Phish Concludes 2018 Run At Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – Recap, Setlist & The Skinny

In a similar fashion to Tuesday’s hard screaming “46 Days” that kicked off the show at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, Phish came out of the box strong with a soaring version of “Roggae” to open the show. Wednesday’s performance was the second of a quick one-two midweek punch in San Francisco at the venue that has become a staple of Phish’s summer tour. This was the band’s 14th overall show at this venerated and historic venue. Switching things up a bit, this was the first two-show stand here eschewing the typical three-night runs from 2012, 2013, 2014 & 2016. While The Gorge enjoyed its first three-night run and a spectacular Sunday night show, Phish crammed a lot into these two shows and didn’t leave the sold-out crowd empty handed.

“Roggae” was a nice way to start the night and only the second time the band had ever used that as a show opener. Bassist Mike Gordon was eager to establish his presence with some particularly chunky bass runs to compliment Trey Anastasio’s guitar. While slightly slower than usual, a straightforward version of “Tube” followed. Lighting designer Chris Kuroda helped to add energy with pulsating, syncopated lights that filled the front of the sold-out arena. First set staple “N.I.C.U.” segued nicely into the year’s first performance of “Runaway Jim.” Like “Tube”, this oft-used jam stalwart didn’t pack much in the jam department but nonetheless contained a quick punch of energy before giving way to the peaceful “The Horse” and its usual companion in “Silent in the Morning”. While “Silent” is never a hard charging or rocking tune, this pace of this one was a bit slower than usual and continuing the laid-back vibe of the show.

A Phish debut with Mike Gordon on vocals followed in “Keepin’ It Real”. A quick-paced tune with an upbeat tempo, “Keepin’ It Real” tried to inject a small dose of energy in the room before another slow-paced song in “Driver.” Perhaps as a nod to the performance here in 2013 that fulfilled the wishes of family and friends of a recently passed fan or perhaps obliging a large bed-sheet request sign (or both?), the not-often played “Driver” was a nice addition to the setlist.

The continued relaxed pace of the set did not work very well for the typical head-banging, hard rocker of “Saw It Again.” However, the ethereal, lethargic and spacey vibe worked perfectly for one of the highlights of the set in “Ocelot.” The entire band seemed to hit their strides for the first time and engaged in great interplay and cohesion from start to finish. “Ocelot” did not necessarily jam in the typical sense of taking a song into Type II territory, it however did sound unique and fresh particularly with Anastasio employing a full range of tricks from his toolkit of pedals, electronics and sonic manipulation.

Big Boat’s “Waking Up Dead” followed and still seems like a song the band is tinkering around with to figure out how and where it makes sense to play. “Backwards Down The Number Line” was up next and could have easily been the set closer. While often played, “Number Line” hasn’t graced many first sets lately and in fact was the first one in a couple of years. Adding a skosh of energy into the languid set seemed to be a good call and paved the way for “More” to close the set as it always does. In a world seemingly gone mad both nationally and even locally to the Phish scene due to recent events at the Gorge, the “Love And Light” message of “More” seemed a timely and apropos choice to close the set.

Having just debuted at the Gorge last week as a show opener, it was yet another set opening slot for “Set Your Soul Free” to kick off Bill Graham’s second set and the final of the four sets from San Francisco.

It didn’t take long for “Set Your Soul Free” to do what Phish seems to do best to start second sets: absolutely go off the rails and ride the song into radical new places. Trippy, psychedelic and luscious grooves flew off of Trey’s guitar as he shifted through different tones and effects until he settled into one sound. The blissful jam seemed effortless and familiar. Page peppered the jam with his signature clavinet sound and other spacey effects all the while with Fishman driving the high-hat and cymbals ferociously while simultaneously keeping some very interesting rhythms. The jam in “Set Your Soul Free” may not have peaked as high as Phish jams often can, but it had texture, “width,” patience and a dose of Phish’s unique funk that has defined some of their best jams. Sprinting past the venerated “20 minute mark” that many use to indicate “long jams,” the beautiful jam segued perfectly into “Twist” as it tempered down and became slightly ambient. “Twist” quickly re-visited some of the same space as the previous song and didn’t take long to get there. Together, the “Set Your Soul Free” and “Twist” was an incredible 35 minutes of music and a great, cohesive way to start the set.

The always fun and crowd favorite, “Makisupa Policeman” preceded another piece of outstanding playing by the entire band in the tour’s debut of “Scents And Subtle Sounds.” Meandering at first, the intro-less version of “Scents” turned on a dime, picked up intensity and ended up covering quite a bit of space in the relatively short duration of the jam before nicely segueing into the always sublime track from the Siket Disc, “What’s the Use?” There is something unique and often magical about “What’s The Use?” Mesmerizingly, it seems to have an uncanny power to not only transform a set but to also improve what came before it. The lush and hypnotic jam sucks in everything around it and this version was no exception sandwiched before a spirited version of “The Wedge.”

“Possum,” one of the band’s oldest songs, closed the set with the same ferocious energy that it often has.

Among a slew of other tour debuts, “Lizards” was the call for the encore. The Gamehendge tune was the second most common Phish tune played that had never been played at Bill Graham. The most common? “Bouncing Around The Room.” The two-show run concluded, “Bouncing” will have to wait for 2019. Phish continues their Summer 2018 Tour on Friday at The Forum in Los Angeles and will be part of the band’s “I Saw It Again Pass” webcast package of 16 shows.

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