, attached to 2011-07-03

Review by bigflopmoptop

bigflopmoptop I'm sure many reviews will be posted of this glorious show, with Set I being quite possibly the best Phish set ever. Pretend that this show happened in 1994. Without looking at the setlist, if I was to tell you I saw a Phish show & the highlights were Wilson and Mound, you'd think that it was either the lamest show ever or that I had no idea what I was talking about. Now look at the setlist, & if I told you WIlson & Mound were the highlights, you'd think I was totally insane. But it's true.

I listened to this whole festival from home, as I have a two-week old baby right now. Every song ranks up there with the best versions ever of each song (complications nailed, a fun story, Mike changing keys in Reba to give the jam the most distinctly different feel I may have ever heard in a Reba jam). Finally, I felt there was a break in the insanity of stuff I rarely hear when Wilson started. But no. Trey took the E chord metal hold before the "you got me back thinking" line & turned it into a descending 4-chord romp reminiscent of the jam that came out of left field in the 12/29/94 Bowie. This jam was UNREAL. Seriously impeccable. And looking at the setlist, to say that Wilson stood out? Really? Yes!

And then came Mound. I knew they were extending the jams a bit with what they did earlier in the tour. But the Page solo after the 1st verse was just stellar -- not just Page, but what Trey was doing behind it, how Mike was keeping it soaring, & Fish picking up on it. Then came the old 4-measure keyboard-centric noodle that precedes the ending of the song, & Trey became unleashed. The jam that ensued at the end of Mound may have been my favorite slice of Phish pie in the history of me listening to them. Sure it was no 1-hour Jim/Weekapaug thing, or a 40-minute Bowie -- maybe only 2 minutes or so, but the best two minutes of Phish I have ever heard.

Set II was a blast as well, featuring a Party Time that made me go, "hmmmm . . . so THIS is why they play this song." Each jam was delicate & gorgeous, then concluding with the hardest played "Stealing Time" ever. Of the many thousands of phans who listened to this show, I imagine you'd get about 40 different responses to the question, "what was your highlight," since everything played was so right on. But for me? As ridiculous as it sounds, Wilson Mound.


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