On Saturday night, Phish completed their two-night run at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park in Alpharetta, Georgia. The first set featured a number of jam staples, including strong versions of “Weekapaug Groove” and “Stash.” The second set also showcased several heavy hitters, with the band playing more and more adventurously as they went — most notably, in an all-time version of “Simple.”
The band kicked off the night with a “Mike’s Song” suite for the first time since July 25, 2014. Trey Anastasio got in some strong guitar licks in “Mike’s Song” and some downright blistering ones in “Weekapaug Groove,” while, in between them, drummer Jon Fishman fired the crowd up with “Ass Handed.” The band took “Bathtub Gin” at a laid-back tempo, but that didn’t stop them from bringing it to its customary peak. Following the first “Rift” of the tour, the set got another jam vehicle: “Stash.” This version built to a frenzied tension around Trey’s weeping tremolo, finally reaching an excellent peak. Page McConnell took a strong organ solo in “Funky Bitch,” then the band played “Your Pet Cat” — just the second appearance on this tour of a song debuted on Halloween 2014. The quartet rocked the set to a close with “Character Zero.”
“Run Like Antelope,” which for most of its three-decade history has been a set closer, opened the second set for the third time in the last 15 months. This barn-burning rendition got the set started with a bang. The main jam in “Fuego” had some extra spice, courtesy of Trey’s distorted phrygian-mode soloing, and later, the band embarked on a brief spacey major-key jam before dropping into “Runaway Jim.” Page led the band on a slightly extended staccato excursion between the song’s verses, while the main jam segment stuck to the script. A strong version of Led Zeppelin’s “No Quarter” was next.
“Simple” seemed poised to take its usual ride through an upbeat jam before gradually decaying into nothingness. But before pulling the ripcord on it, the band found their way into a new plane entirely, building and building to a glorious major-key peak. They found yet another groove before changing course for “46 Days.” Between verses, Trey took a seamless turn into “Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley,” and the rest of the band followed him into the Allen Toussaint-penned cover. After a full run on the tune, complete with a cappella jam, the band returned to “46 Days” to close the set. They returned for an encore of “Makisupa Policeman.” In the song’s second appearance of the year, the keyword was, “Listened to some funk / sitting on the couch, just me and a little skunk.” The band then launched into “First Tube.”
Phish returns to the stage on Monday night, when they open a two-night run in Grand Prairie, Texas. Watch officially shared footage of the opening song of each set from tonight’s webcast below:
Setlist
Set One: Mike’s Song > Ass Handed > Weekapaug Groove, Waiting All Night > Sample in a Jar, Bathtub Gin, Rift, Stash, Funky Bitch, Your Pet Cat, Character Zero
Set Two: Run Like an Antelope, Fuego > Runaway Jim, No Quarter > Simple > 46 Days > Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley > 46 Days
Encore: Makisupa Policeman, First Tube
The Skinny
The Venue |
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Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park [See upcoming shows] |
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8 shows — 07/03/2010, 07/04/2010, 06/14/2011, 06/15/2011, 07/16/2013, 07/17/2013, 08/03/2014, 10/21/2016 |
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The Music |
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11 songs / 8:10 pm to 9:27 pm (77 minutes) |
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9 songs / 9:59 pm to 11:24 pm (85 minutes) |
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20 songs / 17 originals / 3 covers |
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1996 |
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None |
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Waiting All Night, Sample in a Jar, Rift, Funky Bitch, Your Pet Cat, Runaway Jim, No Quarter, Simple, Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley, Makisupa Policeman, First Tube |
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Funky Bitch - 26 shows (LTP 06/28/16) |
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Simple - 16:02 |
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Ass Handed - 0:52 |
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Lawn Boy - 2, A Picture of Nectar - 1, Rift - 1, Hoist - 1, Billy Breathes - 1, Farmhouse - 1, Round Room - 1, Fuego - 2, Misc. - 7, Covers - 3 |
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The Rest |
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57° and Clear at show time |
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KOA 1 |
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Venue Capacity: 12,000 |
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Phish From The Road Photos
Posters
