@TennesseeJed said:

Speaking only for myself, I criticize the placement of Alaska, not the song itself. I particularly liked the version from 2011/08/10 where it appears in the following sequence ... Poor Heart, Alaska, Halley's Comet > It's Ice > When the Circus Comes, Ya Mar". That show was not well appreciated by phish.net folks who rate shows, but I enjoyed it. Each of those songs evokes a similar emotional response in me. And that version of Alaska is in my own personal Tour Highlights playlist.

The placement of Alaska within this show is disconcerting, at best, and "Languid" is actually a very apropos description. Given the following setlist... Colonel Forbin's Ascent > Fly Famous Mockingbird, Gumbo > Possum, Weigh > The Divided Sky, (????????), Bathtub Gin, Maze, Cavern > First Tube ... a setlist filled with quirky, complex, and offbeat rhythms. Phish took a good 2:30+ min to decide what song to play between Divided Sky and Bathtub Gin, and came up with a song which has absolutely nothing in common with any of those songs.

I agree. It was a weird choice after so much build up after the super long discussion...but totally out of context...this was a good version to me and those I was with. That's all I'm saying. Phish plays this tune well, and they like to play it.