was very solid, although I do miss the build-up to the vocals that seems to be absent in 3.0, but the highlight of Piper was really the jam that came out of it and the segue into a foundation-shaking Takin' Care of Business. The mothership was rockin hard and our favorite band was truly taking care of business. The 2001 that followed kept up the dance groove and was a little deeper than other versions of late. Sand definitely wasn't anything too out of the ordinary, in my opinion, but did its job of keeping up the groove. Slave was a real treat, as the four musicians on stage pulled at everyone's emotions. Before the show I called a "Sleeprise" encore, but instead were treated with an excellent Day in the Life before Tweeprise just about tore down the house.

The show felt like the perfect way to end an excellent weekend, and will hopefully be the model for the rest of the fall tour. The band really looks like they're having a great time, and of course would be remiss to not mention how in synch Kuroda is with them right now as well. Sorry for the long review, but this show definitely deserves some attention!

This could quite possibly be the best set from 3.0. They took the time to explore all of the ideas and themes before moving patiently into the next. Not only were all of the ideas interesting and solid, but they told an amazing story. So much fun!

Watching from home on the webcast, the lights were some of the best I've seen too. CK was in tune with the boys from the beginning.

wow second set was the best set thrown down this year imo. Two absolute gems in the form of tweezer-->golden age. Both are must must hear and more than once. This tweezer is definitely my fav version of 2013 so far. absolute magic in the air last night during the entire second set. Spiritual experience for sure. I chase the improv shown last night. I just hope it continues for the rest of this tour especially Rochester and reading cuz ill be in attendance . Im critical to a fault of this band I absolutely love but what they put down last night I don't really have words for. that's my story and im stickin to it. see you guys in Rochester. p.s. also carini from night 1 is must hear material.

Second set was the best of 3.0, case closed. I know people say that all the time, but this was the real deal. Random thoughts:

Paul and Silas - This worked because everyone was waiting for a Tweezer opener, so it kept the fans guessing a bit longer. Also I approve of any stage banter or nod to members of the audience.
Tweezer - Very sinister jam that ended with a sublime outro that teased "What's the Use?" quite a bit. I didn't mind that they went on into something else, as they had quite a lot left on their jamming plate.
Golden Age - I don't know how to describe the last couple minutes, other than the best sounding thing I've ever heard. There was a suggestion of 2001, but it would've been a rather chaotic beginning to that song. Again glad they simply let the jam breathe before going in a different direction.
Piper > TCB > 2001 - I hate Randy Bachmann and 70's corporate rock, so it says a lot that I liked this too. I treated the TCB cover as kind of a joke that somehow created a perfect bridge between strong versions of Piper and 2001.
Sand - At this point, Trey became possessed by Satan and played one of the best "Type I" solos in Phish history. I have heard enough phan complaints about "the whale" guitar sound. I hope that whale skeptics will hear this and realize the error of their ways.
Slave - Especially patient version was just what was needed after the previous theatrics.
Encore - Was expecting either a Loving Cup or Char 0 to precede Tweeprise, but soon realized that Day In the Life was the perfect choice for this show. The two chaotic swells in this song, both executed amazingly, reminded us what kind of sonic heights Phish is capable of when they are in the zone.

My favorite show ever attended by a long shot. Julius opener BOTT roses ginseng that divided sky and the pause was unreal bold as love was fantastic. The entire second set is out of this world. It doesnt get much better than this.The weekend was amazing and the sound is so amazing in the hampton coliseum. Cant wait to go back !

What makes the second set so special is that they maximized every song. They explored the space, I mean really explored the space. They never settled after the explosion of energy initiated by Tweezer. Took Golden Age to new heights. Piper jam transformed in to a classic tune no one expected. Just as everyone was starting to realize what song they have been teasing they bust into Taking Care of Business and the Mothership explodes. The raging energy from Takin Care of Business was seamlessly transitioned into a funky fest 2001>Sand. And Slave was beautiful to end a truly amazing set. Knowing a Tweezprise was coming, the way A Day In a Life builds was perfect to lead up to the earth shaking finale.

INDOOR PHISH!

The last night of the opening run for Fall Tour 2013, one of the best tours of 3.0. I was lucky to be aboard the the lo-fi spacecraft that is the Hampton Coliseum.

