Photo Credits: Scott Harris @languagestrange

After falling short to really give Great Woods a proper showing since returning in 2009, Phish opened last night’s summer tour with finally something the local crowd can go home smiling about. 

Here’s a quick run down of the highlights from last nights show. 

SET I: Stealing Time, Fuego, Back on the Train, Halfway to the Moon, The Wedge, 555, Stash, Bouncing Around The Room, Birds of a Feather, Wingsuit

• First set contained a smattering of new songs off of Fuego. Most likely so they can feel them out now that they’ve gotten the studio treatment. Nothing crazy to point out here jam wise, other then “Wingsuit” is worth a return listen as they built a nice climatic jam out of this otherwise chill tune. Will be interesting to see if they stretch this one further as the tour carries on.

• Stash is a must hear version that took a turn to bliss city only to soon find it’s return to the dark, climatic depths that the song is known for. Highlight not only of set but entire show. Simply love Page's piano riff that seems to have driven the band towards this blisful point in the jam. There is also a Munster's Theme tease, which hasn't been utilized since the '94 era. Simply great version, as short as it was. 

• All other classic tracks in first set from The Wedge, GBOTT, Birds all were played with some extra sauce adding to a very energetic first set

I’m sure some folks were jaded by all the new songs in that first set but I for one was happy to hear them, especially in the first and not the second as they definitely need to spread their wings a bit. 

Set II: MIke's Song > Simple > Free, Waiting All Night, Ghost > Weekapaug, Harry Hood, Cavern  E: Julius

• Mike’s groove dominated the second set with only Hood and Cavern played outside the classic jam vehicle

• Free out of Simple was well positioned and highly entertaining with some serious Gordon bass bombs

• Waiting All Night was only new song played in the second set and unfortunately it was poorly placed and the otherwise great studio track didn’t quite translate last night, at least where it was placed

• But this blip was easily faded out by the fading in of Ghost. On it’s own, this Ghost is nothing to write home about. Definitely some energy and blissful jamming along with a DEG tease but how it oozed right in to the Weekapaug is what really sticks out with this version.

• This ‘Paug got down and dirty very quickly with plinko funk bouncing off of the thick new england summer air

• A little break and then the Hood. Oh boy, what a treat. This Hood didn’t spend much time messing around. It got right down to business and immediately left the normal Hood slow jam cadence and got into a quality groove. This went through several layers with one of my favorites being about 10 to 11 minutes in with Fishman rocking the drumming kit like an African tribesmen with Trey sprinkling his plinko effects all over the place. And I swear that there's a Guy Forget tease from Trey just after the 12 minute mark where he starts this little funk groove. Go listen to one of the only true versions of this song played live from Desert Sky 2000 and tell me I'm not crazy. Page's grand piano takes over at some point where they began turning the tide back towards the Hood rock out that was similar to what he was doing during the end of the Tahoe Tweezer that ultimately led to the Woos. The way they get back in to the Hood climax is fantastic. A decent home recording was taken below of most of this version but all of the jam.

• The Cavern closer made sense given the way the second half of the second set was going. Tons of engery so what better way to keep it going then Cavern
• Julius encore wasn't quite my thing but I wasn't going to complain much

All in all, great tour opener. No real major rust that needed polishing off so if this is what we are working off of for the remainder of the tour, look out America.