Phish 2012 All-Stars

In honor of the NBA All-Star Game tonight, I give you my All-Stars of 2012. The qualifications to be an All-Star are simple. If the song was a consistent thrill to hear live, with original and innovative jamming separating almost every version, the song was an All-Star. There were plenty of special moments during the year, but here are my 10 All-Stars divided into "two teams."

1. Light
Notable Versions:
-9/1: Dicks The most beautiful jam of the year.
-6/23: Star Lake Sandwiched in a glorious Mike's Groove.
-8/17: SF One of the best sequences of the year, and the beginning of true improvisation segueing to Sneaking Sally.
-7/8: SPAC
-7/1: Alpine Valley


2. Tweezer
Notable Versions:
-12/28: MSG The Dick's Light of the New Year's Run
-6/10: Bonnaroo Huge highlight from Tennessee.
-8/26: Charlotte Found before Harry Hood in a long Set 2 Mike's Groove
-8/17: SF

3. Golden Age
Notable Versions:
-7/3: Jones Beach This and Sand made a powerful punch.
-9/1: Dicks Part of the stellar second set on night two.
-8/25: Atlanta
-6/24: Blossom

4. Carini
Notable Versions:
-12/30: MSG The Devil is coming to take your soul, part two.
-6/7: Worcester A dark one for the ages that comes right on the first night of music.
-6/30: Alpine Valley
-8/31: Dicks

5. Sand
Notable Versions:
-9/2: Dicks The culmination of a year's worth of fantastic Sand's.
-7/3: Jones Beach Izabella!
-6/8: Worcester We knew this song would be special after it kicked ass to start the summer tour.
-6/29: Noblesville

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1. Chalkdust Torture
Notable Versions:
-8/31: Dicks Exploring where no man has gone before.
-8/25: Atlanta Amazing segue to What's the Use. Huge highlight from the second leg.
-8/28: St. Louis

2. Down with Disease
Notable Versions:
-12/30: MSG The Devil is coming to take your soul, part one.
-7/7: SPAC Blistering baby making music.
-8/17: SF
-6/22: Cincinnati

3. Piper
Notable Versions:
-7/8: SPAC Best Piper of the year.
-9/2: Dicks Another fantastic version in the glorious second set on night three at Dicks.
-12/31: MSG Abrupt but still hits that peak.
-6/15: Bader Field

4. Ghost
Notable Versions:
-9/2: Dicks The most kick ass way to end a summer tour.
-6/7: Worcester The most kick ass way to start a summer tour.
-8/15: Long Beach
-7/1: Alpine Valley
-12/31: MSG

5. Twist
Notable Versions:
-6/22: Cincinnati A top 10 highlight of the summer.
-12/28: MSG The little drummer boy twisting his way through New York City.
-6/15: Bader Field
-7/4: Jones Beach

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BENCH

1. Rock n Roll
Notable Version: While Beiber was dancing, the band was exploring the depths of Rock n Roll, making a bold statement about the level of play they'd be putting forth going forward.
-8/15: Long Beach

2. Limb by Limb
Notable Version: The biggest surprise of the summer for sure.
-8/28: St. Louis

3. Runaway Jim
Notable Version: Good to hear this one pushed longer and longer.
-8/31: Dicks

4. Undermind
Notable Version: Awesome way to end the first set of the FUCK YOUR FACE show.
-8/31: Dicks