Phish fans are known for debating the merits of certain jams over others ad nauseum, and aside from some uncommon exceptions, there is rarely a consensus about which songs were the best of a given run or tour. The closest one can usually get is to rank performances by preference, rather than objective greatness. Music—especially live, improvised music—is inherently subjective.
While fans’ opinions about specific jams are like assholes (you know how the saying goes), the opinions that are of the most interest are the opinions of the band members themselves. Often times, fans don’t get to hear the band’s thoughts about their specific performances—particularly in 3.0, when Phish has adopted a hard-and-fast “No Analyze” rule, agreeing not to pick apart each others’ playing for the sake of their health and happiness as a group.
Today, however, bassist Mike Gordon has shared a curated list of his six favorite numbers from the 2018 Summer Tour, giving fans a rare glimpse at Phish’s thoughts about Phish’s shows. As Gordon explains in a tweet, “I had journaled about some favorite Phish jams this summer and after re-listening I ended up with these six songs as faves… A feeling of effortless musical adventuring.”
You can listen to Mike Gordon’s ‘Summer 2018 Faves’ playlist via the LivePhish app here. Spoiler alert: Mike liked the Alpharetta run just as much as you did. Check out the list of Mike’s selections below.
Phish begins their 2018 Fall Tour on Tuesday, October 16th with their first of two nights at Albany, NY’s Times Union Center. For a full list of Phish’s upcoming tour dates, head over to the band’s website.