Phish Accesses ‘Access Me’ For 1st Time In 5 Years At Albany Finale

The immeasurable value of live music was on full display over the course of Phish’s three-night run held this weekend at MVP Arena in Albany, New York. Sunday’s first set featured a couple of bust outs and one of the weekend’s top jams, followed by a five-song second set and nearly as long four-song encore.

The weekend in Albany began with Phish covering “Box Of Rain,” the Grateful Dead song written by bassist Phil Lesh, an influential figure to the four members of Phish, who died Friday at age 84. The three Albany shows were benefits for guitarist Trey Anastasio’s Divided Sky Foundation, a non-profit residential addiction recovery program in Vermont.

The shows were benefits in the literal sense and in the more metaphysical sense. Being able to honor Phil on Friday allowed the band to pay tribute to Lesh, whose guidance and mentorship immensely benefited the members of Phish. Fans of both benefited from being able to experience the healing power of music. And the many who will experience the services of the Divided Sky Foundation will benefit from the proceeds of the concerts.

Anyone trying to anticipate the opener got tipped off by Anastasio preparing the beeping sound he triggers throughout “Heavy Things.” Sunday’s “Heavy Things” was the first time it opened a show since 2013.

The joyful opener gave way to “What’s Going Through Your Mind,” the recently introduced Trey original that is heavy in its own right. The fourth rendering of “What’s Going Through Your Mind” once again showcased the song’s potential and comfortable placement within the band’s current live repertoire.

After busting out “Nothing” on Saturday, Phish once again mined the Undermind tracklist for another rarity on Sunday. Bassist Mike Gordon’s whimsical “Access Me” made an unexpected appearance, landing in a setlist for just the seventh time and first since 2019, marking a 185-show gap between performances. Echoing a sentiment shared in Saturday’s recap, “Access Me” is among a batch of songs from that era of the band that could be played more often than once every +100 shows.

The first of two “my” songs came in the form of “My Friend, My Friend.” An MVP of the last tour, the MVP Arena offering was a condensed representation of previous exemplary performances. A dark and angular jam developed quickly, with a choppy pattern driven by drummer Jon Fishman.

“My Sweet One” made it back-to-back “my” songs. The Fishman-written bluegrass-styled love song had not been played since August 2022 ending a 97 show setlist absence. The set continued with “Limb By Limb” showcasing delightful interplay between Anastasio and keyboardist Page McConnell. Trey took the song over the rainbow with embellishments of “We’re Off To See The Wizard” from The Wizard Of Oz.

The pace slowed for the subsequent “Mountains In The Mist.” The former rarity has mounted a comeback in recent years, showing up with welcomed greater frequency of late. One of the weekend’s standout jams materialized out of “Kill Devil Falls” which served as the penultimate song of the set. Constructed out of distinct segments, the improvised sequence wove together an array of sonic elements, leveled by each member’s integral contribution to the collective statement.

“Walls Of The Cave,” a sturdy set-closer since its introduction in 2002, ably held down the role again on Sunday, teeing up set break with an emphatic resolution.

Read on after The Skinny for the rest of the recap and more.

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The 72-minute second set tallied five songs from the 9:54 p.m. start to the 11:06 p.m. end. Another four songs would follow during the evening’s encore, clocking an additional 30 minutes.

Set two began with a 16-minute “Everything’s Right” and a 23-minute “Chalk Dust Torture” that provided the bulk of the improvisational expanse in the second half.

The “Everything’s Right” jam was steered by Trey who utilized his signature tone to develop melodic runs that started conversations with his bandmates. Page answered with supplemental piano lines and then incorporated synthesizer tones. Fish showcased his ability to follow the guitarist while maintaining a sturdy framework and Mike entered the discussion with complementary undertones from his nimble bass notes.

“Chalk Dust Torture” came in hot on the heels of “Everything’s Right,” with the structured start of the song incorporating a stop/start feel akin to “Birds Of A Feather.” While the jam before it was a straightforward melodic affair, the “Chalk Dust Torture” jam was a sonic kaleidoscope of sounds, as everyone but Fish blended wild, synthetic textures into a delicious aural stew. At first chunky and choppy, the foursome settled into a pulsating groove, laying back to let it simmer before shifting gears and charging ahead as a single-minded unit toward a triumphant “Chalk Dust” conclusion.

With set two’s two big jams behind them, Phish moved on to “Mercury,” largely staying within the confines of the multi-part song and only tipping their toes in a brief bit of improvisation. The final two songs of the set featured McConnell singing lead. The keyboardist chaired the gentle “Wading In A Velvet Sea” and then commanded his Vida Blue groover “Most Events Aren’t Planned.” The latter again made the case for its continued placement as an invigorating set closer.

“Gotta Jibboo” got what would be a four-song encore underway. Sunday was just the fourth time “Jibboo” has been played as part of an encore. A pair of thoughtful songs followed with “Waste” setting up “Bug.” The ever-potent “Character Zero” provided the exclamation mark to the encore and the three nights in Albany.

Phish will perform next as part of their annual New Year’s Eve Run at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

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