Phish played the second show of three at Chicago’s UIC Pavilion last night, and the energy was just as intense as Monday night with the crowd roaring and sweating with every twist and turn during the show. Highlights for me included a way-out-there “Chalk Dust Torture,” the text from Patrick at 143245.org that said “Mexican Cousin’d!!” and a rocking “Ocelet” and a return of “Let It Loose” from Exile on Main Street. The second set had a full-on “Down with Disease -> Twist” that definitely stretched the limits of what I’ve seen the band play so far on this tour. I’m not sure if it was “as good as” Monday night, if that’s even possible to define, but I definitely was floored and exhausted last night upon leaving the show.

Phish @ UIC Pavilion, Chicago 8/16/11

Set 1: Dinner and a Movie, Ha Ha Ha > Chalk Dust Torture, Mexican Cousin, Walls of the Cave, Runaway Jim > Foam, I Didn’t Know, Ocelot, Ginseng Sullivan, The Wedge, Limb By Limb, Let It Loose

Set 2: Down with Disease* -> Twist > Backwards Down the Number Line > Theme From the Bottom > Golden Age -> A Day in the Life > You Enjoy Myself^

Encore: Heavy Things > Slave to the Traffic Light > Rocky Top

* Unfinished.
^ Walk This Way teases.

Notes: DWD was unfinished. YEM contained Walk This Way teases. Setlist via Phish.net.

The band finishes the three-night run this evening; check out @LiveMusicBlog for live tweets from the show. My AT&T 3G connection has been coming through strong for the first time in a long while. Holla.