With a close-up on a “WE LOVE OUR CORE 4” sign and the opening chords to “Sample In A Jar”, one thing was abundantly clear from the getgo last night: Phish is back.
With all of the hype surrounding guitarist Trey Anastasio‘s appearance in the Grateful Dead “Fare Thee Well” reunion celebrations, many fans wondered if those songs, at least subconsciously, would find their way into Phish’s summer tour debut. While those shows were all about the Grateful Dead, last night was all about Phish.
Perhaps the only reference to “Fare Thee Well” was Mike Gordon’s shirt, a “Let Trey Sing” tee in reference to the one Bob Weir wore during the final number at Soldier Field. Gordon changed his shirt after the opening number.
The real highlight of the show was the band’s generous helping of new, original material, debuted throughout the performance. The tour opener at the Les Schwab Amphitheatre saw not one… not two… but three new songs! While we published that Anastasio and his frequent songwriting partner Tom Marshall were writing new material back in February, the fact that Anastasio had the time to learn 90+ Grateful Dead songs and still actively work on his own material speaks to his genuine talent as a musician.
The three new songs were “Blaze On”, “Shade” and “No Men In No Man’s Land”. The first was memorable for its playful lyrics, opening with the line “Come back here/ stay on your feet/ scramble for your footing when it gets too steep. You’re on the highway now/ with higher hopes/ while all around are running eggs with living yolks. You never get too sad/ you never get too blue/ it must be all the chemtrails raining down on you.” Complete with a shuffling Latinesque rhythm that could be something from a Little Feat song, this was certainly a welcome addition to the Phish canon.
The first set closed out with uptempo renditions of “Tube” and “Wolfman’s Brother”. Meanwhile, set two was punctuated by some extended jamming in songs like “Ghost” and “Mike’s Song”, but again, the new music stood out against the familiar. Coming in the middle of a “Mike’s Groove”, so to speak, were the emotional “Shade” and ever-funky “No Men In No Man’s Land”.Â
The former was most comparable to “Bug”, a slowed-down stirring number that builds to a powerful solo from Anastasio. Meanwhile “No Men In No Man’s Land” was an all-out funk fest, with Page McConnell dabbling on the clav. The seamless transition from “No Men” to “Weekapaug” was unsurprising, considering the groovy rhythm present in both numbers. The funk train continued with a great version of Stevie Wonder’s “Boogie On Reggae Woman”.
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“Chalkdust Torture” brought set two to a close, and “Theme From The Bottom” wrapped up the tour opener nicely. We can’t wait to hear what the Burlington crew have in store for tonight!
If you’re heading out on tour, don’t miss any of these awesome afterparties:
Colorado, 9/3-6: Pigeons Playing Ping Pong
Setlist: Phish at Les Schwab Amphitheatre, Bend, OR – 7/21/15
Set 1: Sample in a Jar, Sand, 555, Rift, Halfway to the Moon, Horn > Devotion To a Dream, Blaze On[1], Tube, Wolfman’s Brother
Set 2: Ghost > Birds of a Feather, Mike’s Song > The Wedge, Fuego > Shade[1], No Men In No Man’s Land[1] > Weekapaug Groove > Boogie On Reggae Woman > Chalk Dust Torture
Encore: Theme From the Bottom
[1] Debut.