Night 3 at the Sphere. Well, this one was kind of a 10-meter belly-flop, compared to what it could have been. I'm not going to go into the quality of each jam and song as other reviewers have done that already. I'll start by saying that if you take the venue and Vegas out of the equation, this was one of the more boring shows I've seen (barring 10/12/2010 in Broomfield). Let's break it down categorically: [b]Visual presentation[/b]: Amazing. I'd go see a band I didn't even like here. Phish's utilization of the Sphere's capabilities spanned from outright spectacular to sometimes feeling like Kuroda had a Windows '98 machine that got stuck in screensaver mode. [u]Score: 4.8 stars.[/u] [b]Sound[/b]: Amazing. The FOH sound was mostly immaculate. Fish was a bit quiet at times but didn't detract from anything. The technical ability of the sound system was truly amazing from a clarity standpoint. It wasn't super loud but 100% immersive and just felt perfect to me. [u]Score: 4.9 stars.[/u] [b]Setlist[/b]: This is where things start to become puzzling. SYSF and a pretty lame Tube to start things off felt like a wet fart in an elevator. This night was set up to be a ripper and 75% of the tunes were uninspired and flat. It made me miss the days when Trey wore the same stretched-out black Mickey Mouse shirt to multiple shows in a row and probably ate White Castle on the way to the gig. Mickey Mouse Trey would not have let Designer Trey do this to a Saturday night setlist in Vegas. [u]Score: 2.7 stars.[/u] [b]Jamming[/b]: The clarity of sound allowed us to hear the band play off each other in a way I haven't heard in a long time. There were a lot of intricate details and licks that would have been buried in the mix at a louder, more aggressive show. That said, something big was lacking in the energy and jamming category - let's just get this out there. Almost an intentional "let's save some energy for Sunday" type of thing. Whenever Mike's pants are tighter than the jams, we're heading into problem territory. Lots of cool trey licks, and interplay that could have developed into great jams but ended up cumulating into mediocre noodling for a few minutes and fading away. Things would get going on a song or a jam and then the wet blanket would come out to make sure nobody was getting too crazy. [u]Score: 3.1[/u] [b]Food/bev[/b] Didn't try them but the nachos looked pretty good and had a very nice presentation of Fresno chiles and other little toppings. Had a solid lobby cocktail. [u]Score: 4.7[/u] [u]Closer/Encore[/u]: This thing could have turned around with some late 2nd set heat or a good encore. The venue felt oddly low energy as the band left the stage after 2nd set but I guess that's to be expected when there's a SANTOS closer on a Saturday night in Vegas. On to a turdy Life Beyond and a predictably short Tweezer Reprise that felt like it said that they could rock if they felt like it, but let's save that for another time. "Don't give up hope" was the right Chorus to end on, that's for sure. [u]Score: 1.1[/u] Overall Rating of the night (including Vegas/Sphere vibe and dropping into the casino party post-show) 4.9. Would go again.

PHISH, TUESDAY 06/20/1995 BLOSSOM MUSIC CENTER Cuyahoga Falls, OH Soundcheck: Funky Bitch, Ginseng Sullivan, My Generation, Daniel Saw the Stone > Rock Lobster, Horn, Blues Jam SET 1: Llama: Standard. Spock's Brain: Standard. Ginseng Sullivan: Standard. > Foam: As Page’s solo gracefully winds down, a subtle yet captivating crescendo emerges, courtesy of Mike’s deft bass work during Trey’s introspective solo. The resulting surge of energy is nothing short of electrifying. Would recommend! Bathtub Gin: Standard. If I Could: Trey masterfully employs the Leslie, creating a mesmerizing sonic landscape that seamlessly complements the exquisite piano artistry by Page. Would recommend! Taste: Standard. I Didn't Know: Standard. Split Open and Melt: Standard. SET 2: Halley's Comet: Standard. > Chalk Dust Torture: The band deftly weaves intricate musical layers into a compact timeframe. Their improvisational journey ventures through diverse sonic landscapes, showcasing their prowess and delivering a killer, short jam. Prince Caspian: I had forgotten how short the early iterations of this were. Of the first 15, I want to say 13 of them clocked in under 3 minutes! Uncle Pen: Last time UP was paired with Mike’s: 6/5/1990, 6/9/1990, 10/19/1990, 2/11/1993, 3/5/1993, 4/29/1994, 6/10/1995, 6/20/1995 Mike's Song: This one has an unassuming 1st jam. However, the subsequent 2nd jam plunges into a mysterious, shadowy realm. Yet, Mike and Fish’s unwavering rhythm, guided by Trey’s deliberate playing, resurrects the energy into a rocking groove. Around the 12:00 to 15:30 mark, pulsating musical motifs emerge, only to recede back into the enigmatic depths. Finally, the band transitions smoothly into the uplifting tones of Contact. This was my first Mike’s and the best I have ever seen! Easy all timer and highly recommended! -> Contact: Standard. > Weekapaug Groove: Fairly interesting and unique but there is no ending/payoff so blue balls unfortunately. > Hold Your Head Up > Cracklin' Rosie > Hold Your Head Up: Standard. Highway to Hell: So, this actually happened. I was on the lawn and saw it happened. When this started up, a dude ran up that big support thing and got on the roof and was dancing up there. Cops realize it. So does the wook. He scrambles across the roof running towards the other end, down the other support on Mike’s side, down into the lawn and into the crowd and he seemingly got away. One of the craziest things I have ever seen at a show. ENCORE: Slave to the Traffic Light: The heavy metal build up in this intro is spectacular and intense. The climax is very peaky. Would recommend. Amazing Grace: Standard. Summary: Very good show feels like a 4/5. Replay Value: Foam, If I Could, Chalk Dust Torture, Mike's Song, Slave to the Traffic Light The soundcheck's My Generation was performed acoustic. Bathtub Gin contained Long Tall Glasses teases from Trey. This show is available as an archival release on LivePhish.com. JAM CHART VERSIONS Foam, If I Could, Chalk Dust Torture, Mike's Song TEASES Long Tall Glasses tease in Bathtub Gin

Amazing show. Second set contained some truly awe-inspiring jamming. The Disease is an instant-classic, all-time version and is some of the best jamming ive seen. and then after a swelling, mellow beneath a sea of stars, the boys deliver a 20-min bliss-rager Light. like being up 4 runs and hitting a 3-run bomb for good measure. the visuals were great (especially during Ghost), but tonight i was once again struck by the fact that phish is still delivering elite jams 4 decades in to their career. it woulda been easy for them to let the visual spectacle of the sphere do the talking this run, but instead they pushed jams at nearly every opportunity and played multiple jam-chart-worthy versions, capped by last night’s monumental DWD.

