Phish - July 23rd, 2022

There's Utica. There's Mann. Since 09, however, one can easily argue this is the band's best performance of a song that, when examining its history -- like "The Wedge," or, to a lesser degree, "Esther"-- shifts shapes through a number of manifestations and, as such, deserves extra consideration. Or not. Simply enjoy an excellent rendition that, true to any form, features on-point Fish and incredible Trey.

After a strong Trey led first jam, rather than the expected ending, we get 6 or so minutes of extended jamming kicked off by a "Moo" sample from Fishman and delay runs from Trey. Never straying too far, but enhanced with synthy flourishes from Page, the jam becomes moodier and darker before taking on a relaxed and dreamy vibe that brightens to a conclusion and > to FEFY.

Leaving "Crosseyed" behind after 6:00, this version gallops into a beautifully layered jam on the back of some great work from Fish which runs through 14:00 when it tilts back towards home with sludgy electro effects until > "Miss You".

"Fourth quarter" magic. No two ways about it. A brief straightforward jam follows the song proper, followed by a brief "Crosseyed" tease/jam. The band then proceeds to dive perilously deep into wide-open space. Musical pivots abound everywhere without hesitation. The band members challenge each other both rhythmically and harmonically to deliver a jam that is high energy, dark, complex, and dissonant at times while never becoming disjointed. Imagine the 8/6/21 "Simple" crossed with some of the deepest moments of a Summer '95 "Tweezer" jam. Magnificently intense music, must-hear. "

The celebratory yin to the set's preceding yang in the form of a wickedly dense "SYSF", this jam starts off pretty mellow and gets slightly more askew with a descending pattern at 7:00 and shortly thereafter starts the climb to the mountaintop and later erupts with an exaltation of "Still Waiting" at the summit.

Google: "Trey Anastasio and Chris Cottrell" and you'll find a very real post from Trey expressing just how much he loved Chris, and the love they shared for Hendrix. Best friends, they regularly played Jimi on the stereo, standing in front of the speakers together with Chris leaning into Trey's face yelling: 'Stain!!! Listen to that sustain!' Chris, frequently backstage, would cheer as Trey walked on, saying: "Stain! Sustaaaiiiin!" It'd be nice to think that Trey, back at Bethel, channeled not just his inner-Jimi, but Chris, as well, when, improbably, closing an impossibly cool encore, he lays the "Star Spangled Banner," just rife with sustain, atop the others who continue to run through "Fire." Amazing.