A night after piecing together a patchwork setlist, Phish rebounded in every facet of their game on Sunday night at SPAC, scripting the most complete overall show of the tour thus far with a second set filled with adventurous improv. By scripting a second seamless main event in three nights with no filler whatsoever, the band has proven an intent to answer all modern fan base gripes while fully returning to form on their 30th Anniversary summer tour. Playing a show that invoked the spirit and contour of so many classics of lore, Phish penned a signature performance to cap an outstanding three nights in Saratoga Springs.

One of the things I have missed most in the modern era of Phish has been their hallowed set-crafting ability. In their glory days, the band sculpted sets with defined contours that took the listener on a flowing aural journey from beginning to end. Most often this era, the highlights of shows have come in jams or sequences, but seldom—if ever—has the band put together the type of musical narrative that has a distinct beginning, middle and an end with everything perfectly in place. Well last night, they did exactly that, weaving a stunning tapestry of music that cut to the core of the band’s artistry. Over their tour-opening run at SPAC, Phish (read: Trey) has rediscovered the lost art of set-crafting in one of the most welcome shifts in the Phish universe since the band started jamming again. Like MJ honed his fadeaway and LeBron polished his jumper, Phish, like in a wily veteran, has transformed their glaring weakness into one of their strengths. With this final step, the crafty quartet from Vermont has fully recaptured their magic of old while carving new sonic pathways at every turn.

The improvisational meat of the second set came in the inseparable sequence of “Disease > Ghost > Piper.” Beyond weaving these songs together with impeccable flow, Phish unified the three jams in musical concept, each picking up exactly where the last left off, while forming one, continuous musical whole. The set kicked off with the summer’s first “Down With Disease,” a jam that began in a mellow, melodic milieu before migrating into eerie groove with Trey playing seductive rhythm licks over a darkening soundscape. Before the band progressed beyond this section of sound, however, they transitioned into “Ghost.” Now here is where things get really cool. As the band launched into the “Ghost” jam, they picked it up in the same improvisational space that they had just left “Disease.” Re-launching into a sultry groove, the guys sounded like they could have still been in the same jam of which they had just segued out. The third stage of jamming in the three-song sequence came as the Page hopped to his clav and the band transformed the amphitheatre into a digital-plinko wonderland. Embarking on an intricate rhythmic exchange, the band flexed their creative muscle while progressing the overall narrative into another musical feel.

Phish fluidly transformed “Ghost’s” innovative conversation into a beautiful, melody anchored section that flowed perfectly into “Piper.” The third song of the set provided the fourth and final stage to this improvisational tale—the triumphant arrival. The band had passed us through darkness during the first 36 minutes of the set, and would now deliver us into the light via a stunning “Piper.” Spouting heart-tugging, joyous lead melodies, Trey brought the audience to a state of exultation in a conjoined celebration of the spirit of Phish. Passion leaped from all four band members in a staggering, near ten-minute peak to one of the more cohesive treks Phish has guided us on in quite some time.

The band even took the time to craft an emotional comedown out of the “Piper’s” jam that moved into “Velvet Sea” without missing a beat. Placed flawlessly, the ballad felt right at home in it’s late-set slot, bringing us into the end-of-set-classic-song-pairing part of the show. “Velvet Sea” has traditionally precluded “Antelope” in setlists, while “Meatstick” has also been paired with “Antelope throughout the band’s career. Substituting the word “Meatstick” for “Antelope” in the song’s final chorus, Trey added a touch of Phishy humor to this signature night while simultaneously revealing the next song. Additionally, “Meatstick” has often been placed right before a set-closing “You Enjoy Myself,” an occurrence that any fan could see coming a mile away. And there is no better way to close a massive Phish set—or a weekend stand—than with “You Enjoy Myself.”

Usually, this is where I’d write a conclusion and note the few songs in the first set that stood out. But the reason that last night’s performance was so damn special in this day and age was that the band’s contained, or type I, jamming was absolutely off the charts. Firing as one and never getting complacent for a moment, the guys were laser focused and hooked up from note one and it made all the difference. Just listen to the incredibly active takes on “Back on the Train,” “Maze,” and “Limb By Limb” in the first set and the absolute scorcher of an “Antelope” in the second. One version after opening up their classic set closer, the band absolutely destroyed a contained “Antelope” jam and it felt like a revelation. Restoring meaning to the song its second, consecutive superb version, Phish kept the action coursing. Following “Meatstick,” the band closed with an spunky “YEM” that saw Trey play high-pitched, staccato leads throughout the jam, a welcome diversion from his cliché guitar solo and providing the jam with a fresh sound of its own.

When on a roll and at their best, Phish seems to one up themselves one show after another, and thus far on this tour, but for a slight misstep, that is exactly what is happening. Building upon each previous night, the band has reached a level of proficiency in their live show that we haven’t seen in this era. First, they tore off a airtight second set on Friday, now they have notched a complete, quintessential two-setter. What’s next? Come to Toronto and find out.

