photo by Rene Huemer (via Phish From the Road on Twitter)
After more torrential rain Saturday afternoon, the weather cleared up just in time for Phish’s second night of three in Camden, N.J. The band delivered a first set full of old-school Phish classics, a flowing second set with a Ghosts of the Forest debut, and a “You Enjoy Myself” encore.
Set one began with the classic sequence of “Mike’s Song > “I Am Hydrogen” > “Weekapaug Groove,” with each song not straying much from its typical structure. Phish followed these classics with another beloved original, “Divided Sky.” Guitarist Trey Anastasio’s playing was on point here; he expertly navigated the song’s solo section, leading the band to a thrilling peak.
Next came the relatively new “Everything’s Right,” which contained a solid type-two jam. Another classic, “Guelah Papyrus,” followed, making its first appearance since August 10, 2018 in Raleigh, N.C. (a 39-show gap). “Sparkle,” another old tune, came next, as the set began to feel like something out of 1994. The beautiful “Roggae” allowed the band to explore some delicate timbres during the improvisation, before building to a climax. “46 Days,” making its fourth appearance of the summer 2019 tour, closes the set in thrilling, energetic fashion.
“Blaze On” opened up the second set, and the song quickly turned to a type-two jam. The band explored different key centers before arriving in E-flat. Anastasio dropped a quick tease of the “NICU” guitar line, before leading the band into the actual song “NICU.” After this short break in improvising, Phish opted for a sequence of “Golden Age” > “Ruby Waves” > “Death Don’t Hurt Very Long” that felt almost like one long jam. In particularly, “Ruby Waves” contained some excellent exploration before shifting to the beloved Kasvot Växt tune. Out of “Death Don’t Hurt Very Long,” the band chose “Rift,” a song more often seen in the first set. (In fact, the previous 20 versions appeared in the first set.) The somewhat difficult composition caused no trouble for the band.
Next came the Phish debut of “Beneath a Sea of Stars Part 1,” from Anastasio's recent Ghosts of the Forest project. The song was split into three parts during the Ghosts of the Forest performances; it will be interesting to see how Phish implements the rest of the composition going forward. “Waiting All Night,” debuted at Phish’s 2013 Halloween concert, continued the cool-down portion of the set, before Anastasio dropped into to the opening of “Ghost.” The fan-favorite brought the energy back to the room, and that energy was built on as the “Ghost” jam shifted to “Say it to Me S.A.N.T.O.S.” to close the set. “You Enjoy Myself” was, of course, a welcome choice for the encore, and the jam section featured some quality guitar work from Anastasio, along with a moment during Mike Gordon's bass solo when the frontman took off his guitar to dance along with the groove. The a capella tune “Grind” then brought the night to a close.
Check out the full setlist below as it appears in our Box Scores section, along with fan-shot video of the "YEM" encore and pro-shot footage of each set opener via LivePhish's stream of the show. Phish return to the BB&T Pavilion stage tonight to close out the weekend with round three.
Phish
BB&T Pavilion Camden, NJ
Set I: Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, Divided Sky, Everything’s Right > Guelah Papyrus > Sparkle > Roggae > 46 Days
Set II: Blaze On > NICU > Golden Age > Ruby Waves > Death Don’t Hurt Very Long, Rift, Beneath a Sea of Stars Part 1*, Waiting All Night, Ghost > Say it to Me S.A.N.T.O.S.
Enc: You Enjoy Myself, Grind
Notes: *Phish debut
Source: Phish.net
