_Photo via @PhishFTR_

Phish rolled into Chula Vista, CA’s Sleep Train Amphitheater for their first show at the Southern California outdoor venue since 2003. The show was truly a tale of two sets as the first was well-crafted and well-played while the second was choppy in spots.

Kicking off with the first “Devotion to a Dream” opener ever, the band was off and running as they rolled through inspired takes on “AC/DC Bag,” “My Sweet One” and “The Moma Dance” before another short “Halley’s Comet” and “Funky Bitch.” “Wolfman’s Brother” allowed the band their first opportunity at improv and they didn’t disappoint as the tune would rank as the second longest of the night and featured some scat-jamming from Anastasio, Gordon and McConnell.

The evening’s lone bustout came in the form of “Destiny Unbound,” which saw its first action since July 20, 2013. “Timber (Jerry)” made its first appearance on the tour along with the Gamehendge tune “Tela” before the set closed with another Fuego tune, “Wingsuit.”

Set two was disjointed throughout as the band opted for more of a medley approach to the nine-song set rather than expansive improv. A sloppy “Free” opened the set before giving way to “Golden Age.” The band has had trouble with the TV On the Radio cover in recent plays but this one picked up some steam in the improv department, eventually leading into “Gotta Jibboo.”

After another brief foray outside of the confines of “Jibboo,” Anastasio started the riff to “Carini,” whose short-lived jam would feature some teases of the Odd Couple theme before transitioning into “Piper.” Other than “Golden Age,” this “Piper” would see the group dig into their most compelling improvisation but only topped out at around eight minutes.

Following a standard “Prince Caspian,” the band dug into “Tweezer” which saw a return of the “woo” section started around the time of the famed Tahoe “Tweezer.” The Type I jam gave way to a straight ahead rock take on Velvet Underground’s “Rock and Roll” before “You Enjoy Myself” closed the set. “Suzy Greenberg” and “Tweezer Reprise” brought the night to a close.

While many fans expected a tribute to Cream’s Jack Bruce, there wouldn’t be an on-stage musical homage, however the post-show music was Cream’s “I Feel Fine.” Phish’s fall tour continues with a three-night stint at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco tomorrow night.

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

Phish
Sleep Train Amphitheatre, Chula Vista, CA

Set I: Devotion To a Dream, AC/DC Bag > My Sweet One, The Moma Dance, Halley’s Comet, Funky Bitch, Wolfman’s Brother, Destiny Unbound > Timber (Jerry), Tela > Wingsuit

Set II: Free > Golden Age > Gotta Jibboo > Carini > Piper > Prince Caspian > Tweezer > Rock and Roll > You Enjoy Myself

Enc: Suzy Greenberg > Tweezer Reprise

Source: Phish.net