[We would like to thank Brad Strode (@c_wallob) for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]

What makes Deer Creek–an otherwise non-descript Live Nation mega-shed in the middle of strip malls that used to be cornfields–a can’t miss venue on a Summer Phish Tour? Maybe it’s the midwest location, enabling phans to come from East and West to gather for our favorite band. Maybe it’s the history of absurdly great Phish shows, not to mention the (significantly darker) history the venue holds in Grateful Dead lore.

Or maybe it’s because of the overall “vibe,” with its vibrant lot scene, plentiful tickets, and friendly staff. No matter the reason, when Summer Tour was announced for 2024, mrs_wallob and I encouraged our touring crew from all over the USA to join us on our pilgrimage, and the crew happily complied, in spite of the fact that we will all see each other in Delaware ten days after the final note rings out in the humid summer sky on Sunday.

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[Thanks to Mike (@yhgtbfkm) for the recap. -Ed.]

Writing recaps is hard. On top of trying to translate music into words (you try describing “Lawn Boy” in more than two sentences), it’s especially hard when the show you’re writing the recap for takes place the day after a show that contained, for lack of a better phrase, a jam for the ages. I had the privilege of attending NYE this past year, and as my friend and I were walking back to the hotel after the show, I rhetorically asked him “How do you top THAT?” and the answer is…you don’t. Phish learned that lesson years ago, Trey has said they make it a point to not talk about shows afterwards. Fans, however, have missed that part of the book. I started hearing about “Tweezer” while it was still happening. After two epic jams over the course of four shows, everyone was buzzing with anticipation about what tonight would hold. Would we get an epic "YEM" to compliment the tour so far? Maybe Gin as a throwback to the best "Gin" of all time (sorry not sorry)? Maybe they’ll play “Gloria” again! (Dear god I hope not.)

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[We would like to thank user @mikh2wg aka Rob for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]

I’ll start off by answering the question you all must be asking yourselves, “Did our reviewer go to the St. Louis Zoo before the show?” Yes. Yes I did. @lomein and I got into town at 9am and we needed something to do and somewhere to be. So after a killer vegan lunch at Seedz, we walked over to see some animals. Highlights included grizzly bear antics, getting splashed by puffins, and watching a hippo mom and calf take a nap underwater. As far as omens presaging songs that could be played tonight, we saw a big group of Vultures and lots of parents and kids who needed to Get Back on the (zoo) Train. I called No Men for the opener and Lomein called Glide. We checked into our hotel in the afternoon, had some dinner, and hopped on the Metro to the show.

So neither of us predicted the opener, but I'm not gonna complain about "Cars Trucks Buses." The sound was a little muddy across the board at first. Not a lot of clarity in the bottom end. Nonetheless, Trey gave us a patient solo with some good space for Mike to attack and Page tore it right up.

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[We would like to thank Ryan Mannix (@thewatchfulhosemaker), a musician and performer from Chicago who plays with Lunar Ticks and Beat The Meatles and runs Indie Park Music Festival in Irving Park. -Ed.]

You’ve heard it a million times, seen it on shirts, and probably uttered it earnestly and ironically, but Sunday night at Alpine Valley Music Theater was one not to be missed. The setup shows of Friday - killer songlist and inspired playing from start to finish, as well as Saturday with a once in a lifetime, historic jam in “Simple” - set the energy and expectations high for Sunday.

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[We would like to thank Doug Kaplan (@MrDougDoug) for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]

Here we are at Alpine Valley yet again! For those who haven’t been here before, Alpine Valley is a very precious (and extremely deep) ditch in Southern Wisconsin where the four wizards – who I will refer to as Phish for the rest of this article – have been enchanting and enlightening tens of thousands of people since 1996. Tonight just so happens to be Phish’s 25^th ever show at this venue, vaulting this space into an exclusive list of hallowed Phish locations where you can still see the band this year, like Madison Square Garden, Dick’s, and Deer Creek, and primal venues where you’ve probably never seen Phish (but I want to talk with you if you did) like Nectar’s and The Front. While we all know that a number is just a number, Phish people more than any other fanbase relish in numbers and statistics, often ascribing meaning to nice round digits. With such a rich history performing at the venue, including a bevy of official live releases, numerous two and three day stands, notable bustout shows, and the legendary Alpine “Ruby Waves,” Phish has proved time and time again that they can’t get enough of this magical Wisconsin ditch. But if you poke around the forums, you’ll see that fans seem to have more of a love/hate relationship with the venue.

