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Published: 2012/06/21

Photo via @Phish_FTR

Phish returned to Portsmouth, VA’s nTelos Pavilion this evening to close out a two-night run at venue. The first set began with the first-ever pairing of “Sparkle” (which had not opened a show since March 22, 1992) into “Ha Ha Ha,” and later featured a major bust-out with the return of “Dog Log” for the first time in 172 shows (the song was last performed on August 2, 2003 at the IT Festival). The set also featured the first “Undermind” of the tour, which also came as song 122 out of the band’s promised 200 on this tour.

In the second half of the performance, Phish opened up improvisationally—leaving behind two highlight segments with the combination of “Rock and Roll” into “Tweezer” and the stunning segue between “Harry Hood” and “What’s the Use.”

The show’s encore saw the return of the “tuck” theme from the previous evening. Prior to the first song of the encore, “Sleeping Monkey,” guitarist Trey Anastasio teased a few measures of the Star Wars theme before asking drummer Jon Fishman to grace the audience with one “final tuck” (as previously mentioned, this involves tucking one’s dress into their unders). Anastasio—after proclaiming to be Fishman’s father (a reference to the previous evening’s Star Wars antics)—told the drummer he would sing the song directly to him, and proceeded to grab bassist Mike Gordon’s microphone so he could serenade the drummer. Fishman then offered the crowd one final tuck, before the show closed out with “Tweezer Reprise.”

The next stop on Phish’s 2012 Summer Tour is at the Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati, OH this Friday, June 22.

Here’s a look at the evening’s setlist via Phish.net

Wednesday, June 20, 2012, nTelos Pavilion, Portsmouth, VA

Set 1: Sparkle, Ha Ha Ha, AC/DC Bag > Divided Sky, Dog Log, Undermind, Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, Cities -> Ya Mar, Bold As Love, Julius

Set 2: Rock and Roll > Tweezer > Free -> Guyute, Birds of a Feather, Harry Hood¹ -> What’s the Use? > Wading in the Velvet Sea > Possum

Encore: Sleeping Monkey > Tweezer Reprise²

[1] Unfinished.
[2] Sleeping Monkey quotes from Fishman.