Goodbye Wisconsin: Phish Hears The Ocean Sing At Alpine Valley Finale

Phish capped off a three-night run at Wisconsin’s Alpine Valley Music Theatre with a show that had something for every type of fan. The first set featured two standout jams, as well as several strong takes on classic tunes. The second set was more of a mixed bag, punctuated by excellent moments, but with the band seeming to weave between different songs always in search of one that could finally anchor the set.

As sunset approached, Phish took the stage and immediately showed they meant business, with a “A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing” that stretched for a quarter hour. The song’s jam wound back and forth between craggy funk and soaring bliss, culminating in a passage that called to mind the Allman Brothers’ finest moments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKo4vVBz1Yk&ab

The “Tube” and “555” that followed covered less ground, but kept the crowd’s blood flowing. “Divided Sky” was reliably wonderful, with some especially soulful soloing from guitarist Trey Anastasio.

But the set’s second great highlight was “Wolfman’s Brother.” As in the opening “ASIHTOS,” the band seemed to decide quickly that they wanted to give the song something more than its usual workout. An egalitarian tour de force followed, with Trey playing only the notes he needed to play, as keyboardist Page McConnell accompanied him beautifully on his piano and Rhodes, bassist Mike Gordon provided some exceptional counterpoint and drummer Jon Fishman managed to paint a full palette of rhythmic color on what was, on paper, a straightforward 4/4 groove.

The restraint Trey exercised during “Wolfman’s” went out the window in “Bathtub Gin,” a guitar-heavy barn burner. The set appeared to be nearing its end, but the quartet still had two tricks up its sleeve: a by-the-numbers “Bug,” and a simple but flawless “Possum.”

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

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Set two opened with a short, smoky trip through “Set Your Soul Free” that was cut short for “Prince Caspian.” As it can often be, “Caspian” was even jammier than the jam vehicle that preceded it, tromping through evil, surly terrain before veering toward “Chalk Dust Torture.” The jam out of the latter tune jumped between a few different ideas, each compelling, but none fully seeming to take hold, and the band eventually abandoned the song.

The band spent the next section of the set giving their jukebox a few spins: first, they slowed things down with “Dirt,” then played a snappy version of “Oblivion.” “Light” enjoyed a bit of delicate improvisation before yielding the stage to “Twenty Years Later.” A blink-and-you’d-miss-it “2001” was followed by “Split Open and Melt,” which ably fulfilled its role as mind-scrambling psychedelic set closer.

An always welcome version of “The Wedge” opened the encore, while a quick, rocking take on “Carini” closed it.

Phish returns to the stage Tuesday night in St. Louis. Watch livestreams of Phish’s entire 2024 Summer Tour via LivePhish.com.

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