Phish Weave "Tweezer" Throughout Sets, Deliver Type-Two "2001" at The Met Philadelphia

Photo by Peter Wallace

On Dec. 3, Phish descended on The Met Philadelphia for their intimate show in partnership with SiriusXM and Pandora. Audio of the show was simulcast on SiriusXM’s Phish Radio; fans everywhere were able to listen live for free as part of SiriusXM’s free listening period.

The show was highlighted by the band weaving “Tweezer” throughout the night, multiple superb transitions, and a monstrous type-two “Also Sprach Zarathustra” (also called “2001”) late in the second set.

The evening began with a bust-out: a barbershop quartet version of “Hello My Baby,” which Phish had not performed since Jun. 18, 2009 (a 417 show gap). This surprise immediately excited the crowd, excitement which was then turned up to 11 when guitarist Trey Anastasio, upon returning to his instrument, ripped into “Tweezer.” The “Tweezer” jam quickly went type-two, modulating to D-major as the band is wont to do. All of a sudden, after the jam had just barely died down, the band executed a perfect transition into the opening notes of “Free.” The “Free” and the following “Moma Dance” were rather standard, until the band again turned on a dime during “Moma” and transitioned back into “Tweezer,” eliciting another round of frenzied cheering from the raucous Philadelphia crowd.

After a few moments of “Tweezer” jamming, Anastasio guided the band to another key change, this time to C-major. Once in this new key center, the guitarist began the opening notes to “Blaze On.” Drummer Jon Fishman immediately picked up on this and shifted his playing to the signature “Blaze On” groove. After a relatively short “Blaze On,” the band came to their first full stop of the night before launching into the first “Jesus Just Left Chicago” since Oct. 22, 2014 (186 shows). Next came “Kill Devil Falls,” which featured a type-two jam that again shifted into “Tweezer,” establishing this first set as a miniature “Tweezerfest.” The third “Tweezer” jam of the night shifted smoothly into “Ya Mar,” which featured fantastic playing from Page “Leo” McConnell. “Drift While You’re Sleeping” closed out the thrilling first frame.

Set two began with “Chalkdust Torture,” which featured a rollicking type-two jam that was aurally akin to the monumental Jul. 28, 2017 version (albeit significantly shorter); the jam featured high energy, major-key peaking at its outset, followed by a funkier breakdown with Fishman moving between various polyrhythms. Fittingly, the band again moved from this type-two space back into “Tweezer” before executing another sublime segue into “Mike’s Song.” The “Mike’s” featured a snarling type-one jam, with Anastasio in particular executing some precise playing. “Sparkle” followed, which saw Anastasio briefly lose his precision, as he struggled a bit with the trills section. “Ass Handed” led into “Weekapaug Groove,” during which Anastasio and Fishman returned to singing the “Ass Handed” lyrics.

“Miss You” provided a moment for the crowd to take a breather before the band launched back into the improvisation with a “Waves” > “Twist” segment. A cover of The Beatles’ “A Day in the Life” came next, which lead straight into perhaps the highlight of the second set: a type-two “2001.” This “2001” jam began in standard fashion; however, the jam began to take off when Anastasio switched on his delay pedal. This created a bed of sound upon which the rest of the band was able to float atop; Fishman moved to the Marimba Lumina, bassist Mike Gordon expertly employed his drill, and McConnell took the opportunity to experiment with his synthesizer’s capabilities. “More” closed the set in its typical upbeat fashion.

The band returned for a two song encore, beginning with “Waste.” Finally, they sent the crowd and the radio listeners home on a high note, closing the night with “Tweezer Reprise.”

Phish tour continues Dec. 4 in Pittsburgh, Pa. Check out a complete setlist and some photos by Peter Wallace below, and click here for a full gallery!

Phish
Dec. 3, 2019
The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA

SET I: Hello My Baby, Tweezer > Free, The Moma Dance > Tweezer -> Blaze On, Jesus Just Left Chicago, Kill Devil Falls > Tweezer > Ya Mar, Drift While You’re Sleeping

SET II: Chalk Dust Torture[1] > Tweezer > Mike’s Song > Sparkle, Ass Handed > Weekapaug Groove, Miss You > Waves > Twist > A Day in the Life > Also Sprach Zarathustra[2] > More

Enc: Waste > Tweezer Reprise

[1] Unfinished.
[2] Fish on Marimba Lumina.
Setlist via Phish.net.