When Trey announced the break up, I knew I wouldn't miss a show the rest of the year. I don't listen to very much from 04, but this show will always remain in my top 5. It was the last time that all of my 1.0 buddies were together, but more importantly, the band was on FIRE.
Until Bethel 2011, this was my favorite version of Waves ever played. Flowing, patient and always in the pocket, each band member put their stamp on this 16 minute excursion. The Drowned that finished the first set raged much harder than anything played the night before (which was a great show). My jazz musician friend at set break said, "That's the greatest rock and roll I've ever heard." Good thing the band would top themselves in exactly 15 minutes.

Soon after the lights came back up, Corey showed up claiming to have better seats. I was the only person in our group who decided to go with him. Without saying a word, he guided me to the top of the balcony, first row just right of center. I couldn't ask for better seats, hovering above the band. It's a good thing there was a bar keeping me from flying away with the band during the spectacular second set. We met a couple that had been traveling around the country for months and had stopped in to see one Phish show along the way. They sure picked the right night to hop on!

52 minutes is a long time to jam. Usually, this means several minutes of aimless searching followed by a few moments of connection. Rinse and repeat. From the start of Seven Below to the end of Twist, every note mattered. The band was one unit on a mission to craft their final masterpiece set of 2.0. While the Seven Below motored and rocked, the Ghost slowed us down into blissful cascades. As special as those jams were, the Twist takes the cake. Pure funk magic followed by a decrescendo that almost landed in silent jam territory (hardly noticeable on the soundboard). The thematic jam and trills that followed brought us all back up the mountaintop again. The band took a short breather and each band member seemed just as excited as Trey was to finish the set with a very strong YEM.

There were special moments later in the year (6-26 sure was a lot of fun!), but this was the last night I was swimming in IT during 2.0. A truly exceptional night that I will never forget.