another stellar 2013 Wolfman's to open; a welcomed 1st of summer Golgi; a FIRE BOAF with little to argue with, another tight and well played Bitch, Cities keeps on keeping on, a clean Rift, a good first set Gin (i'll take any 10min plus Gins these days), a short and ROCKING Tube, and another cock-rocking Walk Away anthem to close ...and that's just Set 1.

Set 2 you can listen to start to finish and have nothing to argue with. Funk party from Golden Age to Boogie; a classic trio in Ghost>Carini>Piper (that's one uplifting Carini monster), a tear jerking Velvet, and a split Mike's Groove/Slave sandwich with Paug showing up in the encore..WHAT? First time that has happened in 23 years.

And Character Zero serves as a sign that they still got a LOT of life left in them for BGCA and Dicks!

It keeps getting better. GET ME TO SAN FRAN now.

I'm already on record as stating that the most underrated show of this year is Alpharetta 1 by a very, very healthy margin, but the more I think about the more I'm starting to wonder if it's actually this show that deserves the dubious distinction. In fact, I'd go as far to say as I consider this show the 12/7/97 of Summer 2013. Now, before you get all up in arms about me comparing a show sporting a healthy 3.6 rating to one of Fall '97's most beloved shows (and one of my most beloved shows, for that matter), what I'm trying to get at is that this is the biggest dance party of the tour, while also not necessarily being the deepest show of the tour (they played that three days previous), with a second set that rewards repeated listens. This is a show that I think will age quite well.

The first set kicks off with a Wolfman's that goes into a milkshake-thick groove before opening up and rocking hard (Mike shifting to the envelope filter to close out the jam); next to Bangor, it's my favorite Wolfman of the year. Everything else is high-energy stuff, from Jibboo to Birds to a kickass Walk Away to close the set, and the Gin is also a strong rocker in the 3.0 mold (Gin has quietly had itself a nice year as well, which has gone ignored b/c Bowie and Hood have had such tremendous renaissances). It's a nice harbinger of things to come.

Golden Age leads off the second set, and this is the Golden Age of the summer, immediately dropping into a low boil in the post-turn jam, with Mike stepping up big-time and Page really shining on the piano. It's a real booty-shaker of a jam, staying in the pocket but building all sorts of energy while there, before shifting into upbeat mode as Trey plays more soaring notes. The jam dies away, and they roll into 46 Days, which rocks hard before (like SPAC 1) breaking out the meaty funk, Fish tapping away on his woodblock like Keith Moon as the band gets supremely *nasty*. If you don't at least tap your foot and nod your head to this jam, you're made of sterner stuff than I.

You can't expect to get this kind of disgusting funk without either Sally or Boogie On popping up, and with Sally already taken at Gorge 2 Boogie On gets the call. Even a standard Boogie On is funky enough to match what we've gotten so far, and the ending shapes itself into Ghost, a lovely version which moves into a skittering groove (I enjoy Fish emulating Joey Waronker here) and then speeds up in favor of pure heat at the end. The Ghost jam then returns to the main theme, going into slow-motion, and the band cranks up Carini. I like this Carini a good deal; yes, the Carini jam is more soaring and anthemic than dark and evil, but the MSG Carini is one LivePhish purchase away, and there's no reason to sniff at a Carini with this kind of lovely ending and natural move into Piper. Piper is the same horse race that it's been all year, with a quick cool-down in the middle before they rev the engines once again, and the song has a sweet ending as Page gets a Coil-style spotlight before leading right into Velvet Sea (almost an actual segue, even), bringing the meat of the set to an end. The Mike's > Slave > set end > Paug > Zero is pretty neat, as well.

I realize that this show will forever live in the shadow of the next night, and I have no problem with that, but I hope (and predict) that more folks will give this show a real shot in the future. With a non-stop first set, a third quarter that will make you drip sweat and your joints ache just listening to it, and a nice Carini/Piper 1-2, there's a great deal to like here.