There was magic in the air, many of us still savoring the explorations of the previous two nights. And to be sure, there were some interstellar delights from N1 and N2, such as 10/18 Carini and 10/19 Ghost.

But at the conclusion of our tidewater sojorn, N3 would stand tall among the giants of transcendent Phish experiences. The second set took the Mothership into deep orbit passing uncharted quasars and ionized nebulae.

Lift off for Set II was virtually guaranteed with the rollicking good timer, Paul and Silas, but it was the Tweezer > Golden Age where we hit zero gravity and the 2001 > Sand ignited the afterburners. DEEP space.

Full attendance bias here, but I've listened to this show more that any other I've attended. Enjoy the ride!

A lot has already been written, but I'll give my night III review anyway.

After two pretty solid shows to kick off I had high hopes for Hampton magic on a Sunday.

Set I kicked off with a nice Julius. Definitely a fun opener, gets everyone moving and singing a bit.

Funky Bitch ratcheted up the energy.

Back on the Train was really really strong. This version definitely stood out at the time. They jammed for a while and brought it to a really high peak. Standout.

Roses are Free was up next. This is always welcome for me and they managed to take this out for a little spin as well. The end of the song saw Fishman go to the cymbal (ride or crash, idk I'm not a drummer) and they sort of picked up this droning sort of jam. It didn't go anywhere really, but it was a shining moment and foreshadowed some of the magic to come.

Sample was it's typical sing-songy self.

Ginseng Sullivan was fun, and fit the setting.

46 Days was fiery. I liked this version after the preceding two songs. Good jolt.

Divided Sky was amazing. The incredible and surreal moment where everyone just held up lighters during the pause was magical. It's a moment I'll never forget. The band must have been in such awe as well. I felt like everyone shared an intimate and incredible moment there. Plus they played a great version of the song!

Bold As Love was a good closer. Great tune.

Overall set I: It's not the greatest first set, and to be honest I was thinking it was just so-so.
Highlights: BOTT, Roses, D-Sky (probably less so for re-listen versus in the moment)

Well set II was fit to be a barn-burner with Tweezer in play.

They opened with a request for Paul and Silas from some costumed Where's Waldo fans. Fun banter and fun song.

Then they kicked into Tweezer. This one was the dark menacing older brother to the springy upbeat Tahoe version. It growled and snarled with some truly evil work. It eventually morphed into one of those jams that reaffirms why you;d see this band over and over again. The feedback drenched, reverb-ed tone Trey found had an almost underwater feel. He simply played all the right notes, which for me was emotional and contemplative. It just sort of melted around you. His work with the dynamics were amazing to, sort of going loud to soft and using the feedback to sustain certain phrases. It was really just sublime.

Then they dropped into Golden Age which felt like a nice call after the Tweezer darkness. They played the song section well and this one took a serious turn towards the ambient as the jam kicked in. This is a seminole version and concluded with an eerie effects laden ending.

They found piper at the conclusion, and this one hit warp speed quickly. They were really cooking when the found a nifty familiar chord progression.

**Side note and amazing story. My friend had commented before Friday that there was a Takin' Care of Business jam in a few versions of Bertha from '74 - specifically the Winterland shows. So we had been joking on and off the whole run about that tune and how the Grateful dead should get credit for it.

Long story short, we looked at each other and both mouthed "Takin' Care of Business?" and boom they dropped into it. It was one of those cosmic moments that's literally too ridiculous to not be true. I don't know what else to say about that moment. For me it was just indescribable.

Musically they slid into the cover without effort and it was straight out of the early 90's (looking at you Real Gin). They blew through the over and the energy was top of the charts. Superlative moment. They even managed to drift into outer space towards the end with Gordo letting off another bone rattling meatball bomb before they queued up 2001.

This set was already magical, and this 2001 continued the jamming vibe. I think it clocked close to 10 minutes and had plenty of space. Trey was echoplexing it up to great effect. It fit really well. This was a danceable beast.

Sand up next and more dancing ensued. This was a high energy version that took a bit of a diverse path to the top as well. I found this jam (like the Hood jam the night before) to be unique and very interesting.

