Chicago On Fire: UIC Review, Night Two

   We all knew it would be hard to top Monday night's show, but that didn't mean the boys wouldn't try. Everything leading up to the show - weather, the lot, the authorities - was no different. Actually that's not completely true. We did see Harley Davidson clad under-covers (bad news) busting nitrous dealers (good news). And they moved the fucking port-o-potties against the the rail - the only place to sit around Shakedown. It didn't seem to deter dozens of people from hanging there, but I'm straight. So to avoid cigarette-pack-searching teenage security guards we headed in much earlier then usual, with about an hour to go before showtime. We had great seats, but that was an illusion because they were on the aisle and it became a serious shit-show quickly. I was forced into the aisle within seconds and then subsequently surrounded by myriad tools that seem to love being squished against strangers sweating rather than search for space to dance. I hate these people. Act like you've been to a show before, you don't need to be close to the band. They don't care about you and Trey is not looking at you. Get over it. As usual, just when anxiety and frustration was building to the point where I was about to tell these aisle crammers to get lost before they got bundled the lights went out.

Set I: Dinner and a Movie (4:49), Ha Ha Ha (1:37) > Chalkdust Torture (10:00), Mexican Cousin (4:24), Walls of the Cave (10:56), Runaway Jim (7:48) > Foam (8:38), I Didn't Know (4:03), Ocelot (9:58), Ginseng Sullivan (2:49), The Wedge (6:35), LxL (9:45), Let It Loose (6:05)

   We went out to Dinner And A Movie for only the fifth time since 2.0 before the Ha Ha Ha orange sign kids got their request (only the fourth Ha Ha Ha since 2.0). Decent start to the show. Chalkdust came out of Ha Ha Ha and took the wind out of my sail for a minute before the jam began to pull me back in. The boys then blasted into Mexican Cousin, one of my favorite hardly played tunes. The solo wasn't quite as sick as the one I remember from Charlotte ST10 (YouTube it, I'm the guy in the blue hat in front of the dude filming). Walls Of The Cave blasted off - what a sick tune - before Phish went into the archives for an old-school Runaway Jim > Foam, I Didn't Know. Ocelot - which now seems to me more band breather than jam launch pad - followed and then Ginseng Sullivan. The Wedge pulled me right back into the groove before I got my 35th LxL, which according to ZZYZX should be a statistical improbability. An absolutely SICK Let It Loose ended the set.

Set II: DWD (21:27) > Twist (8:28) > BDTNL (7:39) > Theme (7:13) > Golden Age (8:31) > A Day in the Life (4:54) > YEM (22:52)

E: Heavy Things (5:05) > Slave (9:40) > Rocky Top (3:04)

   Second Set lifted the fuck off. Another complete Second Set segue full of the deepest, darkest launch pads. A MONSTER DWD ran nearly 22 minutes before blasting > an UNDENIABLY MIND-BENDING Twist > a rockin' BDTNL > a MURKY Theme (although some of the vocals - one of the best parts of the song - were pretty butchered) > 2011 Song Of The Year Golden Age > A Day In The Life > a RIDICULOUS YEM, vocal space jam included. The Second Sets continue to blow minds. DWD raged mental war with me...Twist was so deep it hurt...Trey ripped Theme like it was 1997...Golden Age continues to send people to the Moon...and YEM went old school like flat top fades and even Walked This Way for a second or two...fucking amazing. The lengthy encores continued as Phish blasted off a Heavy Things > Slave > Rocky Top to end the show. Another gem. It was no Night One, but it rocked just the same. We have a 15-hour drive home tomorrow, so we're expecting something to be talking about the entire way there. See you inside.

- Trigger Treinta Uno

Trigger31.com

Thanks to Phish.net & LivePhish for set list help.