This list is in order by show and not by best jam. Here are the highlights from each show so far. List subject to change as we dig deeper into the recordings.

These shows reminded me of the importance atmosophere plays and how you walk away feeling about a show and also how personal a show can be. We all have our opinions and that's one of the reasons this fanbase has stayed so strong over the bands 30 year history. 

I know, I know, let the Grateful Dead analogies go man. But it's hard to deny the similarities in the two bands when it comes to their history with album releases versus their live performances. There's just no comparison and most fans of the two bands see (or rather saw in case of the Dead) the albums as just a launching pad for new ideas to be introduced during the multitude of live performances. Remember, you are talking about fans who go to an average of 5 shows per tour, often back to back. So repetition is not necessarily our thing. 

By now I'm sure you've seen the 2014 summer tour We're excited to see the return of The Mann Music Center to the list. It'll be nearly 19 years since the last time they played at this fun little tucked away venue just outside of Philadelphia. My first show was in 1996 so I just missed this venue by a year but growing up just outside of Philadelphia I saw many summer shows and was always bummed Phish had graduated to the bigger Camden amphitheatre just over the Ben Franklin bridge. For one it's a more intimate venue then Camden but more importantly it's only about a 15 minute drive from my home town. dates. If not, go check them out. 

There was a time when Phish wouldn't think twice about booking shows around the holidays, leaving only a few waking hours to spend with friends and family. While it wasn't that they didn't care about family in the early days, their priorities were clearly geared towards their music and the growing scene that surrounded them at that time. A scene that ultimately drove the band to break up in 2004. 

There have been some great New Years Eve runs in Phish's history. Most would argue the best and most memorable run was Big Cypress. There are many aspects to this run that make it special, such as the all night set that saw some of the most creative playing from the fouresome up till that point in their career. But one such attribute that came to mind while watching the live Youtube footage of the first set from day one was just how awesome they sounded out of the gate. 

Often the first night of a new years run is not given much credit among fans as producing great shows. Some might suggest that the typical break between their fall tour and the NYE run is a contibutor to this lack of momentum that seems to be prevelant in NYE opening shows. A warm up of sorts. A theory that got even stronger during the 2011 run where they took the entire fall off. Some even calling it one of the worst NYE runs ever. But that being said, there are plenty of highlights to pull from opening nights in years past, however, none come out firing quite like Big Cyrpess.