_Photo: @PhishFTR_

As Phish’s summer tour rolled into Philadelphia’s The Mann Center last night for their first show at the venue since 1995, so did a nasty storm that threatened to sour the entire evening’s festivities. Thankfully, the storm cleared after a brief weather delay where the lawn at the venue was actually evacuated and Phish took the stage around 9:20 to the tune of “Axilla,” the first time the Hoist track has opened a show since 2003.

Following the high energy of “Axilla,” the group mixed in a loose, funky “Gumbo” before Trey Anastasio took a beautiful, soaring solo in “Taste,” both tour debuts on the year. “555” filled the Fuego quota before “Tube” came up short in the jam department yet again—a theme in the 3.0 era with that song.

The rest of the first set seemed to bob and weave with high and low energy cuts like “Camel Walk,” “Sparkle,” a brief “Halley’s Comet” and the complex “It’s Ice” followed by a groovy “Ocelot.” “Walls of the Cave” closed the set in grand fashion despite an inconsistent run to precede it.

As it did at SPAC, “Fuego” continued to anchor the show as the band unleashed a ferocious version of the title track—ultimately topping out at 25-minutes. From there, a pair of “Line” songs followed with “The Line” and “Backwards Down the Number Line” before Phish sprinted to the finish with a brief “Tweezer” that segued abruptly into “Ghost.” An ambient jam led by Page McConnell ultimately found itself into “2001,” a rare cover on this tour, before “Harry Hood” gave way to the anthemic “Tweezer Reprise.” A “Possum” encore sent the crowd into the rainy evening.

Next up for the band is another show at The Mann tonight in Philadelphia.

Here’s a look at the setlist as it appears in our Box Scores section:

Phish
The Mann Philadelphia, PA

Set I: Axilla, Gumbo > Taste, 555, Tube, Halfway to the Moon, Camel Walk, Sparkle, Halley’s Comet > It’s Ice, Ocelot, Walls of the Cave

Set II: 46 Days > Fuego > The Line, Backwards Down the Number Line > Tweezer > Ghost > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Harry Hood, Tweezer Reprise

Enc: Possum

Source: www.phish.net