We knew they'd cap it off with something special and Slave was perfection. The guy next to us just threw his head in his hands repeating "Oh My God" over and over. Well, that's pretty much how I felt too man. This slave was great too. They took a nice approach at the beginning with Trey just playing one note and altering dynamics with Fishman doing the same and they sort of followed each other. They wound through a nice patient jam and found a typically glorious peak and ended a near perfect set. Ok it was a perfect set.

The encore was ADITL which was standard great, and Tweezer Reprise was the final bomb that incinerated any remaining elements of humanity left in the alien spacecraft.

End SET.

Overall Set II: This one is top to bottom classic. Best single set I have seen. I place this set ahead of MagnaBall Night II Set II. So yea. All killer no filler.
Highlights: All, but Tweezer & Golden Age are both top tier versions of all time for me.

One of the best shows of Fall 2013, if not the best. Off the bat fun, rocking first set an excellent version of BOTT. Roses is always treated with delight and I swear they were going to give this song a ride. Divided Sky was an absolute gem. During the pause, the Mothership lite up with lighters and felt like the place was going to take off. Beautiful moment.

The second set is where the fun happened. A quick and bouncy Paul and Silas led into a dark and powerful Tweezer. Everyone knew there was no stopping this train. The next stop was Golden Age that had a funky-jazz Pink Floyd type of a jam that ended with the opening notes of Piper. Piper quickly got going into a fun, dancing jam and once Page started banging on the grand piano, the whole band jumped on for Takin Care of Business. Absolute mayhem in the Mothership. I truly thought Tweezer was going to lead into 2001, but was thrilled when they finally dropped it. This is a very fun 2001. Lets keep the funk going with Sand! Great jam on Sand which lead into a very appropriate Slave to end the set. A Day in the Life was perfect to end the evening, but Tweeprise sent the phans out of the Coliseum with all smiles and knowing that this show would start a great Fall 2013 run.

Overall outstanding show for the not to miss Sunday get down. I was 2nd row for the 1st set Page side. Trey really builds the solo patiently and very musically in Julius. It was real cool to see him play a few notes, then sing a few to himself and then come back in with another line. Reminded me of Miles Davis for the beginning of the solo. The energy stayed high for Funky Bitch with an amazing break from Page. The whole band was on for the rest of Funky Bitch and that carried right into BOTT. Again Page was laying some great clavinet lines down. Really love how the texture of the song develops and then Trey starts to color on top of it. Roses, Sample and Ginseng Sullivan got nice readings. Ginseng had a few rough spots but still great song to hear. 46 days is when the band really stepped up for me. Absolutely brought the heat for that jam. The Divided Sky was sweet as usual, add the lighters filling the mothership for the pause and Trey getting into some new territory for the end jam. Who doesn't enjoy a Bold as Love thrown in there too?
Set 2 was an all out throw down after a special Paul and Silas. Tweezer saw a exploratory jam that got the coliseum pumping and from there it didn't let up. Mike was dropping some of the lowest bass notes that just rippled the chests of everyone in the place. Golden Age > Piper kept the flow alive. From there the surprise was around the corner with Taking Care of Business. If you were there and din't dig that you may have a hole in your soul. The dance party wasn't over yet with a great Sand coming in next. Slave rounded out the set with a blissful build up and another well played version.
A Day in the Life was just beautiful and Tweezer Reprise brought it back to the high energy get down for our send off.

My friends and I spent 2 hours making a gigantic "Frankenstein" sign which hung page side. Even though it wasn't played we could care less because this show was absolutely incredible... start>finish. 2nd set was perfection to my ears and the whole place exploded during taking care of business. Thank you Phish... In Icculus we trust.

I havent been to many phish shows. This was my 16th, but I can say hands down the best I've seen. The bar is set pretty high for the rest of the tour. Hoping woosta and ac will at least come close as I will be in attendance. See you this weekend fam! Tweezer was incredible and I think im still sweating from that 2001> sand dance sesh. BASS BOMBS all night

I take it back. That's a nice tweezer. Has some real soulful patient moments. Jam is a little slow for my tastes for a tweezer jam but its definitely worth listening to, a few times. And golden age wasnt bad either. Fishman is great. I change my grade to a solid B. Of Course that's in comparison to other phish shows. Not other concerts. Compared to the rest of the world a C+ phish show is still an A+. The worst phish concert is usually better than the best concert by almost everybody else.

This is not a review of the show, although I have made it up to slave at this point and I am enjoying it immensely.

