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.
When I look back at these two shows at the Mann there's a few things that rush through my head.
- First night was a family affair (above pic is our lawn setup with rents. perfect setting)
- First set on first night was one heck of a release
- Second set started off interesting but lost steam and didn't fully recover
- Second night once again had some heat in the 1st set but not as much punch as first night
- Got my first McGrupp and the Antelope to close 1st set was straight fire
- Second set second night was off the hook from CDT to Paug encore and was hands down the best set of the two night run
But the above is my immediate thoughts. When I listen back I probably would write this review a bit differently in that the second set from first night was perhaps the best set of the two night run. That Fuego is so good that the Line>Number Line combo that threw me off during the show probably shouldn't have bothered me as much given how solid that Fuego was played. To then come back with a Tweezer > Ghost > 2001 where the Ghost was extremely well played and 2001, while straight to the point, was some serious groove. Reprise to close the set? While I remember having fun, I think the combo of the set going till almost 1 AM plus not having a ton of room in the balcony to dance and it being so hot probably didn't help my mindset at the time.
But all of the afterthoughts aside, when I was in the moment, that second set in the second night is what did it for me. We had poached a great spot under the pav up along Page side and had tons of room to dance on the steps. Adding to the atmosphere was how the Mann approached the Phish fans and allowed us to breathe in the venue. You could literally walk from the back of the lawn down all the way to the edge of the pit without ever getting asked to see your ticket. It was unheard of and while you may think that this would create chaos, it turned out to be well organized chaos. Because the terrace and the lawn were not bad seats (really no where in this venue was a bad seat), you had a good spread of folks so the free form, no ticket cops, format was a success. Hopefully they continue returning to the Mann from now on and the Mann doesn't change their policies. And defintely don't let this guy go:
Since this was a local show of sorts (we grew up 20 minutes down Rt. 30), we ran into some familiar faces. Was good to see @brandonmeyer and also to hang wtih my old college roommate who I hadn't seen in like five years. Once again adding to the individual experience of a show - running in to old friends, etc. We returned to our poached spot and as soon as we did they came on. My buddies all ran to get closer and I didn't immediately follow. I eventually tried to make my way down but found it way too crowded so I made a quick return to our original spot. At this point the Chalk Dust was entering it's first jam outside the normal Dust territory. The crew around me was feeling the jam just as much as I and we were getting down tough, even during the slow points. Whether it be a peak or a slow jam, the communication on stage this tour is quite phenomnal.
As they came to a close of this excellent 17 minute CDT, they oozed beautiful into Wingsuit. The Fuego combo of Wingsuit and Winterqueen was welcomed by these ears compared to some of the other Fuego pairings in the 2nd set that has become a regular occurance this tour. Most fans have been waiting for Wingsuit to stretch its arms and this version certainly didn't dissapoint. While staying mostly close to the vest, there was a bit of extra mustard given the placement in the set. Winterqueen has a great summer time vibe and as many have pointed out, it's got a very close Dead sound to it in the vein of say Fire on the Mountain when they get into the jam section.
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From the Twist till the end of the show I was blown away. This Twist, while not as good as some of the fall tour versions, had some great interplay between Trey and Page, who has been slaying his mini keyboard as of late. When they dropped into Crosseyed, just like everyone else in the venue, I nearly lost my brain. Sure, they didn't take C&P out for a long spin like they use to but honestly, this song in it's true form is still kick ass. At this point my lower back was hurting from all the dancing so Waste was a huge welcome. God I love this song.
To then drop a Mike's Groove on us? The guy in front of me said it best, "don't they know I'm old". But we gave it our best to keep the dance shoes going. This Mike's, while still not going outside the initial jam, had a ton of punch in the traditional Mike's jam section. Once again Page was showcased. Dropping in to the second cover with Sneakin, one could only wonder how funky they were going to take this version to eventualy segue into funk city that is Weekapaug. This was maybe the only portion of the set I was a bit bummed about but lets get real, hard to be bummed about a Mikes > Sneakin even if the Sneakin didn't go more then a minute past the vocal jam section. It closed the set, which certainly surprised many of us in the crowd. Who doesn't love surprises at a Phish show?
Sure, I wasn't all that jazzed about getting my second Julius encore of the tour but I was so amped up from that set that I fell into the groove of Julius. It seemed to be a much better version then the Mansfield encore. When they flew head first into Paug to close out the set we all simply looked at each other with giant grins knowing that we just lost probably 5 pounds and were about to loose a couple more with this final jam.
I stood there, said goodbye to my dance mates (good jamming with you Bob) and held my hands on my head while I caught my breathe and saw my friends slowly making their way up from the front. Also with their hands up and sweat pooring from their foreheads. Nobody had to say anything. It was written on our faces how much we all enjoyed that set and show.
Simply a great time at the Mann shows and while I'm bummed to not be at Randall's, I feel complete having gone to these shows. We'll see if I make it out to Dick's or if I hold out to see what fdall tour has in store.
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