At this point it's pretty clear that Kuroda, CK5, is dictating the setlists. I can just see the original band meeting a few weeks ago.....So guys, I have some insane visual ideas, it's going to blow everyone away, especially if they're tripping, but they require time to fully develop and show properly. So I am going to need every song to be long and jammed out. Nothing less then 10 minutes! No Sparkle, no short country songs, no short slow songs Trey. AND I need setlists that don't change!!! You don't get to screw me like you did in the 90s and make up setlists, so I can base my lights on it...and then don't even follow them at all! This here run at the sphere requires themes and set ideas for the songs...and you can't change them!! But we like to ease into the 1st sets and play some warmup songs that don't go anywhere? To bad Trey, I am going to be the bad lieutenant here...not you! Every song jammed out! But I want to play Axilla! That's fine....just jam it out! 15 minutes will be good! What about lifeboy after a MIke's? Fine....Just.Jam.It.Out. Be creative! The fans love it when you jam out something different. Take Lifeboy for a ride! You can do it. The whole 1st set....everything jammed out! No excuses! But But but I need some slow songs.... OK!! I will give you one or two short songs each night. But I need to know what you want to do. OK you guys have some homework now. Come up with 4 nights of setlists...How you envision each night to go and I will review them with my lighting team. Setlists have to get approval from lighting before you can move forward. Joking aside, it had to be like that to a degree. Just look at the 1st set....every single song was jammed out. It was a perfect psychedelic set except it was yesterday that was dripping! Anyway, the bubbles in Tube!! and Pillow jets!! The misty mountains also cool. Which song had those fireworks trees? that was amazing!! I thought the Golden Age Twist and Chalkdust jams were the best parts. Especially that 2nd Chalkdust jam! The visuals on the screen are so amazing! So trippy! I took psychedelics for Friday and it was endless brain orgasms. I could see that tonight also had elements of that and I was just straight! If you feel like your tripping just from the screens...imagine what it's like when you are tripping!! And I watched from home and still got it....just imagine being in the sphere and tripping!!! Killer job Phish team translating it to the webcast so well!! Make sure we can buy the videos so we can have acid parties at home with them!!! Mind was blown on Friday!! And how good the sound is with no amps on the stage!! wow just perfect sound!

I guessed Mountain Air and Got a -4 NICE inclusive community of fans we are....what about my comment deserved that? I was just guessing like all of us and even though it is now obvious it is the 4 SPHERES of existence w a little help from google this "These four subsystems are called "spheres." Specifically, they are the "lithosphere" (land), "hydrosphere" (water), "biosphere" (living things), and "atmosphere" (air). Each of these four spheres can be further divided into sub-spheres." I said it is either Fire on the mountain as a nod to the Grateful Dead or it is atmospheric mountain air which turned out to be correct and I get boo'd for that? WTF....I get why Trey plays WTU all the time....he is tired of pretentious tool fans (not the actual band Tool because they are great) I was just doing a stream of conscience before the show was over and I guessed 3 things 1 being fire the last being mountains and valleys vs N1 flat earth and my 2nd guess which was correct and I get a -4 Now I will get -400 because phish fans are not the nice hippies everyone thinks they are MOST are but some are just wook chomper trolls This show was by far the worst show of the 4 thus far and I assume after LIVING CREATURES tomorrow ...that it being a Sunday show and w THAT theme ..it cannot possibly be worse than this anxious mess These shows prove to me that Phish is about the MUSIC and the LIGHTING ONLY CK5 ENHANCES the band This screen DETRACTED from the band in most cases If the band would have went totally literal or LANDSCAPE REALISM ONLY this could have worked like in BOTT and in Prince Caspian and a few others but the moral of the story is do not do graphic design like that terrible Bathtub Gin which looked childish immature and neon pastel AWFUL They turned 1 of my favorite Jam vehicles into a train wreck w that background And the bottom line is ....listen to a show w not being able to know what Page and his new shirt look like ...no CK5 amazing accompaniment lighting and if it is still a 4.5 show ...ok....THEN and only then show me the VISUALS but the music comes first The Visuals almost always take a backseat except in the Whale and Dolphins on Earth Day and the NYE Gag songs because they were NOT screens they were REAL LIFE enhancement like Midgets in Golf Carts to Tweezer Reprise THAT was hilarious and made the song ever better Soul Planet a good song not great everyone hates on it like they will hate on this review but I am right and you fools are wrong .....for the most part (those 4 dudes anyways that gave me a negative point for just being honest real and curious-makes me want to in my immaturity do what Jay and Silent Bob did at the end of Strike Back...and look past your VPN and figure out your punk ass 4 addresses and strike back and kick your phony asses) But I regress and breathe deep and say I for one am glad I did not go to Vegas Yes it was miles better than 2004 the worst 3 Phish shows but to compare that is NOT SAYING MUCH Trey is sober so it better be better than that Jay-Z Girlsx3 idiocy w the flu and a hangover Trey says he wants to come back definitively and that is cool and all but only if he starts to take things a bit more seriously and more literal These shows just the tapers are terrible and that speaks volumes to me....The Tweezer sounded good and that was about it the last 3 nights to me Community SHMOONITY Phish fans would turn on you in a second come the apocalypse and end of the world Hippies pretend to be nice until they need water and protein and become the ravenous secret wolves underneath the sheep kind sexual freedom exterior ...when the wooks and Howling wolves reveal themselves as the clowns Guyute pigs and Slaves to sin they really are (watch Zombieland 2 that is real Hippy living in OBLIVION AWAITS) When they NEED to eat humans to survive and not just WANT and desire NO2 shrooms acid and weed to survive in their entitled universe lets see who puts the 666 on their forehead or right arm because it will not be me but it will be those fools giving me a -4 rating We can love Phish and hate the community of lazy people (btw Big Lebowski is one of my favorite films before you put me in another category box) I am also a Republican who hates and will not be voting for Trump or Biden Trey had my hopes up in the CBS interview saying this would be epic but also said Mondegreen festival will....I believed him until I witnessed the Torn and Frayed (bag of nerves on first and second and third nights but especially third) I still want to believe the band is just at the cusp of greater music because 2023 especially the Alpharetta and MSG shows both in the summer and NYE were AMAZING except for the usually great 12-30 which was strangely terrible and made no sense 12-28 actually got the ju ju juice this past year and of course 12-31 w the Gamehendge surprise because usually the NYE show ITSELF sucks compared to 12-29 and 30 but they flipped the book to the book ends and not the MEAT of the book this last year And then Mexico on that I agree TOTALLY w Trey in the CBS interview where he said Mexico was their best run ever and I would not go that far but it was the best Mexico run ever 2017-2023 so 6 i think w Covid so not 7 if memory serves and the first show warmup was even pretty good for just one set That Alaska was BLUES royalty and then it just went into the unexpected stratosphere unlike these 4 shows I sure hope tomorrow is good because these 4 were underwhelming and the visuals looked really cheesy childish immature and silly in most songs w a few exceptions You know im right Look at Bathtub Gin and tell me that sounded good let alone the shitty visuals? This may have been Fire is in the AIR night but this show was anything but FIRE or Energetic AIR

Overall night 3 at Sphere was a great show. I think without N1 and N2 fresh in our minds, N3 would be looked at fonder. Set 1 had some clunky setlist choices. Pillow Jets got the jam treatment, and the visuals of going through a forest of trees blasting off like fireworks was amazing. The Pollock Egyptian tomb used during Taste was incredible to witness. Set 2 is where this show gets serious. Fuego was the jam of the night, and the visuals of the band’s silhouette on fire was awesome. Twist went hard for a 10 minute version, and Chalk Dust ripped. SANTOS also had a little extra mustard. Musically this show was not my favorite of the 3 so far. However, the visuals continue to evolve. I am loving how the visuals change when the band starts to jam. Chalk Dust had the best use of that of the night. Tweeprise tonight makes me think they’ve got something up their sleeve for the finale, see y’all there.

It was a good show but I don’t think they ever really lifted off. Fuego started a little clunky but was really phenomenal from about the mid point of the jam on. Pillow jets was great, the new album is gonna be the best in years. 2nd set was tight jamming. Average show overall and seemed like they were holding back waiting to explode on Sunday. After Fridays barn burner it was expected for them to take a small step back. My favorite visual was the Pollock art from LivePhish over the years- that was so special and bright back amazing memories

FIRE in the mountains? Or mountain air as the theme would also make sense. I called Hydrogen on the webcast SYSF webcast. I am shocked I got that correct after already playing Lifeboy yesterday in its Mikes Groove sandwich spot. How I called that is beyond me except that air is made of mostly Nitrogen and then Hydrogen and I was guessing the theme is AIR atmosphere mountains fire or some combo of the 4. N2 water but what was N1? Land? Water then Fire Gas or Air but then why mountains they are Land so then I though maybe Flat land vs mountains and valleys or liquid solid and now gas as the theme being most likely. Is this night Trey making us think it is specifically Fire but really the theme is GAS or elements oxygen n2 not actually water and Carbon is actually N1 and then what is outer space made out of mostly? Nitrogen is the majority of our atmosphere but Hydrogen the outer space so that doesn’t fit w tonight at all so it can’t be elements It must be the simple Earth Water Fire then night 4 logically must be ICE so tomorrow we will get Frost Winter Queen Seven Below It’s Ice and other songs cold but Tweezer was already played on earth or flat land day so I am so clueless NO one theme of 4 makes perfect sense but then again Trey said it is not literal at all so maybe all the themes MELT into each other and overlap but N2 was clearly water if it was ambiguous like N1 and 3 I’d be more likely to say Trey is just pretending on one theme per night but water was obvious. Earth water fire then wind or ice. I’m calling ice or wind or both for the final night A play on the band named earth wind fire or the elements but not elemental table that can’t be it It is sure fun to guess at this visual insanity I far prefer phish’s take on the sphere over U2 using chaotic overload which fits the message of auchtung baby…I love each band making this venue their own creative vibe so far. Both bands did amazing using graphic design

The tweezer jam mellow was my favorite of N1 but I was not there for the visuals I think I know what the themes are but I am not certain. I think N1 is landscapes nature scenes or just flat earth and n2 is obviously water but n3 is either Fire on the Mountains or perhaps just Fire or maybe mountains and valleys and N4 is of course now still a total guess but if n3 was actually atmosphere or AIR and n1 covered all types of land then N4 cannot be air but then would either be Outer Space Aliens or maybe People or Animals again but they already did that and already did the Fire Earth Wind Water show of elements second set so who knows. Any guesses guys?

This night was clearly water but it is N1 and 3 that have me stumped. It is either flat earth vs mountains and valleys or Land in general vs the atmosphere and if so tomorrow will definitely be Outer Space or Animals again or all Gods creatures with humans included this time all songs about People but then MFMF should be on that show so I honestly can’t say exactly what N1 or 3 are because how is Tweezer about land maybe we drive on the FLAT roads but we drive in mountains too so I need Trey to tell us N1 and 3 because the Easter eggs did not give away the theme to me?

Really great balance of goofy antics, great song choice, tension release jamming, and even a guest appearance. Almost a “jack of all trades” kind of show only exception is that the Bowie is in no way a “jack” this Bowie is an ace in the hole and probably the best Bowie in fall 95, it’s a true masterpiece

Admittedly the morning after I’m still reeling from this show and need to rewatch and relisten. Relisten specifically without the aid of visuals. Because in the moment some of the jams seemed absolutely stellar. Sound I was ten feet from the rail in front of Mike. The sound was crystal clear and almost too loud, but as close to perfect as I’ve heard in any venue. The 360 swirling effect was fun. A cool gimmick that I noticed most in SOAM and the YEM vocal jam. Visuals Gorgeous, fun, overwhelming at time. The What’s the Use particles with 200 foot band members was breathtaking. Loved the underwater effects, but I preferred the more abstract visuals. Being so close to the stage and screen, my neck hurts this morning. Worth it. Music I was shocked by some of the playing. Axilla II, Gin, Theme, SOAM all had me looking around at my friends with a “did that just happen” expression. The band played so well, listening to each other, being patient, and still experimenting even with a predetermined setlist. I feel so lucky. I think they do as well. For some reason I didn’t expect the music to be stellar. I don’t know, I thought if ever they could take it easy and not push themselves, it would be these shows. Well, they didn’t take it easy. Amazing music. Conclusion This might have been the weirdest Phish show I’ve seen. Good weird. Very good weird. Big Cypress, Moby Dick, MSGamehendge were all monumental (for me) but not this crazy strange. I’m so glad I made this happen. Now, I’m still not sure the Sphere is the right place for Phish. LED screens just don’t fit my idea of the band and specifically the visuals weren’t very responsive to the music, not in the way we’ve come to expect from CK lights. Add to that the Vegas vibe and the ticket prices, I’m not sure this run should happen again. But if it does, you can bet I’ll be there again. Because, you know, it f**king ripped. So I got that going for me, which is nice.

Such a wonderful cohesive show musically, but to have that music with the water visuals that were executed so well - GTFO, this was an unreal experience tonight. Axilla jam, and then Gin > Theme > Melt, such great improv in S1. WOH jam peaked for days, WTU was gorgeous. Caspian jamming in the underwater temple. And then YEM carwash absolutely slayed, probably my vote for best visual accompaniment of the run thus far, or most fun anyway. Dog licking vocal jam was fucking hilarious. Hood encore soared. Sphere Phish is next level.

I am not sure I am currently able to judge the music of this one seeing that all of my senses were blown last night, but I'll give it a go. First off, and this is not meant to be pretentious, but it is hard to separate the music from the spectacle of the accompanying light show in the Sphere for those who were in attendance. The two were intertwined, and it definitely enhanced the experience, and thus the show, above the music alone. There seemed to be a few kinks that were being worked out early on with the sound, which was generally excellent. I am speculating a bit, but I think that the light show for each song needed time to load. This is why, particularly for set 1, there were deliberate pauses between songs (or why when quick song transitions were made, there was a delay of 15-30 seconds before the lights came on). I also suspect that they did not pick all of the songs in advance to match the display, save for Farmhouse, Leaves, and the Mike's Song>Lifeboy>Weekapaug medley. I am guessing they did this so they could balance their desire for improvisation with the need to provide some accompanying thrills, and it generally paid off. I loved the show for Maze the best, and there were many other standout visual experiences, while Tweezer's moving cars seemed out of place (and reinforced the possibility that the visual loops for some songs were not planned in advance). Overall, it was mesmerizing, captivating, and exactly what I had hoped for. Just over 3h30 min were played, with 2 monster sets where they dared to add on classics like Carini and Fluffhead as set closers. Many songs seemed to go type II (but maybe the lights were playing tricks on me). Set 1: Everything's Right took a bit to get going (perhaps some sound challenges), but was a nice jam. Back on the Train was really nicely done and had some nice bass and key interplay - Mike came ready to play out of the gate. Wolfman's Brother was a nice turning point about halfway in where they were getting grungy and experimental and I thought they were looking for a way out, but then they pressed on and found new life for another solid stretch. Following this was a strong and upbeat version of Maze, really enhanced by the filtered images of the fab 4 breaking apart and pulsating along. Leaves was pretty and had a blissful jam, definitely worth a listen. The lanterns and visuals were brilliant. Life Saving Gun was great, and I can see why this is turning into a jam vehicle for the group, quite different and more uptempo than the album version. The moving TVs featuring the band members made for a really cool optical illusion from our end, looking like they were floating Dirt is a personal fave, very well played. Carini short but sweet. Set 2: Sand and Tweezer were a rocking 1-2 punch. The visuals for Sand were stunning, while Tweezer's were a bit distracting for me. Some experimental work, loops, interplay above standard major chord jamming, with lots of peaks and troughs. Crazy that we still were treated to another hour of great music afterwards. My Friend, My Friend was high energy and had a nice jam Loved the Mike's Song>Lifeboy detour. Timed the Mike's Song>Lifeboy perfectly as you arrived at the sculpture with a change to nighttime outdoors coinciding with the switch (the only time they seemed to engineer/sync up a song change, likely because it was happening within the same video segment). Weekapaug was a bit anticlimactic with the visual just moving backwards, but I really appreciated what they did with the Mike's Lifeboy Groove as a whole, mixing some improvisation with the show. Blaze On standard fare, ending with a high energy and well executed Fluffhead. Encore: Farmhouse was sweet with the acoustic touch and a Farmhouse with northern lights that made us all yearn to be there, and a lovely Antelope where they managed to build the suspense as we moved through the pixels and lines on the screen. We are all super privileged to be here, and I really appreciated the extra time they gave the fans. Can't wait to see what night 2 brings! Jam worthy songs: Everything's Right, Wolfman, Life Saving Gun, Sand, Tweezer, Lifeboy Special mention: Leaves, My Friend, My Friend, Fluffhead, Antelope

PHISH, TUESDAY 02/25/1997 INCOGNITO Munich, Germany SET 1: Runaway Jim: Standard. > My Soul: Standard. One Meatball[1], Little Red Rooster[1], Got My Mojo Working[1] - Probably a lot of fun for the performers but not sure it translates well on tape. Maybe it did live in the flesh. Stash: Standard. Waste: Standard. > Taste: Standard. Loving Cup: Standard. SET 2: Beauty of My Dreams: Standard. > Sample in a Jar: Standard. > Punch You in the Eye: Standard. > Free: Standard. Fee[2] Standard. -> My Friend, My Friend[3] Trey train wrecks this intro and then abruptly, LOL. He sounds pissed too. Down with Disease: Trey goes into the closing stanza and totally catches Page off guard. Rough. > Prince Caspian: Standard. La Grange: Standard. Sweet Adeline: Standard. ENCORE: Chalk Dust Torture: Standard. Summary: One of the weakest shows in the late 90’s. It’s super bland and bereft of highlights. 2/5. Replay Value: None. [1] Phish debut, Sydney Ellis on vocals. [2] Trey sang verses through megaphone. [3] Aborted quickly and scrapped. One Meatball through Mojo Workin’ were Phish debuts that featured Sydney Ellis on vocals. Trey sang the verses of Fee through a megaphone. My Friend was aborted quickly and scrapped. JAM CHART VERSIONS Prince Caspian

Long-winded in-person review coming... now! Awed and Grinning in Sin City This will primarily be about the experience, and a few rando tips rather than the music itself. Dot net does a better job at that than I would anyway! At 6.15pm, my two show-pals and I stroll through the casino floor of the Palazzo and arrive at the “holding room,” a mid-size convention/meeting space attached to the long sky bridge walkway to the Sphere. We were amidst a happy, excited and maybe even nervous crowd lined up and anxiously awaiting the doors to open, rumored to do so at approximately 6.30. A full hour later, we’re still in a dense and getting-a-bit-warm line on the skybridge, but we can see the ticket/security checkpoint ahead. I’m not sure what other entrances are available to get in, but this one? It sucked hot ass. First tip - put your tickets in your mobile wallet and tap. Every person who tried to scan the digital barcode option on ticketmaster stood there, frustratingly trying to properly line up their phone. And not like rando olds who don’t know how to do it - this line is full of concert vets. Once finally inside, we find ourselves in the cool blue interior of the Sphere. Meditative ambient music plays, and the deep blue is punctuated with red donut-like circular design elements that were hard not to smile at. We had a good 30-40m before the band hit the stage, but eagerly went to check out our surprisingly comfy 100-level seats. Walking in alone is almost overwhelming. An epically massive, seamless screen slowly changes hue, dancing around the color wheel. A small, tight, unlit stage sits in the center, flanked by six black pillars of standard stage lights. And it was almost all the way to quiet! People were talking, but their conversation doesn’t carry the way it does in most arenas. Our seats are a few rows under the overhang, bringing us to tip 2 - if you can be choosy about your seat, it looked to me like the 200s and up, or at least not under the overhang, are the place to be. GA is right in front of the stage (duh) but there’s no way you can take that joint in from there. The lower level 100s certainly had a baller view, but your head will be on a swivel. We walked around a bit in awe, like most people were doing, until settling in our seats. I couldn’t help but take pics even of the solid color wall and empty stage, it was just that impressive. The screen turns to a dull blue, and several roars went up from the crowd, bringing us to our feet. The third roar was the real one. No dramatic light drop, just our four un-caped heroes walking out on stage from the back steps. The energy and anticipation was as thick as the fog Scooby and Shaggy used to cut donuts out of. Gigantic columns of animated pillars rise up from all sides of the screen we’re off with, of course, “Everything’s Right.” It sure as shit was. Tip 2.5 - if you’re even a few rows under the overhang on level 100, you’re not seeing between 1/3rd and half of the screen and ceiling of the sphere. It’s still fuuuuuucking impressive. The columns morphed, moved, receded and grew, slowly turning, and seeming like they were reflecting the actual lights on the stage. Soon enough you’re looking at visuals rather than the band. They move and morph slow, as did all visual graphics throughout the night. I would guess this is purposeful. Moving any faster and you’re probably gonna get sea sick. Tip 3 - if you focus on the band while the massive peripherals are moving, it actually does give you a sense that you’re moving too. Kinda weird, but there’s no horizon to focus on so it makes sense. When I felt it, I’d look back at the visuals and the room stopped feeling like it was moving with or without me. The visuals are tranquil and a little trippy overall. It was a mix of animation and some layered photography. The landscape photos didn’t work as well for me, but idk what kind of crazy-ass resolution you’d have to have on an image to make it work up there. The entire first set felt pretty chill, like the band was vibing off the imagery the same way we were. We get a mid-set Maze, and I find my first real complaint with the venue. There are speakers everywhere. Apparently also haptic chairs, but my ass didn’t sit in it to find out if it was also on the vibe. The audio is called “immersive sound,” which probably has to do with the unique shape of the venue, but I started to notice that some instruments were panned to different speakers, and it changed throughout the night. Sometimes it was drum/bass heavy, other times overwhelmingly Page with little mix of anyone else. During the Maze solo, where Page and Trey exchange licks, Trey’s audio completely disappears. I can see him shredding, but not hear a note. Only Page and Fish. The audio quality has crazy clairty and crispiness, but this mix… thing/issue… happens several times throughout the night. The worst offender was Antelope. I’d go so far as to say this mix thing nearly ruined the best part of the jam. And as we walked out, I heard others who sat in different sections say the same thing. Weird mix aside, that place feels like it was built for Phish. The visuals danced in time with the jams, augmenting in ways we’ve never seen before. I’m a vet of 150 shows, and left slack-jawed at the experience. The sheer joy of seeing the barn on the screen during Farmhouse, where it felt like Phish was playing in it’s front yard. The undulating orbs during Sand, the live visuals of band members falling to pieces and cascading around the screen, the trippy morphing shapes, color bars, kaleidoscopic images, and even the (IMO a lil lame) shape-changing cars during Tweezer were just flat out awesome. I really try not to whip out my phone during shows, but I was constantly trying to capture it to send to friends who didn’t get as lucky with tickets. It was like every song brought a “what are they gonna do now” feeling which we're used to with the music, but now also with the marriage to the screen. No one knew what this was going to be last night, and now we all have at least an idea. I think the next run here, and maybe even by Sunday on this run, they’re going to have way more things ironed out, and I can’t even guess at how many ideas will spring up for animations and screen experiences for future shows. All things considered, even with my somewhat limited view, I’d call this an A to A+ experience. If this is your band, this venue experience should go on the bucket list in my opinion. Visuals: A Sound quality: A to A+ Crisp, clear and the right volume most of the time. Feeling when you’re in there: A+ It’s like a comfy high-tech wrap-around Hampton on designer drugs Excitement for each song: A+ musically and visually Comfort / space around us: B+, seats aren’t too close. They’re actually made for American-sized asses, and we had enough space to still dance a lil. Audio Mix: Can’t go higher than a C, which is a damn shame given the clarity and quality. Maze, Mike’s and Lope all had significant panning audio issues often at the worst/peakiest moments. Ticketing/Security/Entry: F- They can and have to do better, it was dogshit. Hand-scanners alone would have helped. Even the car line at Magnaball was less painful. Exit: B+, seemed like more ways out than in, and despite being in the herd, it was way better than leaving a venue like MSG. Gambling and cavorting in Vegas with exited phans after: Come on. Easy A. Good luck to all trying to find a ticket, and a hearty high-five to everyone who is going.

