Wright State Of Mind: Phish Returns To Dayton’s Nutter Center – Recap, Setlist & The Skinny

For many Phish fans a mention of Dayton, Ohio immediately evokes memories of the band’s famed Fall 1997 show at Wright State University’s Ervin J. Nutter Center. On Tuesday night, nearly 20 years later, the quartet returned to Dayton and the Nutter Center for the fourth show of their current Summer Tour. The band’s return to Dayton featured debuts and plenty of remarkable improvisational rock ‘n’ roll.

Tuesday evening’s first set began with the Phish debut of “Tuesday,” a song originally introduced by guitarist Trey Anastasio and with his solo group in 2005. A crowd pleasing offering of the instrumental “Peaches En Regalia” marked just the second performance of the Frank Zappa classic since 2012. The foursome took their time with the outro jam that developed from “Free,” circling around the main theme for a few added measures before hitting the emphatic finish. “Roggae” provided more languid interplay between Anastasio and keyboardist Page McConnell, bassist Mike Gordon and drummer Jon Fishman.

Mike’s “Sugar Shack” kept the set bouncing along before a turn to the Rift classic “Maze” that saw Page wailing on his organ as he fired off a series of sharp runs which Trey excitedly answered. Lighting Director Chris Kuroda also used the “Maze” to fully show off the moving trusses that are part of this tour’s impressive rig. Next the quartet worked through another Rift tune in the form of “Horn,” followed by the Phish debut of Gordon’s “Crazy Sometimes,” a song he wrote with his solo band mate Scott Murawski and first played live with his side project in 2016. The second debut of the set then segued into the bluesy rocker “46 Days.” A surprising late-first set “Runaway Jim” ended up serving as a set one closer for the first time since the band’s show on October 1, 2000.

“Down With Disease” resumed its common spot opening a second set and laid the groundwork for an adventurous improvisation sequence. The versatile “Disease” jam shifted through many segments, slowly emerging from minor dissonance to a coalescing around a lively melodic passage introduced by Anastasio and quickly latched onto by the other three on stage. The rarely played Anastasio ballad “Mountains In The Mist” came out of the memorable set opening jam, marking its first live performance since Fall 2014. A tightly presented “Waves” trailed the bust out and dissolved into the funky opening notes of “Ghost.” Once again Trey introduced an improvised melody that the quartet synced upon that Page and Mike keenly enhanced all while Fish propelled the hard charging, roaringly climactic, second standout jam of the night.

More chunky funk was to follow in the jam out of the bubbly “Wombat.” The Fuego track not known for leading to much improvisation was the source of a third standout jam as the funk morphed into a blissful groove. A rocking “Chalkdust Torture” drew the the final set of the night to a close. McConnell was given the last word of the evening as “Squirming Coil” filled the encore slot and the pianist was left alone on stage for his show closing coda.

Pro-shot footage of the entire Nutter Center show can be viewed (while it is available) below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2zwxoNYb8k

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