A Guide to the 1st Sets of 3.0
The following list is exactly what the title suggests, a guide to the 1st sets of the 3.0 Era (2009-Present).
I didn’t want to rank the Sets in any sort of traditional format so instead they’ll be presented in a sort of loose descending order. The consumption of art being as subjective as it is I urge you to not put too much stock in the arrangement of the Sets. More important I believe is to understand that the driving concept behind this list is to simply present these Sets in an order that reflects the criteria by which I personally judge a Phish Set.
Use this list as a guide to navigate your way through the vast soundscape that is the 3.0 era and I think you’ll be find countless hours of musical joy and never ending splendor along the way.
It’s been 7(!) years since the start of 3.0 and 293 shows but the percentage of quality shows is much lower than that of any other era.
There are many reasons for this.
A myriad of problems ranging from Set Flow to Ripchords have plagued the band since their return at Hampton in 2009.
But perhaps the most in your face issue has been the quality of the 1st Sets.
And not just the quality or the frequency at which the good ones occur but the fact that Phish has rarely been able to string together a show that features both a “Great” 1st Set and a great 2nd Set.
It’s happened a few times in 2015 which is why many are proclaiming the 1st Set to be “back”.
Well it never went anywhere.
The difference now is that the band is following some of these great 1st Sets with equally great or better 2nd Sets.
Both 1st and 2nd Sets have taken their lumps in this marvelous but often frustrating era and the knocks are not wholly unjust.
But I believe that in order to understand this modern era of Phish that it’s necessary to fully grasp just what the hell Phish has been up to the past 7 years.
Up to this point in 2015 the band has played somewhere in the ballpark of 170 songs.
Take a moment and let that sink in.
170
That’s a ridiculous number of songs.
Without knowing for sure I would guess that your average “Touring Rock Band” along the lines of a Radiohead, Wilco, Pearl Jam, etc. only have somewhere between 85–100 songs available to them at any given time.
And that’s probably a liberal estimate.
One of the reasons for this is that most bands simply don’t have the vast catalog that Phish does. Another reason is that it’s hard to learn and remember that many fucking songs.
I always analogize it like this. Try and remember a standard 17 syllable Haiku.
Ok?
Now try and remember 170 of them. And now try and recite those Haiku’s on demand, night after night. Now try and slightly alter those Haikus. And not just in a silly way either. In a way that is challenging, thoughtful, and meaningful…..Hopefully you’re starting to see just what
kind of challenge Phish has placed upon themselves.
They pull these musical poems out of their collective memories on a nightly basis and they do so knowing full well that they have to please what is most likely the most critical and ravenous fan base in the history of music.
This is one of the main reasons for the “lack” of jamming in the 3.0 era, or at least the inconsistency of said Jams, shows, sets, whatever.
Let’s compare shall we?
1997 is usually counted as Phish’s most creative and successful year in terms of musical output.
In that storied year the band played somewhere around the same number of songs as 2015. But they did so in 86 shows.
If the NYE rumors hold true then 2015 only gets 30 shows.
See where I’m going with this?
Of course there are many more variables to explain why the quality of Phish’s music and set flow have taken such a hit in the 3.0 era but I posit that the Higher Than Ever (relatively speaking of course) song totals are the driving factor.
Whether or not Phish is trying keep pace with past tours or whether they’re just trying to please fans with a diverse and varied catalog is something I don’t know.
Probably it’s some answer in the middle of it all. They are, after all, a band which has constantly thrived on challenging themselves.
And so it was that I decided that the time had come to dig into the archives and generate a guide to the 1st Sets of 3.0.
I came up with 41 1st Sets.
Out of 293 Shows.
That’s somewhere around 14%.
Not Very Good.
Another 9 or 10 shows almost made it on but as I tried to write them out I found myself using tricks to make them sound better than they were.
Even if I had added them the bands batting average would only be around 18%, still abysmal. Of course that number is incredibly dependent on criteria. If the criteria is to simply have a kick ass time at a rock concert then Phish’s average is somewhere in the 90% range.
The band does truly bring it every night.
But for those of us who chase something deeper and spend our precious spare time combing through thousands of hours of cataloged tape the criteria is a touch different.
Bustouts, set flow, song placement, creative playing in the Type I material and deep Type II jamming are the highs we chase.
It was with that mindset that I set out to make this list. Surely I missed some, very hard not to. But its with the caveat that this guide is only intended to present you, dear reader, with a crude roadmap to the best 1st Sets of 3.0 Phish.
So let’s get to it.
7/31/09 Red Rocks — If you don’t like Time Turns Elastic even one tiny bit then you probably won’t like this set one tiny bit either. But I don’t hate the song. It would actually be nice to hear it once or twice a year. This set is at the bottom of the list but I wouldn’t mind getting it at a show. A classic and well played 1–2 opening punch of Jim & CDT start the night off nicely. Next up is Bathtub Gin, always welcome, anytime anywhere. This isn’t one of those Race-to-the-Finish 3.0 Gins that have become the norm. Trey takes the Jam slowly and so we’re treated to a super chill vibe that must have fit perfectly with the majestic vistas of Red Rocks. TTE, Lawn Boy, Water In the Sky bring the vibe down to Colorado Dab Level & that’s just fine.
This is a band that knows how to play to their crowd, an incredibly elastic piece of performance art.
STFTFP rocks hard (really wish this song would spread its 3.0 wings) & Melt gets the call for Set Closer. Remember when we were all bitching about “perfunctory, by the book” Melts back then? Yea well, bet you wish you had one now eh?
7/3/12 Jones Beach — When you have a bust out as big as the Skin It Back from this show you put it on the fucking list. It had been damn near 1500 Phish concerts since the Little Feat tune had last been heard from. Wow. I believe this is the only set out of my lot that features a Joy in it as well. And a Number Line. But it also boasts a fine 3.0 Tube, standard readings of Ya Mar, Axilla & Mikes Groove in the classic Mikes > Hydrogen > Paug form (Actually the Grooves not very Groovy but it’s better than Sample > Driver > Sugar Shack ok?) and for those keeping score a typically smokin’ Happiness is a Warm Gun!
I find this set endearing because it is so very typical of 3.0, but in a good way.
8/16/11 UIC Pavilion — A fun bust out set from a great run. Many of us thought that Phish had reached another level with the “Elements” set from this run. Alas, things proceeded as normal once again, until Dicks 2012 that is. In this set we’re treated to a Dinner & a Movie opener followed by a HaHaHa > CDT, always welcome. The 4 song run of Mexican Cousin, WOTC > Jim > Foam is excellent 1st Set fare. I Didn’t Know provides some Phishy antics and then Ocelot, Ginseng > The Wedge & Limb by Limb bring the set to a near finish in fine style. The Stone’s cover of Let It Loose closes out the set proper and puts a marker on a frame of music that surely received no complaints from those in attendance.
7/13/14 Randalls Island — The middle of this set is nothing to write home about but nothing to terribly offensive. The opening hat trick of Sand, Winterqueen > Reba is lovely though, with the Reba being my favorite of the year. Maze takes us near the finish line in blistering fashion and Melt closes out the proceedings in face melting shreddy style.
6/20/10 SPAC — These early 3.0 Father’s Day gigs were pretty cool. Would like to see Phish throw a change up at some point in their career and start playing some different Holidays. Turkey Run? Valentine’s Day?? We’ll see I guess. But for now we get this, and it’s not too shabby. As per the norm Brother opens the show in fine funky form.
AC/DC Bag, BOTT, Undermind, Cities, Jibboo & Roggae is an outstanding string of songs and these are all performed with crisp 3.0 precision and gusto.
Next up is Sleep Again off of Treys album Shine and then Page does his Chairman of the Board thing with Lawn Boy. A typically strong Antelope puts an exclamation point on the set (although it was sort of out of place in this set).
8/16/15 MPP — This set doesn’t start off incredibly strong or anything but there are no glaring fuck-ups or poorly placed songs so it stayed in the running for this list. A Golgi opener is fine and it works well here.
Undermind, 555, Julius & a quirky bust out in Nothing don’t exactly flow very well with one another but their each played nicely.
The closing 4 tracks are why this set made the cut.
Beginning with No Men In No Mans Land, one of Phish’s best new songs, the band gets perked up in a hurry.
Stash > Bowie is superb. None of that by-the-books 3.0 action that both songs have become victims of. Our favorite marsupial the Possum makes an appearance in the closing spot and does so in fine fashion. I know a lot of people don’t care for this set but I have found lots of little things to love in it. Give it another spin.
7/8/14 The Mann Center — Axilla is a great way to open a show and so it is with this one. Gumbo, Taste, 555 & Tube pop up and provide 30min of High Quality Phish. The Gumbo falls into the 2nd of the two 3.0 Gumbo categories. It gets some extra attention from all the boys. Taste is always welcome in my book and it works well here.
