Review: Phish @ the Comcast Center

Set 2 was more “moments” than “whole,” but they added up — a stunning Fluffhead with the highest crowd energy of the night; a rambling, gambling Scent of a Mule that saw Mike take over, sing with gusto, and puff his chest a bit as if to say to the guys, “Fellas, this one’s mine”; and, with a brief, sweet Heavy Things morsel to tee it up, a pile-driving run of songs that touched off a dramatic jam vehicle (Harry Hood), a country rocker that cranked (Possum), and a touch of poignance (Bug) that felt even more substantial — more meaningful — than the band had probably hoped.

It was in these three songs that the band had all of its moving parts moving in tandem: Trey’s skywriting guitar with Page sneaking tasty fills in and around the edges, Mike and Fish rumbling toward the finish line, tossing off the changes, rhythmic twists and acrobatic “Harry” manuevers like they’d been on the road together for a year. Anything else was cake icing, and the still-goofy Contact — “This is why some people hate Phish,” chuckled a friend — and a stomping Julius made the taste that much sweeter. Thank you, boys. Thank you. I needed that.