After a successful tour opener in Maine, the first multi-night run of Phish summer tour was set to start on Friday night at the venue that has now become synonymous with Phish….SPAC. Anticipation was high, energy was palpable, and people were ready for what was to come. The show was delayed as a major storm passed through the area, which saw the venue halt entrance into the venue, and ask attendees to stay in their cars.  The delay was quick, however, and the herd was allowed to pass through the gates to take their spots.

A decent “Kill Devil Falls” opener got the show started, and a “Moma Dance” had people grooving.  However, it wasn’t until “Sample In A Jar” that you got that feeling of “Fuck Yeah….SPAC Phish!!!” “Roses Are Free”, “Birds Of A Feather”, and the debut of “Yarmouth Road” were all pretty standard.  A highlight of the set was a brilliant “Bathtub Gin”, perfectly placed in the middle of the set, just when we needed it; “Gin” was a nice little injection of the goods.  A well-played “Cities>David Bowie” had the place on overdrive as the first set came to a close. The jam out of  “Cities” seemed like it was going some deep, dark places before being aborted into the solid “Bowie”. It was the buildup that almost didn’t deliver, but was saved by a solid “Bowie.”  Overall, it was a good first set, and gave us something to look forward to after set break.

The debut cover of Apples in Stereo‘s “Energy” started the second set off to some perplexed looks, as quite a few faces could be seen looking around asking “What song is this?”  It was a pretty cool song, though, and with the placement as the opening song of the second set, it is sure to end up being a prominent part this summer tour. It definitely has the potential to be a monster second set jam, similar to “Golden Age” and “Light”, which the song segued perfectly into. The first two minutes of “Light” are somewhat laughable, as many of us sing along to the cheesy lyrics in mocking fashion, yet know damn well what is about to come, as this song had the bust-out jams of last summer.

The “46 Days” didn’t have that arena rock type feel to it that it normally does, as it was a bit more relaxed and breathy.  The “Steam” was a great choice out of “46 Days”, as actual steam was let out behind the band, and looked pretty cool against the new lighting backdrop and setup. The jam got really funky and this may have been the best version of this fairly new song to date. “Steam” segued into what felt like a slightly out of place, yet well-played and sexy sounding “Drowned.”  The beginning notes of “Slave To The Traffic Light” signaled what was to be the closing of the second set.  There is always something special about “Slave”, but even as Page had pointed out earlier in the evening that SPAC is one of their favorite venues, every time it is played here just seems better than the last.

“Character Zero” was an interesting choice as an encore, but was probably one of the better versions played in recent history.  Phish was rocking out and brought the energy to the tipping point, as they sent all of us out into the streets of Saratoga Springs to leave us to our own devices.  The town was teeming with fans from all over, as bars, hotels, and porches were crowded with people.  SPAC Night One is now in the books; if Friday was any indication of what is to come the rest of the weekend, expect to be blown away.  Can’t wait for tonight!

-Chris Meyer

Setlist:

Set One:  Kill Devil Falls, The Moma Dance>Sample In A Jar, Roses Are Free, Birds Of A Feather, Yarmouth Road [1], Bathtub Gin, Nellie Kane, Army Of One > My Friend, My Friend [2] > Cities > David Bowie

Set Two:  Energy [3] > Light > The Mango Song [4] > 46 Days > Steam > Drowned [5] > Slave To The Traffic Light

Encore:  Character [6]

[1] Debut
[2] No “Myfe” ending
[3] Phish debut
[4] Light teases from Trey
[5] Divided Sky tease from Trey
[6] Jean Pierre tease from Trey

Setlist via Phish.net

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