Tuesday 11/11/2025 by Lemuria

MOST COMMON SONG PER STATE 🗺️

NOTE: This has been updated to counts of shows with each song rather the first number being all performances in the state. This removes HYHU from every state but Florida, and addresses other anomalies. For example, HYHU, Weekapaug, and Mike's all have been played in Georgia more than any other songs - but Possum is the song that appears in the most shows.)

There are five states (shaded black) in which Phish has not yet performed. In fifteen more (those in grey), there is a tie for the most common song performed, ranging from every song at the one Oklahoma show, to a tie between only Chalk Dust and Wolfman's among the 43 shows in Washington state.

For the remaining 30 states, this map shows the most common song performed in each state, the number of that state's shows in which it was performed, and the number of shows in that state. There are some vague patterns, such as "Possum" in the far northeast (geographically ironic), a spotty "YEM" Belt (settled like a belly above the Bible Belt), and "Chalk Dust" spread far and wide.

States that share a most common song are colored the same (such as California, Texas, Kentucky, Ohio, and New Jersey each having "Chalk Dust Torture" most commonly, and all in green). Those in pink have a unique most-common song (such as, fittingly, "Alumni Blues" in Vermont).

Map of Songs
Map of Songs

If you liked this blog post, one way you could "like" it is to make a donation to The Mockingbird Foundation, the sponsor of Phish.net. Support music education for children, and you just might change the world.


Comments

, comment by MissMarley
MissMarley this is awesome! thanks for working on this project! 2001 TN baby!!!!!!!!
, comment by musicrama
musicrama Can i get a new license plate... Connecticut The Tweezer State :)
, comment by HarborSeal
HarborSeal Perfect phish.net post. Well done.
, comment by TheCliffordBall
TheCliffordBall I caught a Possum at 38 % of my NY shows. The map shows it being played at 30% of NY shows.

Love this type of Phishing!
, comment by gmkicculus
gmkicculus I think this is flawed. Was it every HYHU or number of shows with HYHU? It is always played at least twice in a show when played. Take Kentucky as an example. My best recollection, without looking it up, but it was not played at Bourbon and Beyond this year. So it could not have been played at every show in Kentucky.
, comment by cletus22
cletus22 Awesome work, thank you! Can we see the songs and the number of shows in the states that are tied? Maybe in a list to the side.
, comment by myler
myler very cool, thanks!
, comment by RobPJohnson3
RobPJohnson3 I had a feeling Georgia was going to be Possum before I even looked at the map.

It's kind of a cliché, but I can't blame them for giving the heart of the South the most southern fried song in their entire catalog.
, comment by Lemuria
Lemuria @gmkicculus said:
I think this is flawed. Was it every HYHU or number of shows with HYHU? It is always played at least twice in a show when played. Take Kentucky as an example. My best recollection, without looking it up, but it was not played at Bourbon and Beyond this year. So it could not have been played at every show in Kentucky.
No, it isn't *always* played twice. In many shows, it's only played once, and only *after* the Fishman tune. But the chart's been updated to address the idea that it's *often* played twice.
, comment by Lemuria
Lemuria @cletus22 said:
Awesome work, thank you! Can we see the songs and the number of shows in the states that are tied? Maybe in a list to the side.
Done :)
, comment by brienc
brienc I don't see DC represented? Or are my eyes just failing me? Looks like it should be a Suzy/YEM tie, based on ZZYZX's stats.
, comment by Lemuria
Lemuria @brienc said:
I don't see DC represented? Or are my eyes just failing me? Looks like it should be a Suzy/YEM tie, based on ZZYZX's stats.
I didn't include DC, but too small to color and not technically a state :) I hope to someday include Puerto Rico, and will do Europe next...
, comment by rgrossi
rgrossi @musicrama said:
Can i get a new license plate... Connecticut The Tweezer State :)
I saw a PYITE plate here in CT about 25 years ago and I still think about it sometimes
, comment by Ausonius
Ausonius Wondering what the date of a seventh Delaware show is, I have the '93 and'94 and the four Mondegreen shows, what's number 7?
, comment by VermontCowFunk
VermontCowFunk @Ausonius said:
Wondering what the date of a seventh Delaware show is, I have the '93 and'94 and the four Mondegreen shows, what's number 7?
I think .net includes the Mondegreen Soundcheck on 8/14/2024 as a "show" for record keeping purposes...

https://phish.net/setlists/state/DE/USA
, comment by Lemuria
Lemuria @VermontCowFunk said:
@Ausonius said:
Wondering what the date of a seventh Delaware show is, I have the '93 and'94 and the four Mondegreen shows, what's number 7?
I think .net includes the Mondegreen Soundcheck on 8/14/2024 as a "show" for record keeping purposes...
Correct. https://phish.net/faq/counting-shows
, comment by ctmcclun
ctmcclun 319 shows in NY? that's unbelievable, lucky bastards!
, comment by PlayingMantis
PlayingMantis The Cavern hit rate in Luisiana is wild and needs to be studied.
, comment by fluffheadj
fluffheadj Without checking to see I reckon some of that Cavern hit rate probably has to do with horns guesting, which presumably correlate with both New Orleans and playing Cavern...
, comment by HarborSeal
HarborSeal Is there any easy way to get stats where each song counts only once per show? To me, that's more meaningful data, outside of a very very few cases.
, comment by Lemuria
Lemuria @HarborSeal said:
Is there any easy way to get stats where each song counts only once per show? To me, that's more meaningful data, outside of a very very few cases.
The original version of this included all versions. The current version (and most earlier iterations) only count a song once per show.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Support Phish.net & Mbird
Fun with Setlists
Check our Phish setlists and sideshow setlists!
Phish News
Subscribe to Phish-News for exclusive info while on tour!

Phish.net

Phish.net is a non-commercial project run by Phish fans and for Phish fans under the auspices of the all-volunteer, non-profit Mockingbird Foundation.

This project serves to compile, preserve, and protect encyclopedic information about Phish and their music.

Credits | Terms Of Use | Legal | DMCA

© 1990-2025  The Mockingbird Foundation, Inc.