Phish in Portsmouth: Setlist & Recap

Phish Summer Tour continued tonight at the cozy nTelos Pavilion in Portsmouth, VA for the fourth stop of the first leg, where the band showed they are still willing to take requests. The quartet took the stage around 8 PM and immediately launched into Tube to placate “Casey” who had one hell of a Tube sign. After the first Kill Devil Falls of ’10 that wasn’t performed for a late night TV audience, Phish treated fans to the earliest placement of Slave to the Traffic Light in 15 years.

[via @phunkytube]

The first set also included a cover bust out in the form of Tom Waits’ Cold Water. Guitarist Trey Anastasio handled vocals for the tune off 1999’s Mule Variations. Phish hasn’t covered Tom Waits in the past, though Trey did perform House Where Nobody Lives from the same album with David Byrne for the Tibet House benefit at Carnegie Hall in 2000.

06/15/2010 nTelos Pavilion

Set 1: Tube, Kill Devil Falls, Slave to the Traffic Light, Lawn Boy, Poor Heart, AC/DC Bag, The Moma Dance > My Friend, My Friend, Cold Water[1], Bathtub Gin, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan

Set 2: Wilson > Seven Below > 46 Days > Idea[2], Also Sprach Zarathustra > Simple > Joy, Taste, Theme From the Bottom, A Day in the Life

Encore: Heavy Things, First Tube

[1] Phish debut.
[2] Debut.

This show marked the Phish debut of Cold Water and the debut of Idea.

[Setlist via Phish.net]

Set Two started off with Wilson followed by a pair of Round Room tunes – Seven Below and 46 Days. While Seven Below was kept short, 46 Days went off on a few different tangents. Idea, a new composition by bassist Mike Gordon, marked the first original debut that was completely new to the fanbase. A funky number accentuated by Page McConnell’s clav work, Idea has that signature Mike Gordon sound and quirky lyrics.

• Summer Tour: Chicago, Cuyahoga Falls, Hershey

The rest of the second set featured fan favorites Also Sprach Zarathrustra (2001), Simple and Theme From The Bottom as well as a tender Joy, a butchered Taste and a near-perfect cover of The Beatles’ A Day In The Day. A double encore consisting of two TAB Trio tunes – Heavy Things and First Tube – closed things out at the sold-out venue. Phish returns to the Northeast on Thursday for the next show of the tour at the Comcast Theatre in Hartford.