Phish Works Led Zeppelin Covers Into ‘Tweezer’ On Fall Tour 2010

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.

Phish brought their Fall Tour 2010 to Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City 10 years ago today. The show — one of four played on October 30th over the past 25 years — featured a number of Led Zeppelin covers, including a wild “Tweezerfest” containing portions of four different LZ songs.

The quartet ended a 15-show fall tour with a three-night stand at Boardwalk Hall, which marked Phish’s Atlantic City debut. Rumors were rampant coming into the run that Phish would cover a Led Zeppelin album as their musicial costume on Halloween. Journalist/radio host Pinky Kravitz kicked the speculation into overdrive when he reported the news in his “Pinky’s Corner” column on October 28, 2010 for The Press Of Atlantic City.

Pinky, whose son Jeff Kravitz is a famed photographer with close ties to the band, wrote the following:

On Halloween night, Phish wears a musical costume, performing the music of another noted rock group such as the Beatles, Rolling Stones, etc. That is what is making the Atlantic City concerts so special for fans. The Internet has been abuzz for months with Phishheads speculating what the band will cover for Halloween. Most who read this column know I have a seagull that flies around listening in to secret conversations and then relates the information it gathers to me. This time it was a magic mockingbird and it tells me Phish will cover an album of Led Zeppelin’s Sunday evening. It’ll be interesting to see if my bird is right or if I need a new bird. Personally, that’s what I’m pulling for … a little Zeppelin in Boardwalk Hall. They’ve flown helicopters in Boardwalk Hall, but never had Zeppelin in there.

Phish first teased fans on October 30, 2010 by jamming “Chalk Dust Torture” into “Whole Lotta Love” in the middle of the opening frame. Guitarist Trey Anastasio sang a few verses and choruses before the band picked up where they had left off in “Chalk Dust.” The quartet followed with “Ha Ha Ha,” leading some fans to think the Zeppelin-related shenanigans were over. However, Phish had other plans.

The second set got underway with the pairing of “Tube” and “Possum.” Next, Phish ripped into “Tweezer.” Anastasio wouldn’t wait long before working teases of Led Zeppelin’s “Heartbreaker” into the “Tweezer” jam. The guitarist’s band mates fell in line with Trey belting out a portion of the song to the delight of the capacity crowd. Anastasio then went back to “Tweezer” terrain and fronted a transition into “Ramble On.” He sang some of the song before passing the baton to keyboardist Page McConnell. Nearly all of “Ramble On” was played and then McConnell started in on Led Zeppelin’s “Thank You.”

Once again, Trey fronted the band on the one-minute portion of “Thank You” and dropped back into “Tweezer.” While the transition was rough, few were complaining at the unprecedent “Tweezerfest” they were witnessing. Anastasio moved from the “Tweezer” theme into Jimmy Page’s iconic “Stairway To Heaven” solo. Both Trey and Page sang the bridge and outro to bring the memorable 15-minute segment to a close. “Happy Halloween everybody, we’ll see you next year,” Anastasio quipped.

Phish continued on with the set in typical fashion and tacked on a complete cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Good Times Bad Times” to close the frame. The next night, on Halloween, the band and a number of special guests covered Little Feat’s Waiting for Columbus as their musical costume.

Watch the Led Zeppelin “Tweezerfest” from 10 years ago today below:

Stream a playlist featuring official audio of the entire concert: