Bonus #Phish #Ranked

In terms of all-time #Phish guest sit-ins, last night was near the top. It blew away Trucks. I can’t think of another guest (maybe Carlos?) who was handed the band like that with the freedom to lead type 2.

Moma got places, but it was noodly & loaded w/ timid interplay tip-toeing around each other. A short Possum, ER & bluegrass staples were what they were.

Too bad the show ended at Carini bc that kind of balls-to-the-Walz twin guitar would have been great to get more of.

#Phish Summer 2024 #Ranked

SL1
DC3
<gap>
GW3
<gap>
SL2
GW1 CT1 AV2 DC2
GR1
<gap>
AV1
GW2 AV3
<gap>
DC1
CT2

Insanely fun, not comparable to a regular show & should be an N/A. You guys will say that’s a cop out, so we’ll try to objectively rank the music—which sits above the lamer shows but doesn’t touch the better shows in setlist/jam quality.

Adding a singular talent like DiCaprio to Growing Pains spruced things up. But it came at the cost of the Seaver chemistry that made the show.

#Phish Summer 2024 #Ranked

SL1
DC3
<gap>
GW3
<gap>
SL2
GW1, CT1, AV2, DC2
<gap>
AV1
GW2, AV3
<gap>
DC1
CT2

– Maybe not the choicest bust outs for S1, but a rarities set nevertheless. Light on jams outside of a very efficient 46 Days
– Four-song, no-bullshit S2 with a walk-off Slave encore. Perfection.
– “Ghost > Soul Planet power hour has everything.” - Stefon
– Has anything as horrific as the song Soul Planet given this much pleasure since the Korean War gave us M*A*S*H?

#Phish Summer 2024 #Ranked

Tier 1: SL1
Tier 2a: GW3
T2b: GW1, CT1, AV2, SL2, DC2
T2c: AV1
T3: GW2, AV3
T4: DC1
T5: CT2

- S1 didn’t have any huge jams but was mostly solid and fiery with a very good Reba for this era
- Flowing S2 loaded with great improv
- Short show with a lot of time left on the clock. Not a complaint, but was surprised Fuego closed (it worked well) and there was a short encore on a tour of big encores
- A different world from N1

#Phish Summer 2024 #Ranked

Tier 1: SL1
Tier 2a: GW3
T2b: GW1, CT1, AV2, SL2
T2c: AV1
T3: GW2, AV3
T4: DC1
T5: CT2

Easily the worst played show of tour. The only reason it’s not last is it wasn’t boring despite the sloppy play, missed vocals, long pauses, ripcords (yikes on Pillow Jets and DWD) and lack of flow. The band kept pushing which led to some fun jams—especially the adventurous Scents.

Shocking to get a car crash like this after the tightness of STL. Oh well. Life goes on.

#Phish Summer 2024 #Ranked

Tier 1: SL1
Tier 2a: GW3
T2b: GW1, CT1, AV2, SL2
T2c: AV1
T3: GW2, AV3
T4: CT2

S1 was full of rarities but also lacked excitement. Mr. C delivered as always, but the true highlight was the Ruby Waves—pound for pound their best jam of tour until a brutal ripcord. Hood encore also felt like one of the better standard Hoods.

The band really came together in STL and raised their level of play. Let’s hope they keep it up and things don’t fall apart.

#Phish Summer 2024 #Ranked

Tier 1: SL1
Tier 2a: GW3
T2b: GW1, CT1, AV2
T2c: AV1
T3: GW2, AV3
T4: CT2

Only heard the Tweezer, Ether Edge, Theme, and glorious Piper so far, and I’ve heard enough. Between the 39-minute Tweezer that smokes the Alpine Simple and the incredible supporting cast, this is easily the best show of tour so far. A true You Snooze You Lose night at an undersold 10K arena. More please

Cheers to everyone who hit the show last night and cheers to Phish!

#Phish Summer 2024 #Ranked

Tier 1: <vac>
Tier 2a: GW3
T2b: GW1, CT1, AV2
T2c: AV1
T3: GW2, AV3
T4: CT2

Fairly strong—if mellow—first set puts this show in tier 3 above CT2. As for the second set? A few interesting moments spread out between several poor choices and lots of wasted potential—much like the career of Danny Masterson.

GOODBYE WISCONSIN!!!

#Phish Summer 2024 #Ranked

GW3
<small gap>
GW1, CT1
AV1
<gap>
GW2
<gap>
CT2

- A setlist that’s largely out of the late 90s
- Strong candidate for My Friend, My Friend
- Super fun encore
- Great DWD and peaky Ghost that dominated set 2 like another famous pair from Wisconsin

#Phish Summer 2024 #Ranked

GW3
<small gap>
GW1, CT1
<gap>
GW2
<gap>
CT2

Not playing the “With” in Curtain With in S1 only to drop it in the middle of a Mike’s Groove was pretty cool. Otherwise, this was a fantastic show for fans who aren’t into big jams, show flow, or high energy play.

After going hard for their first four shows, the band seemed to run out of gas after Tuesday’s power hour. Last night screamed “Gimme a break” before their big Alpine run. And so what? They earned it.

#Phish Summer 2024 #Ranked

GW3
<small gap>
GW1, CT1
<gap>
GW2

This show is so hard to rank. Fairly weak S1 despite a surprise Golden Age with a solid jam. Overall, the setlist isn’t winning any beauty contests, and the show took a nose dive when Piper was cut short around 6 minutes in.

But the ~65 minutes from Plasma through Ruby is absolutely elite Phish and their best stretch of play all year. Just a mesmerizing run that will no doubt make it into Power Hour Hall of Fame conversations.

#Phish Summer 2024 #Ranked

GW3
GW1
<gap>
GW2

While nothing touched the Ghost or Melt from GW1, this show simply offered more from start to finish. No JOTY (Jam Of The Year) contenders, but tons of high-energy heat for a Sunday night dance party. Plus, no S2 setlist clunkers that leave you feeling like that time Arnold and Dudley wandered into the bike store owned by Mr. Carlson.

#Phish Summer 2024 #Ranked

GW1
<gap>
GW2

Phish is in a good place when a show like last night is an off night. Nothing went too long, but NMINML, Sand & CDT offered great improv while other tunes delivered peaky moments.

Still, S1 was fairly “first setty” compared to Friday. A tame YEM went into a bonus jam only to fizzle into oblivion and Oblivion. Sub-standard Bowie cut for Santos. Plus some questionable setlisting.

Sometimes you get Diff’rent Strokes. Sometimes you get Webster’d.