As the Winter tour moved East, it was becoming apparent that Phish was bringing anything and everything to the table. Rarities were surfacing, sets were full of extended improvisation reminiscent of the mid-90s, and the song rotation, while somewhat confined, was finding strength in performance rather than selection. Coming off a night in Worcester that featured four debuts and a second set for the ages, many expected nothing more than just a good Friday night show. Surely if we have learned anything, that is exactly the formula the band has always concocted in order to bring the house down.
As the opening notes of "Birds of a Feather" echoed through the Coliseum, it felt as if our early premonitions would come to fruition. A crowd pleaser with some nice lines, but nothing mind-blowing. When the song ended however, and the audience stirred impatiently for the next song, the band crept into vaguely familiar territory. Aside from very sporadic cheers and hugs, many setlist writers kept their notepads in their pockets. Some even headed for the bathrooms. Then the singing began....and the smiles grew bigger and the looks of disbelief were all around. By the time the words "We gotta get on the road" were sung, you were either in shock, high-fiving a longtime friend or like many in the room, unclear as to what the fuss was all about. In true Phish fashion, arguably the one song phans have been chasing since they started seeing shows was finally here...but instead of being displayed in all it’s glory as the encore at the Lemonwheel, the moment arrived as the second song, of the first set, in an arena on Long Island. Expectations of a deafening cheer were not met, for as the song concluded, many were still in awe of actually winning the golden ticket. Compared to the Divided Sky pause on New Years, this reaction was strangely subdued.
Before the audience had a chance to gather themselves, they went into "Horn". Another timeless classic, it served as a brief pause before the band would dive into a very deep "Bathtub Gin". A fully extended "Gin", it flowed in and out with a stellar closing jam usually saved for a second set. After a quick breather in the form of the aptly named "Sleep", the band broke into "Get Back on the Train". One of Phish’s many gifts is the ability to make the ordinary, extraordinary. A tune never utilized as a set-maker, and one on paper you typically skip over, especially when it comes in the same set as "Destiny Unbound", this "GBOTT" is an absolute must-hear. Trey was wailing, bringing it around and hammering it home. When it finally wound down, the only "Bouncing" of the tour was actually kind of refreshing, followed by a soon-to-be crowd favorite "Walls" to finish the set.
How do you follow "the Destiny Unbound set?" Like you would expect them to do...play a completely epic set comprised of only five songs, one of which is a Marley cover that hadn’t been performed in six years, and another a quick little Mike tune. As for the other three songs..."Tweezer", "Bowie" and "Hood" respectively. The "Tweezer", "Soul Shakedown Party" opener is a pairing that will undoubtedly stand the test of time. Always a killer opener, "Tweezer" was as full and dark as any. The exploration steered far from the original path, and wandered into uncharted waters. Long and powerful, it reeked of the grand "Tweezers" of old.
The "David Bowie" cymbal intro actually received a bit of Trey jamming, and led you to believe this one might really kill...and it did. The monster centerpiece was a perfect selection to keep the set moving, and the crowd was amped. Mike’s new tune "Round Room" was the only rest stop on the set two highway before they dropped into "Harry Hood". Tourheads groaned at the apparently overplayed song, though it’s difficult to substantially complain about a song as classic as "Hood". And this version was definitely not skim.
When they came back on for the encore, it was after 11pm, but with Worcester running past midnight, anything was possible. Sure enough, they postponed the "Reprise" with the quintessential "Contact", complete with audience arm waves and giddiness only that song can achieve. The
raucous "Mexican Cousin" preceded the "Reprise", and the show concluded.
Show of the tour, not show of the tour, best ever, worst ever, Destiny, Smestiny...the internet battles will go on and on until, well, summer tour announcement I suppose.
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