Phish - Summer 2012, Leg #1: In Conclusion....

 Here's my "Quick Notes" highlights list for leg 1 of Summer 2012

In comparison to 2011, I thought the first 2011 summer tour was much better. I constantly had a feeling of regression (or at least not much progression) compared to 2011. I REALLY ended up loving the Summer 2011 gigs and this first 2012 tour just felt under the level those shows reached. But that's not saying much and probably overthinking things in the grand scheme

Some things that stood out, for better or worse:

1. Tons of great Type II/ambient/exploratory music, BUT, it was almost always in the 2-4 minute range and usually used to segue from one song to another. I'm not joking when I say you could probably edit all these bits together and have a really cool hour or more of great improv, haha. They are REALLY loving teasing us this tour!

2. Not much in the way of "ripcording". Thank god! Trey seems to have realized that it is better to set up a segue using his loopers or lead the band through a proper jam and into the next song. Good stuff!

3. INSANE SETLISTS AND BUSTOUTS GALORE!!!

4. This was tour of great SETS. It was much harder at times getting through these shows as one set would knock me out and the next would leave me cold. Nowhere near as many "must-hear" shows as usual on my crappy lists. Tons of absolutely amazing sets though.

5. NOT A BAD SHOW IN THE BUNCH!!!!




As usual, shows with no * next to them are usually fine gigs that may have great sets or lots of highlights but didn't really hold together from start to finish as a COMPLETE epic experience

Two **'s means it was a really terrific show. Proceed directly there. Lots of ***************** means "holy crap that was the greatest show I've ever heard blah blah blah blah"

Got it? Ok!

6/7/12 Worcester** (Absoultely OUTSTANDING first set, A+ second set!
Buried Alive
Runaway Jim (INSANE)
Funky B
Moma Dance
Rift
Nothing (Spectacular!)
Ocelot (Exceptionally bluesy!)
Beauty of a Broken Heart (Best-played on yet?)
Possum (HEAT OVEN FIRE FROM HELL!)
Carini (INCREDIBLE Type II)
>Taste (Perfect segue, PERFECT version!)
>Ghost (Unique and lengthy)
>Reggae Woman (BEAST! GREATEST EVER PLAYED?!)
If I Could
Quinn the Eskimo
Cavern (Explosive!)
Loving Cup


6/8/12 Worcester* (Excellent show, but a notch below night 1. Not quite **, but definitely not "average!")
Free
Kill Devil Falls
Roses are Free (Short Type II!!!)
Theme From the Bottom
Axilla
Julius (Cool and bluesy)
Bouncing Around the Room (Exceptional!)
Maze
Bathtub Gin (Clunky and oldschool!)
Down With Disease>
Sand>
Nellie Kane
Mike's Song
>Makisupa Policeman
2001


6/10/12 Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo (A very strong B+ festival gig, but the 2nd set has MAJOR legs!!!)
Funky B (Get it Page!)
Moma Dance
The Gambler (WITH KENNY ROGERS!)
Possum
Tweezer (Unexpectedly great!)
Number Line
Golden Age
>2001 (FANTASTIC!)
>Chalkdust Torture
>Carini (SHORT BUT INCREDIBLE!)
>SHAFTY!
>Rock and Roll (A++++)
Alaska
Harry Hood
>Light (BEST LIGHT IVE HEARD YET!)


6/15/12 Atlantic City, NJ** (Absolutely phenomenal show overall though perhaps a slight tad below Worcester)
The Sloth
My Sweet One
46 Days
Camel Walk
Tube (A+ jam!)
>Cities (Late night, chill!)
>It's Ice (THAT SEGUE!)
Stash
Simple
Faulty Plan
Squirming Coil
My Soul
Birds Of a Feather (Type II)
>Back On the Train (GET IT CACTUS!)
>Heavy Things
>Twist (HOT HOT HOT!!!)
>Piper (ABSOLUTELY INSANE)
>Billy Breathes (Goosebumps!)
Sneaking Sally
>David Bowie
First Tube


6/16/12 Atlantic City, NJ (INSANE setlist! Overall a fine show but definite highlights.)
Mike's Song
>I Am Hydrogen
>Weekapaug Groove
Wolfman's Brother
Possum
Ocelot
Crosseyed and Painless
Slave to the Traffic Light
>Light (MANTECA! INSANE! JAM OF THE SUMMER SO FAR!)
Sand