555 is another Mike song that doesn’t really stand out from other Mike songs so I’m pretty neutral about it. Would really love to see Phish give the Jam treatment to more of Mike’s songs, especially Mikes Song, Ha!
The rest of the set features 7 more songs, all well placed and well played.
6/11/11 MPP — Cool bust out to open the show in Daniel Saw the Stone, one of my favs. The rest of the set reads like this — AC/DC Bag > Ocelot (an odd pairing that works well), Access Me, Vultures, Wilson > Sand(another odd couple that I really dig), Roses Are Free > Reba(fun pairs all over this set) and an On Your Way Down > Run Like an Antelope closer with the Lope getting some OYWD teases. Nothing too special, but a solid set of Phish with some interesting pairings for those who like that sort of thing.
6/22/10 Mansfield, MA — The one time only performance of Lit-O-Bit by some group named Rita Clarke & The Naturals. Ok yea sure, whatever you say Phish. A pairing of Camel Walk & Possum (works well!) leads us into a lovely Divided Sky (aren’t they all?).
Dirt & Sample are Dirt & Sample.
Next up is Kill Devil Falls. KDF is hit or miss for me, I have to be in the mood for it really. This one is better than most. The band takes it slow after the song proper and takes their time building up to a nice peak around the 11th minute.
Another one off is up next in Dr. Gabel, the Dude of Life penned tune about….well I don’t know what the monkey it’s about but the band must not have dug it much because you never heard it again. Maybe they’ll play it at Dicks when they do that “Songs we’ve only played once Set” we were never promised.
A typically strong Antelope aided by a nice Page solo after the peak section closes out this fun set of Phish.
2010 was weird yall.
7/1/12 Alpine — Soul Shakedown Party opener? Check.
Lonesome Cowboy Bill? Check.
Mid-Set ASIHTOS? Check.
A set closing run Frankenstein, Fee, Maze, Coil? You bet your stupid face.
Again, as with a lot of the sets in this section there’s nothing that Must Be Heard but there’s also nothing that you would throw out of bed either. Well maybe the Access Me….
10/22/14 Santa Barbara — Another Soul Shakedown opener? Won’t hear me complain. I’m not entirely sure but I’m almost positive that when Phish opens with this Bob Marley feel good tune we always get a good show, need some Geekery on that one. I wrote in my notes for this piece that this show “has impeccable song selection, is played to a T & makes my brain pussy wet like the ocean spray”, so that about sums it up.
6/7/11 Mansfield, MA — Llama opener. And while it’s nothing like the slow struting bluesy beast we were treated to at Walnut Creek it’ll do in a pinch.
Fast forward past MOMA > Possum (stop with MOMA please) and treat your ears to Cities.
It’s always welcome.
The John Lennon song Instant Karma! Is up next and I really like listening to Phish play this song. Smiles all around.
My favorite Bowie of 2011(not saying much I suppose) steps up to the plate next and hits a solid three bagger.
A random Al Green cover, Rhymes, is next at the plate. We’ll never see that one again phans. Divided Sky & STFTFP close the set out in fine fashion.
If you’re wondering why this set is on here it’s because of the Bowie. I really dig it.
8/29/14 Dicks — This show was hard to rate for me. So I stuck it here. It gets points for the concept (they spelled LUSHINGTON and then told Phans to get fucked by way of finishing the set with HaHaHa > Suzy Greenberg, Phish likes telling Phans to fuck off at Dicks & we don’t mind it either.)
Llama, Undermind, Stash is as good a way as any to open a Phish concert so no need to elaborate there. I Didn’t Know is fun in the middle of a fun show, I like fun and so do you. Nellie Kane, Guyute is a good time and now I’m finally starting to miss the little pig that could, but not as much as Fluffhead, not by a long shot.
The Line is up next and this is as divisive a song as any I can remember. I for one dig it. It maintains the 3.0 pathos so prevalent in new Phish songs but it does so in a much more natural way. It doesn’t feel pushy or emotionally manipulative like Show of Life or Joy and I like the music just fine, especially the intro.
I certainly like it more than Waiting All Night.
Phish fills in the O with Ocelot (becoming a rare song now too, much to my disdain. It’s perfect for 1st Sets) and the N with No Quarter which no fan has ever complained about, not once.
The HaHaHa > Suzy is an annoying troll by a band famous for them but hey what the hell it’s Phish and it’s Dicks and a good time was had by all.
Not in the 2nd Set, but soon after.
8/7/15 Blossom — ASIHTOS gets the call as opener. As much as I love this song I don’t really care for it in the opening slot, it feels like drunk sex, no foreplay. But this version is solidly rendered so no complaints and it’s much better than the Sample opener a few nights previous in Bama.
The Fishman tune My Sweet One is up next. I love Phishgrass songs and wish we would get at least one per show. They show off the uniqueness of the band so damn well.
Wilson, Timber (Jerry), Roses & MOMA take us deeper into the show. Wilson is always nice to see and Timber is even nicer IMO. Timber is one of those songs that is twice as effective when it only pops up every now and then (looking at you MOMA Dance).
But still, one could do worse than Roses > MOMA and both get the 2015 treatment which works just fine.
Trey gives a public plea for Dean & Gene Ween to put their bullshit aside and get Ween back together. I personally think those two crazy fucks drummed up this whole hiatus nonsense just to sell more tickets upon Weens return. No that doesn’t bother me, I love Ween and it’s exactly the kind of thing I’d expect from two guys who wrote a song called Poopship Destroyer. GodWeenSatan 4 Lyfe.
Next we’re treated to our 2nd (!) bluegrass tune of the night in Ginseng which is just fucking perfect. Phish decides to close the set out in fine fashion with the trifecta of Wingsuit (well performed as usual if slightly misplaced within the set), It’s Ice (another fan and personal favorite) and finally another really well played, thoughtful Bathtub Gin.
A fine precursor to the madness that went down with the 2nd Set Cheezer.
12/28/12 MSG — We’re slowly transitioning into the “Middle” portion of these “Rankings”. This show, like the last one is a perfect example of what that really means, to me at least.
I see a “middle of the road” 1st Set as one that doesn’t have great flow through and through, maybe a “poor” song choice thrown in but does feature an Awesome Jam.
Well this set does start off rather clunkily(?) beginning with the big time rawk of STFTFP and moving into the stale funk of MOMA.
We then take a hard left into whatever it is that Funky Bitch does (glad their playing this less) and then another hard turn into the mellow Army of One. All are acceptable and even enjoyable 1st Set tunes, just not when their arranged in this fashion.
This set really gets going with Tube however. Tube > Stash will work just about every time and both versions have fine replay value.
Nellie Kane is next and as you know by now I love Phishgrass so I love this call. While KDF would have been better served in the earlier portion of the set it flows just fine after Nellie. Free gets the call next (flow still not great but whatever) and there is extra bat sauce on this version. You probably won’t listen to it but you should. Everybody calls for the Bag or Comet Jam but I would love to hear Free get the 95’ treatment. Doesn’t seem like that’s gonna happen anytime soon as Phish has been showing their hand with regards to what songs will get jammed.
They slowly slid into CDT, Carini, Hood, now Gin (pray God) but Free has been Free since 2009, the only difference being that the music has gotten better each year and so has every song, Free included.
Ok, sorry about all that. I had to try and justify this sets placement on the list. I really should have just said Wolfmans Brother and left it that but I’m a sucker for words n’ stuff so what the hey?
Not having any friends in my town who are into Phish I really don’t know how people feel about this Wolfmans and it sorta gets lost in the online shuffle with so many other good jams surrounding it like the next sets Tweezer. But I for one love this Wolf. Like, put a ring on it and verbally abuse it for 40 years Love it. I’ve never been a fan of the late 90’s Wolfs, finding them to be rather boring exercises in loopy futility.
FWIW my favorite Wolfmans is from the Cynthia Woods Pav in 98’, talk about motherfucking funk, good gawd.
Well this Wolfmans isn’t that one. It rocks from the get-go. Trey employs his MuTron Lite pedal, the EchoPlex(?) to great effect in the early part of the Jam and it lends an air of jaunty angular funk to the whole thing. As the band organically transitions into the Little Drummer Boy Jam you can really feel just how stoked they are on the whole matter. Things really started to come together for Phish near the end of 2012(read:Dicks) and it’s a joy to listen to these shows. When they were on they were ON and this Wolfmans is a perfect example of that. The fact that they drop perfectly back into Wolfmans and treat us to a solid 5min of badass rock is just the cherry on top at this point. The rest of the set may be lacking but a Jam this solid does it for me. This is the point where subjectivity really seeps into the whole rankings thing. If you don’t care for this Wolfmans(DIE) then you probably hate this set.
