Trey and Page teased Can't You Hear Me Knocking in A Wave of Hope. The lyrics in Cities were changed to "find the best city to live in" and "I found myself a city to live in."
Teases
Can't You Hear Me Knocking tease in A Wave of Hope
Debut Years (Average: 2001)

This show was part of the "2023 Summer Tour"

Show Reviews

, attached to 2023-07-28

Review by Laudanum

Laudanum One of the things that gets lost in the quibbling about the new-ish songs at the micro level is how they function at the macro level.

The two song salvo that draws the curtain on this years' Garden party is an opening mood to a concert/run that the band couldn't have pulled off even five years ago because these particular songs didn't exist five years ago. The sparkling, ebullient jam in a Wave of Hope (with its roots firmly planted in Donovan's There is a Mountain) is directly colored by the measured but hopeful tone of the two songs that precede it. One doesn't exist without the others.

Yes, it's dadrock, but it's really freaking profound dadrock. Some, I daresay, of the most profound ever performed.

The subsequent Cities provides a dreamy complimentary jam, and the rest of set I that follows is no slouch either, with a couple of relative rarities, a swampy Free, and an old-timey Stash that adds some nostalgia to the mix.

Second set, then, is one of the jammiest of the tour so far, despite having no singular jam approach the 20 minute mark. Much ground is covered here, some of it unexplored and new, including, improbably, a swing jazz jam in Plasma that's somewhere between a 1920's speakeasy and the Mos Eisley cantina band from Star Wars (really, where the hell did this come from?) Simple gives us a glimpse of the machinery under the layers of love and light, and the closing Melt reveals the heart of reality to be an alien AI hive mind undergoing wave after wave of cascading system failures.

The Good Times Bad Times encore functions as a grade-A stamp of approval from the band, marking this as the first truly great show from a tour full of really good shows. And truly great it is, able to sit easily at the table with the likes of 10/29/21, 12/30/22 etc.

The last few years have been full of watershed moments like this one, old Phish mixing and meshing with new Phish, giving us new forms and new meanings and interpretations. I don't think the full weight of what's transpiring now will be known until the passage of time provides some much needed perspective. Best to layback and enjoy the scenery here at what may be later recognized as the top of a mountain.
, attached to 2023-07-28

Review by spreaditround

spreaditround SET 1: Evening Song: Good enough tune. The vocals sound uncomfortable for Page. >

A Wave of Hope: The first thing that grabs my ear is the breakdown that starts happening around the mid 12 minute range. They take things down a few notches and trey hits this echoing effect. Very cool. Another effects driven breakdown starts around 16:45. The jam that eventually evolves out of this is truly inspiring. Very peaky! The re-entry into the ending lyrics is real head scratcher. Trey singing them way to fast an in an uncomfortable high register. I don’t get it. But, whatever. That jam was ridiculous. This is an all timer version for sure.

Cities: Another very upbeat, very peaky jam. Beautiful. Peaks for days and days. Damn! Impressive. Those two jams at the beginning of the set is just nuts. Guess they let everyone know they weren’t messing around.

The Old Home Place: They basically start up Beauty of My Dreams and then immediately stop after like half a beat. Then from Trey, “This is thematic Mike, this actually follows the last song in a little bit of a way”. Then they go on to play TOHP and play it as you would expect. >

Free: Broadway Trey. Plenty of vibrato, singing in that higher register and halting delivery of lyrics. Why? Cool interplay from Trey and Mike in the early stages of the jam. Trey with that bullfrog effect.

Brian and Robert: Page’s solo was sweet I though.

Stash: Good enough. The ending is quite strong but the body of work before hand is just really sort of nonexistent.

My Soul: Rip roaring good time.

SET 2: More: Really? To open the set? >

Ruby Waves: Love how quiet and dark this gets in the early stages . This is great! Page has some huge WTU style effects showcased in here. Wish they would have kept this going, but Trey’s love and light ADD would not allow it unfortunately. Good news though, it eventually finds itself in a funky, bouncy jam. Tons of fun there. All in all, this was a very solid jam. The segue into Plasma is ridiculous. ->

Plasma: The very early stages of this jam are awesome. Trey sounds like he is right out of Summer 97 – by 4 and a half that is over but still – loved that. The jam gets effects heavy in the middle, breaks into upbeat mode. Page again is leaning on heavy WTU like effects in the 9 minute range and ongoing for two minutes. The last 4 or 5 minutes you will find Trey blazing through tons of great runs. Not peaky type stuff like in Wave of Hope and Cities though. This is a very strong jam and to date was the longest version they have played. >

Simple: Pretty chaotic jam through the middle part. Plenty of dissonance and even slight whale calls. Solid enough jam – nothing to write home about really but it certainly keeps the momentum up. >

Mountains in the Mist: Ahhh, I will take this most anywhere/anytime. Takes me right back to 7.3.99.

Split Open and Melt: Chaos and effects. Had to be there’d.

ENCORE:

Good Times Bad Times: Absolutely crushed. Very impressive!

Summary: If the jams are why you love Phish, then this is the show of the tour so far IMHO. Great show! 4.3/5

Replay Value: A Wave of Hope, Cities, Ruby Waves -> Plasma
, attached to 2023-07-28

Review by CloudStar845

CloudStar845 Wow!
What an amazing show! What a crazy day!
After just getting my car tuned up the other day, We pack it up with 3 days worth of clothes and food to head down to NYC to our hotel. Picked the GF up from her last day teaching summer camp in Fairfield CT and head to Trader Joe's for last minute refreshments. Then the fun starts... Every instrument indicator light illuminates including the power steering, which locks, and the battery dies. I get a jump from a nice girl and her mom but it it hot AF and the car is still having issues. Eventually it gives out. AAA comes and does a battery test and tells me it's my alternator and not safe to drive to NYC or anywhere. We figure the best plan is to get AAA to tow us the 1.5 hours to my house and take another car. They eventually call us back to tell us that it's gonna be hours and they're contacting out to another company who doesn't take passengers.
New plan: Have them take the car (which shows up at midnight) and hop on the train from Fairfield. I won't get into my fear of trains stemming from a traumatic incident in Oakland. We finally get to Grand Central and hop in an Uber to our conveniently located hotel (28th & 7th). Then there's a SNAFU with check in. There's a problem with their system and none of my cards take. Well, I just used them so I know they work. I "politely" tell the woman after 20+ mins that we're running late and to just make us ket cards and we'll sort it out later. We'll be here 3 days and all our stuff will be upstairs. Great! We get upstairs and the room looks like shit. GF is upset; I'm not stoked either. But there's no time to fuss bc the show's starting!
We catch the opener on my phone in the hotel room. A fast Evening Song is a great opener for a 7 night run in NYC. The play Wave of Hope as we're walking. As we enter MSG they start playing Cities and it is loud and glorious. We decide to grab a quick bite since it's been since breakfast and then hit our seats. I thought the seats were going to suck be they were sect 108 and too close to the stage for good sight lines. I should know from seeing 62 other Phish shows at MSG already that there really are no bad seats. And these are actually great! Right on an aisle with plenty of room and pretty close. They play a ripping Free, sweet Brian and Robert and perfect Stash. I think I saw Trey smiling at my dance moves during that one, Lol!
The second set was one of the best I've seen. 6 songs, all great! More is a great set opener. Plasma and Simple were wild! MITM was a nice mellow point to take a breath before the most insane version of Split Open and Melt I've ever heard. This has been my favorite phish song for 248 shows since 7/26/92 at Big Birch. Last night's version was the most insane I have ever heard! GTBT was the perfect encore. SO much left on the table for the next 6 nights. IDK if we'll make all 7. but have our sights on 5 at least.
So after a gruelling day wrought with potential disasters, we glided through relatively unscathed and oh so happy to have finally made it to the show and our awesome seats. It would've been great to hear Train song or BOTT or Billy Breathes or Glide but there's still 6 more days! What an incredible show! That Split Open and Melt was one for the ages!!
, attached to 2023-07-28

Review by andrewrose

andrewrose Welcome home! This is home, right? Once upon time this was the Phish from Vermont. And while they almost certainly always will be—especially to this Canuck who’s home ain’t far from Burlington—it’s easy to start thinking of them as a New York band. (Or is that a Colorado band..? Overheard in a hip clothing I stopped into with my girlfriend before the show: “I need an outfit I’m going to see Phish tonight… “oh is it your first time seeing them” .. “no..” “do you see them here or in Colorado?” … Heaven forbid Phish is becoming an exclusive club by bi-coastal elites! But I digress..)

