Phish at the Mann Center, Philadelphia, June 29

The floor literally shook under my feet as soon as Phish came out swinging with an excellent "Wolfman's Brother".

The Mann has quite an interesting look from the outside - all funky corners and odd angles.  And that was mostly how I had seen the venue until June 29.  This night, however, was to be even more interesting. 

There is a small balcony section - only 13 rows deep - bringing a couple hundred lucky audience members closer to the unique wood ceiling and providing an incredible view of the stage, excellent sound and the aforementioned floor-shaking.  I was among those few for this show and the experience was like no other.

The rocking (figurative and literally) continued with recent favorites "Your Pet Cat" and "Blaze On" as well as a brand new, first-time-played tune called "Waking Up Dead", a strange Mike Gordon number with a fun fast-riffing middle section.  And though the tempo was brought down for "Llama" (played in the slow funky style as in Raleigh last year), the fun continued, right through "Devotion to a Dream" during which I can not help but join in for the "It's today!" chorus.  There was some serious energy in the room.

However, there was a downside.  As we all know, smoke rises; and Phish phans, as lovely and friendly as many may be, tend not to have any regard for the fact that indoor venues are supposed to be smoke-free (not to mention the basic decency to care whether those above them are unhappily breathing in their smoke, regardless of the law).  It was so bad up there that during "Slow Llama" (as I like to call it), I had to go outside for a while.  I had to pee anyway, and the completely mangled and slow-moving "Reba", made it as good a time as any to get out of the smokehouse.  "Mike's Song" started while I was still out, but that, too, was slow and underwhelming (though Fish was deliberately messing with the tempo at first, which was funny).

Back in the balcony for a "Horn" and "Farmhouse" that were just OK, I was feeling a bit down about this show, which had started so promising but deteriorated quickly.  And though the set-closing "Weekapaug Groove" had some good energy, things did not feel right.  While laying on the lawn during set break (trying to get some more fresh air), I called my girlfriend, Gloria, and wondered aloud to her whether this whole Phish thing was losing its luster after 122 shows.

Phish has a knack for turning things around, though, and the second set (plus encore) of this show easily became the best set of the tour up to that point.  It was clearly headed that direction from the start with a huge (16 minutes!) and positively awesome "Crosseyed and Painless" which segued seamlessly into the debut of the brand new Fishman-penned "Friends", which led to another bananaballs jam in "Down With Disease", which led to a gorgeously amazing "What's the Use", which led to a fun "Meatstick" (to which no one does the special dance anymore - what's up with that?!  Was our World Record attempt at Camp Oswego in 1999 for nothing??), which brought us to a spirited version of "The Line". 

After finally taking a breather, another brand new song, "Tide Turns", was unveiled.  It is a pretty little number and I have been singing its catchy chorus endlessly since then.  "Backwards Down the Number Line" brought the set to its climax, but a barbershop version of "Dem Bones" (only the second performance since New Year's Eve 2014!) provided a nice button.

For the encore, who could have expected a "Dear Prudence" after its first bust-out since Halloween 1994 only five shows prior?  As if that was not enough of a treat, they kicked out a version of the now 30-year-old "Harry Hood" that was up there with the best.  It was so good, in fact, that I turned to the kids behind me who had only been to a handful of shows, and told them how amazing it was that after 122 shows, Phish can still amaze me.

So much for losing the luster!

Phish at the Mann Center, Philadelphia, PA, June 28

I was exiting a port-a-john when the opening chant of "Wilson" began, and I could not help but shout, "This party has started!" to no one (and everyone) in particular.  I had waited almost six months since my last Phish show and was ready to throw down.

Some venues are special when it comes to Phish.  According to Trey Anastasio, the Mann Center for Performing Arts located in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia is one of them.

Apparently, the band - already on the fifth night of summer tour after a great opener in St. Paul, Minn., but largely hit-and-miss shows in Chicago, Ill., and Noblesville, Ind. - was ready to throw down, too.  After "Wilson", they completed an opening one-two punch with "Funky Bitch", but the show really took off with the already classic "No Men in No Man's Land", getting booties shaking all around the unique Mann venue - inside the shed and on the lawn.

The first set also kept the fun coming with songs old ("Birds of a Feather"), new (the debut of the bluegrassy "Things People Do", sung by Page McConnell), borrowed ("Nellie Kane" and Trey's solo tune "Sleep Again") and blue (a quietly pretty "Roggae").  The complex grooves of "Limb by Limb" showed that Jon Fishman still has the stuff on drums and Mike Gordon dropped some big bass bombs in "Gumbo". "Birds of a Feather" kept the danceability high even without any big jamming exploration.

The latter was saved for "Split Open and Melt", a song about which I have complained numerous times.  But I am slowly being won over.  The SPAC version from 2014 started the turnaround and this one continued my appreciation for the newer, weirder "Melt" jams of the 3.0 era.  Closing with a classic "Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > Suzy Greenberg" combo (with Page raging on the keys) kept the energy high into set break.

Continuing the two-year tradition of playing "Fuego" at almost every venue on every tour, the non-stop second set was off to a great start, and even though the jams did not get stratospheric for the double-whammy of "Runaway Jim" and "Gotta Jibboo", it is a super treat to hear those two songs played together (and so well).  It was the new "Breath and Burning", in only its second time out, that took things up a notch - with its various modulations and extended room to move, leading nicely into "Timber" (the old one).  

If you want to see me make my Phish ecstasy face, look no further than "Slave to the Traffic Light".  When Trey plays a well-executed solo over that four-chord progression (essentially A-G-D-E, but modified), and soars to a glorious climax the way he did that night, I can not help but throw my arms in the air with my face in a permanent grin.  That would be the expected set closer because there is no way to top that, right?  

Boom - out comes the first "You Enjoy Myself" of the tour. Not only did they knock out all the parts beautifully with excellent peaks and valleys, but Trey took a turn playing the electronic percussion on Fish's Marimba Lumina.

Topping it of with an encore of "Quinn the Eskimo" was the icing on the cake and everyone seemed to leave the Mann satisfied.

Getting out of the venue was relatively easy, despite the all-over-the-place parking (which cost an inexplicably hefty $20), but there was construction at the Walt Whitman Bridge that had traffic stopped for an extra half-hour as I tried to get back to the hotel in Mount Laurel, N.J.  Not even that, though, could dampen the good spirits I felt from my first of seven shows of summer tour.

Phish at the Mann, Philadelphia , Aug.12, 2015

Solid, exploratory, consistent.

Throughout tonight's show those were the best words to describe Phish's performance.

If the first set consisted only of "Stash" and "It's Ice", with thier ebbs and flow, Set I would have earned that description. But a tight "Free" and a thoroughly danceable "Birds of a Feather " served to drive the point home. Elsewhere, "The Line" and an extended "Cities" jam kept things totally interesting.

The second set was not for the uninitiated - five songs with twisting, turning jams throughout a classic yet fresh "Bathtub Gin" ("blew my mind," said a nearby reveler), the new "No Men in No Man's Land" (get it? No MANN's land?), and a hairy "Twist", which went so far off that when Trey returned to the riff it was surprising and a bit jolting.

"Scents and Subtle Sounds" featured the intro part (lasr played at Super Ball IX in 2011?), which was crazy enough, but no one could have possibly forseen the deep, dark jam that followed. And to top it off with a beautiful , happy "Harry Hood" and a "Loving Cup" encore provided about as much joyful bliss for which one could ask.

Night Two of the Mann was my second show of this tour, and while very different than the previous night, it proved that Phish is capable of back-to-back greatness. More to come on Friday in Raleigh!

Phish at the Mann Center, Philadelphia, Aug. 11, 2015

This show had almost everything for which one could ask.

For some exceptional jamming, how about that "Ghost", or maybe the "Slave"-like coda to "Fuego". You want some deep funk? Look no further than "Sand". Bust outs? May I direct your attention to the third "Skin It Back" since 1988? You say you like neat segues? How about the way "Martian Monster" wove in an out of "Skin"?

In between, things were kept interesting with a tight, focused mid-first-set "David Bowie", preceded by a quiet "Dog Faced Boy" and followed by "Farmhouse". "Axilla" and "46 Days" rocked the joint to no end; "Backwards Down the Number Line" and the "Julius" encore brought the big climax.

There were no clunkers here. "Scent of a Mule" showcased Fishman's Marimba Lumina, "Taste" and "Vultures" were tighter than ever, and opener "Crowd Control", "2001", and "Cavern" kept the good times a-coming.

The only things the show lacked were any of the brand new songs, but they will come soon enough.

Fresh off several face-melting Midwest shows, Phish returned to the Northeast for the first of my eight shows this year in a big way. If tonight is any indication, it is going to be one hell of a tour.