I’ll just say that that’s ok, we’re all entitled to be dumb sometimes and move on.
1/1/11 MSG — Remember when we were all heralding this as potentially this best show of 3.0? Well it wasn’t undeserved. It wasn’t true either, not that a word like true can even possibly describe whatever it is we’re all talking about. But it was and is a very very good Phish show.
And the 1st Set is why it got talked up the way it did.
Sure the 2nd Set is better but it was one of those rare 3.0 birds, a complete Phish show, no complaints, not one.
Ok, maybe the My Soul opener if you wanna be a dick about it.
But seriously, Phish runs through My Soul, Tube > Jim > Foam (amazing segment), Guelah > DSky, Round Room(!!!!BRING IT BACK!!!) > Walk Away(For Real) > Gotta Jibboo(complain if you want, I love the tune) > Reba(a fine fine version taboot) and then Walls of the Cave which is as excellent a 1st Set closer as your likely to find in the PhishVerse.
This set justifies itself and has held up extraordinarily well over time. Hop in your wayback thingamabob and give it a spin.
Word didn’t call out thingamabob as incorrect but it won’t accept Jibboo?
What kind of fucking world do we live in?
8/6/10 The Greek — A really good set from a really uneven year. Chalkdust, Guyute, Ocelot & It’s Ice all feature superb band interplay, Mike & Page are all over the place, adding little creative flourishes at will.
But those are really just warm ups for the Cities that follows.
1st Set Jams are about as rare as a good wig in 3.0 so when we get them we tend to shower them with love, sometimes overrating them quite a bit(look up, see my 6/7/11 Bowie gush, yeah, like that) but this Cities deserves the accolades.
It is really quite awesome. Again, Mike & Page run the show.
Standard but well played renditions of MOMA > Gin > STFTFP close out the shorter than usual set. Hey maybe that’s the key to 1st Set success in 3.0, keep em’ short and sweet.
Phish really does hang for a long time in 1st Sets and they do that because they love us, just saying.
8/19/12 BGCA — On the Excel spreadsheet I generated to accompany me throughout this journey the 1st Set from this show in San Francisco is the last one in the “Descending” column. I think very highly of this show as many fans do.
One of the best ->’s of 3.0 comes in the 2nd Set between Light and Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley, a truly great Phish moment.
But without the 1st Set this show would be just another badass 3.0 2nd Set, which is fine, but this is better.
Crowd Control has been an opener every time it’s been played in 3.0 and it sets the bar smack dab in the middle in terms of energy so it’s easy for Phish to take whichever path they choose with the next run of songs. On this night they chose Show Opener #2, Party Time.
Crowd Control must have been an extension of the sound check (or a “semi-political message as some have posited) because the energy stays high throughout the rest of the set, even in more contemplative tunes like Reba, Jibboo & Roggae, all Best of The Year versions IMO.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Lets go back to that Party Time.
It’s good. There all good dammit.
On to Axilla! It Rocks. They all rock dammit.
Reba, Free > Mound > Walk Away is as good as it looks on paper, better even with the Reba being one of my favorite 3.0 versions.
They close the set out with 4 really strong takes on well-worn tracks. You wouldn’t know it by the song timings but the BOTT, Jibboo > Roggae & David Bowie closer are superlative Phish. Delicate where they need to be, bouncy and heavy in the appropriate spots the set was a real harbinger of things to come in Set 2.
Don’t sleep on this one.
7/7/13 SPAC — We are in the middle. Is this set any better or worse than some of the above sets?
Are questions like that even relevant?
Do they birth more questions than answers?
Can the answers to such questions be judged by any real world criteria?
Or are questions like that just a poor attempt at utilizing the Socratic method to bring us in contact with what we already love/hate about Phish?
Whatever the answer (or question) is I chose this set as a representative of the “Middle” because that’s how it plays to me. It doesn’t really take any musical chances so it never stoops to low nor does it have an opportunity to soar too high either.
But it’s the kind of set that Phish is playing more and more of.
Sold Flow.
Good song calls.
A bust out here and there (Mound in this shows case) and some extra hot sauce on a well-worn Phish tune (BOTT in this case).
It feels very organized while never becoming mundane or rote.
The band sounds energized and the music pops. I believe that when Phish hits the stage with these sort of paint-by-number style sets it gives them an opportunity over the course of a few shows to reach into their bag of tricks and pull out the random MagnaGin whereas when they rely on being random they risk confusion and frustration, never really getting at the meat of what they do, which is Jam.
Spin this show at work, in the kitchen or at the gym, it’s guaranteed not to offend and who knows, you may just find inspiration in it.
6/9/09 Asheville — This show is basically the antithesis of the show preceding it. It does not paint-by-numbers. It flies completely by the seat of its Phishy pants. Sometimes it suffers for it (MOMA, Sample) and then in other spots in shines in spite of it (Stash, Dog Faced Boy, Tube, Lengthwise).
233 Show Gap for the Lengthwise FWIW.
Sets like this produce fun Phish antics, like Fishman lying down on stage during DFB and Trey explaining the origins of DFB, Tube & Gumbo.
We’re also treated to a one off performance of a Jimmie Rodgers yodel tune sung with side splitting bravado by Cactus called When the Cactus Blooms. It’s obvious why they never played it again, Mike being a Stoic and all, but it’s a great Phish moment.
The Divided Sky is typically gorgeous and the Bold As Love closer is perfect.
Again, please keep in mind that it’s the “Middle” portion of this piece that is probably the most subjective, hopefully I’m doing my job in making the case for each set but remember, their just opinions.
Ok that’s it, no more apologies. Let’s move on.
6/25/10 Camden, NJ — 20 Minutes into the show and the setlist reads as follows –
Alumni Blues -> Letter to Jimmy Page -> Alumni Blues, BBFCFM, Runaway Jim.
Most excellent.
Army of One is a great choice for a quick cool down before we’re treated to yet another one off in Joni Mitchells Free Man In Paris. Sung by Cactus the song has a great vibe, like The Band meets Little Feat. Trey takes a nice solo. I love one offs and hate them at the same time because when their good I want more but they’re not always good (see the cover of Tom Waits’ “Cool Water” or Neutral Milk Hotels “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea”, huge points for trying on both of those covers though.)
There are 2 reasons to Hate this set and one of those reasons is next.
Summer of 89’, the little song that couldn’t.
I don’t hate it nearly as much as Show of Life and in its brief little history this is the best version. Trey steps out and takes a nice solo in the 4+min following the song proper.
This part of the set is slow but I like it. It feels very well managed with Page, Mike and Trey each taking a song and each of them being really well played.
Melt rears its gnarly psychedelic head next. The song proper is executed perfectly with Mike laying down bad ass basslines throughout. Really listen to Mike throughout this whole Jam, his bass is crisp and clean and everywhere. A very Phil Lesh kind of sound really.
Once Melt is done melting faces we get The Sloth! But after The Sloth we get the elephant in the room.
Time Turns Fucking Elastic.
Again, if you never wanted to hear TTE in a set to begin with you won’t agree with this sets placement in the list, or maybe its inclusion in the list at all.
As stated earlier I don’t hate TTE.
I think it’s got its place in a Phish show and it works well in this one. TTE is one of those “because I’m the boss moments” that Phish sometimes likes to have with us.
I have them with my kids all the time.
Like, “Dad why do I have to eat broccoli when you get to have a bowl of sour patch kids with Dr. Pepper?”
Because I’m the boss that’s why now eat your wanna be flower kid.
Phish earned the right to play songs like TTE. You don’t have to like them and certainly every song has its place and its proper frequency but just don’t be a bitch about it ok?
10/11/10 Broomfield, CO — This whole set reads like a wet dream for me. For my money Runaway Jim is a great way to open a show. But when you follow that with Foam, one of the weirdest songs on one of the weirdest records ever made, then you’re a band after my heart. BOTT & Wolfmans come out swinging, giving the band ample opportunity to get nice and limber before they call up Reba.
2010 was a pretty fine year for Reba, this version being no different. While it doesn’t have as much Page involvement as I like from my Reba it’s very well played by Trey and the Rhythm Section does a mighty job, per the norm.
Halleys is just a lead in to Tweezer.
Once the song portion of Tweez is over we step into what sounds like a darker version of the Reba Jam. Things are smooth and slow. Trey is picking and choosing his spots, Fishman is dusting his cymbals but keeping that snare ever handy. Mike switches from melodic sidekick to slappy instigator with stupid ease, the guy is just so damn good. Trey doesn’t get confused or waver, just keeps plodding on while the band makes interesting noises behind him.
None of it sounds out of sync or incommunicative in the least.
