Phish Opens ‘Ether Edge’ Wide At Hollywood Bowl In Los Angeles

Phish resumed their tour-closing three-show run at the iconic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on Saturday night. The concert was highlighted by an outrageous +18-minute “Ether Edge,” the first “Taste” encore in nearly 25 years and standout versions of “AC/DC Bag,” “Run Like An Antelope” and “Everything’s Right.”

Coming into the run, Phish had yet to perform any songs twice over the course of their spring tour. While the quartet filled the Friday's 17-song setlist with 14 repeats, they reversed course last night. Phish dug into their massive repertoire for a setlist loaded with tour and 2025 debuts, as only three songs played on Saturday were played earlier this spring.

Phish opened with a compact “Runaway Jim” and then stretched out a bit on “Blaze On.” The “Martian Monster” that followed gave lighting director Chris Kuroda his first chance of the night to make full use of the Hollywood Bowl’s distinctive bandshell to nicely complement his traditional rig. Guitarist Trey Anastasio then led an awkward start to “Birds Of A Feather.” The four-piece quickly recovered and delivered a bliss-laden jam that wasn’t long but was strong.

Bassist Mike Gordon had his lone chance of the show in the vocal spotlight for the subsequent “555.” Both “Birds Of A Feather” and “555,” along with the “About To Run” that came within Phish’s three-song encore, hadn’t been played since August 7, 2024 — a gap of 29 shows. The string of 2025 debuts continued with the run of “Divided Sky,” “Ether Edge” and “The Squirming Coil” that ended the first set.

The Trey Anastasio composition “Ether Edge” had only been performed nine times since its debut, with just two previous extended versions. At the Hollywood Bowl, Phish delivered their longest rendition yet of the track from their 2024 album Evolve, exceeding the previous record-setting Dick’s 2024 performance by nearly five minutes.

Last night’s “Ether Edge” scored high on quality and quantity scales. The jam started with a blissful excursion featuring keyboardist Page McConnell alternating between electric and grand pianos. Anastasio helped propel the band to a glorious peak with fretboard fireworks galore. Phish eventually transitioned to a darker, minor-key jam space as Trey continued this tour’s trend of throwing “Manteca” teases into the mix. The quartet connected on a pattern of notes, out of which the guitarist unleashed a torrent of Hendrix-esque riffage. The crowd reacted enthusiastically to the second climax before Phish began the set-closing “Squirming Coil.”

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

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Phish came out of the gates with “AC/DC Bag” to begin their second set and blew past the Gamehendge favorite’s chord structure to launch an intense improvisation. Anastasio strung together one memorable lick after another and traded melodies with McConnell over a potent groove provided by Gordon and drummer Jon Fishman. Nearly a second was wasted in the action-packed 14-minute “Bag.”

An egalitarian ending to the second set opener gave way to “Life Saving Gun.” Phish picked up where they left off and returned to evil jamming for a few memorable minutes before returning to the structure. “Oblivion” completed a double dose of Evolve cuts split up by “The Howling.” The band slickly moved from “Oblivion” into the beloved “Run Like An Antelope.”

The Hollywood Bowl “Antelope” was notable for a key change within the jam to a pretty, major-key interlude. Phish had gone over a decade since changing keys within the fan-favorite and it led to another euphoric, crowd-pleasing peak that laid the groundwork for a mighty conclusion to the song. The band then brought the tempo down with the beautiful “Beneath A Sea Of Stars Pt. 1.”

Jon Fishman drove the “Beneath A Sea Of Stars” improv ahead of a transition into “Everything’s Right.” The live staple from 2020’s Sigma Oasis closed the second set and featured some of Kuroda’s best work of the night. Once again, Phish segued from dark-and-driving to blissful-and-pretty and back again during the impressive “Everything’s Right” jam.

Hollywood Bowl has an 11 p.m. curfew, and the band was able to fit in a three-song encore before leaving the stage at 10:59. The first “Taste” encore since September 18, 2000 kicked off the bonus segment. Next came “About To Run,” which had been shelved for 29 shows, the longest gap in the Ghosts Of The Forest track’s history. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2025 nominees said farewell with a poignant “Slave To The Traffic Light.”

Phish concludes their spring tour tonight at Hollywood Bowl with the third of three shows in L.A.

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