ChopApr 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

Show threadChopApr 16, 2023

#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

Show threadMr. CompletelyApr 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
Show threadChopApr 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.
Show threadMr. CompletelyApr 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
Show threadKevinApr 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
Show threadMr. CompletelyApr 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
Show threadMr. CompletelyApr 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

Show threadKevin
@mrcompletely @chopaganda Yeah, the shows/crowd/vibe had such a good feel. Hoping this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Apr 17, 2023 at 4:21amWeb