The third night of the MSG run is definitely THE SHOW of the run. I'm still unsure whether this is because it's an exceptionally well-played show or because the band played yet another great-for-2017 show that just happens to pile pretty much all of the fan favorite songs into one setlist. Either way, though, it's a great show.
The first set is a surprisingly engaging affair, starting with an exploratory take on "Mike's" that segues into a pretty version of "Hydrogen" before petering out a bit during a plodding "Groove."
From there, a legitimate second-set-style "Tweezer" blows things open and we arguably never slow down again for the rest of the show. This jam doesn't go anywhere unexpected, but it's a long, patient, bread-and-butter-type jam which throws in a neat twist at the end by returning to the song's album-version ending before "seguing" into "Ass Handed."
"KDF" and "Gin" follow, turning in typically energetic and blissful versions, respectively, before we get a really interesting take on "Brother" that takes the song in the "slow 'Llama'" direction, rearranging it a bit from its usual presentation. "More" ends the set with the punch of its "Number Line"-style outro jam.
The second set is a patented latter-day Phish five-song monster. In the opening "Disease," Trey experiments quite a bit with his new effects rig, which seems to inspire the entire band to play around with new tones. What follows is a jam that sounds quite different than your usual "Disease" jam. It isn't necessarily terribly different playing, but the exploration comes more from the tones. It's hard to describe, but definitely worth a listen.
The band wraps up the long "Disease" with another of the Allmans-ish rock-peak jams they've been trying out lately, and in the noise that follows makes a nice segue into "Steam." I don't normally think of "Steam" as a jam vehicle song, but this version challenges that assumption, as the guys move into an ambient jam after the lyrics that extends for a few minutes before moving in turn into "Light."
"Light" gets jammed as well, albeit in a much more predictable fashion, getting rhythm-heavy and sounding a bit like "Manteca" before dropping into a "Farmhouse" that is one of my favorite versions already, featuring as it does a Trey/Page almost-breakdown in the middle that really plays up the ballad quality of the song in a good way.
"Antelope" rounds out yet another second set that never really lets up.
The Live Review
12/30/17: Here we go with N3!
12/30/17: Opens with Mike's Song. At least it won't be lurking later on to destroy the flow of a second set :)
12/30/17: Troy deploying a deep, distorted tone at the beginning of the jam.
12/30/17: Highlight so far is Page's nutso organ work under Trey.
12/30/17: > Hydrogen
12/30/17: Nice, languid take on Hydrogen leads into a languid take on Groove.
12/30/17: Trey laying down a solid solo here, but the tempo of the tune is almost plodding.
12/30/17: And I say that as someone who normally isn't bothered by that sort of thing.
12/30/17: TWEEZE R.
12/30/17: Really low tone from Trey here to start off the jam.
12/30/17: Now settling into a more melodic space. Trey and Page playing off of each other, Mike keeping a Boogie On-ish tone.
12/30/17: Smooth transition into an airier jam now.
12/30/17: This is a really solid, slowly unfolding Tweezer jam. Sticking to recognizable jam spaces, but doing so i… https://t.co/vK56uqReYn
12/30/17: Oh, and it's also in the first quarter of the show. So there's that.
12/30/17: Jam segues really nicely into the album-style slow-down ending to the song...then Fish starts screaming Ass Handed.
12/30/17: I guess that's technically -> Ass Handed :)
12/30/17: KDF following up that potent Tweeze -> Ass combo.
12/30/17: Lands in Gin.
12/30/17: Gin heading out into the same mellow space much of the Tweezer jam hung out in. Page again doing some gre… https://t.co/gANAxJ5FPR
12/30/17: This is a pretty typical latter-3.0 Gin jam, but with a little extra swing than normal.
12/30/17: Brother! Tune getting the 'slow Llama' treatment. It's slinky. I like it.
12/30/17: This version of the tune lends itself really well to a funky, clavvy jam. Which is what's currently happening.
12/30/17: Now this is how you slow a song down but use that as an opportunity to change it in interesting ways (looking at you, Groove).
12/30/17: Neat take on Brother drops into More.
12/30/17: End set. Hard to argue with a first set that has a 19-minute Tweezer in it.
12/30/17: Second set seems primed to start with Disease.
12/30/17: After a few minutes of the usual Type I noodling, the band falls into a more mellow space. Page on synth almost right away.
12/30/17: More heavily distorted playing from Trey. Good stuff. Page is back to the piano. Mike on fire like he has been for the whole run.
12/30/17: Serious tone clinic happening here from pretty much the whole band.
12/30/17: Great combination of echo effects and funk at the moment. This is fun.
12/30/17: This jam is somehow both ambient and full of instrumentation. And it is also awesome.
12/30/17: I'm telling you, Mike should just be in charge of everything from now on!
12/30/17: Nice transition into a peaky, Allmans-ish jam now.
12/30/17: Great 3.0 bread-and-butter jam ends in a 'Woo!' sequence.
12/30/17: Great segue into Steam.
12/30/17: Nice mid-song jam unfolding here.
12/30/17: Full-on ambient 'jam' now.
12/30/17: This is in the middle of Steam, by the way.
12/30/17: Ambient jam slowly works its way into Light.
12/30/17: Somewhat atypical jam here in Light, too. Very drums + bass heavy.
12/30/17: Almost heard a Plasma tease from Page there.
12/30/17: Drops into a Farmhouse featuring some exquisite Page and Trey interplay. This is my favorite version of t… https://t.co/QDbIRZqlg0
12/30/17: Antelope.
12/30/17: Trey using echo-chording liberally here.
12/30/17: End set.
12/30/17: Encore kicks off with Sleeping Monkey.
12/30/17: End show with Tweeprise.
12/30/17: Welp, despite my griping over the last two nights, this show was pretty much nonstop awesome.
12/30/17: Interestingly, they did it by doing pretty much exactly what I suggested at the end of my 12/29 review: c… https://t.co/jPTWWYF4WD
12/30/17: Of course, it doesn't hurt that they have so many damn songs these days that they can play a four night r… https://t.co/uXaT6wGByg
12/30/17: That said, Tweezer was a great surprise early on, and the Disease jam was sublime.
12/30/17: Everything else was smooth as butter. Night and day from 12/28 and 12/29.
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