Back At The Bowl: Phish’s ‘Light’ Shines At Opening Show Of Hollywood Bowl Run

Phish’s final stop of their 2025 Spring Tour began Friday night with the first of three shows at the historic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. The concert marked Phish’s return to the storied venue for the first time following a three-night run in 2023 and one-nighters in 2013 and 2011.

When Phish headed west for the tour, the band made sure to pack plenty of jamming, and Friday’s concert again saw them pulling out a variety of stylish musical outfits. Keyboardist Page McConnell and bassist Mike Gordon also packed extra layers, which they wore as they took the stage on the cool Hollywood night (it was 58°F at showtime, compared to 50°F in Minneapolis).

There were some interesting song placement choices in the first set. “The Moma Dance” fell to the three slot, one back from its frequent song-two selection. A nicely jammed “Chalk Dust Torture” landed in the middle of the set. “Harry Hood” made a rare appearance as the first set’s closer.

“46 Days” got the Hollywood Bowl rocking to start the show. Guitarist Trey Anastasio pushed a languid, oozing jam, dotted with Gordon’s punchy notes. Jumping ahead of “The Moma Dance,” “Rift” ripped into the second-song slot with a well-executed early-set arrival.

“The Moma Dance” opened into a high-octane burst of improvisation as darkness settled in and lighting director Chris Kuroda lit up the venue’s iconic arching infrastructure. The first substantial jam of the night grew from the ensuing “Chalk Dust Torture.”

The jam got off to a peaceful start and featured Trey leaning into The Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood.” Playing his classic “Mar Mar” Languedoc guitar, Trey also leaned into the instrument’s piercing sustain, joyously bobbing his head while holding a seemingly endless note.

After “Chalk Dust Torture,” Trey welcomed the audience and mentioned how grateful they were to be back at the Hollywood Bowl. The hopeful title track to their 2024 studio album, “Evolve” came next and saw Trey dancing along to Page’s delightful piano solo.

Three formidable songs built out the rest of set one as “Stash,” “Wolfman’s Brother” and “Harry Hood” rolled out in succession, each serving up differently textured improvised elements. “Stash” was relatively tame, residing mostly inside the framework of its melodic structure within its concise delivery.

Drummer Jon Fishman set the pace of the “Wolfman’s Brother” jam with a cutting high-hat pattern serving as a funky undercurrent for Mike’s chunky bass work, Trey’s swampy guitar licks and Page’s bubbly synth sounds.

More often saved for the second set, “Harry Hood” made its unexpected appearance as the set closer. A deeply serene “Harry Hood” passage saw the four musicians engaged in a singular collective thought that together steered toward a satisfyingly ecstatic conclusion.

Read on after The Skinny for the rest of the recap and more.

Want more Phish stats?

Visit JamBase’s The Skinny Hub

More Skinny

“What’s Going Through Your Mind,” the latest addition to Phish’s mighty cache of “jam vehicle” songs, opened a second set for the third time. While five of its eight performances since its 2024 debut have been Jam Chart worthy, Friday’s six-minute “What’s Going Through Your Mind” did not get added to the list.

The tightly presented opener transitioned into a blistering “Carini.” The initial sinister feel of the “Carini” jam morphed into an enthusiastic spirit, driven by Trey’s screaming-hot guitar runs and Fish’s confident rhythmic pulse. Near the end of the jam, Trey fell back and Page and Fish engaged in a dynamic back-and-forth conversation.

Instead of exploring more improvisational territory, Trey led the others into “Light,” which was the jumping off point for the lengthiest jam of the night. Multiple melodic motifs were tossed around during the improvisation, expanding and contracting from one theme to the next. The most exploratory and free-form expressions of the show were emitted from the stage as the musicians weaved together one passage after another.

The journey settled around a unifying theme that rose in steady, glorious fashion. When it seemed like they were steering head-on into a climactic peak, Phish instead continued to progress into more transitional passages, lingering back into a deconstructed framework.

More interplay between Page and Fish helped bridge the segue from the “Light” jam into “Mercury.” One of the three tour debuts played on Friday, “Mercury” led to a sequence of Trey cycling through an array of effects, with Fish playing a defining role in the direction of the jam and Mike placing his bass prominently in the onstage discourse.

A wildly frenetic flurry blasted out of the “Piper” that burst forward with a classic rock attitude. On the other end of the spectrum, the sentimental “A Life Beyond The Dream” countered the ferocity that preceded it.

The last song of set two was “Ghost” and with it came a final dose of thoughtful interplay between the quartet. Riding the underlying “Ghost” funk into the jam, the band quickly found a groove to anchor their focus. Page was particularly expressive on the piano, banging out an impactful rhythmic pattern that helped elevate to an exuberant crest.

Phish’s steadfast classic rocker “Possum” initiated what would be a two-song encore. The night ended with a carry-over from Wednesday’s 30-minute “Tweezer” show in San Francisco as “Tweezer Reprise” sprang into action for a feisty finale to Friday’s concert.

Phish’s Hollywood Bowl run continues tonight with the second of three shows in L.A.

---

Follow Phish’s Spring Tour 2025 via The Skinny sponsored by tryply. Watch Phish’s entire Spring Tour 2025 via LivePhish.com livestreams.

---

Photos by Steve Rose

Videos

Posters

Phish Photos