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Between June 9 and 16, 2000 Phish embarked on their lone tour of Japan. The band stuck their toes into Japanese waters for a 1999 visit to the Fuji Rock Festival and returned less than a year later for seven headlining shows.
One of the more memorable performances took place at the gorgeous Hibiya Outdoor Theatre in Tokyo on this date in 2000. A series of songs from the concert aired as part of a special on Japanese television and can be viewed below.
Phish began the tour with a pair of indoor shows in Tokyo before they played a rare matinee show at Hibiya Outdoor Theatre on June 11, 2000. Japanese jam band Big Frog kicked off the day before the Vermont quartet hit the stage for two sets of their own.
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The foursome had just released Farmhouse and the show at Hibiya was heavy on tunes from the LP including “First Tube,” “Farmhouse,” “Bug” and “Back On The Train.” Each of those four songs was featured in the Japanese TV special as well as the “Character Zero” opener. An interview aired ahead of “First Tube” in which guitarist Trey Anastasio talked about playing in Japan.
Check out a collection of videos that aired on Japanese television:
