Phish Tour 2021 – Setlist, Recap & The Skinny: Las Vegas Night 2

By Dianna Hank October 30, 2021 • 1:30 p.m. PDT

Last night, Phish continued his winning streak in Las Vegas with his second of four shows at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Friday’s concert saw an improbable 21-minute “Axilla (Part II)” in the first set and a 19-minute “Tweezer” among the memorable aspects of the second set.

Opening the show with the eighth iteration of the highly sought after and upbeat rarity “Olivia’s Pool”, it was obvious that this show was going to be special. Guitarist Trey Anastasio and bassist Mike Gordon brought back the Santa Barbara jokes, going back and forth on stage – “Hi!” “Hello how are you?” “Good.” “We hope you have a good time! ” “Thank you!” (the phrasing from the song “Little Squirrel” by the pre-Phish Bivouac Jaun project).

Through laughter, you could hear Trey saying to the band “Axilla II… with jam.” With jam ”before going back to the microphone to quickly address the audience with the same joke before throwing himself into the rocker. “Axilla (Part II)”, which made its big resurgence earlier this summer at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, Calif., After 855 shows and 26 years on standby, immediately created a frenetic and rowdy energy in the room that slowly faded after three and a half minutes, opening up to a spatial, ethereal jam that would last an additional 17 minutes.

Clocking in at 9:23 pm, this unexpected scrambling vehicle would take many turns throughout its time here, starting first in dark, dirty water, then quickly moving to a lighter, happier space. The evening’s first Type II jam became totally unrecognizable from the song’s original structure, first soaring into the clouds before plunging down to earth with a fervor driven by the drums of the one and only. Jon Fishman himself. The jam sank to its murky conclusion with Trey returning to the lyrics, again picking up the narration of “Little Squirrel” and adding “Finally!” to the mixture.

Without hesitation, Trey then moved on to “Mike’s Song,” which most fans know the next half hour of music will be top notch. Approaching this tune with concentrated energy, Trey and keyboardist Page McConnell meshed well with Fish and Mike before concluding the first jam and moving on to the charming and delicate “I Am Hydrogen”. The drop in “Weekapaug Groove” got people moving again, the fast-paced groove picking up a fantastic amount of energy before smoothly returning to the song.

The back-and-forth of “Little Squirrel” returned once more as the band ended that “Mike’s Groove”, about half an hour after it had started. After this outbreak, the group took a break with the tender ballad “Shade”. Page’s “I Always Wanted It This Way” came next, quickly going from vocals to electronic madness. Approaching the 14-minute mark, this extended, synth-heavy jam ended the set on a high note, leaving the song count for the first set at seven.

Read on after The Skinny for the rest of the recap and more.

The band returned to the stage and Fishman spoke into the mic, exclaiming, “You get your ass done every day. You do, don’t you? I did! I was given my ass today. Did you get yours? You have? So let’s all sing together… ”before launching into“ Ass Handed ”. After a minute and a half of silliness, things escalated, Fishman continuing to sing as the rest of the group swayed behind him. The jam continued for six and a half minutes before smoothing over to the highly anticipated fan favorite, “Tweezer.” Fishman held it down as Mike and Trey exchanged licks before Trey picked up a little tune, dancing lightly. The band settled into a dancing pocket that became spatial and eerie, plunging deep into funky darkness before bringing back the “Ass Handed” theme.

As the jam settled down, the band brought the crowd back to life with a heavy drop in “Funky Bitch”. Page shone through this track, taking an impressive solo before co-starring with Trey who ripped apart blues tracks with passion. The group reached an intense peak before moving on to a rare set of two “Reba”. After nailing the compound section, the band fell into a jam of exquisite delicacy that lingered a bit in this lightness before gaining momentum and culminating on several occasions. This “Reba” was relentless, continuing long after it could have been finished. Once the jam was over, during the whistling portion of the song, the band reverted to the narration of “Little Squirrel”, integrating it perfectly into the song followed by Trey covering “Ass Handed” before concluding.

After a quick breath, Trey started the countdown to the next track with a fiery “One, two, mother fuckin ‘THREE” before launching into the funky groove that is “Sand”. Fish drove this pace, allowing Trey to explore a truly beautiful space with Mike and Page nicely completing it. Jam “Sand” reached great heights before the 12 minute mark where it turned into “Tweezer”. While not noted as such on LivePhish, it was absolutely “Tweezing” again and the stuffing kept going on and on, with Trey and Fish locked in as tightly as possible. Fish threw out a “Yeah” sound effect, saying what we were all thinking, as Trey continued to tear him apart.

The band then made their way effortlessly to “Sigma Oasis” which tore apart harder than usual, ending before embarking on the first “Walk Away” in 47 shows. Page picked up the microphone, growling with an intensity that lasted until the barn burner ran out. The band felt it so clearly, pulling off the melody perfectly. After about three and a half minutes, Trey took center stage, showing off his chops and absolutely shredding peak after peak, creating a frenzy in the room that was unparalleled throughout the evening. Crowds of sweaty and hot humans rushed to this summit of Phish as Trey sustained an extended note, creating tension and release beyond what anyone could have asked for. The band ended the tune amid thunderous thunderous applause from an extremely content crowd before leaving the stage.

Upon their return, the group burst into the merry “Julius”, getting people moving once more. This swing number has to groove in its usual way before the ultimate close up show, the one and only “Tweezer Reprise”. Arguably three or four of the best minutes in rock ‘n’ roll, this song was the icing on the cake of another spectacular Phish sundae. With two less shows and two to come to undoubtedly conclude one of the best tours in some time, the excitement and anticipation is at its height, with fans pondering what could possibly follow.

Phish’s Halloween run in Las Vegas continues tight and into tomorrow. Live broadcasts can be purchased through LivePhish.com.

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