Phish Randall’s Island Setlist & The Skinny | Night Two
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On Saturday night, Phish returned to the 320-acre Randall’s Island off Manhattan in NYC for the second of three consecutive shows at the site. The Saturday night crowd seemed much bigger than that of the run opener on Friday. Once again, Saturday’s show saw the band continue the tour’s focus on songs from the recently-released Fuego and complex, multi-directional jams on another gorgeous night in The Big Apple.
The weather was a big story for the start of the tour, but Mother Nature has treated Phish fans really well through the first two nights of the Randall’s run. When attendees entered the venue through the West Gate, they were greeted by a sign that read “Welcome To Our Joy” and the absolutely perfect weather has contributed to a joyous vibe on the island.
Phish rolled through a total of 12 songs over the course of 81 minutes during a first set that featured material from throughout their career. One of the group’s most popular show-opener choices has been “AC/DC Bag” over the years and the Gamehendge song finally was called upon for the first time this tour to kick off Saturday night’s performance. Fuego was represented by three of the set’s 12 songs in “Devotion To A Dream,” “Halfway To The Moon” and “The Line.” The band played off a trainwreck ending to “Back On The Train” by re-finishing the song a second time. Apparently, the second ending still wasn’t up to the group’s standards, so they ended the tune a third time for the surprised crowd. Guitarist Trey Anastasio joked with the crowd that the botched ending was actually rehearsed and sarcastically remarked that any time the band screws up, they are intending to do it. The first set was highlighted by a strong take on “A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing” that saw Anastasio string together one frenetic and intense lick after another and a spot-on version of “Run Like An Antelope” in which the four members built the song’s progression to an even more powerful climax than usual. “Antelope” was dedicated to Steve “Dude Of Life” Pollak, the man who co-wrote the song, as Steve brought two of his kids to a Phish show for the first time on Saturday night.
The tour debut of “Punch You In The Eye” opened the second set and led into another impressive “Carini.” Phish continues to show off the contrast in their jamming styles within “Carini” by transitioning from the song’s dark and evil space into a more blissful, major-key portion of improv, which on this night saw keyboardist Page McConnell use nearly every instrument in his arsenal. Bassist Mike Gordon also shined in the “Carini” as he helped move the jam to a new space any time there was a lull in the action. “Ghost” came next and what a “Ghost” it was. Phish explored so many different spaces over the course of “Ghost”s 16+-minutes including a rock-edged jam that gave way to yet another blissful build. Instead of climaxing the peak, the band moved on to a more funky bit of improv. Drummer Jon Fishman has been an absolute beast this tour and his contributions to the standout “Randall’s Ghost” were at the heart of what made it so good. Fish’s inventive and powerful beat was a perfect base from which his band mates could explore new ground.
Eventually, “Ghost” petered out and Phish began “Wingsuit.” The Fuego track continues to be used as a breather of sorts after Phish takes jams deep. From there, “Rock & Roll” became the first (and it would turn out to be the only) cover the quartet played on this night. The crowd went wild in reaction to The Velvet Underground song and screamed and yelped the line about putting on a “New York station.” One of the earliest Phish songs, “Harry Hood,” brought the six-song second set to a close. “Harry” is going through a golden age of sorts lately. For the first time in years and years we’ve reached the point where the band can take the “Hood” jam in any direction on any night instead of the typically beautiful, yet un-exploratory versions, we’ve seen for a long time. Following the outstanding version Phish laid down in Mansfield during the tour opener, the Randall’s “Harry Hood” also broke from the song’s traditional form in a much different way. There was more of a rock edge this time around as Anastasio swapped between many scales over the course of the 18-minute “Hood,” giving the music a different feel with each one. It’s an exciting time in the song’s evolution and after two very different but both stellar “Hood”s in just the first two weeks of tour, we can’t wait to see where they take “Harry” the rest of the summer. Phish returned to the stage for the first three-song encore of the tour, which contained two “Tube” songs in “Tube” and “First Tube,” as well as “Joy.” Tonight, the Vermonters finish off the Randall’s run with a Sunday night show.
Setlist…
[via Phish.net]
Check out Andrew Blackstein’s photos from the first night of Phish’s Randall’s Island run:
- Venue Type: Outdoor Field
- Previous Shows at Venue: 7/11/2014 -1 Show
- Number Of Songs / Length – First Set: 12 / 7:34 p.m. -8:55 p.m. (81 Minutes)
- Number Of Songs / Length – Second Set & Encore: 9 / 9:27 p.m. -11:01 p.m. (94 Minutes)
- Total Number of Songs / Covers / Originals: 21 / 1 / 20
- Biggest Bustout: My Sweet One -24 Shows (LTP -10/19/2013)
- Average Song Vintage: 1999
- Debuts: N/A
- Weather: 77 degrees and clear at showtime
- Average Song Gap: 6.9
- The Spread: Lawn Boy -2, Rift -1, Billy Breathes -1, Story Of The Ghost -1, Farmhouse -2, Round Room -1, Undermind -1, Joy -1, Fuego -4, Misc. – 6, Covers -1
- Longest LivePhish Track / Shortest LivePhish Track: Harry Hood 17:59 / My Sweet One 2:33
- Audio: Live Phish
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