Mastodawn

Chop Apr 15, 2023

#Phish Spring 2023 #RANKED

Tier 1: <null>
Tier 2: <null>
Tier 3: SEA1

- Good table-setter for an opener
- Band was tight & peppy w/ Trey sounding fantastic
- Nothing was slow or sluggish
- Minimal over-singing like Mexico
- Jams were driving w/ less reliance on effects
- Wave of Hope & Golden Age were sublime with big peaks
- Slick bonus jam in Fluff
- S1 was solid but ultimately forgettable
- S2 fell apart after Golden Age
- Far from inspiring setlist
- Tier 3 bc I think it will end up there

#Phish Spring 2023 #RANKED

Tier 1: <null>
Tier 2: SEA2
Tier 3: SEA1

- Elite first set led by a sublime Wolfman’s -> Izabella, jammy Chalkdust, and one of the best Rebas since IT
- Nothing as deep as N1’s Wave of Hope or Golden Age, but the Ruby Waves, Piper, and the exceptional Tube all got places quickly
- Despite all this, S2 was a rollercoaster of ups and downs
- There is something to be said for squeezing in 5 classic 1.0 ballads/bathroom songs (pending your point of view) after setbreak

Chop Apr 18, 2023

#Phish Spring 2023 #RANKED

Greek1
<Mariana Trench>
SEA2
SEA1

I was going to put up some dumb message about rankings being delayed because I won’t have a chance to give a full listen for a bit.

But why fight the inevitable? The only question around last night is where it falls in terms of all-time great shows in the history of the band

Incredible that they did this in year 40.

Also, just when you think Phish might finally be warming up to Seattle again… 😜

Chop Apr 19, 2023

#Phish Spring 2023 #RANKED

Greek1
<Mariana Trench>
SEA2
Greek2
SEA1

- Brilliant first set highlight (Gin), surprising jam (555), some fantastic improv in the first half of the second set, questionable setlist calls, and the fourth quarter fell apart hard.
- The above sounds all too familiar in 4.0. Still, the improv was outstanding in the first half of S2 despite the places it came from.
– Could really put the last 3 shows in any order. This is mine…for now.

Chop Apr 20, 2023

#Phish Spring 2023 #RANKED

Greek1
<Mariana Trench>
SEA2
<small gap>
Greek3
Greek2
SEA1

- Jim and Bag get the extended jam treatment—in S1 no less
- Short but super interesting Timber
- Cool jam out of BaSoS, though it ended quickly when it hit stride
- SYSF had a long, if not memorable, excursion
- Putting this just above Greek2 *for now* based on S2 not falling apart. Though it had the tamest play and least exciting improv of the tour so far. Based on S2 play alone, it’s arguably last.

Chop Apr 22, 2023

Programming note:

Went out to see actual live music last night and then went to bed early to wake up and ski, so didn’t catch any webcasts. Planned to listen in the car, but then ski traffic was absurd for April bc of a late season powder day. Didn’t feel like doing that much traffic only to arrive after stuff was skied out, so we bailed on skiiing.

Seems like a very enjoyable if not remarkable night of #Phish. Will listen later and update the rankings.

LeftyintheADK Apr 22, 2023

@chopaganda #2 for the spring run IMO

neddyo Apr 22, 2023

Looking forward to your bullet points.

I know where I put last night relative to the previous 3.

Chop Apr 22, 2023

@Neddyo I don’t think you’re gonna be happy with where I think this is gonna go. But still need to finish set 2.

Chop Apr 23, 2023

@Neddyo So my original take was that it was ahead of Greek2 simply bc it didn’t fall apart. And maybe ahead of Greek3 bc of more/better improv. But after finishing the show, I found it perfectly solid but completely unremarkable in a tour of remarkable nights. So 🤷‍♂️.

Chop Apr 22, 2023

#Phish Spring 2023 #RANKED

Tier 1: GRK1
T2: SEA2
T3: SEA1, GRK2, GRK3, LA1

- Very uninspired setlist, but didn’t fall apart badly in S2 like SEA1 & GRK2

- Great jams out of the usual suspects though not sure any reached “top moments of tour” status. No jams in atypical spots like prior shows

- Return from ER peak was downright jarring and not sure why Mercury isn’t jam-worthy anymore

- Probably the least “special” show of tour, but hard to rank it better or worse than the rest of T3

Chop Apr 23, 2023

#Phish Spring 2023 #RANKED

Tier 1: GRK1
Tier 2: LA2
T3: SEA2
T4: SEA1, GRK2, GRK3, LA1

- You can quibble that some of the first set heavy hitters didn’t go hard, but who cares when you get a setlist like that?

- Melt was huge and has to be the best sub 15-min version since the 90s

- Massive CDT

- Sally covered so much ground in 10 min. Best since BGCA 2016

- The 44 minute Echo of a Rose is a masterpiece, and there is no shame in putting it ahead of the Greek Tweezer for JOTY so far.

Lost Reflector Apr 23, 2023

@chopaganda final bullet point in your write up. 👌👌👌

neddyo Apr 23, 2023

@chopaganda pretty much same.

PolarJR Apr 23, 2023

@chopaganda full attendance bias here…but the 1st set of GRK1 might be the weakest set of the tour. LA2 better show top to bottom

World's Greatest Dad Apr 23, 2023

@polarjr @chopaganda Agree re: first set of Greek N1. One of the biggest set I vs. set II disparities I can recall.

Will Apr 23, 2023

The “No Jam Mercury” trend is disturbing.

Will Apr 23, 2023

Kevin Apr 20, 2023

@chopaganda On paper last night looked like a festival appearance the way they were rattling off fan favorites but not really jamming them.

Glide28 Apr 20, 2023

@chopaganda heading to Hollywood with the soul planet, drift, more, come together on tap plus la scenesters. But can’t wait!

Bhagwan Apr 20, 2023

@chopaganda wow completely disagree. I was at all 3 Greeks. Thought n2 kind of sucked esp the song selection. Last night was real good. N1 N3 gap N2

Chop Apr 20, 2023

@bhagwan I still have 3>2. Assume you disagree with the comments.

Bhagwan Apr 20, 2023

@chopaganda must be a typo on your list then. Felt N2 was heavy industrial and kind of plodding. Personally didn’t do it for me. Lots of folks raving about that one though so it’s a matter of personal taste. Didn’t enjoy the crew in front of me calming a bad tripper down the entire set 2, so must also be some attendance bias for me

Chop Apr 20, 2023

@bhagwan Good catch. Fixed

Bhagwan Apr 20, 2023

@chopaganda good job 😉

Wojo Apr 20, 2023

@chopaganda spot on. There were some really great moments, but it felt restrained overall by comparison.

Hee Haw 2.0 Apr 19, 2023

@chopaganda even despite a very sub-par first set Greek1. Hmm it’s tough.

guy forget Apr 19, 2023

@mikelowetpt @chopaganda True that last night’s first set is way better than Monday set 1 and last night’s 2nd is quite good. But the 9/14/99 rule applies here: a truly massive 2nd set trumps all, regardless of what happened in set 1.

Hee Haw 2.0 Apr 19, 2023

@jenniferdances @chopaganda ok yes. I’d forgotten about the Boise Rule

Chop Apr 19, 2023

@jenniferdances @mikelowetpt Also the 12/9/95 rule.

Mr. Completely Apr 19, 2023

@jenniferdances @mikelowetpt @chopaganda that's a fact. If you're not peaking in set two you're doing it wrong and everything that happens during your peak counts ten times as much. I barely remember most first sets unless they're exceptional and that's fine

Brad Solari Apr 18, 2023

@chopaganda Yeah I said it last night hastily in the moment and have no regrets. That’s an all time set of phish and an all time version of Tweezer (and Simple) in any era. Just pissed off I didn’t go. But that’s another story for another day.

UncleFredsJive Apr 18, 2023

@chopaganda have you ever ranked all of the 4 song & under sets...? Might be a good opportunity, if not.

chillwig Apr 18, 2023

@chopaganda usually the trench is under the sea

Chop Apr 18, 2023

@chillwig A sea of great vibes!!!

BiodiversityDad Apr 18, 2023

Couple of fun remarks after last night’s incredible show (set 2 in particular): 1) friend who works with the band said it might have been the most psychedelic set he’s ever seen Phish play; 2) veteran railrider who you may know (old school Water Wheel) said it felt more like a Dead show than any Phish show he’s ever been to. The Greek was insane last night - most nuts I’ve seen it since Furthur 2013!

