Phish In The Wild: A Look At The Band’s Non-Hosted U.S. Festival Appearances
Phish’s stateside non-hosted festival plays from the past 30 years include New Orleans Jazz Fest (twice) and three appearances at Bonnaroo.
By Nate Todd Feb 6, 2025 • 12:38 pm PST
Phish was recently announced as a headliner for Louisville, Kentucky’s Bourbon & Beyond Festival. Considering the Vermont quartet’s first weekend-long festival, 1996’s The Clifford Ball, was attended by roughly 70,000 fans, it’s relatively rare for the band to perform at festivals they don’t host.
In Spring 1996, however, Phish performed at the historic New Orleans Jazz Fest. Since then they’ve also performed at Bonnaroo (three times), Austin City Limits Music Festival, Outside Lands, Jazz Fest (again) and Lockn’. In honor of the band adding Bourbon & Beyond to that list, JamBase takes a look at Phish’s non-hosted U.S. festival history since 1996.
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New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 1996 & 2014
On April 26, 1996, a few months ahead of The Clifford Ball, Phish made their debut at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. As one of the premier music events in the world, the New Orleans Jazz Fest is a bucket list event for artists and music lovers alike. NOLA is a music mecca. Great American art forms such as blues, jazz and funk all have their roots in New Orleans and the Mississippi Delta. Founded in 1970, Jazz Fest celebrates the Crescent City’s rich musical heritage as well as the cultural melting pot that is New Orleans.
Phish’s premiere performance at Jazz Fest saw guitarist Trey Anastasio, drummer Jon Fishman, bassist Mike Gordon and keyboardist Page McConnell performing one set. From the jump, the band nodded to the festival’s and their own jazz roots.
Phish opened with the calypso tune “Ya Mar,” one of their oldest covers originally written and recorded by Cyril Ferguson and also recorded by The Mustangs. The Jazz Fest version saw a “When the Saints Go Marching In” tease. Page McConnell’s jazz-funk fusion number “Cars, Trucks and Buses” featured renowned trumpeter and Phish ‘90s collaborator Michael Ray. The set-closing “David Bowie” saw the band jamming on Duke Ellington jazz standard “Caravan.”
Phish Jazz Fest ’96 Full Set Audio (via fromtheaquarium)
April 26, 1996 (All Setlists via Phish.net)
Set 1: Ya Mar, AC/DC Bag > Sparkle > Stash, Cars Trucks Buses [1], You Enjoy Myself -> Wolfman's Brother [2] > Scent of a Mule > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Harry Hood > Sample in a Jar, A Day in the Life > David Bowie
Encore: Hello My Baby, Cavern
This single-set performance was part of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Ya Mar included a When the Saints Go Marching In tease. Cars Trucks Buses featured Michael Ray on trumpet. The first two verses of Wolfmanâs Brother were performed a cappella as they came out of the YEM vocal jam. David Bowie included a strong Caravan jam. Trey teased The Rover in Cavern. This show was made available as an archival release on LivePhish.com with all proceeds going to Tipitina’s Foundation and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Exactly 18 years later, Phish returned to Jazz Fest in 2014. This time the band played two sets full of fairly straightforward fare for the era. The band did nod to music heritage by teasing the familiar melody, often referred to as “The Streets of Cairo,” in “Twist.” Also known as “Arabian Riff,” the melody has its origins in the 19th century. Given it was never copyrighted, it has subsequently appeared in hundreds of songs, notably in NOLA legend Louis Armstrong’s “Tight Like This” but also in tunes such as Frank Zappa’s “The Grand Wazoo” and David Bromberg’s “Sharon.”
Phish Jazz Fest ’14 Full Performance Audio (via fromtheaquarium)
April 26, 2014
Set 1: Kill Devil Falls, The Moma Dance > Rift, Wolfman's Brother, Lawn Boy, Party Time, Ocelot, Funky Bitch, 46 Days, The Line > Character Zero
Set 2: Down with Disease [1] > Birds of a Feather > Twist > Sparkle > Free > Light, Sand, Harry Hood > Cavern, Grind
Encore: Julius
This show was part of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and took place at the Acura Stage. Disease was unfinished. Twist contained teases of Birds and Streets of Cairo.
Bonnaroo 2009, 2012 & 2019
Phish made their debut at Bonnaroo in 2009, a comeback year following a five-year hiatus. The festival itself premiered at its longtime home, “The Farm” in Manchester, Tennessee, in June 2002 (while Phish was still on their first hiatus) with a jam-heavy lineup including Trey Anastasio Band, Phil Lesh & Friends with Bob Weir, Widespread Panic, The String Cheese Incident and more.