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[We would like to thank Matt Schrag aka kipmat on dot net for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]

Since the dawn of the touring scene, the second week of tour has been an interesting and mildly confusing time. In the pre-internet era, it was a time for vital information regarding the shows to be passed along: what was played, how they played, what to expect at that night’s show. As information-sharing moved online, one could form one’s own opinion by reading a posted setlist and show reviews, without having heard a note of the performance.

Thankfully, both the tapers and the Phish organization quickly made possible the sharing of show recordings with practically no delay. Now we can all be on tour, hearing the shows as they happen, from the comfort of our homes and private lives, and we can voice our opinions on those shows on community forums (like the one hosted on this very site). And, individually and collectively, we critically evaluate the first week of shows, trying to get a handle on how our favorite band is performing, and adjusting our expectations accordingly.

Still, the VR tech wizards haven’t figured out how to replicate the immersive experience of attending a show in person. Every Phish show is a unique and special experience, but some venues carry a greater historical weight than others. Friday night’s show was the band’s 24th show at Alpine Valley, and for myself and other #JadedVets, it feels like a family gathering, in celebration of lives lived and shared with each other. It’s such a pleasant surprise to recognize someone in a crowd that you haven’t seen in a few years, and reconnect with them through the experience of a Phish show.

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[We would like to thank Alaina Stamatis Farmhose on dot net and Fad Albert on Twitter for recapping last night's show! -Ed.]

Ah, Casino Phish. Phish Royale. In the afternoon before the show, Mohegan security is on high alert. What have they agreed to? What are these animals doing to their institution of higher gambling? But after the show they've resigned; their nervous systems bombarded with the sights, the smells! They've been forced to endure their prized roulette tables engulfed in dreads, tie-dye, patchouli, and tattered open-toe footwear. But that will all come later; for now, it's pre-show jitters.

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[We would like to thank user Estimated_Eyes (Luke) for authoring this recap. -Ed.]

After being treated to such an incredible weekend of heady jams at Great Woods, I had an anxious excitement for what Mohegan had in store. As we all know, like the Grateful Dead, Phish regularly plays heaters in CT. The most recent, Hartford ’22, having my favorite segment of music of summer that year - AWOH >ASIHOS>BLAZE ON particularly. And it’s a huge Phish regret of mine that I missed the Mohegan ’19 run, making a hypocrite of me, someone who always says “Never miss a New England Phish show.” The “Beneath a Sea of Stars Part 1” from night one of Mansfield, although great, couldn’t hold a candle to the version from night 1 of Mohegan ’19 and, honestly, it has got to be the best version of that song to date. I was crushed to miss those shows, and I couldn’t wait to have second pass at Mohegan. Another thing adding to my excitement - seeing Phish in a venue that only holds about 10k people. What a treat for my 50th show. I’m sure to a jaded, grizzled vet, the 50th is still “noob” territory, but it feels like an earnest landmark and was the cherry on top of all the excitement and anticipation for the night ahead.

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[We would like to thank Patrick, user @robertpollardisaplorb, for this recap. -Ed.]

Having seen my first Phish show on the Xfinity Center lawn in 2010, this weekend of shows allowed for plenty of reflection on just how far things have come since those days. I had spent the last two nights in the pavilion solo, but opted to spend Sunday on the lawn to dance with friends new and old during the night’s festivities. As the band entered stage left and got settled in, my friend quickly sensed the incoming "Free" opener.

Following a fun and standard “Free,” Phish were quick to uncork the jams with the dependable “A Wave of Hope,” the jam itself veered into a fun celebratory major jam in many ways reminiscent of the Camden 99 "Chalkdust," and eventually settled into a dark synth space before coming to a peaky close.

