Phish continued their summer tour with a show at the Cross Insurance Arena last night, hitting the Portland, ME for a Wednesday night that won’t be forgotten. The band continues to mix things up with their setlists, bringing out a number of tour debuts throughout the performance. Fresh off multi-night runs in both Philadelphia and Saratoga, Phish now has a series of one-off shows to get the crowds pumped in the Northeast.

The Portland show opened with some a cappella, as Phish played their first “Grind” of the year. 28 teeth inside of my head, and we’re off and running. The band picked up their instruments and fired into the second tour debut, the jazzy “Cars Trucks Buses,” which hadn’t been played in a full 92 shows (10/29/13). The instrumental got the crowds dancing, before segueing into the 2015 tune “Blaze On.” The cheery song is always a fan favorite, and kept the energy high.

Mike Gordon got a chance to take the lead on his song “Yarmouth Road,” in honor of the real-life street in proximity to the venue, before the band ripped out a great “Kill Devil Falls.” Trey Anastasio was locked in, letting his guitar tone fly out in the arena. The band brought out their third tour debut of the night, the first version of “The Sloth” in 2016. The Gamehendge rarity hadn’t been played since last summer, and was certainly a highlight of the set. Phish kept things moving with their second “Billy Breathes” of the year, and pulled out a great “My Friend, My Friend” to keep the set rolling.

After a lighthearted “Heavy Things” with some great organ work from Page McConnell, the set continued with a funky “555” and the return of the new song, “Things People Do.” They brought out the Fuego tune “The Line” next, and finished off the set with a great version of “Stash.”

With a quick set break, the boys returned and got the energy up immediately with a set-opening “First Tube.” The song built up to a climactic finale, before Anastasio rocked into the opening riff of “Tweezer.” The cold, cold, cold lyrics were a sharp counterpoint to the swampy heat inside the venue. After the composed section, Anastasio took on an echoing tone for a laid back jam that broke into a more melodic and uplifting section. McConnell rocked some chord rhythms on the piano, letting Anastasio get bluesy with his soloing. The band then busted into “Guyute” for the first time since Halloween 2014 (48 shows), and they nailed the complex composition.

Next up was “Mike’s Song,” a loose version that rocked, but never strayed too far from its confines. The “Mike’s” found its way into the new 2016 song, “Tide Turns.” The slower Anastasio ballad was an interesting choice in the “Mike’s Groove” sandwich, but the song finished on an uplifting note, and the groove carried on with Fuego track “Devotion To A Dream.” “Wingsuit” was up next, ultimately keeping the Groove slower than fans might have hoped. With some wailing tones, the “Wingsuit” faded into a bust out of “Bittersweet Motel.” The song hadn’t been played for a full four years, last seen on July 4th of 2012 at Jones Beach (146 shows). Though the band botched the song in the intro, they laughed it off and finished strongly. It was McConnell who had the song’s solo, leading the melody with a beautiful piano work.

From there, the band brought out their second “Fluffhead” of the summer, giving the set’s energy level a much needed boost. The powerful pills seemed to be effective, as Phish led their fans on “Fluff’s Travels.” During the song, a random fan jumped on stage, grabbed a drum stick and started jamming with Fishman for a full 30 seconds before getting escorted off the stage. What a scene! The song was well executed overall and the band let the ending flow into the ever-funky “Weekapaug Groove.” They used the upbeat funk number to get the crowd raging and close out the second set.

young gentlemen climbed into fishman kit. Unbelievable pic.twitter.com/9SUSC3qrhh — LazyLightning55 (@LazyLightning55) July 7, 2016

The band had one more trick up their sleeve, as they played “Contact” in the encore. The Junta track is a fan-favorite sing along, and has only been played once a summer for the last five years. Not seen in 28 shows, the band took their time and had some fun with the bouncy tune, letting McConnell funk out on the clavs during the jam. The ever-rocking “Tweezer Reprise” set fans packing with a great rock and roll finale.

Though the show did drag at various points, there are still very few experiences that rival seeing Phish live, especially in such an intimate, GA setting. The band resumes their tour this Friday, July 8th at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA. You can check out the Phish.net setlist below.

Setlist: Phish at Cross Insurance Arena, Portland, ME – 7/6/16

Set 1: Grind, Cars Trucks Buses > Blaze On, Yarmouth Road, Kill Devil Falls, The Sloth, Billy Breathes, My Friend, My Friend, Heavy Things, 555, Things People Do, The Line, Stash

Set 2: First Tube > Tweezer > Guyute, Mike’s Song > Tide Turns > Devotion To a Dream, Wingsuit > Bittersweet Motel > Fluffhead > Weekapaug Groove

Encore: Contact, Tweezer Reprise

Notes: Bittersweet Motel was last played on July 4, 2012 (146 shows).

All photos appear courtesy of Dave DeCrescente Photography. You can see a full gallery of images below.