So yes it felt very much like homecoming with the happy return to the Garden. “It’s thematic, Mike,” Trey says before they started Old Home Place, following the fabulous Cities, (“find the BEST city to live in”).

Obviously there was much anticipation for the 7 night run—the longest residency since the Bakers Dozen, which looms large over this stretch of shows. And for myself as well, with the night they raised the banner being the last time I was in the room. Time flies, huh?

I can say this—they sure don’t seem to have turned down the crowd energy since 2017. If anything it’s gone up..? It might have been dangerous to blow the roof off with something big or busty—so Trey instead suggests we all take a breath and approach the night with caution, with the smooth invitation of Evening Song.

Once that prelude was done though, holding back didn’t seem like an option. A Wave of Hope, and then the Cities that followed, washed over the Garden approach about 40 minutes of mostly inspired and energetic jamming that would have been comfortable as the second set meat of any show these last two years. Some fantastic Mountain jam like hose in Hope, and a fabulous Cities that left notice that the majestic offering on 4/23 at the Hollywood Bowl wasn’t an anomaly (though the latter still might be a more dynamic offering).

Trey sounded fiercely happy to here, energetic and in full guitar god mode. Free featured some nice duelling action, and Stash had an almost old school feel, never quite going out the box but nevertheless staying engaging and sharp. I would have happily taken another 6 minutes in the middle of that Stash over the My Soul that closed the set, but as mentioned Trey came to rock tonight, and you can’t fault the performance.

The trip to open the second set was decidedly contemporary, vibrating with love and light in a sea of love and plasma. I try and stay receptive to new material, and Ruby Waves has become a contemporary favourite, but 3 newer ones back to back started to leave my wanting a little More.. ;) ? The jamming here probably needs some digesting. Parts were phenomenal, others a little too familiar, but points for the -> to Plasma and the willingness to get weird. It didn’t always work to my tastes. Much as Trey has chops right now, it still feels to me like he’s in a rush to get somewhere in jams and ends up recycling these major rock outs with not very inspiring riffs. My biggest beef lately. If you love the blow up (and the crowd often does) more power to you, but it doesn’t tell a very interesting story. I’d take a slow down space exploration till the real inspired lick comes over 3 rote peaks every day of the week

But the set picked up from here. Simple had a nice jam, not rushed, almost one of those modest minor excursions that wouldn’t be out of place in a jam from the late 90s. And the landing in Mountains of the Mist worked, a tongue in cheek inversion of the On the Road Again that closed to Bakers Dozen run.

Split Open and Melt delivered on its name. Absolutely filthy, evil, face melting material that combined with the ever evolving CK5 rig left the room pretty much obliterated. I’m not sure listening back if it’ll top the standout on 4/22 from earlier this year. But it sure was fun from Section 2.

And the Section was on my mind as the show wrapped. GTBT was executed perfectly, a Bakers Dozen nod, but what came to mind for me was that it was also the same encore I saw at my first show at MSG on 12/29/97, when I had the good fortune of scoring mail order tickets in the same section. Full donut!

