My wife and I thought it was stellar from opening note of set 1 to the backward walk away from the mic as they ended Oddity. Of all Halloween performances we think this year's was one of the very best ever.

But this review. Oh, oh my, this review. I honestly feel that the OP mailed in some sort of forced appreciation for the band and its music just to balance out his true dislike of the show. Not even a mention of the first set just shows this generation's burning desire to only enjoy, talk/comment about, appreciate, and hate on the second set of any and all Phish shows. "Let's just jump to the goods" is what I felt this review did the second I started reading. But this first set. Oh, oh my, this first set. How can you go wrong? How can you NOT comment on this bom fire set of songs??? If the only breather in the set was Petrichor, you KNOW Phish is doing a show 'right.' And this fall tour's Phish did a lot right.

The jabs at what Phish decided to NOT do is unfounded. At many points while reading I felt like the OP believes that Exile was a better costume. "Where are the jams?? Where is 'the' Type II treatment for at least one song?? GEEZ Phish come on!!!" Why?

Why does Phish "need" to jam every show, every song? Doesn't that get repetitive? Aren't repetitive things over done; over played? Don't repetitive things wind up becoming boring? If you don't think so I want whatever it is you're taking in triplicate, please, hand it over now.

Trey leaving his guitar behind was epic. I've listened to this band intently since 1992 and have grown new found appreciation for them every year...even during both the break and break up. But his leaning into the crowd to belt out the lyrics as well as he can, as strongly as possible, was something pretty special. Using Trey's chance, maybe the only time ever in his career, before and likely after, to hold a microphone, completely naked to the crowd, as a way to say it mirrors the "changes" going through the band in 2016, is a bit ridiculous. It's as ridiculous as the idea that horns were "supposed" to tour with the band this season (which the OP had to throw a shout-out to by saying there weren't horns during Ziggy) and that these changes were "represented here" but iare "hardly encouraging." Even more embarrassing to read was this: "It’s a creative risk, but with little upside." WITH LITTLE UPSIDE????

So now EVERYTHING the band does, every note, every lyric, every song, is in some way, shape or form part of an intricate plan involving the entire band, it's image, it's sound, it's songs, and it's music? Trey holding a mic and singing to us all is supposed to have a resounding effect on their future?? It was A moment in Phish's life as a band, A MOMENT.

Lastly, everyone who whines about Trey on Marimba, y'all need to get over it. Y'all sound like everyone who complained in the mid-90s when Trey would forego the chance for "rock god" status on many songs to bang on that thing. At least with the Marimba he has more sound options than that mini-kit. I guess in your perfect, nostalgic, non-realistic Phish world EVERYTHING Trey did on the mini-kit is so much better than Marimba. This 3rd set slayed so hard I can't even believe it happened. Mike's effect at the beginning of the jam in Twist was unbelievable. It was completely zany. And it made Jon work the traps like not much I've heard from him. Of course Trey got over to play Marimba, he wanted to let Mike take lead with super-space-laser-Pfunk bass sounds and lock in with Jon. The polyrhythms from Trey and Jon made Page come over to accent the jam on cymbals. Which led to Mike rounding it out. Which led to me extremely happy to see Phish do something DIFFERENT. If these rotation/collective jam moments are already cliche for people like the OP, you should take up playing guitar for 40+ years and decide if a few minutes of fun with your best friends doing something different for a change is worth the disgust by a small contingent of your fan base or not.