Undaunted by endless traffic, sweltering heat and torrential downpours, Phish fans took over Polaris Amphitheater on Friday night. In their 70-minute first set, Phish opened with an upbeat version of “Ya Mar,” and set the mood for an outrageous jam session that would continue until well after Polaris’ 11:00 p.m. curfew. “Ya Mar,” blended nicely into the opening of “NICU,” which played into a slower version of “Chicken Shack.” Unfortunately Phish ran with this one a little too long. “Chicken Shack,” highlighted the bluesy element that Phish can pump into their music, but it didn’t fuse with the high-energy vibe flowing through the crowd.The second set had a mixture of every possible component that could turn a “Phish” show into an experience unrivaled by any other. Lightning started illuminating the sky right after the band took the stage and grew more intense as the evening progressed. They opened with “Ghost” and combined with growing darkness, swifter winds and a more intense light show, the song was magical. There is cohesiveness between the members of Phish that is lacking in many bands today. This bond was really apparent during “Ghost.” It was as if thousands of people were invited to a private jam session between best friends.After 17 minutes, bits and pieces of “Free” could be heard. As the song picked up, so did the showers and soon the hot and sticky afternoon was washed away by buckets of rain. The entire crowd was swept into dancing revelry. Even the band members seemed to be in a state of pure excitement. Trey Anastasio, guitarist and lead vocals, started to jump up and down, pumping his fist in the air. The combination of the extreme weather conditions and raucous jams being spit forth from the stage cumulated into pure bliss. “Birds of a Feather” came out of “Free” and the song seemed to be competing with the weather. As the rain grew more intense, so did the pounding grooves. When the rain started to die down, Anastasio announced that Phish was going to break the world record of the same number of people doing a single dance at one time. Two girls from the front row were pulled on stage to help Phish teach the “Meatstick” dance, a dance sarcastically and loosely based on the Macarana. Phish aims to break this record at their New Year’s Eve 2000 show in Miami, Fla. This led into “Fire” and closed out the second set.The encore brought more rain and a super-speedy version of “Bouncing Around the Room.” The crowd was going crazy at this point and it was hard to decide what to watch: the synchronized movements of the crowd, the energetic performers on stage, or the amazing lightning show in the sky. “Bouncing Around the Room,” led into “Rocky Top,” and it was the perfect ending to a wild night.