Phish Serves Up Wild ‘Steam’ On Fall Tour 2013

This year marks 25 years since Phish’s historic Fall Tour 1995. In recognition of that noteworthy tour and to make up for the lack of shows this fall, JamBase presents a daily retrospective highlighting a noteworthy moment from a Phish fall tour concert that took place on that date over the past 25 years (read a note on Fall 1997 here). The 25 Years Of Phish Fall Tour series runs each day between the start of Phish Fall Tour 1995 on September 27 through that tour’s finale on December 17.

The Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia holds a special place in Phish history, as the band usually takes it up a notch when they play “The Mothership.” Phish made their debut at the venue on November 25, 1995 and have performed a total of 21 shows at Hampton Coliseum. One of many standout Phish moments at Hampton Coliseum took place on this date during Fall Tour 2013. The band turned lemons into lemonade when technical difficulties precluded Trey Anastasio from playing guitar in the middle of the “Steam” jam, leading to a drum trip.

Phish’s October 19, 2013 performance at The Mothership was their second of three consecutive nights in Hampton. The show was one of five held on this date over the past 25 years and featured a first set heavy on classics including “Bathtub Gin,” “Tube,” “Fast Enough For You,” “My Sweet One” and rare cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “The Ballad Of Curtis Loew.” Phish closed out the frame with the beloved “Mike’s Song” > “I Am Hydrogen” > “Weekapaug Groove” suite.

A 25-minute pairing of jam vehicles “Ghost” and “Down With Disease” got the second set underway. Then, it was time for “Steam,” a song Phish debuted on June 4, 2011 and finally released on a studio album when Sigma Oasis dropped earlier this year. Read a description of what went down during “Steam” via The Skinny:

The unfinished “Disease” contained a few minutes of blissful jamming that faded into “Steam.” Trey emphasized his angular leads with screams of “ooohhhhh” as he put force behind his licks, though some technical difficulties led Anastasio to put down his axe. Chris Kuroda’s haze enveloped the stage, giving the guitarist an opportunity to jump onto the drum riser as he joined [drummer] Jon Fishman for double drum action while [keyboardist Page] McConnell soloed on organ and guitar tech Brian Brown fixed Trey’s rig. Even [bassist Mike] Gordon got in on the act by using a pair of drumsticks and then an electric drill to mash on his bass, his fan and his microphone stand.

The Hampton “Steam” was the longest to date at the time. As Phish.net notes, it’s “worth hearing for this journey ‘outside the box’ alone.” Only three longer versions have been played since.

Phish followed “Steam” with the ballad “Prince Caspian” and continued a seamless run with “Boogie On Reggae Woman,” “Theme From The Bottom” and “The Wedge.” A “The Horse”-less “Silent In The Morning” came next and gave way to “Harry Hood.” The four-piece said farewell with a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Quinn The Eskimo,” a song Phish busted out for the first time in 1,155 concerts at Hampton Coliseum on November 20, 1998.

Watch fan-shot video of the Hampton 2013 “Steam” below: