July 4, 2010

For the last show of Phish Summer Tour 2010 – Leg One, the quartet delivered a performance that featured a lit bit of everything that has made the run so good. There were bust outs, random covers and even a few intense bouts of improvisation at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Encore Park in Alpharetta, GA that put a proverbial bow around this gift of a tour.

Phish opened the show by paying tribute to America on the Fourth of July with an a Capella Star Spangled Banner. The band then took a trip to Gamehendge for a potent Punch You In The Eye and the rare Colonel Forbin’s Ascent > Fly Famous Mockingbird. As with last year’s Forbin’s > Mockingbird in Hartford there was no narration to be found, but by the end of the concert a narration would come. Other first set highlights included the funky Camel Walk and ripping versions of David Bowie and Gotta Jibboo.

07/04/2010 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park

Set 1: The Star Spangled Banner, Punch You In the Eye, Colonel Forbin’s Ascent > Fly Famous Mockingbird, Camel Walk, Ocelot, Heavy Things, My Friend, My Friend > Lawn Boy, David Bowie, Gotta Jibboo

Set 2: Down with Disease > Piper > Ghost > Waste, Julius > Mike’s Song > Tela, Harpua > Killing in the Name[1] > Harpua > Weekapaug Groove

Encore: First Tube

[1] Phish debut.

This show marked the Phish debut of Killing in the Name (Rage Against the Machine).

In a tour filled with dream setlists, the second set of the tour closer could just be the most insane sequence of songs Phish has thrown down this summer. The Disease > Piper > Ghost segment that opened the set was the meat of the show improvisationally. Although a rollicking Disease jam was cut short by Anastasio, Piper and Ghost each featured patient exploration. Waste and Julius were a mirage to lull attendees into a sense of standardness before the combination of Mike’s Song > Tela kicked off an epic end to the show.

READ ON for more on last night’s Phish Summer Tour closer…