2/13/11 Umphrey's McGee @ The Slowdown - Omaha, NE

Umphrey's McGee
2/13/11
The Slowdown
Omaha, NE

I: In the Kitchen > The Bottom Half, Tribute to the Spinal Shaft > A Go Go, Uncommon, Dump City, Out of Order > Steppin' Razor > Fussy Dutchman

II: Triple Wide > Dreams > Triple Wide > In the Kitchen > Partyin' Peeps, Der Bluten Kat > Comfortably Numb > Der Bluten Kat, Hangover, August

E: 40's Theme


______________________________________



We were up early and on our way north to Omaha on Sunday morning.  KCMO was my soundtrack for much of the drive.  That may have been my first time on that stretch of I-29 that follows along the big muddy.  For most of the way there is a large bluff on the right hand side when you drive north.  This is where you straddle the midwest and the plains regions.  It was a jumping off point for settlers who traveled the Oregon Trail.  I hung out with Kenny and Maggie during the afternoon.  Before the show I was treated to Frank's Pizzeria which was the culinary highlight of the roadtrip.

The Slowdown was sold out on Sunday night.  I was able to find street parking not far from the venue down by the new baseball stadium and the Qwest Center.  I like the venue a lot.  In some ways it reminds me a nicer version of the Lincoln Hall in Chicago.  The Slowdown has great sound and sightlines.  I found a spot all night in front of the soundboard.  I met some nice folks from Wichita.  They took the stage to Dire Straits Money for Nothing then broke into ITK thus starting up an old school feeling show.  The intimacy at this show will far surpass that which will be offered at UMBowl which is almost 5 times the price.  This was my 132nd UM show and it was good to see so many old faces in the crowd.  The Mayor of Moe.down5 Nebraska Gary perhaps may have been the oldest face that I saw.  It was good to see my friends Joe from Iowa City and LowSoxx.  ITK had an impressive groove to start the show.  The Bottom Half made it two consecutive successful improvisational jaunts.  Tribute to the Spinal Shaft was one of the best versions I've heard in years and brought me back to my earliest shows at the Union Bar.  This led into the John Schofield instrumental A Go Go.  Uncommon is a song that I have heard people hate but I actually enjoy.  Once again it kept with the older school theme.  Joel dedicated Dump City to Counciltucky.  This was perhaps the highlight of this excellent set.  Stasik started up some nice work and they brought it back to the Dump City ending fairly smoothly.  OoO continued this energetic retro setlist and this transitioned into the Peter Tosh cover Steppin' Razor.  Cummins showed his hand fairly early regarding the reggae segue into Fussy Dutchman which would close out one of the most cohesive sets of Umphrey's McGee I've ever seen. 

After a brief setbreak they started up the Triple Wide which I had expected the last several shows.  This dance session would not disappoint and would include a very off the cuff version of Dreams by Fleetwood Mac that was basically Jake on vocals only with the rest of them continuing the upbeat groove.  This was complete with a Rhiannon tease during Dreams.  Eventually they would return briefly to Triple Wide before going back into the conclusion of In the Kitchen which had started the evening.  Without stopping they began Partyin' Peeps which is a song that I've long since grown tired of but on this occasion the guitar interplay between Jake and BB was incredible. DBK was another song I felt was going to be played and this was a fairly straightforward version with a nicely done Pink Floyd cover in the middle.  There was a jam before the end part of DBK.  Hangover is another tune that isn't my favorite but it worked since the band was finishing its 5th show in 5 nights.  August capped off another old school feeling set and this version had a jam that built to a huge peak.  40's Theme was an appropriate call to wrap up a turn back the clock show that really made me a believer of Umphrey's McGee again.  This was definitely the best show I've seen from them in quite some time.  They played Burnin' Down the House on the PA system after the show.  It would have been nice to pick up the UMLive on my way out the door.  After the show I made the drive across Iowa and was home as the sun was coming up.

http://www.archive.org/details/um2011-02-13.ck61

2/12/11 Umphrey's McGee @ Liberty Hall - Lawrence, KS

Umphrey's McGee

2/12/11

Liberty Hall

Lawrence, KS

I: Wappy Sprayberry > FF, Who Knows, Mail Package, Mail Package, Morning Song, Go to Hell, Dear Prudence, Rocker pt. II

