2018-11-03 Las Vegas, NV - 2023 revisit

 Finishing my replay of Vegas 2018 today.
Onwards to 11 3 18.

Set 1 is oddly pedestrian in the first half, then Tube wakes it up and it gains traction. The Jukebox song choices dont help at all.

A standard hot Moma to open. Not a scratch on the Albany rager but a fine version regardless.

KDF is strong overall and has a nice jam, but ultimately feels too restrained for its own good.

Roggae, Water and 555 all do their thing, and none are particularly strong or noteworthy.

Then comes Tube. Not as strong as the insane Chicago version, but its another legitimately jammed reading that Id say is Must Hear. This seems to wake them up and from here the set is gravy.

Farmhouse follows perfectly and is a STANDOUT reading, ultra delicate and quiet.

Then a crazy Mikes-Lifeboy-Paug (huh?!) to close.

Not my favorite set at all but it definitely hass character.... 

Set 2

Carini/46 Days/Scents is the unholy X Factor Magic trio of the damn year.

Thats gotta be in the top 6 or 8 versions of Carini played in 3.0 to this point. Incredible jan with Gordo up front and a good dosage of ambience. Outer Space Carini.

46 Days may just have bested my lauded 7 24 18 version. Insane.

And Scents is a multi part Type 2 journey with several moods and styles, all terrific.

Holy hell....  

Yea, that Scents and Subtle Sounds is something truly special. Another one to toss in the Jam of the Year competition - it wouldnt win, but it would make some headway for sure.

And then its followed by the most insane, space traveling, EXTRAORDINARY must hear version of Crosseyed ever.....holy mother of god.

No exaggerating, that Crosseyed was.....no words.

And the segue into 2001...damn.... 

Ok, so then how about that nightmare hellscape, 21 minute Split Open and Melt?!

What is even happening anymore ...this set is unbelievable

After that we get Velvet Sea/C Zero encore



All in all, set 1 was mostly skippable but set 2 was magical x factor perfection from start to finish. I lost my mind and you will too. Holy hell.

 

 

 

2018-11-01 Las Vegas, NV - 2023 revisit

 Night 2 of Vegas 2018 this morning

Set 1

13 min Type 2 Everythings Right. WOW! Doesnt top the Chicago opener, but its close! Damn!

Then a raging, energetic Bag keeps us rocking next.

Then, oh boy, oh golly...this friggin Wolfmans Brother. X FACTOR MAGIC! NEXT LEVEL! INCREDIBLE! MUST HEAR!

Nellie Kane and Funky B are both loaded with extra energy and kick butt. But Funky B aint just hot, its damn nuclear! Check out Page the Rage!!! Wow

No, im not exaggerating, that Wolfman and Funky B were both Phish-1.0 levels of...well, next level. Holy hell. Did they take steroids before the set or something?!

And up next is.... a 15 min Chalkdust! Thats unusual! Extraordinary, it gets dark and sludgy right off the rip! Sink in the murk! Holy hell this is incredible!!! NASTY!!!! Incredible, magical version. Certainly in the top ten of all time....

No, im not exaggerating. That was in the top 5 jams of the year so far, easily

After a rare I Been Around to gather ourselves, Joy makes us cry our eyes out. Great stuff. Joy is ridiculous tonight, turning in the greatest guitar histrionics workout ever. Insane. A shredding Joy, eh?

And then a killer Walls to close. Perfect.

Holy sweet jesus mother of hell on a cracker, what just happened. THEY KEEP GETTING BETTER! Everytime they play the best set ever, they come and top it a few shows later. This set was unbelievable. All timer Chalkdust, exceptional Wolfy and ER plus a ripping version of Joy. EVERYTHING was loaded with red hot rocket fuel and the guys were just exploding from start to finish. A++++++++++

Compare this to the likes of 8 12 18, aka the hottest show ever played, lol

20 min Blaze On bliss adventure to open set 2. Pretty dang must hear! Thats was killer! It just kept going and going and going!

Then a killer 10 min rager No Men keeps the fire burning hot. Spray that hose! Incredible type 1!

Up next, Fuego keeps the headbanging going. Short but nasty Type 2. Gets very dark and spacey for a few awesome minutes

Twist is killer. Does its usual thing then shifts into a brooding and tense, slow build kind of jam. Darker but still jazzy. Synths creeping in but not really. Is it bliss or not? Very interesting and odd! It patiently winds its way through several sounds and styles befoe ending up in a lengthy "how did we get here?!" part that sees the band making a wacky, swirling, circus style racket with Mike proclaiming "OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" at the top of his lungs like he is peaking in orgasmic bliss or something. Very funny and fun.

The OHHHHH of course causes Trey to later lead the band into a briefly ripping and inspired Caspian before heading back for a Twist reprise to close.

Holy hell. What is even happening anymore!?

After a lovely and perfectly placed BATR, we get a terrific Harry Hood

At nearly 17 minutes, Hood is extra exploratory tonight. During the "building bliss" section, we get a killer WACTOOB semi-jam/extended tease. Gordo picks up on it and does a vocal reprise of it and the crowd goes nuts. But then back into Hood....just jam WACTOOB, dang it!


After a great Contact and encore-nobody-wanted Rise/CT the show comes to a close.

And what a show it was!!!! Top 7 or 8 of the year, imo. A stellar 4.3 or 4.4 kinda show. Set 1 felt perfectly magical like 10 26 18. Set 2 was less "perfect" but almost everything had unique moments or terrific jams, etc.

