Phish Concludes Summer 2018 West Coast Run In Los Angeles: Recap, Setlist & The Skinny

The final night of Phish‘s two-night run at The Forum in Los Angeles delivered a dynamic show worthy of concluding the West Coast leg of summer tour. The first set dispatched unbelievably high energy. Many songs typically reserved for second sets made early appearances, beginning with show opener “Julius,” last played as the encore for the first show of the tour in Tahoe. Keyboardist Page McConnell’s energy helped to grow the upbeat tune into a jam that gave way to a rhythmic solo from guitarist Trey Anastasio. The guitarist developed in pace pulling the song into a steep crest to start the night off right, while bassist Mike Gordon and drummer Jon Fishman kept the time swinging.

Keeping the energy high, the band then moved into a somewhat rare first set “Suzy Greenberg” featuring McConnell on the Clavinet. Jon kept a steady pace as Page’s solo advanced in a classical direction to build the cheerful tune. The band then transitioned to a darker and funky “Timber Ho!” Carrying over the fast pace of the previous two songs, “Timber” featured a jungle-sounding drum solo from Fishman that Trey soon built upon, speeding upward to a lighter tone. After a jubilant moment, the jam deepened and grew in complexity. The song continued to evolve until a ferocious Trey solo ended the progressive composition.

The tempo then slowed for a reggae-influenced “Soul Shakedown Party” that highlighted Page not only on vocals, but also on keys. Gordon picked up on this energy and took the jam deeper and funkier; the rest of the band followed suit. A second McConnell organ solo led the Bob Marley cover to its buoyant conclusion.

Trey’s soaring introduction to an especially heavily jammed “Kill Devil Falls” reinvigorated the pace of the set. This upbeat song featured clean guitar licks from Anastasio, as well as excellent control from Fishman during the rhythmic breakdown sections. Trey took a second to get back into the jam after the second-to-last “learned my lesson” section, but Mike’s steady bassline helped to pull him into a lower-registered jam that soon made up for the minimal flub. Page’s chordwork emerged as Trey introduced reverberation effects, before a blissful build that continued to develop into a second peak before returning to the original melody and rhythm of the song.

After a long pause, the band moved into a laid back but sultry “555,” that included a bass-heavy jam and vocal volleying between Gordon and Fishman. The set then moved into a “Your Pet Cat” with a strong rhythmic groove. Trey explored a variety of effects while Page displayed his sampling skills, as he integrated screeching, meowing cat noises into the tune. Mike and Fishman drove the rhythmic theme together to generate a danceable energy. After a final meow, things slowed down into a soulful “Tide Turns.” Page’s organ resonated throughout the arena as Trey built a short but glittering solo before slowing down to finish the kind-messaged song.

Continuing with another song from Phish’s newest album Big Boat, the band began a fast paced “No Men in No Man’s Land.” Mike’s seismic bass vibrations were matched by Page once again on the Clavinet. Anastasio dug right into the song’s jam as Mike took control of the rhythm. Trey teased the audience with a space-sounding build that then gave way to clear-toned sustenation. Jon and Page decorated the sonic environment as Trey pushed and pulled with licks from the song’s chorus melody. After a strong climax, the band ended with a return to the repetition of the lyrics “we are the no men in no man’s land.”

To complete the first set, Phish delivered an energetic “Bathtub Gin.” As per usual in “Gin,” Page showcased his 1920’s jazz skills which included an especially funkified “Rhapsody In Blue” tease. Mike kept the groove earthy and deep. Trey’s vocals led to an emphatic exclamation of “we love to take a bath!” from the audience. The vocal scatting on top of the evolving instrumental groove pushed forward into an open jam. Jon emphasized the backbeat while Trey flowed effortlessly into a quick-fingered solo section. As the song’s energy built into double time, the keys re-emerged as the center of attention. Soon, Mike sped up the rhythm into a colossal, heavy place that escalated to soaring heights. With a generous ritardando, the song culminated in a final chord representative of the electricity of the first set.

The second set began with a long count-off into the first “Gotta Jibboo” of the tour. Starting with open sounds, Trey exercised his reverb pedal to contort his licks into echoing sirens. Page’s keys glistened lightly as Mike deepened the musical environment with vibrating low notes to complete the root of the chord. Fishman gingerly tamed the jam’s time with cymbal and snare. Uplifting but moving forward, Jon soon introduced bass drum lows, adding dimension. The energy flourished as Page responded to the fuller rhythms with agile chord playing. Trey teased semi-sustained higher fret tones before building up into a trill section that continued to ascend. A pure toned peak seemed to expand beyond the size of the room. As the song returned to its original rhythm, the crowd responded enthusiastically.

