Phish - May 26th, 2011

First played during Superball IX's From the Archives show and later released as LP on LP 02, this tech rehearsal version of "Waves" represented a turning point and proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Phish 3.0 was still capable of astounding long-form jamming, even if it was not as frequently displayed as some fans hoped during the early years of the reunion. The FTA track begins with Trey asking Page "Do you want to play a jammier song?" to which Page replies "Sure, I do", and what resulted stands as one of the finest jams of any era. Departing the song at 7:45 with a looseness and willingness to explore, the band charts a course for choppy waters with intentional discordance while employing a wide array of the tones and textures available to them in their sonic palettes. Out the depths of the churning storm, an exquisite final movement of profound beauty eventually emerges to bring this odyssey of improvisation to a conclusion that is all at once wistful, stirring, and ultimately optimistic.