Phish Summer Tour 2019: SPAC Night 2 – Setlist, Recap & The Skinny

Phish closed out their two-night stand at Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga, New York on Wednesday. A night after their “bat spin” show, the venerable jam act worked in six tour debuts while delivering a number of sticky and sweaty summer funk jams.

While Tuesday’s show featured an out of the box cover debut to open their night, the foursome went with something a bit more familiar on Wednesday looking to one of their oldest compositions, “Fluffhead.” The multi-part rocker got off to a gentle start as Page McConnell delivered some delicate piano playing as the band got very quiet, slowly meandering into the song. McConnell and Trey Anastasio were assertive throughout the expansive piece finding short spaces to insert themselves to play off each other. The quartet went with another intricate piece as “Guyute” got its 2019 debut next. The bluegrass-meets-prog number, which has become a rarity in the 3.0 era, was expertly delivered.

“Martian Monster” found Phish coloring outside the lines for the first time with a short dose of cosmic disco. Anastasio’s understated vocals on “Llama” were more than made up for by his fretboard fireworks. “Steam” found the rhythm section of bassist Mike Gordon and Jon Fishman laying down a hazy funk groove as Anastasio served a blazing guitar solo. Gordon got his chance to step into the spotlight next as “Poor Heart” made its way into the setlist for the first time since last summer. The bass player then looked to his solo catalog for “Crazy Sometimes” as the OGOGO cut was highlighted by swampy grooves.

Things slowed down with gorgeous takes on “The Horse” and its traditional partner “Silent In The Morning.” The biggest surprise of the night came next as the delicate ballad “Sleep” was busted out for the first time since August 17, 2011 – a span of 289 shows. Slumber was clearly on Anastasio’s mind as he reached for “Drifting While You’re Sleeping” from his Ghosts Of The Forest project to close out the opening stanza.

After the meditative introspection that ended the first set, the back half of night got off the ground with “No Men In No Man’s Land.” The Meters-influenced selection once again found Gordon and Fishman sticking in the pocket as McConnell leaned in on his Clavinet and Anastasio steadily took charge before all four locked in together on a group-think jam. As the Big Boat track was drifting into interstellar territory Anastasio reigned things back in leading the Vermont-birthed band into “Dirt,” marking the fourth 2019 debut of the night.

A gooey “Plasma” followed, with Kasvot Växt’s “We Are Come To Outlive Our Brains” dropped in its midst. The patient funk jam worked its way to a blast of energy as “Tweezer Reprise” made a surprise appearance for the second night in a row. A well-executed take, on what has now become a tour favorite, “The Wedge” followed.

Phish continued to channel The Meters and Little Feat-vibes as they segued straight into the Allen Toussaint-penned “Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley.” A funky cauldron of bubbling jam stew was led by McConnell, who again relied heavily on his Clavinet throughout. “More” was fit in between a pair of old-school fan-favorites that help that closed out the set with spirited takes on “Run Like An Antelope” and “Slave To The Traffic Light.” The Velvet Underground’s “Rock & Roll” was tapped as the lone encore as Phish now heads to Boston for a pair of shows at Fenway Park.

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