Trey hits some notes and picks up speed around 8:15 into the Jam. He starts trilling shortly after, Mike and Fish matching his intensity bar for bar, Page hammering away on the baby grand like a champ. Trey tries to build this peak with some patience, not crowding the air with notes. He hits a few speed bumps towards the end of the solo but we do get a damn fine, if mellow peak.
Mike signals the return to Tweezer around the 11min mark and they close it out in fine fashion.
I’ve had a thing lately with going back into earlier 3.0 and listening to some of these Jams. You can really hear this band working their way back into the beast that we saw in 2015.
They really were like a stroke victim that had to relearn all the basic motor skills again, quite incredible really.
The end of the set is nigh and the band tosses us What Things Seem off Mikes solo album Moss. This song has a cool groove, another one (or two in this case) off that I would like to hear more of.
2010 had a number of those.
The set closes out with a Coil and a Lope, a 1–2 punch that shouldn’t work but does.
10/26/13 DCU — This is one of those shows that starts off with a string of “openers”. On Oct.26th we got Party Time, PYITE > BOTT > My Soul.
The playing up to My Soul is exemplary so if you’re not a fan of that song you won’t really mind its inclusion in the set.
Three standalones are next in Gin, Ride Captain Ride & Stash.
This show wouldn’t be on the list if I didn’t love the Gin and the Stash. Treys picking is so nimble and his note selection is so on point in this Gin. He manages to create a really dancey vibe within the context of Gin proper and the band is just so damn loose; dollars to doughnuts that crowd was dancing like nobody’s business.
Dig the audience reaction when they do finally peak the Gin, priceless.
Ride Captain Ride is one of those songs that you don’t really replay but one that you’d be stoked to get at a gig, great audience in this one too.
Stash & Gin were two of my earliest Phish love affairs so when two really good versions are delivered in a set I’m going to be partial to that set, but the 2 jams from this Wooster gig are on fucking point. Don’t be a knucklehead and skip over for them for the MagnaGin or something.
Anyway, the Stash is similar to the Gin in that it achieves liftoff via a more mellow and loose jam.
The set just keeps delivering the goods with Simple. We get a really nice outro jam that lasts about 3.5min.
Seriously, don’t sleep on this jam. All three of our melody makers are bouncing notes off one another with reckless abandon, albeit in a silent way.
Mike shines heavy here, ripping off long melodic lines and eliciting cheers from the crowd and probably a head nod from Trey.
Page plays something very familiar sounding right before the end of the jam, by which point Fish has already cued up the high hats for….Bowie!
Not exactly a rare thing late in 3.0 1st Sets, your happy when you get one at any show though. Bowies are a ton of fun live and in person even if they don’t always translate on tape.
This versions cool, as Trey hits some nice chords and Mike continues his MVP of 2013 Campaign.
He made it btw, in a big way.
6/8/12 DCU — I’ve been debugging VB code all morning so let’s take this one on a simpler, song by song basis.
Free- A fine, inoffensive opener guaranteed to please both on tape and in person.
Kill Devil Falls — On paper, not the best follow up. But those who have seen it live know it has value. This version rips and only affects the show positively.
Roses Are Free — Remember when they used to jam Roses bruh? Yea neither do I. Let’s not be one of those people that tries to torpedo an entirely valid argument based on those one or two “exception to the rule” circumstances. Those people are annoying assholes and are personally responsible for the stagnation of our species mental evolution.
Oh yea but they did jam Roses in 2012 at the DCU Center. It may only be 5 minutes but it’s a glorious 5 and I’m sure those in attendance held onto to every pico second of those scant but melodious minutes.
Theme From the Bottom — I suppose how you, dear reader, rates this set will depend on how you feel about the song selections. If you’re not a huge fan of “2nd Tier” songs like Theme, Free, and Julius and would rather hear Bowie, CDT, MOMA in every set then you may not love this selection. Maybe you think I’m an asshole? Its ok, I told you earlier this was a purely subjective exercise. Why are you reading some random guys critique of a rock concert anyway? Theme well played, Trey page guitar stuff….WTF does SET_SPECIAL_LIMIT ((valBeam0)) DIM FF_HPTS tempmax-500 ((valDirFrequencyGain)) mean anyway Jesus Christ why can’t computers just speak fucking English!
Axilla — What else would you have them play here, Silent in the Morning?
Julius — A touch longer than the average Julius its probably the “Best Julius Ever”
Bouncing Around the Room — Anyone who goes to a lot of concerts knows that it’s very nice of the band to throw a piss song about an hour into the 1st Set, when all that pre-game booze comes knocking. Bouncing is the preeminent Phish piss song so just thank them and be on with your day.
Maze — Julius, Maze is a great old school combo that I’m sure I would have loved had I been going to Phish concerts in the mid 90’s. But they’re still playing the same combo now so what the fuck do I need the mid 90’s for? You think I would trade a childhood of playing Doom & Wolfenstein on a Dial-Up modem to go see Phish, especially when so many nice people were out taping the shows for future-goofs like me to listen to?
Bathtub Gin — You didn’t think this set would have made it this far based on the strength of that Roses alone did you? Nah. This is an old school setlist and it’s played like it. They throw in some new(er) school flourishes with the strong KDF and Roses Jam but this Gin makes the set for me.
It’s slow. Like stupidly slow.
I don’t what’s going on but I love it. Fish & Mike keep it that way after the vocal Jam portion and Trey obliges. Somewhere around the 9th minute they collectively kick it into high gear. The contrast isn’t jarring though, it’s really smooth. Around the 11th minute, post peak, Trey starts playing some really familiar sounding rock chords for a few bars, turns the corner again and dives back into the Gin melody. A super awesome Gin that’s maybe gotten lost in the fray, check it out for yourself.
10/31/10 Atlantic City — One could argue this sets exclusion based on the fact that it occurred on Halloween, but take a look at a 1st Set like the ones from Halloween 09’ or 13’, big difference huh?
This set starts as a Halloween set should.
Standalone versions of Frankenstein and BBFCFM, Phish The Right Way.
Ghost -> Spooky (1st one in 700+ Shows btw) is the stuff dreams are made of.
The next 35 minutes are just a bonus, a fine mid-set run of popular early 3.0 tunes like Divided, Funky & Roses. Stash earns this show its spot in the middle though.
A slow jazzy jam, like Reba in a different key (dig that high class music theory speak.)
Easily one of the best Stash’s of the era with all the band members en fuego. Mike & Page are the perfect pair behind Treys languid, haunting lines. Stretching it’s legs for 14 minutes this Jam does achieve liftoff eventually, but in the most organic and lovely way imaginable. I’m not just fluffing a “slightly above average 3.0 Jam” here, this Stash in any other era would be highly regarded.
It did make the .Net Jam Chart FWIW.
Character Zero is always welcome after a really good set and this one is no different. I love this Halloween show and wish the band would bring in some of the Little Feat tunes.
7/31/15 Lakewood — If we pretended like this set didn’t start out with FuckerPants then I wouldn’t get any shit from any one about it. So let’s play like it starts with NMINML shall we? By this point in 2015 the band was super inspired, throwing little musical flourishes all over the place. The whole band cooks during this NMINML and the Ghost that follows is the best 1st Set Ghost in a long long time(6/15/00?)
The Wedge and MOMA are both very well done, didn’t mind MOMA at all this year.
Rift is executed super well and Mikes new baby, How Many People are You? has a lot of new fans already.
This set flows incredible well. Treys tone is on point the entire time. The guitar switching was coming to a close at this 1st Atlanta gig and it’s easy to see why. Trey finally seems to have really found his footing and it shows throughout the show.
The classic Mikes Groove of Mikes -> Hydrogen -> ‘Paug was used a lot in the earlier days of 3.0 as what really seemed like a time filler. The band would throw a Groove in towards the end of a 2nd Set or anywhere in the 1st Set really. They were largely uninspired affairs. Not the case at all with this set closing Groove, the last one before the internet shattering Nashville thing happened.
The Mikes sounds like almost all of the Mikes since the Dicks version. Trey using his effects rig (MuTron in this one?) to make choppy rhythmic stabs. It’s really cool and works well on this version. The Hydrogen goes off without a hitch and the ‘Paug is well, sort of run of the mill. Doesn’t matter though, by this point Phish had begun what would be their best string of Set Ones since 2003–04’.
8/8/15 Alpine — We’re reaching the end of the “Middle” here. Many of the shows in this section suffer from minor flaws with regards to flow or song placement. Their inclusion usually due to some combination of an atypical for 3.0 jam, bustouts and just enough out of the box song choices to turn heads.
This show doesn’t have a big jam. I feel like if Phish had access to the catalog of songs that they do now that this is the kind of show we would have gotten in Summer 95’.
An inspired opener in NMINML that almost breaks 10min but doesn’t need to in order to kick serious ass. Such a versatile song, sometimes going hard rock sometimes funky, it is such a good thing that it came when it did.
STFTFP is great in the 2 spot, Trey handling the solo with aplomb. Poor Heart and Julius are straight outta 95’, unmistakable from their older counterparts. Frankie Says > Maze blazes a trail of magma all over the ginormous Alpine lawn.
The rearranged Mercury makes its 2nd appearance of the touring season, pleasing fans the world over no doubt. It’s one of the best Phish “compositions” in a long time, besting Fuego IMO.
Composed songs with multiple parts that went on for a long time used to be par for the course, Guyute, Fluffhead, Melt, Reba….the list goes on. In some cases the band has used these complex pieces as a launching pad for exploration (YEM) and in other cases the piece is the whole point.
Certainly its too early to say which of these categories Mercury falls into but its obvious that Phish loves the song. Both sets that they dropped it in creeped up high into this list.
The best Reba of 2015 solidifies this sets spot here, the resurgence of meaningful Reba jams are perhaps my favorite takeaway of the year. Theres nothing quite like it when Phish puts aside all the bullshit of everyday life and takes on us a journey like Reba.
This ain’t 2011 so Possum is welcome back into the fold, only rearing its stupid little head once in a blue moon now. Possums an uber fun song that Phish just crushes when their really feeling it as they do on this hot Indiana night.
11/1/09 Festival 8 — Novelty matters. To me at least. Some fans don’t give a hoot about novelty and that’s fine, you don’t have to rate this set at all then.
To begin a post Halloween show with an acoustic set was an incredibly gracious move on the bands part. Having Halloween at a Phish fest must have been quite the time and I’m sure many a fans were still recovering from the previous night’s festivities.
Acoustic Phish is something I never really knew I would enjoy, they do so little of it.
But this set surpasses mere novelty, it’s a really fine set of Phish.
Cramming 15 songs into the long set the band shows off their chops time and again. The Curtain With & McGrupp are real highlights so seek them out. Being that this is the only real set of any replay value from the entire festival (how far have we come?!) you should sit down, take a moment and listen to it.
7/6/13 SPAC — Those who remember this date off the bat know that it doesn’t have much going for it. Crowd Control > CDT, The Wedge, Funky Bitch, Heavy Things, Bug, Bouncin’ isn’t exactly a recipe into the hearts of Phish fans.
But when you follow that up with fiery renditions of Tube > Julius and then close the set with a just-shy-of 20 minutes Spilt Open & Melt your bound to turn some heads.
A perfect example of just how impossible Phish can be to read sometimes this set was going nowhere in a hurry. Even the Tube > Julius wasn’t going to save the set.
But this Split, maybe also the sloppiest of 3.0, lays bare that ever present dichotomy that pervades the bands most interesting music.
The Split Jam is pure alchemy.
Maybe you don’t agree with the sets placement and I understand that. But I can think of nothing more purely thrilling than when Phish steps to the cliffs edge with such reckless abandon and rewards us (and themselves) with an unforgettable musical moment.
Improvised Music is that rare art form. Created & instantly disposed of. Abstract, absurd, defiant and fearless.
A riot against entropy. We should give it credit when credits due, as it certainly is here.
7/22/15 Bend, OR — Nobody really knew what to expect on these first nights in Oregon.
An odd place to start a Phish tour in a tour filled with odd dates.
Stash gets things started and its clear that every member is in lock step with one another, a strong version that’s well placed.
The debut of How Many People Are You? is up next, leaving scores of fans asking the same question after the weird jam.
The best Winterqueen to date is up next. Bordering on 13min this version left fans begging for me. Alas it wasn’t to be. Winterqueen and its counterpart Wingsuit would become rarities over the summer tour. Fine, those songs are perfectly suited to the atmospheres of a Fall/Winter Tour anyway so you owe us one Phish.
The debut of Heavy Rotation pops up next, Pages vocals are awful but theres another nice little jam on the back end of the song so all is well.
Better than Silent right?
BOTT is well rendered and then its Treys turn to pull a debut out of the song hat. He picks Scabbard, a tune that TAB fans are overly familiar with.
A straight-outta-hell version of Maze gets the call next and then we’re treated to the debut of Mercury. I’ve already given my opinion on this lovely new song. With all the new songs since 10/31/13, 2016 and 17’ are primed to explode as some of the best Phish years since 97’-98’. A goofy and typically awesome Possum closes the set out, leaving the fans in Bend, OR abuzz at the doozy of a set.
5/27/11 Bethel — Another “best ever” opener in Tweezer. Though it doesn’t stray far from the main theme it’s great to hear the band step out of their comfort zone and this Tweezer is a fine “1st Set” rendition. The slick -> into MyFe is on point as well.
Extremely well played versions of Poor Heart, Roses and Funky Bitch take us into the meat of the set. Wolfmans stay crisp and concise and then delivers the sets 2nd badass -> with a trip into the James Gangs Walk Away. This songs been mostly absent since 2011 and its one that would fit well with the bands current ability to create great segues out of any song.
Come to this set for that first grouping of songs but stay for the remainder. When the band is playing tight and on point songs like Stash and Antelope benefit greatly.
So is the case with this Stash. A scary version that makes me think of 93’ when I listen to it. Bouncin’ comes along next to fuck the set flow up in true Phishy fashion but they recover quickly with another set highlight, a 13min KDF. Phish did some fun, interesting things with most of the Joy tunes in early 3.0 and this version is no slouch.
The ever elusive Bold As Love gives Trey ample opportunity to do his Hendrix thing and he does it well.
8/9/15 Alpine — Chilling, Thrilling songs are the best thing to happen to Phish sets in maybe forever. The songs work everywhere.
Tonight it’s The Very Long Fuse that gets the call as show opener.
Yea, that’ll do.
Played with marksman like precision the instrumental is crazy good, Alpine fans were very lucky this year indeed and have been throughout 3.0 mostly.
Colonel Forbin > Mockingbird in the 2–3 slot? With narration? Jesus that’s something, Phish definitely feeling it.
“Breather” songs come in almost every set, so it’s nice when Phish uses a rarity like Brian and Robert in that slot. Perhaps a little early but fans were no doubt pretty well hyped by this point.
Phish drops a Saw It Again, Esther combo for those whose nights weren’t already made, replete with multiple false endings in Saw It Again and very well played sections throughout Esther.
I don’t know when Phish had time to practice all the songs they pulled out of their asses in 2015 but the year was damn near flub free, a testament to a band with a schedule as stacked as Phish’s.
Weigh and Sloth are perfect 1st Set songs and work perfectly here.
Sanity > Split Open & Melt?
Added bonus with it being the 1st Melt of the year.
Double bonus for Trey pulling satanic noises from his rig deep into the jam.
Bravo. All Hail the Second Shitter.
7/14/13 MPP — First Tube > MOMA > NICU is a fine way to start a show off. Each song is lifted up a notch by the songs surrounding it, which is something Phish does very well when their feeling it.
Roses > CDT is standard 1st set fare, each one crushed, especially the ChalkDust. The set begins in earnest with Stash though. Best Stash of 3.0? I don’t know, it’s certainly up there though. Spanning a thick 14min this Stash does it all. Phish going from Dark -> Light isn’t exactly groundbreaking in these later years of 3.0, it’s sort of their go to style. But it was still relatively new in early 2013 and it’s done so with excellent fluidity in this Stash. Check the brief funk outing that loosens the constricting walls of Stash up, its puts the band in a loose mood and they just build and build from there.
The Mule that follows in significant for being the Fish’s first outing with his Marimba Lumina, an instrument that rivals the Theremin for spacey sounds. Developed by Don Buchla the instrument works using RF Technology. I’d love to know more about that aspect of the instrument as that’s my primary field of expertise so if anyone has any insight on that let’s hear it! I imagine it’s based primarily in the GPS spectrum of low-band radio wave signal but there’s surprisingly scant information available about the instrument on the web.
A run of songs like Its Ice > Tube > Antelope has the ability to be very hit or miss in an era like 3.0. Well lucky for us this segment is all Hit. The little mini jam in Ice gets funky in a hurry and hangs there for longer than usually. If I had to pick between those mid 90’s Ice jams that were just weird for weirds sake or what Phish has been doing with the song in 3.0 I’d choose 3.0 in a heartbeat, just love this version. Tube is Tube, a song that frustrates nearly every dedicated to fan to no end due to its almost comical lack of jamming in the modern era but also one that no fan at a Phish concert would dare bitch about. Antelope does its thing, accentuated by the previous 50min of strong music by Phish. The bands pimp hand was strong on this night at MPP.
8/15/15 MPP — We’ve reached the point in every long piece where the author feels the need to parse out the obligatory mini-bio.
