Spafford concluded the year with a two-night stand at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco that ended on New Year’s Eve. The quartet dusted off a handful of covers as well as a pair of originals over the course of their NYE concert.
The Arizona-based band opened the evening with a rendition of The Allman Brothers Band classic “Midnight Rider” that featured a debut cover of Nelly’s “Hot In Herre” within. Spafford then followed their own “Windmill” with a take on Oasis’ “Champagne Supernova,” which marked the group’s first performance of the 1995 hit since August 15, 2015 as per Spaffnerds. Another bust out followed as the band dusted off Sly & The Family Stone’s “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” after exactly five years on the shelf before “Dirtbath” closed out the frame.
Spafford gave “Wolfman’s Brother” a call to kick off set two. The band last covered the tune from Phish’s Hoist LP way back on September 30, 2016 — though they did fake out fans by performing the start of the song on December 30 at the Great American Music Hall. Next up was a lengthy “Electric Taco Stand” sandwich that came complete with a countdown to the end of 2019 and start of 2020, the traditional “Auld Lang Syne,” the first “Aliens” since last year’s New Year’s Eve show and a cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Franklin’s Tower.” Spafford hadn’t performed “Franklin’s” in over seven years. The band then ended the set by pairing “Doghouse” and “Part II” before capping the evening with an encore featuring originals “The Reprise” and “Runaway.” The latter had gone missing from setlists since Spafford’s New Year’s Eve show in 2014.
Watch fan-shot video of Spafford’s first set via Spaffnerds below:
Setlist (via Spaffnerds)
Set One: Midnight Rider > Hot In Herre > Midnight Rider, Windmill, Champagne Supernova, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) > Dirtbath
Set Two: Wolfman’s Brother, Electric Taco Stand > Aliens > Auld Lang Syne > Franklin’s Tower > Electric Taco Stand, Doghouse > Part II
Encore: The Reprise, Runaway
