With Big Boat now released, fans everywhere have been eager to hear what these new Phish songs sound like in the live setting. The album featured five songs that had not been debuted yet, and four of those made their appearances during the three shows played last weekend. With “Petrichor,” “Home,” and “More” all being played in the tour opener, the second night set the stage for the song we’ve been anticipating the most: “I Always Wanted It That Way.”
Anyone who’s listened to Big Boat immediately noticed the peculiar, 80’s synthwave jam written by Page McConnell. The studio version is very synth-heavy and barely features guitar, and notably filters McConnell’s vocals through some kind of echoing effect. In the live setting, Trey Anastasio gets to add his own flare to the song, and Page’s singing sounded more natural than on the album.
The song was featured in the second set of the Saturday night Charleston show, coming out of a smoking “Twist” jam. Behold the debut of “I Always Wanted It This Way” from the North Charleston Coliseum, courtesy of fan-shot footage by linusj on YouTube.
Be sure to check out some images from the two-night tour opener, courtesy of Ellison White Photography.
