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| Phish @ the Chase Center (Photo: Akshay Sawhney) |
"Tonight makes 35 shows for me" says Emily, the Phish “phan” sitting next to me at the Chase Center Saturday evening. "And I went to the show last night in Sacramento, and I’ll be here tomorrow, too!” It’s true, the Bay Area has been seeing a lot of the Vermont-based band lately. In September Tahoe forest fires forced lead singer/guitarist Trey Anastasio and the band to relocate to Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, and many folks I spoke to at the show had been to those events as well. But with this band, there’s no such thing as “over-saturating a market” -- devoted Phish followers know that it is all about the live music, and they’ll travel far and wide to see shows.
Now I’ll avoid making comparisons to the Grateful Dead even though I fully realize we are in the San Francisco Bay Area and doing so is quite the honor bestowed upon a jam band. But like many great artists Phish started with their influences, and then consciously moved forward and they should be recognized for that.
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| Trey Anastasio of Phish @ the Chase Center (Photo: Akshay Sawhney) |
And no closer to the beginning is the first song of the night, “Possum” -- a song by the sole former Phish band member Jeff Holdsworth, who left in 1986 after graduating college to pursue a career in engineering while the rest of the lineup remained stable. Next song up was the popular Richard Wright cover “Halley’s Comet”, and then the jam-worthy “46 Days” which made its first debut back in 2002 on Saturday Night Live. Rolling immediately into the next song was the 80s mainstay “Slave to the Traffic Light,” highlighting a powerful Jon Fishman on drums. The 80 min first set ended with a wild version of the well-known set closer, “Run Like an Antelope”.
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| Page McConnell of Phish @ the Chase Center (Photo: Akshay Sawhney) |
Phish concerts typically feature two long sets, with a 30 min intermission in between and no opening band. I forgot that I’d be in for the long haul. This is around the time that Emily & her friend had to vacate their seats, "see ya, we were squatting". Another couple moved in, "we were on the floor and we're here now," said Frances. "We swap tickets so everyone can get a chance to party on the floor" -- wait, is that a thing? I have much to learn, but I will say that the sense of community is tight and more complicated than I’m qualified to explain. Sure, my best friend Eric in high school was a huge fan and memories of him singing along to “Down with Disease” while we cruised the Long Island streets somewhat aimlessly in the mid-90s are still clear-ish, but I am not a 1.0, or early follower as they’re known. For a complete explanation of what Annie Daly calls the “totally geeky, era-based ranking system that Phish fans have developed over the years” navigate over to her excellent Definitive Breakdown of Phish Fandom on Vulture.
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| Mike Gordon of Phish @ the Chase Center (Photo: Akshay Sawhney) |
The second set kicks off with the 1989 release “Bathtub Gin,” featuring pianist Page McConnell and guitarist Trey Anastasio improvising and trading licks. After a strong jam on “Everything’s Right” the highlight of the night for many longtime fans may have been the rarely performed (not since 2015) “Frankie Says” which hit quite a few funky notes over a 17 min performance. The set closes with “Wedge” and then “The Moma Dance” with bassist Mike Gordon leading the jam.
It was during the second set that I became aware of the energy wielded by the performers in that room -- it was hypnotic at times, maybe even addictive for some. And it made complete sense when Charlie sitting in my row casually mentioned he was over 100 shows and he’d love to see the photos I took that night, handing me a business card complete with Grateful Dead logo (I’m still not making comparisons) and an offer for free surf lessons.
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| Trey Anastasio of Phish @ the Chase Center (Photo: Akshay Sawhney) |
The encore for the night was a massive heavy-hitting 19-minute version of “Carini”, the longest jam of the night. At this point I had seen attendees dancing in the aisles for hours, rarely if ever sitting in their seats because the experience after all is what they came for and will come for again. Outside the venue the party seemed to only continue as fans chatted and compared notes (and some, ahem, huffed balloons filled with nitrous) until security lovingly nudged them off the grounds.
To fans, Phish embodies a message of openness and participation that few acts have been able to match. And the band embraces this by allowing fans to tape and distribute recordings of their concerts, even after the launch of their on-demand streaming service LivePhish+. If you’re interested, you can easily buy the recording of this entire night at the Chase Center, or you might be able to find it for free with a little searching. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, there’s nothing like being there in person.
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| Phish Phans @ the Chase Center (Photo: Akshay Sawhney) |
Lastly, the editors and writers of SFBayAreaConcerts.com would like to send condolences to the families and loved ones of the Phish fan who suffered a fatal injury on Sunday’s show at the Chase Center in SF. Thanks for reading and you can find the full set list from the night below -- be sure to follow us across social for more pictures and reviews, find us at: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
