On Sunday night, Phish returned to Rosemont, IL for their third night at Allstate Arena—the final show before their tour-closing four-night Halloween run in Las Vegas this coming week. The show was an interesting one, particularly considering the contrast between its two sets: The first frame saw the band deliver plenty of exciting moments though never quite found a flow, stopping for lengthy deliberations between virtually every song. For the second set, however, the band got their groove back, tying together the majority of the show’s second half with a series of well-executed segues, fan-favorite jams, and go-to covers.
The show got started with a strong “Everything’s Right”, the relatively new tune once again making a strong showing in its third appearance of the tour. The band wasted no time on this version, pushing head-on into a soaring major key jam behind some classic Trey Anastasio sustain. By 11 minutes in, the jam had picked up a rougher edge, blazing its way to a white-hot peak before settling back into the song’s main theme.
After a break to deliberate, the band revved their engines with an always welcome “Destiny Unbound”, which has become a relatively consistent once-or-twice-a-year member of the rotation in recent years after making just one appearance between 1991 and 2009.
A well-played but straightforward “Heavy Things” came next, followed by another long pause as the band discussed where to go next. They finally settled on “Miss You”, the first of several Big Boat songs to appear in the set. While the song doesn’t usually bring much in the way of jams, this rendition featured some well-played uplifting soloing from Anastasio as it gradually built in scope.
Yet another long pause began “Tube”, which broke through its usual boundaries for another thrilling extended reading, with Jon Fishman leading the charge with his complex yet air-tight backbeat. After some cocktail lounge-style Baker’s Dozen tones by Page McConnell, Fishman maintained his beat while the melodic direction shifted above him from down-and-dirty funk to floating-through-space ambiance. The vibe shifted into the darkness around the 8-minute mark before landing back in the song’s blues outro. After so long trapped in the confines of its composed structure, this funky gem has now been taken on extended rides on both its appearances this tour (including the heater on the tour’s opening night in Albany). Our “Tube” runneth over…
While the band could have built some momentum off this stellar “Tube” jam, they instead took another extended pause to discuss before moving into the 9th-ever rendition of “Petrichor”. The multi-part Big Boat composition did its thing as always—that is, sounding pretty but not being particularly exciting—before leading into, you guessed it, another long between-song break.
Another selection from Big Boat followed in the form of “I Always Wanted It This Way”, though this one packed a considerably stronger punch than the “Petrichor” that preceded it. The track brought its usual high-tech freak-out aesthetic to bear and then some, as Page worked the robotic textural squeaks and squawks underneath a subtly “Tweeprise”-like build to a white light peak by Trey. It appeared this would cap the up-and-down set, but the band opted to head to center stage for an acapella closer instead, counting their days on Earth for the first “Grind” since 2016 in Portland, ME.
While the first set was dotted with well-played versions of several songs with long breaks in between them, the second set flowed with intent and offered creative improvisation virtually every step of the way. A “Carini” opener got the set moving, complete with some “Haunted House” samples and more ghostly Baker’s Dozen-style tones from Page. At roughly the 10-minute mark, the improv shifted into eerily breezy space that finally bled seamlessly into the familiar reverb-laced keyboard intro of Led Zeppelin‘s “No Quarter”. While it usually stays relatively true to the original, this Phish foray into Led Zeppelin territory got a touch of the jam treatment, as Mike Gordon and Jon Fishman built up powerful syncopated tension that shifted into major keyspace, serving as the launchpad for some wailing Trey licks and chunky Page organ.
Yet another full segue took the band into the second cover of Talking Heads‘ “Cities” of the tour, highlighted by Fishman’s unrelenting work behind the kit. In turn, cities flowed into “Gotta Jibbo”, an upbeat reading that reached its climax behind blistering riffs from Trey before settling back to the song’s theme.
Phish – “No Quarter” [Led Zeppelin cover] -> “Cities” [Talking Heads cover]
[Video: Gregory Marcus]
Yet another segue brought “Twist” around, as Mike and Page led the jam into ominous territory. As the darker aesthetic of “Twist” began to shift toward the light, Trey signaled a smooth segue into “What’s The Use?”. A brilliant showing of dynamic mastery, the band brought the Siket Disc vamp down to virtually just a pulse before building it back up to its lofty climax and, finally, dropping right back into “Twist” to finish what they started. Out of a pool of extra added “woos,” the band moved straight into Trey Anastasio/Tom Marshall ballad “Shade”, which was revived after two years thanks to a fan request at Dick’s this past summer.
After a very brief pause—the first of the set—Phish jumped into a lake of oil with the first “Plasma” since the Dozen. From sparse funk to big builds to rocking peaks, this “Plasma” was thoroughly impressive, with each band member playing incredibly to craft an excellent fourth quarter jam that begs several relistens. From there, the band dove into “Character Zero” to bring the set to a close. With time for a longer encore—and some space to make a statement in their final song before their Halloween show—Phish brought Fluff to Rosemont with an immaculate “Fluffhead” encore.
Phish – “Fluffhead” [Ending]
[Video: Sham Aquino]
With that, the bulk of Phish’s strong 2018 fall tour is now in the books, and all roads now lead to Sin City for All Hallows’ Eve. The band is hitting its stride and playing with purpose, and while it’s still anyone’s guess as to what their costume will be, you can bet on some real fireworks and powerful musical pills when Phish comes to Las Vegas on Wednesday night. Catch you in the casino…
Setlist: Phish | Allstate Arena | Rosemont, IL | 10/28/18
Set One: Everything’s Right, Destiny Unbound, Heavy Things, Miss You, Tube, Petrichor, I Always Wanted It This Way, Grind
Set Two: Carini -> No Quarter -> Cities > Gotta Jibboo > Twist -> What’s the Use? > Twist > Shade, Plasma, Character Zero
Encore: Fluffhead
You can listen to a full soundboard recording of the show via LivePhish.
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