[We would like to thank Megan Glionna (@meganglionna) aka @the_megan_dance for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]

“I went to my first Phish show last night! It was so killer! It was amazing, indescribable. I’ve never seen a band so into their audience. Phish cannot even be judged until you see them in concert. They’re alive, electric, young, energetic. It was so tripped out to see downtown Grand Rapids full of hippies, like a Dead show! I felt uplifted, amazed and full of energy! They played so many killer tunes, I mean they jammed SO hard!”

Those are a few lines from my journal entry the day after I saw Phish for the first time when I was 17 years old. Take out the word “young” and it could accurately, if not eloquently, describe my feelings after last night’s show.

I grew up in a suburb outside of Grand Rapids and by the mid ‘90s, I was completely obsessed with the Grateful Dead. After hearing Rift and a few bootlegs I took my wide-eyed optimism to Devos Hall on November 14, 1994 and had my mind blown. An opening "My Friend, My Friend" that scared the crap out of me, an electric "Maze," a "Lawn Boy" > "Cavern" mashup, a huge ‘94 "Bowie" with audience participation, and a mini acoustic set, this show had it all and it changed my life forever.

My family moved after I graduated high school, so I have few opportunities to return to my home state. When I heard Phish was playing in my hometown for the first time since 1998, I knew I had to make the pilgrimage. The band came into Grand Rapids in an interesting spot. This tour has had so many incredible moments and so many lengthy jams. The final night of Deer Creek had a first set with some of the more bizarre Phish songs played consecutively and a second set that was maybe their best of the tour with those deep jams so many of us covet. I don’t know how you play the show after the hour that is “Ghost" and "Soul Planet” from 8/4, but that is where our band found itself last night.

Phish answered the challenge with aplomb, by playing a first set with excellent song selections, rarities, and three songs that stretched out, indicating that the band was still feeling limber after the Sunday show in Deer Creek and a second set with some hot improv and a wildly energetic and emotional sit-in with Billy MF Strings.

My second run of smaller arena shows on this tour (Mohegan also rocked!), I dig the intimacy and the focus on the lights. The contained energy is exciting and my god it’s nice not to worry about the weather (I can save those prayers for Mondegreen). I easily got myself a great spot on the floor with lots of space and waited for showtime with those pre-show butterflies that make a show day unlike any other. Phish opened with “Strawberry Letter 23,” a rarity that makes the audience feel special. This was the 11th time ever played with a show gap of 47 shows. Fun opener. “Sigma Oasis,” that lyrical gem of optimism, found some hot little bliss peaks, with Trey sounding like he has a friend he is excited to see later. I love this song early in the show, it feels like a good omen and a nice welcome into the Phish universe.

Following the theme of making us feel special, the band dropped “Peaches en Regalia” next. I lost my mind. It felt like a nod back to my first show when they opened the second set with it. I’ve also been chasing this song since I heard it on 12/6/1996 , so after 28 years I finally got my third “Peaches” and it was the perfect place for it. After a 115-show gap, it set a tone of joy and enthusiasm from the crowd.

“Tube” had a super connected middle jam that felt very in the pocket. The jam from “Theme from the Bottom” opened with some soaring notes from Trey and some gorgeous playing from Page. This song has had some killer versions in the last few years (12/29/23, 12/30/22 and 8/10/22 are some of my favorites) and it’s exciting to know this old song can go to new places. No new terrain traveled in this version but it is bright and blissy.

“Stash” was up next and came in at just over 13 minutes. This version gets interesting around 6 minutes in when Mike and Trey have a conversation that Fishman and Page compliment with some sparse drumming and twinkling on the keys. As the intensity grew Fishman and Page started pushing more into the conversation and Trey’s soloing grew anxious and repetitive, which gave the jam a more hurried feeling. Page’s piano work started to crest and push the band towards that classic “Stash” peak. And, of course, Kuroda was killing it as usual during “Stash” as last night was his 1800th show running the lights for Phish and blowing our minds.

The crowd was roaring after and Trey thanked everyone saying it was so good to be here. The crowd would not stop yelling, so Trey bowed and you could feel the love. A lovely version of “Train Song” was an earned cooldown. I have recently changed my mind about the next song of the evening. “Steam” always confused me before, I thought it was a little forced and weird (like some politicians). At Mohegan a friend told me it was about sex. Wow. Now I feel like I get it and it’s becoming one of my favorite songs to dance to. Trey’s guitar sounded meaty and it’s been fun to hear him dabbling a little with the wah pedal on this tour. This version is a rockin 'blues jam with some real mustard.

Phish continued to show how well they are playing the classics with a nice version of “Rift.” For the most part, the band sounds practiced when playing their highly composed songs lately and this “Rift” is a good example of them attacking the compositions and not just getting through them. A perfect first set with excellent flow and inspired playing wrapped up with a great jam in “Bathtub Gin.” Trey and Page echoed each other as this jam took off. Fishman and Mike did what they have been doing best on this tour, playing some super interesting and propulsive lines to push the jam forward and keep a level of intrigue below the bliss.

Trey has been leaning towards the light with his perfect tone and the return of the Mesa Boogie amp and Languedoc cabinets. Trey’s tone on this tour has been one for the ages and I would vote for his setup to remain this way for a while! The expert on Trey’s rig has updated info on his site which everyone should check out. Trey has not been relying on the effect pedal on this tour so when he does employ it, it has a bigger impact. Switching to that in the “Gin” jam last night gave it a gravitas and pushed the band to build to a sweltering peak that made the crowd roar continuously. A perfect drop back into the song wrapped it all up. It was a tremendous ending to a killer set. This set is a great example of how the band can play a memorable set without a monster jam. Great song selection and tight type 1 jamming for the win.

