OK, I have felt this way for a long time, and got no real responses on any of the posts I wrote about this show. It is my favorite post-hiatus show, and I am feeling weird because NO ONE ever mentions it. I just received the DVDs, and my thoughts are even more confirmed. I am going to say this is the “Under the Radar Phish Show of the Post-Hiat.”
Fantastic playing throughout, as far as musically, there is no bad part. Page is absolutely on fire when it comes to the jams, and you can just tell everyone is having a good time on stage.
Sloth opener, how unexpected at the time. Then the PiperPaug that finished the groove from the night before. The jam into Weekapaug is just so perfect, Mike slowly starts thumping that bass slightly different, and then BAM! SOAMule, with backwards drum solo by Fishman, how often does that occur? Oh, and that is just part of the first set.
Second set opens with the post-hiatus break out of Tube, and then goes right into my personal favorite Bathtub Gin. This Gin jam was “normal” for about 12-15 minutes, then a slow Daves Energy Guide jam, and everything fell apart, in the most excellent of ways. About another 10 minutes later, and we finally realize we are still in the bath. Friday was a bummer, but it was my first time hearing it, so I didn’t mind too much. Bowie was on par with the rest of show, and then a nice Suzy encore to send us off into the cold Cincinnati night.
Thanks for reading… Just needed to get this off my chest after watching this show again thanks to the DVD ring which is starting to roll. So, any opinions on this show now, or am I still talking to myself?