Phish Summer Tour Openers

Here's a nugget of geekdom I uncovered.... Phish has never opened up a U.S.-based summer tour with the same song. I sifted through setlists via Phish.net and compiled a list of every tour opener since 1991. In 15 different domestic Phish summer tours, they have zero repeats for the openers. I was fortunate to be present for five of those moments -- including both summer tours in 2.0, and three openers in the late 1990s when I actually had lots of hair.

If Phish is purposely picking different song openers every summer, then you won't have to worry about hearing Possum to kick off Worcester one week from today.

Here's the list...

Phish Summer Tour Song Openers:
2012: ????
2011: Tweezer (Bethel Woods, NY 5/27/11)
2010: Down with Disease (Toyota Park, IL 6/11/10)
2009: Sample in a Jar * (Fenway Park, MA 5/31/09)
* Phish technically opened Fenway with Star Spangled Banner.

2004: A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing (Keyspan Park, Brooklyn 6/17/04)
2003: Stash (Phoenix, AZ 7/7/03)

2000: First Tube (Antioch, TN 6/22/00)
1999: Bathtub Gin (Bonner Springs, KS 6/30/99)
1998: Wolfman's Brother (Portland, OR 7/15/98)
1997: Ghost (Virginia Beach, VA 7/21/98)
1996: Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Park City, UT 8/2/96)
1995: Possum (Boise, ID 6/7/95)
1994: Llama (Salt Lake City, UT 6/9/94)
1993: Rift (Weedsport, NY 7/13/93)
1992: Glide (Portland, ME 7/9/92)
1991: The Oh Kee Pah Ceremony (Burlington, VT 7/11/91)

Here's Tweezer from Bethel Woods last year...



So, what will this year's summer tour opener be?

The perennial chalk favorites for almost every show are Runaway Jim and AC/DC Bag. I wonder if they'll bust out a Levon Helm-inspired cover? Or perhaps pull a Mound out of their arses?

We'll find out in one week.