Show Review - Phish 7/19/24 Mansfield, MA

Phish kicked off their summer tour last night in Mansfield, MA, marking their first non-Mexico or Sphere show of 2024 and showing that the momentum built over those two runs has not faded over their three-month break.

Usually, a tour opener can be characterized by some hesitant playing from the band as they get back into the groove, some choppy setlisting, and lack of big jams – none of those things were present last night. The band feels like they’re in mid-tour form and are already making surprise setlist calls and opening up new avenues of improvisation.

There are few things more auspicious than a “Buried Alive” opener, always a sign that things are about to go down, and guitarist Trey Anastasio’s excited grin and bounce as drummer Jon Fishman kicked off the song showed us all that the band was overjoyed to be back playing in front of us.

As the opener wrapped up, “Character Zero” was not a song I expected to hear – even with the unique setlisting of the past few years, it has still largely stuck to its tried-and-true placement as a set closer. The last “Zero” to come in the two-slot was on November 4, 1998 – also coming after a “Buried Alive.”

This was no typical “Zero” either – Anastasio showed from the first moments of the show last night that big jams were absolutely on the table and could come in any song – while they never truly went Type II on “Zero,” there was some excellent Type 1.5 play with keyboardist Page McConnell’s bright Wurlitzer work boosting the laid-back rhythm guitar laid down by Anastasio.

“Hey Stranger,” the first Evolve track to make an appearance, showed its slinky grooves off as McConnell and Anastasio both took synthesizer solos of their own, dipping into murky effects but staying grounded within the song proper. The extended solo sections seemed to hint at some extended play with some brief “Tweezer Reprise”-ish riffing but Phish opted to continue firmly in “Hey Stranger.” Watch this song’s evolution as tour goes on – the jam potential is THERE.

Another setlist curveball came as bassist Mike Gordon fired up the intro to “Down with Disease,” giving us our first big jam of the tour across a very solid 17-minute runtime. Once again bucking the expectation of shorter songs and a “warmup set,” Anastasio confidently led the way into the jam with some bright soloing and very active interplay with McConnell’s piano, a trait also displayed at earlier 2024 shows.

Image via @peachesvermont on Twitter

McConnell made the switch to Fender Rhodes and laid down a thick bed of electric piano as Anastasio’s circular riffing began to float away from “Disease” very patiently. Lighting director Chris Kuroda, though not able to move the trusses at this venue, showed his excitement at being back at the controls with some dizzying displays and patterns, not even waiting for full darkness to go crazy.

The airy “Disease” jam kept up a propulsive quality and a major-key vibe as drummer Jon Fishman threw in dextrous fills and toyed with the tempo. McConnell’s brief blast of Yamaha CS60 synth inspired a switch to Hammond B3 organ, where the keyboardist went on to lay down a soaring foundation for Anastasio’s soloing, utilizing his unique organ playing and percussive tone in an incredible way.

Satisfied with the motif they had begun to build, Anastasio tore through an extended peak with some incredible soloing and dropped seamlessly back into the ending of “Disease” – that is how you do a first-set-of-tour jam.

Cooling things down with “Roggae,” always a perfect choice for an outdoor first set, Gordon made it known that the Summer of Bass is HERE with some dizzying arpeggio work and aggression that reminded me of the 12/28/17 “Roggae.” The band even dipped into some brief minor-key play as Fish nimbly moved around his kit, mirroring some guitar licks as only he can do while Anastasio trilled up to a great peak.

A quick run through “NICU” led to the next improvisational journey of the night in “Stash.” Fish immediately quickened his hi-hat work to build tension, almost teasing “David Bowie,” as McConnell’s early eerie blasts of synth helped accentuate Anastasio’s subtle playing in departure from a typical “Stash” jam. The guitarist quickly abandoned the darker tones in favour of a major modulation, working with Gordon’s punchy playing to form another beautiful peak atop Fish’s insistent and INCREDIBLE drumming. Hitting the apex with some synth-filter play, Anastasio led down into some brief percussive zones before pulling the band back into the ending of “Stash.”

The excellent first set wrapped up with an exclamatory “46 Days,” the venue going wild for the rocking mode as the band walked off after 75 minutes of a single statement – Phish is back, and they do not need a warm-up show.

