Phish at Jones Beach, Wantagh, NY, night two

This show was big on sheer amount of songs, had more breakouts of songs not played in years and still managed to have four 10+ minute jams. If this is the formula of Phish 2012, it is still working like a charm.

Like the previous night, however, the bustouts kept a-coming. The combos of "Alumni Blues"/"Letter to Jimmy Page" and "The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday"/"Avenu Malkanu" were personal rarities (though the former combo had not been played since 2009). Despite the fact that this was my 83rd show, I'd only ever seen them play one of those four songs - "Letter", once, at this very venue, my second show, 7/15/94.

The big bustout for the band and all the audience was the first appearance of the Velvet Underground's "Head Held High" since Phish covered their entire 'Loaded' album on Halloween 1998. Yes, another Halloween breakout!  What's in store at the next show - "Born Under Punches"?

But that was not all - someone had a sign for "Bittersweet Motel" the previous night. Trey Anastasio acknowledged it but they waited until this show to play it for the first time in three years. And sandwiched between Argent's "Hold Your Head Up" as intro and outro for Jon Fishman's vocal and vacuum spotlight came another rarity - the first time for Fish's vocal stylings on the Prince ballad "Purple Rain" since 1999. I had not seen them play it since MSG 1994.

Plus, they still found time to do a lengthy, kick-ass "David Bowie"! Add to that a rocking "Kill Devil Falls", the fun ditty "Alaska" (a personal favorite), a kicking "Gumbo" with fat bass bombs from Mike Gordon, and the requisite barbershop rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" for the Fourth of July, and you have got to consider this possibly the best first set of all time.

Still firing on all cylinders, but finding it tough to beat the first half, they played it more straight in set two, kicking out the funk in Stevie Wonder's "Boogie On Reggae Woman" to open the set and then launching into the "T"-trifecta of "Tweezer", "Twist" and "Taste". They did an "S" show last year. It's time for a "T" show.

The cover songs kept coming with a rousing rendition of Dylan's "Quinn the Eskimo", and two of the more standard Halloween album songs - the Velvets' "Rock & Roll" and the Stones' "Shine a Light". I can't get enough of the latter.

Thankfully, "The Horse" was not bungled, as in A.C., and "Silent in the Morning" was its usual, pretty self, but the 2010 ballad "Show of Life", still one of my favorite 3.0-era songs, was excellent, despite the groans from the crowd.

The gorgeous "Harry Hood" jam, late in the set would have been the highlight if not for the absolutely glorious "Slave to the Traffic Light" that closed the set. The memories of the bad "Slaves" I have seen get further away every time I see Phish play it in the new era.

That is not to say I don't have gripes about the set. I used to love "Taste", but for some reason, the jam never seems to climax the right way for my tastes anymore. The ending doesn't come together like it used to. Am I the only one that feels this way? And the days when every "Julius" was the best "Julius" ever are long gone. This one seemed dead on arrival at first, but did pick up enough steam to be enjoyable.

I love "Sleeping Monkey" as an encore, and paired with an incredibly rocking "Tweezer Rerprise" that had Trey running and jumping in his little area of the stage, it was another night when everyone went home happy.  Another two shows by the shore (five beach shows this summer!) in the books.