Onwards into Fall '18 we go!
I have heard 10/20/18 already on a random whim and can't wait to revisit it - I remember loving it.
A great Type I Moma Dance to kick off the show in Albany. Loads of
energy and fun vibes - I'm reminded of the opening Party Time I got in
Charleston last year. I'm laying in bed typing this but my head is
bobbing and I want to just jump up and start - excuse the pun! -
bouncing around the room!
Super groovy Tube.
This has a more relaxed pace than the 1999/2000 ultra-rager renditions.
Reminds me of the soon-to-be-heard "slow" version of Llama. Sounds like a jam out of '97 or '98, actually. Trey gettin' some Plinko action goin' right away. 
The jam rages hard like Moma did for awhile before eventually peaking hard and going into the blues/bridge section.
Theme From the Bottom - Seemingly unimpressive, the band gathers MAJOR steam for the last 1/3 or so and Trey's playing is must-hear stuff. Not an essential Theme but worth checking out once. Bonus points for a near-flawless and unexpected segue into Free!
Segueing fantastically out of Theme, this is a totally different beast than the atom-smasher versions of Summer '99. As with Tube, this has a more mellow vibe going on. The jam begins and
very quickly dissolves into an ultra-minimalist back-and-forth between
Trey and Cactus.
Very odd to hear in the middle of Free!
Eventually they build back up and the other guys get back in on the
action, Page in particular stabbing at his keys with extra gusto.
A very interesting version!!!!
After Free, we get a rare Army Of One.
It's excellently performed, but just so ordinary that it doesn't make my cut for this show's highlights list.
Same for the following Halley's Comet - always a blast and I always love
to hear it, but this is a "studio album ready" version of it that stays
so Type I as to have reverted into Type 0
Meaning, its excellent but not worth seeking out on its own unless you
really really have a particular need for a specifically straightfoward
version 
And into Everything's Right we go....
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Ooh yes, I'm am groovin' to this Everything's Right!
Oh man, I soooooo wish I was at a Phish show right now (don't we all?).
Those 2 nights in Charleston were the most FUN I've ever had at shows
and I am CRAVING it again!
Back on track, this ER has an excellently tight song portion, then about 4:45 in we start jamming.
Immediately things slide into a more jazzy kind of tonal area - very
"late night" sounding. This stays for some minutes with the boys each
milking the mood for all its worth. Noone is "raging" but the jam is
building collectively together. This is what I like to hear! Everyone
feeding off each other and making the whole thing slowly grow and move
like a living creature. WONDERFUL!
About 8 minutes in the darkness turns into a blissful, upbeat vibe! Wow - that came out of nowhere! They just slid right into it so naturally.
They stay in this zone and Trey busts out one of his patented "Divided Sky" extended sustained notes! The crowd loses it!!!!
Blissful ambiance-laced jamming. Shades of '99 for sure. This is sick.
11 minutes in and Trey unleashes more sustained notes. The bliss is
subsiding and the clouds are returning! Not full on Sabbath darkness,
but the sunlight is officially gone. They could've gone into No Quarter
at this point, let's put it like that.
Things get funky-spooky!
At one point Fishman does a fake-out and we think the jam is gonna be
ripcorded, but thank Icculus he jumps back on the beat and we keep
going.
AND INTO CITIES WE FREAKIN' GO! HECK YES BRING IT ON!
Dang man, talk about an organic segue!!!
Cities is like Halley's Comet though - just a perfect little breather.
Nothing special or worth particularly seeking out but a fine version as
usual
Dang what a freaking blast that was!!!!
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Walls of the Cave
Set one comes to a close with the expected rager. Like HC and Cities
before it though, I wouldn't bother specifically seeking it out. It's
just an excellent straightahead version.
It's WOTC - you know it rocks. That's all there is to it. Nothing special, just a great rocking send off to set break
Set 1 was universally excellent. The worst of it was a few excellently
performed tracks that didn't deviate at all. That's a great thing - that
the low point was still awesome music
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Into Ghost we go!
Very upbeat and energetic tonight. Uptempo.
The song portion rocks and the jam immediately gets going into some
positive-sounding directions. This isn't a dark Ghost at all! This
Casper the Friendly Ghost!
VERY nice interplay between everyone, but Gordo is running this show,
imo. Just listen to him laying it down thick like Phil Lesh. Hell, I'm
listening to him tear it up in the background more than I'm paying
attention to Trey on this.
Trey is being very selective with his choice of notes, opting for sustained passages and sections of near-ambiance.
Around 8 minutes in we gradually begin shifting into that kind of 99/00
sound of Funky Space Jamming or whatever you want to call it.
Very nice.
Dang this Ghost is just truckin' along, yo. This doesn't groove - it rocks!
Trey is gettin' real nasty. Page picks up on it and jumps on the piano.
Fish follows suit and starts to change the beat in tandem. Cactus of
course is holding down the fort.
11 minutes in and Page is picking out a rhythm for the guys to follow,
almost soloing by himself at points. The jam quickly melts into nothing
and just when you think we are into Space, we get slammed back down with
a non-segue into NMINM'sL
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No Men In No Man's Land -
Dang, Page is just tearin' it up. This is funky as HELL. I'm laying in bed but mentally im dancing my ass off . This sucker is short like Ghost, but they cover a LOT of ground in this jam!
Eventually they try/fail to segue into Piper, kinda ripcording the jam a little bit before heading onwards.
Piper - Really enjoyable but odd 2nd set so far. They are doing a lot in their
jams but its like they are trying to cram 25 minutes into 10 and then
jumping to the next song instead of letting things slowly build. Its
like they are on Jam Coffee or something, lol.
Is this that whole "Micro Jam" thing I keep hearing about? Just interesting is all.
Piper is awesome. It begins to get into ultra dark deep space, but Trey
siezes the moment and immediately launches into 20 Years Later. Normally I would consider this a ripcord but its so perfectly timed/such a well chosen transition!!!
Awesome.
20 Years Later - What the f, man
For about 10 minutes or so we get mediocre Type II exploration of the
been-there, done-that variety, then somehow the X Factor strikes from
above and we descend into Type II Space Hell.
What.
This is essential to hear just because of how ridiculous it is. This is
like a 1990 Dark Star where its just everyone smashing their instruments
all at the same time melting down
I do not know what to say but that was fun! I think....
Show of Life - Dude, this was, like, the perfect song out of the darkness of that 20YL
Holy crap that was refreshing .This Show of Life is exceptional. And it just builds and builds and builds. Sick.
And then we DROP right into 2001. Heck yes
2001 is ok - just your regular 3.0 2001, but the C Zero and Hood to close are downright magical.
Exceptional show to kick off a tour!!!
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