A MUST HEAR SHOW!!! BLEW MY LITTLE HEAD!!!!!!  

 

2018-10-31 Las Vegas, NV - 2023 revisit

 Kasvot Vaxt in the dump truck this morning.

10 31 18 today

Opening Buried Alive is rare and fun

11 min Ghost to follow. Perfect choice for Halloween! This one is an underrated sleeper for sure - it does way more with its abbreviated run time than you think. Id say it goes Type II and Trey even gets a Buried Alive reprise thrown in. Go revisit this one!

Then we got a perfect, totally organic and unexpected segue into Crazy Sometimes! It keeps the groove going and packs a puch! Killer version. It almost lifts off into a massive jam but unfortunately they kill it.

There is totally a massive 25 min jam lurking inside. Seriously, it was at the point of liftoff and they just go "nah not tonight"

Free is next. Awkward start but a good version. Nothing that special.

A rocking version of More in the 5th slot is very unexpected and great!

The following Halley is MUST HEAR!!! It rages hard then turns into a Tube-style jam for about 5 glorious minutes before they, again, prematurely kill it

Also, I swear Trey is quoting the Crazy Sometimes vocal melody in his solo!

And awkwardly we slide into....Ocelot?! Ok.... 

Incendiary must hear, dark and angsty Ocelot!! Surprisingly killer!!!

And the following Theme just EXPLODES! Theme felt incredibly strong tonight, almost next level.

Then an incendiary First Tube as shock set closer!!


All in all, set 1 tonight felt like the best warmup tease ever. Strong readings with great little jams that showed a strong promise for greater things to come.

It felt like they were teasing us all set.

 

 KV thoughts:

Turtle kills. Great song.

Stray Dog was excellent. Way better than you remember some absolutely choice leads from Trey

Everything is Hollow KILLS!!! This has always been my sleeper favorite of the bunch. Would love so much to hear this exploded, so to speak

WACTOOB - Magical! A genuine near classic imo, and a great song that would fit perfectly in a normal Phish album. We all love WACTOOB, right?

SANTOS is awesome

The Final Hurrah is another classic. INSANELY GREAT! GET IT TREY! FACEPLANT INTO ROKK!!!!!!

Play By Play - my personal least FAVORITE, but I cant deny its one of the strongest songs here for sure. I totally understand why everyone wants this pulled out of mothballs. There is 100 percent a massive, black hole, Melt style jam waiting to be unleashed. Hell, this is the debut and they just about get there! Would love to hear a fleshd out studio reading of this.

DDHVL - Another killer, lucky to catch this live. Killed. 46 Days has met its competition!!

Cool Amber - one of the weaker songs for me, but still very enjoyable. Good and fun but one of the least "interesting"

Passing Through - strange song, I never got it, but I still like it, lol.

These songs are so STUPID but still so much fun! Why do they work?! They are strong songs but also stupidly crazy at the same time.

They arent technical but they are still very musically interesting and catchy. Hooks galore!
In other words, none of this should work, let alone be this excellent.

Set 1 was very good but not quite next level. A great warmup. It was excellent but it "felt" a little inconsistent or something.

Set 2, KV, was terrific. The "x factor" vibe was present throughout. They must have been excited as hell to play the songs because these debuts are all strong, and some versions are already as good as they have ever been played!!! WACTOOB, The Final Hurrah....

Set 3 opens with a red hot SYSF that is a compact 12 minute type 2 odyssey. More exploration than the Ghost from earlier, add this to the sleeper classics playlist!

And into a 16 min Tweezer we go....  

Tweezer is good but not essential. It basically stays in its lane for 16 enjoyably groovy minutes. Gets into beach party mode for a while which is cool.

 ASIHTOS

9 minutes of masterful playing. One of the best versions in recent memory. Patient and thorough, they explore the depths the come up for sunlight.

One of the hosiest, most climactic peaks ive ever heard.

TRANSCENDENT

Hands down, the best improv of the night so far and its not even close. Friggin insane.

This felt like a 20 min adventure.

It blows my mind that song as "primed" for jamming as this languishes in a pile of 8 to 12 minute version. Why do we not regularly have 25 min Ocean odysseys?!?!

 Following Ocean, we get a barnstormer Number Line that feels extra poignant tonight. It brings the heat but also seems to have that extra FEELING about it, big time. Great stuff.

After a fun Meatsick and a cooldown Bug that kills, we get a rip roaring 12 min Antelope!

Loving Cup into Tweeprize for the encore


All in all a great show. Set 3 was definitely the "musical" highlight. If you remove set 2, id give this show a solid 4.0 or 4.1 rating, something like that. Not the best of the year top to bottom, but no major flaws either. A very strong show, but in a year full of INCREDIBLE gigs, this one has to fight its way to the front of the pack.

Set 1 would be in my top 8 or 9 first sets of the year for sure, except the "we are holding back" vibe that keeps it from transcending. Set 1 was really, really good, but it was like "haha, gotcha!" or something

 

 

2018-10-28 Rosemont, IL - 2023 revisit

 10 28 18 today

A damn 15 minute bliss-rager Everything's Right to open. Incredible.

A darkly jammed, almost heavy metal version of Destiny Unbound follows.

Then an album-perfect Heavy Things. Seriously, this HT was outstanding!

A gorgeous Miss You follows. Actually very refreshing in this set placement, though im sure Im the only one that thinks so

Miss You SLAYS

Outstanding, magical, 12 minute Tube with a kickass "Im a Man" style dark funk jam. Holy mother of god that killed.

