Phish & Kid Rock Perform Together On Fall Tour 2000

This year marks 25 years since Phish’s historic Fall Tour 1995. In recognition of that noteworthy tour and to make up for the lack of shows this fall, JamBase presents a daily retrospective highlighting a noteworthy moment from a Phish fall tour concert that took place on that date over the past 25 years (read a note on Fall 1997 here). The 25 Years Of Phish Fall Tour series runs each day between the start of Phish Fall Tour 1995 on September 27 through that tour’s finale on December 17.

Phish and Kid Rock shared the stage together on this date during Phish’s Fall Tour 2000. The one-time collaboration took place during the first of two memorable shows at the Thomas And Mack Center in Las Vegas.

The rarity filled weekend — there were seven substantial bust outs the following night — began with the first set on September 29 that featured the band’s third performance of Bob Marley’s “Mellow Mood,” which they debuted earlier in the tour, as well as the first “Spock’s Brain” since Summer Tour 1995. The second set continued the trend with the first “Dinner And A Movie” since their Europe Spring Tour 1997. Set two also saw another special guest beside Kid Rock, as lyricist Tom Marshall came out to dance during “Meastick.”

After greeting fans entering the arena and being seen side stage during the concert, Kid Rock’s guest spot was anticipated by those in attendance. Kid Rock’s relationship with Phish dates back to at least the 2000 Grammy Awards when Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio was photographed with Kid Rock at a Grammys after-party. In May 2000, on the eve of Phish’s two-night stand at Radio City Music Hall and concert at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City, Trey stopped by 30 Rock to perform with Kid Rock on Saturday Night Live.

A few months later, Kid Rock returned the favor by joining Anastasio and his band mates in Sin City for the remainder of the first night’s second set. Introduced by Trey as his “good friend” Kid Rock came out to lead three consecutive Phish debuts to close out the set. The collab began with Phish’s first performance Aerosmith and Run D.M.C.’ “Walk This Way,” followed by Sugar Hill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” and the first fully executed version of AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long.” An encore Kid Rock-led bust out of Grand Funk Railroad’s “We’re An American Band” for the first and only time since its Fall Tour 1996 debut punctuated the wild night in Vegas.

Mixed reviews followed Kid Rock’s sit-in (which itself was followed by he and Trey playing slots together). Whether it was Kid Rock’s cringe-worthy lyric changes, Fish’s half-hearted “freestyle” performed on his knees emulating Kid Rock’s late cohort Joe C and miming a sex act dissolving into a silly “cock rock” rhyme or generally sloppy playing (with Fish picking up Trey’s guitar), listening now 20 years later leads to more facepalms than fist pumps.

Watch the entire September 29, 2000 show in Las Vegas and click the video below to start when Kid Rock joins Phish for “Walk Ths Way”: