More a reflection than a review:
Looking at this show from the perspective of the long game, two things stood out to me (which could be equally applied both the 2014 Summer and Fall Tours): 1. How hot Trey is these days when he is on (fingers of fire, baby....new carpal tunnel meds maybe?), and 2. How cold Trey is these days when he isn't. Last night's show evidences this literally on a song by song basis. Highlights from the show for me included that Gin closer, Piper, Caspian, and Rock and Roll. Jesus, he sounded liked a rock god during those numbers. The rest of the show, although I really enjoyed, as always, just didn't sound that good. Plus the song selection of the second set speaks for itself. The first set on paper had the makings of greatness. But the Undermind was unfortunately episodic in its greatness. The Bowie was rough, and unenthusiastic. Yarmouth.... groan!!!! But a really hot and unexpected solo. Nice job, Trey! If you are following the arc of this "reflection," you will notice that I am working my way back to the Gin. WOW!!!!! That was a good good time. A really intense high. So all and all, this was definitely no 1/1/11, but good grief Florida, audibly booing the Velvet Sea. Are you serious? You guys who were in on that don't deserve to be at a show if you are going to act like that. That is a waste of both your hard earned cash and the band's precious time. My prediction: Tonite is going to be pure fire to spite all those m-f's. Enjoy.

If the first set of this show and the second set of NYE were instead paired as a standalone show, it would be one of the best of the year. Every song in the first set was very well played, and had ample space for the performers to throw in a few gags and interesting musical moments. You could really feel how excited the band was and this set high expectations for the second set.

There's no denying that the second set was tight, however, it was simply unremarkable. Twist had a very nice little jam come out of it, but Trey cut it short with perhaps the most awkward ripcord of the year. The band was in some flowing ambient space and Trey just started smacking away at the Piper chords at a different tempo for a bit, then abruptly stopped. It sounded very off. I thought it could have been a tease, and that we were about to have a musically exciting, tension filled jam. He then came in again, cutting short an excellent jam as the other band members reluctantly joined him.

The same thing happened to Piper, it again reached a very nice space, with some interesting overlapping lines and watery chords from Page and Trey, and just as it began to morph into something potentially interesting, we were treated to Prince Caspian. The foolish optimist in me hoped that this, one of the few phish songs I actually just don't like would at least hint at some interesting new musical ground, but a simple type 1 noodle fest gave way to another one of the few phish songs I actually don't like, at which point I realized there was probably no more new music to be had that night.

Velvet is a great song, a real treat and way to cool down after a firey set. It had no business here. Being at the arena must've been really fun, but since I was at home I could have easily forgone the shaky vocal harmonies of this rendition for the immaculate studio recording. The same goes for the next two songs, the only difference between this RLAA and the one on Lawn Boy is that the one on Lawn Boy is more polished, and the version of RnR on the Velvet Underground's Loaded contains a primordial Piper like jam and much better vocals.

All in all, the playing in this show was excellent. However, I already know that phish are excellent musicians. Attending a show is one thing, usually a beautiful experience, but I personally only follow the couch tour to hear new music. Tonight Twist, Piper, 20YL, Antelope and RnR could've gone new places, but they didn't. As a musician I understand that Phish doesn't owe me anything and can and should play whatever the hell they want on stage, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Someone told me that Trey has the flu last night. I'm not sure what his source was, and Trey LOOKED fine and smiling and bouncy last night, but that could definitely account for the just over an hour sets, early start time, and frequent ripcords. I hope he feels better, not because I want to hear a 3 song second set, but because I care about him as a human being

@erikyax, the 3 set shows, at least in 3.0 have all had 60 minute sets. They play 80-100 minute sets in most other shows, which is actually more than the 60-70 min sets of 97-98.

The past few shows haven't been great by any standards but if you boo during a concert, go jump in a fire.

I must start by saying I wasn't in attendance, I streamed the show from the comfort of my home.

Set I:
Tube was short and fun (as it has been for the past 5 years). Page jolted the audience and band with his soloing in Gumbo. Bowie was decent with a bit of slop coming from Trey. The rest for the set was standard with the exception of Gin. Check out Bathtub Gin, it's definitely the highlight of this show.

Set II:
Honestly, this set was a disappointment. Twist was aimless as was 70% of Piper. Caspian>Twenty Years>Winterqueen>Wading literally sucked all of the energy out of the building complete with audible booing as Wading began. To the fans that booed, go home. Showing that level of disrespect to the band will not result in 1997 coming back.

Summary:
Pretty disappointed. Some great moments surrounded by a lot of filler and uninspired playing. However, there was enough great material present to give me hope for the shows tonight and tomorrow.

See you all in the summer!

The show may have been short and mellow but it was well played and Trey was especially strong the whole night. With the exception of the Piper ripcord in Twist (very forced) the rest of set 2 flowed nicely with some mellower song choices than most are used to, and that shouldn't detract from the experience when the playing is so good.

20yrs Later had some nice, dark moments before finding its way into Winterqueen, which featured some of Trey's best playing all night. Wading seemed like an odd choice but again Trey really poured himself into the solo and it was a nice setup for the raging Antelope/R&R that closed the set.

Don't let the song choices deter you from hearing this show.

January 1 2015

Not understanding where the critics are coming from in the negative comments below. Perhaps a bit hungover from the epic New Years night one? This show was totally solid.
The Chairman touched the whole room with his Lawnboy antics. Gumbo, DavidBowie and Bathtub Gin were the first set highlights for me.
Second set magic started with the Twist -Piper. Ever wonder what those words were which he sailed upon? Probably something about the mystical magical musical energy in the universe. It's a deep well they continue to tap into and,lucky for us, they pour that energy into the music listeners. Sailing right along into a beautiful Prince Caspian. Twenty years later continued the water themed set. Winterqueen fit nicely in the next slot. I needed that to calm down after all that high energy goodness. Prince of Guitar indeed. Nicely rested after waiting in the velvet seat. Such a beautiful song, had to wipe tears. Antelope and Rocknroll raged to the end of a great set.Tonight they did it again, there is no place I would rather be.

2015.01.01 is a show which I really enjoyed a lot personally. Since I came home it is now pretty clear that this is the "breather" of the 4 Miami shows to close out 2014 and begin 2015. Still, it's no slouch, and I IMPLORE those who look only at the song lengths (many times I have been guilty of this myself) to LISTEN to this show before you judge it a throwaway.

Set I is a pretty great list really, and while "your set is short", provided some nice highlights for me personally, such as the second time I have seen Bowie in a first set. Again, this show has to be heard to understand. While nothing was long throughout, everyone who witnessed it could tell...Trey was fucking ON, and it stayed that way basically the next three nights straight. He just KILLS Bowie and Wingsuit, it's wonderful.

Set II brings the classic Twist>Piper combo, and while not as long as 90s renditions these two brought the heat pretty good to start. A slight collective groan could be sensed at the ripchord of "Caspian" aka FUCKERPANTS out of the Piper jam. Except then Trey shredded the Caspian jam like I've NEVER heard him play it (at my 69th show, mind you). Again not long but extremely well played and emotional. Then came what was for me the highlight of the entire show...20 Years > Winterqueen. Never seen either of these live yet, so was excited for both. Holy crap if Winterqueen isn't like "Phish's dead song", I LOVED it and everyone else was talking about Winterqueen (yes really) after the show at the hotel. Velvet Sea for me is the best cooldown song Phish ever wrote (and a Cypress nod) so I'll never complain about it. Short and fiery antelope (which could have used another minute or two) and a crispy Rock & Roll (in the odd closer spot) finished this one off. Meatstick encore was a welcome nod to Cypress but they should have ended it by just fading it out to nothing the same way they did as the sun rose on 1/1/00. They certainly had the time, because just like your trip, this show was SHORT. Still, far from a bad show as some have suggested - 1/1/15 brought IT during several segments and songs, even if it was abridged compared to the following two days. Solid as fuck but without the fireworks of NYE or the following two nights.

I was in attendance last night. The show got off to a very hot start. When Bowie started I couldn't believe it! 3rd song? Wow. The first set was very solid. Highlight was definitely Gin.

Was expecting a DWD opener in set 2. Twist was a nice surprise. No song really went type II last night, but man oh man Trey was on fire. Was an honor to be in the same building with one of the greats last night. Right as Winterqueen started someone in my section fell down a few rows (not talking about the guy in the 400s) and that killed my vibe a little bit. The end of the show ended on a high note though.

All in all a decent show, and I can't complain because I never get to see my favorite band. Looking forward to tonight!

