Phish concluded their 4-show Northwest run at the Adams Fieldhouse on the University of Montana Missoula campus. The show was the 10th of 54 that started in CA for four nights, stopped in Seattle for a couple of nights, then traversed the Northwest from Oregon, to British Columbia, to eastern Washington and into Montana. We covered a lot of scenic ground over the past couple of weeks and now we were in Big Sky Country on Phish tour!

AC/DC Bag rightfully opened the first set after a 7 show gap. The band played with confidence and this version benefits from being longer than usual. Just your better than average non-stop high-octane booty-shaking Phish Just when you think it’s going to end they take it around a couple more times.

Demand appears after a 97 show gap; last played at the GameHoist show. Sparkle follows the quirky bust out and gets the crowd riled up. Wolfman’s Brother starts strongly after a double ending. Great song but the band still doesn’t know where to take this jam and they end up vamping for just about a minute.

Reba starts to a warm reception. They move effortlessly through the composed section and drop into a nice little groove. Trey is very active while the rest of the band patiently plays along. This version is not rushed at all. The intensity builds ever so slowly toward a shredding climax and eventual ending. A mighty fine version with no whistling!

I’m Blue, I’m Lonesome lightens the mood and puts a smile on everyone’s face. “That's Moses Brown on the mandolin,” says Trey. Prince Caspian, still new to the repertoire, is played for the 1st time this tour and 6th time overall. It’s still short with no jam. Uncle Pen picks the energy back up and shows off the band’s dexterity.

Free kicks in and again Trey jumps on his percussion rack after setting up his effects. Page is front and center as the band builds a wall of sound before quieting things down for the final chorus. Trey quickly says “Thanks, will be back in about 15 minutes.” For a set that started out fairly strong it ended with a whimper and was less than an hour.

After the audience chess move Page starts Keyboard Army and the rest of the guys migrate to the keyboards to play their parts. Right after the first pause Page starts Cars Truck Buses and the guys move back to their instruments. This is the 8th version in 10 shows and it sticks to the script.

Timber (Jerry) immediately starts; appearing again after only a 4 show gap. This song is becoming part of the regular rotation to my delight. Full band assault! Watch Out!! Ya Mar contrasts Timber’s darker mood with a joyful one. Trey extends his solo longer than usual. Sample In A Jar delivers the crowd pleasing rock ‘n roll vibe. It’s hidden far away...

You Enjoy Myself centers the second set. The bliss section is very nice, as is the build. Post tramps Trey plays his percussion rack for a little bit. He then moves back to guitar and it starts to get a little funky. Next thing you know Trey is scatting over the rocking groove that goes the extra distance; this YEM has officially taken off! Fishman is en fuego. Trey gets back on his drum kit for the bass and drums section. Gordo lays it down big time! The vocal jam does what it has to do

Suspicious Minds is one of my favorite Fishman covers. It just delivers on all levels, and without the vacuum. HYHU ends the fun, Trey gets back from the drums and starts to sing Dog Faced Boy, the 1st of tour (16 show gap). The band provides backup vocals on this version.

Fishman’s hi-hat signals it’s time to end the set and the 4 night Northwest run on a bang, not a whimper with David Bowie. The Bowie intro is extended nicely and the band cruises through the composed section. The jam begins with some delicate jamming but gets serious soon thereafter. Everyone is participating in this face paced version which gets pretty out there. Oh yeah! The ending segment doesn’t get too crazy. Page immediately starts back into Keyboard Army to finish the song that started the set. Smooth move!

The Encore started with Bouncing Around The Room, the 1st of tour (12 show gap). It was like seeing an old friend for the first time in awhile. Rocky Top starts up and ends the show on a high note! What a fun Northwest run!

The next show of Fall tour is just outside of Phoenix. Fortunately we have two days off to cover the 1,200+ miles of driving. After the show we head south from Missoula to find a campground to sleep in for the night.

Worthy of a listen: Reba, Timber (Jerry), You Enjoy Myself, David Bowie

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