I’ll do my best to keep it interesting ok?
First though there’s the matter of the Simple opener and the Glide bustout that followed it.
Only the 2nd Simple opener ever, 1st since 96’, pretty damn impressive Phish but what else ya got?
We’re a discerning lot not easily impressed. Well, Glide will always do the trick and dammit if this version isn’t fucking nailed, I don’t know if it’s just Trey (the usual flub culprit) or what but Phish was so tight this year.
Ok, Buried Alive time. Another one of those shows with multiple openers in a row, fine with me when it’s these 3. Buried is handled deftly and kicks major ass, as does the run of > Roggae > McGrupp > Limb by Limb > STOP.
Ok, now it’s time for it.
Everyone grew up with different music. The music that matters most to us is the music that had a say in shaping the adults we became. For many of you that music was Phish. Lots of people into Phish got into the band way back in the day when they were still young, seeing lots of Phish shows in the northeast or wherever they could travel to on whatever budget they were allotted.
I grew up in Florida.
Born in Memphis but brought to Americas Wang at a young age.
For a state with as much coastal territory as Florida and as many sunburns as we have you would think there would be more of a Phish scene and maybe back in the early to mid 90’s there was, back when the band regularly scheduled stops in places like Gainesville and St. Petersburg. But when I was coming of age in the late 90’s Phish was mostly done playing the Sunshine State.
We probably haven’t had 10 shows since Big Cypress and probably all of those shows were in Miami. From the ages of about 13 to 17 I was heavy into punk rock. Old grimy shit like the Circle Jerks, Dead Milkmen, Dayglo Abortions and TSOL and newer bands like Fugazi, NOFX, Propagandhi and Bad Religion. These bands taught me to think.
There’s surprisingly little thinking that occurs in Florida so you take it where you can.
Besides encouraging me to think and pick up books punk music taught me to have respect for myself and for others. The multitude of valuable lessons one can cull from the annals of punk music are vast and I’d recommend digging into the catalog of any number of highly energetic bands, if only to get a taste of life on the other side.
By the time I hit 17 though I was in serious need of a chill out.
One unfortunate aspect of the punk scene (not the music, but the scene) is that it breeds a lot of heavy partying (not so different from a few other scenes as well).
And it’s not age discriminate.
So by the time I hit 17 I was pretty burnt out.
I didn’t know it when I was young but I was actually pretty fortunate that I had the brother and sister that I did. My brother spent his college years in Athens, GA listening to bands like the Dead and Panic and he passed that on to my sister who took it a step further with bands like Rusted Root and Donna the Buffalo (both not very good in my book) and both of my siblings passed that Jam gene down to me.
It took a while for the gestation to complete but when it did I found myself at the local record store near the beach purchasing a few Dicks Picks.
Had I been more informed of all the online tape trading I probably would have gone that route but I wasn’t, so I didn’t.
But the Dicks Picks worked just fine.
The method I tried was to buy 3 or 4 different ones covering a large span of Dead years. A show from 69’, one from 74’, another from 77’ and finally one from the Boston Garden in 90’ or 91’ I think, Dead fans will know it by the “Clam Jam” track deep into the 2nd Set.
This is a strategy that worked exceedingly well for a band like the Grateful Dead mainly because the bulk of their music is far more accessible than a band like Phish.
To this day the music of the Dead has penetrated emotional portions of me that Phish has never come close to touching.
Phish penetrates my brain, much like punk music.
So anyway, it was 3 or 4 years of basically nothing but the Grateful Dead and all the music that inspired them. That’s one of my favorite avenues of Dead > Phish similarities, you can really hear all the music that inspired them both in almost every track. And then when they achieve that perfect synthesis with tracks like Dark Star or Fluffhead it just makes your jaw drop; truly special happenings.
Sometime in late 2002 I had a girlfriend who was attending college in Gainesville, FL at UF and I found myself making the approximately 90 minute drive from my town to hers at least twice a week.
This left me with tons of time to listen to music. And there is no better place to listen to music than on the road. It is one of the most quintessentially American things one can engage in I believe.
I pulled into the lively little college town around 4pm one Friday and found myself with about an hour to kill while Blair was still in class.
My usual routine would be to either hit a music shop, book shop or hunt down some vegan grub.
On this particular day I chose the music route.
I found a CD Warehouse on 13th Avenue after about 20 minutes of searching. For some odd reason the record store I usually frequented was closed.
So while skimming through the P section searching for the latest live Pearl Jam release (the little brown single slip CD’s they released in droves back in the early aughts) I stumbled across a few of the official LivePhish recordings.
Curiosity got the best of me. After doing some math I decided I could only afford 3 of the discs. Being a big believer in repeating good patterns and shelving bad ones I put the same strategy that I had applied to the Dicks Picks albums to the test with Phish.
Big mistake.
There is no worse way to introduce oneself to Phish than to listen to a show from 93’ (LivePhish 7: 8/14/93, loved the Split and YEM Purple Rain, was blind to everything else) and then a show from 98’ (LivePhish 6: 11/27/98, dug the Reba & CDT -> Wipeout Madness, hated everything else) only to wrap it all up with a show from 00’ (LivePhish 2: 6/14/00, went crazy over the BOTT and Gumbo and didn’t understand the Twist).
Oh yea, and I bought Junta that day, loved Fee, hated the rest.
See, Phish is a very polarizing band. Almost no band I can think of has gone through so many distinct musical changes (Miles Davis, Radiohead?) over their career.
This is of course because the members of Phish are musical geniuses. But the Brian of 2003 didn’t understand that. I thought that jamming had to be more in line with what the Dead did and there were a lot of people out there that were quick to falsely compare far too much about the 2 bands.
I can understand now why Phish put out the LivePhish in the order they did. They were for the already initiated, not the noobs. But all I heard was silliness in some songs, unnecessary complexities in others, stupid lyrics and druggy Jamtronica in the later stuff.
I did my best.
I listened to the fucking CD’s over and over again. I even went back and picked up a 4th LivePhish (#8: 7/10/99, my favorite song after 3 listens was Back at the Chicken Shack, chew on that).
So yeah, it wasn’t going well.
I decided to take Phil Lesh’s sage advice and Take A Step Back.
Sometime before that summer I broke up with the girl from Gainesville and started dating a girl from back in high school. She got deep into the Dead with me and I forgot all about Phish and their crazy fucking music.
That Summer the Dead announced a Tour.
I was ecstatic.
Word was that Bob Dylan would be with them and even Sammy Hagar. All of that was only icing on the cake.
I was 11 when Jerry died so this felt like some sweet manna straight from the Gods.
I’ve been very monetarily challenged pretty much my whole life and that year was no different, so I only bought tickets to the Atlanta show. When I got to the lot on July 31st the place was packed. The South is a huge Dead haven so I wasn’t really surprised.
I was surprised at how dark the scene was though. Lots of dope, heavy shit too, the pill craze of the mid-00’s was just beginning to bubble up and in the South things got really ugly really fast.
People falling out left and right, people getting busted, people stealing, it was ugly.
My girl and I were only into light psychedelics, booze and herb so we stuck mostly to that. But we struck up a few conversations in the lot with some kids who looked like they’d been on the road for a while. As we stood around passing a few joints they asked us if we had been in town a few days ago for the Phish gig at the same amphitheater, we said no of course and of course they proceeded to give us a play by play run down of the entire fucking show.
How Wilson opened the concert and how Treys solo in the set closing Taste was “choice”. How the band pulled another “super deep Summer Piper from the ether” to start Set 2 and how Mike took a bass solo in the NICU instead of some guy name Leo and how the band referenced the upcoming IT Fest in the set closing YEM.
These people would not shut up.
But we were stoned so it was alright. Twenty minutes must have gone by but it wasn’t the least bit annoying. These weren’t your average dumb fuck half gutter punk half hippie wooks, these kids were doing a leg of Phish tour and they were ultra stoked about it.
Their enthusiasm stuck with me.
It really reminded me of how I felt upon discovering the mountains of jewels in the Deads catalog.
I spent that whole show dancing and digging the vibe and when we got back to my brother’s house I went to sleep with thoughts of music on my mind.
When we got back to Jax I decided to give Phish another go round. It had been about 7 months since the first try so it was definitely time.
I was staying with a friend in a neighborhood called Springfield at the time. The houses in that neighborhood are all at least 100 years old. Very big things with lots of rooms and huge attics. We were also doing a lot more psychedelics at the time, like a lot.
Our usual ritual was to dose together downstairs and put on a Dead album, then when the peak starts we’d crank the speakers up and go about our weird fucking business in different parts of the house.
Well on this night I convinced them to let me play the new LivePhish release I had picked up at the beach.
It was #13.
Surely you know it.
