Back In Birmingham: Phish Completes 1st Run At Coca-Cola Amphitheater

Following an impressive first show at the Coca-Cola Amphitheater on Saturday, Phish was back on Sunday for a second concert at the newly opened venue in Birmingham. Night two presented the Alabama audience with two balanced sets structured around straight-to-the-good-stuff jamming throughout the performance.

A welcomed “Punch You In The Eye” brought about the start of Sunday’s first set. Guitarist Trey Anastasio and bassist Mike Gordon pulled off their choreographed dance while executing “The Landlady” portion of “Punch.”

The two-slot went to Gordon’s “Mike’s Song,” which set the stage for a densely aggressive approach to the ensuing jam, setting an example repeated often throughout the evening. “Mike’s” went into “Ocelot,” marking the first such pairing of those two songs.

The foursome continued on to “Kill Devil Falls,” ripping through the rocker en route to several minutes of enthusiastic jamming. Mike was then given a second go at singing lead, taking charge of “Ginseng Sullivan.” The bluegrass cover’s second appearance of 2025 marked its first time being played by Phish twice in a calendar year since 2013.

Mike’s vocals were prominently on display again at the start of “Halley’s Comet,” which soon segued seamlessly into “Weekapaug Groove,” closing the “Mike’s Groove” loop with a rowdy flourish.

A pair of songs from Phish’s 1992 album, A Picture Of Nectar, completed Sunday’s first set, with “Stash” teeing up the closing “Cavern.” The set’s improvisational centerpiece, “Stash,” developed a propulsive jam fueled by drummer Jon Fishman’s intricate patterns.

The jam shifted form, peculiar effects were employed and odd sounds started emitting from the stage, sounding like someone speaking. The band emerged from the outer edges and retook form around bringing “Stash” to its proper end.

The first half was punctuated with the aforementioned “Cavern,” paving the way to intermission as Trey told the audience, “Thanks everybody, we’ll be right back.”

Upon coming back to the stage, Phish followed the format established with the first set’s “Mike’s,” “Kill Devil Falls” and “Stash,” and delivered a series of precise and potent jams with the opening tryptic of “A Wave Of Hope,” “What’s Going Through Your Mind,” and “Mercury” and later in the set, “Golden Age.”

The set-starting “A Wave Of Hope” produced a Trey-driven jam built on a cycle of melodic ideas offered by the guitarist. Page McConnell wove in responsive touches from the many keyboards at his disposal.

From there, it was on to “What’s Going Through Your Mind” and the band settled into an atmospheric vibe as they cautiously proceeded forward with the restrained jam. Fittingly, “Mercury” emerged from the spaciness and stayed Type I for the better part of its prevailing jam.

Last Thursday, Trey was pictured with TV On The Radio, who he saw perform at Bourbon & Beyond. On Sunday, Trey and Phish played “Golden Age,” the TV On The Radio song regularly covered by Phish since 2009. The nearly 15-minute “Golden Age” played Sunday outpaced the four-minute studio version TV On The Radio recorded for their 2008 album, Dear Science.

The emotive instrumental “What’s The Use?” was chosen next. The song appeared on Phish’s 1999 studio album, The Siket Disc, which on Sunday earned an 8.1 Pitchfork review.

Moving out of the depths of the moody “What’s The Use?” came the first “Good Times Bad Times” of 2025, landing the Led Zeppelin cover in the role of second set closer.

Fans taking in Sunday’s concert were then treated to a three-song encore. Trey utilized a megaphone at the onset for a fun offering of “Fee.” An unexpected transition into “Twist” – its first time appearing during an encore – offered a final small dose of improv before the regular encore staple “More” ended the concert.

Phish’s September 2025 Late Summer Tour continues on Tuesday with the first of two nights at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre near Atlanta.

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