July 31, 2003

From JanglesHey pham! Welcome back for this week's poll winner, 7/31/03. This was initially nominated by @tweezer228. He's a childhood friend and this was his first show! (Which I had the privilege of being a part of.) It's going to be a hard turn from that atmospheric funk of fall '97. Phish's short return from 12/31/02 through 8/15/04 was marked by some pretty high highs and some extremely low lows. Thankfully, 7/31/03 sits in the meat of what many consider to be the best run of shows during that time. Pittsburgh through IT captures a moment in time when the band was exploring an raw, jagged, experimental sound that they weren't afraid to take deep. In fact, Summer '03 ranks 4th all time* for average jam length sitting behind only Fall '97, Summer '97, and (surprise!) Summer '26. 7/31 may not have the bustouts of 7/29 and 7/30. It may not have the legendary status of IT. It definitely has a lot to offer, though, especially if you've never given 2.0 much time. I'm excited to dive into this one with you all and re-live that first show experience with one of our own! * https://fouldomain.com/analysis/the-summer-of-the-long-jam