Wow, good stuff so far! 

Petrichor kills. I think Alpharetta is better buts its close. Great version.

There is a definite "x factor" vibe again tonight like on 10 26...

Then I Always Wanted comes and destroys worlds. A massive rock and roll face melter version.

When it concludes, the crowd ERUPTS and demands they continue the set so they fake us out with a nice version of Grind


Wow, what a set!!! If you get over your hangups about "omg 3 Big Boat songs, the horror!" and the odd-seeming set construction, you will be rewarded with one of the finest first sets of the year. If 10 26 18 didnt have that damn Mercury, no joke, id probably say this set played even BETTER.

A+, "dont judge a book by its cover" set!!!

Set 2

Carini into an apocalyptic nuclear bomb No Quarter....dude
And that segue into Cities was no joke! 

Short bu potent Cities into a RAGING Jibboo!!!

Twist had a legitimate type 2 jam that was actually noteworthy for once. And it segues magically into WTU and out again for a Twist reprise.

Then a gorgeous Shade before a RIDICULOUS 13 minute (!!!!!) Plasma!!!!!

Plasma is stupid amazing. Probably the 2nd best jam of the whole show!!!

HOSE EXPLOSION!!!!!

C Zero takes us home to chompertown

A shock surprise Fluffhead for the encore!!

All in all, this was a terrific set. All about segues and making the most out of a little, this set felt very 2019.

Killer set and show and likely underrated in the wake of the other 2 killer nights

DONT SLEEP ON THIS SHOW!!!! 

 

 

 

 

2018-10-27 Rosemont, IL - 2023 revisit

 On to night 2 of Chicago 2018

10 27 18

Set 1

If you take away the Mercury from night 1, Id almost be inclined to say this set was even better than set 1 from 10 26!!!

The opening Stash tries hard (A for effort) but ends up being much ado about nothing. Its all up from here though!!!

The Dogs rocked hard

Blaze On was MUST HEAR! 14 min with a SOARING jam reminiscent of the Went Gin or Camden 99 Chalkdust. Incredible!!!

Ya Mar and Water were excellent.

Vultures and Roses are Free were both A+ readings full of x factor energy.

46 Days went nuclear bomb.

And then a killer Bowie to close.

Maybe not as magical as last nights first set but it damn well held its own and then some!!! One of the best first sets of the year! 

Set 2

Raging Moma to begin before a ridiculously EPIC and gigantic 25 min No Men.

No Men is like a lumbering titan, traversing the landscape, crushing all in sight.

Excellent but nothing special Type I readings of Steam, CDT and Fuego follow, keeping us rocking before a nicely timed Joy cools us down perfectly

Great set so far, but not the effortless magic of night 1. Its excellent but different. Last night had that special flow, this night feels much more self aware and trying.

Terrific Suzy and surprise Rock and Roll to encore!!

I'd compare this show to something like Gorge 1, 7 20 18. Terrific show but not "magical".

Great stuff! A blast to listen to! 

2018-10-26 Rosemont, IL - 2023 revisit

 Onwards to 10 26 18

A great Punch to open. Slightly slower and more groovy, and its not flub-free, but its about as close to it as you can expect from 2018. A really great opening that sounds confidently relaxed!

Martian Monster is wah pedal and sample abuse. Absolutely insane, its pretty must hear.

Axilla keeps the momentum going perfectly.

And then Reba....holy mother of Reba!!!! NOW THIS IS HOW YOU REBA!!!!
10/10, A++++, stars aligned perfection.

The composition is nailed perfectly, and again, sounds CONFIDENT! None of this "skating by and hoping we dont flub it" stuff. Then the solo is just jaw droppingly epic. Goodebumps will be down your arms and legs. That Reba was MAGIC. Oh my goodness....

Up next is a rare and excellent My Sweet One that is the perfect come out from the Reba whistling section. They were meant to go together! Shred it, Page!

Now we get a 19 minute Mercury in the middle of set 1...

What the hell is going on...

Mercury turned in probably its finest reading.

All killer, no filler. The jam was like butter throughout. It stayed in that cool Type 1.5 zone where they got way out but never too far from shore. Just far enough.

And the playing itself was so good. The jam was PATIENT and organic - none of this jumping from section to section for no reason.

Also, before Sigma Oasis came out, this was the version of Mercury I preferred for me "non album songs 2017-2018" compilation.

When I say this Mercury is perfect, im not exaggerating.

The outta Mercury comes a "jesus effing christ!" version of Moonage Daydream that will leave your jaw on the floor!! Seriously - go replay this - this was one of the single finest short performances of the entire year.

Fiery Walls to close this special first set!  

Set 2

A 20 minute Tweezer (that feels a lot longer, in a good way) to open!

This Tweezer lays waste to my heralded version from Hampton a few shows ago. And that Tweezer was superb, that is saying a LOT!

Organic seems to be my buzzword for tonight as this one does that "10 different themes and sections" thing oh so spectacularly and perfectly.

This Tweezer goes from chill to hot to Party Time jam back to funk then to a crazy hose peak before slowly, and again, ORGANICALLY, morphing into a perfect-set-call Golden Age.

Now that is how you evolve a damn jam!

That Tweezer was absolutely on par with the Hampton Golden Age audiobook Odyssey in the Jam of the Year running.

No joke, that Tweezer is just...you need to replay it several times to comprehend it. SO MUCH IS GOING ON! But it never feels rushed or impatient. They play everything just the perfect amount of time.

