Despite Phish’s modern renaissance, set craftsmanship hasn’t exactly been one of their strong points since their ’09 return. Their days of meticulous attention to setlist flow have gone by the wayside and, most often, their highlights come as improvisational passages within less than tenacious frames of music. Many times, the band has had a powerful second set in the making only to have its cohesion disintegrate with a haphazard second half. (See 7/1, 8/19, or 9/1 for prime examples.) In their heyday, each song played had a purposeful role in the contour of a set, whether it was an opener, a launchpad, an interlude or a closer, but in the modern era, things have been a bit more piecemeal. Occasionally, however, Phish harnesses their artistry of old and sculpts a set that amounts to more than the sum of its parts, evoking the type of setlist continuity that was once second nature. Today, I present a handful of 2012 sets that fit such criteria. Below the capsule summaries is a poll to see which set you like the most. Enjoy!
6/7 Worcester II: Carini -> Taste > Ghost > Boogie On Reggae Woman > If I Could, Quinn the Eskimo, Harry Hood > Cavern > Buried Alive Reprise
Since 2010, Phish has most often come out on the first night of tours and dropped a monster show. Last summer’s opener in Worcester followed this pattern congruently. The second set of 2012 holds up as one of the year’s best, containing several standout, stylistically diverse jams. One of the hallmarks of strong sets throughout history has been a significant jam right off the bat, and in Worcester, “Carini” provided just that. Migrating from its dark feel into atypically melodic and ambient interplay, this jam stands up as one of the year’s most impressive and overlooked pieces. Spilling into “Taste,” in an unconventional pairing that worked quite well, the band then wasted no time getting back into the thick of things with a sinfully smooth sequence of “Ghost > Boogie On.” By melding “Ghost’s” creative, open jamming with a rousing, guitar-led shred-fest in “Boogie On,” Phish touched on several aspects of their skill set within this non-stop run. After using a gorgeous rendition of “If I Could” as a come down from their improvisational theatrics, the band plugged in “Quinn the Eskimo” as an interlude before closing things out with the classic combo of “Harry Hood > Cavern.” The band brought the night full circle while adding some Phishy spice to its ending by busting into a “Buried Alive Reprise,” revisiting the song that had opened the show.
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6/15 Atlantic City II: My Soul, Birds of a Feather -> Back on the Train > Heavy Things > Twist > Piper > Billy Breathes, Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley > David Bowie
This set from Atlantic City is one of the more glossed over stanzas of Summer Tour. Boasting a liquid-like flow and non-stop jamming, there is no doubting its rightful place among the year’s best frames of music. Phish has long used punchy set openers to get things moving before getting their hands dirty, and in this case they employed “My Soul” in this fashion before diving into a long-form “Birds of a Feather.” “Birds” traveled far outside its conventions into an engaging, high-speed ride that eventually morphed into transcendence, serving a hearty dose of improv at the front of this set. Crafting an unlikely and seamless segue into “Back On the Train,” Phish maintained drill bit focus as they moved into a beefier-than-usual version of their Farmhouse era staple. When they came to the end of “Back on the Train,” Trey used his looping pedal to hint at “Heavy Things” and the band hopped aboard a smooth change into the song, continuing the turn-of-the-millennium era vibe to the set. The action continued with the classic song pairing of “Twist > Piper,” replete with a band-audience exchange of “Woooos” right through “Piper’s” introduction. “Twist” received some extra love, foreshadowing Cincinatti’s break-out version a week later, and AC’s “Piper” exists as one of the year’s most underrated renditions, featuring airtight and melody-based interplay throughout. The rare ballad “Billy Breathes” served as a poignant cool down and immediately following the breather, the guys dropped a fierce set-closing combo of “Sneakin’ Sally > David Bowie.” I have been perplexed why this set hasn’t gotten more attention in the overall discussion of 2012 as it was far and away the band’s strongest Atlantic City offering. Combining high-quality jamming and out of the ordinary song choices, everything came together on the first night down the Jersey Shore.
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6/23 Star Lake II: Gotta Jibboo, Mike’s Song > Simple > Light > Weekapaug > Seven Below, Bouncing Around the Room, Julius, Slave to the Traffic Light
Phish’s second set at Star Lake stood out the minute it ended. With impeccable flow, clear structural intent, and plenty of improvisation, this one had it all. Firing collectively on this Saturday night, the band dropped a timeless frame of music in their Pittsburgh-area venue of lore. “Jibboo” got the party started as the band doled out some candy grooves before the scintillating meat of the show. The following 50 minutes—“Mike’s > Simple > Light > Weekapaug > Seven Below”—contained a unified suite that could be argued as the band’s most outstanding playing of the month. Though “Mike’s Groove” dictates a certain structure, Phish hadn’t exactly given the sequence much attention in the 3.0 era. But on his night that all changed. A fiery “Mike’s” gave way to a “Simple” that dripped into ethereal textures, moving things into a more cerebral realm. As the band dissolved into a sparse canvas, Trey came in with the onset of “Light,” and in this selection Phish delivered one of the indelible jams Leg One. Migrating from atonal loops into outright grooves and then into a now-famous calypso paradise, this version set the improvisational bar quite high for the song of the year. Phish closed out the “Groove” with a retro ’97 style take on “Weekapaug” that immediately popped as the most dynamic modern version. One expected the band to insert a breather after this focused four-song run, but instead Trey initiated “Seven Below,” tacking yet another jam onto this mid-set smorgasbord. “Light > Weekapaug” has overshadowed “Seven Below” ever since the show, but “Seven Below” has plenty to offer with its cathartic, full-band exchange. Punctuating the suite with this refined jam, the band concluded the centerpiece of the set. “Bouncing” is often reserved as a classy cool down from a particularly hot sequence and it absolutely fit perfectly in this slot. It appeared that the band would close the night with a serving of blues-rock in “Julius,” but upon its ending, they moved directly into a set-closing “Slave,” thus cementing the artistic contour of the frame.
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8/15 Long Beach II: Rock and Roll > Ghost > Limb By Limb, Guyute, Dirt, Harry Hood > Good Times Bad Times
When Phish hit the west coast to start Leg Two, everyone had Long Beach circled as a potential blowout. A tour opener in an old-scho