PHISH, MONDAY 06/19/1995 DEER CREEK MUSIC CENTER Noblesville, IN SET 1: Theme From the Bottom: Longest to date and my first Theme. Trey sounds amazing in the late 8’s. > Poor Heart: Standard. AC/DC Bag: Standard. > Tela: Standard. Punch You in the Eye: Standard. Reba: Awesome minor chord section in the middle that catapults this jam into something very special. When they get back to a more melodic approach is when this one truly soars. It’s special. Very lengthy version. Easy all timer and highly recommended. Strange Design: Standard. Rift: The beginning is an absolute train wreck. > Cavern: Standard. > Run Like an Antelope: This one really gets hairy and intense. The peak is high and loud. Would recommend. Will be back in…16 minutes, don’t go away. LOL. SET 2: Simple: Standard. Great opener! -> David Bowie: Pieces of this one really do have a somewhat unique flavor to it, and I love the MLB stuff. Very heady. Witnessing it live I thought it would never end and forgot what song it was that they were playing, ha ha! I wouldn’t see a Bowie on this level again until 7.25.03. Very cool version and would recommend! The Mango Song: Super fun and flawless. Loving Cup: Sloppy. Not sure who the culprit is but think it’s Page. Sparkle: Standard. > You Enjoy Myself: Very fun jam but nothing out of the ordinary really for versions from the mid 90’s. Not enough to assign replay value. Acoustic Army: Standard. Possum: My lasting memory from this show other than our friend locking their keys in their trunk and having to get a locksmith was dancing at the back of the lawn with my girlfriend like mad freaks – it was so much fun. This jam goes on forever, they hadn’t played one this long since 12.8.94. Would recommend. ENCORE: A Day in the Life: Standard. Summary: Show is a ton of fun with highlights peppered throughout but no all timers. 3.8/5. Replay Value: Reba, Run Like an Antelope, David Bowie, Possum Trey teased Call to the Post in Reba and Mind Left Body Jam in Bowie. This show is available as an archival release on LivePhish.com. JAM CHART VERSIONS Theme From the Bottom, Reba, Run Like an Antelope, David Bowie, You Enjoy Myself, Possum TEASES Mind Left Body Jam tease in David Bowie, Call to the Post tease in Reba

One more fun fact for the Phish kids… Approx 20 years ago to the day, phish played Vegas and Trey was at his all time worst. His voice was shot and he misses several notes/changes in quite a few songs. Not his best 3 nights. In fact, the 04/17/04 Vegas show would be the last played before Trey posted his breakup letter 05/25/04. [url=https://phish.net/news/1442899111]Phish 2004 Breakup Letter[/url] Compare last night’s Lifeboy to the one from 20 years ago…. [url=https://livephi.sh/45pVJek ]Phish Lifeboy 04/16/2004. Las Vegas[/url]

Looks cool! I noticed there were no amps on stage tonight, so the sound must be different inside the sphere than a normal show - from both the audience and the band's perspective (I just heard from a friend it's little akward... although I'm not physically there to hear for myself, I do trust his opinion). However, it does sound amazingly great at home tonight, as it's mixed down to stereo the same way a normal show would be. I know it must be a little different in that room tonight. To me, it does appear as if they can hear each other more clearly without stage amps, sounds and other stage noises bleeding through the various mics and such. Tonight, the stage-sound wasn’t exactly on stage to be amplified at all. This means the central source of sound (stage-sound) wasn’t present for the audience, the band, or microphones on stage to pick up sound bleed. This factor will ultimately change the sound altogether and you will only hear a stereo mix through the PA system or in ear monitor headphones. If the source stage-sound is not present, it would sound very different than a band with amps on stage all playing together in one place as a single unit/source of sound, which is then amplified, mixed, and fed into a PA system. Normally, the stage-sound itself is amplified to be heard from greater distances (louder)- but the sound is still originating from the stage itself, and you will hear a combination of both stage-sound and the PA amplified signal together. Tonight however, the stage-sound was elsewhere and the amplified signals were sent back to the PA speakers/band as a mix - kind of like a studio setup. As a live playing musician, I personally always rely on my stage sound before anything sent back to me in a mixed form. I can't imagine what it's like to play only hearing mic'ed amps through in ear speakers but not behind me... it's almost as if they are in a studio session tonight... kinda sorta in a way....

How did this Harry good not get a jam chart version nod is beyond me. Someone that does that needs to relisten and consider it for jam worthy because it is a great mellow version. Then again maybe the only reason it’s not listed is because every version in 1995 was epic I got a nice rarity in terrapin 2019 Peterson Pittsburgh the setlist was great whereas the show not too great. Foam Reba Bowie and HH are must hear material but there are slightly better shows in 1995. What a year. Trey certainly was born at the end of that hood

Well everybody, think we have to add this shows 2nd set to the list of all time psychedelic masterpieces! Never mind that screen action!! Pretty much perfect 2nd set! No filler. Even Fluffhead was dripping. When your slow down song is a jammed out Lifeboy....damn! Paug was not too blazing....but blaze was! Even half the 1st set was magic dosing music. That Life Saving Gun! And I was even straight....but you can just tell!! Congrats to everyone in there tonight that took Shrooms or LSD.

