Phish Soundcheck Spotify Playlist

Rolling Stone recently posted an interview with Phish frontman Trey Anastasio focusing on the band’s upcoming tour. Anastasio was asked about the possibility of Phish releasing a box set of soundchecks and Trey thought it was a great idea. This week’s Saturday Stream features a Spotify Playlist of Phish soundchecks.

The recent interview wasn’t the first time Trey discussed Phish soundchecks with Rolling Stone. In 2015 Anastasio revealed, “I sent an e-mail around recently to the three other guys saying we should put [them] out, you know like, ‘Let people hear some of these soundchecks.’ Because a lot of times we get to soundcheck, we just get onstage and we start jamming. Nobody’s there, nobody’s watching, everybody just woke up and kind of came stumbling off the bus. It’s kind of a half-dream state.”

So it should come as no surprise the guitarist’s response to the question in the new interview about putting out a box set of Phish soundchecks was, “I am a huge soundcheck fan. That is a great idea.” Big Red added, “It is a conversation that has come up. We get up there and nobody’s thinking. It’s just whoosh! Not thinking becomes habitual. The music is instantaneous. Not thinking has become a lot easier over the years. [Laughs] Maybe we’re just tired.”

Below you’ll find 38 tracks culled from Phish’s officially released soundchecks dating back to a brief clip from their August 13, 1993 show in Indianapolis compiled by Andy Kahn. Unsurprisingly, soundcheck and former FOH soundman Paul Languedoc’s favorite “Dog Log” makes four appearances in the over five hour-long playlist. It’s presented chronologically, from their oldest rehearsal to their most recent officially released soundcheck.

Continuing in the spirit of these tracks often being added as “bonus” content, below stream the May 2011 pre-tour rehearsal of “Waves” which aired as part of one of archivist Kevin Shapiro’s “From the Archives” broadcasts: