Phish returned to Wantagh, NYs Jones Beach Amphitheatre the first time since 1995 for the second show of a sold out summer tour. In sharp contrast to Sundays stadium performance, the band offered a mellow, but adventurous set that showcased its new, focused style of jamming. Mike Gordon, in particular, shined throughout the night, and the band on the whole felt more confident onstage than at its Hampton, VA reunion performances.

Opening with a tight version of Runaway Jim, Phish showcased its expansive repertoire, from the quirky early favorite Foam to the new Trey Anastasio rocker Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan and the multi-part composition Reba. The quartet continued to revive unexpected back catalogue numbers as well, including a rolling cover of Timber (Jerry), a funky, jammed out version of Talking Heads
Cities and the folk-ballad Driver. In addition, the group offered two rare ballads: Los Lobos When the Circus Comes to Town and the Hoist favorite If I Could, the latter of which has not been played since June, 28 2000 (though Anastasio recently rearranged the song for an orchestral performance in Baltimore).
Phishs second set focused on the bands improvisational abilities, beginning with a Mikes Groove that moved from Mike’s Song through a slightly flubbed Simple, a funky Wolfman’s Brother and a rocking Weekapaug Groove. The crowd cheered when the group flubbed the lyrics during Simplea throwback to the bands more innocent past. A not-quite comfortable Anastasio also joked that they are the type of band that plays requests before debuting the new rock song Kill Devil Falls, which seems to reference the guitarists time in Upstate New York. The synth-happy Harry Hood, the Rolling Stones Loving Cup and the lone encore of Suzy Greenburg closed out the night.
Phish will return to Jones Beach this Thursday. The bands new album will be released on July 28 via its own JEMP records.