A Weekend at Merriweather

Considering the hype that surrounds Merriweather Post and it's parking lot, I found the  experience at the 2010 shows to be a breath of fresh air. Albeit, hot and muggy fresh air. The police presence was thick, as per usual, but folks generally were allowed to go on about their business. To have the helicopter constantly circling overhead was still somewhat intimidating.

The Phish "merch-police" were also out in full force. Surprisingly, they were ok with the Reba shirt. I personally witnessed several other shirt vendors get a pass with shirts like the Hally's Comet, and Llama standards that have been making the rounds over the last several
years. I did meet a lot of folks who had been looking for the Reba shirts. Thanks! The Alliance is always looking for qualified X-Wing pilots.

As I have mentioned many times before, you will not get any kind of song by song analytical review here, but I will say these are up there with the best shows I have attended. I thought both second sets were some of Phish's finest Type 2 moments this year, if not in recent memory. Night 1's Rock and Roll, Tweezer and Wolfman's were among my favorites of the night, not to mention a beautiful cover of Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, and a near perfect Sugar Shack. Some friends were able to get us to third row behind the pit right before my son's Tweezer was dropped right in our lap. Having Mike shake your fillings adds quite a bit to the experience.


My wife and son were originally going to skip the second night. After some discussion and an incredible offer of a pair of pavillions for them, they committed to a second evening with me. At this point I couldn't imagine them not being there with me to share in what my son called "The Best Phish Show" he had ever seen. I can't really argue with him at all. Even if the first set didn't have the energy you were looking for, you have to admit the rare covers and some old shelved standards really made it special. And what can you say about the second set? I can say this is what Phish is. This is why I go see them again and again. Pure and unadulterated hose.

MPP1 album

MPP2 album