I don't usually enter a couch tour review here. But honestly this show was one of very few I've streamed where I actually experienced extreme fomo... and here's why.

Let's start with the obvious things that made last night special and work our way to the things that might be more personal to me.

1. Anytime you get a YEM first set... buckle up. I know it's not like an extremely rare or unheard of song placement but it always hits just right. And personally my favorite first set YEMs are those at outdoor summer shows, nothing like watching the last bits of a sunlight sink below the horizon while grooving out to some classic phish funk.

2. The 2001 second set opener... also not something that in itself is super unquie or anything but again always a welcomed surprise. 2001 as a set opener is definitely one of my favorites, I feel like the band really embraces and fully leans into the messy sci-fi tone building intro before Firshman suddenly drops into that so familiar and fun 2001 beat that fuels the funky jam. Fishman on the Marimba Lumina before that first drop into the actual song was A+ mood setting stuff, complimented perfectly by Mike Trey and Page each adding beautifully layered textured synthetic sounds.

3. Both the first and second were a masterclass in song selection and placement. Pairings like Halleys > 46 Days, Twist > Maze, YEM > SANTOS, and 2001 > DWD, to me feel like perfect little set up and deliver segments within the show itself.

4. Encores like lasts nights are just a thing of beauty. You could just see how much fun it must have been inside that venue from about a 1000 miles up here in NY. And when you go to about 10-15 shows a year like I do, and see something going down like that while you are stuck at home on your couch, personally I get a little green with envy while still mostly just being happy for everyone there just having blast.

Can't wait to party with y'all at the 9 night run I'll be joining up for in Philly, but after watching last night's show July 25th can not come soon enough!

Rating: 4.65 / 5

God I love this band. I always feel like the first night of tour is kind of one bug sound check, and maybe it still is, but I love when they pull out all the stops at a time when no one really expects it. Was it ultra tight? No. Was it fucking awesome? Ohhhh yeahh. The things they've done with 2001 this year have been really spectacular.

Or maybe it was all just "standard" and "sloppy" and I just actually like this band.

Great tour opener with some killer jams. Pretty standard first set. That 2001 2nd set opener was great and you could tell the boys were ready to get deep.

Did anyone else pick up on the Moby Dick tease during Chalkdust by Mike? 23 years ago on this date was the infamous Moby Dick show at Deer Creek! Man, these guys don't miss a thing!

The encore was crazy... I feel like Icculus is starting to become a regular song, which is great to see!

Can't wait to get to the Dicks shows in September!

When you take this at face value as the tour opener - it hits all the marks and then some. The band was hot from the start. Yem -> Santos a great combo at the end of the 1st set. Oblivion has some potential as well. The encore is the real treat of this show. Icculus was hilarious. Thank you Phish for a fun start to the summer. See you tomorrow.

Must listens: YEM > Santos, 2001 > Disease, Oblivion, CDT, Entire encore

Honest rating: 4.2069

SET 1: Blaze On: Solid opener. Nice little jam. Band sounds good. Mike needs turned up, a lot. Trey let’s everyone know that he is excited summer tour is underway.

Martian Monster: Trey “If you are a PHD this one is for you” What’s that all about? This transitions rather nicely into >

The Moma Dance: Standard.

Halley's Comet: Broadway Trey. >

46 Days: Decent little jam here.

Back on the Train: Broadway Trey. Nice little jam. Re-entry was slightly askew.

555: Standard.

You Enjoy Myself: Might want to practice this before the tour starts? Nirvana section is super lol. Everything leading up to the first note is played with as little confidence from Trey as I have ever heard. Once he gets to the first note things seem to improve. Hardly a yell leading into Boy. Trey almost misses the God – audience sings it for him he comes in late. Very mellow jam for a good bit. Things finally heat up and he cooks for a minute or two. >

Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S. – Standard face melter.

SET 2: Also Sprach Zarathustra: Lots of fun here, awesome way to open the set. >

Down with Disease: Not exactly how to describe it, but during the composed section Trey is playing like half notes or something? Not sure of the technical term but it sounds strange to me. Then going into the jam he is a pretty sloppy. The jam truly smokes though, Trey sounds great! Nice transition into… >

Twist: Stop with the samples. Can’t Turn You Loose tease at 5:45. If you are in to upbeat, short versions of Twist then this one is for you. Is that Can’t Turn You Loose that Trey is messing with again at 7:30 or is that FYF? >

Maze: Trey either re-worked his part of the composed section or semi-forgot how to this song is supposed to be played/sang. Trey from 6:08 to 6:27 – what is this – I can’t place it? Trey does I nice job of building that Maze tension – but his first and second go at the release are brutal. Brutal.

Lonely Trip: Page is great on the baby grand.

Oblivion: Good stuff here. Backing vocals in the beginning need some work with timing it with Trey. Jam starts off a little heavy with the whale call. That ends shortly and transitions rather nicely into that 99-00 reverse reverb/backwards effect type thing – very cool. From here it is heavy on trippy effects and then back into the vocals after a few minutes. This has potential for sure, I like it!

Chalk Dust Torture: Extreme Broadway Trey complete with the delayed lyric delivery and singing in a register that sounds hilarious. C’mon man. Trey crushes that solo and then the re-entry back into the lyrics in the late 4’s is very sloppy. Timing is all off. The launch into the jam he struggles with too, then finds it and smokes it. Trey finds a really cool theme in the late 7’s. Unfortunately, he decides to wash it heavily in effects. Too bad, that had potential. Briefly sounds like Tweezer Reprise around 9:25. They neatly find themselves back in the re-entry – pulled that off exceptionally well. Trey, brother, what are you doing with your singing at the end? My goodness.

ENCORE: Meatstick: Standard. >

Makisupa Policeman: Trey’s effects work perfectly in this jam, sounds great!

Fuck Your Face: Fun.

Icculus: Funny.

Character Zero: Standard.

Summary: Current rating on Phish.net is 4.303/5 (76 ratings) – lol. I would score this as a 3.5 out of 5. There aren’t many takeaways here outside of the DWD, snippets of CDT, and Oblivion. Encore was fun – the ol’ throw the kitchen sink at ‘em.

Replay Value: Down with Disease