one thing i would like to remind to those who might forget or not realize...
the whole thing that phish does(that ohmygod precision of energy and heights) is VERY dependent on the energy of the room. The energy of NYE after 10pm after a fair amount of attendees(including the 4 late 40's band members) have been at this for four nights(without a whole tour of practice and pacing) tends to droop a little. I felt it. I was fresh and ready to go, but when your in the minority of 18,000+ you tend to get left out of the gestalt. So i understand that this does tend to happen, NYE could be billed: two strong sets and a third wash of sound with pandamoniom on stage. But as long as you know thats the deal, it feels just fine. And remember there is only so much a band can do with a tired crowd.

NO one has mentioned it yet: what the fuck was up with that tweezer reeprise??(was there a tweezer from the run that really stood out?) or where they making a play at the impending ice age...it aint over till the skinny lady sings her ass off? in what turned out to be about 10 seconds of me thinking my ear drums were gonna pop or the roof was gonna cave in. and, in case you were wondering. the phish mind-fuck is still in working condition folks.

Almost as bizzare as the Tweeprise was that they didn't even get cheered back on for the second set..i mean seriously..trey even did a mock "im looking out in the audience to make sure your all still here" becuase the place was so damn silent. i did my best to hoot and hollar but it seemed that a strange majority was fine with quietly "expecting" them back to the stage. heathens i tell you

K, here is another theme from the showthat i personally was picking up on---vacation/retirement..(golf, sunbathing, phish TV saying "stay tuned", senior moment where the Driver in Trey's head just forgot to tell him what to do lol)..i felt it, i saw it, could of just been me but i wonder what the future years will bring for touring, etc. According to pages calculations, Phish just finished 30 years and Page is pushing 50...

and ok: Zero is a favorite and was the best one ive ever seen. Piper has never been at the top of my list, but won me over completely last night. And while this may sound strange to some, Driver was played very well. A song like that takes that nuance and space and I really thought that was one of the finest, sweetest versions ive ever heard. A perfect encore if you ask me. At that point the energy of the level in the room couldn't of handled and didn't diserve a high energy tune. The place needed the space and plus, Iron Man was up next...

FINally: TO me the true gag was page coming up at the end. It totally fooled me and I wonder how many others, still waiting to hear details on how and when he switched out of the board-cave he lives in onto center stage, but it got me..(im thinking tom marshall maybe, had no clue really...etc)and then singers iron man, which is of course an ozzy nod and a golf pun, but also a nod to Page as the most solid, grounded being in the foursome. just awesome. TO me the rest of the gags were just to seem big enough to really pull that final prank at the end.."How many of you know who i am.. no im not tom hanks.." hahah!

A good night all around. I had fun. Garden Party was a dream(literally) come true.

I rate this show a 5 out of 5. Because I achieved ecstasy and insight and revelation. Becuase of synchronicity and the interlocking of 18,205 souls and minds and bodies in a pool of light and liquid dreams. Becuase Phish is so damn practiced they always know where to go and how to get there. And we get to collectively take the ride.

Happy Year of the Snake to you all!