Photo Credit: Rene Huemer

Phish continued their summer tour on Tuesday night at the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The ensemble’s stop at The Buckeye State’s outdoor amphitheater represented their ninth appearance since their inaugural performance at the venue on July 31, 1992, in which they supported Carlos Santana. Last night’s display featured a bust-out of The Beatles’ seminal 1967 track, “Strawberry Fields Forever,” to kick off the night. The last time the band covered the tune was July 22, 2017. 

Notes of Phish’s opening cover were repeated during the second song of the night, “Crowd Control,” which saw John Fishman quote “Strawberry Fields Forever” during the band’s jam which occurred next. Then, they worked their way through “Punch You in the Eye,” adding in an illustrious keys solo by Page McConnell to start the number, which bled into “46 Days,” which represented a peak of the band’s Tuesday night performance, as Trey Anastasio and McConnell tossed lyrics back and forth. 

The set proceeded with a rendition of the fan favorite, “You Enjoy Myself,” with exquisite jam sections and perfectly executed instrumentals, including solos by Mike Gordon, who performed a duet with Fishman during the elaborate improvisation and an unmatched vocal jam. Next, they kept the sound alive on “Tube,” straying from their typical patterns in favor of ad-libbing some intricate notes. “Tube” segued into the ballad “Shade,” which represented the set’s only post-2003 song selection. “Reba” was performed before they moved into set one’s final number, “Cavern.” During the last two songs of the first set, Fishman unleashed some sound effects, including a hilarious “moo,” which kept the lightness of the evening at a high. 

The foursome kicked off the night’s second set with “Free,” which saw McConnell play the Wurlitzer while Anastasio held down an explorative jam that included Gordon on synth bass. The track stretched past the 20-minute mark, making it the second most extended take on the tune, before McConnell cut into the next song, “Esther,” which made way for “Blaze On.” The set continued with a jam before “Scents and Subtle Sound.” 

Phish’s night outside Cleveland continued with Richard Strauss’ “Also Sprach Zarathustra.” The instrumentals of the latter streamed into the second set’s closing number, a jammed-out take on “Split Open and Melt” with jazz-infused interludes carried by Gordon and mega guitar builds conducted by Anastasio. Then, for the night’s encore, Phish landed on “Bathtub Gin,” which has only ever appeared as the night’s final number on four separate occasions. 

After last night’s prominent display, Phish will continue their summer tour tonight at the historic Pine Knob Music Amphitheatre in Clarkston, Mich. Tickets are still available and can be purchased here. For additional information, visit phish.com.  

See the complete setlist below.

Phish 

Blossom Music Center – Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 

August 2, 2022 

Set I: Strawberry Fields Forever, Crowd Control, Punch You in the Eye > 46 Days > You Enjoy Myself, Tube > Shade, Reba, Cavern

Set II: Free > Esther > Blaze On > Scents and Subtle Sounds > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Split Open and Melt 

Enc.: Bathtub Gin

Setlist via Phish.net.