On Tuesday, October 19th, Phish kicked off the first of two nights in the college town of Eugene, Oregon at the Matthew Knight Arena. The show marked the fourth stop in the band’s short West Coast jaunt leading up to their big Halloween run in Las Vegas. With these Oregon shows being among the many that were rescheduled from over a year ago due to the pandemic, there was a palpable sense of anticipation as hordes of fans made their way into the basketball arena.
If you have a song that references disease – or the prevention thereof – in some way, you might as well open with it. “Down With Disease” isn’t a common show opener but that is exactly what Phish did as Mike Gordon fired off the song’s signature rumbling bass hook. What ensued was a twenty-five-minute jam that would prove to be a top standout of the whole night as the band leaned into a darker funk jam that seemingly alluded to the spooky holiday coming up, complete with Page McConnell’s creepy crawly synths alongside Trey Anastasio’s thick wah wah tones. Jon Fishman’s drumming was intense and methodical throughout, pushing the band towards greatness as they swayed into a version of “Runaway Jim” that found Anastasio ripping the high notes before ultimately keeping it short.
“Ocelot” was enjoyable with a little bit of stretching out, but also felt like the band’s way of saying, “You sir, should go grab a beer now,” and the combination of “Rift,” “Horn” and “Ya Mar” was filled with jolly pleasantries but was definitely a lull in the set. All was well in the Phish universe as the band unloaded a twenty-minute “Stash” shining with a wild tango jam that gave way to no-frills rock and roll fervor. Before bringing the first set to a close, Anastasio – perhaps surprisingly for the many fans who weren’t sure there would be a band response – addressed the tragic events that took place at their previous show in San Francisco. Emotional as he called out names of people involved in the incidents, he closed with “we love you, please be safe” before McConnell offered a solemn yet hopeful piano introduction to the prog-meets-classical orchestration of “Walls of the Cave,” which stretched passed the eleven minute mark and shelled out lyrics that resonated after the speech.
Following a few big standouts in set one, the band returned for a second set with a few surprises up their sleeves. Straightforward but satisfying, “Twist” got the party started again with the real star of this tune being Chris Kuroda and his otherworldly light rig that resembled a robotic creature from The Matrix. This was fitting as the band pushed the song into deep space with a funkotronic robot jam. From there the band veered into a handful of newer songs starting with “Blaze On,” which was bouncy, fun and dance-inducing before unexpectedly morphing into a sneaky trance groove and seamlessly segueing into a version of “Plasma” (an odd choice considering it was played just a couple shows earlier) that crept along with subtle jamming, only to glide into “Leaves,” another show highlight that featured complex pop vocal interplay from McConnell and Anastasio complemented by cinematic piano playing and soaring guitar rock.
All of these moments culminated in the tour debut of the dark indie rocker “I Never Left Home” leading into the playful carnival vibes of “Sparkle” before a massive “2001” brimming with disco trance funk goodness. This tune also showcased some of the finest lighting work of the evening, with Kuroda throwing an array of tones and colors across the arena and the massive rig glittering like a slot machine above the band. Those looking for classic Phish during the second set may have been slightly disappointed, but the closer of “Sigma Oasis” displayed the kind of arena rock triumph that would convert even the most cynical of fans to the band’s newer material.
Keeping with the second set trend towards newer material, the band closed with the Ghosts of the Forest song “Drift While You’re Sleeping,” a multi-tiered composition that switched gears from prog to feel-good reggae to a full-hearted message of hope and resilience that closed the show on a high and seemed to be a final statement on recent events. Regardless of the stormy weather that comes their way, Tuesday’s show in Eugene signaled that Phish and their community will continue to blaze on.
Setlist:
Set Two: Down with Disease -> Runaway Jim, Ocelot, Rift, Horn > Ya Mar, Stash, Walls of the Cave
Set One: Twist, Blaze On -> Plasma > Leaves > I Never Left Home, Sparkle > 2001 > Sigma Oasis
Encore: Drift While You’re Sleeping
All photos by Greg Homolka
