Phish returned to the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, VA last night for the second show of their first fall tour in three years. The night got going, quite surprisingly, with “Bathtub Gin,” a tune that hadn’t opened a first set since June 30, 1999. Placement aside, the band delivered a pretty standard version of the song before going into solid 3.0 takes on “The Moma Dance” and “Tube.”

Mike Gordon’s singing was a bit off during a cover of The Mustangs’ “Ya Mar,” which followed a rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “The Ballad of Curtis Loew.” The bassist’s hoarseness continued into “My Sweet One” before the band kicked off a high-energy, set-closing “Mike’s Groove.” While this year’s summer tour saw the band experimenting with more eclectic fillers, this take on the classic pairing featured a more traditional “I Am Hydrogen” in between the “Mike’s Song” and the “Weekapaug Groove.”

As has been the case a few times this year, the show’s highlight came at the beginning of the second set. Phish returned to the stage with an almost 19-minute “Ghost” that got pretty hard rocking before moving into a mellower jam that faded into “Down With Disease.” The “Disease” was left unfinished as the band moved into a “Steam.” It was a particularly interesting take on the tune, as Trey Anastasio was forced to put down his guitar due to what appeared to be technical issues—opting instead to help Jon Fishman out on the drum kit. Gordon got in on the hijinks as well, beating on his fight bell and reprising the electric drill-assisted bass playing that he had utilized on the previous night. Chris Kuroda’s fog machine only added to the confusion before Anastasio returned to his guitar and the madness transitioned into an interesting, though unfinished, “Prince Caspian.”

Stevie Wonder’s “Boogie on Reggae Woman,” “Theme From The Bottom” and “The Wedge” came next. They were followed by “Silent in the Morning,” marking the sixth time in a row that the song has not been preceded by “Horse.” “Harry Hood” then wrapped up the set with a solid jam. The band then came back out for a fun “Quinn the Eskimo” encore, with Gordon taking up vocal duties despite his earlier issues.

Phish will close out their tour-opening run at the Hampton Coliseum tonight.

Here’s a look at last night’s setlist via our Box Scores page

Saturday, October 19, 2013, Phish, Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA

Set I: Bathtub Gin, The Moma Dance, Tube > Fast Enough for You, The Ballad of Curtis Loew > Ya Mar, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan, My Sweet One, Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove

Set II: Ghost > Down with Disease* > Steam^ > Prince Caspian* > Boogie On Reggae Woman, Theme From the Bottom > The Wedge, Silent in the Morning, Harry Hood
Enc: Quinn the Eskimo

Notes: (*) Unfinished, (^) Trey on drums; Mike playing his fight bell with drumsticks and playing drill on his bass.

Source: Phish.net