Guys, where do you go when you have nothing above A+ ????!!!

And then into this 16 minute Golden Age.... 

Golden Age

A terrific 1999-style jam. Trey does a high pitch repeating loop and the guys drift into uptempo bliss for a bit.

It sounds like its getting dark, but at the EXACT perfect moment, Trey kills the loop and we head into a Leslie-led funk jam instead!!!!

Hell. Friggin. Yea. The magic from that Tweezer is still going. You know they are in the zone when Gordo turns on his FX!!

This is incredible!

After several glorious minutes, they move out of the funk and towards an impending peak. Swirling piano, Trey rocking out, hints of Golden Age returning.

This is like a meteor heading towards earth - brace for impact!!!

However, they avoid it and instead turn the coming peak sideways, outta nowhere, into Type 2, outer space, blackhole ambience.

Fishman reintroduces the Golden Age beat, but instead decides to drop out as the jam turns into FULL BLOWN AMBIENCE!!

And with that, they take the perfect moment to move into the ultra-rare Frost (that, again, who the hell saw coming).

What is even going on anymore. Im losing my mind here!

Frost is gorgeous - play this more!

Then, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Limb By Limb comes to pick us back up. Great type I version!  

After that great little Limb, we go into a standard-short, Type 1 rager version of Sand. Unique to get it so late in the set!!

And great googly moogly, this sucker is more destructive than a nuclear BOMB!!!!! GOOD LORD!!!

Holy crap....

After A Day in the Life and a red hot Possum, we get a Wilson into Tweeprize encore.


All in all, I dont know what they did differently, but this show was next-level. The Alpharetta shows and the 2nd MPP gig have been the "benchmark" to beat. Hampton night 3 almost achieved that, but this even surpassed that wonderful show.

For my money, so far in this relisten, 10 26 18 is the new show to "beat".

I said it the first time I played through 2018, but it still remains true - they are just getting better and better and BETTER with each passing show! Every time a certain jam or show hits that top level, they go and bury it a few shows later.

If there was an "official" Live Phish series for modern shows, this would absolutely be a candidate.

This show was damn incredible....

 

2018-10-24 Nashville, TN - 2023 revisit

 A 12 min Soul Planet to open set 1. Hell yes. An interestingly chill and patient jam on this!! Worth a listen! Very unique!!! Even get some cool synth work from Page.
Genuine Type 2 in the first song!!! Must hear!!

Pretty sick!

And then a screaming through space 2001 in slot 2?! Decent jamming on it as well. Great stuff! 

And then hot damn, that slide right into 555 out of 2001 was friggin cash money....Great call!!!!

555 has serious legs and turns in a gnarly, dark reading. A truly excellent version

Then we get derailed with a just ok Farmhouse for no reason before terrific Halfway to the Moon picks us up

Then....Waste. Huh?!?!

Waste is, thankfully, terrific on all fronts and worthy of its place.

My Friend is next...  

Myfe is Myfe. Good, but nothing special in the slightest

Then Maze comes along and does its thing, turning in a pretty strong reading that is as close to perfect as you can get from 2018 Phish. Great stuff!!!

Then...oh boy...a friggin 18 MINUTE Gin to close the set!!! Where the hell did this come from?!

Gin is interesting, but it cant decide what direction it wants to pursue. This leads to some clashing, unsettling sections before landing upon the rocking bliss jam we expected, before sliding sideways into funky darkness....

Its all over the map and a little awkward, lol

The funk jam is very 2021...the last 5 or 6 minutes of this Gin are outstanding

I wont call this a masterpiece, but it was great overall. A+ for effort

Worth it to note, despite the slow songs, this set is not chill. It feels slightly "relaxed" compared to night 1, but when they are rocking, they are going hard.

Purely based on the PLAYING as opposed to the set selection, I feel no shame in stating this is the better first set, for sure. Sure, night 1s first set rocked, but it was also very "rote". Energy does not equal greatness, ya know?

Wolfmans was terrific, but otherwise, nothing in that set was remotely special from a playing standpoint (though KDF almost got there). Not a knock, just interesting to compare the two. 

Disease-Crosseyed-Scents

Holy crap

Disease was 14 gloriously dark and sinister minutes. Felt like a 20 min Carini instead. Gordo even busted out the drill for a minute or two!! Genuinely scary type II

Unfortunately they stop it dead in its tracks, but thankfully they launch into a killer Crosseyed that has several fantastic type II minutes of funky wonkiness.

It hits a natural, budding bliss point and Trey takes the moment to shove in the Scents lick.

A for effort - there are way worse spots to cram it in.

Scents has a great kinda rhythmic jam. Very classic rock, lots of piano. Then they riff off of Run Through The Jungle before tossing in some Crosseyed teases.

Somehow it then morphs into a full blown Party Time jam!!!!!!!!! Dude, this is a RIOT!

Very cool little underrated Scents!!! Not the psychedelic monster you expect - give it a go and youll have a friggin blast!!!!  

Following Scents, we get bar burner Type I readings of No Men and Boogie On before a great Hood.


Set 2 of 10 23 was genuinely next level. That was one of the best sets of the year - easily in the top 7 or 8 ive re-heard so far

Set 2 of 10 24 is excellent, but its a totally different beast. It goes deep in spots but this is a "party rager" set instead of the grand mythical odyssey from night 1.

Any show would be lucky to have a 2nd set as strong as this - thats saying a lot.   