PHISH, SUNDAY 02/23/1997 FILLMORE Cortemaggiore, Italy SET 1: Carini: started off as a pre-recorded tape playing through the P.A. system – so that is pretty unique! Axilla: Standard. > All Things Reconsidered: Standard. The Sloth: Standard. Love Me: Standard. Rift: Standard. > Fluffhead: Smoking! Would recommend. Frankenstein: Standard. David Bowie: Hot fire especially for 97. Would recommend. SET 2: Daniel Saw the Stone: Standard. > Suzy Greenberg: Nice and funky. Extended jam with Page running wild. Would recommend. > Maze: Absolutely crushed by Trey. So much tension and a huge release. He flies off the handle a bit at the very end. Would recommend. The Horse > Silent in the Morning: > Peaches en Regalia: > Mike's Song: First Jam – Just straight up rager, intense! The second jam is so chill, and it is a window into all the ambient jamming that they would adopt in 98. Very strong version would recommend. > Why Don't We Do It in the Road? > Hold Your Head Up: Typical Fish hilarity. Good Times Bad Times: Standard. ENCORE: Billy Breathes: Standard. > Rocky Top: Standard. Summary: Very good but odd show. The second set is kind of bizarre. But this show has highlights all over the place from true Phish heavy hitters. Would hit this at 4.2/5. Replay Value: Fluffhead, David Bowie, Suzy Greenberg, Maze, Mike’s Song. Carini started off as a pre-recorded tape playing through the P.A. system. Phish took the stage and picked up the song from where it was on the tape and continued to play. This show also featured the first Daniel Saw the Stone since August 28, 1993 (289 shows) and the first Why Don’t We Do It since June 25, 1995 (144 shows). GTBT contained a Tweezer Reprise tease. JAM CHART VERSIONS Fluffhead, Suzy Greenberg, Maze, Mike's Song TEASES Tweezer Reprise tease in Good Times Bad Times

PHISH, SATURDAY 06/17/1995 NISSAN PAVILION AT STONE RIDGE Bristow, VA Soundcheck: Johnny B. Goode SET 1: Divided Sky: Really long, and annoying pause in this one with a very weak crowd reaction. But get that out of the way and this is one of the most inspired openers Phish has EVER played. This is absolutely electric! This is Trey at the height of his powers. He just goes off. Easy all timer and highly recommended. Suzy Greenberg: Funky. Trey playing some porno funk behind Page’s incredible solo. This might be the earliest in the bands career I can recall Trey playing those porno funk licks that became all the rage during Fall 97. Dude just goes nuts! Taste: Standard. Fee[1] Standard -> Uncle Pen: Standard. Julius: Standard. Lawn Boy: Standard. The Curtain: Seems really late in the set for this tune but obviously welcome anywhere, anytime! -> Stash: Only 14/447 times has Stash closed a first set, most of those were 1.0 shows. Brief major jam appears around 7:40 and disappears just as quickly. Super sick. Check out what is going on around 11 and a half. Very psychedelic stuff. Would have put me on the moon. They start building serious tension in the early 12’s. From here, it just gets incredible. Peaks for days and days. This is one of the best versions they have ever played. Easy all timer and highly recommended. SET 2: Wilson: Standard. > Maze: A very solid offering right here. Mound: Mike forgets this lyric: “and frozen through” > Tweezer -> Johnny B. Goode[2] -> Tweezer: -> Trey has some scintillating pornofunk licks in the beginning of this jam, very nice. The JBG segue is stupendous. Not long after they go back into Tweezer it sounds like Page and Fish are trying to recreate the ‘Montana’ jam from A Live One from the Bozeman Tweezer. Eventually, this gets quite ethereal and spacy. Love it! It hangs in there for awhile and then they ratchet it back up into a raucous affair. There is even a brief vocal jam at the end. Easy all timer and highly recommended! McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters: Acoustic Army: Standard. Sweet Adeline: Standard. Harry Hood: Everything but the actual peak is money. Would recommend. Trey building the jam is a great listen. Sample in a Jar: Standard. ENCORE: Three Little Birds[3] Tons of fun. Summary: Replay Value: Divided Sky, Stash, Tweezer, Johnny B. Goode, Tweezer, Harry Hood [1] Trey sang verses through megaphone. [2] Phish debut. [3] Phish debut; LeRoi Moore and Dave Matthews. Trey sang the verses of Fee through a megaphone. Johnny B. Goode and Three Little Birds made their Phish debuts at this show, the latter with a guest appearance by LeRoi Moore and Dave Matthews. Tweezer included a tease of A Live One’s Montana. JAM CHART VERSIONS Divided Sky, Stash, Tweezer, Johnny B. Goode, Tweezer, Harry Hood TEASES Montana tease in Tweezer

July 6th, 2012 was day one of a three-night Phish run at one of my favourite venues, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC). This was the weekend that m’lady and I stayed at the nondescript and relatively unfun Holiday Inn, which was just close enough to the concert shed to make you think you should walk and just a little too far to be comfortably walked. We walked. The show was super. We were inside the pavilion (ie not on the lawn, thank ye gawds) pretty much dead centre. The band kicked things off with a blood-pumping[i] Runaway Jim[/i] and 20,000 of us jumped to our feet together and stayed there for three straight nights, shaking our bones to seventy-nine of our favourite songs over a half-dozen sets. The first two nights were absolutely riddled with cover songs; we’re talking twenty covers out of fifty-two songs. Nutty. First came [i]Funky Bitch[/i] which is so standard you could be excused for thinking it was actually a Phish tune (it’s by Son Seals) but then a couple of songs later they played the Talking Heads’ [i]Psycho Killer[/i] for just the fourth (and to date, final) time (I’ve seen the last two). They invariably play [i]Hold Your Head Up[/i] as an introduction to some cheesy-ish cover and in this case it bled into Neil Diamond’s [i]Cracklin’ Rosie[/i], which was followed by a killer [i]Stash[/i], which is one of my favourite Phish songs. The rest of the set was back-and-forth between covers and originals, the second set kept it up with the barrage of cover songs (including an especially great [i]Roses Are Free[/i]) and they encored with, you guessed it, another cover. But can you actually guess it?* M’lady did. But all that aside, in my brain this show is famous for a rather jarring late-night snafu. M’lady and I were sharing a double room with a friend of hers and his girlfriend. Sometime in the wee hours I was sawing logs in one of the double beds when I found myself being scuttled over to make room. Shaken into semi-consciousness it quickly occurred to me that the bed already had two people in it. I popped open one bleary eye and was surprised to see Bernie squeezing in for a snuggle. “Um, dude…” “Huh, wha?” he muttered, suddenly awake and sitting bolt upright. “Oh, sorry man,” Bernie said, getting up and retreating to the other bed. “I crawled into the wrong bed.” You can say that again. “My bad.” You can say that again too. It made for a continental breakfast jam-packed with jokes and teasing at Bernie’s expense, which was pretty fun. But the final joke is on me (isn’t it always?) because I can never ever remember who it was that crawled into bed with me that night. I only know that it was one of the many, many guys I’ve met along the way that I haven’t hung out with enough for my brain to put into a solid memory-box. As I was writing this m’lady reminded me that it was Bernie – as she always has to – but that info will surely slide away again by this afternoon. As a result, whenever I run into any of the aforementioned guys on tour I always think it was them that had tried to share my bed, and when I lean in with a funny comment making reference to it – as I usually do – I get a blank stare (at best) and have some explaining to do. Which is probably one of the reasons why I spend a lot of time on tour by myself. *e: [i]Loving Cup[/i] by The Rolling Stones. https://www.toddmanout.com