Taking my 14 year old to his second show tonight (took him to the dud in Portland in 2016 when he was 8). Have a feeling tonight will be a little more memorable…

Have fun all and stay cool!
, attached to 2023-07-28

Review by Phriend_of_the_Devil

Phriend_of_the_Devil Last night's setlist would not excite anyone who is casually scrolling through to see how they opened this MSG run. But do yourself a favor and listen to the entire show, and hear how they spun gold without the aid of the A-list songs in their catalogue. Exquisite jams, seamless segues, and all topped like a cherry by a perfectly placed GTBT encore.
, attached to 2023-07-28

Review by lofus99

lofus99 Saw most of the tour and THIS was the show that delivered the psychedelic masterpiece that only comes along here and there. Would not be surprised if the boys took some shrooms this night. I just so happened to be tripping this night, but as a musician, I am an even more critical listener under that influence. If there is no magic, I hear it right away. This show, even the 1st set had a psychedelic edge. Wave of Hope and Cities have that magic. For sure Trey was playing Mountain Jam in Wave. Phish.net please amend. But despite the strong shrooms, the rest of the set was clearly not in Electric Ladyland territory.....like the entire 2nd set was. Honestly, you hear the extra special sauce when tripping to this 2nd set just like Electric Ladyland. It is there. The boys put it in on purpose, just like Jimi did. If you do not know what I am talking about, with respect to Electric Ladyland, you need to dose and listen to it while peaking, start to finish....and then you will know. That is what is happening with the Melt. Full on psychedelic brain orgasm. Trust me. Tested it twice now. Until you hear that while tripping....you just won't get it fully for what it is. Mountains is surreal as well. But the whole set, from start to finish flows perfectly for an acid test music listening party. Suck it up those who dissed on the More opener. It works just fine as the mental warmup for what follows. They probably needed it to get their bearings. This can happen if playing on shrooms and they seem to like a little 2nd set warmup lately. just deal with it. stop judging shows by the setlist. You guys are weak.
, attached to 2023-07-28

Review by lofus99

lofus99 Saw most of the tour and THIS was the show that delivered the psychedelic masterpiece that only comes along here and there. Would not be surprised if the boys took some shrooms this night. I just so happened to be tripping this night, but as a musician, I am an even more critical listener under that influence. If there is no magic, I hear it right away. This show, even the 1st set had a psychedelic edge. Wave of Hope and Cities have that magic. For sure Trey was playing Mountain Jam in Wave. Phish.net please amend. But despite the strong shrooms, the rest of the set was clearly not in Electric Ladyland territory.....like the entire 2nd set was. Honestly, you hear the extra special sauce when tripping to this 2nd set just like Electric Ladyland. It is there. The boys put it in on purpose, just like Jimi did. If you do not know what I am talking about, with respect to Electric Ladyland, you need to dose and listen to it while peaking, start to finish....and then you will know. That is what is happening with the Melt. Full on psychedelic brain orgasm. Trust me. Tested it twice now. Until you hear that while tripping....you just won't get it fully for what it is. Mountains is surreal as well. But the whole set, from start to finish flows perfectly for an acid test music listening party. Suck it up those who dissed on the More opener. It works just fine as the mental warmup for what follows. They probably needed it to get their bearings. This can happen if playing on shrooms and they seem to like a little 2nd set warmup lately. just deal with it. stop judging shows by the setlist. You guys are weak.
, attached to 2023-07-28

Review by DownWithSteam

DownWithSteam Im finally going to get around to reviewing what i remember from this 7 night MSG run.

Night one of the run and I was excited. I wasn't able to make many of the Bakers Dozen, so this was my first chance to do a big residency. Night 1 I thought would be a warm up or the most skippable - thank god i still went. This definitely holds up as one of the better shows.

We got in through the MSG turnstyles and went to our seats. Right out of the gate I knew this run would be fantastic with the Wave of Hope. Talk about a way to begin, It was hot. And after that, they drop the Cities on us, my first ever. It was also my first old home place.

Stash was amazing. Was drunk and ate food during it and had my face melted. First set a very solid B+, and all im thinking is thank God this band is here and ill be here for all these nights.

Set two time. My first ever More and I actually like the song. The 2nd set did not hold a candle to the first set, which would be somewhat of a theme on this run - but it does contain the best part of the show - a ripping melt to close the show. Aliens and UFOs were the talk of that week and i can honestly say that was as close as ive been to extraterrestial life. thank you phish. Set two B. abbreviated but very strong GTBT encore. This show rocked and deserves this 4.38~ rating. Very very solid. No warming up needed.
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