A Night Of Rarities For Manchester
You know that feeling of watching a show unfold on Twitter or From The Road and just knowing that you are missing out on something special? Last night’s Manchester show was exactly that. From the moment the boys hit the stage, it was apparent that something was going to be very unique that night. Watching the setlist unfold before my very eyes, I was reminded of Burgettstown ‘03 and the night of bustouts.
Hitting the stage 45 minutes after the listed start time, the band launched into the first “After Midnight” since the famed Big Cypress set one closer. Trey’s vocals sounded better than ever (as they have the last few shows), having that extra boom that carries over the melodies. “The Sloth” was an excellent follow up, followed by one of my all-time favorites, “Alumni Blues.” “Alumni” was jammed out nicely, including the “Letter To Jimmy Page” segment. Trey even added the extra lyric, “from Goddard College” after the final “‘cause I got a degree.” “Mellow Mood” and “Access Me” followed, and though a bit sloppy, it was nice to see the band continue playing songs not played all tour. A surprising mid-set “Llama” picked the pace up a bit, and Trey really shredded the heck out of it. “All Of These Dreams” brought everyone back down to earth, before the tour’s second “Curtain With.” “With” was played perfectly, and easily stuck out as a set highlight. The other two big surprises were “A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing” and “Walls Of The Cave,” both tackled with confidence and well executed. Though not as jammed out as the ‘03-‘04 era, it was a comfort to see these gems get their time to shine again.
Set two kicked off with a strong “Possum > Light” combo. Moving away from the song-by-song structure of the previous set, Trey really let loose here, driving the band through the evening’s first real experimental jam. The rest of the set landed sandwiched in one of the most aggressive and experimental “Mike’s Groove” we’ve heard this era. Emerging from a “Simple” jam, Trey played the opening chords to “Makisupa Policeman,” was used to pay homage to Gregory Isaacs who passed away the previous day. In his honor, “Night Nurse” was debuted, before segueing back into “Makisupa.” Things kept rolling with the tour’s first “Wedge,” an excellent “Ghost,” and “Mango Song.” “Weekapaug” rounded out the set, delivering perhaps the evening’s biggest surprise. The Stones’ “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” was heavily jammed, and the band found themselves reprising the lyrics to “Ghost” and “Night Nurse.” But in one last shocker, the band took a turn out of “Weekapaug” and back into “Llama” again! The “Show Of Life” encore may have been the biggest letdown, but after a set like that, who could complain?
Tuesday October 26, 2010 Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, NH
Set I: After Midnight, The Sloth, Alumni Blues > Letter From Jimmy Page > Alumni Blues, Mellow Mood, Access Me, Llama, All Of These Dreams, The Curtain With > Scent Of A Mule, A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing, It’s Ice, Walls Of The Cave
Set II: Possum > Light > Mike’s Song > Simple > Makisupa Policeman > Night Nurse* > Makisupa Policeman > The Wedge, Ghost > The Mango Song > Weekapaug Groove** > Llama Reprise
E: Show Of Life
*first time played - Gregory Isaacs cover
**with Rolling Stones’ “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” jam and featuring lyrics from “Ghost” and “Night Nurse.”
setlist courtesy of www.phish.com
download the show here.
image courtesy of Dave Vann.