6/17/12 Atlantic City, NJ (PHENOMENAL first set. Cherry pick set 2)
Brother
Runaway Jim
Dogs Stole Things (FANTASTIC!)
Reggae Woman
>NICU
Foam (FLAWLESS)
Wilson
Timber
Fluffhead
WOTC
Reba
Roses are Free
Chalkdust Torture (INSANE)
Bug
Down With Disease
Gotta Jibboo


6/19/12 Portsmouth, VA****************** (BEST SHOW YET! FUNNEST SHOW IVE EVER HEARD!!! TUCK IT!!!)
Party Time
Simple
>Axilla
Kill Devil Falls
Water in the Sky
Babylon Baby
Bathtub Gin
Faulty Plan
I Didn't Know
Antelope
Back On the Train
Split Open and Melt
The Mango Song
Number Line
Limb By Limb
Shine a Light
Lengthwise (TUCK!)
>Maze
Fire
Mexican Cousin
Slave to the Traffic Light


6/20/12 Portsmouth, VA (Chill vibe. A for effort)
Divided Sky
Dog Log
Undermind
>Mike's Song
>Hydrogen
>Weekapaug Groove
Cities
Ya Mar
Bold As Love
Julius
Rock and Roll
>Tweezer
>Free
Guyuute
Birds of a Feather
Harry Hood (AMAZING JAM!)
>What's The Use
Velvet Sea
Possum


6/22/12 Cincinnati, OH (Big bustouts in first set, but worst Stash this side of 2004 and not a very good 1st set in all. Incredible DO NOT SKIP 2nd set! MAGIC!)
Shaggy Dog
Runaway Jim
Light Up and Leave Me Alone
Alaska
Buffalo Bill
David Bowie
Down With Disease
>Guelah Papyrus
Kill Devil Falls
>Twist (TYPE II MAGIC INCREDIBLE MUST HEAR VERSION!)
Roggae (SOARING!)
Carini (SHORT BUT INCREDIBLE)
>Chalkdust Torture
Golgi Apparatus (BEST GOLGI EVER?!)
Fluffhead (ENCORE!)


6/23/12 Burgettstown, PA** (Terrific show, MUST HEAR 2nd set)
Funky B
Gumbo
Maze (DEMENTED)
Torn and Frayed
Moma Dance
Scent of a Mule (INSANE)
46 Days
You Enjoy Myself
Gotta Jibboo
Mike's Song (KILLS)
>Simple (Type II)
>Light (INCREDIBLE. LIKE THAT TWIST. MUST-HEAR!)
>Weekapaug Groove
>Seven Below


6/24/12 Cuyahoga Falls, OH (Fast-Food Phish. VERY fun but less than the sum of its parts. A+ for effort.)
Tube
Roses are Free
Limb By Limb (FANTASTIC)
>Free
>NICU
Meatstick
Golden Age
>Ghost
>Sweet Virginia
Tweezer (INSANITY)
>Walk Away
Piper
Waste
Antelope
Loving Cup


6/28/12 Noblesville (Crazy setlist again! First set is good but nothing special. Second is MUST HEAR ONE OF THE BEST OF THE YEAR!!!)
The Birdwatcher
The Curtain With
F Your Face
Weigh
Cool It Down
Tweezer
Tela
Mike's Song
>McGrupp
Back On The Train (AMAZING JAMMING!)
>Hold Your Head Up (TUCK TUCK TUCK TUCK!!!)
>Weekapaug Groove
Waves (INCREDIBLE!)
>Bug
>David Bowie (HOLY CRAP!)
>Show Of Life


6/29/12 Noblesville (Terrific setlist and great playing, but Jukebox Phish all the way. Great show but nothing too memorable or special)
Dinner and a Movie
Sweet Jane
Limb By Limb (HOT)
Possum
Mound
Life On Mars
The Mango Song
>BBFCFM
Strange Design
Birds of a Feather (DESTROYS)
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Down With Disease
>Sand
>Twist
>Bathtub Gin
>Fluffhead
Ride Captain Ride (INCREDIBLE! BEST THING IN THE SHOW!)
>Antelope
Sanity


