[Picture credit: Eric Wyman]

I was super pumped for this show. Partly because it was the first of the fall tour but mainly because it was all the way up in Augusta at a high school size gymnasium making for an intimate show. The show itself was nothing too mind blowing. Well executed but songs like "Light" had not fully been formed into the monster jam vehicles that they are today. But nonetheless, I had an awesome time at this show. 

The real purpoase of this post is not to reminise about the whole show but mainly the unexpected encore opener - "Reba".

Having only dawned the encore slot twice before, Phish launched into their classic Lawn Boy masterpiece catching everyone off guard. As the song progresses, all seems pretty standard. But as we approached the 10 minute mark, there was more resistance in Gordon's bass lines, almost as if he wanted to keep the band from going back into the major key sections of the jam. Trey was in agreement as he too began retreating to the darker, minor key aspects of the song. They would flirt back into major key only a couple of times before darkness arrives in full force at about the 12 minute mark. Fishman's drum beat started to pick up steam Trey begins laying down a nasty riff. Then slowly but surely Fishman pulls out the Manteca tease, getting the crowd all up in arms. Some how Trey finds a way to pull them out of this darkness and back into the major key Reba jam. 

No whistling takes place and they cap off the night with a happy romp through "Backwards Down the Number Line" but it's clear that most would walk away from this show remebering that encore opener.