You can probably guess ahead of time that any show that opens with "The Birdwatcher" is going to have a weird setlist. The question is, of course, whether that helps or hurts the quality of the show as a whole. When it comes to 6/28/12, I think it's a definite plus.
Nothing in set one really gets out there (including an eleven-minute "Tweezer"), but the setlist is so varied and the set is so long that the band ends up hitting a lot of different tones and spaces and putting together a cohesive whole out of some pretty disparate parts.
Like 6/24 II, the second set is a weirdly satisfying mixture of jams and antics, with a slightly heavier emphasis on the jams than the previous show. The "Mike's" opener stays Type I and lacks the fire of 6/23's version, but immediately after the surprise pairing of "McGrupp" > "BOTT" blows the roof off with a weird tension jam and a plinko-into-space jam, respectively.
Like 6/24, that's pretty much it for improv for the night, but unlike the previous show, the band keeps the momentum up through a spot-on transition into "HYHU," a "Groove" that "features" Fish on Trey's guitar before turning into a legitimate around-the-horn-style jam session, a complex "Waves" that recalls "What's The Use?," and a "Bowie" set closer that doesn't reinvent the wheel but does a great job of putting an exclamation point on a really strange but really good show.
The Live Review:
6/28/12: Four day jump between this show and the Blossom one.
6/28/12: Opens with an a capella Birdwatcher.
6/28/12: The Curtain follows.
6/28/12: Been awhile since I've listened to Phish. Trying to get back into the groove. My brain is very keenly awar… https://t.co/BSbkbmLOzR
6/28/12: Band falling into a nice, jazzy groove around 10:00.
6/28/12: Fuck Your Face next. Well, this setlist is certainly interesting so far.
6/28/12: Old Home Place.
6/28/12: Pebbles and Marbles next. Seems appropriate to me, tone-wise: for whatever reason, this song and The Curta… https://t.co/TL5cGO25w6
6/28/12: Weigh is next. Nice little solo from Trey at the end of P&M.
6/28/12: As a longtime Phish fan, sometimes I don't stop and take a minute to realize how fucking weird this song is.
6/28/12: Mike is literally singing about cutting off your head just so he can see how much it weighs. And you fucki… https://t.co/uG8l96n9l0
6/28/12: I mean, it's a funny song in concert, but imagine Mike singing it to you while he stands over your bed jus… https://t.co/LYzCLwjvI1
6/28/12: Chalkdust next.
6/28/12: I'm so used to Chalkdust getting jammed in these latter days that it's strange to hear a short version here.
6/28/12: > Wolfman's.
6/28/12: Clav time!
6/28/12: Cool It Down bustout next. Nice take on the tune, with a little mini-jam in the middle.
6/28/12: Now, Tweezer. Maybe it's because I keep getting interrupted by work, but this set seems super-long.
6/28/12: I'm not going to complain about a Tweezer set-closer though.
6/28/12: Pretty snazzy Type I jam here, with Page upfront a bit more than usual.
6/28/12: Wind-down ending to Tweezer. > Tela. Giving me 7/31/13 flashbacks :)
6/28/12: Stealing Time. This set is still. Going.
6/28/12: Looks like set length is *only* 87 minutes. Not super-long by '12 standards, I guess.
6/28/12: End set.
6/28/12: Mike's Song opens set two with a pretty heavy Type I jam.
6/28/12: > McGrupp! Loving the oldies in the setlist tonight.
6/28/12: Really surprising, great tension-filled jam in the middle of McGrupp.
6/28/12: Everybody joining in with ideas.
6/28/12: -> BOTT. That was awesome.
6/28/12: Dancing around the edges of a plinko jam.
6/28/12: Things getting spacier. Nice bassline from Mike.
6/28/12: Really eerie soundscape now. With Mike's bass it *almost* sounds like the intro to Silent In The Morning.
6/28/12: Perfect -> HYHU
6/28/12: Crowd trying to get Fish to sing Sexual Healing now.
6/28/12: Trey screaming 'SEXUAL HEALING!' at him now.
6/28/12: Bike
6/28/12: For what it's worth, I laughed much harder at Fish's vacuum solo than usual this time around.
6/28/12: -> HYHU -> Groove. I'm confused.
6/28/12: Someone who is not Trey is definitely playing the guitar. I think Trey is playing the drums, still.
6/28/12: Kind of trading-solos jamming style throughout Groove. Nice take.
6/28/12: > Caspian
6/28/12: Nice compact take on Caspian > Waves.
6/28/12: Surprisingly fast tempo for Waves.
6/28/12: Waves jam has a great momentum and collective direction. Going Type II now.
6/28/12: Really loving this jam.
6/28/12: Could drop nicely into WTU? right here.
6/28/12: Space. Whale calls.
6/28/12: -> Bug. Another great transition.
6/28/12: -> Bowie
6/28/12: Mike putting on a clinic during this Bowie.
6/28/12: End second set.
6/28/12: It's 2012, so Show of Life encore.
6/28/12: Tweeprise
6/28/12: End show.
6/28/12: That show in general and the second set in particular, were super unorthodox, but I really enjoyed it.
6/28/12: No big Type II jams, but McGrupp -> BOTT was great, and Groove > Caspian -> Waves is worth a listen.
6/28/12: The segues really gave the second set in general a momentum that it wouldn't have had otherwise.
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