Phish’s summer tour has come and gone, with the completion of their three-night stint at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park coming on Sunday night. With that, the group says goodbye until the fall as they break before their fall kickoff in North Charleston, SC in October. 

Over the course of the summer run, which started way back in June with a bustout-heavy show in St. Paul, MN, the group slowly ascended to their peak with notable performances from coast to coast. As you piece together what remains of your life and reflect on the summer that was, let these standouts get you started as you bide your time until fall approaches. 

St. Paul Bustouts

There are a few ways to kick off a tour and send your fanbase into hysterics. A show heavy on bustouts is certainly one of them. Phish did just that during their tour opener in St. Paul, MN, with six songs returning for the first time in several years including the first “Dear Prudence” since 1994 and a foray into Velvet Underground’s “I Found a Reason” for the first time since 1998. 

“Dear Prudence”

“I Found a Reason”

Starman Lands at Wrigley

Maybe the emotional apex of Phish’s tour, their Wrigley Field debut and a stirring tribute to the late David Bowie with an acapella rendition of “Space Oddity” at opening night in the famed Chicago ballpark. We can go ahead and forget that dopey “David Bowie” in Mexico ever happened, this is the real tribute to the Starman and one that would continue throughout the summer. 

Ass Handed

While Phish’s new originals debuted on this run left a bit to be desired, at least “Ass Handed” had that quirky Phish humor attached to it that made it a recurring gag throughout the tour. Jon Fishman had the green light to start spitting the lyrics whenever he pleased, and did so numerous times at the completely inappropriate time, making it even more perfect. 

“Tube” Finally Rises from the Dead

One of the more underrated and overlooked products from the tour is a semi-return to form for “Tube.” At a particularly inspired stop in Chula Vista, CA, the band kept that funk groove going to the tune of a nearly 10-minute rendition of the song. If you felt a cool breeze blow through your computer in this moment, it was the collective exhale of those frustrated with three-minute “Tube”‘s in the modern era. Related: The “Wolfman’s Brother” with a full-on “California Love” jam tacked onto this video is worth the watch as well. 

Cry Baby Cry

Phish must have spent the early part of their tour prep digging through their Beatles collection, as “Dear Prudence,” “I Am the Walrus” and maybe the coolest of them all–“Cry Baby Cry”–all returned this summer. One can only hope that more is to come this fall as the band revisits the Beatles’ incredible catalog. 

Phish Loves Dick’s

What more can be said about Phish and Dick’s Sporting Goods Park? In what is becoming a must-attend event at the end of the band’s summer touring schedule, Dick’s brings out the best of the band over three nights, as they opted this year to forgo any setlist antics for a more focused, determined run. There are countless highlights, but here are some including the first “Slave to the Traffic Light” opener since 1988, a cool “Squirming Coil” complete with a walk-off bass solo from Mike Gordon and a full-band drum jam during a marathon second set on Sunday. 

“Slave to the Traffic Light”

“The Squirming Coil”

“Piper” > “Drums”