Review & setlist: Phish reminds us never to miss a Sunday show

Second sets are treated as a different species in the Phish universe, and on Sunday night the band proved why.

A review of a singular Phish show sometimes feels like reading a headline without reading the full article. It’s difficult, both for longtime fans of the band and for newcomers, to fully grasp without understanding its context — the shows directly before and after it and their respective setlists; Evolve, the band’s new studio album, and the songs off of it which have been polished in live shows for years now; the tour, the year, the venue.

These are all factors that contribute to the bigger picture of Phish, and can provide explanation for why a song or moment can feel unique. In many ways this is also paradoxical to what makes Phish truly great. They thrive off of sometimes completely ignoring the context of a song or chord progression in order to create experiences that may never be recreated. Returning to Xfinity Center — a shed that the band has made a summer stop off-and-on since 1992 — on Sunday night for the last of a three-show run, the Vermont four-piece proved why sometimes context matters, and sometimes it doesn’t at all.

“Free,” the riff-rocker opening track from 1996’s Billy Breathes was a familiar and welcome way to kick off the evening with bassist (and Sudbury native) Mike Gordon establishing his presence on the low end from the jump. “A Wave of Hope” was the first Evolve tune of the evening, although the song already has roots in the the band’s repertoire having originally been recorded and featured on guitarist Trey Anastasio’s 2020 solo release Lonely Trip. One of a prolific batch of songs crafted during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the chorus offers exactly what the title implies, repeating the mantra “this too shall pass” over a joyful mix of power chords. It was also the first of many tunes from the night that saw the band stretching beyond the song’s composition for Anastasio and keyboardist Page McConnell to weave in and out of solos.

The crowd understood the assignment on “Wilson,” chanting the song’s title back at the band as they powered through the organ-fueled arena rocker. As one of the group’s oldest and most beloved tunes, it provided an energetic first-set peak before the band found its way to “The Connection,” a song originally released on 2004’s Undermind and played live only six times in Phish’s history, most recently in 2019.

While Phish is often synonymous with extended, exploratory creations, “The Connection” offers the other perspective — a sweet, melody-driven pop song with a resonant hook. Originally recorded during a challenging time in the band’s history, the song’s beauty shines in its lyrical and compositional simplicity, and both Anastasio and McConnell embraced this energy perfectly in their respective solos, showing restraint and sophistication to let each note find its proper place.

“Thread” was another bust-out; after sitting in the vault for 123 shows, the band uncorked it and let it breathe, extending the jam into spaces that were at times chaotic and other times cohesively proggy. Fan favorite “Runaway Jim” gave way to “Life Saving Gun,” the final single off of Evolve which debuted almost exactly a year ago and has already cemented itself as a trusty vehicle for set-closing peaks.

Second sets are treated as a different species in the Phish universe, and on Sunday night the band proved why. “The Squirming Coil” morphed from piano ballad to a collection of tightly-composed movements before giving McConnell the stage for a solo outro on his grand piano. The contagious opening riff of “Tweezer” is always a harbinger that the band is headed to new frontiers. Gordon’s chunk-funk basslines provided a trusty foundation before the band moved beyond the structure of the song entirely — a move known amongst Phish faithful as a “Type II” jam.

As the band found footing with new motifs and chord structures, Anastasio and drummer Jon Fishman would weave in and out of focus, at times pushing the other into a new way of considering the groove and at other times getting caught in spells of doldrums. On most other nights, a 22-minute “Tweezer” would be the crown jewel of the evening, and it certainly had its high points, but it was eclipsed by what was to come.

“Scents and Subtle Sounds” was a true highlight of the night, taking one of Phish’s more lyrically-driven mid-tempo numbers, stripping it down to the basics in the solo section, and rebuilding it in precise and exciting fashion. One of the band’s superpowers is to be able to design a jam that doesn’t require that one definitive crescendo in order to enrapture the audience. Instead, the band found comfort within the tempo of the song and created something simmering, resonant, and authentically cogent.

The set only continued to trend upwards with “Crosseyed and Painless,” a Talking Heads cover with Fishman on the lead vocals. Often known as a springboard for funk-fueled weirdness, this rendition honored that tradition with McConnell lending different keyboard and synth textures over a smoldering wall of percussion. The song’s hot start only continues to grow, and with its evolution, the band only further gelled, amounting to the show’s energetic apex.

The David Byrne funk of “Crosseyed” eased itself into the set-closing “Slave to the Traffic Light,” a slow-boil Phish classic that gave Anastasio full control of the ship for a 10+-minute journey. The crowd’s unrelenting stamina in the July heat reflected an amazement for a truly memorable second set.

Returning to the quintessential Phish songbook, the band encored with the country stomper of “Possum” with Gordon taking lead vocal duties. The thumping blues progression left room for some cherry-on-top Anastasio solos before capping it off with “Tweezer Reprise,” which is perhaps the greatest way to end a Phish show (or maybe even any show, for that matter). Repurposing the riff that sent the second set into motion, the band used the song as a way to put its final stamp on the three-night run.

The first stint of their summer tour, some might have read into the context and believed that their Mansfield shows could be used to shake off any cobwebs or get rid of any jitters. Others might have translated the run as an opportunity to see a band at full energy with a clean slate for setlist options. But Phish once again proved that while context may contribute to the lore of the band, the music itself shines brightest when it abandons certain parameters, leading to moments of magic like the second set of Sunday’s show.

“Never miss a Sunday show” is a principle held by many Phish fans, but as long as the band remains confidently spontaneous, there will be can’t-miss moments at every stop along the way.

Setlist for Phish at Xfinity Center, Mansfield, July 21, 2024:

SET 1:

• Free
• A Wave of Hope
• Bathtub Gin
• Wilson
• The Connection
• Joy
• Runaway Jim
• Life Saving Gun

SET 2:

• The Squirming Coil
• Tweezer
• Scents and Subtle Sounds
• Twist
• Crosseyed and Painless
• Slave to the Traffic Light

ENCORE:

• Possum
• Tweezer Reprise