Phish - April 18th, 2023

What comes first: The effects or the melody? Tough to say, with Trey, these days. Nevertheless, deft musicianship is on full display - and here, especially, in a song seemingly constructed to showcase the band’s myriad strengths. Lovely, lilting - and, in many ways, Fish-driven version. Seriously, though: Check the change at 6:21. It's amazing.

Big, anthemic version finds the band four decades deep, exploring several memorable themes, and moving confidently between sections. Making use of a revitalized palette of instruments and effects, they channel a sound that is both familiar and fresh; exploratory and seemingly effortless, bookended by multiple peaks. Page shines on piano. Super clean return and > to "555".

> from a huge, must-hear "Bathtub Gin", and the band was clearly not done jamming. This extended version never strays too far from the song, but shouldn't be missed by fans of the song.

The first set-opening "Don't Doubt Me" kicks off a heavily jammed set. This jam traverses an effects-laden soundscape before giving way to a light, ethereal jam to end things before > "Kill Devil Falls".

An appearance of the dial tone opens the door to exploration and the jam first makes a quick detour with Trey playing wah rhythm chords while Page comes to the forefront, but before long it morphs into a more conventional upbeat jam. This eventually peters out and something a bit more discordant and unpredictable emerges in the final minutes before > "Fuego".

Rough start after a somewhat awkward transition. The band omit a section of the composition early on and forget some lyrics before launching into the jam. As is often the case, they make up for stumbles with transcendent improvisation and here they truly dive deep. After cascading peaks and some vocal levitation, they descend into the ambient abyss. Slowly resurfacing on surging waves of bliss that lift and float towards a tantalizing sonic perfection, it's not long before Mike grabs the helm and submerges the band once again as play takes a darker, more driven turn. The music churns until a theme recalling part of "Mercury" emerges briefly before > "Light".