4 17 23 Berkeley
Very strange setlist!
A very nice, if rathr stiff, The Curtain With opened the show. Gorge 2018 version this is not, but it was still good overall.
A very good (nothing more) Carini rages in the 2nd slot. Worth another listen
Trey then commits the ultimate sin and ripcords the band into.......All of These Dreams?!
Look, im a fan of the song, but to friggin kill that Carini and slam this into the 3rd song of the show....
?!?!?!?
A very good Stash (see Carini) follows. Probably the tightest thing so
far but the jam ends just as its getting going. Solid but unspectacular.
Halfway, Mull and Undermind all try their darnedest, but none exceed the
"average in every way" description. You can tell they are trying hard,
its just not clicking for whatever reason.
The Theme to close is probably the set highlight with Carini. It begins
stiff and boring but ends up in a great hose peak. Better than expected
but still not GREAT.
All in all, a very, very odd feeling set. The energy is there and
it sounds like they are trying hard, but almost nothing achieves any
form of liftoff. This had to be the most inoffensively BLAND set I can
recall hearing. Its ridiculous.....
Back in the dump truck, sitting, waiting to get loaded....Restarting set 2 of 4 17 23 this morning.
If anyone remembers, I thought set 1 was the most ridiculously stiff and
bland set Id ever heard. Ive never heard another set like it! Nothing
was bad, but nothing got going at all either and it was just...I dont
even know.
I checked out the webcast only to realize the show took place in cold weather. And ya know what? In hindsight, thats exactly what it sounds and feels like! Im blaming the weather for the first set.
Fair enough - they at least tried.
As for set 2.....
My Soul is a surprisingly potent opener. Nobody ever wants it but it
always slays. Immediately, the energy is up tenfold from set 1 and this
thing just spews fire. Awesome.
Tweezer - 44 minutes. Ive heard this 4 or 5 times in isolation and it hasnt clicked with me yet. Lets see how I take it today...
Around 12 minutes, Trey gets going good and deep with the RoboWah and Gordo is growling it up. This section is awesome. Overlooked this on my last listen. Killer peaking through this section!!!
But then Page creeps in with the watery keys and leads the jam towards a more blissful, watery feel.
Around the 16 minute mark, this turns into a more rhythmic feel. A mystical, slightly ambient vibe appears. Heavenly bliss approaching. Love
the rhythm Fishman has going. Things seem a little aimless for the next
couple minutes, or maybe their patience is just rubbing me wrong....
Around the 22 minute mark, the drums lay back and turn into tribal fill
patterns. Trey has a blissful loop going and things are getting really
ambient and out there. Heavenly bliss has arrived!
Then right at 23:30, they stumble into greatness. Pure unadulterated X Factor Magic. The jam goes into this super dark, black hole, No Quarter type of area. This lasts for 5 or 6 INCREDIBLE minutes and is some of the greatest music I've ever heard the boys lay down.
I call this Viking War March Phish, lol. This is the sound they
play in a movie when you see one faction ominously marching on the
battlefield, off to conquer the land of their rivals. All dramatic and
EPIC!!!! THE MOST EPIC MUSIC I HAVE EVER HEARD IN MY FRIGGIN LIFE! WHERE DID THIS COME FROM?!?!?!
EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC!
Or something like that....Must hear section!
Then at 29 minutes, Trey ripcords them (yes, thats a ripcord) out of the
magic and back into Tweezer. The remaining 15 minutes are strong
enough, and probably better than the first 20 minutes, though they never
reach the heights of that dark section again.
Great, pulsing, push and pull kind of dark funk robot section follows
for a few awesome minutes before melting down to nothingness again. Robot ambience. They piddle around in the murky soup for a bit before Trey guides them back to the surface.
Gotta love the "pew pew!" Star Wars blaster sounds from Page. 
So we eventually get back to a dark funk area once more and the jam
eventually rides its way to a blissful peak and conclusion from here.
Ok, Ive been converted....That dark section in the middle....jesus christ!!!! .
Also, the LivePhish mix is garbage again. Like listening in a cave. Its
a mushy mess. You can barely make out Page and Trey in many
sections....
>Simple
Great segue into Simple!
Right at 5 minutes, from the outset, the usual Simple bliss is
completely jettisoned for a slow dive into very dark, Type 2, swamp
waters. Ambient looper hell has returned. This aint no happy little Simple!
Trey eventually starts some bluesy licks which prompts Fishman to get
going on the drums, morphing this into another super dark, No
Quarter-style jam.
Sorry for always harping on about No Quarter. Its just such an easy comparison point....
Things are slowly building and building, fire heating from below...Trey
gets going with tasteful Robot delays and the whole thing is just a
strange, sideways kind of mess!!! Like an asteroid on a crash course - brace for impact!
By 10 minutes, we are in outer space, Star Wars, droid meltdown hell!!!
Is that Page or Trey doing those theremin-style bleep bloops?? This is a nasty, gnarly, grinding mess. Like a Split Open and Melt self-annihilation....
Inexplicably, at the 11:30 mark, Fishman makes his play to save us from
drowning in the vortex. A new rock jam emerges. FX are cast aside and
Fishman is doing awesome work with interesting patterns and fills. Trey
proceeds to rock out....
This doesnt last long, however, and blissful ambience starts to slowly
seep into the music. Fishman keeps it rocking, but Trey is in looper
land while Page returns to the piano.
Around 15 min, a new melodic motif emerges that everyone proceeds
to rock along too. This is a turning point. Hose peak approaching!!
Slowly, over the course of several incredible minutes, like a classic
slow build Piper or something, they keep turning the heat knob one click
higher and higher....
But then, just as its all about to explode, they avoid the peak (boo!!!!) and the jam turns into another slow droid meltdown scenario. Fish keeps it rockin, but Trey is just straight up making noise!!!
And having successfully blue-balled us with no peak, they lead us into ...
>Rock and Roll
Awesome segue!!! Perfect choice to celebrate the insanity we just survived! 
Not the tightest rendition, but who cares?!
Rages to high heaven as hoped and kicks major tail!
Ya know that part where the band drop out and Trey does "that"
ascending, melodic lick? Yea, angels wept for the vibe exuded....Good
lord I have goosebumps on my face from that....
A++++ version!!!
Absolutely stunning Miss You to finally cool us off after weve been burning for the last hour....
8 minute Sand encore. Excellent but too short!!
All in all.....ive already said too much
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