Phish Glens Falls Civic Center Setlist And The Skinny

Phish began a Halloween tradition of covering an album by another artist on October 31, 1994 at the Glens Falls Civic Center in Glens Falls, NY; when they performed all of The Beatles’ White Album as part of a marathon show. Tonight, after nearly 19 years, the Vermonters finally returned to the venue.

Speaking of that famed Halloween show, Phish opened with “Back In The U.S.S.R.” this evening like they did for their second set on that fateful night. Tonight’s performance of the Beatles’ gem marked the first time Phish played the song since December 6, 1994 (684 shows). Those hoping for a replay of the White Album set weren’t in luck as “Stealing Time” followed the biggest bust out of the tour thus far. Next up were a fast-paced version of “Water In The Sky” and a spot-on rendition of the title track from 2004’s Undermind until the ending. Guitarist Trey Anastasio blamed the botched finish on drummer Jon Fishman who remarked, “solidly indecisive!” The quartet then dipped back to 1986 for a pair of originals from their early days -a “David Bowie” with a little more more oomph that usual and “Golgi Apparatus.”

Keyboardist Page McConnell stole the show in “Gumbo” by trading in his normal piano solo for a funky, wah’d-out clavinet solo. The Mike Gordon/Scott Murawski-penned “Yarmouth Road,” debuted earlier this year at SPAC, saw action for the first time this fall at tonight’s show. The band continued to dig a little deeper into their vast repertoire than they had earlier this tour with “Camel Walk” and “Horn,” which were each performed only one prior time in 2013. “Limb By Limb” featured a passionate solo from Trey and an a capella ending. Anastasio referenced Fishman taking off his dress at the 1994 show by asking “will he do it again!” before the drummer’s “I Didn’t Know” vacuum solo and thankfully the answer to that question was no. An evil, jarring “Split Open And Melt” brought the opening stanza to a close.

The setbreak video shown to those purchasing the webcast was hilarious and featured clues pointing fans towards the possibility of Phish performing Sports by Huey Lewis and the News:

Phish tipped their hat to another one of their Halloween performances to start the second set, as they came out of the gates with a cover of “Rock And Roll” by Velvet Underground. Anastasio laid down many impressive rapid-fire licks in his solo before the jam faded into “Seven Below.” Though the composed section of “Seven Below” gave Trey fits, he shined during its jam. “Alaska” came next 20 shows after it was last performed -the longest gap in the song’s history. “Twist” found the band focusing on the bluesy rhythms within the jam’s structure at the beginning of the improv. The quartet then made a turn together into a blissful segment with no one member taking control, which made for an unusual take on the live staple worthy of many re-listens. A particularly poignant “Wading In The Velvet Sea” filled the ballad slot, while the stellar “Harry Hood” that followed featured a standout jam section that the band patiently built to a joyous climax. A standard romp through “Chalk Dust Torture” closed the second set. After returning for the encore, Trey took a moment to talk about how the Civic Center is a special place for the band to play, in part due to its proximity to Burlington and all the friends and family who came out to see them. Anastasio said that he could feel “it” all night. Phish then referenced their first appearance at the Glens Falls venue one more time with another Beatles White Album cover in “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” By bookending the show with White Album tunes, the band honored their legacy at a place with special meaning for them.

Setlist…

[via Phish.net]

Here’s The Skinny from Phish’s return to Glens Falls…

• Venue Capacity / Attendance / Type: 7,500 / 7,500 / Indoor Arena
• Previous Shows at Venue: 1 Show – 10/31/1994
• Number Of Songs / Length – First Set: 13 / 8:14 p.m. -9:33 p.m. (79 Minutes)
• Number Of Songs / Length – Second Set & Encore: 8 / 10:07 p.m. -11:30 p.m. (83 Minutes)
• Total Number of Songs / Covers / Originals: 21 / 3 / 18
• Biggest Bustout: Back In The U.S.S.R. -687 Shows (LTP – 12/6/1994)
• Tour Debuts: Entire Show except Twist, Wading, Hood and Chalk Dust
• Average Song Vintage: 1995
• Debuts: N/A
• Weather: 46° and Cloudy at Showtime
• Average Song Gap: 42.19
• The Spread: Junta -2, Lawn Boy -1, Picture Of Nectar -1, Rift -1, Story of the Ghost -3, Farmhouse -1, Round Room -1, Undermind -1, Joy -1, Misc. -6, Covers -3/li>
• Longest LivePhish Track / Shortest LivePhish Track: Twist 14:17 / Back In The U.S.S.R. 3:09
• Audio: Live Phish

Phish From The Road Photos…

Poster…

Photos by Parker Harrington…