When Phish announced their summer ’03 tour dates, one venue in particular stood out as a must-see for many fans.

Music lovers flock to The Gorge, located near George, Wash., half for the music and half for the scenery. “Holy shit” was the phrase of choice expressed by many first timers as they reached the apex of the hill overlooking a vista that more closely resembles an Edwin Dawes painting than any sort of reality.

The first night of two, both in terms of song selection and musical mastery, fell a little short. One expects – no, demands – inspired playing at a venue as gorgeous as this. That’s why they play two nights.

Even the grizzled Phish veteran, looking for that ‘perfect show,’ must appreciate the musical originality that surfaced on this night. Even completely discounting the fact that Mike Gordon picked up bagpipes for two tunes, both old and new Phish songs had jamming aspects completely unique to the versions played during this show.

The highlight was the second set trio of “Wolfman’s Brother,” “Jesus Just Left Chicago” and “Seven Below” which stretched a monstrous 43 minutes and never let up. Overall, not the best show I’ve seen, but in terms of originality and freshness, a classic.

-JEREMY HERRIG