II: Preamble > Mantis, Nemo > We're Going to War > Nemo, Professor Wormbog, 1348, Phil's Farm > Sweet Dreams/Sun Glasses at Night > Phil's Farm, Miss Tinkle's Overture

E: 2nd Self > The Floor

_____________________________

The sun was shining and the weather was warmer than it had been in weeks melting some of the midwest snow.  The drive from the Quad Cities to Des Moines is a stretch of highway I know all too well from my college days at Iowa State.  Today my ala mater lost down in Lawrence, KS to the newly presumed #1 ranked Kansas Jayhawks.  The college students in attendance at the show this evening were in rowdy spirits.  I found prime parking on Massachusetts and walked across the bridge to the Phantasy Tour meetup coordinated by Bobbyluv at Johnny's Tavern.  Earlier in the day I questioned whether I had the motivation to make this 6+ hour drive for a band that I was seeing for the 131th time.  Once I was in the company of some of my favorite music friends I knew that I had indeed made the correct decision.

Umphrey's McGee hit the stage around 9:30 to a sold out Liberty Hall with Renegade by Styx on the PA.  It had been exactly 7 years to the day when I had last been at this venue for moe.  From a visual standpoint it is similiar to the Vic Theatre in Chicago with space aged murals painted on the walls.  Wappy Sprayberry out of the chute was a geysor of energy and spawned some of the night's most successful musical communication.  Finally they settled into FF which contained more improvisation this time moving into a brief cover of Who Knows by the Band of Gypsys.  Mail Package included an extended intro tease before starting the actual song.  Morning Song was one of the most soulful moments of the night.  I had heard them soundchecking Go the Hell which is basically Cold Smoke without lyrics.  The crowd reaction was very positive following that one.  Cinninger's guitar sounded like a chainsaw.  I hadn't heard Dear Prudence since last fall in Pittsburgh.  They was well done besides Jake adding Eddie Van Halen style licks.  Rocker pt. II was another highlight of the set and this was a different approach to what they did with it on NYE.  This included a They Love Each Other tease by Jake which was appropriate with Valentine's Day on the horizon. 

It was easy to recognize the opening notes of the Preamble to Mantis.  This was a well played version.  Nemo transitioned into the Mark Knopfler cover We're Going to War.  The jam before the return to Nemo was a major highlight of the night.  This was a dance groove driven by Stasik.  I would consider this rendition of Professor Wormbog to be one of the best I've ever heard.  1348 continues to be the strongest song off the Mantis album in the the live setting.  I felt the show lagged a bit during the Phil's > mashup > Phil's sammy.  That was really nothing to write home about.  A decent Miss Tinkle's finished off the set. 

Jeff Waful was on point with his lighting all night long per usual.  I had no issues with the new soundman's mix.  I wasn't wild about the PA music which ran the gamut from Guns 'N Roses to Hall & Oates but that is a trivial matter.  I guess I miss seeing Kevin Browning because he was such an integral part of their road team since I started seeing them in 2001.  On a related note where was Don Richards?  Is he still their road manager?  This was a good show, not the greatest I've seen.  The jam after We're Going to War and Wormbog were the clear cut highlights.  After the show I stayed at the Holiday Inn with Kenny, Maggie, and Dave who are my friends from Omaha. 



http://www.archive.org/details/um2011-02-12.flac16



Umphrey's McGee 12/31/10 Riviera Theatre - Chicago, IL

Umphrey's McGee
12/31/10
Riviera Theatre
Chicago, IL

I: Nothing Too Fancy > In The Kitchen, Rocker pt. II, Nemo, Bright Lights*, new song, Nothing Too Fancy

II: Wellwishers^, The Payback^, Sex Machine^, Andy's Last Beer^, All in Time, Ringo, Demolition Man^, 1348^

III: Hajimemashite, Mixed Bizness^, Auld Lang Syne^, Partyin' Peeps^, Miss Tinkles Overture, Higgins, Slacker#, Booth Love^, National Anthem^