Harry Hood

Terrific reading with tons of "extraneous" playing from everyone. A Party Time jam here, a kille wah/clav solo there, etc. Eventually building to the pounding, piano led peak.

Seriously, this is an outstanding Hood. Dont sleep on it!!!! 

Antelope to close

All in all, I understand the argument that Night 1 is better, but on the whole, I really feel set 1 of 10 23 was lacking while set 2 was mind-blowing.

But 10 24 felt much more like a complete, whole show experience, ya know?

Similar shows but also quite different. Both are WELL worth your time  

 

 

2018-10-23 Nashville, TN - 2023 revisit

 After Big Cypress and rainy days screwing things up for me last week, its back to 2018 with 10 23 18 this morning.

I always remember thinking 10 24 was a terrific show but 10 23 didnt stick with me quite the same, though I have always remembered "Nashville Ghost" talk.

Anywho, finishing up set 1 as I type

An excellent, no pretense, get on your dancing shoes and just ROCK OUT kind of set. Almost nothing in the way of "exploration", and almost nothing you NEED to hear right this instant (though KDF comes close).

Just killer ROCK AND ROLL kind of set.

Tweeprise to open - always a welcome sign of good things to come

Party Time follows and leads us into a decent but stiff version of Free

The Old Home Place sounds great - play this more!

Lawn Boy is next and leads us into a shaky but most welcome Cool It Down. Again, play this more!

A good Theme that almost gets hot is next. A raging Funky B follows and leads us into an almost-jammed Kill Devil Falls (perfect song choice out of FB!!!).

Terrific funky jamming in Wolfman that leads to a raging peak, and C Zero to bring us home to Chomperville

The set felt like it was kinda fumbling around, a little stilted and unsure up until Cool It Down or Theme. From there it gained new momentum and really started to build.

Felt a lot like set one of Raleigh 2018, actually, but with a less adventurous setlist.

Ok, overanalyzing done, this is a fine, no frills kind of set. Just put it on and rock out. Dont think about it too hard.

For the must hears? Eh, Wolfman for sure and probably KDF. 

Set 2

A 12.5 minute Mike's Song to open. And its dark and gnarly right out of the gate....
Deep space, psych funk Type 2!!! Its incredible!!! MUST HEAR!!!  Mike's into Ghost! Best segue ever! 

EXCEPTIONAL second set!!!

Mike's -Ghost is a masterpiece. Other than the horrific ending, Ghost is among the absolute best jams of the year.

And the following ER into SYSF is fire, with lots of great Type 2 sprinkled in. Incredible.

Then a better than most version of Circus before a great jammed out Paug....

Then a Loving Cup encore

All is right with the world

Mandatory listen, this set. A++++

This set was total x factor magic. Just spectacular. Its got a reputation and it more than live up to it

Set 1 wasnt anything to write home about, but set 2 was INCREDIBLE!!!! 

 

2018-10-21 Hampton, VA - 2023 revisit

 Just started 10 21 18

Ive replayed this several times in the past and know that, despite the super weird setlist, I thought it was excellent.

So far the opening Stealing Time is absolutely melting faces. Holy moly, talk about volcanic eruption....

That was TERRIFIC! And I abhor it as an opener! 

Incredible set so far

Skin It Back - FREAKING AMAZING! WHY IS THIS NOT IN REGULAR ROTATION?!

Brian and Robert - achingly gorgeous

Timber - awesome

21 min Simple in the middle of set 1?! Not super out there, but mega awesome. Picture the jam slowly building upwards in intensity at a 45 degree angle. It just goes and goes and goes Must hear.  

Hands down - and its not even close - the best of the 3 shows, and easily in the top 3 or 4 shows of the year so far, IMHO.

X factor magic EVERYWHERE

A crazy setlist with no flow that somehow works great, "lesser" songs producing terrific jams (the Waves into Rise/CT is legitimately incredible), not one but TWO huge Type II jams, spectacular playing from Trey and extra energy all over the place....

A+ show all around. Please go revisit this. The only bad part is The Line cropping up after Light for no reason.

Oh yea that Light - 2018 has been a great year for it and add this one right to the top of the pile. 16 minute, multi part adventure with many moods and styles. 100 percent must hear.

Ok, gotta go finish my afternoon, but had to post that.

My memories of the show being great were confirmed and then some.  

2018-10-20 Hampton, VA - 2023 revisit

 10 20 18 Hampton night 2

Holy friggin crap that first set was spectacular.

Killer slow Llama to open.

A raging Fuego in slot 2 that threatened to go somewhere special....

A MUST HEAR all timer Runaway Jim with pretty unique jamming/sounds

Bug comes early and pounds. Mound makes a much welcome appearance. Tela follows and is EXCELLENT. Very strong Tela!

Then we get a NUCLEAR BOMB 46 Days. If 7 24 18 has the best one of the year so far, this was absolutely number 2.

And to close, one of the most incredible, bombastic, full-of-energy versions of Fluffhead.

Holy moly. A+ first set. 

2nd set is destroying worlds. The most insane, where did that come from, nuclear bomb First Tube opens and leaves us with our jaws on the ground.

A multi part Tweezer, easily the jam titan equal of last nights Golden Age, blows out mind for 18 incredible minutes before a gorgeous and poignant Dirt rises from its ashes.

A perfectly placed Number Line is next...


1000 percent this show puts night 1 to shame and we arent even done....

Wow.  

