REMEMBERING JOHN GREENE
After a lengthy and courageous fight with cancer, on November 30, 2025, we lost John Greene - longtime Phish fan, one of Phish.net's very first users, keyboardist in the Bay Area's Phish tribute band Chum, and loving friend to so many of us in the community.
John was an important part of Phish's lore, not just in his faithful stylings of the band's catalog. He produced the "Esther" music video in 1991; his yeP! bandmate Matthew Laurence released the Amy's Farm footage on the blog in support of Mockingbird, and John was there filming it too (can you spot him in the footage with a camera on his shoulder?); and most recently, he let us interview him and release the long-lost Gamehendge CD-ROM footage that he had recorded 30 years prior and dutifully preserved in his archives. I was lucky enough to spend John's last Phish shows with him at Bill Graham on April 22 and 23, 2025.
Beyond music, John spent years openly sharing his experience living with cancer, writing honestly about treatment, uncertainty, and day-to-day life. His final post, written by his wife Heather as a farewell, is deeply moving and worth reading. In John’s memory, his son Orion has started a fundraising effort to support blood-cancer research. If you’re able and inclined, please consider donating to his Student Visionaries of the Year campaign to raise funds for Blood Cancer United here.
AN INTERVIEW WITH ZENZILE, 40 YEARS ON
For nearly 40 years, most of you have probably known of Zenzile (if you have known of him at all) only as a guest at Phish's 2/3/86 and 4/1/86 shows - and even then might have regarded him as a random interloper, interjecting otherwise unusual politics into Phish shows, and may have wondered who he was and why he was there.
The former of those two shows was actually a benefit performed for the African National Congress, a critical component in challenging and eventually bringing down the apartheid regime in South Africa. It therefore featured Zenzile, not arbitrarily but topically and intentionally, reciting some of his revolutionary poetry during the encore of four songs. (Phish has performed only one of those four a second time, as far as we know, at the 4/1/86 show as backing for more recitations.)
This was by far the most political of Phish's known performances (moreso even than the 5/16/95 Voters for Choice show, and much more than other previous benefits such as those for NORML, OXFAM, and Farm Aid). Zenzile was also the most political of the more than 300 guests the band has had one stage. Yet, still, few Phish fans even know who he is, other than from the show notes on those two performances.
I'm therefore honored to have been exchanging emails with Zenzile over the past 18 months, learning about his (and Phish's) early days at Goddard College, his time before and after those shows, and his broader historical role.
MEXICO4 RECAP: THE DUALITY OF SURRENDERING TO THE FLOW
[We would like to thank Matt (@Scissortail) for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]
The stages of Phish showgoing, in my experience: When first hooked, I want to learn and absorb everything. I want to be in on the jokes, the lore, all the things that everyone at the show seems already in on. Gradually, having learned all that stuff, the song-chasing phase begins. I must hear Harpua; I must hear Forbin; etc. Eventually, when there’s nothing much left to chase, the quest shifts to chasing epic jams. It’s a privilege to witness an Alpine Ruby Waves or a 12/30/19 Tweezer. But at some point there is enlightenment, and I realize there’s only one thing I really want and need at a Phish show:
The Flow.
When it comes to Phish, Flow is undefinable, indescribable, and different for every single one of us. (@MikeHamad goes deep in an excellent essay on what it means to him.)
Night four in Mexico is a tale of two sets, and an interesting case study in the contrast of Flow.
MEXICO3 RECAP: HIGH HIGHS BY THE LOW SEAS
[We would like to thank Mikey Reppy (@mikey) for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]
It’s day three of the four day run, so people are generally completely settled in, if not before, now very used to the rhythm of the resort Phish life. They are in high celebration mode. The pools are full and raucous. It has been noticeably cooler and cloudier this year than in the past few years, but today, Friday, is bright, sunny and the warmest day of the trip so far. I never get an actual headcount for these things, but 2026 seems like 2025 in that there are a lot of Phish fans here but less than in the early 2020’s, and concentrated in the Sunrise end of the Moon Palace complex. We’ve run into a few people here in the Sunrise pool that are not here for Phish but they like the crowd. And hopefully they like the music as it’s clearly audible across half the complex!
Night 3 also has the audience where it wants to be. The crowd is mostly in front of the soundboard and a little bit on either side of it. The palms, food & table area, and beach are not crowded. We like the waves so are typically on the beach right at the waters edge and far enough back so as not to be crowded. But the “Waves” theme was last night so on to today. Phish has settled in, so the highs are high. Winds at showtime are very mild so the seas lap at our feet.
MEXICO2 RECAP: EASY, BREEZY, BEAUTIFUL
[We would like to thank @Blerzen for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]
As I sit on a cushy beach chair on a breezy, sunny, 72 degree morning in Riviera Maya, MX, I ponder the question: is Mexico Phish the ultimate Phish experience? When I last saw Phish in September 2025 back home in Atlanta, the shows were mid-week and I had to work those days. A 40+ minute drive to and from the venue in Alpharetta means staying focused and coherent enough to make it home safely, and knowing work looms the next morning. But those concerns don’t exist here and that lack of stress and the ease of virtually everything makes for a carefree vibe that you don’t get at any other Phish show.
