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The selection stayed on the watery theme (the lyrics to “Axilla” lyrics reference a pool, which is arguably on theme as well, but not as direct as “the ocean is love”), but this version of “Soul Planet” will be remembered for the barreling, exploratory jam that immediately left the song’s usual atmosphere and embarked into the great unknown. Without delay, Trey dropped into the opening melody of “Soul Planet”. The song was its usual, energetic self-with more nods to summer aquatic activities-and kicked off the set on solid footing before dipping into its pulsing “don’t shine that thing in my face, man” outro. Some 30 minutes later, the band returned to the stage and opened another set with a high-energy rocker, this time “Axilla, Part II”. The classic sing-along, though undoubtedly dotted with flubs, served as a wonderful punctuation for a mind-bending, first-set “Sigma” jam. The band left fans vibrating with love and light through set break with the upbeat Big Boat rocker “More”, catapulting from the verses into a bright jam powered by Page on the piano and Trey’s melodic guitar solo. From psychedelic space to a full-fledged Mike Gordon funk fest, the expedition covered ample ground before rolling into Talking Heads‘ “Cities”. The “Sigma Oasis” jam stretched to 22 minutes in total as the band emerged from a spacey section and accelerated the tempo. The song took off into one of the standout jams of the show, Trey leading the way with a soaring solo before Page switched to electric piano and plunged into darker waters en route to some serene, blissful sea breeze. The song was one of the slower selections in the set, but its optimistic themes suited the mood well. The title track of Phish’s 2020 album Sigma Oasis followed, presumably chosen for its beachy lyrics that talk about sandcastle-guarding alone on the beach. Though it mostly stayed in the lines, the song and its subsequent jam were well placed in this exciting first frame. Phish then looped into a longer-than-usual take on funky favorite “Back On The Train” from there, keeping the energy high in Atlantic City. This version was well played, keeping with the watery theme of the evening performance as the group sang of swimming from the bottom, from the top. As “Plasma” concluded, Fish tapped out the opening beat to lead the group into “Theme From the Bottom”. Again, Phish took the opportunity to stretch out in the first set, noodling over the song’s shuffling progression for an upbeat jam that eventually explored some darker motifs.
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Eventually, the quartet locked into a pentatonic blues jam that ushered them back into the riff to end the song.Ī post shared by phishfromtheroad set continued with the second Trey Anastasio Band-native song in a row, “Plasma”. Drummer Jon Fishman was in fine form throughout the session, driving the rhythm as his bandmates explored around him. Of course, this shorefront “Sand” was destined to go the distance as Phish dug in for a deep jam that wound through minor key and major key segments, dark and light themes. Next up was the obvious “Sand”, an on-the-nose homage to the terrain beneath fans’ feet. A great one-two punch to get the weekend started. The call-and-response “Wilson” intro brought Phish into the rocker, blap boom, as the crowd danced along gleefully. Within the rocking jam Trey strummed the opening power chords of “Wilson”, though fans were momentarily uncertain whether it was still the “CDT” jam or actually a shift into “Wilson”. As the momentum continued to build, it was Page McConnell on the Yamaha grand who carried the jam from the groovy, rhythmic session to a harder, rock and roll sound. The show started emphatically with a short but sweet burst of “Chalk Dust Torture” as Trey took the lead with a bluesy solo that kept the energy high. The Vermont jam band returned to the Atlantic City Beach on Friday for its first of three shows, playing to thousands of smiling fans who flocked to the sandy shoreline venue. For the second summer in a row, Trey Anastasio, Jon Fishman, Mike Gordon, and Page McConnell put their makeup on, fixed their hair up pretty, and met us last night in Atlantic City to kick off a weekend of Phish on the beach.