Phish Rally In North Carolina – Walnut Creek Setlist & The Skinny

On Friday night Phish made their way back to Walnut Creek Amphitheater in Raleigh, North Carolina for the first time since the summer of 2011. The shed they first played over two decades ago was the site of a show highlighted by a restructured classic in the opener slot, a couple of resurrected covers in the second set and plenty of impactful improv to go around.

Phish opened the show Friday night with a slow, half-speed version of “Llama” for the 300th known performance of the normally high paced and sparsely played tune. The uniquely tempo-adjusted opener was chased by a typically rocking and concise “Chalk Dust Torture.” The two A Picture Of Nectar songs were succeeded by another slow-burner in the form of the funk- tinged “Moma Dance.” Bassist Mike Gordon kept the mid-tempo vibe by leading the group through his “Yarmouth Road.” A vibrant but short “Tube” dissolved into the audience sing-along “Bouncing Around The Room.”

Page McConnell worked up a series of organ swells as he and guitarist Trey Anastasio moved the band through a vigorous “Maze.” Mellowing the mood back out, “Waiting All Night” maintained the casual approach the band began the first set with. McConnell and Gordon were then showcased on the loungey “Lawn Boy.” Bracketing “Lawn Boy” with another Fuego song, the closing section of “Devotion to a Dream” garnered mighty soloing from Trey as drummer Jon Fishman drove the backend of the tune. Keeping the set going with more cooly paced rhythms, “Wolfman’s Brother” gradually picked up momentum behind Gordon’s snappy bass and Fish’s emphatic drumming, reaching the set’s highest crescendo. The old veteran “Suzy Greenberg” wrapped up the cover-free first set.

A rare second set opening “The Wedge” began the bottom half of the show. The stand alone rendition was followed by the second “Golden Age” of the summer. Breaking the streak of originals, the TV On The Radio cover delved quickly into a funky groove steered by Page”s clavinet before giving way to Anastasio who took command of the improvisation lifting it to a angular jam that sounded like it could turn into “Split Open And Melt” at any moment. The foursome then delivered a magnificent “Reba” with an excellently executed composed portion and simply majestic and exhilarating jam with all four musicians matching each other’s intensity. “Mike’s Song” came mid-set and though it failed to supply the much desired “second jam,” it nonetheless was a wild storm of tension and release.

“Mike’s” eventually deconstructed into dark ambience as the first notes of “Ghost” trickled out of Anastasio’s guitar and Fishman set the familiar beat. “Ghost” bursted into an aggressively sinister jam that held for a few strong minutes. A bit of minimal ambiance preceded the McConnell sung bustout of Led Zeppelin’s “No Quarter” which hadn’t been played in just shy of a year (the same night Llama was last performed, August 29, 2014 at Dick’s). As expected, the Zeppelin cut provided Anastasio ample fodder to get the Led out through his Languedoc. Trey continued showing off his leadership skills on a feisty “Weekapaug Groove” which after a few roaring peaks and “No Quarter” riffs held a final long note that acted like a fuse to ignite the raucous, set closing “First Tube.” Prior to the encore, Page acknowledged their long history at the venue, thanking the audience before “Farmhouse” and the first take on Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire” since 2013 brought the night in Carolina to a close.

Setlist…

[via Phish.net]

• Venue Type: Outdoor Amphitheater / 20,000
• Previous Shows at Venue: 8 Shows – 06/29/1994, 06/16/1995, 07/22/1997, 08/07/1998, 06/25/2000, 07/27/2003, 07/01/2010 and 06/18/2011
• Number Of Songs / Length – First Set: 12 / 7:41 p.m. ET – 8:56 p,m. (75 Minutes)
• Number Of Songs / Length – Second Set & Encore: 10 / 9:25 p.m. ET – 10:56 p.m. (91 Minutes)
• Total Number of Songs / Covers / Originals: 22 / 3 / 19
• Biggest Bustout: Fire – 86 Shows (Last Time Played – 07/26/2013)
• Average Song Vintage: 1996
• Debuts: N/A
• Tour Debuts: Llama, No Quarter, Fire
• Weather: 79°F and Partly Cloudy at Showtime
• Guitar Used By Trey Anastasio: KOA #3, aka Ocedoc
• Average Song Gap: 12.68
• The Spread: Lawn Boy – 3, A Picture Of Nectar – 2, Farmhouse – 2, The Story Of The Ghost – 2, Fuego – 2, Rift – 1, Hoist – 1, Covers – 3, Misc. – 6
• Longest LivePhish Track / Shortest LivePhish Track: Reba – 13:41, Lawn Boy – 3:37
• Audio: Live Phish

Phish From The Road Photos…

Poster…

Coins…