My first time here is off to a great start.
On night 1, guitarist Trey Anastasio wore a $250 t-shirt, but last night he really upped the ante, and the band followed suit and outdid themselves musically with a near perfect show, full of inspired playing, risk taking, and some choice setlist calls.
MEXICO1 RECAP: A RARE DATE IN A WARM PLACE
[We would like to thank Michael Leigh and Loretta Leigh (@Mcquinn and @Llama2Boot) for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]
Phish’s last show on January 28 was in 1990. So, that made tonight kinda special. It’s hard to get a January 28 show.
The day was the usual Day 1 chill. People still arriving, people running into annual Mexico friends or others they’ve not seen since their last show. So many of us glad to get out of the bitter cold in the States. Even if the temps here are on the cooler side, 72F is still 50+ degrees warmer than where my wife and I came from.
All were wondering what would come tonight. Some new songs? "Real You" and "Mindless Mood" were road tested with TAB’s last tour, but would they make the jump? Would we get some Mexico debuts? Would we get a Bobby tribute at all? We were treated to a great 22-minute-ish "Theme from the Bottom" for soundcheck yesterday (Jam, “My Soul,” “Theme,” ran about an hour total with the full band). That followed Trey playing drums by himself for almost 2 hours until the others joined him for soundcheck. Would that be the best "Theme" of the weekend?
THE STATE OF PHISH
[This content is courtesy of Ben Greenfield, user @GuyForgetOPT and @MrBenGreenfield on IG and @guyforget.bengreenfield.com on BlueSky.. -Ed.]
The state of Phish, in a word, is phenomenal. That’s the overwhelming consensus of 325 Phish fans, who responded to an online survey from January 22-25, 2026. [Links to the survey were placed on Bluesky, phish.net forums, Phantasy Tour, and reddit.com/r/phish, and the survey was conducted on Google Forms. This survey was not scientific: that is to say, interviewees did not comprise a representative sample of all Phish fans.]
A full 96% of respondents rated the state of Phish as 6 out of 10 or higher, with over 3 in 4 (76%) rating it 8 out of 10 or higher. And this is not some issue of n00b bias–there is broad consensus, between those who’ve been seeing the band for decades and those who are newer to the scene, that we’ve got it good.
2025 JAM OF THE YEAR BRACKET REVEAL AND VOTING UNDERWAY
It’s a new year and once again the users of the Phish.net forum have come together through a process of competitive seeding to curate a playlist of the best improvisational performances from our favorite band in 2025. Voting in the annual Jam of the Year bracket is now underway on the forum!
Weekly voting is open to everyone so look out for the discussion and voting threads going forward, and please join in as we make our way through a series of head to head matchups between some of the best jams last year had to offer. For subscribers to the Livephish mobile app here’s a link to the full playlist.
It’s all happening now on the forum! Voting began Monday January 26!
MSG 4 NYE RECAP: WE NEVER LEFT THE FREEZER
[We would like to thank Ryan Storm (@ry_storm) for recapping 2025's NYE show. -Ed.]
Phish closed out 2025 last night with one final monumental trip into the freezer, closing out an amazing year for the band with one of the Phishiest gags in the band’s history – an absolutely ridiculous theme and production that was immediately followed by almost an hour of nonstop incredible jamming.
MSG3 RECAP: COILED AND PAINLESS
[We would like to thank Jeremy Willinger (@Jeremy8698) for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]
Phish is not a snake. But in a sense they are: colorful, representing transformation, temptation, and wisdom. Much like their music, snakes are also the most diverse of reptiles second only to…the Lizards. And while a snake will coil itself to conserve energy, tonight there will be none of that as the band came ready to strike and sink their fangs into music mostly old and some new.
With two days of standout moments and mid-first set surprises, we enter 12/30 with Phish presenting patience and energy in equal measure as they rewarded us with a standout 12/28 that reminded us not to miss a Sunday show and a wavey 12/29 with juxtaposed tempos and lively jams throughout. Yes folks, it is a Golden Age of Phish and it doesn’t seem like they will falter going into what is always a special night of music. Personally, this is my fifth time reviewing this evening and it is an event I anticipate all year long.
Lights down just in front of 8:00 PM as per the two nights prior, and we are go for launch.
“Chalkdust Torture” opens a show for the first time since 2022. This slot allows the band to spotlight the song away from its typical set closing position and give it potential to stretch its legs. There are some mild calisthenics here with an uplifting mid-section featuring Page doing a jazzy interlude.
MSG2 RECAP: 30 YEARS LATER
[We would like to thank Max Alter (@SplitOpenAndMalt) for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]
Thirty years subsequent to the band’s first New Years’ Eve at that arena above Penn Station, Phish continues to explore new ground.