NmiNML

12 min

Deep space black hole for like 2 whole minutes. Pure evil ambience. Then Fishman slowly reintroduces the beat and Trey abd the guys jump back in to conclude it. Sick. Must hear!

Cavern is Cavern. Felt extra hot tonight.

Jibboo that follows is really frustrating. Trey is thrown off from the start and spends a long time AWOL in the jam. If you want to hear Jibboo without guitar, this is your version. Then he spends the back of the jam trying to play catch up. The band is killing it but Trey just cant latch on. Its like flicking a lighter over and over just getting sparks but no flame

Thankfully the following Suzy is a type I rager.

An excellent reading of Shine a Light to close.

All in all, another great set, but it did kinda go slightly downhill after No Men.

Not a top to bottom perfect show, but a solid 4.2 or something. Maybe a slight step below one of the Alpharetta shows

A million times better than night 1 tho.

2018-10-19 Hampton, VA - 2023 revisit

 10 19 18 Albany

Holy hell is this first set over yet? Atrocious song selection - good songs, I definitely do not need most of these all in the same set.

Strawb 23 is great but not my favorite cover so it loses points

Blaze On gets darn hot and has a budding jam that show promise but gets abandoned...

Uber rarity Mock Song kills the set dead in its tracks. Ugh, put it back in the closet!

Divided Sky is ok but flubby. Very "stiff" reading. Not great.

Roggae is less impressive than every other version played so far this year.

Sparkle is not needed

Undermind is hot but nothing special.

Meat is good but another slow song?!

Rift is decent - Trey nails his parts but its not a great version otherwise.

The only truly amazing cut is the world destroying Walk Away to end the set.

A 4.5 rating on .NET?! The second set better be the 2nd coming of Big Cypress, cuz this first set was in the top 3 worst of the year so far, holy hell 

On to set 2 of 10 19 18 Hampton

A ripping monster of a Carini opens. Its only 10 min but feels like a 20 min epic. Terrific.

A+ type I Sand to follow. Super annoyingly, it winds up at a terrific Type II "launchpad" moment. The Sand beat morphs into the 2001 beat!!! Everyone picks up on it and Trey even picks out his notes to play it, but then Fishman stops it dead in its tracks.

Full stop.

And they begin a 23 minute Golden Age...

WHAT HAPPENED?!?!?! BLUE BALLS RIPCORD IN THE EXTREME!!!!  

So that Golden Age, huh? How about that. Jam of the Year out of nowhere.

Crazy how they be doin that....  

Set 2 of 10 19 18 Hampton was excellent overall, though if you remove the Golden Age Odyssey there have been many better 2nd sets in 2018.

If I had to compare the set to anything though, it felt kinda like 7 24 18 set 2.


A strange show. If you remove the Golden Age, I honestly dont think it deserves more than a 3.8 or a 4.0 at most (and thats stretching it).

Set 1 was mostly lacking and set 2 wasnt anything special at all outside of the Golden Age

All that being said, that Golden Age took the crown for jam of the year. Easily. No joke, that was likely a Top-20-of-3.0 jam. It was THAT next level. Incredibly UNIQUE!!!! Basically, the "usual" jam evolves to Page playing a story from the Chilling Thrilling samples, and the band providing the soundtrack to the samples!

Its like listening to an insane audio book or something!!!!!

And the way it flows is like butter ...no stupid ripcords or botched segment changes. Hell, we even get a lenghty section of pure evil dark ambience at the end that lasts longer than 30 seconds....

That Golden Age Super Odyssey was a MASTERWORK.

Honestly? It gave me Phish 1.0 vibes in a way as well.

That wasnt a jam. That was a damn experience

So its a shame that the rest of the show is merely "pretty good" at best and lackluster elsewhere.

2018-10-17 Albany, NY - 2023 revisit

 10 17 18 Albany

Set 1

Kickass Crowd Control to open. Better than most versions.

Type II, 16 minute, as good as 7/20 Chalkdust in slot 2!!!!

Excellent and rare All of These Dreams next

Wolfman is dark and VERY jammed! A+++++++ Wolfman!!!!

Mule, NICU and Gumbo were all excellent Type I readings.

Steam exploded - as good, or better, than my lauded 7/31 Austin version! Wow!

I Didnt Know brought the vacuum hijinks

Nice, if unspectacular, Type I Gin to close


All in all, sure this set is a step down from the first set of 10 16, but what set wouldnt be?!

A terrific set on the whole, if not as "perfect". If the first set on 10 16 was an A+, this was a solid A

Most shows beg for a first set this good, ok?

Steam, Wolfman and Chalkdust are the must hear material from this set. Steam and Wolf were both A+++++ readings, and Chalkdust was a 16 minute "hold on to your hat!" adventure! I think I still think the 7 20 18 version is more epic, but this was still one of the best jams of the year!!!!!! 

Set 2 of 10 17 18 opens up with the Set Your Soul Free equivalent of the Chalkdust from set 1.

14 min, A+ rapid fire type 2 adventure. Add it to the best of 2018 playlist!!

An awkward and short BOAF follows it, but at least it rages hard and keeps the heat, even if its not must hear.

The following sequence of Mercury-Light-Wedge-Velvet sea is incredible.

Mercury is a top 3 of 2018 so far version. Doesnt get super out there, but has an incredibly cool jam that sounds like a spy movie theme or something!!!

Then the segue into Light is astonishing. Light itself is remarkable. An absolutely A+ reading in every way.

The Wedge starts so so then becomes hotter than hell. Id rank it possible as the 2nd best of the year so far!!!

