This show blew me away. I love phantom island but I was unsure of how it would all go. Far exceeded all expectations. Phantom Island was incredible but the grow wings and fly jam to dripping tap to the rest of the show was some of the greatest shit I've ever seen. That was my 15th show I've seen some greats but that was up there at the top. 

I made a gametime decision to attend last night and I’m sure glad that I did. I’ve been doing a lot of summer travel and I’ve got FoV coming up plus Merriweather. So, I thought I’d be okay missing Philly. But once the news from the ground started coming in, I couldn’t resist and made the two-hour drive to the show.

This won’t be a song-by-song review, but I do have thoughts on it all. Maybe I’ll write something up that’s more extensive after Field of Vision. What I want to say now after my experience in Philly is that Phantom Island came off beautifully. Everybody sounded great, but especially Ambrose. He really carries the album and that’s really apparent in the live setting. Just went things were getting a bit too subdued, that’s when Ambrose comes in with the energy. Stu hit his low notes in Eternal Return and Joey nailed that affected tone in Silent Spirit. They were all so well practiced. That's what stood out to me the most from Phantom Island. Stu didn't cue any band members or remind them it was time for the chorus or anything like that. Super tight Gizzard! That was sick to witness.

Grow Wings and Fly was a true highlight for me having now followed the emergence of this song starting back in Europe '23 to its orchestral state last night. What made it even better was the “intermission” that allowed the band to jam. That was really one of the better Gizz jams that I’ve heard, and it was nearly void of the teases that are so common when they improvise.

Crumbling Castle was another highlight due to the space the song provided for the orchestra to really show their full power. I wish there had been more moments like the very end of Crumbling Castle when the orchestra was given the space to fill the air with their sound. Most of the time the orchestra served to augment the band with everyone playing at once. It’d have been nice to hear the orchestra on their own a bit more.

The River and Mars for the Rich were my other two major highlights as they were both songs that allowed the orchestra to match the intensity of the band and claim their own space. I really wonder what will happen in the coming shows as the band becomes more comfortable sharing the stage with so many tremendous players. They’re also sharing the space with sizable crowds, so there’s the added pressure of keeping the energy up for all those people. The band seemed to keep everyone captivated from where I was located.

There’s so much more to say about this show, but I’m going to end it there. I sure am glad that I didn’t wait until Merriweather!