Chicago, Il July 4, 2015

Tonight's show went off like with a bang. All the cues and direction that they showed last night was built on from the very opening notes of Shakedown Street to the closing crash of the nights fireworks. The band is real. They have solidified their position in the band.

Each member had their moment in certain songs like the force of Billy and Mickey were really driving songs like Shakedown Street, Cumberland, and Golden Road. Jeff really excelled on Brent Mydland's B3 organ on the Little Red Rooster, although he didn't take Brent's Neighborly verse. Bruce was all over the map tonight, but he was superb on Tennessee Jed and Deal. His relationship with Trey has taken off after last night. The two have beautiful music minds and I believe that this won't be the last time the two play together. 

It's ridiculous how much Shakedown Street is in Trey's wheelhouse. It's like Jerry gift to Trey. I believe that he could play the song for an hour if he wasn't brought back to earth by Bobby. Yet Standing on the Moon was clearly a song that Trey found a connection in all this Grateful Dead hysteria. The thick rich lyrical tone stuck a chord with him. It was shocking that he sang because Bruce mention in an interview short after the announce that Trey didn't know the tune when they did it at the Comes A Time event. Yet my feeling is that Foolish Heart will be the first song that Phish tries out this summer if any. The composition of the song, piano ends on a low note but guitar ends on high, the middle section jam makes it a unique enough song that they could try it out this summer. 

Phil really popped on Bird Song. He has constantly lead his bands through excellent version of this song for the last 15 plus years. Phil was in command of the song, which the band built up and then mellowed just to bring back to another crescendo. Bobby erased twenty years off his body and voice with the spectacular Sailor Saint. He was like a kid again as played his mates through his 80's combo. Then on the Saturday night closer Bobby jumped through the monitors to the front of the stage to show the audience some love. There is no way that any other song can be immediately played after a great Saturday Night, the audience is in a complete frenzy. It is such a great experience.

All this said, the highlight of the night was not the firework display that Phil and Jill masqueraded to on stage. The highlight was the painting a masterful Stella Blue. Bobby sang the song like his microphone was a rose and he didn't want to blow off any petals, until the break where he lit up. The chills are still going up and down my spine, as I reflex on it. Then Trey lit off on the solo. Cranking up to where he could have put the guitar down and it would have sparked on fire and been let to burn there. It might have been the spark that they used for the fireworks later. The band showed that even with the massive song list that they still could crush it on stage. Now we move into the final night and we know the songs that they still have up their sleeves, "gonna miss me when I'm gone," "sooner you will not heard his song," and what I think will be the encore "we will get by."

I: Shakedown Street, Libery, Standing on the Moon, Me & My Uncle, Tennessee Jed, Cumberland Blues, Little Red Rooster, Friend of the Devil, Deal

II: Bird Song, The Golden Road, Lost Sailor, Saint of Circumstance, west LA Fadeaway, Foolish Heart, Drums, Stella Blue, One More Saturday Night

Encore: US Blues