Sitting here in the venue two hours early (pre-show music is the John Coltrane quartet, btw) for Wednesday's show, so I thought I'd take this time to write a review of last night's show on my brand-spankin'-new iPhone 5.

7/30 was a totally enjoyable show. Brought my brother, @aust1e, along for his third show after he came with me to the Gorge 2011. We raged it pretty hard together. Now, on to the music...

The opening Wolfman's was the highlight of the first set. It was super intense and Mike even got some "fart-bass" going on at the end. Gin was good too and I was stoked to get a Rift, which is a favorite of mine.

The second set didn't feature any super deep cuts like the Gorge got, but 46 days was exceptional! Highlight of be show IMO. Everything around it was pretty good to; however, nothing touches the little funky jam at the end. The broken up Mike's Groove came out of left field as well. That was a fun anomaly to witness.

If there was one semi-negative comment I would make it would be that I felt there were several opportunities for smooth segues that we're not fully taken advantage of. There weren't any major Treywrecks, I just think the 46 days -> Boogie could have breathed some more. Same with Carini > Piper. However, these are minor complaints that I'm only making to make this review longer, and therefore seem for legitimate.

I'm calling Chalkdust, Stash, Tweezer, and Sand for tonight's show. Wish me luck!

Good show BUT ... a good Carini should be evil. Kids should have nightmares. It should be able to hold it's own on a Halloween mix. Demons should be unearthing themselves and thinking "hey, this'll work." This Carini was downright nice. It was the happiest Carini I've ever heard. Not cool Mr. Happy Trey, not cool.

This is my first post, but I had to try to correct the travesty that is the current 3.5 rating on this show. I was at the Gorge for the two shows immediately prior to this that are both at ~4.5 and this show was utter fire. It was just a complete funk festival that did not disappoint and had many stellar jams and sequences (Ghost > Carini > Piper). The whole show had a chill, unique mood to it and the first hour of the second set is off the chain. Don't listen to the haters and check this one out for sure!

Decent show, definitely nothing to write home about. This was one of the few instances where Set I was much more dominant over Set II. Although Set II looks great on paper, it felt very rushed and unfortunately falls pretty flat. Golden Age and 46 Days were average, an awkward transition into Boogie, Ghost had a couple interesting moments and Carini and Piper were forgettable. As if an acknowledgement by the band that things are a bit "vanilla" tonight, we get a Velvet Sea. Mike's is straight Type I and Slave has a nice climax. Weekapaug was too little too late and Zero was well..... standard Zero.

Not a terrible show by any means but I don't think I'll give it a re-listen any time soon. That being said, this summer has been great so far. See you in SF!!

I think soundcheck's are what they should be doing in the shows.....My Soul, Ginseng Sullivan, Jam -> Dog Log -> Buffalo Bill (lyric mash up with "Jet" by Wings) -> Power of Soul....... I would love to get that in the middle of a second set!!!!!! Bring back the goooooood old days

My third time tagging along with my bro @Penn42 to see Phish. Show was a lot of fun and definitely had some great versions of wolfman's brother, 46 days later, mikes song and some kick ass lights. I miss the trampolines, but the lights were still sweet. Character zero as the second song of the encore was cool, and enjoyable, but I was hopeful weekapaug groove would've had some smooth transition into the closer. Still, got tonight, hear some more great shit and have another awesome time.

Agreed @PhishMarketStew . I wasn't there, but listening to it now, and it smokes. Buttery funk throughout. Underrated show of summer so far.

The Carini>Ghost>Piper was some of the most inspired playing ive heard from the boys... Absolute monster of a show...

Okay, this may sound crazy. But here goes. On this date I was an 18yr old fan (girlfriend gave me a copy of A Live One in '95), and had never been to a show. Fucked up right? Most people don't believe me. Being from Washington State and born in 1982 I just never caught the craze, and by the time they were regularly in the PacNW I was busy raving it up and listening to Phish in the background.

Suffice to say I was excited. More than excited. I went in with no expectations, and left completely overly fulfilled.

