#Phish Summer 2023 #RANKED

MAGA Greek 2
<big gap>
MAGA Greek 1

No tentpole jam, but so much great improv and fun playing throughout the night. Puts the lack of good improv on night 1 in perspective. Plus, another encore worth staying for (hope that trend keeps up). Even the Antelope seemed like it had one of the better peaks in recent memory.

#Phish Summer 2023 #RANKED

GA1
<gap>
MAGA Greek 2
<big gap>
MAGA Greek 1

Great setlist. And while you can quibble that Ghost never quite got there and the first half of Ruby Waves wasn’t great, you’d have to contend with the second half of Ruby Waves, probably the 🐐 Myfe, top 3ish Tube since 2004, great NMINML, and a surprisingly exciting Caspian.

Ps - Another mid-second set debut. Could tonight be the night Perseid (aka Forward People) makes an appearance?

#Phish Summer 2023 #RANKED

GA1
<gap>
MAGA Greek 2
GA2
<big gap>
MAGA Greek 1

More up and down and flubbier than the previous two nights with some questionable setlist calls. But if you choose to rank this one higher on the back of the massive Tweezer, no argument.

#Phish Summer 2023 #RANKED

Tier 1: GA1
Tier 2a: AL2, GA2
Tier 2b: GA3
Tier 3: AL1

Switching to tiers bc there isn’t much differentiation. Phish has gotten very good in 4.0 at consistently delivering solid shows via a little of this & a little of that. The difference between the hits, the average, and the clunkers is not nearly as stark as it used to be.

Flubby and at times low energy night with a fairly forgettable 1st set, but then a largely dream setlist 2nd w/ great jams in Carini & Sand.

#Phish Summer 2023 #RANKED

Tier 1: GA1
Tier 2a: AL2, GA2
Tier 2b: GA3
Tier 3: AL1
Tier 5: NC1

A brilliant ASIHTOS (🐐 candidate) complete with some mesmerizing drumming kept it off the level of Charleston3, Grand Prairie, and Hampton1 99.

Still, between the tepid first set, everything post-Light in the second, and some out-of-control Trey vocal stylings, it’s one of the weakest shows of 4.0, and I have no doubt it will be joked about for years to come.

#Phish Summer 2023 #RANKED

Tier 1: GA1
Tier 2a: AL2, GA2
Tier 2b: GA3
Tier 3: AL1, NC2
Tier 5: NC1

Solid show with 3 nice jams and room for more until god—in an unprecedented move—made sure there wouldn’t be a repeat of the previous night’s fourth quarter by forcing the band to pull a Costanza and leave on the high note of Q3.

#Phish Summer 2023 #RANKED

Tier 1: GA1
Tier 2: AL2, GA2, GA3, PIT1
Tier 3: AL1, NC2
Tier 5: NC1

Hard show to rank. No true tentpole jam, but a lot of “a little of this and and a little of that.” Not a classically great setlist, but it was interesting and unpredictable.

Special shout-out to one of the few interesting Bowies since 2009. It almost crossed over in to need-to-hear territory, but unfortunately the 3.0 and 4.0 kids still have giant goooose eggs next to their stats for Bowies seen.

#Phish Summer 2023 #RANKED

Tier 1: GA1
Tier 2: GA2, GA3
Tier 3a: PIT2
Tier 3b: AL2, PIT1
Tier 4: AL1, NC2
Tier 6: NC1

Took a step back & reworked this a bit. The consistency of clear highlights each show combined with the consistency of not putting it all together each show is making this tour brutal to rank. All-time ER last night & rocking (if light on improv) Q4 but mostly lame S1 until Ass-handed. And while Tube & Ghost in the encore are exciting, each might be the weakest version of 4.0.

#Phish Summer 2023 #RANKED

Tier 1b: Cuse
Tier 1c: GA1
T2: GA2, GA3
T3a: PIT2
T3b: AL2, PIT1
T4: AL1, NC2
T6: NC1

GA1 has the better S1. Cuse has the best S1 jam (KDF). Ruby Waves & Tweezer are close but one is Tweezer. Encores are even (though I’d take If I Could). GA1 doesn’t have Miss You so points there. That leaves Ghost, Flew Away, 🐐 Myfe & First Tube vs Suzy, 🐐 Oblivion, Wolfman’s & Possum. Probably give GA1 the edge there.

Going with Cuse #1 for now, but thinking it flips over time.

#Phish Summer 2023 #RANKED

Tier 1b: Cuse
Tier 1c: GA1
T2: GA2, GA3
T3a: PIT2
T3b: AL2, PIT1, PH1
T4: AL1, NC2
T6: NC1

Gin covered a ton of ground quickly. Otherwise, lot of cringe (especially vocals) & not a lot of improv in S1.

