“This place is like a zoo … a f--king family zoo.”
While the sobriety level of the above-quoted person found roaming around an overly hot dirt parking lot at Hershey Park Sunday might come into question, one thing is evidently clear: The tie-dye-wearing, patchouli-smelling, free-loving family was out in full force.
For thousands of other families, a Sunday at Hershey Park meant waiting through long lines, buying overpriced souvenirs and paying a ridiculous amount to park a car. But for 15,000 “brothers and sisters,” Sunday night was a bit of a family reunion: their patriarchs, Phish, were back in their normal environment, in the midst of a summer tour.
With Sunday being the third stop of the tour, expectations were in full effect for an energized show, and the first set wasted little time in serving it up in the form of an upbeat “Gotta Jibboo,” which segued into a blistering “Chalkdust Torture,” complete with some fiery guitar shredding from Trey Anastasio. A decent amount of Hershey’s setlist could be viewed as somewhat “mainstream” — keeping in mind there are no mainstream Phish songs — with almost half the cuts being more recognizable numbers. For longtime fans, there were plenty of other lesser-known highlights, including a scorching run through the prog-rock epic “Fluffhead.”
Early in the set, it was easy to see the band was in high spirits, but Mike Gordon soon proved to be the driving force of the night with his signature low-end bass guitar sound and slap-pop stylings leading the quartet into tight, exploratory jams. Gordon’s vocals also sounded crisper than in recent years, notably during a stoic take on Son Seals’ “Funky Bitch.”
Following a nice trio of the early hit “Runaway Jim,” “NICU” and “Horn,” the band ended the first set with a short but concise “Bouncing Around the Room,” a brilliant “Sparkle” and a slightly different reworking of the crowd favorite “Split Open and Melt.”
Coming back from the set break, Phish jumped into its more experimental side with a straight-ahead take on the chestnut “Drowned” from The Who’s rock opera “Quadrophenia.” The song set the pace for the ferociousness of the second set, which included a perfect segue into the always-enjoyable “Tweezer.” With most of the show taking from Phish’ ’80s and ’90s catalogues, by the next cut, a tight “Twist” from 2000’s ‘Farmhouse,” it was clear to see the band wanted to give fans a taste of all of its albums — but it was the older material that ultimately took control of the night.
With some leadership from Gordon, “Piper” beautifully ran into a funky version of “Free,” which showcased drummer Jon Fishman’s tight grooves. “Wading in the Velvet Sea” brought some much-deserved attention to keyboardist Page McConnell, who was mostly quiet throughout earlier proceedings. Judging from the sound of the second set, and watching the prior two nights setlists, it was almost understood there was going to be some inclusion of the epic crowd favorite “You Enjoy Myself.” True to form, the band put in an exploratory 18-minute version, complete with some funky jamming, the legendary trampoline jumping of Anastasio and Gordon — something everyone needs to see — and a spacey vocal jam which also brought on one of the best light shows of the evening.
Coming back for the encore, the band surprised everyone in attendance by playing “Bold as Love” by Jimi Hendrix for only the fourth time since 2000. It’s funny to realize the track is actually a beautifully written love song while watching a band performing it in front of a collage on psychedelic lighting, but this is why Phish has become one of the most beloved leaders of the jam-band scene.
For a band that’s broken up multiple times in the past decade, Phish is a band who breathes new life into the music whenever it reconvenes. If Sunday’s show, or any show of the summer tour, is any indication, this is definitely an outing you won’t want to miss.
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