Trey used light distortion to transition into a darker “Fuego.” The driving intro featured heavy notes from Anastasio and rhythmic precision from Jon. Page’s nimble organwork rose above low but expressive melodic phrases from Trey. As Page and Jon worked together to expand the sound, lighting designer Chris Kuroda intensified the lighting until it encapsulated the entirety of the room. A round, sustained tone from Trey similarly filled the space, then the guitarist began to experiment with pedals and effects. The jam returned to a softer space with a focus toward keyboard-centric ambient sounds. The improvisation expanded with Jon’s addition of heavier rhythms. Mike kept the heartbeat of the song steady as Trey’s solo escalated to a vibrant peak before the song decrescendoed into a slow and calm conclusion.

Next, the band surprised the audience with a fast and loud rendition of “Birds Of A Feather,” beginning with a “they attack” tease from Page. The bass-heavy first verse and chorus progressed into a steadily paced jam. Mike’s hard-hitting baseline foiled Page’s lighter organ tones, expanding the scope of the sound. Jon created a rhythmic evolution, playing faster and more complex rhythms as Trey found his heights. The song ended with an enthusiastic drumroll, cleanly flowing into a groovy “Meatstick.” The lower register of “Meatstick” showcased a colorful and driven bassline, which Mike sustained through the song’s jam. Trey’s smile showed his excitement as he watched the audience join him in performing the Meatstick dance.

After a short jam on “Meatstick,” it took time for the band to follow Trey into newer song “Soul Planet.” However, once Mike found his groove, the song opened into a positive and uplifting space. An excellent jazzy solo from Page helped to grow the song’s energy. Fishman expertly initiated rhythmic breakdowns almost reminiscent of the ones heard in “Kill Devil Falls” earlier in the night. Then, a futuristic-sounding Page solo incited a darker Mike feature. As Trey used his Echoplex to sustain the ambience, Page returned to classic keys for an “I can see clearly now the rain is gone tease,” mimicking Trey’s tease from the previous night. A raging peak slammed the song out of the territory of songs to not be taken seriously. Trey soared above as Mike drove hard, before the band returned once more into dark tones and slower rhythms. The song fell into a somewhat sticky distortion space wherein Trey’s echo painted the room with a strange alien-sounding energy.

The second set slowed down with a steady but meaningful “Wingsuit.” Fishman kept the beat while garnishing each spare moment with a variety of drum flourishes. As the energy of the song grew, Mike dropped low vibrations that resonated throughout the room, and Trey found a softer groove in which to play. Siren sounds from Trey slowly built through multiple layers, until the guitarist brought in clear-toned teases of the melody as he climbed the fretboard. The song evolved to a heavy two-layered peak that did not include the song’s final lyrics.

The band then blasted into a fast Cavern to end the second set. Trey spit the tongue-twister-like lyrics with precision, as Mike interjected with slices of funk in the spaces between. In the final verse, an excited Trey took the microphone off its stand to point it at the crowd, inviting them to sing. The rest of the verse was sung with the smile on Anastasio’s face brightening his vocals. An incredible sustained drum solo prompted Trey to end the night exclaiming “thanks everybody! Jon Fishman!” Fishman held his drumsticks into the spotlight before slamming the set closed.

Phish surprised fans with a “Sparkle” encore for only the fourth time in the song’s 27-year history. As Page threw down on the organ, Mike developed a cow-funk bassline. Jon pushed the short song’s rhythm exponentially faster. “Sparkle” grew through a rousing ragtime piano solo to an ecstatic, breakneck peak.

The second encore selection was a fun “Character Zero” that featured a melodic build at the end of the second verse that exploded into a booming chorus. Kuroda employed all his multi-colored tricks, including large white zeros projected onto the crowd to reflect the song’s title. The whole band found lift off together: each member supporting one another as they elevated themselves to the song’s quintessential peak. Trey took a smoldering solo before leading the band into the song’s concluding chord, where the guitarist climbed an octave up the scale to the dominant of the chord. With an enthusiastic downbeat, the western portion of Phish’s summer tour came to an epic close.

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