Phish Delivers New Jams, Recycled Visuals & 1st-Ever ‘Sloth’ Encore To Kick Off Final Sphere Weekend In Las Vegas

Phish launched the third and final weekend of their 2026 Sphere residency on Thursday. Show seven of nine in Las Vegas was packed with fresh jams and jaw-dropping visuals that first wowed in prior nights.

Phish took the stage as the usual pre-show scenes from The Barn transitioned to show a record player spinning. When the needle dropped underneath images of past concert posters, the band lit into “The Wedge.” A series of characters designed by Jim Pollock came to life in a repeat of visuals used for other Rift tracks over the course of the run. The foursome followed with an “NICU” featuring psychedelic wormhole imagery and a “Halfway To The Moon” accompanied by the return of the desert landscape with porta-potties forming monuments, bridges and landmarks a la the portolet piazza at Lemonwheel.

Phish fittingly transformed the venue’s 160,000-square-foot LED screen into a forest setting for “Leaves,” the first song of the night to truly “breathe.” A rare extended version of the song saw attendees at Sphere taken back and forth between the forest and the inside of The Barn as the band explored a Pink Floyd-esque soundscape. Guitarist Trey Anastasio channeled David Gilmour with searing riffs to bring the second-longest “Leaves” yet to a close.

Bassist Mike Gordon then stepped to the mic to guide his bandmates through “555” as beaded “lite-brite on steroids” visuals were displayed. Phish took the tempo down with the ensuing “Dirt” before the group went the other direction by performing the high-energy “Punch You In The Eye.” The intro was long and drawn out, played while the giant robot first rolled out during “Ghost” at the 2024 Sphere residency ominously looked on from behind the band. Eventually one robot turned into many connected by powerlines on a valley landscape. The quartet capped the set with a “Golgi Apparatus” that saw live video of the band filtered through a kaleidoscope effect.

Phish quickly cracked “A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing” open to start the second set. Chris Kuroda captained his virtual light rig in 16K resolution glory to accompany the group as they alternated between dark and blissful soundscapes. Keyboardist Page McConnell volleyed electric piano melodies with Trey Anastasio while Mike Gordon and drummer Jon Fishman provided a deep pocket. The band patiently carved out an egalitarian groove before gliding into “A Wave Of Hope.”

Kuroda unleashed the Sphere’s 7,000+ virtual DMX lights for the set’s second exploratory jam vehicle. Phish kept the improv alive, leaping from one arresting pattern to another via modal shifts and rhythmic reinvention by blasting anthemic arena-rock peaks one moment, then dialing into ambient alien calls the next. After the 24-minute mark, the jam dissolved into “Prince Caspian.” The otherworldly car wash visuals initially unveiled during “You Enjoy Myself” at the 2024 Sphere run filled the screen while the foursome powered through the Billy Breathes cut.

“Prince Caspian” bled into the similarly delicate “Lonely Trip” to provide a smooth landing after the wild start to the set. Any thoughts of a water theme for the frame were dashed when Phish kicked into “Runaway Jim.” The “Phish Hotel” scene was recycled to accompany the classic song. Just when it seemed “Runaway Jim” would end in perfunctory fashion, the band swerved into exploratory mode while Fish kept pounding away on the song’s typical beat. Visuals cycled from the Las Vegas animation through elevator stops for looks at venus fly traps, M.C. Escher-like imagery, a brooding cat and a giant close-up of Trey as Phish extended “Jim” for five marvelous minutes.

The evening’s lone cover, a version of the Allen Toussaint-penned “Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley,” came next. Geometric squares and rectangles dissolved into each other to fill the massive screen. Phish ended the set with the lighted sculpture and surreal mountainous landscape from past “Mike’s Grooves” at Sphere providing the visual for “Drift While You’re Sleeping.”

Phish had a big surprise in store to start the encore. “The Sloth” filled the slot for the first time in the song’s nearly 40-year history. The band hadn’t played “The Sloth” since their Gamehendge New Year’s Eve show in 2023. As if that wasn’t enough, a brief but exciting jam was tacked on for good measure. The CK5 virtual rig was used to provide the visuals. A “The Squirming Coil” played at an animated drive-in with Phish as the main attraction brought down the curtain.

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Phish continues their Sphere residency on Friday, May 1 before closing the run on Saturday, May 2. Livestreams of all nine Phish Sphere shows are available to purchase through nugs and LivePhish.

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