In the swirling world of Phish fandom, where setlists are scoured like ancient texts and teases are dissected like hieroglyphs, some shows rise beyond mere performance. They become moments — spiritual bookmarks in the band’s ever-expanding timeline. The first night of the band’s three-night stand at Albany’s MVP Arena on October 25, 2024, was one such moment.
The show was already special before the lights dimmed. It was another benefit for Trey Anastasio’s Divided Sky Foundation, an organization devoted to supporting people in recovery from addiction — a mission rooted in Trey’s personal journey and embraced by the Phish community. But on this particular night, there was another, more somber current running beneath the surface: earlier that day, Phil Lesh — the iconic bassist of the Grateful Dead — had passed away.
Rather than issue a statement, Phish spoke through their music. And the opening notes of the show made it clear that the night would be a tribute, a celebration, and a catharsis.
Phish – 10/25/2024 – MVP Arena, Albany, NY
Benefit for the Divided Sky Foundation
A Tribute to Phil Lesh
SET ONE:
Box of Rain*, The Moma Dance > Free**, Dirt, Wolfman’s Brother, No Men In No Man’s Land, Theme From the Bottom, Steam, Sand
(*Phish debut; in honor of Phil Lesh)
(**Mike teased “Shakedown Street” bassline)
SET TWO:
Blaze On -> Piper*** -> Light -> Tweezer**** -> The Wedge, The Howling**, Monsters, Backwards Down the Number Line > Carini
(***“Carol of the Bells” tease)
(****Mike teased “I Know You Rider”)
ENCORE:
Sleeping Monkey > Ghost -> Tweezer Reprise
Set One: Tribute, Grooves, and Deep Cuts
“Box of Rain” (Phish Debut)
The opening song, “Box of Rain,” caught the audience off-guard in the most emotional way possible. In over 40 years, Phish had never played this Grateful Dead classic, penned by Phil Lesh and Robert Hunter as a song for Phil’s dying father. To open a show with it — mere hours after Lesh’s death — was devastatingly beautiful. Trey’s vocals were earnest, and the band treated the ballad with reverence. Page’s harmonies soared, and Mike — clearly emotional — anchored the moment with understated grace.
It wasn’t a flawless cover, nor did it need to be. It was an offering. And it landed like a collective prayer from the band and their audience to a man who helped invent the genre they now carry forward.
“The Moma Dance” > “Free”
From there, Phish returned to their own catalog with a slinky “Moma Dance.” Funk-laced and effortless, it brought the energy up while keeping the room in a soulful place. The segue into “Free” felt natural and loose, with Mike Gordon taking center stage. He teased the unmistakable bassline from “Shakedown Street” — a tip of the cap to Lesh’s legacy — and the audience responded with knowing cheers. Trey’s solo on “Free” was bold and bluesy, and the jam breathed freely, honoring the song’s theme.
“Dirt” and “Wolfman’s Brother”
“Dirt” followed, offering a quieter, introspective moment. Trey sang it with a kind of cracked beauty, and the crowd, often chatty during slower tunes, fell completely silent. From there, Phish dove into “Wolfman’s Brother,” which served as the night’s first proper funk party. Fishman’s rhythm work was tight and swampy, and the jam eventually opened into a hypnotic groove. Nothing too out there, just pure pocket playing — confident and tight.
“No Men In No Man’s Land” > “Theme From the Bottom”
“No Men” turned the corner into spacey territory. It never fully departed from its structure, but flirted with dissonance and synth-driven weirdness. The segue into “Theme From the Bottom” was graceful, and the tune — long a fan favorite — glided along with heart and patience. Trey’s final solo in “Theme” was bursting with color, foreshadowing the deeper emotional waves to come.
“Steam” and “Sand”
“Steam” added a darker touch — its ominous tone and theatrical delivery set it apart as one of the night’s more textural pieces. The fog-machine theatrics were almost secondary to the menacing groove the band conjured. A final transition into “Sand” brought things to a pulsing conclusion. Always a jam vehicle, “Sand” on this night was particularly fierce. The groove dug in hard, and the band pushed it further out, crafting one of the most extended jams of the set. Trey was sharp and adventurous, echoing old-school ‘99 Sand builds with a modern polish.
