Phish Magnaball Night Two – Setlist & The Skinny

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On the second day of Magnaball, Phish took full advantage of the freedom that comes with throwing their own festival, delivering another impressive day and night of music at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York. The band started the day with a marathon 13-song afternoon set and rounded out the night with two power-packed, skillfully played evening sets.

Phish returned after the matinee performance by starting off the evening second set with “Wolfman’s Brother,” that featured a concise bit of funky rock led by guitarist Trey Anastasio. More groove-oriented rock came in the form of the trailing “Halley’s Comet” – again punctuated by Anastasio’s confident playing on the succinct take on the classic. “46 Days” then made another strong appearance this summer, giving way to another dark and patiently built section of improvisation stimulated by Page McConnell’s sublime work on his Wurlitzer electric piano. The lengthy jam took several intriguing and effortless turns before Anastasio struck the opening chords of “Backwards Down The Number Line.” The peppy rocker was abruptly succeeded by “Tweezer” as bassist Mike Gordon and drummer Jon Fishman set a deep pocket early into the song. “Tweezer” was another jam-filled delight in a weekend starting to stack up with them.

Playing with seemingly endless amounts of confidence while putting on an improvised rock clinic, the foursome pounced on a spacey but energized motif, exploring it with ease for several masterful moments, ultimately gaining speed around a sublime melodic theme that held for the duration of the jam. “Prince Caspian” emerged next and after the composed/lyrical section took a sharp and menacing turn into dark and swampy funk. Fish and Mike drove a pick up in tempo as another all-out assault of superb and rocking group improvisation was put on display and any semblance of “Caspian” was nowhere to be found. An enormous climax threw the 30,000 gathered at the race track (and likely countless others webcasting or streaming on The Bunny) into a head-grabbing, arms-raising frenzy, concluding the six-song the set.

The third set of the second day of Magnaball was kicked off by “Meatstick.” The fun Japanese-lyrics infused tune gave way to one of the band’s originals debuted earlier this summer, “Blaze On.” The lively new song joined in the jamming fun, as Anastasio worked his MuTron effect over McConnell’s deft piano runs. Slowing for a moment, rather than dissolving to an end or different song, Fish kept pushing the rhythm as Page interjected melodic lines on his electric piano. A choppy, syncopated exploration followed with more MuTron and a deeper groove which reached an intense peak in front of a drop into the old staple “Possum.”

Trey and Page dueled mightily during a spirited call-and-response jaunt in “Possum.” Just the second cover of the day, “Cities” – in what at this point of the show seemed expected – dove into a dynamite jam and another section of rich improvisation highlighted by Trey dropping “Mind Left Body” licks. “Light” energized the raceway and produced another magnificent, multifaceted jam structured around several distinct themes. An easy transition to a tight rendition of Mike’s “555” came before the emotionally charged ballad “Wading In The Velvet Sea.” McConnell then struck the lone piano notes that signified the start of the set closing and crowd rousing “Walls Of The Cave.” Stevie Wonder’s “Boogie On Reggae Woman” stretched out for a few more funky turns to open the encore which was sealed by a typically kinetic “Tweezer Reprise.”

Setlist…

[via Phish.net]

• Venue Type: Outdoor Racetrack / 30,000
• Previous Shows at Venue: 4 Shows – 07/01/2011, 07/02/2011, 07/03/2011 and 08/21/2015
• Number Of Songs / Length – First Set: 13 / 3:38 p.m. ET – 5:16 p.m. (98 Minutes)
• Number Of Songs / Length – Second Set: 6 / 8:03 p.m. ET – 9:17 p.m. (74 Minutes)
• Number Of Songs / Length – Third Set & Encore: 10 / 9:52 p.m. ET – 11:26 p.m. (94 Minutes)
• Total Number of Songs / Covers / Originals: 29 / 3 / 26
• Biggest Bustout: Army Of One – 79 Shows (Last Time Played – 10/18/2013)
• Average Song Vintage: 1998
• Debuts: N/A
• Tour Debuts: Mound, Army Of One
• Weather: 73 °F and Cloudy at Showtime
• Guitar Used By Trey Anastasio: KOA #3, aka Ocedoc
• Average Song Gap: 11.33
• The Spread: A Picture Of Nectar – 2, Fuego – 2, Hoist – 2, Joy – 2, Round Room – 2, The Story Of The Ghost – 2, Undermind – 2, Billy Breathes – 1, Rift – 1, Junta – 1, Lawn Boy – 1, Misc. – 8, Covers – 3
• Longest LivePhish Track / Shortest LivePhish Track: Divided Sky – 18:03, Tweezer Reprise – 4:03
• Audio: Live Phish

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