Phish - April 22nd, 2025

After the band once again hangs on "A" following the song's traditional jam, "Halley's" breaks out for an extended excursion. The band immediately locks into a breezy, upbeat vibe centered around Trey's lyrical soloing. The band opts for the virtue of patience here, as Mike and Fishman's dynamic interplay gradually pushes the music towards a rock-out crescendo. A shift at the 15:00 minute mark takes the jam toward a brief section of dynamic, textural grooving before the vocals for "Halley's" return and bring the jam to its conclusion.

Of older material consistently performed well, particularly within the framework of more "conventional" play, "Roggae" seems overlooked. No more. Expertly the band moves through the song with the languid air of your favorite "Ocelot," marked by particularly impressive runs from Mike (he stuns, throughout) and Trey. Follow the 5:30 stamp, that point from where this sort of play is excised and, in its stead, more by way of unusual improvisation arises. This is music that builds to become informed by a huge, trippy blast of sustain, which, in time, morphs into the song's signature riff-cum-conclusion.

The return of Blonde No.1 elevates this Trey led version that, while it takes its time traversing melodic spaces early on, stays intently focused and forward moving throughout, growing organically into a satisfying masterclass in hose.

All four members achieve rhythmic brain lock early on. Page is crunchy and on point as Trey and Mike trade leads while Fishman steers a musical conversation that unfolds naturally into an uplifting and hymn-like peak before dropping precipitously into a trench of pedal driven murk and giving way to > "Ruby Waves".

> from "NMINML". Score one for another massive "RW". Never stagnant and never wandering, there are few notes wasted as the band moves from theme to theme. There is no reliance on tropes as they keep the jamming fresh. The only thing unlikable is the jarring return to the song which seemingly comes out of nowhere.