via Brandon Wenerd / BroBible.com
Sometimes, you really do have to pinch yourself.
For us Phish fans, now’s the time to sit back, bask in the present, and soak up the fact that, yep, life’s pretty surreal right now. That thought hit me repeatedly during Phish’s sold-out run at the Las Vegas Sphere, where they were absolutely on fire. The band became only the second to play the $2 billion venue, crafting an immersive experience with “mind-melting” 18k visuals and never sounding better than on the world’s most insane concert sound system.
“It’s like laser sound,” Trey Anastasio described to CBS News.
Trust me, even Drew Carey couldn’t help tweeting his unhinged awe and bewilderment during the shows. Same goes for Vanessa Hudgens, who skipped Coachella for Phish at Sphere.
It’s hard not to get swept up in the excitement in the Phish world right now. They’re just that good.
I couldn’t help but think, “What a time to be alive. What a time to be a fan!”
It was the same feeling I’ve gotten before when my favorite team wins a championship—a pinch-yourself moment.
It rocks to see your favorite band in the world at the height of their creative superpowers.
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It’s been quite the saga from those early days in Burlington’s frat houses to sold-out festivals to world-famous venues like Madison Square Garden and, now, James Dolan’s audacious Sphere. Flashback twenty summers to Coventry, Vermont—me, 18, fresh out of high school, ankle-deep in mud, thinking I watched Phish’s last stand. College was about to start, and I had hoped Phish would be the soundtrack and social focus of those years. Instead, I got a muddy goodbye that felt more like a somber dirge than a celebratory send-off.
That farewell was a mess—muddy, melancholy, and musically very off. It was supposed to be a grand exit, but felt like a floundering victory lap. Trey Anastasio had once expressed concerns about Phish turning into a nostalgia act, and there, in the mire of Coventry, his fears seemed justified.
The whole thing tore up me at the time. Thought I regularly went to shows when I was in high school from 2000 – 2004, I barely listened to Phish during my formative college years. I didn’t get back on the train until 2010, when my younger brother (and now, long-time Phish show companion) stressed I was missing something special by sitting on the sidelines with the band back in action, with Trey sober, refreshed, and ready to melt faces like a Jedi with a Languedoc guitar again.
As much as it’s about the four guys on the stage, this resurgence of Phish isn’t just a musical renaissance; it’s a personal one. Phish has become interwoven into my life in the best possible way in the past twenty years. I met my fiancée, my forever person, at a Phish show. I’ve made lifelong friends, rekindled cherished old bonds, and shared this unique experience with family—going to scores of shows with my brother, and even bringing my mom, a former middle school music teacher, to concerts (between my brother and I, she’s been to four and excited to go to more). Each concert isn’t just about the music, it’s about stopping to live one moment at a time.
Zoom through twenty years of twists and turns, and you’ll see Phish’s constant evolution, all with signature wit and whimsy.
Let’s call some highlights since 2009, when the gang got back together: they rocked Exile On Main Street at Festival 8, brought out Abe Vigoda in Atlantic City, turned Halloween into a spectacle with Disney’s Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House, trolled us so hard with Kasvot Växt, and threw down epic festivals like Superball and Magnaball. Remember the 13-night Baker’s Dozen run at Madison Square Garden where they didn’t repeat a single song and jammed the hell out of Lawn Boy? That was a peak experience that earned them a banner in the rafters of The Greatest Arena in the World, but then they kept going. They turned MSG into an aquatic wonderland, complete with a giant floating whale. And let’s not forget the Tweezerfests, the Harpuas, the number and animal-themed shows, the explosion of 30+ minute jams—more than ever before in their careers—and that Gamehendge Broadway blowout at The Garden this past New Year’s Eve.
So many chapters have been added to the Phish history books in the last few eras. They’re respectful of their own history, while not being completely trapped by their own nostalgia. While other bands revisit their old catalog with fresh eyes and more musical wisdom, they’ve developed a pioneering process and muscle memory for pushing the artistic envelope. Not just with music, but now, with the Sphere shows, immersive fan experiences too.
They function like a well-oiled machine, a single organism in creative symbiosis, constantly setting new benchmarks for themselves and the live music industry. With generations of music fans paying attention, Phish has come back stronger, weaving their music into the fabric of pop culture—from NFL highlights to sold-out shows that feel more like cultural events.
Four decades in, Anasatio says the band is just now hitting their stride. If you experienced Phish in the Vegas’ Sphere, it’s impossible to not walk away from the experience believing that.
It was nothing less than revolutionary. Sure, there were mutters from the couch tour crowd about the visuals not translating well to smaller screens from Sphere’s massive scale. But IRL? Whoa. I had to sit down a couple of times just because it got “a little much.”
On the second night, I couldn’t stop laughing at how clever it was for the band to perform “You Enjoy Myself” with giant visuals of a car going through a car wash, complete with the band occupying a spot on the dashboard where the stereo would be. You know how many times I’ve thought “wow, these lights are trippy, kind like a Phish show” while rolling through a pre-soak cycle?
Pretty much every time! It was a moment of genius.
They transformed the venue into a psychedelic canvas for their most ambitious performances yet, creating not just concerts, but full-scale sensory onslaughts in one of the most technologically-advanced concert venues ever created. All the while, they stayed uniquely true to themselves being “the weirdest band that ever got big,” in Anastasio’s own words.
“Entirely new form of entertainment,” the guitarist explained to CBS News about the Sphere shows, “The Wild West.”
I think it’s fitting that Phish, as the second band to play it after U2, also showed the creative community what’s possible with such an ambitious vision in the space. At The Sphere, Phish laid down a new blueprint for future performances:
- Innovate with Intention: Every show is crafted with the fan experience at the forefront, turning each concert into an event.
- Challenge the Conventional: The Sphere is a space for artists ready to transcend typical pop star spectacle and create something truly memorable.
As we look to the future, Phish has earned the freedom to explore and experiment. Their success is a tale of evolution and constant reinvention. Thinking back to how I felt in 2004 at Coventy, the last 15 years have been a miracle and blessing, so everything we get is simply icing on the cake. We’re in the bonus. I can’t emphasize enough that Phish can do whatever they want. I’ll just be grateful to be along for the ride.
Still, it’s fun to daydream about “what’s next?!” in the world of Phish. Something is always next. Phish has always been forward-thinking about their creative risks and the ways they’ll defy convention.
Here’s what I, as a long-time fan, hope for:
Surprise Shows in Unique Venues
I like it when Phish keeps the world on its toes. I also think Phish can be fun, tactfully, on a small scale, not just in the world’s biggest rooms. I like the idea that Phish can do something small and stunty and turn it into a huge spectacle, after the fact. That’s a very Phish ethos. Just imagine a late-night Phish set at Pappy and Harriet’s in Pioneertown, California. A secret show in the Mojave desert roadhouse on a random Tuesday could be the stuff of legend, reminiscent of their gigs at Nectar’s back in the day.
An International Tour
Echoes of their 1997 European funk odyssey and the epic Japan ’99 tour should inspire a new global trek. Because none of us are getting any younger and traveling to far-off lands to see your favorite thing in the world is a fun time, a less grueling schedule could introduce Phish’s jam sessions to a whole new audience, making “The Phish from Vermont” a worldwide phenomenon again.
Embrace New Media Technologies
With their first official foray into TikTok and innovative use of drone footage during the Sphere run, Phish is dipping their toes into new media formats and distribution platforms to connect with an audience. To me, the move feels like a calculated one. Bands are businesses at the end of the day, so there’s probably some urgency to reach as many people as possible right now. With a production strategy in place that leans in on Phish’s quirky personalities and talent, TikTok could be a place where they start to build a new relationship with their fans and creative spirit.
Just imagine a world where we’re getting Page McConnell sandwich shop reviews or Jon Fishman work out videos? Fun!
New Year’s Runs in Miami
I know this one is a long-shot. Yes, Phish Mexico is a thing for anyone who wants beach vacation Phish. But it’s pricey and always falls in a weird time of year for me compared to the holidays. While Madison Square Garden has been the traditional home for Phish’s New Years’ Broadway spectacular, why not bring the heat to Miami again? I had a blast when I went there with my brother in 2014. Phish in South Florida is a lot of fun: Great weather, beach vibes during the day, fantastic food. It’s a wonderful destination for Phish to be Phish with a little winter vacation around the holidays. I’d love to see them embrace it again.
Broadway and Beyond
Phish has spoiled fans with theatrical productions at shows the last 15 years, especially at Madison Square Garden and on Halloween. But I think Broadway Trey deserves a proper Broadway show. I’m not saying Phish plays a Broadway show night after night – that would be lame and get old quick. But I think it would rock to see the unique musical worlds they’ve built adapted to a theatrical stage experience. Imagine a musical a la The Book Of Mormon, School of Rock, Moulin Rouge, Rock Of Ages, etc? As a thought-starter, it could be about the bands’ hi-jinx around Kasvot Växt, Sci-Fi Soldier, Harpua, Gamehendge, or all the other lore Phish has built over the years.
