Phish Lands At Lockn’ – Recap, Setlist & The Skinny

Phish made their debut at the Lockn’ Festival in Arrington, Virginia Friday night, headlining the second day of the annual event held at Oak Ridge Farm. Following a break after a main stage Ween appearance, the quartet took over the rotating stage for a two set performance that after getting warmed up featured inspired jams and other memorable moments.

Once again returning to its familiar role as show opener, “Wilson” got the set off to an upbeat start as the foursome got back into form after a month off. Guitarist Trey Anastasio had a miscue at the start of the “Down With Disease” that followed, but he soon was leading the group through a compact “Disease” jam. A move to “Free” laid the groundwork for Mike Gordon to employ synthy bass runs over drummer Jon Fishman’s buoyant rhythm. Page McConnell later jumped on his clavinet to add a funky layer to the jam that came out of the subsequent “Wolfman’s Brother.”

“Tube” then offered up more of Page’s handiwork on clavinet as the longtime favorite delighted with another groove-heavy, if not full blown, “Tube” jam. Gordon’s “555” interjected some of the group’s newer material into the set for the first time. A bit of the rust from the weeks off showed again during the opening parts of “It’s Ice,” though another burst of clavinet-driven funk quickly took over. A mellow moment came with the start of “Wingsuit,” eventually rising in intensity behind Anastasio’s soaring climatic ending solo. An atypical first set “Simple” served as the penultimate song of the first half, as an a cappella rendering of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” was performed for the fourth time this year.

Phish opened the second set with the second “Punch You In The Eye” performed this year. The energetic longtime original was trailed by the more recently added “Blaze On,” which quickly settled into an evenly paced portion of group improvisation that saw Fish maintaining a steady foundation for the other three to mesh around. The jam slowly decayed into ambience with “Fuego” emerging from the wash of sound led by Page’s opening piano notes. A short “Fuego” jam transitioned into “Ghost” as McConnell again relied heavily on chunky clavinet lines while Gordon and Fishman locked in, allowing Anastasio to introduce a blissfully melodic passage that built to a rousing, captivating peak. The jam then moved to a start-stop breakdown that included call-and-response “wooing” from the audience.

The clear high mark of the show to that point was followed by an equally impressive “Bathtub Gin.” At first staying within the “Gin” theme, the jam ultimately progressed far beyond anything that resembled the song, exploring a relentlessly intense path as the foursome built layer after layer of tension, finally resolving with the start of “Backwards Down The Number Line.” A minor vocal hiccup by Anastasio at the start of “BDTNL” was laughed off and the cheery rocker ambled along in typical fashion. The multi-part composition “You Enjoy Myself” capped the second set with more spirited interplay, as the festivalgoers got to see Trey and Mike’s trampoline routine and a predictably bizarre vocal jam ending that featured some “Ass Handed” vocals from Fishman. Regular rocking encore selection “Character Zero” once again punctuated a Phish show, ending the band’s first appearance at Lockn’.

Phish plays Lockn’ again on Sunday night. A free webcast is available through a number of outlets.

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