I am curious to see if anyone finds trey's tone to be at times kind off fizzy/ over saturated and yet still somehow lacking sustain?

Loved the end of golden age!

This is the only show I've given a 5/5, and I'll probably end up changing that eventually, but for now I'll leave it since I'm still glowing in what was the best overall set of Phish I've witnessed live.

The first set was no slouch, but still it gave me no indication of what was to come in that second set. It's not that any of the jams were "the greatest" or anything like that, but the serious Type II Tweezer definitely deserves to show up on the jam chart.

They carried the energy right over to Golden Age, which is probably about the best of the 16 I've seen (so far I'm 16/26 for Golden Age, so I've seen a good portion of them). From there on, there isn't much Type II to speak of, but the cohesion of the set as a whole was above any from 2013. They managed to stay connected in that deep way for 90 minutes or so, which is quite a commendable feat.

Was at this night's show. I was very very happy with how they did tonight. I agree that Julius was an expected song but NOT an expected show opener. I am just starting to really get into Ween, so I was pretty excited for Roses are Free, and I thought this particular version was exceptional. Ginseng Sullivan was the only subpar song of the first set in my opinion. The jams were nice and upbeat, but Mike was still struggling with whatever cold or bug he's got and the vocals weren't up to where they could have been, but props to him for really trying to give it all he had anyways.

I was pretty fucking happy to get 46 Days. I had been hoping for it ever since my girlfriend pointed out that there were 46 days in between the last night of Dick's and the first night of Hampton this year, and that the song had only been played 46 times before tonight's show. I was happy with Divided Sky, but even happier when they started up Bold as Love for the set 1 closer. Page sang it well, and the ascending jam during the song was on point for sure. It's hard for me to say whether Bold as Love or 46 Days was the biggest highlight of the set for me.

I suspected Paul and Silas after Trey asked the fans if they were dressed as Waldo or in jail stripes because they were going to play a song for the jail stripes. Then came the Tweezer, which was definitely the biggest highlight of my second set and maybe even the whole night. This tweezer got funky, it got dark, it got epic, and it got spacey as shit. I was really digging Mike on the power drill this weekend, maybe dropping hints for a Van Halen type of Halloween show.

Then came Golden Age, which I will be honest is not really a song I hope for (I'm not really a TV on the Radio kind of guy). That being said the version of it was killer, and I actually got really into hit, especially the ending jam. Piper was standard for me, but still enjoyable, and TCofB rocked the house. Fun, classic covers like that will always be a favorite of mine at shows because the band adds their own Phish spin to the song to get everyone in the house pumped up.

2001 followed really nicely, and this version I think was better played than some of he most recent versions, particularly Oak Mountain 2012 and Alpharetta night 2, 2013. Sand was also standard, but wtf I love that song so I'm not gonna complain about it, and the Slave closer was a really great way to end the show on a super high note. I was really hoping for Sleeping Monkey, and was a bit disappointed with Day in the Life. I have now gotten that song as an encore 4 times, and 3 times it preceded Tweeprise, so I'm just ready for something new.

Definitely a great show tonight. Wish I was going to the rest of the tour, but I will be couch touring for sure.

First time here and wow ! Matt Nolan and I had the best time . UNReal vibe and was no BS around it ! My boy David duller made it down and the night was solid ! It was the best shows I seen in a long time ! To the Cat that was looking for his kitty ?? Oh lord ! Best band and the Mothership lived up to the sickest place ever with MSG !

To what @Sivad and @WFBIII are discussing:

YES! It's the Ocelot. It's just not as warm and forgiving a guitar as the older Languadocs.
I saw Trey this April on the TAB tour when he was using a more vintage model and he immediately sounded better than he had for a while to my ears.
Then this summer he used the older Languadoc and again, sounded better.
I was kinda bummed to see him playing the Ocelot the other nite. However, I guess you gotta shake the voodoo off it somehow....
Regardless, I just dont think it's as forgiving as the older models. It makes him WORK for it.
Regardless, Trey is a wizard, and as shown last nite, he can still melt brains w/ ease.

He should break that Jazzmaster he was playing around w/ during the TAB tour....go Mascis on our asses........

Good to know I am not alone.
It sounded like there were times where notes would die out very quickly and that this would cause trey to stumble just slightly.

