photo by Rene Huemer (via Phish From the Road on Twitter)
After a successful weekend headlining Bonnaroo, Phish took their talents to Canada for the first time since 2013, offering a show at Toronto's Budweiser Stage that featured the debut of another Ghosts of the Forest song and unique second-set construction.
The show began with the always welcome “AC/DC Bag,” with the crowd delighting in singing along with the lyrics. This was followed by a trio of standard first-set songs—“555,” “Ocelot” and “Sample in a Jar”—all played quite nicely. The first highlight of the show came next, in the form of another wonderful “Stash” jam. While not as lengthy as last week’s version in St. Louis, this “Stash” again showcased Phish’s ability to turn to type-two jamming on a dime. Next came a solid “The Wedge,” followed by “Frost,” allowing the crowd to catch their breath a bit.
“Halley’s Comet” was a welcome choice in the next spot, again eliciting joyous singing along from the crowd. Next, Phish dropped into their debut of “Ruby Waves,” another tune from guitarist Trey Anastasio's Ghosts of the Forests project, which Phish is well-suited to play. Upon its conclusion, the Chairman of the Boards himself, keyboardist Page McConnell, stepped out from behind the piano as the band started up “Lawn Boy.” Ever since the monumental Baker’s Dozen version, the crowd reacts to this song with a little extra bit of excitement. That excitement carried over to the final song of the set, the beloved “You Enjoy Myself.” One of the shorter YEMs in recent memory—clocking in at just 17 minutes—the version was still very hot, with some tasteful soloing from Anastasio and a quality vocal jam to boot.
The second set began with “Plasma,” which quickly segued smoothly into the Kasvot Växt favorite, “The Final Hurrah.” The jam in “Final Hurrah” went a bit type two—it will be interesting to see if any of the Kasvot tunes turn into jam vehicles going forward. Next came “Wingsuit,” and this was a ripping version. While it started a bit low energy, the final jam section was powerful, with Anastasio taking the lead. “Golden Age” followed, and gave the crowd the improvisational highlight of the second set. While only 15 minutes, the jam covered a lot of ground, with both blissful and funky type-two sections. The band has yet to play a 20-minute jam this tour, but they are proving that they don’t need that much time to deliver the goods. This “Golden Age” jam was no different, showing the band’s ability to efficiently move between improvised sections.
Next came the McConnell-penned “I Always Wanted It This Way,” a progressive rock departure from the funky “Golden Age.” The beloved “Prince Caspian” arose next, and while just a standard version, it certainly boosted the energy in the room. Instead of building on that energy, the band opted to treat the crowd to the lovely ballad “If I Could.” This is certainly interesting placement for this song, as it is more often than not played in the first set. Also, after shelving the song from summer 2014 through summer 2018, the band has now played it 3 times since this past fall (it was busted out on 11/2/18 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas). The band closed the set with “46 Days,” a fitting finale, and the encore was another Ghosts of the Forest cut, “Drift While Your Sleeping” (debuted by Phish in St. Louis last week). The raucous final section again gave the crowd an opportunity to sing along, and the band left the stage on a high note.
Check out the full setlist below as it appears in our Box Scores section. Phish tour continues tonight at the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
Phish
Budweiser Stage - Toronto, ON
Set I: AC/DC Bag> 555> Ocelot> Sample in a Jar, Stash, The Wedge, Frost, Halley's Comet> Ruby Waves*, Lawn Boy, You Enjoy Myself
Set II: Plasma> The Final Hurrah> Wingsuit> Golden Age> I Always Wanted It This Way> Prince Caspian> If I Could> 46 Days
Enc: Drift While You're Sleeping
Notes: * Phish debut
Source: phish.net
