Phish Goes Big At Bourbon & Beyond

Tour openers and festival appearances are two of the most maligned types of Phish shows. Per the conventional wisdom, the former are for shaking off rust, while the latter are jam-free zones with predictable, vanilla setlists. So to many hardcore fans, there could be nothing less exciting than the two-for-one Phish offered Friday night: a tour-opening festival set.

But a funny thing happened over the course of Phish’s two-set headlining appearance at Louisville, Kentucky’s Bourbon & Beyond festival, which kicked off the second leg of Phish's Summer Tour. While the first set seemed to confirm the skeptics’ worst fears, the second set rebutted them, as the band wove several excellent jams together, most notably an exceptional “Chalk Dust Torture.”

The contrast in sets seemed intentional, as if the quartet had decided to play one short greatest hits set to show Phish-curious festival-goers what the whole thing was about, and then a second set just for the heads. Intentional or not, the second set has as much relisten value for devoted Phish fans as any set Phish has ever played at a festival — aside, of course, from the festivals they threw for themselves.

But the first set truly was paint-by-numbers Phish. The opening four songs — “46 Days,” “Moma Dance,” “Free” and “Wolfman’s Brother” — may have been on more fans’ pre-show “Pick 5” selections than any other tunes. Only “Wolfman’s” broke with its structure, and only briefly, for a major key bliss jam.

“Timber (Jerry the Mule)” also found an upbeat major key, somewhat unusually for that song. After “Evolve,” the band treated the crowd to the biggest surprise of set one: the Beatles’ “A Day In The Life,” which they’d played only once in 2025 and only twice since 2019. The set closed with “Possum.”

Throughout the first set, Phish played good, upbeat songs, and they played them well. It was a fine set, full of crowd-pleasers — which, let’s not forget, are so called because they do please crowds. But those of us who follow Phish closely know that they are capable of surprising their fans and themselves in much more profound ways. It simply appeared to be the case, going into set two, that none of those improvisatory surprises were in store for the Bourbon & Beyond crowd — that is, a safe set seemed like a safe bet.

But Phish followers also know that it’s never a good idea to bet against Phish. They showed why as they returned from a very brief break. In fact, while the first set sounded very much like both a tour opener and a festival set, the second sounded like neither.

The set opened with a strong version of “Sand,” in which they floated to an ethereal space before returning to a twisted, psychedelic version of the song’s main riff, highlighted by Page McConnell's alien synth sounds.

Next came the show’s highlight, a “Chalk Dust Torture” that eclipsed 20 minutes. The song featured many distinct, inventive segments: a bliss jam that put the show’s previous bliss jams to shame; minimalist soundscapes, and a whole suite of psychedelic grooves. Jon Fishman's drumming was outstanding throughout, but all four musicians seemed to have simultaneously discarded any intra-tour rust, like a snake shedding its skin.

The “Chalk Dust” jam graciously handed the reins to “Light,” whose jam hovered for several minutes in a quiet, airy space that gave the sense that the quartet were playing just for each other, not for tens of thousands of total strangers, many of whom knew nothing about them before tonight.

Quick but satisfying takes of “Ya Mar” and “2001” followed, before a strong “Carini,” in which Page again shined, his otherworldly synths contrasting beautifully with his bandmates’ upbeat groove. A relatively short “Everything’s Right” followed, petering out quickly so that the band could squeeze in a “Harry Hood.” The average-great “Hood” was followed by a encore that featured a double-dose of adrenaline: “Character Zero” and “First Tube.”

Phish returns to the stage Saturday, making their debut at Birmingham’s Coca-Cola Amphitheater with the first of two shows at the newly opened venue.

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