Phish Xfinity Center Mansfield Setlist & Skinny

This evening, Phish kicked off a 25-show summer tour at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA with their 16th performance at the venue formerly known as Great Woods. Late last month Phish released their first studio album in five years –Fuego. In a recent interview guitarist Trey Anastasio discussed how excited the band was about adding the new material to their repertoire. The band showed their excitement for the Fuego material by performing five songs from the LP in Mansfield.

“Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan” served as the opening song of the tour and was followed by “Fuego.” The take on the new album’s title track included the extra “viking warriors” verse found on the studio version, but not in its first two live performances. Tonight’s “Fuego” also contained more of a jam section than the first two live versions. Page McConnell’s “Halfway To The Moon” kept the Fuego tunes rolling after a slightly extended “Back On The Train.” Phish continued the set with “The Wedge” and the Mike Gordon & Scott Murawski-penned Fuego track “555.” “Stash,” which frequently appears in the band’s tour opening sets, contained the centerpiece jam of the set as the group impressively modulated between a dark minor key and a more blissful major key. Setlist staples “Bouncing Around The Room” and “Birds Of A Feather” led into the opening stanza’s fourth Fuego song -“Wingsuit.” Once again bassist Mike Gordon brought out his drill to end “Wingsuit,” and the set, after a glorious version of the tune.

Phish LD Chris Kuroda unveiled a new light rig for the tour, pictures of which can be viewed below:

When Phish began the second set with “Mike’s Song,” thoughts of many turned to drummer Jon Fishman’s recent comments about the “second jam,” which has gone missing since July 14, 2000. Alas, tonight’s “Mike’s” was of the “one jam” variety. “Simple” followed “Mike’s Song” for the 50th time in Phish history and quickly segued into “Free” after a short but compelling bit of improvisation. The “Waiting All Night” that came next proved Fuego material wasn’t only limited to the first set on this night.

With a set-and-a-half under their belts, Phish then launched into a stellar “Ghost” that was reminiscent of the version they laid down on December 31, 2010 that fans dubbed “The Holy Ghost.” It was hard to remember this was a tour opener as Anastasio delivered one anthemic, crowd-pleasing riff after another, egged on by other members of the quartet. Just as “Ghost” reached a climax, Fishman picked up the tempo and led a spot-on transition into “Weekapaug Groove.” Fishman and bassist Mike Gordon, who made judicious use of his foot-operated fight bell, starred in a “Weekapaug” that had a celebratory feel.

“Harry Hood” isn’t a song that the Vermonters have taken beyond its normal boundaries very often. From the moment the jam section of tonight’s top shelf “Hood” began, the quartet painted way outside the lines making for a stunning version that deserves multiple relistens. The interplay that Anastasio, Gordon, Fishman and McConnell showed off within “Harry Hood” was true “Team Phish,” with each doing their part to move the jam in multiple exciting directions for well over ten minutes. The band eventually made a turn towards the song’s typical climax and landed “Hood.” “Cavern” then brought the second set to a close. A feisty “Julius” served as the first encore of tour.

In the Trey interview we mentioned earlier, the guitarist previewed the tour to Rolling Stone by saying, “I think you’re going to see a lot less covers, because everyone’s excited about the new material.” His comment has held true through the first show of tour as all 19 songs Phish performed, five of which appear on Fuego, were originals. The tour continues on Thursday night in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Setlist…

Set One: Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan, Fuego, Back on the Train, Halfway to the Moon, The Wedge, 555, Stash, Bouncing Around the Room, Birds of a Feather, Wingsuit,

Set Two: Mike’s Song > Simple > Free, Waiting All Night, Ghost -> Weekapaug Groove, Harry Hood, Cavern

Encore: Julius

[via Phish.net]

• Venue Type / Capacity: Outdoor Amphitheater / 19,900
• Previous Shows at Venue: 15 Shows -7/21/1992, 7/24/1993, 7/8/1994, 7/9/1994, 6/30/1995, 7/1/1995, 7/12/1999, 7/13/1999, 9/11/2000, 9/12/2000, 8/10/2004, 8/11/2004, 6/6/2009, 6/22/2010, 6/7/2011
• Number Of Songs / Length – First Set: 10 / 7:47 p.m. -9:05 p.m. (78 Minutes)
• Number Of Songs / Length – Second Set & Encore: 9 / 9:38 p.m. -11:01 p.m. (87 Minutes)
• Total Number of Songs / Covers / Originals: 19 / 0 / 19
• Biggest Bustout: Wingsuit -9 Songs (LTP -10/31/2013)
• Average Song Vintage: 1998
• Debuts: N/A
• Weather: 81° and Mostly Sunny at show time
• Average Song Gap: 3.79
• The Spread: Lawn Boy -1, A Picture of Nectar -2, Rift -1, Hoist -1, Billy Breathes -1, Story of the Ghost -2, Farmhouse -1, Joy -1, Fuego -5, Misc. -4
• Longest LivePhish Track / Shortest LivePhish Track: Harry Hood -18:36 / Bouncing Around The Room 3:44
• Audio: Live Phish

Phish From The Road Photos…

Poster…

Coins…