“We may have learned more from Little Feat than any other band.”

So wrote Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio in last night’s Phishbill (pictured above), the program announcing their set in Atlantic City. As they do every year, they surprised the audience with a classic album set. Pre-show speculation suggested they might play Frank Zappa’s Joe’s Garage or Genesis’ The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, but the band surprised everyone by performing a very unsurprising choice: Little Feat’s Waiting for Columbus. Little Feat’s 1978 live album included fan favorites from throughout their discography, making it a smart pick to showcase a relatively little-known band (at least compared to previous picks: the Stones, the Beatles, the Who, and Talking Heads).

For a full ninety minutes the quartet jammed through all eighteen cuts. Well, technically seventeen – they played Little Feat’s recording of opening cut “Join the Band” as their walk-on music. Sixteen of those were Phish debuts (they’ve played “Time Love a Hero” before). Check out their runs through “Dixie Chicken,” “Tripe Face Boogie,” and “Rocket in My Pocket” below. Each song features a five-piece horn section, just like original album did. If you like what you hear (you will), download the full set from LivePhish.com. Continue reading »