Nothing in S2 got “there” except The Well which had a jam as good as the song is bad. More cringe vocals and several jams cut off as soon as they got going. Still, it’s hard to deny the blazing tempos and raucous energy as the band soared from ripcord to ripcord.

#Phish Summer 2023 #RANKED

Tier 1b: Cuse
Tier 1c: GA1
T2: GA2, GA3
T3a: AL2, PIT2
T3b: PIT1, PH1, PH2
T4: AL1, NC2
T6: NC1

Man, I don’t know. The Carini was incredible and better than anything played Tuesday. But then the show kind of fell off a cliff (and even SYSF didn’t deliver a good jam). First set looks way better on paper than it is on tape. Show wasn’t nearly as spastic as Tues and had less vocal “stylings” but it was also way less exciting.

I don’t know. Nothing matters anyway.

#Phish Summer 2023 #RANKED

Tier 1: MSG1
Tier 2: GA1, Cuse
T3: AL2, GA2, GA3
T4a: PIT2
T4b: PIT1, PH1, PH2
T5: AL1, NC2
T7: NC1

Wave of Hope & Cities gave it more S1 firepower than any other show this tour. Ruby > Plasma > Simple & Melt gave it more S2 firepower than any other show. Not only was it a lot of improv, it was damn good improv—peak after peak after peak.

Despite all odds, a show with Evening Song, More, and My Soul in set opener/closer spots is now wearing the yellow jersey.

#Phish Summer 2023 #RANKED

Tier 1: MSG1
Tier 2: GA1, Cuse
T3a: BAMA2, GA2, GA3
T3b: MSG2
T4a: PIT2
T4b: PIT1, PH1, PH2
T5: BAMA1, NC2
T7: NC1

Gorgeous DWD but then S1 fell apart for a while. Likely the 🐐 Fuego (topping Mann 2014) and solid Oblivion (if not the MSG monster we were hoping for). Cool segue from 2001->HYHU. Overall, an up & down show with an uninspiring setlist, but the Fuego was so damn good + bonus points for the Fishman Rosie fun factor despite how poorly it was executed.

#Phish Summer 2023 #RANKED

Tier 1: MSG1
Tier 2: GA1, Cuse
T3a: BAMA2, GA2, GA3, MSG3
T3b: MSG2
T4a: PIT2
T4b: PIT1, PH1, PH2
T5: BAMA1, NC2
T7: NC1

Weird show to rank. S1 felt like an all-time great first set but is less impressive (though still fantastic) on relisten. S2 felt like a bit of a downer in the moment (non-jammed Sigma & back-to-back breathers didn’t help), but sounds much better on relisten. Gonna put this one a notch above Sat on the strength of S1.

#Phish Summer 2023 #RANKED

Tier 1a: MSG4
Tier 1b: MSG1
Tier 2: GA1, Cuse
T3a: BAMA2, GA2, GA3, MSG3
T3b: MSG2
T4a: PIT2
T4b: PIT1, PH1, PH2
T5: BAMA1, NC2
T7: NC1

The only debate is MSG1 vs MSG4. While MSG1 **might** have a **slight** edge in improv, MSG4 is clearly stronger in setlist + has a monster encore. Setlist doesn’t factor nearly as much as play, but it counts. If you ding shows like NC1 for brutal setlists, you can’t say it doesn’t matter elsewhere.

MSG4 now wears the yellow jersey.

#Phish Summer 2023 #RANKED

Tier 1: MSG1, MSG4
T2: GA1, Cuse
T3: BAMA2, GA2, GA3, MSG2, MSG3
T4: PIT1, PIT2, PH1, PH2
T5: BAMA1, NC2, MSG5
T7: NC1

Weak setlist and while there were solid highlights (like every show this tour), most of those highlights are fleeting and far less impressive on relisten. Hard to argue MSG5 being better than any show above it.

ps - Did some tier adjustments. The biggest is making MSG1 & MSG4 co-leaders. Solid arguments for either being show of tour.

#Phish Summer 2023 #RANKED

Tier 1: MSG1, MSG4
T2a: GA1, Cuse
T2b: MSG6
T3: BAMA2, GA2, GA3, MSG2, MSG3
T4: PIT1, PIT2, PH1, PH2
T5: BAMA1, NC2, MSG5
T7: NC1

S1 was up & down w/o a big highlight. Best Mike’s since 1.0 & maybe jam of tour. Solid Sand->Crosseyed, but ALBTD killed S2’s momentum w/ Lizards not high-energy enough to get it back. Odd to hold Weekapaug for the encore only to drop an incredibly tame version. Giving slight edge to Cuse & GA1 based on S1s & more well-rounded S2+Es.