Summer 2018, 2023 revisit

I'm revising my old .txt notes file from 2020 when I listened through 2018 the first time. Very cool and interesting to see what I still agree/disagree with.

For the most part, 90% of my opinions match what I wrote down originally, with the addition of a number of things I missed the first go around.

Summer 2018 is an absolute blast of a tour. It's insane to think it only gets BETTER with Fall 2018, because hot damn, Summer 2018 is downright fantastical!!!!

In my humble opinion, there isn't a poor show in the bunch, and only a few "poor" SETS at that. There are a number of "classic" shows as well as a bunch of "overall great with clear highlights" kind of gigs.

These are the best complete show experiences imo:

7/17 - Lake Tahoe
The undisputed sleeper classic. This show is a BEAST and I will maintain that opinion forever!!!! Rough and ready, but an incredible setlist, featuring an absolute metric ton of jamming (and great jamming at that!). This show feels very inspired and you can tell they are so excited to be on stage. It's gotta be one of the best "dipping the toe in the water after time off" shows ever. I swear.

7/20 - George, WA
All three nights are excellent, but 7/20 and 7/22 are MUCH better than 7/21. 7/20 is my favorite of the three, but 7/22 is equally as good, I just prefer the other setlist. Insane run. The 7/20 Chalkdust Torture, by the end of the tour, is still up there in my top 3 or 4 jams of the whole tour. Just an absolute Tour De Force Chalkdust for the history books.

7/24 - San Francisco, CA
These two shows are strange. The highest heights of the tour so far coupled with, arguably, the lowest lows of the tour!!! When it's not great, it's, well, not that great. When it's awesome, it's INSANE!!!! I prefer 7/25 as a "complete" listen, but even though 7/24 has the worst first set of the entire tour (save the scorched earth 46 Days...), the 2nd set is an absolute classic, monster, MUST HEAR behemoth!

7/31 - Austin, TX
The Undisputed Sleeper Classic, vol. 2. The show isn't entirely essential, but this is primo "ROCK SHOW" Phish of the highest order. The Down With Disease>Steam>Seven Below is absolutely ESSENTIAL listening and up there with the best of the year.

8/3 - Alpharetta, GA
This run felt like the Gorge trio on absolute steroids. I don't know what happenned, but there is a CLEAR elevation in the quality of these three shows compared to the ones directly on either side. All three shows are must-hear and, quite honestly, damn near EQUAL in quality! 8/3 is likely my go-to favorite of the 3, but each one is ESSENTIAL and on any given day I'm just as likely to give the nod to the incredibly 8/5 depending on my mood

8/8 - Camden, NJ
Both Camden shows have a LOT to recommend from them! But these were definitely more "uneven" shows with clear highlights as opposed to "complete" listening experiences. The Infinite from 8/7 is a hidden gem and the Light from 8/7 is rightly in the running for top 5 or so jam of the whole summer. I personally found myself more consistently blown away by 8/8 though. The first set was still uneven, but the second set, ala 7/24, flowed PERFECTLY from start to finish with every single song played being a highlight.


8/10 - Raleigh
Don't wanna call this a Sleeper Classic as it has a 4.2 rating and is well "remembered" to this day. This show felt incredibly unique. It just....had a vibe about it. It FELT like you were in the backwoods of North Carolina or something! The first set featured excellent playing but "sticky fingers" from Trey leading to a "ooh, so close, but not quite" feeling for the set. It was excellent but felt like it had the potential to be so much more if the band's playing was more fluid. Thankfully set 2 came along and absolutely slaughtered us all. You know the 2nd set....

8/12 - Columbia, MD
Bruh. This show. This friggin' show. Top to bottom, definitely tied with one of the Alpharetta trio as THE show of Summer 2018. Insane BALLS TO THE WALL versions from start to finish. When a show opens with Llama into BBFCFM, you know you are gonna get your face melted!