Welcome home! This is home, right? Once upon time this was the Phish from Vermont. And while they almost certainly always will be—especially to this Canuck who’s home ain’t far from Burlington—it’s easy to start thinking of them as a New York band. (Or is that a Colorado band..? Overheard in a hip clothing I stopped into with my girlfriend before the show: “I need an outfit I’m going to see Phish tonight… “oh is it your first time seeing them” .. “no..” “do you see them here or in Colorado?” … Heaven forbid Phish is becoming an exclusive club by bi-coastal elites! But I digress..)

So yes it felt very much like homecoming with the happy return to the Garden. “It’s thematic, Mike,” Trey says before they started Old Home Place, following the fabulous Cities, (“find the BEST city to live in”).

Obviously there was much anticipation for the 7 night run—the longest residency since the Bakers Dozen, which looms large over this stretch of shows. And for myself as well, with the night they raised the banner being the last time I was in the room. Time flies, huh?

I can say this—they sure don’t seem to have turned down the crowd energy since 2017. If anything it’s gone up..? It might have been dangerous to blow the roof off with something big or busty—so Trey instead suggests we all take a breath and approach the night with caution, with the smooth invitation of Evening Song.

Once that prelude was done though, holding back didn’t seem like an option. A Wave of Hope, and then the Cities that followed, washed over the Garden approach about 40 minutes of mostly inspired and energetic jamming that would have been comfortable as the second set meat of any show these last two years. Some fantastic Mountain jam like hose in Hope, and a fabulous Cities that left notice that the majestic offering on 4/23 at the Hollywood Bowl wasn’t an anomaly (though the latter still might be a more dynamic offering).

Trey sounded fiercely happy to here, energetic and in full guitar god mode. Free featured some nice duelling action, and Stash had an almost old school feel, never quite going out the box but nevertheless staying engaging and sharp. I would have happily taken another 6 minutes in the middle of that Stash over the My Soul that closed the set, but as mentioned Trey came to rock tonight, and you can’t fault the performance.

The trip to open the second set was decidedly contemporary, vibrating with love and light in a sea of love and plasma. I try and stay receptive to new material, and Ruby Waves has become a contemporary favourite, but 3 newer ones back to back started to leave my wanting a little More.. ? The jamming here probably needs some digesting. Parts were phenomenal, others a little too familiar, but points for the -> to Plasma and the willingness to get weird. It didn’t always work to my tastes. Much as Trey has chops right now, it still feels to me like he’s in a rush to get somewhere in jams and ends up recycling these major rock outs with not very inspiring riffs. My biggest beef lately. If you love the blow up (and the crowd often does) more power to you, but it doesn’t tell a very interesting story. I’d take a slow down space exploration till the real inspired lick comes over 3 rote peaks every day of the week

But the set picked up from here. Simple had a nice jam, not rushed, almost one of those modest minor excursions that wouldn’t be out of place in a jam from the late 90s. And the landing in Mountains of the Mist worked, a tongue in cheek inversion of the On the Road Again that closed to Bakers Dozen run.

Split Open and Melt delivered on its name. Absolutely filthy, evil, face melting material that combined with the ever evolving CK5 rig left the room pretty much obliterated. I’m not sure listening back if it’ll top the standout on 4/22 from earlier this year. But it sure was fun from Section 2.

And the Section was on my mind as the show wrapped. GTBT was executed perfectly, a Bakers Dozen nod, but what came to mind for me was that it was also the same encore I saw at my first show at MSG on 12/29/97, when I had the good fortune of scoring mail order tickets in the same section. Full donut!

Taking my 14 year old to his second show tonight (took him to the dud in Portland in 2016 when he was 8). Have a feeling tonight will be a little more memorable…

Have fun all and stay cool!