Chris Apr 16, 2023

@chopaganda ✍️

Chris Apr 16, 2023

@chopaganda also, WTF you talking about bathroom songs bro? I probably would have pissed my pants.

Chop Apr 16, 2023

@chris Pending your point of view. If you were seeing them a lot in the late 90s, that setlist is definitely not appealing.

Chris Apr 16, 2023

@chopaganda I admittedly did not see as many Phish shows in the 90s as I would have liked.

Chris Apr 16, 2023

@chopaganda for some reason I waited until after I graduated college to lose my mind and travel a lot for music. Which was awful timing since I graduated in spring of 2001.

Furrythug Apr 16, 2023

@chopaganda S2 has Charleston3 vibes on paper

Chop Apr 16, 2023

@furrythug Not even close. They are playing really well. Just need to put a good setlist together.

Furrythug Apr 16, 2023

@chopaganda “on paper” but intermittent Fuckerpants, Wading, Circus w/ a Train song > B&R encore is a bumpy road.

dancing_bear_pink

@furrythug @chopaganda

It’s no easy road, this struggle + strife …

Ryan Storm Apr 16, 2023

@chopaganda Superball Reba still better imo but this one is excellent

Chris Apr 16, 2023

@ry_storm @chopaganda this is correct. Mostly because I was at Superball.

Don’t go back to Rockdale Apr 16, 2023

@ry_storm @chopaganda I just spun it. Wasn’t blown away but that’s kind of besides the point. We want them to jam out some classic songs. They do what we want. We take.

Chop Apr 16, 2023

@ry_storm Superball is a great call. I heard “best since Augusta” and ran with it. A little hamband hyperbole is good for the community 😜

Mr. Completely Apr 16, 2023

@chopaganda that was the whiplashiest set that's whipped my lash in a hot minute. Playing 3 ballads straight from the 99 setlist card was wild but every time Trey let Fishman off the chain for a minute he went apeshit. Especially with the feathery breakbeat stuff

Chop Apr 16, 2023

@mrcompletely The whole band, but especially Fish and Trey, sounds incredible. If they can just put together a decent second set setlist, we’d be golden.

Stoney Takes Apr 16, 2023

@chopaganda @mrcompletely last nights setlist spelled “see you at the Greek”

Mr. Completely Apr 16, 2023

@chopaganda yeah it feels like a great show is looming. The performance level is very high and I'm super pleased with these two shows especially with how A+ the venue is now but def could be more coherent setlists

Kevin Apr 16, 2023

@mrcompletely @chopaganda I’m not getting the set list complaints from this weekend. I’m reading them, but they’re not registering, especially in comparison to so many shows last summer

Chop Apr 16, 2023

@kev @mrcompletely Did you see the band a lot in the late 90s?

Kevin Apr 17, 2023

@chopaganda @mrcompletely Shouldn’t be a standard prerequisite for phish shows in 2023

Chop Apr 17, 2023

@kev @mrcompletely Who said it was? It would just explain a difference of opinion on that setlist.

Mr. Completely Apr 16, 2023

@kev @chopaganda for me the setlists weren't terrible at all and I thought the complaints after the first night were overstated, but for example last night set two felt jumpy from going back and forth between high octane breakbeat jamming and late 90s power ballads. Doing that once is fun, doing that three times in a set is just... Odd? As a result the set lacked "flow" or coherence for me, but only relative to shows that are perfect or nearly so in that regard

Mr. Completely Apr 16, 2023

@kev @chopaganda overall by far my takeaway from the pair is that the band is coming in hot, not rusty or loose like many tour openers are. Fishman's shoulder surgery was apparently a bionic upgrade because he's off his rocker. I do think these weren't perfect setlist shows but 1) that's subjective and 2) that's well within the realm of nit picking and not serious critique from my personal perspective

And Seattle gets an A+ for venue/crowd/scene/vibe this time

Kevin Apr 17, 2023

@mrcompletely @chopaganda Yeah, the shows/crowd/vibe had such a good feel. Hoping this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Kevin Apr 17, 2023

@mrcompletely @chopaganda Get that. Felt it when they played Bug on Friday, second set, but then you stick around and get a Fluffhead. Second set and encore last night… the problem is I love all those songs