Drop a needle anywhere in the second set, it's all top shelf, connected, high energy and inspired playing from all 4 band members. A dream set and some of the best playing I’ve ever heard. The only rub is not being there in person. Congratulations to those who were. Gonna be listening to this on repeat until the end of time.

What’s a band to do?

You drop a flawless Gamehenge and deliver us wet and screaming into the new year. You could have taken the next 364 days off. But no. You hit the beach in February and steal fire from the gods. Four nights of Promethean jams. We could have feasted on those shows for months and still be tasting something new with every bite.

What’s a band to do?

If you’re this band, you come back two months later and set an impossible standard at the cuttingest-edge venue on the planet. No one except the most obnoxious of the jaded could ask for anything more out of 2024, so Phish raises the stakes. Again. Mandelbaum simply abusing all of us mere Seinfelds. They rain down a festival after nine years of drought. Because why not?

What’s the fuck’s a band to do?

For the band with nothing left to prove, Friday night at Dick’s is apparently the answer. We all know Fridays at Dick’s have traditionally been exceptional shows, yet somehow our favorite band has leveled up. If last night’s show proved anything, it’s that the most insatiable fan base in the world will never be a big enough boss to defeat the Phish. They’re going to beat this video game.

If you crave USDA certified prime Phish red meat, put on your best headphones or turn up your highest fidelity system and press play on the second set of this show. It’s a masterclass in psychedelia.

This is as good as Phish gets.

The first set is a strong, solid, technically masterful first set. Each of the five-ish 10+ minute jams (BOAT was only nine) contains seeds of what would branch out and blossom in the second set.

If opening songs hint at what’s to come, BOAT serves up a Sylvia Plath metaphor: Once we leave the station, there’s no getting off. The ensuing Wolfman’s features a quiet jam, each instrument playing its own little song in a beautifully disjointed interplay. The short Hey Stranger improv gives Page a moment to shine with a funky little keyboard riff, and Trey follows with a bluesy solo. Guelah Papyrus, like the Strange Design that comes later in the set, is a nice once-a-year treat. In each case, our boys from Vermont hit every note perfectly. [chef’s kiss.]

The NMINML, Steam, and Antelope jams are the highlights of the set. Each opens in fairly standard fashion, but each then probes, delves, and burrows our neural pathways. At the midpoint of No Men’s, the band launches into a fresh groove; the music gets a little more urgent, a little more effects-laden, a bit darker. The jam starts to drive, then drops into a gurgling valley as Mike and Fish get soupy before re-emerging into the final composed segment. It’s this vibe that the band will pick up and develop more fully in the Chalk Dust jam that opens the second set. In Steam, a slow peak develops over the final minutes of the jam and ends with a Close Encounters of the Third Kind spacey-synthy peak, replete with a CK5 flying saucer effect as the light rig angles like some descending UFO. Antelope achieves precisely what it does best: Just when we all think we’ve hit the peak, the band smiles like Inigo Montoya dueling lefty and the jam makes a quantum leap… and then another.

The lights go up and we can breathe.

At this point in the review, I recommend you stop reading and just listen to the second set. Words simply won’t get the job done.

Sublime.
Exquisite.
Superb.
Epic.

These mere arrangements of letters deserve The Gong Show gong. But in the spirit of trying to capture the moment (for posterity, as the six-fingered man might say), here are a few thoughts.

A set like this makes living better.

Those of us who track and study setlists would be best served ignoring what’s on paper for this one. The titles are mere pretext. There are four geniuses on stage and they want to ply their craft. Verses and choruses are straightjackets. For every song (except Possum), the band rushes flawlessly through the composed sections, which serve as mere platforms from which they dive headlong directly into type-II waters.

In the two years since the near-perfect single set Friday at Dick’s in 2022, Chalk Dust Torture has found a really nice home as a set closer. It was almost jarring to hear the opening riff coming out of the setbreak. The members of Phish are experts at jarring.

The jam starts in the sixth minute and explores infinite territory for the next 20+. Simply the band in its finest form. (Simply, hah!) It’s the sort of jam that feels twice as long as it is. When they re-emerged into the composed finale, it felt like the opener could have legitimately been the final song of the set.

Sand gets its lyrics out of the way and resolves into a preemptive rebuttal to reviewers who might suggest the band explored infinity in the Chalk Dust. Somehow, they found new frontiers in a minimalist arcade jam that felt like the musical version Plinko.

As the set progresses, Phish hits every possible vibe and creates every conceivable atmosphere–constantly reminding us all of something we never knew in the first place.

Since Alpine 2019, Ruby Waves has been one of the band’s most reliable “cut through the red tape of composition” songs, so it fits perfectly in the anchor spot of the set. The jam covers ground that somehow wasn’t mapped in either of the first two songs. It goes from heavy to cow-funkish to plaintive to guttural.

Also, it goes without saying, but just for the record: Kuroda and his crew impressed the intrenchant air with the keen sword of their lights. Just as the band is delivering the finest music being played on Earth, the visual show is somehow breaking new ground. Thunderbolts of Zeus raining from the mothership all f’n night.

What’s the Use? silences 27,000 fans like Blackthought whispering bars of Step into the Realm. A perfect lead into a set-closing Possum.

Except the set wasn’t over. Everything’s Right felt like extra innings. Bonus round. Only a mixed metaphor could possibly capture it. And the shit wasn’t perfunctory. It was like every other jam in the set: A tightly run race through the sheet music and then a spectacular set closing jam that miraculously covers whatever trails haven’t already been blazed and milks the anthemic “nah-nah-nah-nah” for everything it's worth.

