SET 1: The Old Home Place: Standard

Punch You in the Eye: Standard.

Reba: Exquisite. Likely the most patient version I can recall. This version is just so smooth. It gradually builds and builds and has a glorious peak. I love the video of this one. Trey just rocking back and forth the entire time. >

Cars Trucks Buses: Standard.

The Lizards: Textbook! Thought this sounded perfect. Both Page and Trey’s solos sound great!

Sample in a Jar: Rocked out like you would expect one from 1996 would do.

Taste: So interesting how this song has evolved over the years. Back in the summer of 96 – Trey basically had no solo at all – he just plays rhythm the whole time as Page bangs away on the baby grand.

Fee: 30 second space jam that is tacked on to the end of this one and is ethereal! It segues through the backdoor into Maze so nicely! ->

Maze: The amount of tension that Page and Trey build up before they finally hand it over to Trey for his solo is textbook. Trey’s solo is sadistic - so intense – the trills that he has at the ten minute mark – I mean the guys fingers were as fast as lightning!

Suzy Greenberg: Straight ahead version. After it is over Trey tells us they are going to take about an hour break and that they are going to bring out the Clifford Ball orchestra, so stretch out blanket, go check out the ball square, etc. etc.

SET 2: The Curtain: The vocals for Follow the lines going south are outstanding! >

Runaway Jim: As you would expect up through 8 minutes where Trey finally breaks away from the group jam and starts soloing a fair bit.

It's Ice: Really cool jam in this one. It is fairly dark and eerie. Led by Page. The whole song in general is smooth as silk. >

Brother: Ben and Jerry, lol – their vocals are funny. Trey rips this one big time.

Fluffhead: Awesome version. Bundle of Joy is not the cleanest but once the get to the Arrival and Trey hits that Fluffhead vocal and just sustains it forever and then him and Fishman just go into attack mode and destroy this! Outstanding, goosebumps for sure.

Run Like an Antelope: The crowd swell at 4 minutes or so from that woman that comes out and climbs up that rope and is spinning around that whatever that thing is called. The visuals during this were – um – very fun, lol. Outside of that interesting acrobatics on stage this is a pretty normal and short version. >

Golgi Apparatus: Run of the mill, fun though. >

Slave to the Traffic Light: I love the heavy metal strumming at 2:45, kicks ass! That repeating theme that Trey does that probably starts at about 10:45 or so just sets up the peak so well. Check out the video of this to see Trey rocking back and forth. The climax of this one is admittedly a little repetitive, but this version has always been held in high regard in my memory. Awesome set closer!

SET 3: Wilson: Intense! To hear 80k people doing the Wilson chant to open the last set of the festival was thrilling to be a part of. Heartbreaker tease at 5:33 was sweet! >

Frankenstein: Sounds standard on tape but I can promise you it was fun as hell, and it was intense as hell.

Scent of a Mule: Page’s part is cool, and Fishman gets to take a long solo. I like the swing/jazzy feel he gives this at the 7 minute mark. The drum solo wraps up at 8:40 and Page takes it from there. Trey doesn’t hop back until the 10 minute mark. Never been a fan of this tune but this one is unique and interesting with Fish’s drum solo.

Tweezer: Two people jam doing crazy acrobatic jumps on big trampolines. At the show I thought they had ski’s on, lol. Pretty straightforward Tweezer really. Trey’s Leslie infused peak at about 9:50 is pretty sick. It does have the old school, wind down type ending.

A Day in the Life: Had to be there, super intense at the end with all the effects and CK5 running wild.

Possum: I like the minor mode and then tension they start building at right around the 11 minute mark. They peak it at 11:36 and it peaks fairly well, nothing too crazy. >

Tweezer Reprise: Fun!!!

ENCORE:

Harpua: Where is the Oom Pa Pa vocals? Wonder why they skipped that? At 6:03 Trey says thanks a lot everybody hope we can come back next year. Then, he continues with the feedback and the loops. This was confusing. What about the rest of the story and the song? I guess the band got frustrated with not being able to sync up with the stunt plane that was flying overhead. After they walked off stage we were all going berserk, cheering, clapping, yelling thinking surely they were coming back out because of the confusing end to Harpua. But it was not to be. House lights came on two minutes later and that was that.

Summary: A life changing experience. This was the farthest I had traveled with Phish and obviously my first Phish festival. Just incredible. Hanging out with a large group of friends and sharing in that experience at the age of 22 – tough to beat! The next day, that place looked like a bomb had gone off. So much trash everywhere. Driving out of there and not running over bottles was literally impossible. Great show!

Replay Value: Reba, It's Ice, Fluffhead, Slave to the Traffic Light