_photo by Dean Budnick_

Phish kept their Northeast tour rolling last night with a show at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA, coincidently on the 22nd anniversary and at the same location that they last played the full Gamehendge suite (back when it was called Great Woods Performing Arts Center). The night would not include any tunes from the suite, but it did feature two solid sets of improv, instrument switching and technical difficulties.

The quartet opened things up with the tour debut of “Party Time” followed by an energetic “46 Days.” “Poor Heart” and “The Dogs” lead up to a climactic “Bathtub Gin” crescendoed into an intense jam. The first “Fast Enough For You” since August 3, 2014, introduced a run of three tour debuts, including “ “How Many People Are You” and “Strange Design.” Phish closed out the set with a couple covers, starting with a “Cities” that saw Trey Anastasio quickly break a string, which lead to the frontman bringing out and introducing his guitar tech Brian Brown to the crowd, before the band took back up the Talking Heads tune. Anastasio would move to Jon Fishman’s marimba lumina later in the song, as Mike Gordon took over on Anastasio’s guitar for the jam. The group’s a capella version of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” which was debuted earlier in the tour at Wrigley Field, rounded out the first set.

Trey joins Fish behind the kit _photo by Dean Budnick_

Mike on Trey’s guitar _photo by Dean Budnick_

Brian Brown, Mike, Trey, Fish _photo by Dean Budnick_

A lively start to the second frame, which featured a run of “Ghost” into “Light” into “Wolfman’s Brother” was cut short during a vocal jam included in the latter tune. The band was forced to leave the stage for a spell, song unfinished, before returning to kick the night back into high gear with the always-powerful “Chalk Dust Torture.” The set continued with some sound issues, but the band played through, delivering an ending run of “Saw It Again,” “Back on the Train” and “Slave to the Traffic Light” before returning to the stage for a cover of The Beatles’ “I Am the Walrus.”

Phish will play the Xfinity Theatre in Hartford, CT, tonight.

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

Phish
Xfinity Center, Mansfield, MA

Set I: Party Time > 46 Days, Poor Heart, The Dogs, Bathtub Gin, Fast Enough for You*, How Many People Are You, Strange Design, Fuego, Cities^, Space Oddity

Set II: Ghost > Light > Wolfman’s Brother^^, Chalk Dust Torture, Saw It Again > Back on the Train > Slave to the Traffic Light

Enc: I Am the Walrus

Notes:
*Last time played 8/3/14
^Trey broke a string and switched guitars mid-song, also introducing his guitar tech, Brian Brown. Trey then switched to Marimba Lumina and Mike played Trey’s guitar.
^^During vocal jam the PA cut out and the band left the stage. Unfinished.

Source: www.phish.net