On a night where jams were promised, jams were delivered. The complaint ‘Phish doesn’t jam anymore’ is now an antiquated phrase reserved for jaded vets and those looking for a reason to justify not attending a show. On Honey Dipped Jam-Filled Donut night, Phish’s Baker’s Dozen shifted into high gear starting the show with a 5 song first set with no song shorter than 10 minutes. By the time the show was over, the band had two 30 minute jams under their belt, as well as the debut of “End of Session” from 1998’s Story of the Ghost. The fourth night marked the best of the run, with nine nights still to go.
Starting for the fourth show in a row with an ‘S’ song, the normally simple “Sample in a Jar” topped out at 10 minutes, far longer than usual. It was when “Lawn Boy” started that fans were in for a treat among treats, and 29:59 later, after enormous blissful jamming that began when Page stood up to get his keytar, everyone knew they’d gotten something far out of the ordinary. Repeated listens will be required to fully absorb what Phish threw into this jam filled “Lawn Boy,” no, “Lawn Man.”
“My Friend, My Friend” and “Stash” both topped the 11-minute mark with stronger than normal Type I jams that kept the set flowing. “Bathtub Gin” followed suit, and despite these last three songs having as much punch as any first set jam this run, “Lawn Boy” slightly overshadowed the others, more for the factor of jamming “Lawn Boy” among all the other songs in their repertoire.
The second set started with “Fuego” clocking in at close to 20 minutes, followed by “Thread” which debuted in Chicago as a unique prog-rock number but also provided a bridge between jam vehicles, as “Crosseyed and Painless” provided an additional dose of jam that was promised. The Talking Heads cover veered into the usual improvisation and picked up speed as it dipped into a “2001” prelude that shifted gears and instead continued the “Crosseyed” jam in a third, or even fourth altogether different section.
“Makisupa Policeman” with nods to Page and Mike from Trey and the jam out of Makisupa melted into “End of Session,” which debuted to the delight of the few who recalled the final track on Story of the Ghost, an ambient composition on many fans bucketlists. The set was capped by “Tuesday” and “Cavern” and fans picking up the jaws that were dropped in the 33 minute “Crosseyed.”
To end the show, “Julius” came out rocking and segued into the ending of “Lawn Boy” to the intense delight of fans who saw the show come full circle, heading into Powdered donut night.
Setlist via Phish.net
Set 1: Sample in a Jar, Lawn Boy[1] > My Friend, My Friend[2] > Stash, Bathtub Gin
Set 2: Fuego > Thread > Crosseyed and Painless > Makisupa Policeman -> End of Session[3] > Tuesday > Cavern
Encore: Julius > Lawn Boy
[1] Page on keytar.
[2] No “Myfe” ending.
[3] Debut
Comments are closed.