"Prince Caspian" opened for just the fourth time in the song's 20 year history. A delay loop from guitarist Trey Anastasio was droned to connect "Caspian" and "No Men In No Man's Land." The recently debuted Anastasio/Marshall rocker saw Anastasio make ample use of a MuTron effect, one of the new additions to his rig this summer. While typically a second set song, "Ghost" popped up in the the first set on Friday. Unlike most of the other first set "Ghosts" the quartet wasn't afraid to wade into adventurous waters in Georgia. Phish explored a few different jam spaces during the Atlanta "Ghost" before Trey led a build to a blissful, major key peak. Setlist staples "The Wedge" and "The Moma Dance" led into the second-ever Phish rendition of Mike Gordon and Scott Murawski's "How Many People Are You?" Another song usually played in the second set, "Mike's Song," came next. Anastasio told the crowd "we'd like to pick up the tempo now" before commencing the traditional "Mike's Song" > "I Am Hydrogen" > "Weekapaug Groove" song suite. The quartet toyed with the tempo at the start of "Mike's" in response to what Trey had said.
Phish kicked off the second set with an exploratory "Kill Devil Falls." A rare Type II "Kill Devil Falls" contained more MuTron antics from Trey, barrelhouse-style piano rolls from keyboardist Page McConnell, synth'd out bass bombs from Gordon all while propelled by drummer Jon Fishman. The band patiently worked through multiple movements over the course of 18 strong minutes of improvisation when they settled in on an anthemic groove that they worked to a rolling boil. An instant classic "Kill Devil Falls" had a dirty peak reminicent of "Tweezer Reprise." Well past the 20 minute mark Phish made the move towards Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House raveup "Martian Monster." Anastasio and Gordon wrapped arms around each other and strummed the other's instruments in "Martian Monster" just as they did during the "You Enjoy Myself" at The Forum. The Forum YEM-like rotation theatrics continued with Trey moving over to keyboard world to engage in similar theatrics with Page, while Fishman showed off his bass skills and Gordon headed to the drums to be joined by Anastasio.
Eventually the members of Phish returned to their natural instruments to end "Martian Monster" and begin "Twist." Once again the band transitioned into a pretty major key and connected on a beautiful progression. Both the "Kill Devil Falls" and "Twist" stood out on a night filled with highlights. The seamless second set continued with an unhurried "Reba" and a "Bathtub Gin" which featured Trey whistling a la "Reba" in its intro. "Bathtub" and "Reba" are usually found in the first set and each were taken the extra mile in Atlanta's six-song second set. In fact "Bathtub Gin" hadn't ended a second set since way back on September 14, 1989. For the encore, Phish said farewell for the night with "Farmhouse" and "Character Zero."
Phish returns to Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood on Saturday night.
Setlist...
[via Phish.net]
- Venue Type: Outdoor Amphitheater / 19,000
- Previous Shows at Venue: 9 Shows – 06/15/1995, 07/23/1997, 08/06/1998, 07/03/1999, 07/04/1999, 06/23/2000, 06/24/2000, 07/26/2003 and 08/25/2012
- Number Of Songs / Length – First Set: 10 / 7:42 p.m. - 8:59 p.m. (77 Minutes)
- Number Of Songs / Length – Second Set & Encore: 8 / 9:30 p.m. - 10:59 p.m. (89 Minutes)
- Total Number of Songs / Covers / Originals: 18 / 0 / 18
- Biggest Bustout: I Am Hydrogen
- Average Song Vintage: 1997
- Debuts: N/A
- Tour Debuts: Prince Caspian, I Am Hydrogen
- Weather: 83°F and Mostly Cloudy at showtime
- Average Song Gap: 5.33
- The Spread: Lawn Boy - 2, Rift - 2, Billy Breathes - 1, Story Of The Ghost - 2, Farmhouse - 3, Joy - 1, Misc. - 6
- Longest LivePhish Track / Shortest LivePhish Track: Kill Devil Falls 23:46 / I Am Hydrogen 2:46
- Audio: Live Phish
Phish From The Road Photos...
July 31, 2015. Atlanta. ?? by Dave Vann #phish
A photo posted by phishfromtheroad (@phishfromtheroad) on
July 31, 2015. Atlanta. ?? by Dave Vann #phish
A photo posted by phishfromtheroad (@phishfromtheroad) on
July 31, 2015. Atlanta. ?? by Dave Vann #phish
A photo posted by phishfromtheroad (@phishfromtheroad) on
Poster
