For the eighth time in their career, Phish took the stage at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park in Alpharetta, GA along their 2016 fall tour. Five shows in, the tour as a whole has been heavy on the new Big Boat material, though certainly making room for a hearty serving of their classic material. Phish seems to be locked in as they go, hitting the Southeast with a gusto. How would their much anticipated return to Alpharetta fare?
The band got started with “A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing,” playing the darker tune for the first time on tour. Trey Anastasio took it into a whirlwind solo, before releasing the tension with lighthearted versions of “AC/DC Bag” and “Back On The Train.” With the looseness of two groovy tracks, the rhythm section of Jon Fishman and Mike Gordon fueled a great jam out in “Blaze On.” Phish seems to be putting longer jams in the first set, and while “Blaze On” stayed within the box (aka Type I), it was evident that the band was tight-knit and having a ton of fun.
Watch the official stream of “A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing” below.
Gordo got to take the lead next, as the band brought out “Sugar Shack” for the first time on this tour. Trey nailed the song’s carefree melody throughout, extending it for a nice solo with some fun arpeggios. This was a longer version than usual, adding an exciting energy to the song. Page McConnell took the lead next, singing along on the peppy new Big Boat tune “Things People Do.”
Next up was a rocking “Birds Of A Feather,” with Trey leading a great tension-build and release solo. This was a tight jam that kept the energy of the first set high, but it was a “Mercury” that was a real highlight of the set. Though “Mercury” didn’t appear on Big Boat, it was debuted at the same time as tunes like “Blaze On” and “No Men’s.” Now played for the second time on this tour, it’s certainly exciting to have the song in a tighter rotation. Fishman played the Marimba Lumina at times during the song’s lighter section. This was a great “Mercury,” as the band extended the version with a tight jam out at the end.
“Let’s Go” came up next, another new original tune that was left off the new album. “Let’s Go” was actually the center of a discussion in the Roling Stone interview that was published today, as producer Bob Ezrin opted to leave the Gordo original off the album despite his and Trey’s objections. The upbeat number was played for only the second time, but let’s hope it stays in rotation. It’s a fun one!
“Alaska” came next, treating the Alpharetta crowd to some bluesy funk. This was a raging version of “Alaska,” but the band took the mood into a sentimental place with their new song, “More.” The track came to life in the live setting, with Trey rolling out some great guitarwork to bring the song, and set, to a grand conclusion.
After the break, it was Gordo that hit the opening rumbles of set two with a blistering, 21-minute version of “Down With Disease.” The jam started out with rock and roll energy and turned a corner into a more floating segment, but then curved back into some deeper bass-driven grooves. This was an exploratory “Disease,” moving into a progressive rock sound before Trey led the jam into a rock and roll call-and-response. Things only got spacier, drawing deeper into an exploratory funk before Trey moved over the Marimba Lumina and really nailed the low-end synth bombs. He eventually picked back up the guitar and rocked the opening notes of “Carini.”
Watch the official stream of “Down With Disease” below.
The “Carini” quickly went into an ambient jam session, as the band kept things lighthearted in a typically heavy song. The light touch continued as the group segued into Fuego track “Winterqueen,” and this was a beautiful version with a nice, soaring solo. Trey brought the song to a close with its melody, but it was Fishman that ushered in the subsequent “Ghost.” The improvisational section went from rhythmically funky to melodically uplifting, then back to slow and funky to close out the song.
Page then hammered out the opening notes of “Possum,” and Trey kept the song loose and rocking. This was clearly a crowd pleaser, with the energy riding high. It was the tour debut of “Slave To The Traffic Light” that would bring the set to a close, putting a truly triumphant finale to a great set of music.
For their encore, Phish closed out the show with their first cover of the night, Rolling Stones’ “Loving Cup.” Trey was absolutely shredding the ending of the song, bringing one last beautiful buzz to Alpharetta. This was a great memorable night of music from Phish, and we can’t wait to hear what they have in store for night two tomorrow.
You can see the full Phish.net setlist below.
Setlist: Phish at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park, Alpharetta, GA – 10/21/16
Set 1: A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing, AC/DC Bag > Back on the Train, Blaze On, Sugar Shack, Things People Do, Birds of a Feather, Mercury, Let’s Go, Alaska, More
Set 2: Down With Disease > Carini > Winterqueen > Ghost > Possum > Slave To The Traffic Light
Encore: Loving Cup
This show was webcast via Live Phish. The Birds was quoted at the end of BOAF.