Fee encore? Yes please. Few things are more pleasurable.

This is a band that could have rested on its laurels after NYE. They could have rested on their laurels after Mexico or The Sphere. They could have rested on their laurels after Mondegreen. But this is a band that won’t rest at 11pm on the laurels of the peak they reached at 10pm.

Which is what brings us to that YEM > YEM Reprise.

They didn’t even have to do that. They could have closed with a vocal jam and taken their bows. But they want to keep playing. And that’s what it felt like: Playing. As in, playful. Phish one-upped themselves with a series of final YEM peaks on the tail end of a jam that felt like we were in a dorm room with them back in the mid-eighties.

We are so fortunate to be let in on their 40-year inside joke.

Thank you Page, Trey, Jon, Mike, and the whole crew.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

I've seen a lot of shows in all the eras and have never left a review. But I feel compelled to tonight because this show is why nobody should ever skip a phish show ever. Never. Always go to every single show you can find a way to make. Always. The first set was really good and then the second set came along and somehow made it look pedestrian...Chalkdust through YEM is perfect.

I’ve been to a fair amount of shows dating back to ‘95.

Last night had me questioning if it was the best show I’ve been to and I was at The Great Went.

First set was great…Back on the train had a little extra juice and the Wolfman’s was great. I was hoping for a Hey Stranger and this version kicked serious ass. Super thick and funky albiet short. Guelah was a fantastic bust-out and they nailed it. NMINML and evolve were ok….the strange design was absolutely beautify and sung perfectly by Page. Brought me back to the mid-ninety’s. Antelope tore the side roofs off of Dicks and I knew the second set would absolutely crush. The guy in front of me said he thought they blew their wad with the Antelope and I had to explain that he was severely mistaken.

Second set was truly incredible. To me it was the perfect example of why you can never judge a show based on the setlist. Truth be told Chalkdust and Ruby Waves are not songs I chase or love to hear if I’m being honest, but Phish was ready to flip the sculpt and make me a believer. Both songs delivered at the highest levels and the Ruby Waves had my jaw on the floor. Sand was an old-school throwback to ‘99 and they were so patient while exploring some amazingly beautiful territory. WTU was the cool down song of the set. Need I say more?

Possum was next and it delivered. They could have walked off the stage at that moment and I’d still be claiming this set as an all-timer. Instead we get a very good ER to close out.

After the Fee I told my daughter it’s time to go and started to walk up the stairs…nope….Phish had other ideas. They proceed to explode everyone’s heads with the best version of YEM in a very, very long time, complete with a second jam after the vocal jam.

I consider myself a seasoned Phish veteran, but last night kicked my ass up and down and left me for dead. I’m evacuated and so excited I get two more nights of my favorite band. Thank you Phish!

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I've seen a lot of shows in all the eras and have never left a review. But I feel compelled to tonight because this show is why nobody should ever skip a phish show ever. Never. Always go to every single show you can find a way to make. Always. The first set was really good and then the second set came along and somehow made it look pedestrian...Chalkdust through YEM is perfect.

Been seeing them for 28 years. I also left a lukewarm review on last night’s show. Tonight was the reason I still see them. Glad I brought my Dad too! Absolute dynamite of a show! They wrote a novel with their jamming tonight and song selection was nearly A+. Weather was also perfect once again. See ya tomorrow.

After that lope closer I knew they were going to come out and blast off…phish opened the fire hose and the handle broke off in the open position. Steam and Lope in the first set connected and blew the top off the place.

The second set is some of the most inspired playing I’ve ever seen, a lovingly crafted story arc that encapsulates so much emotion. Our crew, ranging from 100+ shows to their very first, were in awe of the gravity of that performance. CDT is probably as good as I’ve ever seen, each member of the band taking a turn pushing further and further. They dive into a deep melt jam immediately and work their way into a beautiful peak. Sand was delicate and gorgeous, 99/00 eske that brought the entire area to near silence. Ruby waves -> WTU incredible, masterful just wow. The rest of the set is extremely well played and full of energy. Then they come out with fee AND YEM AND A SECOND JAM.

I’m so so so happy to have witnessed that level of playing. Phish was in extremely rare form last night. Let’s do it again tonight yall

The second set is getting well-deserved attention but the first set was not something to gloss over. Back on the Train was about as well executed as the song gets with some excellent guitar work by Trey. Wolfman’s Brother had a gradual, creeping jam that blossomed into to a satisfying jam and seamless transition back to the theme.

I’m old enough enough to have been at the first performance of Guelah Papyrus in February 1991 and it was a treat to see it after a 2 year break (and over a decade since the last performance at Dick’s). The band absolutely NAILED the complicated instrumental section that starts at the 2 minute mark. Take a re-listen and judge for yourself.

Another enjoyable Dick’s NMINML and then a really interesting and powerful jam in Steam with excellent keyboards from Paige. The jam from the 7 minute mark forward is wonderful stuff. Evolve is another polarizing song for some reason but I’ve enjoyed it from TAB and Page had nice moments int his one. Strange Design - another short and well played treat. Antelope was a MONSTER.

The second set is one for the ages and I agree with all the comments so far. You could tell the band was enjoying themselves and I remember at one point seeing Page’s face light up with a wowed expression at a particularly awesome moment. Mike and Henrietta were incredible ALL night and very tight holding down the grooves.

I feel very fortunate to have shared last night at Dicks with a friendly crowd listening to 3.5 hours of awe-inspiring playing from the BEST band in the world.