The night starting out with Wolfman's couldn't have gone better, this being a personal fav. Really solid jam with some nice fart bass at the end. A fully welcomed Jibboo and the first of 2013 - that was a nice treat, possibly the highlight of S1 for me. The BOAF was on FIRE fading into a superb funked out Bitch. Cities, Rift, and Tube were super tight, but super short at the same time. Not like they rushed it, it was like they were experimenting on how fast and tight they could be. The Gin on the other hand was full on DRUNK. It almost seemed like it would fall apart there for a moment, but came roaring back in for a great 12min version. Walk Away was forward, punchy, and loud - great close to S1.

Opening of S2 was nice and sweet, Golden Age isn't a fav of mine, but it was a decent jam leading into a well constructed 46Days. Boogie of course is a treat at any point these days, and I was stoked to funk out with it, and then the Ghost>Carini>Piper hit. Ghost has some really nice play from all four members riding off each other - solid jamming in 10 mins. Same with the Carini - yes it's not a super dark Carini, but goddamn is it gorgeous! The clean piano/guitar towards the end is sublime - well worth revisits for sure. I honestly thought where it was headed could've kept going for an hour as far as I was concerned...but it faded out almost smoothly into a fast and punchy half-tweaky half-pretty Piper that ends in a beautiful little Page solo moving perfectly into a fairly typical, but nicely placed Wading to break up the jamsauce of the past 30 mins of fantastic 3.0 material. Plus, Wading getting played four times a year or so on average these days, so I was more stoked to emo out with the boys for what was a short 6 mins.

Then the Mike's kicked in! Mostly typical 3.0 fashion, but sandwiched between was the a rare Slave! Getting ever stranger with this Mike's Groove was the fact that after Slave - the set ended! Anyone in the know how was automatically like, 'What the fuck is going on? Where's the Paug?!' The boys then come back after a quick dip out during the Encore Cheer and BOOM bust the Paug out - think as far as I've read that's happened twice in Phishtory?! For a first show I was overjoyed to witness such a fake out! Regular old Zero to close out a two song encore with some great energy to wrap up an pretty overlooked 2013 set.

All in all for a first show, I was STOKED. What was to come the next night for my second show was however an entirely different story !

See you all in SF at the end of October!

I think this show is right up there with those that surround it. Everyone was still basking in the afterglow of a great Gorge run as they played this and then it became immediately overshadowed by the next night, but this show is way above average and certainly better than any show from earlier in the tour except for (maybe) MPP2. However, this second set is much better than that one, IMO.

Great show here.

This show is understandably overshadowed by the next night's fireworks, but it shouldn't be overlooked. The band plays with a confident fluidity from start to end.

Set 1 is notable for inventive little twists that make Wolfman's, Jibboo, and BOAF worthy of repeat listening. These are highlights in a set where the band makes concise, strong statements with each song.

Set 2 is more of the same, albeit with some tastefully airy meanderings in Golden Age and Carini. Wading is notable for its understated, yet achingly poignant guitar solo. Slave is typically potent to close the set.

Encore is a winner! The fade-in drum intro to Weekapaug is absolutely electrifying, and Gordeaux puts some extra mustard into the bass jamlet. Character Zero is typically energized, and Trey enunciates the "ought to see" with atypical clarity during the chorus.

Soundcheck is a nice bonus. Thanks to whoever recorded it! Gotta love the way that Buffalo Bill leads to "buffalo wings" and then to "Jet" by Wings in a matter of seconds. Flight of ideas, so to speak, at its finest!

After spending a day off at Crater Lake I pitched my tent in a state-run campground that charged on the honour system. I’ve always thought that if the honour system was called something else like, oh I don’t know, the “sucker system” or maybe the “who-cares system” it wouldn’t be nearly as effective. But it isn’t so it was; I did the honourable thing and dropped $18 in the box (which was ironically locked up tight with a huge padlock – clearly the honour system is a one-way street ‘round these parts).

And so it was that I woke up on July 30th, 2013, opened my tent to a wide blue sky and pointed my car towards Lake Tahoe. Pulled into town and wound around the lake past cottages big and small to the Embassy Hotel, kitty-corner across the street from the venue where Phish was playing a two-night run.