10/31/94
Well this time it worked.
It didn’t even take that long really. By the time the band wrapped up the 1st Set Harpua (BRING IT BACK) the hooks were in.
I cried during the Silent solo, bounced around the room during the White Album set and decided by the time that Antelope was done that I’d be seeking out more by this band.
I made big plans to hop on tour.
And then 2004 happened.
Two major things happened in that year that changed my life in big ways.
Phish announced they would be playing their finals shows at a festival called Coventry
and I became a Dad.
The rest is history.
I spent the next 6 years working multiple jobs while struggling to raise a young family in my early to mid 20’s in an economy that might as well have been a carcass.
I had another son in 2007, the economy got worse, still no sign of Phish.
During these years I spent hundreds upon hundreds of hours becoming familiar with the music of Phish, growing ever enamored with each successive tape I heard.
When the band got back together I was determined to at least see the group a few times, money problems be damned.
Unfortunately the band decided to eschew visits to Florida altogether so the only reasonable places I had to catch a show were Georgia or Bama.
I couldn’t make the NYE Miami 09’ run because of job bs.
I finally caught my first show over the July 4th weekend in Alpharetta, Ga 2010, a little suburban enclave of greater Atlanta. I could only attend the show on the 3rd but was grateful when I caught a Sanity, Destiny and a McGrupp in the 1st Set and a cool as hell Tweezer -> Slave in the 2nd.
Not bad for a 1st show.
Of course I felt like a tool when I missed the Rage Against the Machine madness the next night, still chasing Harpua to this day but at this rate I’ll almost certainly never get it.
The next few years I caught shows in Atlanta again and a couple in Alabama, taking my children each time.
In 2011 my son Owen and I got harassed by a monstrous thunder storm at the Alpharetta show forcing us to take shelter in a bathroom with hundreds of wet fans. But we got a Paul and Silas and a Foam in that 1st Set and then some fine phan stubbed us down into the pav and we caught the only Mound to both open and close a set.
And a Birdwatcher -> Kung taboot, although Owen fell asleep in my arms during the 2nd Set Jibboo.
What a fucking noob.
In 2012 it was me, my middle son Miles and my wife Devon who was carrying our 3rd son Eliot in her very pregnant stomach in Atlanta again, this time at the very storied Lakewood Amphitheatre.
Caught a Roid Rage Golden Age and a stellar Chalkdust -> WTU?
Since then I’ve caught shows in Pelham, Atlanta and Orange Beach, all with either one or more of my children or my wife, who by the way thinks Phish is the worst band to ever plug into a full stack.
And so it was that I found myself sitting in my living during couch tour this year, listening to this great 1st Set when Trey started playing those power chords to open BBFCFM.
The next 5 minutes or so were like a blur.
I turned my living room into a mosh pit, woke up the kids and stepped on the dog’s tail.
I find it beyond amazing that Phish has the ability and more so the will to incorporate so many different styles into their music, it’s a testament to the bands versatility and their musical genius.
The fact that they ended the set with Horn, Blaze On and a raging Antelope meant almost nothing to me, the damage had been done.
I don’t get to catch Phish shows anymore, haven’t since Eliot popped out of his mother’s womb on Aug.13th, 2013.
The financial strains of raising a family of 5 in this day and age are just too overwhelming.
That’s why I think Couch Tour is one of the greatest things since sliced bread.
Now if we can only kill Nugs.net and convince Phish to offer audio streams of every show we’ll be in seriously good graces.
So that’s the requisite bio.
If you stuck around through all that then I guess Thanks are in order.
8/7/09 The Gorge — There should be a law about Phish playing at The Gorge.
The place is just too beautiful and the band plays far too well for them to take a year off.
This show from the inaugural year of the 3.0 era is one of the best of the era.
When a show starts off with DWD you know you’re in for it (6/11/10, 7/10/98, 6/14/97, 7/3/00, 2/24/03, 11/13/96 & 6/13/94(!!!).
Impeccable track record.
This 1st of a 2 night stand would be no different, bringing the goods in both sets. Even though this Disease doesn’t cause much harm it works just fine.
Dropping an Ocelot at The Gorge is just a veteran move by a band that knows their onion but following it up with a Pebbles & Marbles is a move that says “we came to play”.
Another song that is sorely missed in the rotation.
Possum finds its way out of the lovely Pebbles and gets the crowd moving before giving way to the contemplative Sleep, another song that we don’t see that much of.
Big bustout and road song number 2 Destiny Unbound makes an appearance next, almost certainly sending the crowd into a frenzy.
By the time the band drops into Stash it must have been near sun down at the loveliest venue this country has to offer and this Stash is another 3.0 Keeper, don’t sleep on it.
But we both know why we’re here and it’s not the Stash, it’s the Sneakin’ Sally that follows the frenzied Stash jam.
Any time the band gifts us a Sally it’s a win-win situation, but on those rare occasions when they take the “other woman” for a walk it’s a hushed tone type of thing. This is certainly the best Sally the band has ever played, probably because it goes Type II and then some.
Once they’ve finished crushing the song proper -> vocal jam portion of the song they move into a super tight funk jam that doesn’t slow down until somewhere around the 11 minute mark. From there it’s just one of the most melodic and ethereal jams the band has played in this era.
If you haven’t listened to this gem in a while then wait no longer, it is beyond the fucking pale.
Closing the show out with Cavern, one of the Phishiest songs the band has in its arsenal is no more than a mic drop on a great set by a great band at the greatest venue.
Here here.
5/28/11 Bethel — I’ve been completely vexed since the tour schedule came out in 2012 as to why Phish turned a stiff upper lip at Bethel. The run of shows they did in 2011 still stand as one of the eras strongest runs (Soundcheck definitely included.)
Opening a show up with Theme takes balls.
Asking the large east coast horde of phans to sit back and lean along with the snaky grooves of the Bottom could have gone a few different ways.
But the song was nailed so no harm done. NICU is one of my favorite 1st Set songs the band has so it’s all smiles when they drop this.
Then maybe my favorite Phish cover, Cities!
Cities is good no matter what the band does with it and there have been more than a few killer versions in the 3.0 era (8/6/10, 12/28/11, 12/31/14, 8/12/15 & 8/22/15.)
Well add this one to the Jam Chart please because the band spends the entire 9min just crushing the Talking Heads tune.
Dropping into Halleys nowadays is the bound to draw eye rolls from the faithful as the band has gone deep exactly once with the tune in the 3.0 era (twice if you count that wild -> into Wombat.)
Well this Halleys is that once. And it’s as glorious as you want it to be.
You’ve probably heard it but in case you haven’t quit being stupid, it’s far more than mere novelty.
The next 30 some odd minutes read like this: Runaway Jim, Gumbo > Quinn the Eskimo > Limb by Limb, Horn. In another 1st Set that doesn’t already carry the credentials of this show that run of songs could be accused of being too by-the-book but it works exceedingly well in this set and you won’t find yourself skipping it.
But a show doesn’t get to make it this far with only 1 keynote Jam and a badass Cities and alas this show does deliver mightily in the set closing spot with a Bathtub Gin that’s as good as any other from any era.
This Gin would fit right in with a version from the 93’-96’ era. Its lanky yet substantial.
Vibrant yet dignified.
Always entertaining.
Anytime Phish weaves Manteca into a Jam it’s a good moment. The old jazz standard fits nicely within the context of a Phish jam and hearing it pop up and get the full treatment in the middle of one of my favorite Phish songs is reason to testify.
Hear this set at all costs.
It provides an essential look into the evolution of how Phish has evolved in this era and its fun fun fun all the way through, a true staple of the era.
8/11/15 The Mann Center — Phish at the Mann has become something of a thing huh? That just means they’ll probably start skipping the damn place but oh well, they can’t take these shows away.
And what a twofer the band delivered in 2015.
Again, if this is your favorite 1st Set of the year then I would be hard pressed to argue with you (I’d still do it though, its Magna1 dummy!)
We’ve covered opening a show with Crowd Control already but just to drive the point home that it’s a sign of a pretty damn good show heres some proof.
10/28/14, 7/5/14 (still need to hear this Soundcheck), 8/4/13, 7/6/13, 8/19/12 & 6/29/12 (one of my favorite Gins before the ->).
Next up is the bands clear cut favorite from the Chilling, Thrilling Set in Martian Monster.
Pages finest sampling moment to date in this truncated version. Downright percussive.
Axilla rears its hair metal head to cut off the Martians which annoyed me at the time but that’s because I can be stupid, sorry Phish.
When Trey starts strumming the chords for Skin it Back I realized immediately how similar it sounded to Martian Monster, to my formally untrained ears it’s damn near the same riff.
To say this is the best version of Skin it Back to date isn’t really saying much so let me say it another way.