6/30/12 Noblesville (see 6/28 - Good first set but INCREDIBLE must-hear second set)
My Soul
Daneil Saw the Stone
>Moma Dance
Runaway Jim
Reba
The Sloth
Ocelot (Some extra sauce tonight!)
When the Circus Comes
>Timber
Oh Kee Pa Ceremony
Suzy Greenberg
Number Line
>Carini (DESTROYS!)
Golden Age
>2001
>Rock and Roll
>Steam
>Piper
>Quinn the Eskimo
>Harry Hood
Good Times Bad Times


7/1/12 East Troy***************** (Incredible show - must hear 2nd set. FIRE FIRE FIRE FIRE FIRE FIRE FIRE FIRE!!! Maybe top 3 of the tour so far!!!)
Soul Shakedown Party
Lonesome Cowboy Bill (AWESOME!)
Vultures (HEAVY!)
Dirt
A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing
Access Me
Meat
Frankenstein
Fee (TYPE II JAM!!!)
Maze
Crosseyed and Painless
>No Quarter
>Light (15 minutes!!!)
>Ghost
>BOTT
Farmhouse
46 Days (HOLY MOTHER EFFING SSSS)
Joy
Julius


7/3/12 Wantagh**
Skin It Back (FIRST SINCE 1988. ABSOLUTELY SICK OPENER!)
Possum
Happiness is a Warm Gun (FIRST SINCE 94!)
Mike's Song (HOLY CRAP!)
Hydrogen
Weekapaug Groove
Ya Mar (A+)
Joy (Outstanding)
Jesus Just Left Chicago (GET IT PAGE!)
Number Line (A+++)
Chalkdust Torture
Sand
>Golden Age
>Wolfman's Brother
>Walk Away
Fluffhead
Antelope


7/4/12 Wantagh (STRANGE setlist but overall great with LOTS of rarities!!!)
Alumni Blues Suite
Head Held High (First since '98. INCREDIBLE!)
TMWSIY Suite
Kill Devil Falls
Bittersweet Motel
Moma Dance
Gumbo
David Bowie
Alaska
Susskind Hotel
Tweezer (INCENDIARY)
>Twist (BEAUTIFUL DONT SKIP!)
>Taste
Quinn the Eskimo
Rock and Roll
Shine a Light


7/6/12 Saratoga** (ONE OF THE BEST OF THE WHOLE TOUR. 2nd SET IS SPECTACULAR!!!)
Ocelot (Extra bluesy)
BOTT (A+++)
Tube/Psycho Killer
HYHU/Cracklin Rosie/'Friar Tuck'
Stash (Check the final few minutes)
Corinna (PAGE!!!)
Carini (Short but EXCEPTIONAL)
>Sand (HOLY CRAP 1995 TREY)
Roses are Free
>Sneaking Sally (MANDATORY LISTENING)
Ghost
Suzy Greenberg
Antelop
Loving Cup


7/7/12 Saratoga** (Jukebox Phish DONE RIGHT. A+ show. SECOND SET IS MANDATORY LISTENING!!!!)
Grind
Possum
Torn and Frayed
Cities
Maze (GREATEST MAZE OF 3.0 TO THIS POINT HOLY 1995 TREY MOTHEREFFERS!)
Lawn Boy
Peaches En Regalia
Bathtub Gin (A+++++++)
Down With Disease/Blister In the Sun (TIGHT!)
Reggae Woman (EXTRA tonight!)
2001 (Compact excellence!)
>Number Line
>Prince Caspian (Bluesy and Dynamic!)
>Scent of a Mule (INSANE!)
>Mike's Song (The Return of 1995 Trey)
>Contact (WHAT?!)
Weekapaug Groove
Sabotage (In Honor of MCA)


7/8/12 Saratoga*********************************************(Absolutely FANTASTIC A++++ show! Possibly best of whole tour!!!!)
AC/DC Bag
>My Soul (Cool segue - Trey kills)
Camel Walk
Sample In a Jar (EXPLOSIVE!)
Party Time
Gumbo
Driver
Foam
If I Could (GORGEOUS!!!)
Split Open and Melt (TWISTED!)
La Grange (FIRE!!)
Axilla
Light (Type II Beast!)
>Twist (INCREDIBLE! BEST OF 3.0 SO FAR!!!)
>Kill Devil Falls (1995 HEAT INSANITY. WEIRD JAMMING!! FANTASTICAL!!!)
>My Friend My Friend
>Swept Away/Steep
>Piper (16 MINUTE RAGER)
>Free
>Kung (WEIRDNESS!)
>Harry Hood (MAGICAL!)
>David Bowie
>You Enjoy Myself