Phish Concludes Visit To Ascend Amphitheater In Nashville – Setlist & The Skinny

One night after Bob Weir teamed with Phish for a memorable concert, the jam quartet finished their two-night stand at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater on Wednesday. Phish debuted an original in the first set, but the story of the night was an all-killer/no-filler second set which stands among the best of 2016.

Phish kept the unusual placements they’ve been so fond of this year coming by opening with “Theme From The Bottom,” marking the Billy Breathes classic’s first time in that position since way back on May 28, 2011. Guitarist Trey Anastasio’s solo had extra life to it as he expertly alternated between quick riffing and long, sustained notes. The foursome then dug into and nailed one of their earliest originals, the Jeff Holdsworth-penned “Camel Walk.” Wednesday’s first cover came in the form of Clifton Chenier’s blues shuffle “My Soul,” which hadn’t seen action since January. Phish followed the three tour debuts with the tour’s third “Petrichor.” As with the previous versions the band extended the final segment of the complex composition with a “Divided Sky”-like solo from Trey.

The set continued with a song a piece from each member of the band. First up was a quick romp through drummer Jon Fishman’s “My Sweet One.” Next, bassist Mike Gordon led a “Waking Up Dead” that saw Anastasio insert hints of “Tweezer” into his solo ahead of keyboardist Page McConnell fronting the group on his own “Halfway To The Moon.” Finally, the foursome unveiled “Running Out Of Time,” a Trey ballad that dates back to the early ’00s and was the final song off Big Boat to be played live.

A slightly extended “Tube” came after the debut and was highlighted by Page’s dynamic synth leads. Speaking of unusual setlist placement, Phish closed a first set with “Shine A Light” for the first time on Wednesday, which was the only other time the Rolling Stones’ classic was performed in an opening stanza besides the famed “S” show at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in 2011.

Phish began the final set of their trip to Nashville with a cover of TV On The Radio’s “Golden Age.” The band dug into the minor-key chord progression and moved beyond the song’s normal boundaries to find a dirty groove they explored for a few minutes. Trey then started up the tour’s first “Tweezer.” All four members of the band made impressive contributions to the multi-faceted “Tweezer.” The initial segment of the jam saw Mike lead the way with potent brown notes, Page throw in dazzling electric piano work, Fish keep a steady rock beat and Trey mix funky rhythms and melodic riffs. Phish took a turn towards a more blissful jam space as they connected on a catchy variation of the main “Tweezer” theme that the band built towards a powerful peak. A brief foray into deep space brought one of the improvisational highlights of the tour thus far to a conclusion.

The show continued on with a “No Men In No Man’s Land” that featured a particularly shred-heavy solo from Trey and concluded with a patient and ethereal segue into “Plasma.” While “Plasma” has been a TAB staple since Anastasio debuted the song with his solo outfit in 2001, Wednesday was just the fourth Phish version. Phish let “Plasma” breathe as they effortlessly moved between dark and pretty motifs. The same held true for the instant classic “Harry Hood” that followed. The quartet delivered a phenomenal take on one of their earliest tunes full of turn-on-a-dime shifts that recalled the days of 1993 and 1994. It was unlike any other “Hood,” which is a characteristic fans yearn for from old warhorses. After “Hood” had already reached top tier status the band stopped in their tracks for a rest of a few beats in which some audience members yelled “woo.” When Phish kicked back into the song they took a quick run at its climax, but not before adding one more breakdown and opportunity for fans to “woo.” The Vermonters then brought the sizzling second set to a close with a euphoric “Suzy Greenberg” complete with “Living After Midnight” teases.

When Phish returned for the encore they lit into “Walls Of The Cave,” which had only been performed twice previously in the encore slot including during September’s run at Dick’s. Anastasio uncorked a ferocious solo in “Walls” before the quartet brought the encore and show to a close with a typically energetic “Tweezer Reprise.” The tour now moves further south for a pair of concerts at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Alpharetta, Georgia on Friday and Saturday. Webcasts of both shows are available via LivePhish.com.

Setlist (via Phish.net)

Set One: Theme From the Bottom, Camel Walk, My Soul, Petrichor, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan, My Sweet One, Waking Up Dead, Halfway to the Moon, Running Out of Time[1], Tube, Shine a Light

Set Two: Golden Age > Tweezer > No Men In No Man’s Land > Plasma > Harry Hood > Suzy Greenberg

Encore: Walls Of The Cave > Tweezer Reprise

[1] Debut.

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[Harry Hood | Captured by Go See Live Music]

[Walls Of The Cave | Captured by Go See Live Music]

[Running Out Of Time | Captured by iccuspunk]

[Camel Walk | Captured by runaway jr]

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