Jones Beach, the storied waterside venue in Wantagh, NY has played host to many Phish summertime gigs, including a memorable performance opening for Santana nearly 30 years ago to the day (7/24/92). While we all love Phish-story, however, we’re here to talk about the show Phish played on Wednesday at the Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater, the band’s first at the bayside venue in nine years.
The show could not have been better timed, meteorologically speaking. After an extended heat wave blanketed the Northeast in sweltering temperatures for days on end, the heat finally broke yesterday and a cool summer breeze drifted in to set the scene for an ideal night of music.
It was within these conditions that Phish lifted “The Curtain” on the performance. That is to say, Phish opened the show with the well-executed composition. Instead of going “With” on this version, the band segued into the opening of the Kasvot Växt number, “Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.”. Guitarist Trey Anastasio led a short jam following the verses, playing a slick, bluesy guitar solo before returning to the space-sniffing refrain and ending the song.
As “S.A.N.T.O.S.” faded, Trey hit the blistering opening notes of “Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan”. Phish opened up on this “Faulty Plan”, transitioning into a Type II, exploratory jam that was admittedly unexpected, an exceptionally rare feat for the first set rocker. The jam started in a light and floating space before dropping down low thanks to the fret-work of bassist Mike Gordon. The band locked in and continued jamming along, clocking in around ten minutes total (the longest version on record, edging out the previous record-holder from 6/4/22).
Trey strummed a quick, rhythmic chord progression in the jam that eventually transitioned into “NICU”, an upbeat selection that kept the fans singing along. The standard version was well-played and its ending provided the first break in the music of the set.
Next up was a dreamy “Roggae” that gave way to an even dreamier jam. Trey’s melodic soloing was complemented beautifully by Page McConnell’s light touch musicianship on the electric piano. It was, overall, a “smile and sway to the music” type of moment nestled in an otherwise action-packed first set.
The Jones Beach-themed “Pebbles and Marbles” came up next in the setlist, appearing for the first time in 29 shows. The blues rocker raised the energy in the venue as drummer Jon Fishman drove the song forward, keeping the group in the pocket through the verses and Trey’s energetic solo. A fun version, through and through.
Next up was the fan favorite, “Bathtub Gin”, with its patented Gershwinian piano melody and crowd-chanting bath time invitation. Following the verses, it was Trey and Page out in front, trading melodies on lead guitar and the Yamaha grand. Fish picked up the tempo from there, building up the jam into a frenetic free-for-all. Page then switched over to the Clav, injecting some funk into the improvisational session.
It was around this time that the song really pivoted into “big jam” potential, evidenced by my dad, the Jamfather himself, commenting that this was a “really nice extend-o.” Nice, indeed. Around 11 minutes in, Fish slowed the pace, creating more space for Trey and Mike to explore some darker, minor key motifs. Trey eventually found the song’s opening riff once again as he and Page play the notes through heavy effects filters to mind-bending effect. While this “Gin” was mellower than most, eschewing its typical waves of white-light peaks, it offered a refreshing view of the time-tested rocker.
As the “Gin” jam ended, Fish tapped out the drumbeat opening of “Maze”. This “Maze” was its usual hectic and eclectic self, packed with tension-and-release energy. Finally, the set closed with another 1.0-era classic, “The Squirming Coil”, a song tailor-made for a summer show on the water. As is tradition, Page ended the song and set with a stellar walk-off solo on the grand piano—a blissful moment to end a glorious first set of music.
📸 Rene Huemer pic.twitter.com/ats3kHLMOS
— Phish: From The Road (@Phish_FTR) July 27, 2022
After a half-hour-long break, Phish returned to the stage and opened set two with “I Never Needed You Like This Before” from Trey’s quarantine album, Lonely Trip. Just as Sunday’s Hartford performance saw Phish open up “A Wave of Hope”, another Lonely Trip selection, the band offered up an extended take on “Never Needed” to get Tuesday’s second frame moving. Trey pivoted the band from the darker verses to a brighter jam backed by emphatic drumming and Page’s electric keyboard. Fish slowed the pace, leaving space for Gordo to drop in some thick bass notes as Trey explored pentatonic blues rock themes.
