Friday 03/18/2016 by n00b100

N00B100 PRESENTS: MY FAVORITE SETS OF 3.0, DIRECTOR'S CUT (PART 3)

In case you missed it:

Part 1 (HM and #50 - #41)

Part 2 (#40-31)

Addressing some comments from Part 2:

1) @RobPJohnson3, I don't disagree that a) Trey has improved from a few years ago and b) 3.0's progress is essentially an upwards arrow on a graph, but I also think that the very top end of every 3.0 year has at least a few shows worth the listen, almost exponentially increasing as each year goes along, and I think that this project essentially captures that. That said, I feel that the baseline for an "average" or even "pretty good" show has risen with each year, and I'd guess that if one actually listened to all 590 sets played in 3.0 and listed them all out (which is an undertaking even beyond my ken), they'd probably find the number of lower-end sets per year decreasing as the years went along as well. Something like 8/14/15, considered a "lesser" show of Summer '15, probably has much more to offer than something like, say, 6/4/09. But that doesn't mean 11/28/09 (a totally random example!) has less to offer than 8/14/15. I hope that makes sense.

2) @ekstewie1441, I don't doubt your understanding of the term "refined" is perfectly sound; what I was trying to say is that 11/1/14 II, to me, improves upon the sort of "shorter jams connected by segues or transitions to create a greater whole" set that 7/27/13 II is. Certainly you don't have to feel that way, especially if you don't think 11/1/14 II is all that great to begin with; I'll look at fourth quarters when deciding which set I prefer, but they generally don't affect my enjoyment of the meat of a set *that* much. But we'll get more into that later. Thank you for the respectful disagreement and the compliment attached.

And, just to make sure we keep things crisp and clean sans caffeine in here:

DISCLAIMER: All of this is just one man's very subjective opinion. Feel free to discuss, disagree (gently), and point out anything I may have missed or ignored in the comments. Vive la différence!

NUMBERS 30-21

30. 12/30/12 II, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

A wonderful multi-part “Disease,” great “Slave” at the end, and that gnarly as hell “Carini” (not to mention the really strong "Hood" in the encore) helped make for one of the era’s finest shows when this was played. That should tell you a lot about the strength of what’s coming ahead, I think.

29. 8/28/12 II, Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, MO

Five songs strung together with fluid and intelligent segues, with a darned good darkness-into-light “Limb by Limb” immediately afterwards. This is a set that *I’m* not sure I’m not underrating; I loved it so much when it was played.

28. 12/31/13 II, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

I suppose you could argue that this is somewhat in line with the 9/6/15 Encore, which is way the heck lower down. But between the specialness of the occasion, the (mostly) faultless playing, the lovely Trey mini-narration in “Forbin’s,” and a really cool “Reba” on top, I think this one deserves a place among the more improv-laden sets that surround it.

27. 8/31/12 I, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, CO

The first half of one of 3.0’s biggest deals. A pretty good debate could be had over whether the “Undermind” here or the Magnaball “Bathtub Gin” is the finest Set 1 closer of the era, I think. Maybe I’m wrong.

26. 8/7/09 II, The Gorge, George, WA

8/7/09, as a full show, still holds up as one of the crown jewels of the era. “Light” -> “Taste” is the moment that has stuck with me the longest (that calypso jam!), but the A+ “Gin” at the end is probably the choice for most everyone else.

25. 11/28/09 II, Union Times Center, Albany, NY

I’d guess that this will probably get as many wrinkled noses as how I feel about 9/1/12 II will. I still think 11/28/09 II is an important set – from what I understand, it started to disabuse people of the notion that this incarnation of Phish wouldn’t jam (which, based on the earlier 2009 shows I’ve heard, wasn’t totally unfounded). To me, though, it’s receded a bit in comparison to the rest of the era since it was played. But that’s more about how good 3.0 has been!

24. 10/31/13 III, Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ

One of the finest examples of the band blowing off steam (which they had to have needed after the Wingsuit set). “Ghost” > “Carini” is an absolutely monster duo, and the rest of the set is more than listenable as well. Random note: how many times in this era has "Ghost" served as a sidecar to a monster jam in the same set? 8/29/14 II, 11/28/09 II, this set, 8/21/15 II, 7/20/14 II, 6/7/12 II...pretty interesting, no?

23. 1/3/15 II, American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL

From the moment the first burbling notes of this truly famous “Disease” start up until the rock star close to “Suzy Greenberg,” a set that doesn’t let up for one second. “Sally” is just so much fun, and a reminder that “Sally” needs to be a more frequent member of the rotation.

22. 11/1/13 II, Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ

Paired with the next set for how they serve as opposite sides of the coin. This one’s a pretty good set raised in quality by one jam I consider an all-time classic...

21. 10/29/13 II, The Santander Arena, Reading, PA

…and this one’s a really good set that buttresses a jam that I think is pretty good without quite being elite (although I know that people will disagree with me there). Which one you truly prefer is personal preference, and that’s okay! Phish casts a hell of a wide net. Both of these sets, by the way, neatly sum up why Fall 2013 is one of Phish's almighty tours.

Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment below, and look forward to Part 4 on Saturday, March 19!

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Comments

, comment by dscott
dscott Gotta agree with comment-about-comment #1. The highlights from the early 3.0 years still hold up, IMO. Listening to 8/7/09 right now, and it's Gorge-ous! That calypso jam, indeed! Also took a break from Clifford Ball (prompted by recent threads) and tossed 6/19/10 on for a first re-listen in a few years. It was an upgrade from the Ball. Yes, a 2nd set with BDTNL, Joy, Caspian, Halfway, and Shoe Of Life really did more for me (again) than one of the most worshipped of sacred cows. Early 3.0 was often on the songy and tentative side, but there is plenty of creativity and serendipitous magic to be found in those years.
, comment by Rick_like_an_Antelope
Rick_like_an_Antelope Love the "Ghost as a side-car" comment. (See Long Beach '12, Dick's '12, Chicago 7/21/13, in addition to your notes)

I feel like it's not icing on the cake, but more actual cake. I swear by that statement. I also feel like it gets skipped in the "Notable jams" section often. Minor nitpick.
, comment by mustard_tiger
mustard_tiger On the subject of Ghost, it was also a sidecar to the massive Dick's Simple in '14.
, comment by mustard_tiger
mustard_tiger Enjoying this btw. Giving me a lot of material in 09/10/11 that I otherwise may not have checked out.
, comment by MiguelSanchez
MiguelSanchez For whatever reason, I don't feel like that Chaifetz show gets enough love. I guess I'd have to check out the rest of the list before calling it underrated here, but they do a lot there. The opening sequence is up there with the best string of segues they've done this era. Then you get a Limb by Limb that is going to be tough to not put in anyone's top 5-10 list. Oh, and they close with YEM. No bed shitting there.
, comment by Zimmerman
Zimmerman I'd have Albany 09 in my top 20, although I can understand the jams being a miss for some people. I love 'em. Are there any other 3.0 1-2 punches with both jams at 20+ min???
, comment by n00b100
n00b100 @mustard_tiger said:
On the subject of Ghost, it was also a sidecar to the massive Dick's Simple in '14.
That'd be 8/29/14 II, which I mentioned, but you are correct. :)

@MiguelSanchez said:
For whatever reason, I don't feel like that Chaifetz show gets enough love. I guess I'd have to check out the rest of the list before calling it underrated here, but they do a lot there. The opening sequence is up there with the best string of segues they've done this era. Then you get a Limb by Limb that is going to be tough to not put in anyone's top 5-10 list. Oh, and they close with YEM. No bed shitting there.
None in the least. I'm *still* wondering if I did it a disservice.

@Zimmerman said:
I'd have Albany 09 in my top 20, although I can understand the jams being a miss for some people. I love 'em. Are there any other 3.0 1-2 punches with both jams at 20+ min???
There's a few sets with 2 jams that come close (10/20/13 II's Tweezer > Golden Age encompasses over 40 minutes, although it's 23/17), but I believe 11/28/09 II is the only one in that regard. I'll say this, though - with a 20 minute jam, sometimes it's the 10/20/13 II Tweezer, and sometimes it's just 20 minutes.
, comment by MiguelSanchez
MiguelSanchez @n00b100 said:

@MiguelSanchez said:
For whatever reason, I don't feel like that Chaifetz show gets enough love. I guess I'd have to check out the rest of the list before calling it underrated here, but they do a lot there. The opening sequence is up there with the best string of segues they've done this era. Then you get a Limb by Limb that is going to be tough to not put in anyone's top 5-10 list. Oh, and they close with YEM. No bed shitting there.
None in the least. I'm *still* wondering if I did it a disservice.

[/quote]

I wouldn't say you did it a disservice. There are sets in the previous two parts that are sure-fire keepers. I guess what I was getting at is, I won't say it's underrated here until I see the rest of the list. If you're going to say something is rated too low, you should always be able to say what you're bumping on the list in its place. "Competition" will be getting stiff from here on.
, comment by LawnMemo
LawnMemo @n00b100 awesome job. Loving this, keep up the great work!
, comment by bstone19
bstone19 I hate everything about these lists.......just kidding, this is great. Keep em coming and keep up the solid work. This really makes me want to step up on my phish game. Cheers mate.
, comment by dscott
dscott @Zimmerman said:
I'd have Albany 09 in my top 20, although I can understand the jams being a miss for some people. I love 'em. Are there any other 3.0 1-2 punches with both jams at 20+ min???
I think this may be the only time in 1.0, 2.0, or 3.0 that two consecutive 20+ minute songs have been connected by an arrow. First 2 songs of 8/9/04 were > 20 minutes, and at one point 3 straight songs top the 20 minute mark in the middle of 12/31/99 II, but those all have stops in between.
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