Phish Kicks Off Summer Tour With Major Bust Outs June 23, 2016 01:09

Phish kicked off it's highly anticipated summer tour at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota on Wednesday night, and they wasted no time busting out an impressive new light display and some very rare material.  The tour opener came in the form of "Pigtail," a Trey Anastasio Band original, before "Wolfman's Brother" carried the rowdy crowd into a familiar groove.  Next up was another bust out, "Daniel Saw The Stone," the more spiritual, upbeat bluegrass tune.  "The Dogs" and "Undermind" would follow, before the evening's biggest bust out came in the form of The Beatles' "Dear Prudence," which hadn't been played since it's debut at the band's Halloween show in 1994 (796 shows).  Then came "Stash," which led us to "Round Room," yet another bust out.  "Horn," "Uncle Pen," "Halfway To The Moon," and the always mesmerizing "Walls Of The Cave" would close out the first set.

The band kicked off the second set in classic Phish fashion; diving straight into "Mike's Song" > "I Am Hydrogen" > "Weekapaug Groove".  A beautiful take on "Bouncing Round The Room" was next, and "Ghost" > "The Line" wasn't far behind.  We even got a "Little Drummer Boy" tease from Trey Anastasio (guitar/vocals) during "Ghost"  "Simple," one of the evening's bigger jams, would ultimately lead into The Velvet's Underground's "I Found A Reason," and you guessed it...another bust out.  This one hadn't been touched since Phish's 1998 Halloween show (493 shows).  One of the most familiar jams of 2015, "No Men In No Man's Land," was up next and continued to prove it's worth as a vehicle for improvisation.  "Billy Breathes" brought about yet another bust out and easily one of the band's most underrated tunes.  A solid take on "Bathtub Gin" would ultimately bring the set to a close.

"Water In The Sky" made it's first appearance since last July in Austin, but this time with the slower pace that many were accustomed to in the late 90's.  The always explosive "Character Zero" would follow, sending the packed house in St. Paul into an all out frenzy.  It certainly appears as if Phish is gearing up for another magical summer.

Phish continues their summer tour this weekend with two nights at Wrigley Field in Chicago, followed by what's sure to be a monster Sunday show at Klipsch Music Center (Deer Creek) in Noblesville, Indiana.  Stay tuned for future updates from Live & Listen. 

Click Here: Details for HD Webcasts from Wrigley Field

 Watch a clip from "Weekapaug Groove" here:

Setlist: Phish at Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN - 6/22/16

Set 1: Pigtail, Wolfman's Brother, Daniel Saw the Stone, The Dogs, Undermind, Dear Prudence, Stash, Round Room, Horn, Uncle Pen, Halfway To The Moon, Walls Of The Cave

Set 2: Mike's Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, Bouncing Around The Room, Ghost > The Line, Simple > I Found A Reason, No Men In No Man's Land, Billy Breathes, Bathtub Gin

Encore: Water In The Sky, Character Zero

Notes: This show featured multiple bustouts: Pigtail (last played December 28, 2010, or 195 shows), Daniel Saw the Stone (last played June 30, 2012, or 140 shows), Dear Prudence (last played October 31, 1994, or 796 shows), Round Room (last played January 1, 2011, or 192 shows), Uncle Pen (last played August 31, 2012, or 123 shows), and I Found A Reason (last played October 31, 1998, or 493 shows). Trey teased The Little Drummer Boy in Ghost. Page teased Magilla in Simple.

Setlist and notes via Phish.net