I was born ten years before Bethel Woods, but grew up in the same place. Just shy of fifteen, I walked from home to my very first Phish show on 5/27/11 with my dad, brother, and two friends named Michael. It was the first of many unforgettable Phish experiences. Eleven years later, my dad and I walked there again, now for my 23rd show, but as my first since COVID, and the first one since it all began that Memorial Day weekend, it felt like discovering live Phish all over again.

That alone would have made it special. But it would have been special anyway, for so many reasons. Sample and Gumbo going deep. Perfect first set song selection that makes it a strong contender for favorite first set witnessed live. (Well, behind Strawberry Donut.) Four personal debuts (five if you count Life Beyond the Dream, which I’d heard with GotF). Guelah choreography and YEM trampolines. Trey’s joyfully ridiculous dancing during Mike’s YEM solo and then barely making his cue for the final Uffizi washing. Sure, things mostly settled into fun high-energy party mode after YEM when it could’ve stayed weirder and jammier. But who cares when the playing is tighter than Tuco Salamanca’s meth pretty much the whole night?

Truly, how lucky am I to get to come back home and full circle with this band after more than a decade? And by busting out both Walk Away and Boogie On just as they did at that first show, I think they showed that it was special to them too.

And the kicker? 5/28/11 was even better. Here’s hoping we manage to top this with night two again.