The Verdict:
10/18 might not be the most musically engaging show, but the Bobby sit-in seems to have set a fire under the band after the fact, at least, because this show is where things really start to take off.
Things never get crazy in the first set, but the band puts together a really engaging set of songs, a strong mix of old and new, and plays just about everything aside from the rocky "Theme" opener to perfection. "The Camel Walk" is especially worth a listen. The middle of the set is one of those songs-from-each-band-member thingies, with "My Sweet One" being the Fish song, "Waking Up Dead" the Mike one, "Halfway" the Page one, and "Running Out of Time" the Trey one. Then there's another rock-funk version of "Tube" that continues that song's 2016 evolution, and "Shine a Light" to close.
The second set is a six-song monster. "Golden Age" hits some heavy, heavy funk space right away before transitioning into a "2001"-style jam...which is, sadly, pretty badly ripcorded. Fortunately, it's for "Tweezer." "Tweezer" has three distinct sections, and they're all great, though there's a general funky theme throughout. Now possessed by the funk spirits, the band rips through a "No Men's" jam and then the second-ever (but first Type II) performance of "Plasma." "Hood" doesn't get funky, of course, but is a '14-style version, goes Type II, stays contemplative for a long, gorgeous time, before peaking within a stop/start Woo! jam. It's worth just hearing. "Suzy" is a nice exclamation point to this amazing set.
The Live Review:
10/19/16: Theme opener.
10/19/16: Gotta say I much prefer this tune as an opener surprise than as a late-second-set 'surprise.'
10/19/16: Man, Trey biffed the transition riff so hard that time he just gave up and started the jam early.
10/19/16: Flub actually leads to an interesting, more mellow Theme jam and transition into the outro.
10/19/16: Camel Walk!
10/19/16: Super-tight, slightly extended Camel Walk. Where did that come from?
10/19/16: My Soul! I like where this set is going so far.
10/19/16: Petrichor. This tune continues to grow on me.
10/19/16: I hope this tune doesn't go the way of TTE.
10/19/16: To be fair, it probably shouldn't be played once every other show forever, but I'd hate to see it go away completely.
10/19/16: Stealing Time breaks up the Songs I Like theme this setlist had going on.
10/19/16: My Sweet One > Waking Up Dead.
10/19/16: This is one of my favorite Big Boat songs live so far.
10/19/16: Also really liking Things People Do, Petrichor and the one Always Wanted It This Way.
10/19/16: Halfway To the Moon, and old-new song, is next.
10/19/16: Wonder if they're doing a four members/four songs thing again. My Sweet One is a Fish song, right?
10/19/16: Trey flirting a bunch with teasing WTU? during the Halfway solo. Not sure if it's on purpose or not.
10/19/16: Yeah, Running Out of Time next. I feel like you can fairly count that as a 'Trey' song.
10/19/16: Performed more or less like it's done on the album. That was nice.
10/19/16: Sometimes it's nice to have a Phish song that doesn't have to end in a huge guitar crescendo.
10/19/16: Anyway, Tube.
10/19/16: Rock/funk hybrid happening here. Trey deploying the echo. Tube renaissance continues.
10/19/16: Shine A Light, probably to close the set.
10/19/16: YOP. End set.
10/19/16: S2 opens with GOLDEN AGE
10/19/16: Quick little solo, then a return to the Golden Age groove. Page to clavinet, Trey with heavy space distortion.
10/19/16: Jam almost sounding like 2001 now.
10/19/16: Whoops, brutal ripcord...for Tweezer.
10/19/16: That's what you call a mixed blessing right there.
10/19/16: Tweezer starts with a plinko-style jam.
10/19/16: Err...not 'starts,' I mean the jam starts that way, not the song.
10/19/16: Sorry, my brain is fried. And not in that one way that's good instead of bad.
10/19/16: Really pretty, contemplative space opening up in Tweezer now.
10/19/16: Neat, almost Latin beat and jam going now.
10/19/16: Super-chunky funk jam now.
10/19/16: Neat breakdown. Quiet funk noodling now.
10/19/16: > No Men.
10/19/16: Excellent Golden Age > Tweezer sequence, even if the transition was a bit rough.
10/19/16: PLASMA!
10/19/16: So happy to hear this make a comeback.
10/19/16: Nice, Latin-infused noodling from Trey in Plasma. Echoing the early Tweezer jam.
10/19/16: Now things getting spacier and more melodic. First Type II Plasma jam by the band?
10/19/16: Return to Plasma riff to close out the song. > Hood.
10/19/16: Loving the start to this Hood jam.
10/19/16: Interesting tension-y bit now.
10/19/16: This Hood might be going the '14 route.
10/19/16: Building up energy now. Trey has brought it near the peak a few times, but pulled off into another direction each time.
10/19/16: Really appreciate the patience.
10/19/16: Definitely a Type II...you know, if you're into those sorts of things.
10/19/16: WOO JAM
10/19/16: Having some serious Hollywood Hood flashbacks here.
10/19/16: IMMEDIATELY OUT OF THE WOO JAM INTO THE OUTRO
10/19/16: HOLY YES
10/19/16: Another WOO JAM
10/19/16: WHAT IS HAPPENING
10/19/16: IS THIS 2013
10/19/16: That was amazing.
10/19/16: Welp, if I wasn't going to Dick's before hearing that Hood, I am now.
10/19/16: > Suzy
10/19/16: Interesting Fish and Page centric Suzy to close the set.
10/19/16: Walls encore.
10/19/16: A little bonus mustard on that Walls. > Tweeprise to close.
10/19/16: Really enjoyed that show.
10/19/16: S1s that aren't standout-good or standout-bad often just come down to the setlist construction: that one was solid and fun.
10/19/16: Second set jammed a lot in the same space (Golden Age, Tweezer, a little No Men, Plasma) but it was a good space.
10/19/16: Strong Hood to finish and an energetic encore. Hard to complain. Much better show than 10/18. Sorry, Bobby.
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