Just ahead of their second-hiatus-inducing festival, Coventry, at the end of Summer 2004, three of the four members of Phish performed at Bonnaroo 2004 with various side projects: Trey: TAB/Dave Matthews & Friends, Page: Vida Blue & The Spam Allstars, Fish: Jazz Mandolin Project). Members of Phish would often perform at Bonnaroo during their second hiatus in the mid-2000s. In 2006, Trey Anastasio and Mike Gordon performed with Benevento/Russo Duo (the quartet known as G.R.A.B.). Oysterhead and Mike Gordon & Ramble Dove were also on the 2006 bill.
When Phish came back in 2009, they finally made their Bonnaroo premiere, performing two nights. Night one boasted a breakout of AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” for the first time since 1997.
Highway to Hell
June 12, 2009
Set 1: Chalk Dust Torture, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan, Divided Sky, Possum > Down with Disease, Alaska, Stash, Golgi Apparatus, Wolfman's Brother, Poor Heart, Kill Devil Falls -> Free, Wading in the Velvet Sea, Harry Hood > Highway to Hell > Also Sprach Zarathustra > You Enjoy Myself -> Wilson -> You Enjoy Myself
Encore: A Day in the Life
This show marked Phishâs first appearance at Bonnaroo. This âlate-night setâ on the What Stage began at approximately 11:00 p.m. Highway to Hell was played for the first time since February 26, 1997 (327 shows). YEM contained a brief Salt Peanuts (aka Basie Boogie) tease from Page.
The finale saw the band welcoming fellow headliner Bruce Springsteen. The Boss joined Phish (and his fellow New Jersey native Trey Anastasio) for his songs “Bobby Jean” and “Glory Days” as well as the Mack Rice rock classic “Mustang Sally.”
Glory Days
Set 1: AC/DC Bag > NICU, Gotta Jibboo > Punch You in the Eye > Sparkle > Bathtub Gin, Character Zero > Tweezer -> The Horse > Silent in the Morning, Run Like an Antelope, Mustang Sally [1], Bobby Jean [2] > Glory Days [3]
Set 2: Rock and Roll -> Light > 46 Days, Limb By Limb, Farmhouse, Backwards Down the Number Line > Prince Caspian, First Tube
Encore: Suzy Greenberg > Tweezer Reprise
This show, performed on the What Stage, closed out the 2009 Bonnaroo Festival. Before Mustang Sally, Trey remarked that he had seen a show at Jadwin Gym at Princeton University when was 12 (apparently referring to a 11/1/78 performance by Bruce Springsteen at this 3,000 seat venue, though Trey would have been 14 at the time), and added that Phish would now have an opportunity to play with one of his heroes, Bruce Springsteen. Springsteen joined in on guitar and vocals for Mustang Sally, Bobby Jean and Glory Days. Mustang Sally was played for the first time since August 5, 1988 (1,280Â shows). This show marked the Phish debuts of Bobby Jean and Glory Days. Limb By Limb contained a Daveâs Energy Guide tease.
Phish returned to Bonnaroo in 2012 where they welcomed another legend, Kenny Rogers. The collab performed the latter’s signature song “The Gambler.” Phish also broke out “Shafty” for the first time since 2003. Phish returned to Bonnaroo for a fairly straightforward two-night run in 2019.
The Gambler
June 10, 2012
Set 1: Down with Disease > Funky Bitch, The Moma Dance > Sample in a Jar, Axilla, The Gambler [1], Possum > Wilson > Tweezer > Free > Backwards Down the Number Line > Cavern
Set 2: Golden Age > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Chalk Dust Torture, Carini -> Shafty > Rock and Roll, Alaska > Harry Hood [2] -> Light > Character Zero > Rocky Top
Encore: Show of Life > Julius > Tweezer Reprise
The Gambler was a Phish debut and featured Kenny Rogers on vocals. Possum featured The Gambler and Streets of Cairo teases. Tweezer contained a Walk This Way tease from Trey and I Am Hydrogen teases from Fish. Shafty was played for the first time since December 30, 2003 (159 shows). Hood was unfinished.
June 14, 2019
Set 1: Carini > Down with Disease [1] > Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S., Everything's Right > Mercury > Tweezer > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Steam, Martian Monster, More > Harry Hood > Character Zero
Encore: Possum > Tweezer Reprise
This performance took place on the What Stage. DWD was unfinished.
June 16, 2019
Set 1: Set Your Soul Free, Blaze On, Death Don't Hurt Very Long, Reba [1], Free > Sand, Wolfman's Brother, Cavern
Set 2: Mike's Song > Fluffhead > Twist -> Weekapaug Groove -> No Men In No Man's Land -> Weekapaug Groove -> Twist > Fuego > Ghost > Bathtub Gin
Encore: Wilson > First Tube
This show took place on the What Stage. Reba did not have whistling. Trey teased What's the Use? in Fuego.