E: Sir Duke^, Glory, 40's Theme



* w/ Jeff Coffin on saxophone
^ w/ horns
# w/ Cody Dickinson on washboard


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It was mild weather for NYE in Chicago if not a bit rainy.  Steve and I went to the preshow gathering at Goose Island in Wrigleyville.  We were tardy and thus had to eat at the Salt and Pepper Diner next door which probably worked out for the best.  I enjoyed my omelette while watching Easy Rider on the flatscreens.  We made our way to the Riv and found a decent spot in the balcony albeit behind the seats that had been reserved for CID.  I have no problem with Umphrey's reserving the boxes on the sides for their friends and families.  I can tolerate the first few rows of the balcony being roped off, though other bands that play the Riv of similiar ilk don't pull that shit.  However, the situation this year at the Riv was really unacceptable as far as I'm concerned.  Dan Berkowitz is just about profiting off the scene and it sucks we have to be further from the stage as a result of it.  Sorry if I don't need a travel agent to coordinate my touring. 

The first set was clearly the musical highlight of this performance.  I loved the Chicago Bulls style introduction to the tune of Sirius by Alan Parsons Project.  Ray Clay would have been proud.  N2F got the night started in proper fashion.  Jake was on fire.  This eventually transitioned into the Chicago anthem, In the Kitchen.  Next came Rocker II which was expected given the history of that song and its connection to NYE/Riviera Theatre.  They used a repeated stew/jam.  Nemo had a nice piece of improvisation in the middle.  Bright Lights included Jeff Coffin who shockingly overstayed his welcome.  The new song which is reportedly known as Deeper was impressive.  It seems to be in a similar vein to Booth Love.  After a short pause they started up the ending of N2F, thus finishing off a very successful set of UM. 

That was my first time hearing Wellwishers and the horns augmented this version.  I was a little surprised that Linear didn't get played as this was a perfect time to showcase the new material.  I loved Kris Myers as James Brown on The Payback > Sex Machine.  That was great.  ALB with horns came next but was relatively straightforward.  AIT was one of the highlights of this show for me.  The electronic jam, though very simple/repetitive was a much needed dance session.  Ringo also had some improv though with less successful results.  The Police cover, Demolition Man, was a big surprise but worked very well.  1348 is one of the best tunes off Mantis.  As someone who is involved in agribusiness the lyrics "plant, seed, light" resonates. 

Haj started up about 11:45.  The Beck cover, Mixed Bizness was a song that I was unfamiliar with.  I would have preferred a UM original leading up until midnight.  After the confetti drops, hugs, and handshakes and the obligatory Auld Lang Syne they started up the cliche Partyin' Peeps.  This wasn't what I was looking for at all.  Compared to the monster version of HBB we got after midnight last year this just didn't compare.  Miss Tinkles got the energy back up, however, in the place of any original improvisation they inserted a Can't You Hear Me Knocking jam.  At this point I went downstairs onto the floor.  Higgins had a pretty generic jam.  Slacker has been one of their best songs in 2010.  In place of any full band jamming they brought out Cody Dickinson on his washboard.  Cinninger started up some interesting work with Cody but largely again this was a missed opportunity.  Booth Love was my favorite part of the set.  I liked hearing that song with horns but as with all previous versions they left it unexplored.  It's such a catchy groove but they need to take it somewhere.  Waful had some devilish red lights that accompanied the Radiohead cover very well.  The sets got progessively weaker as the show progessed.  The third set was more of a party. 

We went back upstairs for the encore.  Sir Duke was a nice call.  I've been on a huge Stevie Wonder kick lately and of course the horns were perfect for this.  Glory got me thinking about the last 7 NYE spent with Umphrey's McGee in Chicago.  Jake always soars with that instrumental and it provided a nice moment of reflection.  40's Theme provided one last dance with its sexy groove.  As the house lights came on and the familiar sounds of Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful World came on the PA the band members came back onstage to show their appreciation.   

It's been a real pleasure to see their career progress.  I hadn't seen the band since Summer Camp and the time off was much needed.  I had absolutely no qualms about choosing to do UM NYE instead of Phish NYE.  That was the place where I was supposed to be at that place and time.  As I scoped the crowd there were a lot of new faces.  It really is a revolving cast to a large extent.  However, I saw plenty of people who have been there year after year like myself.  I get the sense that UM wants to create a more dance friendly atmosphere at their shows these days.  Perhaps they got tired of playing to a bunch of dudes who did nothing but bob their heads.  Regardless, it seems like UM is in a good place right now.  Their new material is going be something to build on in 2011.  With my journey to Worcester I felt like I was able to enjoy the best of both worlds in the week leading up to NYE. 