I love the ways these worlds could come to life and be enjoyed by others outside the format of a Phish show.
Speaking of World-Building…
I love it when Phish builds new worlds for their fans to unpack. I hope they keep doing it and deliver it in a way that turns our brains into pretzels.
Stadium Shows with a Twist
This might be my most controversial wish. Many Phish fans lament the band doing stadium shows due to their lack of intimacy and notoriously terrible sound. In terms of crowd-size, why go to a stadium show when you could go to a multi-day festival to get your Phish fix? Phish’s Mondegreen festival in Dover, Delaware this summer will be a massive affair, along with a substantial production undertaking.
But three days of festival car camping is also a lot, especially for an aging fan base with disposable income happy to throw down for an RV, Airbnb, or hotel room.
After seeing Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, and Kenny Chesney at SoFi Stadium in the past two years, I think there’s something just as special about the stadium concert experience. I’m in the minority of people who think this, but I think it could work for Phish if they wanted to take this next step up in venue size.
Stadiums aren’t all dumpy like they were during the summer tour heydey of the Grateful Dead in the late ’80s and early ’90s. There are some wonderful and modern stadiums out there in 2024. Plus, I think it will make the Phish experience more accessible to others who want to check the band out, but might be shut-out of reasonably-priced tickets at smaller venues. It’s great for bringing more people into the fan base.
With demand for Phish shows at an all-time high, larger venues seem inevitable, even though Trey and others have constantly shrugged off the idea of Phish playing in stadiums. Imagine a summer tour that ends in an epic stadium at somewhere like SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, with the band looking larger-than-life on the famous Occulus?
I think it would rock.
Groundbreaking albums and a nod from the Grammys
The critical reception to Phish’s albums is always notoriously humdrum at the time of release, especially compared to the bacchanal spectacle of their live shows. But there’s something special about how Phish uses the album-making process to craft new music that works its way into the live canon. It’s high time the music industry recognizes Phish’s influence and innovation, especially as pioneers in live improvisational music and fan-forward recorded music distribution. I don’t know what for yet, but Grammy on something might just be the acknowledgment that Phish’s unique path deserves.
Super Bowl Spectacle
Phish is the ultimate wink-and-a-nod, IYKYK band. The band thrives on being the inside joke, which is why it’s funny to so many Phish fans when the band seems to mainstream itself into the cultural fabric. It’s the longest of long shots, but incorporating Phish into the Super Bowl halftime show could be a game-changer.
I doubt Roger Goodell and the powers-that-be at Apple Music would ever give Phish the main billing, because that would almost certainly flop on such a big stage. But… What about something that’s a wink and a nod? Like opening up the halftime show with “Chalkdust Torture” as Harry Styles’ backup band before seamlessly throttling into hit Styles pop bangers like “As It Was” or “Watermelon Sugar” for his set?
I’m just saying, it would be fun. If Tweezer Repise can make it into regular NFL games (…and was even once hype music for the start of the Super Bowl LI broadcast between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons), why not some sort of bigger Phish integration into the biggest game of them all? It’d be a fun event that’d be great water cooler fodder while Monday Morning Quarterbacking the day after the Big Game.
More Immersive Experiences Like Sphere
The Sphere set a new standard. Future shows could push the envelope even further with visuals, themes, and concepts, making every concert an event that’s more than just a performance: It’s a must-see, tune-in event that becomes a sacred part of every Phish fan’s calendar year. I want to see them expand on some of the creative themes they built in the first Sphere run: Bring back the scary mutant robots with spotlight eyes in “Ghost,” bring back the “Sigma Oasis” cloud trees, let’s go on an even deeper stroll through the “Pillow Jets” forest, let’s submerge ourselves in the Prince Caspian waves again.
The experience knocked my socks off. I can’t wait to go back.
On Sunday night, during the second and final set of the run, my friendly seat neighbor Tad took off his shirt while thrashing around, dancing no-holds-bar to the Down With Disease jam. He leaned over to me mid-groove and, very genuinely, said “I’m going to be so sad we’re not here tomorrow night.”
In that moment, this comment from a friendly stranger choked me up. I felt a wave of sadness that the moment was coming to an end.
“Me too, Tad,” I nodded and smiled. The music crescendoed. Page hammered away at a synth in a new key, taking us on a blissful voyage while the band followed his lead for a brief second. Tad responded with a fist pound.
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As Phish continues to chart their unique course through the music world, they keep proving that the best is indeed yet to come. Here’s to many more years of groundbreaking music and unforgettable shows.