Phish Miami Finale AmericanAirlines Arena | Setlist & Skinny
By Scott Bernstein Jan 4, 2015 • 6:00 am PST
Some nights, Phish puts on an average-great show, and others they knock you off your feet with their energy and innovative jams. And then there are nights like Saturday, when the stars align, everything the band touches turns to gold, and no matter how many dozens of times you’ve seen them, you still can’t quite believe what they’re pulling off in front of your eyes. In the final show of a four-night run at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, the band followed a high-energy first set with a second set that overflowed with creativity, earning its place in the pantheon of classic Holiday Run shows.
“Maze” got the juices flowing early, playing the role of show opener for the first time since September 4, 2011. An inspired guitar solo in “AC/DC Bag” was an early sign that Trey was feeling it tonight. The energy stayed high for “Divided Sky.” In “Scent of a Mule,” Mike’s solo in the Mule Duel allowed the Marimba Lumina to take a night off. The old-school opening quartet yielded the stage to relative newbies “Plasma,” “Devotion to a Dream” and “Water in the Sky.” The demonic forces emerged next for “Split Open and Melt,” whose jam was wicked and weird, though not too dissimilar from other recent versions. The band rocked the Miami crowd into the setbreak with “Character Zero.”
In the modern era, Trey is at his most brilliant not when he’s feeling shreddy, but when he’s feeling patient. And lucky for those who witnessed this second set, his trademark energetic patience was on full display, as he led the band through a thrilling set-spanning suite of jams. “Down with Disease” was the first and finest, slithering from melodic rock to rollicking Mike-led groove, then moving seamlessly into outerspace for a few minutes, before a blazing rock outro that was like “Manteca” on overdrive.
With that 26-minute stunner behind them, Phish did…more amazing jamming. “Light” drifted into a hyper-focused, deep groove, before a wonderful segue into “Sneakin’ Sally.” Robert Palmer’s funky classic briefly went into “Bathtub Gin”-jam territory before fading into “Sand.” This one, too, went deeper than usual, grooving for a good few minutes once Trey’s fantastic solo was through.
When the band is really feeling it, it shows up in more than just the jams. And so even the intro to “Harry Hood” was especially great, with some excellent keyboard and guitar fills, some windmills, and a “Happy Birthday” quote for a fan in the front row. The song’s jam was beautifully restrained and cohesive. For the encore, the band emerged for Led Zeppelin’s “Good Times Bad Times,” rocking the Miami crowd one last time before the run came to an end.
[via Phish.net]
- Venue Type: Indoor Arena / 19,600
- Previous Shows at Venue: 11 Shows -12/28/2003, 12/29/2003, 12/30/2003, 12/31/2003, 12/28/2009, 12/29/2009, 12/30/2009, 12/31/2009, 12/31/2014, 01/01/2015 and 01/02/2015
- Number Of Songs / Length – First Set: 10 / 8:21 p.m. -9:43 (82 Minutes)
- Number Of Songs / Length – Second Set & Encore: 8 / 10:21 -11:51 (90 Minutes)
- Total Number of Songs / Covers / Originals: 18 / 2 / 16
- Biggest Bustout: Good Times Bad Times -23 Shows (LTP – 7/29/2014)
- Average Song Vintage: 1995
- Debuts: N/A
- Weather: 77°F and Partly Cloudy
- Average Song Gap: 9.39
- The Spread: Junta -1, Lawn Boy -1, Picture Of Nectar -1, Rift -1, Hoist -2, Billy Breathes -1, Story Of The Ghost -1, Farmhouse -1, Joy – 2, Fuego -1, Misc. -4, Covers -2,
- Longest LivePhish Track / Shortest LivePhish Track: Down With Disease 25:46 / Water in the Sky 3:31
- Audio: Live Phish
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