Ranking Dick’s: #5 09/02/2012 (2012 N3)
Setlist:
Set 1: Cars Trucks Buses, AC/DC Bag > Down with Disease, Bathtub Gin, Nellie Kane > Sample in a Jar, Back on the Train > Rift > Free, Ride Captain Ride > Maze, Halley’s Comet > 46 Days > Possum
Set 2: Sand -> Ghost -> Piper > Twenty Years Later > The Lizards, Harry Hood
Encore: Character Zero
Quick Lowdown: Show rankings #4-2 are so close. This is the start of the truly elite Dick’s Shows. Capping the INCREDIBLE 2012 run, I put the last night here due to the below average first set. Still this a serious upper tier show that has a pretty flawless second set. One that carried an awesome vibe live and provides a great re-listen. Anchored by the stellar “Sand->Ghost” and continues with excellent song selection. This second set might be the strongest set ever played at Dick’s. Tough competition however. Let’s break it down.
Set 1 Recap: “CTB” is a cool opener. Love that Mike bassline getting everyone in the groove. Things stay strong with “Bag>DWD>Gin”. A nice finished “DWD” in the 3 hole is fantastic. Another Dick’s “Gin” but this one is just nice, and can’t compete with the massive offering from other years. “Nellie Kane” is always fun but the set stalls from there. “Sample” tones things down while “BOTT” picks it back up a bit. Nothing of note to “BOTT” however. “Rift>Free” is “Rift>Free”. I personally can’t stand “Ride Captain Ride” although many people love it. I hated the original and not even Phish can save it for me. Boring song. We continue with standard runs of “Maze>Halley’s>46 Days>Possum”. The set started strong but lost a lot of steam for me.
Set 2 Recap: After laying Dick’s to shreds the previous two nights, the crowd was abuzz over what would be the final night throwdown. When “Sand” started I think everyone and their mother, father, and wook new a beast was about to emerge. This “Sand” goes everywhere and does everything. You have exploration and throwdown. You have times when it feels like “Sand”, and times where you don’t know what planet you are on. The jam goes into space and reemerges for a furious run at the massive peak, before gloriously returning to the composed section of “Sand”. From there a NASTY segue into “Ghost”. Top notch Phish. I wrote an entire recap on this “Ghost”. You can read it here. Let me quickly recap the recap. This “Ghost” is a f’ing beast. “Piper” gets very cool at the end and “20 Years Later” is an amazing call after. Fits perfectly. After that….ummm…yeah….”Lizards”!!!! A strong “Hood” jam caps a second set for the record books. Incredibly well constructed and played with even more inspiration. Bravo Phish.
Encore: Ending another tour with “Character Zero”.
The Takeaways: “Sand->Ghost->Piper”.
This Show Summed Up in One Gif:
Score: 4.75/5