And Velvet Sea is utter perfection.

Wilson is Wilson

Slave sounds special tonight, the equivalent of last nights Hood. Absolutely terrific.

Julius and Rocky Top to close.


This show was awesome but the 2nd set is where its at. If you took the first set of 10 16 and coupled it with set 2 of 10 17, I reckon youd have a genuine contender for show of the year. Amazing 2 night stand!!!!!

Chalkdust
Set Your Soul Free
Wolfman
Mercury
Light
Slave

All MUST HEAR!!!!!

2018-10-16 Albany, NY - 2023 revisit

 Currently in my dump truck on the side of the interstate.

After about 10 days off, Im beginning the legendary Fall 2018 again today for my 2nd run through of these shows.

Super excited. The summer shows blew me away on relisten and I cant wait to replay all of these. I remember Vegas and Nashville destroying my mind

On paper, these two Albany shows have pretty damn terrific setlists as well.

Anywho, 10 16 18 Albany starts the tour with a fine, if slightly restrained Moma.
Thankfully they get it together and turn it into and absolute FIRE FROM THE SKY RAGER! SHRED IT, BOYS! HOLY CRAP!

MOLTEN LAVA MOMA!

Ooh, an 11 minute Tube to follow! And it is killer. Page Synth Heaven. Seriously, this is dark funk paradise. Trey doesnt shred much, but he leads the way with a sick ascending wah motif that leads the song to a fiery, raging peak/conclusion.

You cant ask for much more from a Tube! Every version deserves this! No more 5 minute quickie versions.

Theme is up next. Seems rare to get it so early in a show, but its very refreshing and great to hear after that insane FireFunk opening duo.

When all is said and done, its nothing that special, but its an excellent Type I rager with Trey going ham on the fretboard. Always a plus. Great version!

Theme concludes with a surely-planned-out segue into Free that nobody saw coming!

Free has a really unique breakdown jam in the middle where Page and Fishman completely drop out for about a minute or two, leaving Gordo and Trey to "duel"!!!! Very unusual and frickin cool! Then Page comes back in with his piano and Trey turns on the Leslie...

Ooh, baby this is some special stuff right here!

THAT WAS FRIGGIN AWESOME!

Army of One is up next. Good spot for it! Not my favorite song but it seems that each one I hear is better than the last. Flawless soloing from Trey and this sounds super tight and rehearsed. Great version!

Halleys is up next. It sounds excessively chill tonight. Thankfully, Page busts out the Clav/wah combo and turns up the heat, prompting Trey to keep it going. This ends up being a damn strong Type I reading full of firery energy by its conclusion. Awesome!!!

Up next is a 13 minute Everything's Right. For the first couple minutes, the jam is in laid back, funk groove territory. Then Page turns to his watery keys and leads the jam to a laid back bliss style. Definitely BLISS, lol. But its super chill!!

Eventually Trey stumbles upon a "Divided Sky" sustained note. The crowd roars and this signals the jam to change once more. Fishman starts pounding the skins and we are picking up steam. Things are getting a good weight about them.

This "almost" peaks and things turn dark! Trey on Leslie, Fishman returning to the ER groove....we are definitely not in Blissville anymore. If this was 2021, there would be Robo Goose honks all over

At one part, the jam dies out for a split second, then they have a change of heart and keep ir going! Huh!

It develops this syncopated groove that turns into a natural segue into... CITIES!!!!

That segue was some X Factor Magic stuff!!!!! I refuse to believe that was planned, but it was incredibly perfect!!!

AND WE ARE STILL IN THE FIRST SET!!!!!

Cities sounds great. It delivers exactly as you expect, but it also gets really quiet and mysterious as well! Pretty interesting little version. Awesome!!

And then of course a destructive Walls to close.


All in all, holy mother of hell what a first set! Nothing was less than excellent, and Moma, Tube, ER-Cities were all MUST HEAR.

That ER was 13 minutes, but felt like a 25 min journey!

First sets dont get much better than this!

 

Set 2

Ghost opener. Starts dark but quickly turns into a bliss jam. Warewolf95 Drinking Game, 2018 edition - take a shot every time a jam quickly goes "feel good".....I enjoy the playing but it's getting kind of old at this point.

Also, everyone blames Trey, but actually go listen - 90 percent of the time its PAGE that forces us out of the dark!!!!!

Ok, back to Ghost. Nothing super special, but it is an really excellent "get your feet wet" kind of version. Just hot on the whole. Trey is being patient with his playing - if you like sustained notes, this is the version for you.

In the back half, it gets downright rockin. Page hints at some synths but returns to piano instead and it turns into a straight up face melter rocker. Killer. I mean, it has one of those "unresolved" anti-peaks going on that they keep doing.

Instead of EXPLODING, they opt to reel it all back in. Kinda annoying but sometimes cool, like the one in this Ghost - it leads to a Twist ish style jam, but fades out into ambience quickly before launching into......

No Men In No Mans Land. A perfect 1 2 punch like thar Moma and Tube in set 1!!!! When all is done, its an A+ Type I rager of the highest order for the first 7 minutes. Then around 730 the synths creep in and things get dark. The jam is slowly going sideways. The final 4 minutes see the whale siren make an appearance and the whole goes into outer space!!!!

And then Trey ruins it with a Piper audible.... JUST LET THINGS EVOLVE, DANG IT! I forgive him, even though this was a super clunky transition. He basically shoved Piper in there by force when he easily could have just started strumming it and let it naturally blossom.