Well-played versions of “Free” and “Sand” opened set two. “Sand” gave Trey a chance to show off that golden tone with a soulful solo and some in-the-pocket grooving we expect from the masters of the low end, Mike and Fishman. In this version, you can hear them hinting that they are interested in opening some doors and seeing what is down the hallway. Although it didn’t feel constrained, it may have opened up further if the band didn’t have other plans this evening.

The next two songs just rocked. “Ruby Waves” with the highest batting average in the game delivered once again. This song loves a jam! The jam begins with those repetitive riffs Trey has been employing this tour to move a jam along and Page echoed him beautifully. Fishman used rolling drums to keep us floating on those “Ruby Waves.” The transitions from light to dark on this tour have been so seamless but this one was a little clunky. Page eased the transition by moving to the Moog One and adding some synth layers as well.

As the jam started to settle I held my breath as these have been pivotal moments in the jams this summer. Hoping that the band would explore the quiet and not be rushed to move on, I was relieved when they found some gorgeous space that evoked feelings of a brand new day. Trey soloed out of that space and concluded the 18-minute version with some wild high notes and a slowed down blues jam that stopped on a dime. The opening notes of a rare mid-set two “Harry Hood” crept out and to me it felt like they were closing this set prior to the sit-in which I think was a nice call and worked really well. “Hood” had wild energy and all the feels we want from this glorious feel-good song.

You can’t fault some fans for being a little disappointed there was a sit-in when the band was playing so well in set two. I was cautiously optimistic as I’ve seen some phenomenal sit-ins (Les Claypool and Larry LaLonde in ‘96, LeRoi Moore in '97 , and Derek Trucks in '99) and I was eager to see what Billy Strings was about. I had never seen him perform before last night, but I have many friends who made me playlists and waxed poetic about this “generational talent” so I knew he would rip and was excited to see what he would do with Phish. They last played together publicly for the Goose/TAB tour in 2022 and privately at BIlly’s wedding in 2023, but Billy has never played live with Phish.

Similar to how you feel when you bring someone special home to meet your family, Trey was a little excited and had some lyrical mishaps while singing lead in “The Moma Dance,” but what a song to play with Billy. Loved the choice to play another sexy song and let Trey and Billy stare into each other’s eyes and dance. Billy added soul and interest to the “Moma” intro. His knees bent as he dug into his solos and his long hair swayed as he played with intention and heart.

There was a runaway train quality to this “Moma” (and the whole sit-in honestly), some really pretty playing and what I would guess is a “jam grass” peak. This song was 23 minutes of two larger-than-life talents trading licks and at times it felt less like a conversation and more like an embrace with them playing the same lines instead of just going back and forth the whole time. Both got a chance to play emotional solos, which is worth the price of admission. It was also interesting to see that when the improvisation went type 2, Billy stepped back and it started to sound more like what we expect from Phish. With a fantastic ending that sounded rehearsed, the band concluded one of the better jams with a guest sit-in.

I kept thinking that playing a song like “Possum” with Phish must feel like you’re being strapped to the front of a speeding train. No doubt Billy is up for the challenge as he leads a monster band in his own right, but it must feel different to do that with a mentor and on the Phish “track” which is unpredictable and intense in a unique way. Hats off to Billy Strings for absolutely crushing this “Possum” and bringing his youthful energy and incredible talent to make for an unforgettable version. Also, Billy took the lead in singing and, don’t tell Mike, but he sounded so good singing this song!

I thought that would end the set but Trey didn’t want to stop playing with his pal and they instead launched into “Everything’s Right.” This 15-minute version is not to be missed. Two guitar Phish sounded so great here and their dueling on the high end allowed all this space for Mike to open up on the low end and play beautifully. Some absolutely jaw-dropping guitar work at play here and an emotional moment seeing the elder statesman Trey just adore playing with this young talent.

An encore for the ages followed with two stunning bluegrass covers, Tim O'Brien's “Nellie Kane” and Del Mccoury's “Beauty of my Dreams” and a shred fest of a “Carini.” Wow. I left feeling elated and exactly how I felt after my first show almost thirty years ago.

With “America’s Dad” joining the Democratic presidential ticket and my hometown so developed and full of great beer, everything feels like it’s coming up Midwest. After the “Theme” peak someone next to me yelled “In our hometown brother” and hugged his friend. When Phish comes to these towns they don’t play all the time, it feels meaningful for the locals and gives those of us who have moved away a chance to come home and feel proud of where we came from. I’ve now lived in NYC for a lot longer than I lived in Michigan, but there is nothing like where you grew up or where you learned to love a band that is so meaningful to you. It’s an “echo of home.”

My friend from middle school’s mom drove us around Monday and Tuesday like the world’s sweetest Uber driver, further making me feel like I was a teenager again. At one point on Tuesday she asked me “what’s the deal with Phish, what are they about?” I felt at a loss to accurately convey how meaningful this band is and how I feel about what they have accomplished and continue to accomplish.

How do you explain our feeling of community? The inside jokes? The way this band regularly delivers transcendence and makes us feel hopeful about life? The beauty of having this space to dance with others and commune in joy together? The way a jam can help you work through something that seems impossible or remind you that you don’t need to figure it all out today? How do you explain an “echo of home?” Because that’s what Phish is to me. Thank you Phish for bringing a feeling of home to cities far and wide throughout the years. Let’s do it again tonight.

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