Image via Anthony Kouris on Facebook

Returning for set 2, “Suzy Greenberg” opened the frame for only the second time since 2003, picking the energy up right where they left off at the end of the first. “Run Like an Antelope” was another surprise call – when a second set opens with a quick rocker, Phish generally will follow it up with a heavy-hitting jam vehicle instead of a song that is generally utilized as a Type I set closer.

Of course, the rules don’t apply in the 4.0 era and I briefly wondered if “Antelope” would get a massive Type II treatment – it did seem as though Anastasio had some ideas of jamming it out at a few moments but the rest of the band didn’t bite and it remained a solid standard “Antelope.”

Things really took off with the beginning of “Ghost,” however, as the band opened up 19 minutes of awe-inspiring jamming, beginning with a languid and extended intro vamp. It was clear from the first moments that we were going big.

The early stages of the jam followed an expected major-key modulation typical of modern-era “Ghost” but Gordon’s textural work was anything but normal. The bassist was on fire all night but especially during this jam, using some ethereal effects to augment his powerful bass lines. McConnell began to lay down mellow chords on Moog One, using the patch I associate with the end of the Mexico “Wave of Hope,” doubling it with bright Wurlitzer as the band rode the patient vibe together.

Anastasio added in some octave-up chirp work as Fish’s intensity increased, bringing us into a faster-paced peak mode just shy of the 12-minute mark. Anastasio switched from melodies to heavier rhythm work as the intensity continued to build, leading into a second major modulation that saw McConnell let loose some amazing and sparkling piano work through the soaring motif.

The bliss was not to stay, however, and Anastasio gradually infused the peak with some dissonant riffing that gave an undertone of unease – and then a full transition into what I can only describe as demonic computer noises on a dime, going from joy to “where-the-hell-are-we” with an ease that only Phish is capable of pulling off.

The final three minutes of “Ghost,” filled with percussive clav, ring-modulator guitar, and crazy deep synth effects from Gordon, is a demonstration of Phish’s absolute mastery of music, holding together yet operating on four completely different planes of sound – all while Fish keeps the groove going. The cacophony reached a fever pitch and some quieter textures trickled their way in, gradually bringing Anastasio closer to the opening chords of “Light.”

This song has long been used as a landing pad of sorts after a dark jam (see 12/30/17 out of “Steam”), offering us a pathway back to a brighter space and settling the vibe before embarking back into jam territory. This relatively short rendition, only clocking in around 12 minutes, showed off the mid-set comfort of the band as each member circled each other musically – the passage around the five-minute mark is truly awe-inspiring.

A mellower mood ensued with heavy tom and ride cymbal work from Fish as the band committed to patience and quieter dynamics for several minutes, eventually fading in favour of “Pillow Jets.”

The combined 15 minutes of the Evolve track and “Beneath a Sea of Stars Part I” saw the band dip their toes back into layered dissonance, blasting into heavy psychedelia and cacophony during both cool-down songs. One of the best things about Phish is how a slower song placed well can lead to a small pocket of improv – and both songs filled that role perfectly.

At this point, the kickoff of “Split Open and Melt” was a signal for all to buckle up – all the previous forays into darkness were just a prelude to what was about to go down during the set closer. The jam quickly departed the “Melt” groove for a scuzzy territory, as recent versions tend to do, but the vibe went in a decidedly heavy direction rather than outer space.

Building layers upon layers of sound, Fish’s drumming seemed to be everywhere at once, speeding up and slowing down around vicious cymbal hits and Gordon’s off-kilter bass lines. McConnell bucked a usual trend of heavy synth work and focused himself on B3 for the majority of the “Melt” jam, laying down powerful chords as the intensity built into a raging vortex of madness.

The cacophonous zone was reached again, but with greater focus than in “Ghost,” Phish working to a screaming and truly evil peak, driving forth with intent in a kind of dark mode rarely seen – think Mexico “Chalk Dust.”

A slightly botched return to “Melt” was quickly shrugged off by the band and Anastasio built us to the end, closing the set to thunderous cheers from the audience.

“Harry Hood” is always the perfect call for an encore and acted as a joyful cap on a statement first night of tour – Phish is back, and they are not fucking around on this tour. It feels as though the three months since their last show at Sphere was no time at all – whether this is due to an atypical amount of pre-tour practice or just sheer excitement to be back on the road, all it means is that we are in for a treat for the next month of Phish.

With two more nights left at Great Woods, I am READY to see what the band has in store tonight – tune in live to every night of tour via LivePhish if you’re unable to make it, because it’s already clear that there is not a note to be missed.

Phish is back.