Very likely the best 3.0 show I've seen. Chalk that up to wonderful song selections that can just make a show (see Vultures instead of, say, Ocelot, and Curtain With instead of, say, Yarmouth Road) in addition to beautiful and thoughtful jamming.

This was my first Centrum show in 15 years ('98) so I was very excited to be back. I noticed a strong start with a highly energetic Wolfman's. Wolfman's, to be sure, can often be a 6 minute automatic song, but this was a nice treat. Trey flubbed the lyrics during Wilson, which, he explained, were because he was excited that his friend Rog (Roger Halloway) was in attendance.

A well-executed Curtain With was very nicely placed and boy the composed section was well done. I was also really happy with the (near) end of the set Vultures, a song that isn't often played, but really varies things up, is spicy, and gives Fish some wonderful breaks.

A fan presented Trey with a Red Sox jersey at the start of set 2, which prompted a Let's Go Red Sox cheer, and a charge tease from Page. Trey put it up on Page's organ for the remainder of the show.

I just loved the Waves call, mainly because it had been over 10 years since I had seen Waves, but also because this is such a wonderful mechanism for the band to jam in two different spots (the lilting jam in the main part of the song, but also the feedback ambient end). The second-jam this night was a gorgeous 5 minute expo, riddled with some back-lighting. It was so somber - almost hauntingly so.

Carini was a great choice after this, too, mainly because the song has been such a great vehicle as of late. I thought Page lingered on the clav a little too long in this one, but hey, at least they were listening to each other. I'll take that over a 5 minute Tube any day.

I absolutely dug Number Line - things were really clicking and I thought it was one of the better versions I had heard. But the real meat of this show is this 13 minute Ghost(ing), which features a lyrical flub by Trey to start, along with some jabs from Fish. Right along 7 minutes, after a clunky start, Trey fiddles with a few notes and the band begins to launch into a soaring yet still somber jam - it reminded me a lot of the Tweezer from Charlotte a few years back (8.26.12) - and I was just happy that the band extended the musical idea for quite a while, even continuing into a gorgeous groove after the main peak somewhat died down. Afterwards, the woman next to me, and older vet, yelled out 'thank you...finally'. She was as happy as I was to have heard a nice sustained and well-executed jam like that.

The Dirt choice was, again, just so great and it was little things like this that made the show sparkle. In the past 4 years, I would've normally expected another slow song of average muster ( read: Joy, Broken Heart), but Dirt, which hadn't been played in 47 shows, was so much more fulfilling (and a song I enjoy so much more, too). That was followed by a DwD which was short, but contained a just beautiful outro few minutes which drifted quietly down, guided by a series of Trey-chords that worked wonders.

At this point, they probably could've called it a night and I would've been happy. But Sally was a treat, as was the post-Cavern Antelope that I don't think many people saw coming. 4 song encore was long and unexpected and we could tell that the band was really happy.

In short, one to relisten to. I'm as critical as you'll find out there, but this was really an absolute hell of a show. It made the 3 hour drive back to New Hampshire the same night totally worth it.