Phish Busts Out ‘LA Woman’ At The Forum: Setlist, Recap & The Skinny
The band covered The Doors’ classic for the first time in 492 shows.
By Andy Kahn Oct 25, 2021 • 8:03 am PDT
Phish Fall Tour 2021 continued Sunday night at The Forum outside Los Angeles. The band’s seventh show at the former home of the Lakers, and first since 2018, once again proved that adage about Sunday shows and whether or not they should be missed.
After an inventive first set, Sunday’s second set featured a number of surprises and highlights, including Phish’s first performance of The Doors’ “L.A. Woman” in 492 shows.
Sunday’s concert began with “A Wave Of Hope,” the song from guitarist Trey Anastasio’s 2020 solo album Lonely Trip that had been played once prior. The new song was followed by a classic as the band launched into “You Enjoy Myself.” This was not a standard progression through “YEM,” which registered a significant jam that led into Jon Fishman’s and Mike Gordon’s respective drums and bass breakdown. The funky “YEM” vocal jam meshed seamlessly with the start of “The Moma Dance.” The ensuing “Moma” had a relaxed vibe, giving the typically energetic rocker a more laid-back feel.
As the “Moma” jam concluded, Trey subtly hinted at “Simple” before being joined by the other three on stage in fully engaging the song. The concise “Simple” jam setup a seamless segue into “Waiting All Night.” The unexpected transition maintained the same tempo and feel from the “Simple” jam, leading to an atypical, slightly sped-up version of the Big Boat tune. Fish’s jittery high-hat pattern signaled the start of “Maze” which saw Trey and keyboardist Page McConnell zig-zagging in spirited interplay as they built to a tense peak. Trey then grabbed his megaphone to deliver a fun rendering of “Fee.”
Much like the restrained “Moma” and unusual “Waiting All Night,” Sunday’s performance of “Steam” was not its usual loping self. Rather than oozing along, last night’s “Steam” was played at a faster, more vigorous tempo. The quartet then dropped into “Run Like An Antelope” bringing a boisterous end to the evening’s first set.
Read on after The Skinny for the rest of the recap and more.
The Skinny
The Setlist |
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Set 1: A Wave of Hope > You Enjoy Myself > The Moma Dance [1] -> Simple -> Waiting All Night -> Maze, Fee [2] -> Steam > Run Like an Antelope Set 2: Cars Trucks Buses, Tweezer -> L.A. Woman -> Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S. [3] -> What's the Use? > Tweezer > Birds of a Feather [4] > Chalk Dust Torture [5] -> Boogie On Reggae Woman > Carini -> Mr. Completely [6] > Tweezer Reprise Encore: Grind, Bathtub Gin
Moma Dance, Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S., Birds of a Feather, Chalk Dust Torture, and Mr. Completely were unfinished. Trey quoted You Enjoy Myself in Moma Dance. The Rover was teased in Simple. Waiting All Night was played over the drumbeat flowing out of Simple. Fee featured Trey on megaphone. L.A. Woman was performed for the first time since December 30, 2003 (493 shows). L.A. Woman, Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S., Chalk Dust Torture, Boogie On Reggae Woman, and Carini contained Tweezer teases. L.A. Woman was teased in Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S. and Tweezer Reprise. Trey teased Heartbreaker in the second Tweezer. Birds of a Feather contained a Dave's Energy Guide tease from Trey and a Waiting All Night tease from Mike. Chalk Dust Torture also included a Birds of a Feather tease from Trey. This was the rescheduled date from the show that had been postponed due to the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak in 2020. |
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The Venue |
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Kia Forum [See upcoming shows] |
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17,505 |
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6 shows |
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The Music |
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9 songs / 8:28 pm to 9:50 pm (82 minutes) |
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13 songs / 10:24 pm to 12:07 am (103 minutes) |
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22 songs |
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1997 |
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34.14 [Gap chart] |
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None |
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A Wave Of Hope, You Enjoy Myself, Waiting All Night, Fee, Cars Trucks Buses, Tweezer, L.A. Woman, What's The Use?, Birds Of A Feather, Boogie On Reggae Woman, Tweezer Reprise, Grind |
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L.A. Woman LTP 12/30/2003 (492 Show Gap) |
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You Enjoy Myself 23:58 |
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Grind 1:57 |
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Junta - 2, Lawn Boy - 2, A Picture of Nectar - 3, Rift - 1, Billy Breathes - 1, The Story of the Ghost - 2, The Siket Disc - 1, Undermind - 1, Fuego - 1, Kasvot Växt - 1, Sigma Oasis - 1 Misc. - 4, Covers - 2 |
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The Rest |
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61° and Clear at Showtime - High Surf Advisory |
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Koa 4 |
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Page’s organ-driven instrumental “Cars Trucks Buses” ushered in set two. Having stayed on the shelf for the first seven shows of the tour, the highly anticipated appearance of “Tweezer” was met with satisfied cheers from The Forum crowd. The band quickly moved into “L.A. Woman,” Trey grinning throughout the first performance of The Doors song since December 30, 2003. As it wound down, a bit of “Tweezer” was fused with the “Mr. Mojo Rising” theme, but instead of fully going back into “Tweezer,” the jam bled into “Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.” A pretty jam developed out of the unfinished Kasvot Växt song, bolstered by Page’s melodic Wurlitzer and Mike’s bubbly bassline. Trey hinted at “L.A. Woman” during the “S.A.N.T.O.S.” jam and later steered a smooth transition into “What’s The Use?,” swirling the evocative instrumental around the arena with a succession of searing riffs.
Proving they were not yet finished with “Tweezer,” the band segued back into the fan-favorite, leading to several more minutes of groovy improvisation. Without stopping, Fish’s snare initiated “Birds Of A Feather,” which paved the way for another extended jam propelled by Trey’s expressive fretwork and the drummer’s equally nimble playing in response. As the “Birds” jam waned, Trey fired up “Chalk Dust Torture” filling the arena with an electric jolt of late-show energy. The feisty “Chalk Dust” romp produced a brief but funky jam that teed up a run through Stevie Wonder’s funkified “Boogie On Reggae Woman.”
An additional infusion of late-show energy came in the form of a menacing “Carini,” which arrived with an enthusiastic response from the crowd. Propelled by the forceful “Carini” jam, Phish pushed the intensity even further, syncing back up on a “Tweezer” groove before collectively diving into “Mr. Completely.” Like several other songs in Sunday’s setlist, “Mr. Completely” went unfinished, as the band opted to rip into a set-capping “Tweezer Reprise,” dropping one more heavy dose of late-show enthusiasm.
Phish went acapella to start the encore, breaking out “Grind” for the first time this year. A somewhat surprising, but wholly welcomed choice of “Bathtub Gin” was the final selection of the show. A lively improvisation grew from “Gin,” and 14 minutes later it aptly punctuated a memorable Sunday night at The Forum.
Phish Fall Tour 2021 resumes Tuesday in Santa Barbara. A livestream is available via LivePhish.com. Check out JamBase contributor Steve Rose’s photos from The Forum:
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