Review: Phish visits Gamehendge, classic rock covers at epic Sphere show
Having moseyed around in a mostly mellow mood during Thursday’s concert at The Sphere, Phish pulled off a massive 180 and went for broke on Friday (May 1) at the much-ballyhooed Las Vegas concert venue.
Phish pretty much roared from start to finish, stopping only occasionally to catch its collective breath with a slower tune, during a marathon gig that ran well over 3½ hours and boasted 21 songs performed over two sets and an encore.
The concert — which was the eighth in the nine-night 2026 Phish Sphere residency conducted over three consecutive weekends — got off to a great start as the group wheeled around to greet yet another capacity crowd with “Sample in a Jar.”
Right as ace guitarist Trey Anastasio was bringing “Sample” to a close with the first of a plethora of incendiary leads, Mike Gordon fired up the fat and funky basslines and brought us into a particularly groovy version of Stevie Wonder’s “Boogie on Reggae Woman.”
The world’s greatest jam band — consisting of lead vocalist/guitarist Anastasio, bassist Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman and keyboardist Page McConnell — kept the party going with “Heavy Things,” an oft-overlooked gem that showcases Phish at its most mainstream and includes one of Anastasio’s most tuneful (and radio-friendly) guitar leads.
The band was rocking along at such a high level that the Sphere’s signature visual effects - shown on the incredibly vivid and clear 16K resolution wraparound LED screen that dominates the interior of this 366-foot-tall building - felt a bit overshadowed (which, really, isn’t a bad thing, since the music should be more important than “the show”). Yet, the Sphere really came through big time during “Heavy Things,” unleashing an awesome display of swirling colors - equal parts old-school psychedelic liquid-light display and Hollywood-inspired interstellar space voyage - which had the crowd oohing and aahing with joy.
“Bouncing Around the Room,” complete with giant projections of the musicians hovering over the real ones on the stage, had the crowd doing exactly that. Then it was time for the all-too-seldom-played “Mound,” which these Phans embraced with much gusto.
We then dove into the fabled Phish fantasyland known as “Gamehendge” — a bizarre musical/rock opera that Anastasio originally fashioned as his senior project while attending Goddard College in Vermont back in the ’80s — for “Tela” and “McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters,” the latter being the first number of the evening that the band would stretch beyond the 10-minute mark.
Phish closed the 90-minute-plus first set — which was a good 20 minutes longer than Thursday’s Set 1 — with a ferocious run through the mostly instrumental “David Bowie.” That 15-minute slice of jam/prog-rock greatness alone was worth the price of admission. Actually, it was worth the price of admission — plus airfare, hotel room and a burger from one of those Guy Fieri places.
Following the set break, Phish returned with the big crowd pleaser “Wilson,” yet another “Gamehendge” number,” and then went into full-on exploratory jam sensation mode as it spent the next hour working its way through the foursome of “Seven Below,” “Plasma,” the Talking Heads’ “Crosseyed and Painless” and “Pillow Jets” — each of which lasted well over 10 minutes.
A quick stop in the peaceful, relaxing “Shade” — a real beauty from 2020’s “Sigma Oasis” — set the table nicely for the 15-minute run through “Sand” that closed out the first set.
Phish showcased its delightfully playful and downright goofy side during the encore, opening up in barbershop quartet style with a cappella number “I Didn’t Know” that included a vacuum cleaner solo from Fishman. (Note to the uninitiated: Yes, you read that last sentence right.)
And then we got a second vacuum cleaner solo — where Fishman makes bizarre noises by using the suction of the device on his face — during “Saw It Again,” which saw Anastasio take over on drums while Fishman had his spotlight.
The encore closed in highly satisfying fashion with Phish’s grand cover of the Velvet Underground’s “Rock and Roll,” sending these “phans” out into the Vegas late night with big smiles on their faces and in rapt anticipation of what Vermont’s Finest would have in store for closing night of this Sphere run on Saturday (May 2).
Setlist
Set One
1. “Sample in a Jar”
2. “Boogie On Reggae Woman”
3. “Heavy Things”
4. “Bouncing Around the Room”
5. “Mound”
6. “Mountains In The Mist”
7. “Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan”
8. “Tela”
9. “McGrupp And The Watchful Hosemasters”
10. “Wingsuit”
11. “David Bowie”
Set Two
12. “Wilson”
13. “Seven Below”
14. “Plasma”
15. “Crosseyed and Painless”
16. “Pillow Jets”
17. “Shade”
18. “Sand”
Encore
19. “I Didn’t Know”
20. “Saw It Again”
21. “Rock and Roll”
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This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 11:12 AM.