It may be the best version of Martian Monster to date.
By the time the first tease/sample/whatever shows up in Skin It Back its impossible to tell where one song ends and the other begins. It may only last for about 6 minutes total but it’s another “mini-segment” in a year chock full of stellar ones.
I don’t remember the exact quote Mike gave but it was something to the effect of how they were now chasing these mini-segments or soundscapes or something.
2013/14 were also full of great jams and segments but everything really came together in 2015.
Total synthesis.
If anything it’s going to raise the expectations of 2016 to a level not seen since when? 98’? 03?
I’d need to hear from a vet on that one seeing as how I wasn’t around then but I can only imagine how much dumb shit I’ll have to wade through on Twitter after the first 2 shows of 2016 fail to live up.
Anyway, Vultures, Dog Faced Boy, Bowie, Farmhouse, Mule, Ghost & Grind is all they did to finish the set, if that’s your thing and all.
Every above version is worth hearing more than once.
6/28/12 Deer Creek — This is the little set that could for me. If you think I’m batshit crazy for putting here that’s fine, it’s just that I keep coming back to it time and again.
There’s such variety, such beauty and such fun in this set that for my money it is the set to typify what the 3.0 era is all about.
Are there better sets? Absolutely
But it doesn’t really matter does it?
Dig this, if you caught the following songs at your shows 1st Set how happy would you be on a scale of 1–5, 1 being Fuck This Band and 5 being This Band Can Fuck Me Anytime.
The Birdwatcher, The Curtain With (well played and spec-fucking-tacular), Fuck Your Face, Old Home Place, Pebbles & Marbles, Weigh, CDT, Wolfmans, Cool It Down, Tweezer, Tela & STFTFP.
For me it’s a 5 and that’s why this set is so high.
The Tweezer doesn’t even have to be as good as it is. And it’s good, like really really good.
I don’t really feel the need to make a long and winded argument for this set. It’s one of those things that you either agree with or you don’t.
And if you don’t that’s fine.
But maybe give it another chance, don’t skip any of the songs and just Surrender to the Flow.
7/3/11 SuperBall — I find it to be a form of poetic justice that 2 of the last 3 Sets on this list are from festivals. There’s something especially Phishy about a Phish festival.
An entire city shrunk down to its miniature all to host one band, what could be better?
I think this is easily the best set from the entire festival with its great mixture of bustouts, jams and Phishy happenings.
Another Soul Shakedown Party opener. Damn if that song isn’t a message by the band.
I think the most attractive thing about this set is it’s high replay quality. Once the opening notes of Shakedown ring out the band doesn’t stop playing for 7 songs, each one of them winners.
AC/DC Bag starts the show off The Right Way and gives way to a With-Less Curtain.
That painless 1–2 punch gives way to Forbins > Mockingbird with the ever coveted narration by Trey.
As if that wasn’t enough to start off a Festival 1st Set the band wastes no time in launching straight into Destiny Unbound, a serious treat for all in attendance.
Bleeding right out of that great road song is Wilson. I would give my right eye to hear a song like Wilson amidst a crowd the size of one at a Phish festival. The band almost always plays the audience response songs at these things and who can blame them, it must be quite a rush.
The Best Mound Ever (Alpharetta 2011 says hold the fuck up) gets the SBIX treatment next with the band pouring it on during the middle section of the jam.
And there’s still 40 some odd minutes to go.
ASIHTOS gets taken for a nice little ride. Kinda reminiscent of the Gorge Sally this Ocean does everything you want the song to do. A lot of people got a glimpse of what this song might be able to do in 2004 and I hear a lot of trash talk regarding the lack of jamming in the tune but I think it’s unwarranted, the band always rips the hell out of this song and its damn near impossible to place it incorrectly.
This version gets an extra 5min or so of that 2011 Storage Action and that’s just fine.
Time Loves A Hero is next and it does exactly what its supposed to do. Gives rabid fans an opportunity to scratch it off their lists and ratchets up the energy level a few notches, well played taboot.
Phish was in no mood to fuck around during the July 3rd show at SBIX, no doubt feeling IT after the late night Storage Jam from the previous evening.
And when Phish is feeling it Phish plays Reba, at least in 3.0, like clockwork.
This Reba is [insert descriptive adjective here] and then some. Clocking in at 16 minutes and earning every one of them it’s another lovely version of a tune that has really just started to find its place in the 3.0 era.
Closing a set like this out with Bowie is a no-brainer and Phish obliges.
They even throw in a little Storage Space -> out of the Reba for the geeks chasing that kind of thing (right here.)
Much stronger than your average 3.0 Bowie (as is every song this set, which is the story of this set) it’s a proper cap to a great set of Phish.
8/21/15 MagnaBall — Theres plenty of hype still surrounding this set and the show in general and its certainly well deserved.
I’m of the opinion that this is the penultimate 1st Set of 3.0 Phish though, just a few fucking breaths short of that Top Spot.
I wanna skip right ahead to the Bathtub Gin, as I don’t think theres enough hyperbole in the whole of the universe to do it justice. Will that change 5 hours after Phish plays the next best version of the well loved song? Probably, but fuck it ok?
You can forget about the opening Simple > Dogs combo, its even better than it looks on paper.
And don’t even bother with TMWSIY -> Avenu -> TMWSIY or the Free, Wedge, Mock Song, Roggae or Rift.
Those are all just distractions.
Foothills appearing through the mist on a drive up a mountains peak.
All roads end at the MagnaGin.
I’ve heard every version of Bathtub Gin. Multiple times. If you’ve read this far then probably many of you have too.
To say that this version is up there with such Sacred Cows as the Real Me Gin, Nassau Gin, Went or Riverport Gins, 11/23/97, 2/22/03 renditions or any of the other World Beater versions is not to engage in a moment of post-show fluffery.
It is that good.
Treys tone, gritty one second, impossible to nail down the next.
Or Mike, filling in those empty spaces like an absolute master, letting the notes rise and fall with just the appropriate amount of breath. The next time someone tells you that Phish’s music is too busy play this Jam and then follow it up with any Umphreys jam for the correct amount of contrast.
And then kick that person in the shin.
Page, jesus. In a tour where Mike and Trey virtually killed every other Guitarist/Bassist combo out there its really easy to lose sight of The Chairman. But listen again to his work in this Gin, especially the final 8 minutes, he owns it.
And Fishman, dear dear Fishman.
Is he solely responsible for that post-peak throwdown a’ la the Miami Disease?
Don’t know and don’t really care, I can’t seem to do anything but smile once it starts up.
Jams like this can make sets, they can make shows too.
Luckily for this show it doesn’t even need this jam to be a Great Phish Show.
But it has it, so where does that leave it?
Only time will tell.
8/31/12 DICKS — How fitting that I was to finish this piece on the 3rd Anniversary of this All-Time Classic Phish show. There really isn’t another like it in the entirety of the modern era.
Raise your hand if you’ve been waiting for another show to knock this behemoth off the top spot?
I know I have.
Well before we talk about what makes this set great (do we really need to) lets talk about how this show did finally get knocked off that top spot.
For my money it happened on either 8/15/15 at The Post or on 8/21/15 at Magnaball.
For those who would complain that a festival show shouldn’t count I would argue that Dicks is essentially a Phish festival and that you should just STFU anyway.
If you think that it happened on August 12th at The Mann I would argue with you for a moment about the 1st Set but I wouldn’t really put much heart into it.
I’ve never been totally in love with the 2nd Set from this Dicks show and the 2nd Set at The Mann crushes it in every way imaginable.
And Phish didn’t need no stinkin’ gimmick on either of those 3 nights to challenge this show for the top honor!
How incredible is it by the way that we’re talking about 3 shows having the potential to crush the Mighty Dick, 3 shows that occurred over the course of 10 Days.
Surely August 2015 is one of the best months in the bands history, one brilliant peak following another.
But let’s talk about the Fuck Your Face show and send you dear readers on your way.
First Tube
Uncle Pen
Carini
Kill Devil Falls
You Enjoy Myself
Ocelot
Undermind
That’s it.
1 Set that spells Fuck You.
Even if they hadn’t played the best Undermind ever and my personal favorite Carini it would still be one of the coolest things done by a major rock act.
How the fuck did Motley Crue not think of it first?
A never-ending-fun YEM, a blazing First Tube, a lazy cloud scaling Ocelot, the down home stylings of Uncle Pen, the essential 3.0ness of KDF.
And then the Undermind and the Carini.
Both top either of the big Jams in the 2nd Set IMO, the Undermind being maybe the high water mark for Trey melodically in this era, to this day.
Well that does it for this list.
No doubt in my mind that we’ll be adding another show or two once Dicks is done with this year, the band just crushes that place like none other.
Thanks for reading!
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