Phish Bring Bust-Outs and Eclectic Setlist to 25-Year Columbus Return
Phish, photo by Dave Vann
Last night, July 9, Phish touched down in Columbus, Ohio for the first time since July 2000. Since that staging near the end of their first era, the foundational jamband has undergone countless evolutions in the 2.0, 3.0 and arguably 4.0 eras, and Wednesday’s performance was an apt representation of the sort of even-handedly retrospective and exploratory approach that’s made their 2025 touring so engaging. The Vermont quartet’s latest show was defined by the oddball ambitions of its setlist, pairing sleeper hits, bust-outs and some underrated jam vehicles for a performance that deftly moved from mellow lows to blissful highs.
Expectations for Phish’s first Columbus show in 25 years were high, in keeping with a standard set in similar events from this year. Both longtime returns (their first Portland, Ore., appearance in 26 years and first in Austin, Texas in 15) and the previous summer one-off (Pittsburgh’s bust-outs and 42-minute “What’s Going Through Your Mind?”) brought some of 2025’s most memorable performances. Onstage at the Jerome Schottstein Center, the group began their pursuit of the same energy with a bright “AC/DC Bag” that spirited them off into a similarly warm “Roggae.”
The evening’s first curveball came with Phish’s first “Vultures” of the year, a cut historically read as a statement on the pressures of a demanding fandom with its nods to timing and expectations. Beyond a quick tease of the theme from The Jetsons, the track provided an intriguing lens for reading the rest of the show, which doubled down on the surprises by leading “Martian Monster” into their 17th all time treatment of Mike Gordon’s Flying Games original “Mull,” which reached out to 10 minutes as the evening’s first truly freely-flowing jam.
Now loosened up, the band doubled back to its 12th performance of Shuggie Otis’ “Strawberry Letter 23,” allowing its funky psychedelia to unravel as they segued into “Undermind.” Another rarity rolled in as the band set up the elaborate “Petrichor,” which was a staple of Trey Anastasio’s spring solo acoustic tour, but hadn’t been included in a Phish show since August 2022. To close out the first set, the band took “Life Saving Gun” for a wild 20-minute ride, cramming Anastasio’s chunky riffs, Mike Gordon’s cluttered funk bassline, retro organ jabs from Page McConnell and Jon Fishman’s thrashing backbeat into a dense and undeniable floor-filler.
Phish waded into their second set with a light “Sample in a Jar,” just a palette cleanser for the ensuing “Wave of Hope” that followed the tune’s liberated tone to several towering, cathartic peaks that crashed over the audience for 26 minutes. The band took a beat with Fuego’s “Waiting All Night,” performed for the first time since October 2021, then strung together “Axilla (Part II),” a wide-eyed and high-spirited 22-minute “Piper” and “Lonely Trip” into a masterfully segued odyssey.
Having hit the apex of their improvisation, Phish steadily rounded out the remainder of their second set with enthusiastic renditions of “Backwards Down the Number Line” and The Rolling Stones’ “Loving Cup,” the latter nodding to the encore of their last performance in Columbus. This time around, their encore emptied the tank with “Bug,” “The Mango Song” and a 10-minute last blast with “Run Like an Antelope.”
The group will return to the stage with three shows at North Charleston, S.C.’s North Charleston Coliseum this weekend, then continue on the road through late July with standout stagings like two nights at Queens, N.Y.’s beloved Forest Hills Stadium on July 22 and 23 and a series-closing three-night return to Saratoga Springs’ Broadview Stage at SPAC from July 25-27. Following their Summer Tour, the band will embark on a seven-stop fall series from Sept. 13-21. Find tickets and more information here.
Read on for Wednesday’s full setlist.
Phish
Jerome Schottstein Center – Columbus, Ohio
7/10/25
Set I: AC/DC Bag, Roggae, Vultures, Martian Monster, Mull, Strawberry Letter 23 > Undermind, Petrichor, