On Sunday, Phish played the second of two shows at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, capping off the second week of their summer tour. The band picked up where they’d left off the previous night, treating the crowd to bustouts, jams in unexpected places and the longest “Carini” ever played.
There are few better ways to set the mood for an outdoor summer show than with a show-opening “Undermind,” and this upbeat version was followed by an equally vibey “Back on the Train.” The latter included a slightly extended groove section followed by a build to a piercing peak.
After a moment, Jon Fishman grabbed his microphone and told the crowd, “It’s true: you do!” before getting to his point: “You get your ass handed to you every day!” Appearing for the first time in three years, “Ass Handed” served not just as a bust out, but as an excuse to jam: dark and nasty at first, then light and breezy. Overall, it was a memorable excursion, much longer by far than any previous trip through the Fishman-penned novelty song masterpiece…