This is both a review and an appeal for a title change. I arrived at Watkins Glen with my 12-year old son at about 4:30pm as the rain fell heavily and steadily. We found our campsite in the family camping area, but there was no way we were going to set up in the heavy rain. So instead we just sat in the car listening to The Bunny. We had some hopes of catching the soundcheck, but didn't know the logistics of the site. When the soundcheck started we were torn about trying to get to the field to witness it in person since it sounded so good on the radio. But after listening to about 10 fantastic minutes we decided to make a go of it. We threw on some trash bags and made for the main festival grounds. We never missed any of the jam since our campsite was relatively close to the grounds, though obviously it wasn't crystal clear as we made our way. We were thrilled to get as close as we did and got down with a few hundred other folks willing to be wet in order to witness one groove after another emerge.

I think the looseness of the band during a soundcheck lends to the fluidity of the playing. No rush to get anywhere musically. Just listening to each other and trying out ideas. For me this is Phish at its best. Luckily, the soundcheck truly was an accurate preview of things to come over the weekend. The band is in such a great space right now for creating new music on the fly. All four fully engaged and playing their asses off. It is a golden age of Phish.

Now for the appeal. This jam should most certainly be labeled the "Feel the Bern Jam." As anyone paying attention knows, Jon has committed himself to supporting Bernie Sanders' campaign for the presidency, whose social media tagline/hashtag has become #FeeltheBern. This is what Jon was referring to at the beginning of the jam with his refrain of "Can you feel the Bern?" I had the good fortune of speaking with Jon at length on Sunday before the final show and he both confirmed the intent of the jam, stated that it should "absolutely" be called the "Feel the Bern Jam," and that I was encouraged to quote him on that fact. So there you go. Phish.net admins, please label the jam appropriately: the one and only "Feel the Bern Jam!"