Photo by Rene Huemer via Phish's Facebook page
Phish returned to their native New England last night for the first of two big shows at Boston’s Fenway Park. It was the Vermont Quartet’s first Fenway appearance since a two-night stand at the baseball stadium in 2019 and their first show since completing a thematic run of five dates at New York’s Madison Square Garden, where they revisited a handful of impactful years during their rise through the ranks in the 1990s.
Yesterday’s Fenway play kicked off with an 18-minute “Carini,” a rocking group composition Phish debuted in early 1997, during their first run after the transitional 1996 year they honored at their MSG finale. From there, the musicians jumped to the present day, with an extended, 13-minute take on “Everything's Right,” a newer song that originated in Trey Anastasio’s solo repertoire and quickly became a Phish staple in 2017. That jam segued into “Back on the Train,” a cut Anastasio tested out on his first solo tour in 1999 before bringing it over to Phish that summer, and then the ensemble launched into their first repeat from their MSG run, “Free,” the stadium-approved Billy Breathes single that they used as their set closer during their penultimate MSG show on Monday. Tight versions of “Kill Devil Falls,” a showstopper from Phish’s 2009 reunion year, and “Harry Hood,” the cherished ’80s composition the band played at their MSG opener last week, rounded out the first set.
As if to highlight their modern era, Phish kicked off their second set with a deep, 20-minute “What's Going Through Your Mind,” a tune the band started playing in 2024 that quickly developed into their most reliable new jam vehicle. During the song’s extended segment, Anastasio stopped playing guitar for a moment and moved over to the mini-drum kit that he employed in the mid-1990s and revived during the MSG run’s 1995 and 1996 tribute nights. That tune eventually morphed into a 15-minute “Fuego” and then an unexpected, over 15-minute take on the New Wave/post-punk group XTC’s “Melt the Gun,” with Anastasio once again showing off his percussion skills. Phish actually covered the XTC oddity from 1985-1987, when it was a relatively contemporaneous release, but they hadn’t touched the rhythmic tune since April 29, 1987. At 2,051, shows, according to Phish.net, the revival marks the biggest song bust out in Phish’s 40-plus year history, breaking a record the band set just nine days earlier, when they revived their humorous riff on Foreigner’s “Cold as Ice” for the first time since 1992.
After bringing that white whale to a close, Phish jumped into an extended take on another newer staple, “A Wave of Hope,” which segued into their now signature version on TV on the Radio’s “Golden Age,” and the classic “Run Like an Antelope,” the evening's third MSG repeat and the second selection from that already famed stand’s opening run.
For their encore, Phish remained in the present, offering the emotive “A Life Beyond The Dream,” from Anasrasio’s Ghosts of the Forest project, and “Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.,” a showstopper from their 2018 Kasot Växt Halloween costume.
Phish will conclude the main portion of their summer tour at Fenway tonight, before regrouping for their annual Labor Day shows in Commerce City, CO in September.
Here’s a look at last night’s setlist via Phish.net
Friday, July 31, Fenway Park, Boston, MA
Set I: Carini, Everything's Right[1] -> Back on the Train, Free, Kill Devil Falls, Harry Hood
Set II: What's Going Through Your Mind[2] > Fuego > Melt the Guns[2], A Wave of Hope > Golden Age -> Run Like an Antelope
E: A Life Beyond The Dream, Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.
[1] Unfinished.
[2] Trey on mini-drum kit.
Everything's Right was unfinished. Trey teased Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 in Back on the Train, and Martian Monster in Free. Trey played the mini-drum kit in WGTYM and Melt the Guns, which was last performed April 29, 1987 (2,051 shows).