After just over three months since their prior run, Phish’s return to their colloquial home arena was heavily anticipated. Succeeding an above-average Night One, anticipation was at its finest heading into 12/29. With significant standout jams the previous two years (with 2023’s "Chalk Dust Torture" and 2024’s "Ruby Waves"), each serving as arguably the pinnacle jam for each year’s respective New Years’ Eve run, I wondered if the band’s 89th show at the venue would yet again serve us with a massive and multi-elemental jam.
Personally, this run served as my first MSG run as a local to the city (conveniently, just one train away from my couch). After reviewing the second night of each of the prior years’ runs, I was looking forward to the energy that a night’s sleep in my own bed would service for tonight’s show. I walked out my door at 5:57pm and headed to The Rutherford for some preshow libation. For a part-bar-part-restaurant mere steps from The Garden, I was pleasantly surprised with the roominess of the bar and timeliness of its staff– after arriving just after 6:20pm, my girlfriend and I were in the venue by 7:01. Would absolutely recommend both the food and drink to those trekking out the next few nights.
STTF#91 IS READY!
The 91st issue of Surrender to the Flow (NYE 2025-2026) is now available. This 39-page issue includes reviews of the "Late Summer" (aka September) Tour, six different TAB shows, and Page's new album; articles about The WaterWheel Foundation, The Divided Sky Foundation, the Phertility Phriends Facebook group, and more; plus, regular features including the recipe column, beer column, horoscopes, advice column, new philosophy column, statistics, a word search puzzle, celebrations, and still even more.
It's available by download in digital format only, so don't bother looking for a copy outside MSG. Get it online, at www.gum.co/sttf91, for free or at any donation amount you specify.
MSG1 RECAP: THE UNEXPECTED AWAITS
[We would like to thank Ian Zigel (@RipenessWasAll) aka @ianzigel for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]
Phish at Madison Square Garden on the last four nights of the year is an experience that needs no introduction. But humor me and I’ll try.
Madison Square Garden – affectionately known as MSG, YEMSG, The Gah-den, The Center of The Universe, The Round Room, The Garden of Earthly Delights, Phish Mecca, Harry’s House, Trey’s House, The World’s Greatest Arena, and so on – holds the record as Phish’s most played venue, with a tally set to reach 91 on 12/31/2025. Phish currently holds the 2nd place record for artists that have performed the most concerts at MSG, and it’s only a matter of time before they claim the top spot from the first place holder.
In a community rife with differing opinions, I think we can all agree this place is a cornerstone of the Phish extended universe. A time capsule of formative memories for many a devotee, the mere *thought* of this place can spark a knowing smile up my face.
YOUR CHANCE TO OWN A PIECE OF ART PHISHTORY: ORIGINAL ARTIST’S PROOF OF “THE RHOMBUS” GOES UP FOR AUCTION
[We would like to thank Matt Hoffman (@tonapdivine) for this update. Matt is a music journalist and writes for Relix, Live for Live Music, JamBase, Glide Magazine, and others. -Ed.]
By now, you may have read, whether in Relix or elsewhere, that the original artist’s proof of New Piece, Tony Smith’s 1966 sculpture better known to phans as “the Rhombus,” is now available for sale at auction. (Members of Smith’s family have engaged Retroactv as auctioneer.) Smith is widely regarded as an important figure (pun intended) in the minimalist art movement, so the piece is significant both as a matter of art history and Phishtory. Other versions of the sculpture have sold at recent auctions for upwards of $300,000, and bidding for this “one of one” original artist’s proof begins at $250,000.
THIRTY YEARS SINCE 12/14/95 BINGHAMTON (LIVEPHISH VOL. 1)
[This post is courtesy of L. rufus on BlueSky who some of you may recall from RMP as squirrel. Read on to learn to whom Trey was directly speaking before launching into the encore. Fwiw you can listen to LivePhish Vol. 1 on YouTube Premium. -Ed.]
"ANGER, he smiles towering . . . !” The first time I saw Phish perform “Bold as Love” was as the encore to the 12/28/94 show in Philly. It was one of the best encores I’d seen, at the conclusion of a tremendous show that these days is overshadowed by the following night, but which at the time was transformational for me. “Bold as Love” thus became my favorite Phish cover. Prior to 12/14/95, however, I had only seen the song one other time (at the Mann on 6/24/95). Thus, while I still hoped to see “Bold as Love” at every show, I was starting to think I was doomed only to see it in Philly, if at all.
My original plan had been to attend the Binghamton show with my girlfriend at the time and her sister. Between the Phish Tickets by Mail order date, however, and the date of the show, my girlfriend and I had broken up. Her interest in the band had waned, and she was no longer interested in making the trek from Haverford College (where we were both students) up to Binghamton. To my enduring gratitude, however, she agreed to sell her pair of tickets to my friend Josh and his girlfriend, with whom I got a ride to the show. I’m not sure how or whether I would have been able to attend the show otherwise, being an 18-year-old with no car. The drive north to Binghamton was fraught, as we were buffeted with monsoon-like freezing rain. The roads were flooding, the car (it was a compact) was hydroplaning on the inundated roads, and I was feeling anxious in the backseat, trying to distract myself from my obviously imminent death by making a sign for the show.
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