Phish brought their jamming wares back to The Mann Center For The Performing Arts tonight, playing the second of consecutive sold out shows at the Philadelphia, PA venue. Like night one, the show some new material, interspersed with the band’s timeless originals and a few choice covers. 

The show opened with the funky rocker written about Jon Fishman, the one and only “Wolfman’s Brother.” Played as an opener for the first time since 2014, the song got the crowd grooving almost immediately. The show then continued with the 2014 Halloween instrumental jam, “Your Pet Cat.” Any song that opens with a narration is a welcomed setlist addition, and this was a raging version of the fun song.

Another newer song, “Blaze On,” kept the set going with its lighthearted nature, as Trey Anastasio led the sing-along number into a great jam. From there, the band launched into a debut from their new album, a song called “Waking Up Dead.” The ripping track was one of the more funky numbers of the new songs, only intriguing fans who want to hear the new release. With Anastasio’s “plinko” guitar intro and Mike Gordon’s lead vocals, this song definitely has some potential in the future.

Waking Up Dead

The band took things down a peg with a slow-funk version of “Llama,” harkening back to their performance of the tune last summer at Walnut Creek. The slowed down version grooves on a whole new level, and the crowd went wild for the song’s new interpretation. Leave it to Phish to completely change one of their oldest songs after 30 years of playing it. Surely they’ll go back to the fast paced version once we get used to the slow funk.

Llama

From there, Phish went into Fuego track “Devotion To A Dream,” keeping the mood upbeat before bringing out the first “Reba” of summer tour. They bagged it and tagged alright, before going into a rare first set “Mike’s Song.” The band took the song for a walk before segueing into “Horn” and “Farmhouse,” ultimately wrapping up the groove and the set with a funky “Weekapaug Groove.” Bassist Mike Gordon was in the driver’s seat, bringing the funk to the “Groove” before ending the set.

The second set started with the fan-favorite Talking Heads cover, “Crosseyed and Painless.” It was Jon Fishman who really led the song, busting out the quick-rhyme lyrics and driving the song’s jam with his signature drumming. They took the song deep, going from a rocking jam into a more ambient section. The jam segued into another new song called “Friends” led by vocals from Jon Fishman. The second debut of the show had a rock and roll feel to it, though its composition felt almost theatrical. The tight number moved through quick chord changes before letting loose with a guitar solo uproar, and closed with more lyrics and a polished finale. 

Friends

It was Mike Gordon’s bass warbling that signaling the next tune in the set, “Down With Disease.” The funky number quickly diverged into jam territory, getting rhythmic and spacey before everyone dropped out excluding Anastasio. He took the band into the slowed-down instrumental “What’s The Use?,” drawing out the crowd and bringing them along for the cosmic journey. The song has been a favorite for Phish setlists of late, as it was in regular rotation during the band’s summer 2015 tour, and appeared at both NYE and Mexico. 

The song’s ambient jam gave way to the Page McConnell synth opening to everyone’s favorite dance-along song, “Meatstick.” They brought the set into Fuego set “The Line” before bringing out the third new song of the night, a heartfelt Anastasio-sung number called “Tide Turns.” The slow and catchy new song was followed by another Anastasio-led song, “Backwards Down The Number Line.” The song was nicely jammed out, with a guitar-fueled jam that carried the band towards the end of their set. It was an a cappella selection that put a cap on the second frame, as Phish revived “Dem Bones” from their 2014-15 NYE performance. The playful vocal number left fans smiling.

It was The Beatles’ “Dear Prudence” that ended the show, keeping up the band’s streak of covers in the encore slot (“Space Oddity” and “I Am The Walrus” at Wrigley, “Rock and Roll” at Deer Creek and “Quinn The Eskimo” last night). The song was busted out on the tour opener, played for the first time since 1994. It seems that the McConnell-led number is here to stay, as this second performance brought an emotional moment to the show’s ending. It was a raging “Harry Hood” that brought the show to a close.

Dear Prudence

Check out the full setlist below, courtesy of Phish From The Road.

Setlist: Phish at The Mann Center for Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA – 6/29/16

Set One: Wolfman’s Brother, Your Pet Cat, Blaze On, Waking Up Dead*, Llama, Devotion To A Dream, Reba, Mike’s Song > Horn > Farmhouse > Weekapaug Groove

Set Two: Crosseyed and Painless > Friends*, Down With Disease > What’s The Use? > Meatstick, The Line, Tide Turns*, Backwards Down The Number Line, Dem Bones

Encore: Dear Prudence, Harry Hood

* – Phish debuts

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For fans heading to this weekend’s run at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, don’t miss some great after party action at the nearby venue, Putnam Den. The room will be hosting The Heavy Pets’ 80’s Dance Party on night one, Pink Talking Fish on night two, and a unique Frank Zappa tribute with members of Zappa’s band, Dopapod, RAQ, Digital Tape Machine and more! You can get all the information you need about those shows, as well as a contest to win tickets, right here.

[Photos via Andrew Blackstein from night one]