Phellow Heads,
You can bash me all you want, I expected it. There were some serious hilights this show, 1000% agreed. In retrospect I guess I should have elaborated.
Set 1 - Serious hi points for me, Gumbo > Bowie and Bathtub. Bathtub was extra spicy and I especially dig it as a set 1 closer. Another reason I love Gin it's simply classic Phish, fans fuckin love it, it's always going to have some killer improv and they could always let it rip for 15 to 25 minutes and we would love it. Regardless Gin to me was tightly played, high energy and the improv section was silky smooth and really tight.
Set 2. - Agreed with other reviewer expected DWD but who is going to bitch about Twist > Piper (one of my all time favs btw). But right when the set is starting to shift into high gear the drop it back into 3rd and decide on Caspian > 20 years > Winterqueen and Velvet Sea? This is 4th quarter time sirs, that's all I'm saying. Sure we all need a breather but given the selection and placement of these tunes IMO brought the set to a set 1 vibe more than 4th quarter shred, jam, face melted time! Also I'm not saying they didn't play a high energy really clean show. Although nothing over 15 minutes the tunes they did play (for the most part) were impeccably tight, crisp, and unlike NYE no serious flubs. Let's move to the set 2 almost face melters, Piper, Antelope > Rock n Roll, that R&R was sexy as all hell.
Meatstick tight, but again if you're back to playing 1 hour sets, and curfew was 12a throw us a bone and stay until 12, give a 2-3 song encore. But it was Meatstick out! Nice ending to a average (barely) show.

But seriously was Gordo off his game NYE set 1 especially? Whatever he was on seemed to have reached its peak during set break, Cuz as well know that set 2 NYE still has me at full chub! That's because "Your Trip Is Short!"

My buddy calls me a jaded fuck when it comes to Phish. Maybe, I think the problem is they destroy everyone out there in the scene right now. The last 2 years have seen them on a whole different level, possibly their best live and studio work (Fuego) ever - save as usual Fall 97 and almost all of 94! The heights these guys have reached in 2013-14 has taken all of their talents to new levels. Also we say, Phish could play their worst show ever, (whatever that means) and still be better than everyone else on their best night.

Looking forward to some serious face melters and bust outs tonight.....
Good Talk

Lol, happy new year eric... here's to optimism new beginnings and all that jazz. Perhaps you miss the meatstick?

Awesome to see Tube open, and David Bowie so early in the show. Wingsuit is a highlight. Antelope > Roll is a good close to the 2nd set.

The whole show seemed like a prelude to tomorrow's show...

Couldn't tell you my thoughts on the second set because I spent all of set 2 with webcast buffering issues. I have to say after the Halloween webcast debacle, nothing has been fixed. I tried 2 different browsers and both the HD and SD feeds and nothing worked. Twenty bucks ain't pocket change at this point and it would be nice if the product being sold actually worked. A very disappointing and frustrating evening here.

It was average. We are just going to have to deal with it. I am not going to urge you to listen to this but I will point out some solid moments should you, humble future netter, find this show.

It was Music For The Morning After. Trey had his soaring peaks but the show was docile and tame with the moments coming in the quiet spaces.

Check out the Gin and 20yl>Winterqueen which has some truly awesome moments.

As the ball dropped to usher in 2015 I found myself standing in the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida along with thousands of like-minded souls, watching Phish do their thing. After an appropriate amount of after-partying (it was New Years Eve after all) I found my hotel, in which I found my room, in which I found my bed, in which I soon found myself tossing and turning and wishing the day would just curl up and die as the sun rose on January 1st.

Or so I’m guessing. It’s not like everything that gets deposited into my memory bank gathers interest, and in this case the entire four-day run just sort of blends into one big smear of entertainment.

I wouldn’t be too surprised if this was the day that m’lady and I headed into Miami’s famous Little Havana and had lunch at the city’s best-known Cuban restaurant. Regardless, I certainly wasn’t surprised to discover that our meal was sub-par at best. Having scoured a bevy of restaurants in actual-sized Havana over the course of two week-long trips to Cuba I have determined that the country’s cuisine is spotty and uninteresting at best*.

Of course, the day (lazy as it likely was) was capped with the second night of Phish’s four-nighter. Now, I’m not saying that the Phish fellas stayed up too late the night before like everyone else did, but looking back at the setlist it seems like they were easing themselves (and the rest of us by proxy) into the New Year nice and easy.

Not that the show was a sleeper, but it did have its fair share of relaxed moments. Prince Caspian, Lawn Boy, Winterqueen leading into Wading in the Velvet Sea, Undermind, Yarmouth Road…you get the idea.

Or maybe you don’t. Maybe you’re thinking, “Wait a minute dude**, some of those songs aren’t so chill.

“Okay, maybe they aren’t ragers,” (thinkst thou, permaybe), “But c’mon, they ain’t sleepers…”

Or maybe you don’t even know these songs; maybe to you these are just random, silly titles.

If so, you are much more likely to buy the line I’m selling***. Because really, sometimes I either don’t know what I’m talking about or else I’m just trying to tether some sort of thread through these narratives through leaps and lackadaisical lies.

Or both. In which case, those Phishier-than-thou can (and do) easily call me out, or at least spend several boring hours arguing their case, citing obscure dates and venues to prove their eye-rollingly uninteresting points.

Better to just take my word for it. Trust me.

*And utterly inedible at worst. The worst seemingly-appetizing meal I’ve ever had in my life was at one of the ‘special’ restaurants in an upscale Cuban resort, plus there was that time that m’lady vomited up her meal on the front steps of a fancy restaurant in Havana’s old town. That said, I am very eager to be proved wrong with regards to the quality of Cuban dining.

**Don’t “dude” me, dude.

***Speaking of “selling”, we had arrived in Miami without any tickets (on purpose) and for this second night I scored a pair out front for “free or anything you want to pay.” The guy said he would donate anything I gave him to Phish’s charity The Mockingbird Foundation so I gave him $40 for the pair. That was the most I paid for tickets over the entire four-night run.

http://www.toddmanout.com

I had a blast this show. I was shocked to see such a low rating on phish.net the next day. I agree the 4 slow songs in the 2nd set is an energy killer but if you were there for the 4 day run one show could getaway with being this way. between the 4 slower songs in the 2nd set 3 of the 4 were great version imo. Caspian 20years later and Velvet sea were all amazing imo. while there was no real songs that dominated the show (maybe the Caspian>20years later) or top versions it still was a fun and exciting show if you can get past the 4 slower songs in the 2nd set (which many can not imo)

Gin 20years later Velvet sea were all really good imo and the whole show was a fun time. I'm glad I can still have fun and appreciate an "off show".

I hope others still find enjoyment in shows that aren't off the walls.

Yes, it was a short show...but, there is some really solid stuff. I thought the first set was neat. The Bowie could have gone places. Coming so early in the show, it was cool to see the boys try and warm up with it. They tend to build toward a Bowie to end a set, but I am a huge fan of switching up setlist placement (i.e. Moma Dance, pretty much set in stone, is the second song of first set when I see them play it...SWITCH IT UP lol.) But I thought first set highlights included Gumbo (Mike's bass sounded great in AAA). Wingsuit (Definitely becoming a new favorite of mine...Trey's peaks at the end are powerful) and a very solid Gin.
Second set was interesting for me and my buddy, as we were partying pretty hard second night. Twist>Piper is a great combo, but it felt like they were going through the motions and nothing was catching on. Caspian was good, but typical, "We aren't hitting on anything together, so lets play Prince Caspian" fashion. Still nothing to rave about until Wading. Yes, Wading. I could have been completely out of my gourde, but I thought it sounded great, and I DO NOT like that song. Being a 3.0 fan who has made the mistake of watching Coventry videos, I just always seem to associate it with that time period...bummer, to say the least. But then a raging Antelope is always welcome and then BOOM> R&R!!! Cool.
Meatstick encore brought the giggles, and then it was over and out into the streets of Miami, we went. Second set highlights: Twist, Wading, Antelope>R&R.
Still can't believe I just said Wading is a highlight. But hey, that's the way it goes sometimes, I guess. 4 stars, because I had a blast.

I streamed the show at home. Set 1 was upbeat, fun, and exciting, and Set 2 was calmer and took its time until Ant and RnR tried to bring the energy back up. Tempos were slower than usual all around, but it's only the second night of the run.

My favorites were Gumbo, Lawn Boy (excellent soloing from Mike), Wingsuit, Gin, and Twist>Piper. I especially feel like the Piper is worth a 2nd or 3rd listen!

What's up with barely 60 minute sets? Coming on NYE at almost 9pm? Not one mention Gordo single handedly, damn near ruined set 1 NYE.
Guy probably couldn't spell his own name. It was almost painful to watch, but we give him a pass Cuz he wears white jeans anytime he fuckin wants. Thank God for Set 2 NYE - complete fire, but still barely 60 minutes. Does anyone else think opening a stand on Halloween or NYE is a good idea? Don't get me wrong Halloween was bonkers. IMO the Miami run thus far has been somewhat of a letdown. Regardless Phish could play shit and urinate in our ears and we'd happily lap it up.
Looking forward to some kind of redemption, bust outs, something to cross the 17-20 minute mark, last night 2 songs went over 10 minutes.
Yup I'm being that guy, bashing the greatest band on the planet. Why is it we hold Phish to such high standards? Blah blah blah, Happy New Years!