13 Years Ago: Phish Performs Atop The Ed Sullivan Theater Marquee June 21, 2017 14:53
Today we are looking back on one of the most unique performances we can recall, which was also 13 years ago to the day. On June 21st (2004), Phish played on top of the Ed Sullivan Theater's second-floor marquee at West 53rd Street and Broadway. This performance came just four weeks after frontman Trey Anastasio had announced that the band would be breaking up permanently following the now infamous Coventry shows. The soundcheck earlier that day included an instrumental jam similar to "Quantegy." The first "Scents and Subtle Sounds" was taped for The Late Show with David Letterman and aired that night. Then Phish waited as Paul Shaffer and his band (from inside the theater) played an instrumental version of "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down." The remainder of Phish's performance was for the benefit of a few hundred fans assembled on the sidewalk across the street. Neither version of "Scents" contained the intro. This version of 2001 contained only one “verse.”
Setlist: Scents and Subtle Sounds[1], Scents and Subtle Sounds[1], Also Sprach Zarathustra, Wilson > Chalk Dust Torture > Tweezer > Tweezer Reprise
Watch pro-shot footage of the entire performance here: