Phish Treats Magnaball Crowd To Marathon Afternoon Set

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On Saturday a capacity crowd at Watkins Glen International race track in Watkins Glen, New York was treated to the continuation of another Phish festival tradition – an afternoon set. The breezy 13-song, 95- minute set featured material from throughout the band’s career on a gorgeous afternoon at the race track.

If Friday was a day of fans becoming familiar with their surroundings, Saturday was the day everyone was dialed in. The flow of traffic into the grounds was a trickle with most deciding to camp and settled in by Saturday afternoon. When festivalgoers woke up a series of ominous clouds filled the sky. It appeared a storm was coming, but thankfully the precipitation held off and by the time Phish took the stage a bit after 3:30 p.m. the sun was out in full force. Smiles were on many faces as the third of seven scheduled sets began with the fitting “Divided Sky.”

The band seemed as dialed in as the fans from the first note of “Divided Sky” through to the set’s close over an hour-and-a-half later. Songs like “Divided Sky” and the “Moma Dance” that followed were played with “extra mustard” as each band member added flourishes to their particular parts. “Mound” had many thinking of the all-time version Phish laid down at their last Watkins Glen festival – Super Ball IX. While the 2015 debut was well-appreciated, the performance didn’t quite reach the heights of the Super Ball version.

A band representative confirmed the 30,000 attendee figure a County employee told a local newspaper last week. Though attendance reports from Super Ball were “about 30,000” the concert grounds on Saturday felt more full than the 2011 event. There was still plenty of space for those who need room to dance to do their thing as long as they were content to be far from the stage.

After “Mound” keyboardist Page McConnell led the group through the first version of his “Army Of One” since October 18, 2013 – a span of 79 shows. Guitarist Trey Anastasio then fronted the quartet on Phish’s second-ever rendition of “Scabbard.” The lengthy set rolled out with a string of first set staples – “Sample In A Jar,” “Tube” and “Halfway To The Moon” before the rarer “Camel Walk” popped up. Bassist Mike Gordon took his turn in the spotlight for the Vermonters’ third take on “How Many People Are You,” a song he wrote with Scott Murawski and played frequently with his solo band back in June. A beautiful cover of Los Lobos’ “When The Circus Comes” led into a tight and energetic “Undermind” which paved the way for a “Run Like An Antelope” set closer. Each segment of “Antelope” shined, with Trey Anastasio’s vicious approach to his solo standing out. Phish returns to the stage around 8 p.m. for the second of three confirmed sets tonight. A webcast is available via LivePhish.com.

Setlist (via Phish.net)

Set One: Divided Sky, The Moma Dance > Mound, Army of One, Scabbard > Sample in a Jar, Tube, Halfway to the Moon, Camel Walk, How Many People Are You?, When the Circus Comes, Undermind > Run Like an Antelope