Umphrey's McGee 12/30/10 Riviera Theatre - Chicago, IL

Umphrey's McGee
12/30/10
Riviera Theatre
Chicago, IL

I: Prowler > The Bottom Half, 2 x 2, Jajunk, Apeman, Mulche's Odyssey

II: Preamble > Mantis > Hangover, Roundabout, Pay the Snucka, August, Gulf Stream, Fussy Dutchman > Mantis, The Floor

E: Resolution > Pay the Snucka


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We spent the day relaxing watching college football.  We ate delivery from the Fifty/50 for dinner.  The balcony was crowded when we arrived.  They started about 8:15.  The weather was rainy but obviously much more mild than what I'd experienced out east. 

Prowler was an old school start to the night.  The Bottom Half had a decent jam in the middle.  2x2 was another strong version.  Jajunk was the highlight of the show with several intersting grooves.  Apeman was a The Kinks cover that they hadn't played in ages.  I wasn't familiar with that one.  Mulche's Odyssey had some improv and was a nice high energy set closer.  This was a well played set of UM while those weren't my favorite songs necessarily.

The second set started with the Preamble to Mantis before they went off on a tangent into Hangover while leaving Mantis unfinished.  At this point they finally played a full on version of Yes's Roundabout.  This was well done.  It was a nice homage to one of their progressive rock influences.  They've teased around with Roundabout their whole career.  An improv heavy Snucka followed that they stopped after the Splittin' Aces part.  August also had plenty of jamming.  Gulf Stream was expected during the run at some point.  My frrend Jenny mentioned the 11/10/07 show when that "Jimmy Stewart" first appeared.  It's been fun to see that evolve.  That was a high octane rendition of Fussy Dutchman.  As soon as that ended they finished up Mantis.  I thought that would be the end of the set but they played The Floor to close things out which worked well.  Resolution had some nice improv even in the encore slot and predictably they finished up the Pay the Snucka pt. III to end the night.  This was a fun show but my initial thoughts were that I preferred Wednesday more.

Umphrey's McGee 12/29/10 Riviera Theatre - Chicago, IL

Umphrey's McGee
12/29/10
Riviera Theatre
Chicago, IL

I: Bridgeless > Conduit, Utopian Fir, Search 4, Push the Pig, Hollywood Nights

II: Much Obliged > Bridgeless, Bad Poker, Tribute to the Spinal Shaft > Made to Measure > 2nd Self, Peg, The Triple Wide > Ocean Billy

E: Hurt Bird Bath


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I hung out at my friend Steve's apartment in Wicker Park for awhile before we made our way to the Uptown neighborhood.  We found a spot near the Riv on the street.  It was raining as we entered the venue.  We found a spot in the balcony on the Jake side.  I was disappointed to see that Consider It Dan had reserved many of the best balcony seats for their VIP/fan fleecing.  They played "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" by Hall and Oats on the PA before the show and during setbreak.  UM took the stage around 7:35 to "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns 'n Roses.  This reminded me of the beginning of my favorite radio program The Jim Rome Show.  It was extremely hot in the venue. 

I was exahuasted from the drive from Massachusetts so I was in dire need of an energetic show. Thankfully that was what Umphrey's McGee delivered.  Barry Brown acted as the emcee of the event and let the crowd know of the aftershows going on down the street at the Kinetic Playground.  They briefly started playing along with the Guns 'n Roses then started up Bridgeless which they used to launch into their first jam of the night.  This piece of pre planned improv finally ended in Conduit.  This was by far the best version of this song they've done live so far.  The jamming in the middle was one of the highlights of the night.  Utopian Fir is always one of their biggest guns and this was another succesful exploration.  Search 4 was one I was really hoping for and this continued the energy with a crunchy rendition.  Push the Pig continued this improv heavy seat.  Finally they finshed off the stanza with the Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band cover, Hollywood Nights.  The part about heading west to meet up with some old friends was appropriate given the drive I'd accomplished the night/morning before.  I hadn't seen UM since Summer Camp and I was really impressed with the jamming in this first set of the New Years Run. 