Set Two: A Full-Scale Phish Odyssey
The second set felt like a dream sequence. One long, unbroken adventure, blending energetic jams, heartfelt emotion, and just the right amount of weirdness. From the first notes of “Blaze On,” it was clear the band was going to stretch.
“Blaze On” -> “Piper” -> “Light”
“Blaze On” was the spark. Instead of sticking to its typical feel-good groove, the band took it out into Type II territory quickly, Trey looping rhythmic figures while Page swirled synth lines overhead. The jam built into a frenetic climb and then suddenly broke into “Piper.”
“Piper” was all forward momentum. Fast, chaotic, and wonderfully unhinged, the jam veered into delicate territory mid-flight, and just before the landing, Page teased “Carol of the Bells,” adding an eerie, off-season touch that somehow felt fitting in this dreamscape of a set. That segued smoothly into “Light,” which shimmered with optimism. The band was in full communication mode, passing ideas with fluid confidence.
“Tweezer” > “The Wedge” > “The Howling”
“Light” gave way to “Tweezer,” and the crowd erupted. This version was gritty and exploratory. Mike again slipped in a nod to the Grateful Dead — this time teasing “I Know You Rider” during the jam. The band didn’t go full-on Dead mode, but it was enough to make longtime fans nod and smile. The jam shifted between warm melodic spaces and driving funk before sliding into a perfectly timed “Wedge.”
From there, “The Howling” brought back the weirdness. The synths went dark, and Mike threw in another “Shakedown Street” tease, cementing the Dead-adjacent vibes of the set. The MVP Arena turned into a dance floor of swirling color and guttural bass.
“Monsters” and “Backwards Down the Number Line” > “Carini”
“Monsters,” one of the band’s newer songs, provided an unexpected emotional center. The performance was confident and patient — proof that the song is growing into a live staple. It served as a reset before the transition into “Backwards Down the Number Line,” a song that, on a night like this, hit differently. Trey’s vocals cracked with emotion, and the audience joined in on the chorus, lifting the moment into a communal celebration of time, friendship, and those no longer with us.
But Phish being Phish, they didn’t end on sentimentality. They launched into a scorching “Carini” to close the set. This version was ferocious — screaming guitar, thrashing drums, and a cathartic explosion of energy. It was a reminder that grief isn’t just quiet tears — sometimes it’s rage and release and screaming into the void. And Phish gave space for all of that.
Encore: Grace, Ghosts, and Reprise
“Sleeping Monkey” > “Ghost” -> “Tweezer Reprise”
The encore began with “Sleeping Monkey,” Fishman’s strange and tender ballad. It was as silly as ever, but on this night it felt like a palate cleanser. Then came “Ghost” — and it was spectacular. Instead of a brief bow, this version sprawled, jammed, and evolved. Dark and melodic, it built slowly, carrying the final emotional weight of the show.
And then, with perfect symmetry, the band dropped into “Tweezer Reprise.” Explosive, joyous, and triumphant. A release of tension. A curtain call. A celebration of life, of music, of Phil Lesh, and of every person who’s ever found a second chance.
Final Thoughts: A Show Etched in Time
The October 25, 2024 Phish show in Albany was more than just a concert. It was a vigil, a celebration, and a statement of purpose. The band paid tribute to Phil Lesh — one of their most profound musical forebears — not by covering Dead songs all night, but by making one simple, beautiful choice to debut “Box of Rain.” Then they let their own music speak. And it did, powerfully.
This wasn’t a show of big bust-outs or long, psychedelic excursions for the sake of spectacle. It was a setlist that flowed — emotionally, thematically, sonically. It touched on grief, recovery, friendship, and transcendence.
And in the middle of it all was the Divided Sky Foundation — a reminder that Phish’s music doesn’t just take you places. Sometimes it helps you come back.
This was one of those nights.