Phish Performs ‘Mercury’ In Camden & ‘Beneath A Sea Of Stars Part 1’ At Mohegan Sun

Phish shared pro-shot video of well-jammed highlights from two recent concerts on their YouTube channel. The first features a 20+ minute “Mercury” played at the BB&T Pavilion in Camden, New Jersey on June 28 and the second contains the majestic “Beneath A Sea Of Stars Part 1” from July 9 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

The “Mercury” from Camden opened the second set, which marked the song’s first appearance in that slot since October 29, 2016. While “Mercury” has become one of the most dependable jam vehicles in the repertoire, the version from the Friday night of the Camden run was a particular standout. The four-piece moved from a vamp on the song’s theme to a blissed-out major key improvisation. A number of key changes followed, including a funky exploration featuring “Boogie On”-esque work from bassist Mike Gordon and dirty Clavinet riffing from keyboardist Page McConnell. The final portion of the jam was a build to a massive peak led by guitarist Trey Anastasio.

Phish’s second ever version of Ghosts Of The Forest tune “Beneath A Sea Of Stars Part 1” came in the middle of the second set on Tuesday night at Mohegan Sun Arena. “The delicate vocal portion was followed by a pretty “Reba”-esque jam and then the improvisation took a dark turn into evil territory for some of the most exciting jamming of the tour,” I wrote in the JamBase recap of the concert. “Phish was in lockstep as adventurously they explored new ground that at one moment was dissonant and at another extremely harmonic. For comparison’s sake, Tuesday’s ‘Beneath A Sea Of Stars Part 1’ was nearly twice as long as the Phish debut in Camden.”

Watch both videos below:

Mercury

Beneath A Sea Of Stars Part 1