After opening the band’s tour-closing three-night run at United Center in Chicago on Friday the 13th, Phish returned on Saturday for night two with a few surprises up its sleeve.

The band got off to a running start with a stellar “Runaway Jim”, delving right into the improvisation with a solid eight-minute jam to open the set. The pre-recorded intro to “Martian Monster” then announced an interplanetary visitation from the song from Phish’s Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House 2016 Halloween set, followed by a jammed-out “Sample in a Jar” that was one of the night’s improvisational highlights despite arriving early in the first set.

Phish – “Runaway Jim” – 10/14/23

Next came a couple of surprising selections, first the playfully disturbing “Weigh” made its first appearance since August 2021, then a slow and steady cover of “Corrina” by Taj Mahal, played for the first time since October 15th, 2022, nearly a year to the day.

Phish then picked the energy back up and got down to funky business with a pairing of “Tube” > “46 Days”, the quartet’s patient exploration marking another first-set highlight. The classic Phish continued with “NICU” before the band took an unexpected detour through the songbook of Vida Blue, keyboardist Page McConnell’s project with Oteil Burbridge and the late Russel Batiste Jr., with “Most Events Aren’t Planned”. McConnell took the lead singing the song’s contemplative lyrics and anchoring the brief jam on piano.

Jon Fishman then introduced “Cavern” with the song’s opening drum beat, picking up the energy one last time before capping the first set with “More”.

Set two likewise opened with a big jam, this time on “Chalk Dust Torture”, which the band left unfinished, transitioning into “Oblivion” after a 14-minute improv segment. “Split Open and Melt” entered the running for best jam of the night with nearly 15 minutes of free-form exploration that got increasingly experimental. Phish slowed things down once more with an emotionally moving “What’s the Use?” before cheering up the crowd with the ever-optimistic “Everything’s Right”.

Phish – “Chalk Dust Torture” – 10/14/23

Phish ended the second set on a high note with a crowd-pleasing of “No Quarter” by Led Zeppelin followed by the first second-set-closing “Fluffhead” since the Baker’s Dozen.

The band wasn’t done yet, though. Returning for the encore, Trey Anastasio led the group through “A Life Beyond the Dream” before capping the night with “Character Zero”.

Phish concludes its fall tour tonight with a third show at United Center in Chicago. For a full list of upcoming Phish tour dates, head here.

Fans at home can follow along with live video webcasts and audio replays of the 2023 Phish fall tour via the band’s streaming service LivePhish. Audio will be added to the LivePhish app promptly after each show, with audio available to stream exclusively using LivePhish+. LivePhish+ subscribers can save on the tour webcast pass, or any single night show. For information on how to order your Phish 2023 fall tour webcasts, head here.

Set 1: Runaway Jim, Martian Monster, Sample in a Jar, Weigh, Corinna (Taj Mahal), Tube > 46 Days, NICU, Most Events Aren’t Planned (Vida Blue), Cavern, More

Set 2: Chalk Dust Torture[1] -> Oblivion > Split Open and Melt, What’s the Use? > Everything’s Right > No Quarter (Led Zepelin), Fluffhead

Encore: A Life Beyond The Dream, Character Zero

[1] Unfinished.

Notes:
Weigh was performed for the first time since August 31, 2021 (108 shows). Corrina was performed for the first time since October 15, 2021 (103 shows). Chalk Dust was unfinished.