Ah…SPAC. The Saratoga Performing Arts Center, a wonderfully unique indoor-looking outdoor amphitheatre nestled smack-dab in the middle of the forest in the gorgeous Saratoga Spa State Park, which is itself attached to the beautiful and historic City of Saratoga Springs, a town well-known for its near-ancient harness racing track and horse-racing tradition and (as I am always quick to point out) for being the birthplace of the greatest snack/dinner-substitute in recorded history: the potato chip. Ah…chips. No…I won’t let myself get distracted. Back to the task at hand: I suppose an indicator of how much I love this music venue would be to point out that I’ve been there fourteen times, once to see the Outlaw Music Festival (Willie, Neil, Nathaniel, Sturgill, and Lukas) plus a lucky thirteen Phish concerts; single, double, or three-night runs that brought me to Saratoga Springs a half-dozen times over the course of fifteen years. That represents a whopping 11% of my total Phish concert tally so yeah, I like the venue. (Okay…yes, SPAC is the closest regular stop to Ottawa on a standard Phish summer tour so there’s that, admittedly.) When I think back I guess I’ve stayed at, what, five different places? The Hilton, a non-Hilton near the Hilton, a mysterious downtown motel where I broke the bed-frame, the cheapo strip motel next to the barbecue place out by the highway, and the old downtown farmhouse B&B-looking place with the big friendly front porch and the auxiliary building out back. I think the strip motel is my favourite. I’ve stayed there twice – maybe three times – and the food next door is quite great, the venue is just a hop, skip, and a jump along a pretty, forested path through the park, and most importantly the motel is just so darn social, with pretty much everyone pre- and post-ing in plastic chairs in front of their open doors. On July 3rd, 2016 I was at my second-favourite – which by no coincidence is also the second-most social – of the resting places, that old farmhouse with the big deck that steps right down to the busy downtown sidewalk. I really love sitting out there with a beer and a guitar and speaking with the tie-dyed and smiling passers-by and stoppers-in, of which there are legion. This was the third evening of a triple-header and if I’m not mistaken this was the threefer where m’lady and I went too far the first night and were left to pay our dues in subdued numb reverie on the second night, leading us to hit our stride for this: a perfectly executed final night. It’s the sort of strategy borne out of plenty of experience and constant trial-mostly-error. Anyway, we came out on top on a good night, because Phish was rockin’ a Saratoga dance party. The first set had a fun [i]Lawnboy[/i]–[i]Sparkle[/i]–[i]Sample[/i] one-two-three punch and ended with a [i]Possum[/i] singalong while the second set kept the vibe going from the opening[i] Soul Shakedown Party[/i] and [i]Moma Dance[/i] through [i]Twist[/i], [i]Theme[/i], and [i]Hood[/i] right up to the liberating [i]Rock and Roll [/i]encore. I don’t know if my life was really “…saved by rock and roll…” but it sure feels like it was when I sing that line at the top of my lungs in one of my favourite venues along with my favourite band and 20,000 good friends at the end of a fun-filled weekend of music, friends, and very good times. Ah…SPAC. Ah…Phish. Ah…music. Ah…chips. Ah…life! https://www.toddmanout.com

On July 2nd, 2011 I woke up in the temporary upper New York state campground that was the Watkins Glen Speedway and emerged from my tent ready to start the day. At least I assume so. It’s not like I actually remember waking up on that day over a decade ago. I do, however, remember my situation, and it was this: m’lady and I and our great friends Kyla and Jay and Chris and Jennie were parked on a small piece of grassy real estate in a vast field just out of view of one of the farther reaches of the extended non-oval auto racing track. We were camped in a trio of tents straddling my Mitsubishi Outback a fair stroll away from the main concert pitch, where Phish had played the night before to kick off Superball IX*, their ninth self-styled festival and their first of almost three solo Phish fests** at the Watkins Glen NASCAR track. If I remember correctly m’lady and I spent a fair chunk of the morning waiting in line for posters and a couple of records and we spent the bulk of the afternoon getting out-and-about, visiting friends in the RV section and perhaps making a point to watch a wee bit of the Runaway Jim 5K footrace. In between meeting new friends and visiting old ones the remaining daylight hours would have been taken up revelling in the inevitable art installations, eating m’lady’s campstove quesadillas, and making sure the beer stayed cold. However, I do recall the evening’s musical sets with unexpected clarity; all four of them. Halfway through the first set the band played [i]When the Circus Comes to Town[/i], a song written by Los Lobos. Phish played the song quite often – at least they used to – and though I’ve never actually heard the original version I’ve never really liked the tune. So much so that I really couldn’t imagine why Phish even played it in the first place aside from the imagery in the title, which is very tour-ish. But somehow, some way this version was pretty great, and it bode great things. The second set started off with [i]Runaway Jim[/i] and included Trey awarding ribbons to the winners of the 5K run. Later in the set the band did it again: They went into [i]Birds of a Feather[/i], another of my lesser-favourite Phish songs (this one is actually written by Phish) and once again they played it so well that I was forced to reconsider my opinion of the song. Didn’t hurt that they went into [i]Stash[/i] straight after, which might very well have been the first time I saw the band play[i] Stash[/i] since I had learned how to play it myself. I’d spent several hours figuring out the slithery guitar parts and even longer getting it together (I even learned the lyrics) so I had a whole new appreciation for the song, and then I got to experience it live. I played along in my head. Set three (yes…set three!) was just killer all around. [i]Piper[/i], [i]Tweezer[/i], [i]Julius[/i], [i]Backwards Down the Number Line[/i], [i]2001[/i], [i]Hood[/i], [i]Golgi[/i], [i]A Day in the Life[/i]…my word! But get this: the very best was yet to come! Without fail, Phish festivals always include a secret set on the Saturday night, and also without fail I find these droning, improvised, instrumental jams unendingly entertaining. To say the secret sets are consistently my favourite live Phish is as accurate as saying that [i]Space[/i] is my favourite part of every Dead show. Which it is…err…they are, especially (or perhaps: only) when I am standing there in person. In this case the secret set took place inside a mock storage shed that was near the back of the concert field. Sometime in the early wee hours of Sunday morning lights, dry ice, and ethereal music started bleeding out of the storage unit, which I and thousands of my friends immediately encircled. Inside and out of sight the band grooved and jived, forsaking songs for sounds. It was exactly like the late night jam at The Great Went, or the drive-in theatre jam at Magnaball, or even the tower jam at Coventry, and totally unlike any Phish you’ve ever heard. I loved it. I loved everything. This being a camping music festival, the end of the music was just the beginning. I can’t possibly tell you what went on next***, but I assure you it went pretty late. *Why do you suppose we still sometimes use Roman numerals? Is it purely due to style? Don’t get me wrong, for reasons that I can’t at all understand I quite like it when Roman numerals come up, but in all honesty I can’t think of a practical reason why they should. They make even the most basic math rather confusing (XLVIII ÷ IV = XII or X x V = L or even X x X = C) and take a lot of time to decipher (MCDXCII being the famous year that Columbus went poking around Central America). Is it really possible that society as a whole can still figure out this obviously outdated system (with the exception of D. Why is it hardly anyone knows that D is 500?) solely because “Rocky IV” looks cooler than “Rocky 4” (a turd by any other name…)? Really?!? I tell you, if Roman numerals are mostly still in use mainly for movie trilogies and eye-catching advertising graphics then I think they are all-too often under-utilized. Take for example Superbowl 40…err…Superbowl XL. Not one ad used the phrase “Extra Large”. Where were the Dominoes ad people? And of course the entire porn industry should always be aiming towards their 29th sequel. **When I say “almost three” I am of course making reference to the summer of 2018 when a Phish festival scheduled at the Watkins Glen racetrack was aborted at the 11th hour due to a county-wide boil-water advisory. It would have been their third fest at Watkins Glen but the whole shebang got shut down before the band could play a single note. Though not before m’lady and I had showed up and giddily pitched our tents in the VIP section. We had been onsite for a solid twenty-four hours before the festival got cancelled. That non-fest had the most appropriate name of all of ‘em though. It was called Curveball. ***Stunted memory or unexpired statute of limitations? You decide. https://www.toddmanout.com

On June 6th, 2009 I went to Mansfield, Massachusetts to see Phish at Great Woods, a venue that was by then officially called the Comcast Centre, an icky corporate name that just doesn’t have the quite same homey feel as “Great Woods” if you ask me (or anyone else in the world besides the tiny fraction of soulless human money hounds that sit on the board of directors at either Comcast or the centre that unfortunately bears it’s name*). Anyway, it was a lovely evening and the band put on a great show. They played a bunch of my favourites ([i]Hood[/i], [i]Makisupa[/i], [i]Fluffhead[/i], [i]Golgi[/i]…they even encored with [i]Contact[/i]) and I had a really great time. The previous night we had seen the band in Jones Beach during a steady downpour. The rain had been literally ankle-deep and though it was a still good time I gotta say I prefer the non-rainy concerts. And so do my posters! Those first couple of years after Phish returned from hiatus I was pretty seriously into buying posters. (I’m glad I got over that; in retrospect it’s pretty silly that I looked forward to waiting in a crushing lineup so I could spend $50US on something that I had to carry around and worry about for the rest of the night, just for the privilege of either a) spending a further $400 getting the thing framed or b) putting the tube in the closet with all the other posters that will never, ever make it onto the wall.) This concert was so early in my poster days that I walked through the gate knowing I would be buying whatever they were selling, but it turned out I really liked the print for this concert after all. It’s by a poster artist named Micah Smith and it’s a tri-coloured ink pressing that shows a forest in splashy green, yellow, and black with small cursive script along the bottom listing the band’s name, the date, and the venue (though it reads “Comcast Centre” I’m glad Micah chose to honour Great Woods with the overall design concept). Strangely, the print has always been poo-poo’d by the Phish poster community in general but like I say, I quite like it. When I got back to Ottawa the next day (or so) later I took the poster out of the tube and noticed that it was neither signed by the artist nor numbered. The posters were usually signed but c’mon now, they were always numbered. I checked the poster geek sites and sure enough they all came that way. So disappointed was I that I emailed Micah Smith and asked if he would sign and number the poster for me if I mailed it to him with return postage. He said “sure” and he did, although not until he procrastinated so long that he felt compelled to throw in four more prints as an apology (three Mike Gordon’s and a Page one from NYC, three of which I love). And so it is that I have framed up and hanging in the hallway by my back door the only signed copy of Micah Smith’s Great Woods poster (I don’t care! I’m calling it “Great Woods”). That said, he didn’t number it (though it is a limited run of 750 posters), choosing instead to label it “AP” for “Artist’s Print”. Great show, great poster. (By the way, I did buy a poster at that Jones Beach concert and it made it home in mont condition, but if I remember it right there was an opportunity to return the poster to the car before the concert started and I took it. Either way, I sold the Jones Beach print a couple of years ago after I bought a house and had to finally admit it was never going on the wall.) *After a five-year run as the Comcast Centre Great Woods was rebranded as the Xfinity Center. May they all rot in the Dairy Queen Brimstone Fun! Zone (formerly called “Hell”). https://www.toddmanout.com

Good show. In addition to the highlights below, The Curtain With and YEM are well-played: 1) [u]David Bowie[/u]: Son, this version cooks, especially towards the end. The energy built up in guitars solo is stored and he unleashes in... [b]2) [u]Jesus Just Left Chicago[/u]: [/b]BOY, I was trying to work and now I have to stop what I am doing to rage. I listened to this lil smoky twice and both times, Trey's fire solo got my "hand in the air, shaking head down, foot stompin'" reflex to kick in. Show highlight for sure. Oh damn, and I am just now reading that this was the first known performance?! 3) [u]Whipping Post[/u]: Always a rager, they really take the middle segment of this one for a ride. Trey and Mike dominate the middle jam, they reel it back in for a peppery return to the final verse/chorus, and then for the outro the whole band just flays. Trey mostly holds the groove while Page, Fish, and Mike turn up the flame. Great version (to be honest, I can't recall a time I didn't go nuts for this tune).

Imagine Frank Zappa warming up for Phish playing Gamhendge with narration. At the time my friends and I called the Jamfantasy "Trey's Story Time." I always thought about the neat little story songs and reflected that "he should put all these cool stories together". Little did I know. Of course we all found the "thesis" recording not too long after this show; hearing narrative and music in either ear helped me to clear any static from the full "movie" in my brain. I have always enjoyed plays and cinematic endeavors, but none have ever equaled the movie in my brain produced by reading, or listening to story songs or albums. Trey's fantasy songs took me places only approachable if I were reading authors such as Asimov, or Zelazny, and yes of course, the favorite of every kid who painted trolls and orcs to move through a dungeon drawn on large square graph paper using the largest collection of dice known to mankind, Tolkien. Thus, this was the best Phish show ever. It put it all together. The recording is poor, I think I can hear Skinner counting quarters, his sister Co... giving a patron drinks and bar music, but I am telling you people that this show/ night was the best Phish show ever. Ask anyone who was there. Btw, I asked a friend who was there, and they incorrectly replied Beecher Hill Farm (Hinesburg); he did confirm my memory of the night, seeing Zappa at the Memorial, then the band hurrying down to Nectars followed by fans.

Decent SBD source available for this show. There’s some buzzing sound noticeable when the band isn’t playing. Possible loose cable? Jason Miller with the EMU Cultural Forum starts off the show by introducing the band. A straightforward Oh Kee Pah>Suzy gets the party started. Rock solid YEM with a short but fun VJ…Oh Yeah! Decent Llama. Forbin>Mockingbird features another Gamehendge Rap. Tape flip after Mockingbird. Very enjoyable Possum. A well played Golgi wraps up Set 1. There’s still some buzzing sound in the background for Set 2. A Curtain>Jim combo gets the set started off right. Solid Bowie! Nice mid set Sky. Mike runs from the messages in BBFCFM to close out the second half. lol Double encore highlighted by a decent Magilla.