On Wednesday night, Phish served up a high-energy show St. Louis, with a special debut to honor the St. Louis Blues’ Stanley Cup victory.

Before the show even began, the energy in the Chaifetz Arena was infectious, as the hometown St. Louis Blues were already up 2-0 in Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Final. Phish kept this momentum up with a raucous—albeit relatively standard— “Chalkdust Torture” to open the show. Next came “The Moma Dance,” allowing the energetic fans a chance to dance. Following “Moma,” the band delivered a patient and delicate sequence of “Waves,” “Bouncing Around the Room,” “Undermind” and “Roggae.” “Roggae,” in particular, contained excellent playing from the band, as they built the jam from a languid start to a roaring finish. Next came the first and only Kasvot Växt tune of the night, “We Are Come to Outlive Our Brains.” The crowd relished the opportunity to sing along with the wacky refrain.

Next, Phish ramped up the energy once more with a fiery rendition of “Funky Bitch,” with both pianist Page McConnell and guitarist Trey Anastasio delivering thrilling solos. “Set Your Soul Free” came next, the first time it has been played in the first set since its debut at The Gorge on 7/20/2018. While this version didn’t contain the epic jam section that many previous versions have, hearing it at this spot in the set was quite exciting.

“Run Like an Antelope” brought the set to a fitting close, and shortly after the opening notes, a wave of cheers swelled in the crowd, as the news broke that the Blues had scored again, going up three goals to none with just seven minutes left. The game was in hand; And, barring something truly shocking, The St. Louis Blues would win the Stanley Cup. What would’ve been a standard “Antelope” became a precursor for the celebration to come, once the Blues closed out the game.

Sure enough, a few minutes into setbreak, it was official—The Blues had won. Clearly Phish had noticed, as they returned to the stage and began the second set with Laura Branigan’s “Gloria.” In any other context, this would be an especially random song for Phish to cover. But during these Stanley Cup playoffs, the Blues had taken to blasting this song after home wins; it had become the team’s anthem. Phish likely learned the song during setbreak, and the crowd reaction was true euphoria, with the crowd belting along with McConnell as he sang. (Interestingly, indie band Vampire Weekend was also in St. Louis on Wednesday night. They were spotted backstage with Mike Gordon earlier in the day, and covered “Gloria” at their gig as well.)

Phish continued to honor the Blues’ win by dropping into “Loving Cup,” referencing their Stanley Cup victory.

Beginning with funk, this version eventually went fully type-II, leading to a beautiful, blissful section. As the jam winded down, Anastasio began “Twist.” Perhaps the improvisational highlight of the evening, this “Twist,” while only 14 minutes, contained at least three distinct sections of jamming, including a stunning final section that was akin to a “Weekapaug Groove” jam. Next came “About to Run” from Anastasio’s Ghosts of the Forest project. Phish is well-suited to this song as well, and the short improvised section contained ferocious playing from Trey. Next came a duo of excellent type-2 jams in the form of “Mr. Completely” and “Light.” The “Light” in particular contained some unique jamming, with fantastic interplay between Anastasio and McConnell. “Waste” followed these jams, offering a chance for the audience to catch their breath. “Suzy Greenberg” brought the set to a fitting, celebratory close.

The band encored with “Farmhouse,” followed by another high energy celebration in the form of “First Tube” to cap off a fantastic evening. Phish tour continues Friday, June 14th at the Bonnaroo Music Festival.

Phish
June 12, 2019
Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, MO.

Set I: Chalk Dust Torture, The Moma Dance, Waves > Bouncing Around the Room, Undermind, Heavy Things,Roggae, We Are Come to Outlive Our Brains, Funky Bitch, Set Your Soul Free, Run Like an Antelope

Set II: Gloria, Loving Cup > Twist, About to Run, Mr. Completely > Light > Waste, Suzy Greenberg

Enc: Farmhouse, First Tube