Phish concluded their Wrigley Field debut last night with a variety of highlights to follow up opening night, which saw the band pay homage to David Bowie.
The first set read like something from 2015 as the group offered up early takes on tunes like “Moma Dance,” “AC/DC Bag” and a pair of Fuego cuts in “555” and “Waiting All Night.” Trey Anastasio then acknowledged a sign in the crowd that read “Happy Birthday Richard,” prompting a stadium-wide singalong in honor of longtime tour manager Richard Glasgow’s birthday.
The rest of the first set included high energy renditions of “46 Days” and a humorous “I Didn’t Know,” which found Jon Fishman once again breaking out his vacuum for the tune. A well-composed “Divided Sky” and a 1-2 heavy punch of “Cavern” and “Good Times Bad Times” brought the opening set to a close.
While the first set was certainly song-oriented, the second set and last at Wrigley Field was dedicated to improv almost immediately as the opening combo of “Carini” and “Tweezer” saw the band stretch their improvisational legs for the first time on this night. The two live heavyweights encompassed much of Phish’s dark jamming tendencies, relying on minor chord progressions throughout.
The surprise of the night emerged out of “Tweezer” as “Fluffhead” returned for the first time since August 30, 2014. With its absence spanning 52 shows, this marks the second longest span in which the song wasn’t played, the first coming at the band’s 2009 reunion in Hampton, VA where it was played for the first time in nine years and 70 shows.
Out of a clean “Fluffhead” came “Piper,” whose improv was brief before Anastasio called for the newer tune “Steam,” filling the stage with smoke as the song typically does. After a breather in “Wading in the Velvet Sea,” the quartet kicked into a brief, interplay-filled take on “Harry Hood” before the “Tweezer Reprise” finale.
As they have once on this tour already, Phish brought back an old Beatles cover with an encore of “I Am the Walrus,” marking its first reading since June 29, 2010, or 229 shows. In the band’s tour opener, they revived “Dear Prudence” as well for the first time since their Halloween ’94 show.
Phish returns to the stage tonight in Noblesville, IN.
Here’s a look at the setlist:
Phish
Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
Set I: The Moma Dance, AC/DC Bag > 555, Waiting All Night, Heavy Things, Happy Birthday, 46 Days, I Didn’t Know, Divided Sky, Cavern > Good Times Bad Times
Set II: Carini > Tweezer > Fluffhead > Piper -> Steam > Wading in the Velvet Sea, Harry Hood > Tweezer Reprise
Enc: I Am the Walrus
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