Silent in the Morning

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Originally Performed By	Phish
Appears On
Music/Lyrics	Anastasio/Marshall
Vocals	Page (lead), Trey,Mike, Fish (backing)
Historian	Phish.net Staff
Last Update	2021-07-09

History

"Silent" is the coda to the Rift album. As the narrator awakens he begins to question the events he has dreamed and ponders the fate of his relationship. While “Silent” is a short, non-jamming song, many fans appreciate it because it is an opportunity for Page to show off his voice. Also, the counterpoint harmonies add a nice vocal touch to the song.

“Silent” is usually played on the heels of its companion, “The Horse.” In fact, prior to 2013, there just five occurrences where this was not the case. On 5/30/93, "Silent" was played alone for the first time following "Foam." Then on 6/23/94 "Silent" followed "Down with Disease" (perhaps to close the lonely “Horse” from two days earlier). The third occurance of "Silent" without "The Horse" was on 12/13/99 as part of an encore that also included "Heavy Things." By alphabetic necessity, "Silent" made a solo appearance on 9/2/11 as part of the "S" show. Finally, on 6/17/12, "Silent" was played to complete the aborted version of "The Horse" from the night before. 

Beginning in 2013, “The Horse” rode off into the sunset. Freed from the shackles of the overburdened “Horse,” “Silent” has truly set a different course for itself. Taking advantage of the ethereal intro of the song, Phish has begun employing the song as a landing spot for some of their deeper jams. While the new role has led to some spectacular segues (don’t miss the transitions out of “Tweezer” on 7/16/13 or “Hood” on 8/30/13), Phish fans can be a persnickety bunch. Although few would deny the beauty of those segues, a vocal contingent lamented the decision to switch gears from those fan favorites into more mellow territory.

“Silent” has also been played at several New Year’s Eve shows, giving the audience the opportunity to cheer when they are reminded that the same thing happened to them "just last year."

There was only a whisper of "Silent" post-hiatus as the song was played a mere two times - once on the Inverted NYE Run (1/2/03) and also on 4/16/04. Since the return of Phish in 2009, "Silent" is no longer suspended in the trees and the resounding echoes continue to grow, as the song has been frequently played, generally as a second set treat.

"The Horse" > "Silent in the Morning" – 6/17/10 Hartford, CT

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