Phish - August 4th, 2021

While Hampton will forever remain "The" comeback version, the band, more than a decade later, may have, after some close calls, "arrived." While "Fluff" is terrific live, and there have been powerful moments, one might have to revisit 10/29/10 to find, on tape, a version that rivals this beauty from note to note. Just another in a long list of examples demonstrating Phish's incredible 2021 full-band power.

The opening to one of the year's strongest second frames, this "Mr. Completely" indulges in its usual jam before Fish switches up his flow and Trey moves into a new key. Page's electric piano cuts through the mire, and a warm groove emerges as a result. Fish starts throwing in the "Mr. Completely" drum fill almost as a challenge to himself, and Trey moves to stabbing echo-laden chords as the jam picks up speed "Bathtub Gin" style. Something funkier and stranger emerges, and Mike flips on his envelope filter as the jam builds to a ferocious climax, then dies away with some more "Mr. Completely" drum fills by Fish for fun. > into "BOAF".

With more lives than a cat, this "Ghost" showcases what's so fun and great about Summer 21. While jams are often considered "soupy," here the band simmers, producing play that cooks to a slow boil. Dark and intense, the band uses space as a canvas, splashing their patterned, space-age, electro rock, with all four contributing in equal measure before Trey, in Jedi-fashion, stumbles upon one of his most thrilling lines - if you don't know the one, listen - which Pages hears, seizes, and owns. This informs a tremendous run and one of the Phishiest segues (-> "Gin") in some time. Must. Listen.

Amidst a "Gin"-soaked tour, this version, -> from a wonderful "Ghost," embodies so much of what is so cool about Phish. Wild, carefree, and careening, the jam lifts elements from earlier in the set, mixes them with new ingredients, and produces an intoxicating jam which settles to become more traditional. Obliterating all traces of night one's hangover, the > into "2001" is the olive on the top.

In a year where effects have shaped many jams, this 2001 is no different. SLOWWWWW start but the jam shows off the unique sounds of summer 2021. Page in particular is showcased and sneaks a cool Bathtub Gin tease.

The jam begins with some quiet musing that quickly veers beyond the norm. Largely dark in tone, the music gradually builds a percussive base and power. The intensity builds until around 15:00, when the jam returns to "SOAM" proper to close.

Yeah, "Zero" has a JC. And not just to feature 11/26/97. Strange version, and while not on par with, say, what we get during the Baker's Dozen, the play is atypical, with Trey seemingly shearing off blocks of sound, and laying into his effects. Summer 2021. Anything goes. And that's the case here, with this interesting version.