Ranking Dick’s: #18 09/01/2013 (2013 N3)
Setlist:
Set 1: A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing, Kill Devil Falls, Back on the Train > Rift, Meat > It’s Ice > Guelah Papyrus, Divided Sky, Funky Bitch, Cavern, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan > David Bowie
Set 2: Carini > Birds of a Feather > Golden Age > Prince Caspian > Piper > Boogie On Reggae Woman > Saw It Again, Mike’s Song > Legalize It[1] > Weekapaug Groove, Show of Life > Suzy Greenberg
Encore: Character Zero
Quick Lowdown: Not the worst show, but when ranked against the incredible Dick’s history, somebody has to finish last. So here we are. The last night of 2013 produced 25 songs and a lack of improv. Still there are some moments.
Set 1 Recap: Pretty much a standard first set for this era. This set is a quick run through a lot of Phish staples. The highlight is the sweet “Meat>It’s Ice>Guelah Papyrus”. That segment is like a good steak…on the rare side. “It’s Ice” is the jamming highlight and features a serious funky jam with Page in the staring role.
Set 2 Recap: So many songs. The set starts out strong with a beautiful blissful “Carini”. One of the better versions. “Prince Caspian” features a strong last two and a half minutes and is very unique. Check it out. This “Piper” is a rager. “Piper” features a “Guy Forget” quote, some liquid Mike, and a serious blast off jam with a ton of “woos”. “Saw It Again” is well placed and always welcome. The moment that this show will be remembered for comes when Peter Tosh’s “Legalize It” is debuted in the middle of “Mike’s Groove”. With legal weed in Colorado on the horizon at the time, Phish’s cover choice was killer.
Encore: Nothing like closing Summer Tour with “Character Zero”. (Spoiler: This isn’t even the worst Summer Tour closer encore choice.)
The Takeaways: “Meat>It’s Ice>Guelah Papyrus”, “Carini”, “Caspian”, “Piper”, “Legalize It”
This Show Summed Up in One Gif:
Grade: 2.5/5