The Verdict:
From the "Boogie On" opener all the way through "Fluffhead," the opening set of this show feels more like a second set, both because of the song selection and the quality of playing. "Tweezer" and "Ghost" (both in the first set!) get Out There a bit, and we also get "Simple," "Roggae," "Ya Mar," and "Fluffhead." When things stop for a breather, the breather is a gorgeous "Nothing."
Now history (and especially 3.0) is filled with shows that start with a surprisingly strong S1 and then don't deliver on the promise during the second set. This is not one of them.
"Disease" kicks things off, and slowly, patiently builds up to a fast-paced funk jam that transitions into "No Men," lyrics-wise, at least. Like a few of the best jam moments lately, this "No Men" is really just the continued "Disease" jam with "No Men" lyrics, but they play the entire song...and then turn it into an excellent bliss jam.
That would be enough alone to mark this as a special show, but the guys aren't nearly done yet. "Sneaking Sally" doesn't go nearly as deep, but it still gets extended in some interesting, Type I ways. The jam slowly fades into the "Possum" intro, over which Page lays down a pile of "Shipwreck" samples. The "Shipwreck" samples continue into a dark, beautiful "Carini" jam (so yes, every song but "Possum" has received a serious treatment at this point in the set) and Carini segues into the "Bowie" intro.
The second set "Bowie" actually, unbelievably does some second-set "Bowie" stuff. It's not going to hang with any of the mega-deep 90s "Bowie"s, but it's by far the most interesting, Type II "Bowie" I've heard in this era from all the shows I've reviewed thus far. "Hood" closes the set with fireworks along the lines of the fantastic Chula Vista version, and, if that's not all enough for you, there's a "Slave" encore.
Yes. This show is fantastic. You should probably just listen to the whole thing. Unfortunately, Phish videos on YouTube are rare these days after the big Halloween show takedown, and Phishtracks doesn't have this show up yet. So, crap.
The Live Review:
1/15/17: Boogie On opener! Can't get much better than that!
1/15/17: Trey forgets the first lyric, asks the crowd for help. An auspicious start!
1/15/17: First set Simple! Now that's fun.
1/15/17: Great Mike/Trey interplay.
1/15/17: Me: 'Big ol' dude in the front row gettin' it!'
1/15/17: Wife: 'If you were going to make a Phish Bingo card, 'Big ol' dude in the front row gettin' it!' would definitely be a square.
1/15/17: Tweezer? Are they pulling a S1/S2 flip tonight?
1/15/17: I hope so, cuz that means MONSTA TWEEZA
1/15/17: Lots of playing around during the composed part. Just a question of whether they want to go deep or not now.
1/15/17: Staying Type I but really liking the Trey/Mike action on this tune, too. Could listen to this for ten more minutes without Type II.
1/15/17: Old-school slow-down ending after a great Type I.
1/15/17: Roggae! Love this first set so far.
1/15/17: Roggae has a bit more patient build and peakier peak than usual. Fantastic. Have they forgotten this is the first set?
1/15/17: NOTHING. Holy shit, I love this tune. This might be a major bust-out.
1/15/17: Just since '15, but '12 before that.
1/15/17: Ghost! What the hell is happening?!
1/15/17: Little Drummer Boy tease during the break in Ghost.
1/15/17: Now building toward what sounds like a '15-style power bliss jam.
1/15/17: Finishing Ghost too! Love it!
1/15/17: > Ya Mar!
1/15/17: Stealing Time is next. Finally, a song that isn't completely perfect. I can go get a beer!
1/15/17: Fish is beating this song into the ground.
1/15/17: Good thing they're next to the ocean, because this solo is filthy.
1/15/17: Nailed Rift to keep this awesome set going.
1/15/17: Fluffhead!!! Wow. Best setlist for S1 this year? Any year?
1/15/17: Disease opener.
1/15/17: Another fantastic Type I jam, following a bit in the footsteps of S1's Tweezer. Trey going for the peak-fences.
1/15/17: Fat Schnackenberg is killing it.
1/15/17: Loops are muscular. Funk is crepuscular.
1/15/17: FUNKdream = the sea
1/15/17: The riff Trey is playing right now is the past, but also the future.
1/15/17: Going dark without losing the tempo. Pretty rad.
1/15/17: Jam sounds a lot like Ghost. The loops and the bass line Mike is playing. Trey with the pitch shifter overtop.
1/15/17: CK5's lights on the palm trees look like fire. Awesome effect.
1/15/17: No Men's segue coming?
1/15/17: YEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
1/15/17: Fast-paced No Men
1/15/17: Seems like they're going to play the whole song at a shuffle pace. So that's happening.
1/15/17: No Men jam. I have reached total immersion.
1/15/17: Mike is driving the Disease Jam -> No Men's sequence. Love it!
1/15/17: Bliss jam time! YEEEEAH
1/15/17: Sally Sneak > Alley
1/15/17: Nice atmospheric funk jam forming out of Sally
1/15/17: Really digging the collective sound here. Phish funk, but a little something that's making it less typical. I think it's the beat.
1/15/17: Thoughtful funk jam coming and going in waves.
1/15/17: Love the rhythm section more than usual tonight.
1/15/17: Shipwreck samles combined with a great -> Possum. Whoa.
1/15/17: More Shipwreck samples.
1/15/17: Carini w/ extra mustard.
1/15/17: Err...Possum. Apparently weed allows me to see into the future.
1/15/17: Big Carini. Trey generated a riff that they all played around for a few minutes. Dark but beautiful.
1/15/17: Bowie next (w/ Shipwreck quotes). Could it be that this Bowie is in S2 b/c it's going to get JAMMED?!
1/15/17: This is the closest thing to a Type II Bowie I've heard in 3.0
1/15/17: The Bowie was absolutely killer. And then I just laid on the floor for the Hood because my arms distintegrated.
1/15/17: Am I way off base/not sober or was that one of the best Hoods that there are? It seemed incredible.
1/15/17: Gotta love the Hood, Slave connection.
1/15/17: That whole show was THE ASS
1/15/17: SHIT
1/15/17: I'll write up a real review for you once I'm sober again, but that was damn good...
1/15/17: ...at least in the context of 2016 up through Chula Vista.
1/15/17: I'm gonna go lay down now! Have fun, Phish fans!
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