Phish Steps Up To 'The Line' On Night 2 At United Center

Last night, Phish took the stage for the second of three shows at the United Center and their 32nd show in Chicago, a massive jump from their first two shows as an opener in 1990 at the long-closed Lounge Ax (the second of these two performances being an opening act for Big Star’s Alex Chilton).

The gigs in that small club could fit 500 people in the room, a far cry from playing in a venue tied with Greensboro, North Carolina’s First Horizon Coliseum for the largest indoor capacity in the United States (23,500).

Saturday started with the first-ever show-opening “Life Saving Gun.” The song has closed a set in almost half of its appearances (14) of its two-year history and provided an immediate spark with a Jon Fishman-driven jam.

Prior to Saturday, Phish had played 185 unique songs in 28 shows. The next five songs of the first set would all be 2025 debuts, with “Steam” slowing things down a bit and the 40-year-old “McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters” as the first deep cut of the evening.

McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters	00:00:00

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Phish continued its tour-long trend of dusting off Fuego songs with the first “The Line” since 2018 (a 259-show gap), perhaps played at the United Center of all venues given its rich basketball history with Michael Jordan and the Bulls. Before last night, the previous two Fuego bust outs were “Waiting All Night” and “Devotion to a Dream” on July 9 and July 11, respectively.

“Seven Below” would follow, was performed without lyrics for the first time in Phish history, and didn’t appear to be intentional based on the band looking at each other as the song progressed.

In a set with a bit of uneven flow energy-wise, “Ocelot” closed out the string of debuts with a dialed-back pace. The sole cover of the set appeared next in The Mustangs’ “Ya Mar” before a brief momentum dip in the year’s first “Mountains In The Mist.”

“Golgi Apparatus” and “Most Events Aren’t Planned” provided a strong finish to the set.

“Tube” opened the second set for the first time in 15 years (previously occurring on October 30, 2010). With the first set lacking any deep jams, “Tube” launched into a glorious “must-hear” Type II territory, leaving any semblance of the song structure a distant memory for several minutes before finally returning home.

Given so many versions of “Tube” have not been jammed out over the years, getting one like last night was a treat to hear, and seeing it flourish elevated it to one of the best versions I’ve heard and an immediate favorite.

A 17-minute unfinished “A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing” (another 2025 debut) followed and went deep, venturing off into multiple directions and eventually building into a beautiful soaring groove.

“Down with Disease” fit perfectly into the set with a driving jam and expertly wove into “Seven Below,” which included a verse of lyrics. Perhaps this signaled that the first set “Seven Below” was supposed to have lyrics, and the song’s return was a nod to earlier in the evening and an attempt to fix that error.

The second “Seven Below” was under two minutes, with “Down with Disease” returning accompanied by closing vocals in a higher key than usual.

Down with Disease	00:00:00
Seven Below	00:13:51
Down with Disease	00:14:49

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“Pillow Jets” followed and had a brief jam with “Also Sprach Zarathustra” next. “Chalk Dust Torture” closed out a high-octane second set with excellent flow.

Phish would have one more 2025 debut (the eighth of the night) waiting in the wings, with “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” appearing for the first time in two years for the encore. Not content with “WMGGW” being the only song in the encore like past occurrences in the ‘90s, Phish closed out the night with “First Tube” as a bonus tune.

Phish returns to the United Center tonight to conclude their three-show run in Chicago.

While My Guitar Gently Weeps	00:00:00

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Livestream Phish’s Summer Tour 2025 concerts via LivePhish.com.

The Skinny

The Setlist
Set 1: Life Saving Gun > Steam, McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters, The Line, Seven Below ^[1], Ocelot, Ya Mar, Mountains in the Mist, Golgi Apparatus, Most Events Aren't Planned Set 2: Tube, A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing ^[2] > Down with Disease -> Seven Below ^[3] > Down with Disease, Pillow Jets > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Chalk Dust Torture Encore: While My Guitar Gently Weeps, First Tube [1] No lyrics. [2] Unfinished. [3] One verse. The Line was performed for the first time since October 21, 2018 (259 shows). The first set's Seven Below did not contain lyrics and was played as an instrumental, whereas the Seven Below in the second set included a verse. A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing was unfinished. Trey teased Dave's Energy Guide in the first Down with Disease.
The Venue
Name	United Center [See upcoming shows]
Capacity	23,500
Previously	4 shows 10/13/2023, 10/14/2023, 10/15/2023, 7/18/2025
The Music
First Set	10 songs / 7:58 pm to 9:24 pm (86 minutes)
Second Set & Encore	9 songs / 9:48 pm to 11:20 pm (92 minutes)
Total Songs	19 songs 16 originals / 3 covers
Average Vintage	2001
Average Song Gap	37.67 [Gap chart]
Debuts	None
Tour Debuts	Steam, McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters, The Line, Seven Below, Ocelot, Mountains in the Mist, A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing, While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Biggest Bustout	The Line LTP 10/21/2018 (259 Show Gap)
Longest Song	A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing 17:28
Shortest Song	Down With Disease (reprise) 1:38
The Spread	Junta - 1, A Picture of Nectar - 1, Hoist - 1, Farmhouse - 1, Round Room - 2, Undermind - 1, Joy - 1, Fuego - 1, Sigma Oasis - 1, Evolve - 2, Misc. - 4, Covers - 3
The Rest
Weather	77° and Sunny at Showtime
Guitar	Koa 1.5