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[We would like to thank Oliver Pierson (phish.net user VermontCowFunk) for this recap. -Ed.]

Phish summer tour is arguably the second most wonderful time of the year. Everything feels right when you set off to a summer show, ticket in hand, a musical adventure in store, friends by your side. I hadn’t seen the band since 12/29/23, and I was excited to hear where their very busy seven months had led them. It’s been a productive time for the band, with an epic Gamehendge NYE show, a stellar Mexico run, a short but incredible visit to the Sphere, and then all the chatter around the new album Evolve.

Phish has even felt, by their typical media coverage standards, a bit overexposed lately. This month, we’ve seen Trey and the band in Rolling Stone, WTF with Marc Maron, NPR's Tiny Desk Concert, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Vulture, etc. So, they are not “Travis Kelce – Taylor Swift – Fall 2023” overexposed, but somehow it is slightly jarring to have them in the public eye so much. I had to wonder how all that attention jives with one of Trey’s comments in the Rolling Stone article, i.e. that the lack of mainstream success is the band’s incredibly liberating “superpower.” Could all the recent media coverage be the kryptonite that diminishes their superpower? Fortunately, an installment of Massachusetts Phish was only hours away to help me answer that question.

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[We would like to thank Harrison Hartley (user HotDogKnight on phish.net and Instagram) for this recap. You can also find him as quadbasspickup.bsky.social on BlueSky and quadbasspickup@heads.social on Mastodon. -Ed.]

There is an aura to a tour opener, especially the summer tour opener. Riviera Maya and The Sphere offer appetizers for us this year, but I feel summer tour is the entrée of Phish performances.

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[We would like to thank Michael Lowe of the Monumental Brass Quintet, Timbermike on dot net and @MikeLoweTPT on twitter, for this piece. Phish's Tiny Desk Concert was performed on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, but did not air until Wednesday, July 17. -Ed.]

Well it all started with a phone call from my sister-in-law Daniela on Sunday night asking if we’d like to join her at the tiny desk on Tuesday. I was immediately in a state of shock and excitement, a familiar feeling I’ve experienced many times over the years I’ve been going to see my fav band.

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Surrender to the Flow #83 is now PRINTED and is on its way to DISTRIBUTORS who will hand it out on lot to get it to you for free! HOWEVER, if you want to DOWNLOAD THE DIGITAL VERSION INSTEAD, it is available to you at www.gum.co/sttf83.

This issue is full of good stuff for you! It includes information about this year's Summer Tour including where to eat, things to do, and lots of information about each venue. You can also read reviews of Phish at Sphere in this one, too!

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It’s just over a week until Summer Tour starts, and that can only mean one thing… it’s time for Mockingbird’s 4th Annual Good Karma Pledge Drive! Thanks to your collective generosity, we’ve raised over $40,000 the past three years for music education just by hoping for Phish to do cool things.

If you haven’t participated before, the rules are pretty simple. Just go here, pick the thing (or things!) you want to happen and pledge an amount for each occurrence. Enter as many times as you like! The most popular choice in past years has been to donate an amount for each 20-minute jam, but you can select one of the other options or even choose your own adventure.

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[Phish.net thanks Andrew Rose, @andrewrose, for this piece. All content on Phish.net is volunteer-driven, so if you have something interesting that you would like posted on the homepage, feel free to message @FunkyCFunkyDo or @Icculus with your idea. -Ed.]

I was driving down St Urbain yesterday, on the way to Old Montreal to run an errand. I thought waiting until 10pm or so would help me avoid traffic, but neglected to note that it was a Friday night in July, and the Montreal International Jazz Fest was still filling the air with free programming, and the crowds and cars—on the few streets that were still open for traffic—were plentiful. I didn’t mind much. The air was warm, a little humid but not oppressive. Spring and summer have been beautiful here in Montreal this year. A real contrast to the apocalyptic smog-filled skies that literally cast a cloud over the region last summer, starting with forest fires in Northern Quebec and then making their way down the American seaboard. I know those fires will be back at some point, but I’ve been doing my best to appreciate the relative blessings that this season has had to offer.

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