Phish MSG 2017 - Some CK gifs

Baker's Dozen - Second Impressions

I went to whole run and upon my first re-listen I have some different opinions. I liked Coconut a lot more the second time around, and Strawberry a lot less. Red Velvet was very impressive second time around. I remember enjoying it at the time, but once they announced that night 4 was going to be Jam Filled, I pretty much forgot about it and looked forward instead. But that was a great show. Shame on me for neglecting it.

Jam Filled was actually not quite as great as I remembered. Set 1 was a monster but the second set wasn't particularly special. Great show and I think it was also an important show as it set the tone for the rest of the run, but it was not quite as amazing all the way through as I remembered.

Powdered was my favorite of the run at the time and it holds up well upon re-listen. Definitely on the short list of best BD shows.

Upon re-listening to Double Chocolate and Cinnamon. I didn't learn much the second time around. It was hard to compare DC to being there because I got Doug'd badly at that show to the point that I came closer to getting into a fist fight than I have since I was like 12. That definitely got in my head that night so the whole show was a distracted blur at the time. Too bad, the show was awesome. It's up there with the three great shows before it. Cinnamon was about exactly the same as I remembered - a good show with some great moments, but overall it was a step back after the previous 4 shows. Velvet/Jam/Powder/DC was a crazy good 4 show stretch.

Jimmies was a weird one for me. Both times. People love this show but it was easily my least favorite live. The first set was good but that atonal stuff in Drowned and ASIHTOS really did not work for me that night. Maybe it was because it was the 8th show in 10 nights and 3rd in a row and my energy was sagging, but I never felt so drained and bored at a Phish show in my life. My first Harpua was fun of course, but also did nothing to energize me and get me up and dancing. Along with Maple, this was the show I was most looking forward to giving a re-listen to.

I really enjoyed the first set second time around. Maybe my experience with set 2 clouded my memory, but I didn't remember liking it this much. Great song choices and playing. Not only were the obvious heavy hitters awesome, but Home and even Waking up Dead were really well played. In the running for my favorite first set other than Jam Filled up to this point in the run.

As I suspected, I enjoyed Drowned and ASIHTOS much more while listening during a long walk on a beautiful mid September afternoon. I still don't think it was quite the highlight of the run that some others think, but I get the hype now. Really good stuff. OTOH, Harpua really does not work as a song to re-listen to. Universe as a donut was a good gag, but it took a long time to get to and was clearly meant to be enjoyed in the moment. One listen was plenty. The rest of the set was OK but nothing special. Fun encore is a plus.

Bottom line is that JImmies went way up in my opinion on re-listen, but only to the middle of the BD pack. I still think RV thru DC reigns supreme up to this point, and then there is everything else. But Jimmies is the best of the rest.

My whole reason for doing this and documenting for myself was that at the time I loved Maple a lot more than most seem to. Upon re-listen I still believe that calling Maple the best of the run is not an outrageous claim at all. For me there are too many potential best of shows to claim that any one show is #1, but Maple is as good a choice as any.

The playing this show was so patient and locked in. It seems like this is exactly what phans have been clamoring for. That whole second set was all 4 guys listening to each other and playing as a unit. There seemed to be less reliance on the usual tension/release, but when they did break it out it they crushed it, especially on both set closers. Set 2 was my favorite set at the time, and it's just as good the second time around. Just beautiful, top notch nearly flawless Phish.

At the very least this show is up there with the best of the run up that point (Velvet thru DoubChoc). This is one I expect to revisit every year or 2 for many many years.

So far, my ranking of the first 9 nights:

Top tier - Maple, Powdered, Double Chocolate
Just Missed Top 3 - Jam Filled and Red Velvet
Best of the Rest - Jimmies
Below Average for the Run - Coconut, Cinnamon
Bottom Show - Strawberry

The last 4 shows are all blurred together in my head so I don't really have a strong memory of any one show. As a result I'm not sure if I'll learn anything upon a re-listen. If something is interesting enough, maybe I'll make another post.

Last Meal?

He's having trouble walking, but can easily handle some fresh cooked chicken!

Don't worry, I have not been experimenting on him. That is his left front paw. That's just how he sometimes likes to sleep.