I: AC/DC Bag, Back on the Train, Divided Sky, Free, It’s Ice, Mound, Maze, Limb By Limb, Walls of the Cave

II: Down with Disease > Ghost > Piper > Wading in the Velvet Sea > Run Like an Antelope, Meatstick, You Enjoy Myself

E: Loving Cup

Phish continued their musical tour de force in Saratoga Springs last night with two incredibly innovative jams—“Split” and “Carini—that stand up to anything they ever produced from either song. Though unable to construct a single set as magical as Friday night’s second frame—or really a single set at all—both Saturday’s first and second contained all-time improvisations. It seems like we have stumbled upon an embarrassment of riches in the Phish community in the summer of 2013, as even on a night, when the band played two sets that amounted to no more than one extended first, they still managed to drop two Herculean doses of transcendence.

First, let’s look at the “Split.” Let’s be honest, 3.0 “Splits” have absolutely sucked. Not only has the band been technically unable to manage the song, but any sort of improvisational creativity has been absent from it since post-hiatus, less Utica’s broken up version. But god damn, did that change last night as they took “Split” right off the deep end. The initial part of the jam saw Trey shredding with extraordinary phrasing and precision—unlike any other recent version. But then, the band started to stray from structure! They were using “Split” as a launch pad into open waters! Not since Deer Creek ’03 had the band showcased such audacity, and this time they created a whole ‘nother monster altogether. An excursion that was as soulful as it was demented, put a spotlight on the band’s superior creative flow of the current moment. Words fail me to covey the sort of spiritual event that that took place in the first set’s final twenty minutes. This jam absolutely needs to be heard with your undivided attention to be believed. Phish, honestly, dropped a piece of music of the likes we haven’t heard in ages, resulting in—easily—the most outrageous “Split Open and Melt” since Big Cypress. Embodying supreme confidence by taking one of their most difficult songs into open waters, the band came back with a tale of jaw-dropping magnificence. And then there was the “Carini.”

In, yet, another of their most pristine escapades in a hot minute, the band continued to rewrite the record book for “Carini.” Juxtaposed against the sinister abstraction of it’s last outing at MSG on 12/30, SPAC’s “Carini” traveled in the absolute opposite direction into a soaring piece of melodic triumph. Intricate ideas spewed forth in an Olympic exposé of musical communication, as it took only about a minute for the band to flip the switch and head for the stratosphere. Locked and loaded and moving a mile a minute, this jam is nothing short of the soundtrack to paradise. Though “Carini” has been a consistent 3.0 spring board, none of the jams come close to resembling this jaunt which broke from structure and never looked back. The efficiency of this tale is absolutely mind-bogglingly, as it clocks in at twelve minutes! The amount of themes and ideas built, developed and realized within such a short amount of time takes nothing short of divine intervention. But these days, that is exactly the power that Phish possesses. And they continue to put forth music that is on par with or surpasses anything in their 30-year career, a feat unparalleled by any live music act alive or deceased.

And what about the rest of the show? Well, it was solid but uninteresting less the first “Tube” jam of the modern era and another new song! It seems at just about every corner, Phish had pressed the “reset” button this summer, and the result is our delight. The feeling of really letting loose to “Tube” for the first time in nine years (Deer Creek 6/24/04) was an undeniable sensation that lit the crowd’s collective consciousness afire. A speed groove in which all three members crushed with authority set the table for “Split’s” journey to the outer reaches of the universe two songs later. Secondly, out of “Carini,” the band seamlessly debuted their third song in three shows, “Architect” off of Trey’s most recent solo album Traveler. Though the song is lyrically over the top and cheeseball, I dig it musically (though I’m not gonna’ hold my breath to see what everyone else thinks about it.) It will be quite interesting to watch the fan base reception of this one.

On a slightly more critical note, set two never really elevated other than “Carini.” A standard “Number Line” opener gave way to the most laymen versions of “Tweezer” and “Sand” one will ever hear. In neither jam did the band develop anything original or of note, and the combo came up absolutely zero once taken off of paper. “Wilson,” “Boogie > Possum” to end the set? Shoot me in the face. But it was all fun and games after hearing two of the most magnificent excursions we’ve heard in years.

Depending on Sunday night’s affair, SPAC 2013 is quickly becoming the new birthplace of modern jams. But somehow, I don’t think it’s gonna be a regional thing this time around, as Phish has dropped “lifers” (jams you’ll listen to for the rest of your life) in the first three shows of tour. Wait ‘til we compile a Best of Summer 2013 playlist at the end of August—good Lord, have mercy! The only burning question going into any show right now is, “How many Hall of Fame jams Phish induct tonight?” Damn, it’s a good time to be a Phish fan.

I: Crowd Control, Chalk Dust Torture, The Wedge, Funky Bitch, Heavy Things, Bug, Bouncing, Tube, Julius, Split Open and Melt

II: Backwards Down the Number Line, Tweezer > Sand > Carini -> Architect*, Wilson > Boogie On Reggae Woman > Possum

E: Show of Life > Tweezer Reprise

*debut