This was my first time staying at an Embassy Hotel, and it certainly wasn’t my last. Not only is full free breakfast and impeccable customer service standard procedure, the chain offers free happy-hour cocktails to guests every afternoon. And we’re not talking a few beers in the cooler here, this is full bar service, all 100% gratis. Skipping dinner, I raced down to the bar to take full advantage.

Lake Tahoe borders California and Nevada, and as we were (barely) on the Nevada side open liquor was permitted in the streets. Also, based on Phish’s last time playing here, everyone was saying you were literally allowed to walk into the venue with open drinks in hand. When I walked up to the barman for my last round of happy hour I told him in no uncertain terms how much I appreciated the free drinks and how if not for this courtesy I might well have stayed elsewhere. He smiled as he handed me four more drinks for the road, “We’re very happy to have you staying here, sir!”

Across the road I go, slurring another drink into my undernourished shell. Steps from the venue word quickly comes down the line that drinks are NOT allowed into the venue this year, so drink up. At this point I was a little too tipsy to argue so I quickly pounded the three remaining double Jack and Cokes and stumbled into the venue.

I remember the space quite well, a luxury I was afforded because the mass influx of Jack Daniels would take a few minutes to kick in. It was a small outdoor venue holding maybe 6,000-7,000 people. Basically a parking lot surrounded by pop-up bleachers that rose up maybe eight rows, it looked like I was seeing Phish behind my high school.

Now as the Tennessee whiskey seeps into my blood let’s take stock here (something I probably should have done at the time). I had risen thousands of feet in elevation over the course of the day, eaten just a pittance if anything at all, started into free, strong drink early on, and was bombarded with a four-drink-double slam-a-thon just before the show.

Things were unsteady. I needed food.

During the first set I went to the concession area and ordered a hamburger. As an afterthought I added fries, and there was my downfall. The lady hands me a normal burger, and then presents me with a paper plate on which balanced a monstrosity of fried potato that was the size and shape of my head. I think it was all one or two potatoes fried together in a long snakey bundle and it was completely unwieldy.

With one hand cradling a cranium of spuds the other hand tried to unsheathe the burger from it’s foil wrapping, and all the while my legs struggled to keep the rest of me upright. I tried biting into a french fry that proved endless and forced me to chomp away like I was a dog eating spaghetti in Lady & The Tramp. I struggled back to my posse and tried to pawn off the potato and was met with looks of shock and horror with no takers.

I ended up dropping the potatohead into a trash bin and devouring the hamburger with both free hands. I’m sure it was a pretty sight indeed.

Then I guess Phish played songs. Oh, there was a shooter bar in there too.

The afterparty was a prodigious undertaking that went down at a sweet house rental about a kilometre from the Embassy. I spent most of my time mutely hungover in the corner and slowly limboed my way home at 6am through an invisible, unoccurring windstorm.

https://www.toddmanout.com

This first set is probably in my top 5 of 3.0. IN my review for the next night, I wrote "the first set is amazing" and then went on from there. What I should have said is that, minus the obvious Tweezer from the night before, this is the best set of Tahoe and definitely the best set of anything from the Gorge through SF. Yes, I'm serious. It didn't hurt that they played standout versions of some of my favorite jammers (Jibboo, Birds, Cities, Tube). Of course I've relistened to the Tweezer, but when I grab my iPod (cram it, millennials) and am at a total loss for what to play in the car on a drive, this first set is where I go. Enough said.

I am fascinated that no one here seems to like the Carini as much as I did. I frankly have not heard interplay amongst all four members like this in ages. It sounds to me like all the members are just floating over each others notes, all four in unison. This is a wonderfully free flowing jam that deserves another listen. And only at 8 minutes!

Yea, that's type II for you. Going where things "don't belong"

Unless you're the kind of guy who thinks "type II" is shorthand for a certain style, and blanches at the idea of calling a bluegrass jam in Tweezer or a Julius jam in Heavy Things "type II"

Holy moly! What a show

Very chylllll