But whatevs.... As with most modern Pipers, the jam aint long but its very sweet. It gets a kind of darkish, slightly latin tinged feel about it, but its still very uptempo at the same time. I dont know how, but it winds down and Trey leads us into....

Twenty Years Later? Ok! The famous Albany 2018 version! 14 minutes tonight. The jam is a red hot type I heater for a while. Then eventually everyone latches onto a rhythmic beat, sending us DEEP into Type II outer space like that MSG 2012 Disease and Carini!!!!

Weird drum beats, dark synthesizers abound....this is incredible unsettling. If this doesnt frighten you....holy hell.

It just keeps getting darker and crazier and zanier!!!!!!! Dude!!!!

Hold me, im scared!!!!!


No joke, thats gotta be in the top 10 "scariest" jams theyve ever played! And it even returns to the song proper to close!!!

Somehow we manage to escape the fiery hellscape of doom and return to dry land with the most perfectly placed Show of Life.

Is this the only version NOT played as an encore?!

Wow.....Great version that even has a jam!!!!! Dude!!!! What even is this show?!?!

A nice but nothing special red hot duo of 2001 and C Zero lead us to an A+ magical Harry Hood to finish the show!

Hose bliss! Hose bliss everywhere!! Insane Hood!


All in all, the Ghost through SoL as well as the Hood was all must hear. A terrific set and an astonishingly great show!

Phish - Summer 2018 Revisited, 2023

 Work got cut short today due to rain so I'm gonna restart Dick's 2018 night 2 tomorrow.

In the meantime, 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!

The Gorge 2018, Revisited in 2023

 Night 1, 7 20 18
This is my preferred show of the three. If you want to know what a show that I like looks like, this is it. This is me, to a T. It slaughtered, but I will admit of the three I'd rank it a hair below 7 22 18

Night 2, 7 21 18
Great show overall that anyone would be stoked to attend. This is what a setlist NOT to my "taste" looks like That second set in particular. Lots of songs I love but don't need to hear all in the same set/show together. That being said, it was still a great show despite having more selective highlights versus the "everything was amazeballs" vibe of nights 1 and 3. It is a great listen and flows like gravy.

Night 3, 7 22 18
The Big Bopper of the three, in my opinion. This show felt "special" for some reason. The setlist is loaded with rarities/uncommon songs, you get The Curtain With, Reba, that Crosseyed>Twist, Fluffhead AND a friggin' 17 minute Melt to cap it off. I mean, they brought out the BIG GUNS tonight!!! The show had great flow and in my honest opinion the Crosseyed>Twise was contender for best jam of the three nights. It's that amazing.


A damn strong run!!! I feel like this is overshadowed majorly by Alpharetta, unfortunately. A terrific run with 3 very different, yet excellent, shows. That's pretty cool - each show had a definite "vibe" about it.

A+ run if you ask me!

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!

2018-12-31 New York City, NY

My notes for this on the Hoffman forum were a freaking mess - I originally started and got through set 2. Then I took a break for about 6 months before revisiting the show from scratch only to end up not reviewing the whole thing...

 Point is, here's my highlights list for it - it was an incredible show but I dropped the friggin' ball on reviewing it big time :P

 

12/31/18 (Set 2 is FLAWLESS)**
Sand (Short but incredible)
Steam> (AWESOME. ALBUM READY!!)
Chalkdust Torture>
What's the Use>
Play By Play
Run Like an Antelope
Down With Disease (INCREDIBLE RAGER!)
>Farmhouse
>Seven Below (17 minute type II dance party! ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. One of the greatest Type II excursions I have ever heard. SO MUCH GROUND COVERED. SO MANY SECTIONS. HOLY CRAP.)
>Twist (SPECTACULAR)
Passing Through (Great Type I. Very Dead-like.)
>Harry Hood Reprise
Mercury (Extremely cool - builds to NYE)
Say It To Me Santos (Freaking ROCKS. AWESOME!!!)
Limb By Limb (Sweet and beautiful!)
>Rock and Roll (ABSOLUTELY FRIGGIN AWESOME. IT WAS ALL RIGHT INDEED!!!!)
>Suzy Greenberg (GET IT PAGE!)
The Lizards
Character Zero (Really great, fluid Type I)

 

 

 

 

 

2018-12-29 New York City, NY

On to 12/29/18, MSG #2

I believe I played this show and 12/30 back when they actually happenned. I don't remember much of it but the setlist is ringing bells.

The energy is HIGH tonight!

Buried Alive SLAYS and Blaze On has a totally kickass jam that just builds and builds. It's only 10 minutes but you can get lost in it like its 25.

Awesome stuff  

-----------------------------------------------------------------

I'm just finishing set 1 of 12/29 and HOLY CRAP THAT WAS THE MOST AWESOME FIRST SET IVE EVER HEARD!!!!!!!!

Dude!!! The ENERGY!!!!! THIS SHOW IS FREAKING AWESOME!
  

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Now THIS is what I'm talkin about!!!!!

Carini>
Tweezer>
Death Don't Hurt Very Long>
Tweezer Jam 

---------------------------------------------------------------

No Quarter

THIS IS THE BEST TREY ANASTASIO PHISH PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

 ------------------------------------------------------------------

 

First Tube

I've already reached saturation point with my use of hyperbole for this unbelievably incredible show, so I'll keep it Simple with this one...

wow

2 More shows to go but....how much better can they possibly get?!