Night 2 back in the States after a crazy European summer. This show ranks high on my 1.0 FOMO due to the legendary thunderstorm that super powered the band toward the end of Set 1. In addition to obvious highlights, this show features some hidden gems and a few of my favorite lightweight tunes. Listening to this show right after 7/21, it’s obvious the band is primed to prove itself upon returning to America.

Setlist Thoughts
- Runaway Jim gets the crowd up and at em right off the bat with some clapalong energy in the first solo section. The second solo slowly evolves into a swung groove that bleeds expertly into a sweet My Soul (the band syncs up on the key change perfectly).
- Water in the Sky has yet to take its upbeat, soaring form, but this is a great cooldown song. Maybe a bit early in the set for this energy level, but I have to imagine the weather had a hand in the song choice. Page runs up and down the board with a relaxed hand.
- Stash brings back the energy with a fairly stock standard version. Great solo section with some cool rhythmic deviations from the band.
- Bouncing is straightforward as ever, but lends a familiar grounds for treading into the third US debut of the night with Vultures (My Soul and Water in the Sky also new to the homeland). Fishman is a beast on the kit here and implements some really awesome use of the cymbals and floor toms, emulating the thunderstorm that is churning above. A quick crack of thunder can be heard shortly after this one.
- Bye Bye Foot (4th US debut) has some of the best lyrics of any Phish song ever, imo. Trey makes Fishman chuckle with an obvious Mother tease in his solo.
- The greatest Taste of all time. Super powered by the storm, Page and Trey are absolutely ridiculous in their solos. Fishman shows up with the drums big time.
- DwD stays in a somewhat aimless Type I state for a while before things slowly start to devolve. Trey calls back the same Route 1 riffing he played the night before. By the end we land in a funky, slow jam that Trey takes into Mike’s song.
- Pretty awesome Mike’s Groove featuring a lot of Mike in the early jam. Trey sets up a looming and ominous ascending riff toward the end of Mike’s, where Fishman brings us back down to a slower—though energetic—groove. -> Simple is fun and contained. We land in a spacey ethereal finish here, which leads to a slightly rocky Hydrogen, and then -> Weekapaug. Weekapaug is a fun if straightforward jam with some nice Can’t You Hear Me Knocking teases from Trey. Instead of taking off with this (3/1/97 style), the band lets the jam fizzle out before closing Set 2 with Hello My Baby.
- Circus (5th US Debut) > Hood encore is pretty par for the course. Reggae section of Hood is drawn out and very playful