Phish Wraps Greek Theatre Run With Superb ‘Set Your Soul Free’ Jam & More: Night 3 – Setlist, Recap & The Skinny

On the final evening of a three-night stay at Berkeley’s Greek Theatre that had already given fans hours of mind-expansion, Phish gave Wednesday’s crowd one final psychedelic goodie bag to send them on their way.

In a show that leaned more on earlier material than the previous night’s, the band breathed new improvisational life into oldies like “AC/DC Bag” and “Runaway Jim” in the first set. The script was flipped for set two, as two relative newcomers, “Beneath a Sea of Stars” and “Set Your Soul Free,” stole the show.

Though the opening “I Never Needed You Like This Before” was straightforward and rocking, the “AC/DC Bag” that followed was not. The band quickly found a funky groove, and rode it to a big hands-in-the-air peak, in what was the longest rendition of the tune in many years. After a mostly clean run through “Rift,” “Runaway Jim” got taken for a walk, as the band found a dynamic minor key pulse that gave guitarist Trey Anastasio an excellent excuse to show off both his chops and his gear.

Quick runs through “Lawn Boy” and “Halley’s Comet” were followed by “Timber (Jerry the Mule),” which enjoyed a brief bliss jam before ceding the stage to “Winterqueen,” which seemed even more delicate and beautiful than usual this time around. “46 Days” steered the ship in the opposite direction, bringing the capacity crowd to its feet before the break.

Read on after The Skinny for the rest of the recap and more.

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Though the second-set-opening “Mike’s Song” did not go much longer than usual, it had some extra spice, largely care of Trey’s skillful use of some of his newer pedals. But it was overshadowed by the “Beneath of Sea of Stars” that followed. Though the song often gets extremely quiet, the band seemed to revel in the near-silence more than usual, before subtly adding bits and pieces, one layer at a time, until they reached a euphoric explosion of sound.

A snappy, upbeat “Weekapaug Groove” was followed by the once-a-year treat of The Velvet Underground tune “Cool It Down.” The set’s improvisational highlight followed, in a monster “Set Your Soul Free” that covered a huge amount of musical terrain, including a “Mind Left Body”-esque segment and a sort of death march led by Page McConnell‘s excellent synth work.

“What’s the Use?” came next — a song that always seems to follow excellent jams, and that always does so beautifully. A rowdy “Loving Cup” brought the set crashing to a close.

The encore consisted of the perfect yin-yang pairing of “Waste” and “Tweezer Reprise” — the latter ending the three-night Greek Theatre run with a lovely reminder of the massive “Tweezer” from opening night.

Phish returns to the stage Friday night at the Hollywood Bowl. Watch a livestream via LivePhish.com.

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