After 16 minutes, the climactic jam settled into a spacey groove, leaving room for Phish to segue into the Sigma Oasis song “Leaves”. The slow ballad initially provided a cool-down moment after the long opening number, but the group gradually let this version of “Leaves” erupt with a dark and tense jam session that would wind up as the highlight of the show. The mood eventually mellowed as Fish accelerated the tempo and the band settled into a bluesy, rhythmic groove. Chris Kuroda and Andrew Giffin‘ lighting display was out in full force during this lengthy, looping jam. Trey then brought the group into a lighthearted major key section, some 16 minutes into this standout version of “Leaves”.
Phish – “Leaves” [Pro-Shot] – 7/26/22
Related: Chris Kuroda & Andrew Giffin: Mobilizing The Phish Lighting Operation [Interview]
Fish faded the drums out of the jam, signaling the entry of the next song in the setlist and, perhaps coincidentally, the next song on the Sigma Oasis studio album, “Everything’s Right”. How often does Phish actually play two songs live that appear consecutively on a studio album? That’s a question for the Phish stats universe. “Everything’s Right” served as the third jam vehicle of the second set as the band spent some time exploring some deeper tones.
In the depths of the jam, Trey seemed to surprise even his bandmates as he introduced the opening melody of “The Mango Song”. The band caught up quickly enough, however, as Page’s dazzled the Long Island crowd with his nimble piano work. Page continued to champion the set along as the band broke into his original, “Most Events Aren’t Planned”, the 2002 Vida Blue song that was formally introduced into the Phish catalog, tongue-in-cheekily, during the final night of the famed 2017 Baker’s Dozen run. This song broke into a fast-paced funky jam that would eventually reach a composed conclusion.
With the energy high, Phish brought out an all-time favorite in “Chalk Dust Torture”. This version was well played, featuring a tense mid-song build-up that exploded into the tune’s finale. As the dust settled (apologies for the bad pun), the group continued with another bluesy rocker in “Julius”, a song that never fails to get the crowd dancing and smiling. Trey kept the track going with some upbeat guitar soloing, leading the band into the final refrain and conclusion of the number. “Julius” would close the second set, serving as an exclamation point to an all-around solid 70+ minutes of music.
With just a few minutes left, Phish returned and treated fans to an encore performance of the beloved “Harry Hood”. True to its lyrical premise, you could feel good about this “Hood”. The version was highlighted by an energetic jam session with some call and response interplay between Trey and Mike. Trey’s solo peaked before the band veered into a spacier, mysterious motif before resolving with the song’s upbeat ending to close out the song and the show.
In all, Phish delivered a solid performance on night one at Jones Beach featuring some memorable moments in unlikely places (looking at you, “Leaves”). The band returns to the same stage tonight, July 27th, for the second night of this two-night stand in Wantagh.
For a full list of upcoming Phish tour dates, head here. Click below to check out some fan-shot videos via YouTube user Nevaklass and scroll down to view a gallery of photos via Kevin Cole.
To order your LivePhish webcast for any of the band’s upcoming summer shows, head here. To sign up for a free trial membership to LivePhish+ and listen to the whole summer 2022 tour and more, head here.
For a complete directory of Live For Live Music‘s Phish summer tour 2022 coverage, head here.
Setlist [via Phish.net]: Phish | Northwell Health At Jones Beach Theater | Wantagh, NY | 7/26/22
Set One: The Curtain > Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S. > Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan -> NICU, Roggae, Pebbles and Marbles, Bathtub Gin > Maze, The Squirming Coil
Set Two: I Never Needed You Like This Before > Leaves > Everything’s Right -> The Mango Song, Most Events Aren’t Planned > Chalk Dust Torture > Julius
Encore: Harry Hood
