Phish - July 30th, 2022

> from "Buried Alive", the band treats us to yet another fantastic first set jam. The perfect soundtrack to the sun setting on a summer evening. After a mellow beginning, the tempo kicks into a higher gear as the band locks in together. Heavy effects from Trey slow things down again, which leads to some inspired play from Mike as things wind down. > "Llama".

Check out the studio version. Like "Fuego," this is one of Phish's finest recorded tracks. For a classy live "Fuego," revisit CMAC 14, which, on the heels of a Letterman appearance, features the song's studio outro. Here, wonderfully, the band moves in a different direction, opening up to dazzle and delight, a "shafty" Trey running point with Page by his side, the duo teasing a pretty medley that, in time, seamlessly shifts to become a signature "Strawberry Letter 23."

As "Shafty" so often does, this version introduces itself with a ->, in this case from the first ever Type II "Halfway to the Moon", and adds to that jam's funky bent.

Following "Halfway to the Moon's" jam breakout, "Strawberry Letter 23" takes the baton with its first real jaunt in an expectedly funky affair until closing quietly with a -> to a rare (first since '91) set-closing "Lizards".

Furious play, early, and, if the band enjoys changing shapes, this is a posture this tune will do well to assume. To wit, when play predictably cools, Trey (and Fish) rather ratchet up the intensity, the friends offering a version befitting "viking warriors" and "animal heads." Absent early 90s tension and release, here is a new force, just a remarkable version and testament to Phish's ever-evolving vision. Listen to the aud for some of the very best of Phish: Us, responding. Tremendous version.

Outro brews up a delectable synth-funk stew that you wish would never end, that is until Trey swoops in with a quick -> to "Simple".