Much Obliged acted as a launching pad to fresh sounding improv that eventually built to a peak that worked as a perfect transition back into the end of Bridgeless.  I liked the juxtapostion of Bad Poker to the beginning of th set.  Tribute was better played on this ocasion to when I heard them play it earlier in the year up in Madison.  It had yet another interesting jam that morphed into Made to Measure.  They teased around heavily with 2nd Self before staring the up the actual song.  Peg is one of my favorites by Steely Dan and this was a masterful cover version for which UM should be commended.  Triple Wide had a cool jam that led into the set closing Ocean Billy.  HBB was a strong encore.  This was a strong effort by UM.  Each set was filled with improvisation and the performance as a whole kept me engaged the entire time.

Phish 12/28/10 DCU Center - Worcester, MA

PHISH
12/28/10
DCU Center
Worcester, MA

I: Kill Devil Falls, My Mind's Got A Mind Of Its Own, Alaska, She Caught the Katy, Wolfman's Brother, Pigtail*, Stash, Bouncing Around the Room, Rift, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan, Birdwatcher*

II: Carini, Backwards Down the Number Line, Back on the Train > Limb by Limb > Wedge, Frankie Says > Albuquerque, Harry Hood, Bug

E: Shine A Light


* first time played


-----------------------------------------------------


We slept most of the day getting much needed rest.  Dunkin Donuts came through in the clutch with a box o' joe courtesy of Cory.  We said goodbye to Cory and his two friends at the hotey and at this point it was just Jamie and I.  We ate at Wendy's and fueled up preparing to make a quick getaway after the show.  On Tuesday we found a better spot in the parking garage.  For this show we found a vantage point on the Page side where as the night before we were on Fishman side.  Phish hit the stage shortly after 8:15 once again.  The crowd was a strong showing but not quite sold out. 

I could identify the KDF opener from the tuning.  That's a song that continues to improve.  My Mind was a nice bluegrass interlude between the heavy doses of blues rock in the forms of KDF and Alaska.  She Caught the Katy is a rarely played Taj Mahal tune that hadn't seen the light of day since Big Cypress.  It was also featured in The Blues Brothers which was fitting with us heading back to Chicago that night.  Wolfman's Brother was possibly the highlight of the run.  It featured some great full band communication and several amazing peaks of energy.  Pigtail was a new Tom/Trey tune that featured a nice repeating vocals of "conscious again".  You could sense that Stash was going to played in that slot and this was another in a series of recent great versions.  Bouncing is a song that I've always enjoyed.  Rift was a nice call.  Stealing Time was more blues rock.  To end the set they played the Phish debut of the acapella Birdwatcher which was featured on their Joy bonus album, Party Time.  This was a better first set than the night before. 

The second set began with another of their best tunes currently, Carini.  On the fall tour that song was really given the treatment.  This rendition though stretched beyond its former self was not as strong as the one I heard in Providence, RI in October.  I was a bit disappointed that #Line was another standard version in such a vital slot.  Similiar to what they did in Amherst.  I really enjoyed the Back on the Train > Limb by Limb > Wedge sequence.  "Take the highway...".  Frankie Says is a song that I've always enjoyed from The Story of the Ghost.  This morphed into the Neil Young cover Albuquerque.   Coincidentally this was played in the final show I saw from Phish in 2009 in Cincinnati and this was the case this year in 2010 up in Worcester.  Harry Hood was a very strong version in the home state of Hood Milk.  Massachusetts native Michael Gordon started a very interesting groove and Anastasio took it the rest of the way until we all felt good about Hood.  Bug and its soaring outro solo worked in this slot similiar to the Saturday Alpine Valley show.  Shine A Light was encored in nearby Amherst on Fall Tour so I question that choice.  They played a one song encore cover by The Rolling Stones each night.  Overall this show was better than the night before.  After the show concluded I drove us all through the night through Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and finally back in Illinois where I dropped off Jamie at Union Station in downtown Chicago around 3:30 pm and sent him home on the train.  Then I made my way to Wicker Park to the Chicagoland Jamband Headquarters at my buddy Steve's apartment. 

pictures taken by Dave Vann (phish.com)

Phish 12/27/10 DCU Center - Worcester, MA

PHISH
12/27/10
DCU Center
Worcester, MA

I: Sample in a Jar, Funky Bitch, Cool It Down, Roggae, Heavy Things, What Things Seem, Roses Are Free, It's Ice, Mist, Julius

II: Mike's Song > Mound > Weekapaug Groove, Farmhouse, Seven Below > What's the Use > Twenty Years Later, Wading in the Velvet Sea, Possum, Cavern, David Bowie

