Nothing tougher than subjectively reviewing my first show back after the breakup. After failing to get summer '09 tickets because of the infamous Livenation crash of 2009, I had given up most of my hope of seeing Phish again. Given the lack of longevity of 2.0, I assumed the '09 tours were going to be a one shot deal. I heard of the Fenway show about two weeks before, and managed to score a ticket.

The weather was a shit show pre-show, and entrence was a nightmare. I spent 30 minutes bottlenecked in the pouring rain. I would find out that Phish took the field just about at the scheduled time (?!), while I was wating to get in. I heard the opening chords of Sample as I ran through the Fenway concession area. The sensation of running down the aisle to my 3rd base side seat, seeing the sun breaking through the clouds, and dancing my ass off to Sample was the stuff of dreams.

None of the first set felt real. A new Phish song (Ocelot)? There hasn't been one of those in 5 years. Watching the hoedown in the right field bleachers during Poor Heart, at Fenway? Must be a dream. Freaking Destiny Unbound? I texted everybody I knew who might care: "Phish is playing Destiny Unbound right now."

Set 2 was an assault of all the big Phish anthems I wanted to hear just once more in my life. Tweezer? Check. Gin? Check. Bowie? Check. Free? Check. YEM!

What a difference a few years makes. On tape, things go like this: nothing special to see. Sure, the Light debut is notable, but only as a historical marker. This is one of those "you had to be there" moments that brought us all back after the 5 years away.