Phish Threads The Needle At North Charleston Finale With Massive ‘Tweezer’ & Deep Cuts

More than halfway through their summer tour, Phish has been consistently playing longer jams. During the 13 shows on this tour coming into Sunday, the band played 10 jams that extended past the 20-minute mark. They have also been dipping into their extensive catalog to play less commonly played songs. Last night, they did both for their third and final night in North Charleston, South Carolina, at the North Charleston Coliseum.

Opening a show for the second time on this tour, “Runaway Jim” started promptly at 8:00 p.m. ET. A well-played “Foam” was the first in a show full of challenging compositions. “Wolfman’s Brother” settled into a mellow groove as guitarist Trey Anastasio played those classic rock licks he’s been finding regularly throughout the summer. The band sounded relaxed but tight, and when an improvisational segment displays patience this early in the show, it’s a good sign for what’s to come. The effortless groove built to a celebratory peak and a smooth reentry into the song earned the band an appreciative roar from the crowd.

In a tour full of rarities, “Thread” was last night’s first. Only the eighth time played since its debut in 2017, this song serves as a good reminder of the excellent Sigma Oasis album, released five years ago this April. Not only did the band do the composition justice, but they immediately launched into an interesting jam. Drummer Jon Fishman’s jazzy playing allowed the rest of the band to use effects and get weird, while he kept the rhythm interesting and varied. A fantastic 11-minute jam on a rarely played song is just the type of thing fans of this band like to see. Anastasio remarked that he hoped it was as fun for the audience as it was for them, saying, “Don’t knock it till you try it,” which should probably be the tagline for the band itself.

“Stash” gave Anastasio another chance to show off his lyrical playing, his phrasing perfect as he elegantly constructed a quintessential “Stash” crescendo. Bassist Mike Gordon penned the funky “555,” which was followed by the James Gang cover, “Walk Away.” The latter (played for the first time in almost two years) allowed keyboardist Page McConnell another opportunity to sing with heart (like the prior evening's bust out of “Jesus Just Left Chicago”). McConnell has singing chops, and his committed performance encouraged Anastasio to shower the coliseum with his signature “hose.” This would have been a powerful ending to the set, but the band closed with “Drift While You’re Sleeping” off Trey’s 2019 Ghosts of the Forest album.

Set two opened with a “Soul Planet” that seemed to be searching for an improvisational thread as Anastasio vacillated between effects and his crystal clear tone. A nice peak brought the jam to its conclusion and the famous opening notes of “Tweezer” rang out, signaling that something big could be in store. And indeed it was. The reliable jam vehicle launched right into some gooey funk that led the band to wide-open vistas sculpted by McConnell’s synthesizers. Anastasio soloed over them with heart and ease. Slowly, the jam grew in intensity and became a driving force. Dark effect pedals put Anastasio in the driver’s seat, where he has been most of the tour, leading the band through long jams and to big, emotional peaks.

Another notable element of this tour is how deftly Anastasio and Gordon trade off while using effects to take center stage in a jam. In this version of “Tweezer,” they went back and forth multiple times, and demonstrated how to use an effect to take the jam in a new direction and communicate with other band members. A nice peak was built, and Anastasio started playing a sped-up version of the “Tweezer” riff. But the band wasn’t done yet, some time in plinko, noise jam territory was called for before a segue ended the 29-minute jam. “Ghost” slowly crept out, and the rest of the band maintained the jam underneath the intro.

No slouch in the jamming department itself, “Ghost” seemed to fall right into the pocket where “Tweezer” left off in terms of exploration. The jam was instantly spacious, but just as quickly turned energetic and headed towards a monster peak, a signature of this tour. Anastasio shredded while McConnell pounded the piano and lighting designer Chris Kuroda spun red lights frantically. For as hard as the band was playing, they expertly landed the ending and the crowd went nuts. TV on the Radio’s “Golden Age” followed a similar trajectory, but the peak dropped awkwardly back into the song’s refrain.

“A Life Beyond the Dream” and “Slave to the Traffic Light” closed the set, both serving as emotional counterweights to the high-energy jamming in the set. The band encored with “Meatstick” and the surrealist “Turtle in the Clouds” from the Kasvot Växt album I Rokk. Before packing up, the band left the crowd in Charleston with the explosive and triumphant three minutes known as “Tweezer Reprise.”

Phish returns to the stage on Tuesday at the Mann Performing Arts Center in Philadelphia.

---

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

---

Want more Phish stats?

Visit JamBase’s The Skinny Hub

More Skinny

Videos

Poster