E: Loving Cup


-------------------------------------


We left Geneseo around noon on Sunday.  My neighbor Jamie and my friend from high school Cory were my traveling companions on this journey.  We listened to the Bears defeat the Jets on the radio on the way through Illinois.  The news of an impending blizzard that was about the crush the east coast had me very stressed out.  I handled the driving until we got to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania.  This was when Cory stepped up and handled the rest of the drive which would turn out to be a winter nightmare.  There were stretches of the Poconos where we couldn't see anything.  It was very scary.  Plow crews and emergency rescure units were out in full force but there was simply too much snow. 

By the time we stopped at Cory's apartment in Hoboken, NJ that city was in a state of disaster.  Side roads were simply impassible.  At this point we headed north taking an extremely roundabout route that took us around New York City because the George Washington Bridge was backed up for miles.  We had to dig our way onto the Jersey Turnpike literally with a shovel that I brought.  The sun was shining on Monday morning but as we got into central Connecticut we began to catch back up with the storm.  Finally we made our way to the Fairfield Suites in Auburn which is the town adjacent to Worcester.  We parked in the garage across the street from the Centrum.  This venue which has since been renamed the DCU Center is an early 80s antiquated minor league hockey arena that houses the AHL affiliate of the San Jose Sharks. 

Phish hit the stage around 8:15 after the crowd had been worked up by some Talking Heads on the P.A. system.  Sample in a Jar was a bit of an anticlimatic beginning.  "The simple smiles and good times seem all wrong" was appropriate given my change in personnel for this trip from what I originally had planned.  Trey seemed to give his solo an extra go around.  Funky Bitch really allowed Page to shine for the first time of the evening.  Cool It Down was a great choice.  This produced the only real jam of the first set.  I hadn't heard that since Target Center '00 in Minneapolis.  Roggae is a song I love to hear and this produced an interesting jam during the outro similiar to what they did in Amherst.  Heavy Things brought about the best playing of the set.  Trey absolutely owned his solo.  As cheesy as that song is it consistently brings strong playing from Trey.  What Things Seem is the defacto title track from Moss.  It climaxed with Gordo yelling the final vocals.  I'm glad they allowed Mike an opportunity to shine with his new material.  Roses Are Free though always welcome was akin to the Providence Fall Tour version with no jam.  It's Ice in retrospect seems like an obvious choice given the weather. Mist provided some absolutely gorgeous playing from Anastasio during the outro.  "I'm on the road again" made me smile.  This was extremely soulful.  They blew the roof off the building with a smoking Julius to finish off the stanza.  This was a fun set.  It was song oriented for the most part and had some impressive playing along with a few moments of awkwardness. 

This show was going to need a good second set to warrant it a winner and that's exactly what they did.  This was a particularly fiery version of Mike's Song though it still did not contain the second jam portion that it once did.  When they dropped into Mound that was the highlight of the entire show.  The winter lyrics were perfect for the situation.  I hadn't heard that since MSG 12/31/02.   Weekapaug was an energetic version to finish off yet another interesting 2010 Mike's Groove.  The choice of Farmhouse in this slot was questionable.  While a ballad in this slot worked this song that strongly resembles No Woman No Cry provided a lull in a set that had been balls out up until that point.  Seven Below had the most interesting improvisation of the night.  Kuroda did a great job of using white lights during this part of illustrate the crystals of snow that are spoken of in the lyrics.  Trey's emotive playing eventually led into territory very similar to What's the Use.  Trey began teasing it heavily.  After bringing the jam to a conclusion they started up the song proper.  They allowed What's the Use to come to a natural conclusion before morphing into Twenty Years Later.  I thought Trey's guitar sounded a bit off during the verses.  Wading in the Velvet Sea provided an opportunity to get some water from the fountain.  Possum got things going again.  "You end is the road!".  Cavern worked well in the false set closer spot.  You could sense that David Bowie was on its way.  I've heard Trey shred the final codas better than he did last night.  It was the first show of the run and they hadn't played since Halloween.  There was some moments when that seemed to be apparent.  I called the Loving Cup encore.  This was a really fun show with several highlights.  The references to the blizzard that we all drove through made this a unique performance.

pictures taken by Dave Vann (phish.com)