Never commented before, never registered for Phish.net before now. But I have been a fan of Phish for near 20 years and thought I'd toss my hat in the ring today. I like reading the reviews, these reviews are why I bought a last second ticket to fly across the country back to my home town of Hampton for the 10-20-13 bomb. Thank you, I am very glad I made it back there for that gem.

I thought last night was up there in the rankings. Went to both shows, left the first night feeling like there were missteps that kept the show from really finding its stride. Ghost while good, had odd moments with its timing, it felt forced. I thought Trey tried too hard with his delay rig. I have not been a fan of Ghost for many years. I love the song, but I can't lie, I think its current modality just does not take advantage of the real potential in the song that we used to see. (I know, I am living in the past, but I feel like the versions with more live riffing and funk elements were better.) But I digress...

There was more than one song in SB1 that I felt came out noisey instead of great because of overuse. I was enjoying the Birds jam when I heard the closing riff from Trey and remember thinking..."wait, what?" TreyDHD is back? I could go on, but the point is it was just an okay show IMO. Some good moments, but it lacked in continuity and mastership? I think I just made that word up. I walked into the second night hoping for more and ready for the delivery of that... or not.

I think the band delivered. The first set had great song selection and placement (The whole show did, but I think this is often more weighted in the less jam heavy first sets). The opener gave a nice nod to Bob's history at the venue and fit with Phish's subtle references to those that have come before that they have employed before. I like that stuff. I think it shows that they pay attention to the history of musicianship, time, and place. I got chill bumps, not cause the song was so awesome as much as because it said "we are here for night two also and we are paying attention." The first set unfolded nicely and included many well played songs, with high energy from the band and crowd, and built to a solid close. They were no bathroom break songs. Winterqueen, a new personal favorite but a definite pace changer was slipped into the setlist smooth as a honeymoon pecker. When the first set ended, JJLC, MFMF, and Split all held space in my head for their tightness and evidence that the band was poised to deliver. Undermind, IMO a great tune on album and sometimes a great tune at shows was fun and fit well after The Wedge. At the end of the first set I was psyched, not wondering what might come later, but really happy with what I had just seen. The band was too, Trey took a shirt from a fan in the GA pit at set close. Proving again that banter and crowd interplay often come along with great nights of music. What would you rather see? The band exiting the stage without fare, or accepting CD's or DVD's or whatever was thrown on stage and then soliciting a t-shirt from an audience member? Just a rhetorical question there, I'm not trying to goad you.

The second set was phenomenal. From my perspective, in the GA pit and as a fan, the second set opener showed that the boys aimed to please. The water theme was nice, but more than the water theme that was present in both the first and second set what I liked was the simple fact that every song was largely devoid of distracting flubs and timing trips that can take a song from great to pretty good. Drowned has been a jam vehicle of immense proportions and I'd wager there are folks here who agree that when it drops into the 2nd set opener slot it sets the tone. The opening trio of the second set, while not out of this world in its exploration, found Phish firmly in the pocket. The jam out of Theme into Steam was incredible. I can't speak to the Floyd teases, they did not resonate with me, but the fact that the band was content to sit in the pocket and have fun was notable. I have seen some great Theme jams (VB 97 comes to mind for its cow funk qualities), but this one was set up by all the band members subtley (sp?) stepping up. I like that Trey seems to put a lot of thought into how he plays from behind these days. He is a great rhythm and fill player, he also rips as we all know, but I think he adds more and more these days by working off of Page. The Steam that came out was great. The syncopation in that one is pleasing. I would have to dig to find a bad one, I am sure there is one out there, but I'm always psyched when Steam drops.

After the opening trio of the second set, my attention was held. It was essentially a game of "how will they keep this alive?" The rest of the set answered that. I am not sure there was anything extraordinary about the setlist, but there was in how it was delivered. The band was playing with confidence. When Trey did step out front it was with intention and precision. The setlist reads well, but again it is more in the playing for me than anything else. The Scent, 2001, Mikes> Jim> Weekapaug was chalk full of examples of Phish exercising the musicianship that we all love. Page's solos, Trey's fill licks and on point solos, Fish's fills on drums and the marimba lumina!, Mike's Mike-ness, all were present. 2001 was solid. The Mikes> Jim> Weekapaug was a solid exclamation point for a great night. Not 100% sure yet on the stats of Mikes> Jim combos, but if that doesn't say "are we having fun yet?" I don't know what does. The Antelope encore closer, worth review for pure enjoyment and on point playing, was great. More than once I noticed how Trey just seemed unable to miss a note. Someone back me up there, anyone?

I listened to the show on my drive home wondering if my "in the moment" appraisal could have been biased, and I don't think it is. It's just as good the day after as it was live. I think this show goes right next to or past MPP2 as far as the band having fun, playing well, and proving that anything can happen at anytime with "3.0". They made great jam vehicles excellent, played every note like it counted, and left everyone in attendance grinning.

So, there is my first public opinion. It's not right or wrong, but I for one walked out of the Bowl thinking I had just seen an exceptional Phish show. I've seen some duds. I've seen some doozies. This one is up there with some of the doozies, not sure how far up, but firmly up there somewhere. I got a taste of the summer tour Phish that I heard with pleasure while following from the couch and web. Psyched for the San Francisco run. Wishing you all a great Halloween show.