I really do enjoy the simplicity and restraint in trey's phrasing and the effect that it has on the band's improvisational direction. I feel that a slightly more fluid sound would help the music to move further into wherever it is going, which is often extremely engaging and a joy to listen to!

On the notes of Trey's tone, something I've noticed from the couch this year...

I am in agreement. The lack of sustain is notable, and it is definitely reflected in his approach. I sense a real conscious effort on his part towards simplicity (classic solo builds, less notes, repeating melodic statements, etc). That is all fine and cool. Trey can play how ever he wants. This is understandable as he gets older and wiser, etc. BUT, old habits die hard. Every now and then (okay, quite often IMHO), he is still looking for that sustain! And it's not there. And the space really opens up behind him, and I think he notices. Just kind of odd, overall. I now the Keely Comp is long gone, but man, that was a big part of my love for these guys some long 20 years ago.

My two cents.

Sivad - I didn't attend the show but I echo your thoughts on Trey's tone.

There's definitely a lot less sustain which is a little unfortunate - I used to love the long drawn out solos he would rip, part of the reason I started liking Phish!

I find his style different too. More abbreviated and using a very weird effect.

I love these guys but it's not the band I fell in love with back in the 90s.

I initially rated this show 5-out-of-5 stars, but upon relisten tonight, I'm revising that to a good, healthy 4. The first set seems somewhat uninspired given what goes down in the second, with even Divided Sky not featuring its usual quasi-manic zest. Even the Julius opener seems slightly downtempo compared to a bog-standard version from 1995 or so... I'd say Back on the Train is the highlight of the first set, but Trey's still got this thing going that he started doing on 3/6/09 where he kind of drawls or draws out phrases of lyrics. Along with his insistence on ostentatiously drawing unnecessary attention to "I'd have myself to blame" in Sand, this is a big sticking point for me, that I don't think enhances the 3.0 experience at all positively. Anyway, it doesn't really matter, because this is an amazing, jammy second set that begins with some funny banter and a fun bluegrass tune. The Tweezer and Golden Age to follow feature patient ambient space that's still surprisingly melodic, and nearly every song in the set exceeds 10 minutes in length. I'm reminded somehow of the shows from the Gorge in the summer (7/26 and 7/27) that at least 7/27 of which also featured the somewhat rare feat of Phish committing themselves to jamming an entire set. It sometimes happens that when Phish really brings home the bacon in the second set, the first set undershines in comparison... I wonder if they were saving themselves for Set II this night, but if they did, it sure paid off.

The more I listen to this show the more I am amazed by its reception as a good show. The sand and golden age and piper are some of the worst versions of the songs I've ever heard them play. The tweezer hits a nice point for about a minute, before mike drops into a Seen and Unseen jam and then it doesn't really get anywhere interesting until the last five minutes. The last 3-5 minutes of mellow blissful jam are nice but 20 minutes of average mediocre tweezer just to get to 4 minutes of good music does not make it a good tweezer. I defy anybody to listen to this piper and listen to AC piper and not report back that Hanpton piper is sloppy, boring, sluggish by comparison. It's impossible. It get a lot of hype bc of a long tweezer and great set list but none free jams really pay off. The golden age is one of the weakest they've played. Ditto piper and sand. And the first set is one of the weakest of 3.0! Please somebody show me where I'm wrong. Because I'm not. You all buy the hype. But this is a very average mediocre show. The empower is wearing no clothes. Mr.Miner and some who follow him blindly like he's an authority on phish quality might see shiny resplendent silken robes, but that's bull crap. Dude, he's totally naked.

Thought this was a pretty average show. I liked the Roses. And it's funny to hear takin care of business. But this show was missing a lot. Missing IT. Weren't hooking up that much. Piper started out nice but then crapped out at TCofB. Tweezer left a lot to he desired. Not my kind f tweezer. Just too straight forward and repetitive. Not much soul or magic in tweezer or Golden Age. I don't see what the fuss is about for this show. Nice slave. Nice Roses. That's really all I feel very strongly about. Wouldn't put this show with the best of this era or 2013. I love Sand and the entire set list really, but these just weren't beautiful versions. Choppy and monotonous and methodical sounding in the jams that I expected to pay off like tweezer golden age sand and piper. I give this show a C+. Really like the slave though. Nice slave. Nice roses.