_Photo: @Phish_FTR_

Phish’s summer tour kicked off last night in Mansfield, MA at the venue affectionately known as Great Woods (now called the Xfinity Center). It appears as if the band wasn’t lying about their great affection for the new songs from their latest effort Fuego, as the group dipped into five tunes off the new LP over the course of the evening.

The show, however, would open with a callback to 2009’s Joy with “Stealing Time from the Faulty Plan” before Phish dug into one of the strongest compositions on the new album, “Fuego.” Delivering an on-point version of the title track, the band was tight and well-rehearsed, displaying such qualities throughout the first set with cohesive interaction on “Back on the Train,” “Halfway to the Moon,” “555” and “Stash,” among others.

Following a “Bouncing Around the Room” and a rather tame interpretation of “Birds of a Feather,” Phish closed the first set with the original title track of Fuego, “Wingsuit” which featured Mike Gordon busting out the power drill at the end of the tune.

While the second set opening “Mike’s Song” didn’t feature the much sought after second jam (despite chatter from Fishman about it recently), the energetic opener set the tone for what was to be a cohesive and high energy set. Before they would get to “Weekapaug Groove,” Phish would deliver a nearly ten-minute “Simple,” a blissful “Free,” the new atmospheric track “Waiting All Night” and an anthemic “Ghost” that segued perfectly into “Weekapaug.”

The centerpiece of the show came after the “Mike’s Groove” segment as Phish unleashed a ferocious 19-minute “Harry Hood” featuring a wide variety of interplay between the four members. As the band stuck the landing, delivering a roaring climax, “Cavern” brought the second set to an energetic close. “Julius” would serve as the punctuation to, all in all, a fun night with Phish.

Additional notes from the show include the fact that all nineteen songs played last night were indeed originals. Guitarist Trey Anastasio mentioned in a recent interview with Rolling Stone that the band would focus more on their new songs and originals, with less emphasis going to covers. For one night, that notion held true.

Next up for Phish is a three-night run at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. All three shows will be webcast via LivePhish.com

Here’s a look at the full setlist as it appears in our Box Scores section:

Phish
Xfinity Center, Mansfield, MA

Set I: Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan, Fuego, Back on the Train, Halfway to the Moon, The Wedge, 555, Stash, Bouncing Around the Room, Birds of a Feather, Wingsuit*

Set II: Mike’s Song > Simple > Free, Waiting All Night, Ghost > Weekapaug Groove, Harry Hood, Cavern

Enc: Julius

Notes:
*Ended with Mike on power drill

Source: Phish.net