What a show!
Brought two first-timers with me because the phriends who were supposed to join me in LA in July 2020 couldn't make it in October. What a lucky pair to have this as their first show! Of course I "lectured" them in the car on the way there about how Phish never repeats songs throughout a tour, and Phish proved me wrong by repeating Steam and Antelope in the first set (I had seen both songs in SF last week), and then again with SANTOS, Chalk Dust, Carini, and Mr Completely (and Bathtub Gin in the encore).
It hit me during the second set that they seem to be calling a redo from last weekend after the tragic death of the young man who threw himself off of the second level. It was like Phish was telling us with their music, "We know last weekend was tough, and we feel the pain of the family and friends of the deceased. We don't want to erase the memory of the shows from last weekend, but we do want to reset some of the fan favorite songs so they are not tainted by tragedy." I heard the message and was comforted. I was brought to tears during Birds of a Feather, which I heard as a reminder that we're all in this together, and I cannot wait to see what they have in store for us this coming weekend in Vegas.
Thank you, Phish, for an incredible experience that will not be forgotten.