[UPDATED] Phish Welcomes Bob Weir At Ascend Amphitheater In Nashville: Audio, Video, Setlist & The Skinny

On Tuesday night, Phish played the first of a two-night stand at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater. While the band’s first appearance at the venue last summer was memorable for the long-anticipated return of the second jam in “Mike’s Song,” that performance was overshadowed by Tuesday’s show. The reason: Bob Weir. The legendary Grateful Dead guitarist, on an night off on his own tour, joined the quartet for most of the second set and encore. Together, the five musicians made their way through Phish songs, Dead songs, covers, and multiple improvisational excursions, on a night that will go down in Phish history.

The band came out with a trio of heavy hitters. “Chalk Dust Torture” and “Blaze On” gave Trey Anastasio his first extended guitar solos of the evening, while “Ghost,” making its third consecutive first-set appearance, was notable for Mike Gordon’s powerful uppercuts on the bass. Page McConnell got the spotlight next, taking center stage for the tour’s first “Lawn Boy.” A quick run on “Halley’s Comet” was followed by a fierce “Sand” that featured aggressive guitar leads over the exceptional groove laid down by Gordon, McConnell, and Jon Fishman. Next, “Tide Turns” turned up for the first time this fall. “46 Days” gave the set a fresh jolt of energy before the set’s third Big Boat song, “Breath and Burning.” The set continued with “Limb by Limb” and “Cavern,” then came to an end with “2001,” which made its first appearance in an opening set since December 30, 2003 — also the last time the song closed a set.

The band re-emerged with another rare song placement: “Julius,” which hadn’t opened a second set since November 28, 1998. The quick, fiery tune was followed by “Fuego,” the closing notes of whose jam faded into “My Friend, My Friend.”

Then, a massive cheer went up as Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir joined Phish on stage. Bobby’s guest spot — his first with the band since 2000, and Phish’s first guest at all since 2014 — was a poorly kept secret, as the 69-year-old participated in the quartet’s soundcheck, which was audible to all in the area. But the setlist was a surprise: while the soundcheck featured the blues standard “Walkin’ Blues,” the five musicians first launched into Dead live staple “Samson and Delilah.” Weir’s vocals were interlaced with excellent guitar solos from Anastasio. Weir remained on stage for Phish’s own “Twist.” The two-guitar attack gave the jam a unique feel out of the gate. Gordon, who was on fire all night, pushed the guitarists to new plateaus, and the jam left its home base, diving into a major-key bliss jam. From here, the quintet went into a spacey passage that was inspired by vintage Dead psychedelia.

To the fans’ delight, Weir remained on stage for the new ballad “Miss You.” To their shock, the Dead guitarist sang the song. His vocals gave new life, and new lyrical significance, to the song, which is about a departed loved one. Next up was the Dead tune “West L.A. Fadeaway,” which Weir had played with Phish at his 2000 sit-in. This time, Bobby and Trey traded vocals, before strong solos from Page on organ as well as Trey on guitar. The hits kept coming, as the five went into the Dead classic “Playing in the Band.” Trey handled vocals, and the song went into an extended minor-key jam, with the guitarists dueling as Fishman played with the ferocity of two drummers. The jam eventually disintegrated before returning to the song’s final refrain. Weir joined the band for the encore as well, playing a strong version of Bob Dylan’s “Quinn The Eskimo.”

Phish returns to Ascend Amphitheater on Wednesday night.

Setlist (via Phish.net)

Set One: Chalk Dust Torture, Blaze On, Ghost, Lawn Boy, Halley’s Comet > Sand, Tide Turns, 46 Days > Breath and Burning, Limb By Limb > Cavern, Also Sprach Zarathustra

Set Two: Julius, Fuego > My Friend, My Friend, Samson and Delilah [1], Twist [2], Miss You [3], West L.A. Fadeaway[3], Playing in the Band [4]

Encore: Quinn The Eskimo

• [1] Phish debut; Bob Weir on guitar and vocals.
• [2] Bob Weir on guitar.
• [3] Bob Weir on guitar and vocals.
• [4] Phish debut; Bob Weir on guitar.

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Full Show Audio (Taped by Z-Man / Shared by Jam Buzz)

Videos

[Playing In The Band | Captured by Doug Canady]

[Twist jam > Miss You | Captured by Doug Canady]

[West L.A. Fadeaway | Captured by Dan O’Neil]

[Twist | Captured by Dan O’Neil]

[Samson & Delilah | Captured by Dan O’Neil]

[Quinn The Eskimo | Captured by Dan O’Neil]

Instagram Videos Of Bob Weir Sitting In

https://www.instagram.com/p/BLupN99D6Fx https://www.instagram.com/p/BLuo_nChRyk https://www.instagram.com/p/BLuoGEJjpWk/ https://www.instagram.com/p/BLun7Wghn2o

Periscope Streams Of Bob Weir Sitting In

https://www.periscope.tv/w/1DXxyozMkbRGM# https://www.periscope.tv/tourphish/1RDGloDOVXmKL https://www.periscope.tv/tourphish/1ypJdAWMoWrxW https://www.periscope.tv/tourphish/1zqJVNgkRDPJB

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