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On the East Coast, it’s New York’s fabled Madison Square Garden. In the Pacific Northwest, it’s Washington’s stunning Gorge Amphitheatre.
But when it comes to the singling out the No. 1 place on the West Coast to see Phish in concert, well, it’s definitely the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco.
The band’s regular dates at the civic are ones that the fans — or, in this case, “phans” — circle on the itinerary, knowing that Phish always delivers the goods at the Bill Graham. The synergy that exists between band, audience and venue is just plain off the charts for these shows.
It has something to do with the venue size, which, at 8,500 capacity, is definitely more intimate than many of the places these road warriors play. But it also has a lot to do with the impressive track record, especially as word spreads of the many fine Phish shows the venue has hosted since the band began regularly adding the civic to its tour itinerary in 2012.
And it has begun … @phish opens SF run with 46 Days. pic.twitter.com/fz7xJo2PJV
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) July 25, 2018
The place now feels like a home away from home for Vermont’s finest jam band. And that feeling only grew stronger as the quartet — guitarist/lead vocalist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman and keyboardist Page McConnell — set up shop for a two-night stand at the civic on July 24.
It was a triumphant return for the band, which delivered a two-set show that stretched toward the four-hour mark (counting an intermission) and featured an electric mix of originals and covers, longtime concert staples and relative rarities.
Of course, one of the main things that makes Phish so extraordinary is its huge and thoroughly utilized songbook, where dozens upon dozens of songs are fair game on any given night. That allows the band to play multiple shows without repeating any numbers.
Mr @pagemcconnell shines during McGrupp in SF @phish pic.twitter.com/23zRszvxOR
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) July 25, 2018
Indeed, the band kicked off its tour a week prior at Lake Tahoe and then quickly went on to play four other shows. Yet, it wasn’t until show No. 5 — the opening night of the sold-out San Francisco run — that Phish played the first repeat songs of the summer tour. That’s amazing.
Yet, it’s not just what they play but how they play it. Phish’s sheer musical versatility is nearly unparalleled in the rock world.
Just consider the first set, which kicked right around 8 p.m. with the straight-ahead rocker “46 Days.” From there, the group turned to the prog-rock weirdness of “McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters,” a blast from the long-ago past that Phish has been playing, oh, about once a year in recent years.
. @phish covers Talking Heads pic.twitter.com/k8rd4f8DH7
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) July 25, 2018
Then Anastasio turned to his solo catalog for “Pigtail,” a slice of radio-friendly pop-rock that wouldn’t sound (too) out of place at a Counting Crows show. But don’t get too comfortable, dear phans, because the band then followed with its upbeat cover of the Talking Heads’ “Cities.”
And where do you go after covering a post-punk/avant-pop/art-rock band like the Talking Heads? Well, if you’re Phish you follow up by putting your own spin on the Hot Rize bluegrass favorite “Nellie Kane.” At least that’s what they did at this show — on another show they might follow up by covering Stevie Wonder.
Building Guyute. @phish pic.twitter.com/FmiftySdsb
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) July 25, 2018
And we wouldn’t get a Wonder cover (of “Boogie on Reggae Woman”) until the second set at this show.
The first set finished up with a great run through “David Bowie,” an escalating rocker that featured some of Anastasio’s most blazing guitar work of the night.
Softer side of @phish … Dirt pic.twitter.com/KaDfKJD7wH
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) July 25, 2018
After an intermission, Phish came out in the mood to jam at the start of the second set. The group barely made it through the first four numbers in an hour’s time, as “A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing,” “Mercury” and “Carini” each clocked in at around 15 minutes. (The other song, “The Moma Dance,” was barely a snippet in comparison, running a brief 9 minutes and change.)
The group brought the solid show to an end with a really nice version of the classic “Harry Hood,” which closed the second set, and then a transcendent take of “The Squirming Coil” as an encore.
Just once I'd like @phish to change UB40 to Eddie Money in the song "David Bowie" pic.twitter.com/7NSPZSlNpG
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) July 25, 2018
Poor Carini @phish pic.twitter.com/VXuPbTYuJX
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) July 25, 2018
. @phish covers @StevieWonder in SF pic.twitter.com/NXAS7NZJ2p
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) July 25, 2018
Squirming Coil encore @phish pic.twitter.com/oOgk231Ry4
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) July 25, 2018
