Photo by Rene Huemer via @phishfromtheroad on IG


Phish lived up to the “never miss a Sunday show” adage on June 23, offering type-two jams to bookend the first set, an unstoppable, transition-filled second frame of only six songs and the full-band debut of Ghosts of the Forest cut “Halfway Home.”

A rocking “Carini” got things started, mirroring Phish’s Friday-night set at Bonnaroo. This version, while only 11 minutes, certainly got the job done, with the band opting for some major key, type-two hose during the jam. “My Soul” slid in upon “Carini’s” completion, and the crowd was treated to a nice version of the jaunty blues.

The funky “Gumbo” ignited the crowd even further. This version was standard to begin, but guitarist Trey Anastasio ended the song before the typical piano outro from Page McConnell. Realizing his error, Anastasio signaled for the band to launch back into the groove after a few moments of silence, allowing McConnell (and the crowd) to enjoy his final solo. The classic Phish song “It’s Ice” followed as did the breather section of the set, with the band playing a chilled-out sequence of “Winterqueen,” “Yarmouth Road” and “Shade.” The “Winterqueen” jam was quite patient and resulted in some beautiful improvisation, albeit type-one. After this sequence, the band began their aforementioned debut of the Ghosts of the Forest song “Halfway Home,” followed by a spirited rendition of “The Wedge.” “Run Like an Antelope” brought the set to a thrilling close, with the jam containing some brief type-two exploration.

Set two began with the fan-favorite cover “Crosseyed and Painless.” This set the tone for the entire second half; many of the songs to follow would contain “Crosseyed” quotes and teases. This version was a wide-reaching type-two jam, with the band covering a great deal of ground in a relatively short period of time. The jam slid nicely into “Everything’s Right,” which continued the trend of quality improvisation. The longest jam of the night, this “Everything’s Right” built on the “Crosseyed” jam, with the band exploring various key centers. The jam concluded with another fantastic transition, this time into the Ghosts of the Forest song “Ruby Waves.” Again, after getting through the composed section, the band dove into the type-two abyss.

Eventually, the band created a stop-start jam, with the crowd wooing along. Potentially, this audience participation inspired Fishman to begin the “Twist” drumbeat, and soon the whole band followed, segueing nicely into the song. As “Twist” fizzled out and some noise took over, many in the crowd could guess what was coming next. Sure enough, Fishman dropped into “2001,” and the entire crowd burst into a dance party. A ripping version of “Blaze On” followed to close a fantastic, six-song second set. But Phish weren’t quite done yet. Having ended set two at around 10:30 p.m., they had time to deliver an unexpected four-song encore of Phish classics.

“Maze” began the bonus mini-set, marking the first time the song has ever appeared in an encore. “Waste” was a treat, as was the rarity “Sanity.” “Wilson” brought the night to a fitting end, allowing the crowd to have a great deal of fun before finally exiting the venue.

Phish tour continues Tuesday night in Bangor, Maine. For more information visit Phish.com.

Check out the full setlist – as it appears in our Box Scores section – below:

Phish
June 23, 2019
Merriweather Post Pavilion Columbia, MD

Set I: Carini > My Soul > Rift, Gumbo, It’s Ice > Winterqueen, Yarmouth Road, Shade, Halfway Home* > The Wedge > Run Like an Antelope

Set II:  Crosseyed and Painless > Everything’s Right > Ruby Waves^ > Twist > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Blaze On

Enc: Maze, Waste > Sanity > Wilson         

Notes:
*Phish debut
^unfinished

Source: Phish.net