Phish Treats Camden To Insane ‘Scents,’ Cover Debut, Busts Outs & 4 Song Second Set In 2003

Thirteen years ago today Phish began their final stop of Summer Tour 2003 ahead of the It Festival with the first of two consecutive shows at the Tweeter Center in Camden. Phish’s memorable night on the banks of the Delaware featured a wild first set and four-song second set along with one of just two “Secret Smile” encores in the band’s history.

The quartet was one night removed from a stellar concert in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania that included a whopping 16 tour debuts 16 shows into the summer. In Camden, that feeling of “anything is possible” continued through the first set. Phish opened with the return of “My Friend, My Friend” for the first time in 32 shows and continued with a major bust out in the form of Fish singing “Lonesome Cowboy Bill.” The Velvet Underground cover had been on the shelf since Phish performed all of Loaded on Halloween in 1998. “Scents & Subtle Sounds” came next and still stands among the best performances of the song. By the time “Scents” finished 30 minutes later the foursome had explored multiple soundscapes ranging from gritty arena rock to major-key blissful excursions. Thankfully, pro-shot footage of the Camden ’03 “Scents” is available for our viewing delight:

A huge surprise came next when Phish unveiled their take on Bob Dylan’s Basement Tapes era gem “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere.” Trey lit up with a huge smile when he sang the lyric “when we get up to it” ahead of the band’s festival. The Vermonters still haven’t played “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” since as of press time and the same could be said of the “Spock’s Brain” that followed. A romp through “Chalk Dust Torture” came next ahead of the show’s final bust out, a cover of Allen Toussaint’s “On Your Way Down.” The song popularized by Little Feat had been missing in action since October 2, 1999 – a span of 108 shows. “Fast Enough For You” made its second appearance of the tour before Phish closed out the set with “Taste.”

The second set is chock full of 2.0 style jams and spans just four songs. A 23-minute “Twist” starts us off and would take the capacity crowd on a roller coaster ride filled with wonderful, dynamic peaks and valleys. “Bug” comes next ahead of one of the more high-intensity versions of “You Enjoy Myself” ever. “Walls Of The Cave,” which closed the set, featured stellar work from Trey as he unleashed one jaw-dropping riff after another. Phish said farewell with the ballad “Secret Smile.”

Here’s audio of the entire show thanks to From The Aquarium and the original taper: