Sunday In The Sunshine State: Phish Makes Jacksonville Debut – Recap, Setlist & The Skinny

On Sunday night Phish made their Jacksonville, Florida debut with their first-ever performance at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. The concert also marked the band’s first show in the Sunshine State outside of New Year’s Eve Runs since November 3, 1996. The third night of Fall Tour saw the return of the song debuted to kick off the tour, and a nod to a legendary local group as part of the evening’s encore.

The lively rocker “Kill Devil Falls” opened a Phish performance for the first time since April 26, 2014, giving guitarist Trey Anastasio an early opportunity to take an extended solo. The slick funk of “The Moma Dance” slid into the second song slot as Page McConnell worked up chunky Clavinet lines. Drummer Jon Fishman laid down the locomotive beat of “Get Back On The Train” which Anastasio rode with nimble fretwork. McConnell’s organ and Anastasio’s guitar playfully danced around the wobbly rhythm of the subsequent “Undermind.” Bassist Mike Gordon next got his first turn to take lead vocals on a cover the bluegrass favorite “Nellie Kane.”

A smile came over Trey’s face while playing the opening notes of “Stash” and soon the foursome hit a soaring crescendo at the end of sharply driven jam. Fish jumped on Marimba Lumina for the intro to the band’s second performance of the Big Boat opus “Petrichor,” chasing Trey through the rest of multipart orchestra-rock new addition to the repertoire from behind the kit. Phish followed a song first played two days ago with one debuted more than three decades ago as “Mike’s Song” opened the set closing sequence that continued with “Bouncing Around The Room” and “Weekapaug Groove.”

The night’s second cover, “Crosseyed And Painless,” started the second set and ushered in a concise jam that hovered around the song’s “Still waiting” lyrical melody. Anastasio pressed the start of “Steam” and dropped elements of “Crosseyed” into the sizzling riffs he carved up during the slow churning tune. Following the same format as the last night of this year’s Dick’s run, the second set continued with “Piper” popping up out of the end of “Steam.” Fish provided a flood of fills while Page countered crisply on the piano as a grooving stop-start jam unfolded with more “Crosseyed” teasing and Gordon dropping attention-grabbing heavy notes during the standout improvisation. A brief breather came with the start of “Wingsuit” but the intensity was brought back up by the climatic conclusion of the tune off Fuego.

A somewhat unexpectedly placed “Sparkle” gave a brisk upbeat feel to the set, followed by the rumbling pulse of a well-executed “The Wedge.” Page-led the tender ballad “Wading In The Velvet Sea” slowing things down for those in Jacksonville or watching the webcast. The raucous “Run Like An Antelope” – with more “Crosseyed” teases – flipped the energy as the classic original brought a spirited end to the set. Before the start of the encore, Trey noted it was their first time playing Jacksonville and praised the hometown of “one of the greatest bands that ever walked planet earth” before Page took the foursome through Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “The Ballad of Curtis Loew,” making it the first time the cover was selected for an encore. “Character Zero” produced one additional rocking jolt as the night drew to an end.

Phish plays again on Tuesday, holding the first of two nights at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater.

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Full Show Audio (Taped by Taylor C. / Shared by Jam Buzz)

Videos (Captured by Warden June)

[Mike’s > Bouncing > Weekapaug]

[Stash]

[Kill Devil Falls]

[Back On The Train]

Phish From The Road Photos

Poster