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Austin City Limits Music Festival 2010
Not only does Phish rarely do non-hosted festivals, they rarely play in Texas. However, in 2010 the band took the stage at the Austin City Limits Festival. Founded in 2002, , taking place at Austin’s Zilker Park, furthered the legacy of the beloved live music television program of the same name. As with Bonnaroo, members of Phish performed at Zilker ahead of the full band with TAB on the bill in 2004. Mike Gordon & Leo Kottke performed in 2005.
Phish’s premiere in 2010 featured a largely seamless set and encore including this impressive set-closing segment: “Rock and Roll” > “Also Sprach Zarathustra” > “Backwards Down the Number Line” > “Harry Hood” -> “Light” > “Suzy Greenberg” > “You Enjoy Myself.”
ACL 2010 (Nearly) Full Set
October 8, 2010
Set 1: Down with Disease > Cities > Possum, Wolfman's Brother, Chalk Dust Torture, Rock and Roll > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Backwards Down the Number Line > Harry Hood -> Light > Suzy Greenberg > You Enjoy Myself
Encore: Cavern > First Tube
This show marked Phish’s first appearance at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Hood was unfinished.
Outside Lands 2011
A year later, Phish came to at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Billed as a “love letter to San Francisco,” Outside Lands is named after the moniker for the City by the Bay’s western neighborhoods. Mike Gordon performed at the inaugural Outside Lands in 2008.
Phish’s debut in 2011 opened with a “Kill Devil Falls” > “Wilson” pairing. The first set closed with a classic “Mike’s Groove.” The show also featured a number of choice covers: Frank Zappa’s “Peaches en Regalia,” Velvet Underground’s “Rock and Roll,” Ween’s “Roses Are Free” and David Bowie’s “Life on Mars?”
Moma Dance and Peaches en Regalia
August 12, 2011
Set 1: Kill Devil Falls > Wilson, Funky Bitch > The Moma Dance > Peaches en Regalia > Sample in a Jar > Possum, Tweezer > Mound, Suzy Greenberg > Axilla > Mike's Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove
Set 2: Rock and Roll -> Steam -> Piper -> Roses Are Free, Julius, Life on Mars?, Birds of a Feather > Fluffhead > Backwards Down the Number Line > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Chalk Dust Torture
Encore: Cavern > Tweezer Reprise
This show was part of the Outside Lands festival. Page teased Long Tall Glasses in Possum.
Lockn’ 2016
Phish’s most recent non-hosted festival play came in the form of two nights at Lockn’ in 2016. Phish’s longtime relationship with concert impresario Peter Shapiro likely went a long way in their appearance at the festival taking place in Virginia. 2016 was also notable as Ween was on the bill.
Phish delivered top shelf jams on consecutive songs “Ghost” and “Bathtub Gin” in second set, which wrapped with “You Enjoy Myself.” The sole cover was Bowie’s “Space Oddity.” David Bowie passed away in January 2016 and Phish would perform his Ziggy Stardust album at their Halloween show later that year.
Bathtub Gin
August 26, 2016
Set 1: Wilson > Down with Disease > Free, Wolfman's Brother, Tube > 555 > It's Ice > Wingsuit > Simple, Space Oddity
Set 2: Punch You in the Eye > Blaze On > Fuego -> Ghost > Bathtub Gin [1] > Backwards Down the Number Line > You Enjoy Myself
Encore: Character Zero
This performance was part of the Lockn’ Festival. Trey teased Little Drummer Boy in Fuego. Bathtub Gin was unfinished. The YEM vocal jam included Ass Handed quotes from Fish.
The quartet’s finale at Lockn’ saw the band fitting rarity “Fuck Your Face” in the first set. The band then delivered a standout, seamless second set kicked of fwith a “Carini”/”Chalk Dust Torture” pairing, included consecutive covers of “No Quarter” and “2001” and a “Tweezer” for good measure.” Following the “Tweezer Reprise” set closer, Phish encored with The Rolling Stones’ “Loving Cup.”
Set Two Tweezer to Loving Cup
August 28, 2016
Set 1: Sample in a Jar, Martian Monster > Axilla > The Moma Dance > Halley's Comet > AC/DC Bag > Fuck Your Face > 46 Days, The Line, Limb By Limb > Possum, First Tube
Set 2: Carini > Chalk Dust Torture > Twist > Light > Tweezer > No Quarter > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Harry Hood > Tweezer Reprise
Encore: Loving Cup
This performance was part of the Lockn’ Festival. Mike teased Cars Trucks Buses in Light.
Phish headlines the Bourbon & Beyond festival in Louisville, Kentucky on Friday, September 12. The lineup is absolutely stacked and will also see performances from Jack White, Sturgill Simpson, Khruangbin, Alabama Shakes, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Rilo Kiley, Ringo Starr, Pixies, TV On the Radio and many more. Click below for more lineup and festival info.
Festival At-a-Glance
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Bourbon & Beyond
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Phish launch their Spring Tour 2025 on April 18 in Seattle. View the band’s full itinerary and ticket info below.
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