7/7/12 Saratoga
Another very "Jukebox" looking show tonight, but as we've all seen, that often means nothing when all is said and one 
Set 1
Grind - LOL! Talk about an unexpected opener!!! I was blessed to
get an a capella opener in 2019 and it's a wonderful way to kick things
off. 
Possum - Great choice for a "real" opener! Can't remember the
last time I heard a Possum opener, if ever (usually it'll be 2nd or 3rd
or a set closer, etc). Great call for getting everyone amped up and on
their feet!
Golgi Apparatus - Is Golgi. Is actually played right for once. Nothing special.
Moma Dance - Blazing hot as always. Nothing special at all and
felt unusually short. Almost list worthy, except there are 20 other
Moma's around this one that are even better.
Torn and Frayed - No words needed. Perfect choice and an always
welcome cover. Why this isn't in rotation anymore is beyond me. The guys
absolutely SLAY this version, holy crap!!!
Rift - Another "perfectly played but nothing special" addition to the set. Always great to hear it executed properly, lol
Cities - Ooh, this is where things are starting to really pick
up! Trey continues his trend from recent shows of adding in great guitar
fills throughout. The X Factor is definitely showing on this one. It
just has that thing that makes you perk up and take notice, ya know what I mean? Very cool little transition that morphs directly into...
>Maze - Downright demented in the best way. It just goes on and on and on. Everybody melting down for 10 glorious headbanging minutes. 
I mean, this sucker peaks - and then it peaks again AND THEN IT PEAKS AGAIN!
HOLY MOTHER OF CHRIST THIS IS THE GREATEST MAZE OF 3.0 SO FAR. NO
EFFING JOKE THIS THING IS LIKE YOUR TYPICAL MAZE ON VOLCANIC
STEROIDS!!!! ALL HAIL MAZE! ONE OF THE BEST IVE EVER HEARD HOLY HELL!!!!
Lawn Boy - GET IT GORDO!
Peaches En Regalia - Awesome to hear, flowed really great coming after LB. A+ for rarity and execution. The guys really, really nailed it!!!
Bathtub Gin - Check out Page! Absolute mad lad!!! ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING A+++ TYPE I MONSTER BEAST!!!! MANDATORY GIN!!!! HOLY CRAP!!!
Good Times Bad Times - Is GTBT. Rages. Is great.
All in all, set 1 had me slightly underwhelmed - it was excellent but
didn't engage me too much tonight. Everything had a "heard this before"
vibe, BUT, from Cities through Gin things took off to the sky. Add Torn
and Frayed to that bunch of songs and even though the set is nothing
special, what a damn enjoyable time it still was!
Been a few days - just haven't had any listening time!
Set 2 on paper doesn't look promising. Other than 12 minute Disease,
everything else is in the 6-8 minute range which doesn't bode well for
extended improv, lol
Anywho!!!! On with set 2
Down With Disease - Oh boy I wish Trey would rip into the song these days like he does in this version. Hot Dang. Please bring back the days of TIGHT DWD's!!!
Also, somehow they launch into a hilarious Blister In The Sun tease for
a minute in the middle out of nowhere. Must-hear, just for the insanity
of it all. A+ short Disease! Very tight in the first half, melodic and jammy in the back half, hilarious in the middle. What else ya want?! HOW ABOUT SOME MANTECA TEASES, YO!!!
Boogie On Reggae Woman - Disease dies the usual 2012 Type II
ambient death and Gordo takes the chance to launch us into RW. Really
great version! Gordo is ALL OVER this one!!! Things get
super wacky in the last 2 minutes with Trey going all Type II on top of
the other guys keeping us in the song. Very fun and interesting!!!
Golden Age - Nothing special about this. It's a great Type I Golden Age.
It's 2012. Every Golden Age sounds great. In the last minute some cool
things begin to develop jam wise but unfortunately - AGAIN - the guys jettison the jam in favor of a segue...
>2001 - ALL HOPE IS NOT LOST. THAT SEGUE WAS LEGIT, YO!!! If every segue was like that I would stop complaining so much
At this point it is clear this set is about a mood and jams be damned.
That is fine since they are committing big time to the energy and
tightness!! So far it's been 33 minutes of pure fire and excitement. I'm
sure people were getting tired of dancing and actually wanting a break
at this point!!! As for 2001, despite the short length they actually
have a go at some jamming for a little bit and it's a wonderful compact
version of the song. Terrific!
>Number Line - An exceptionally hot and blistering rendition. Machine Gun Trey all over this sucker!!!! FANTASTIC!
>Prince Caspian - Absolutely fantastic. The guys take it
exceptionally bluesy and chill on this one. Extremely dynamic playing as
well - from a whisper to a roar!!! Quite possibly the best jam of the
show so far. SUBLIME!
>Scent of a Mule - Huh. How 'bout that. Kinda a ripcord, but to go into Mule...I'll allow it. It's Mule. It's insane. How can I describe it? I can't. Oh, wait, Blister In The Sun reprise.
>Mike's Song - HOLY MOTHER FREAKING MACHINE GUN TREY CRAP THIS
SUCKER IS THE HOTTEST MIKES GROOVE THIS SIDE OF COVENTRY (so far!) HOLY
MOLY FREAKING CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>Contact - What. How. How did we get here. ALSO IT JAMS. WHAT. THIS IS AWESOME!!!!!!!
>Weekapaug Groove - Guys, I'm dead....
Sabotage - C'mon now.
All in all, an absolutely terrific show. A perfect example that
song length does not equate to greatness and that when done right,
"Jukebox Phish" can be just as outstanding as your favorite 2021 48
minute Soul Planet....or something like that. Absolutely fantastic gig
from top to bottom and one of the best of the summer so far.
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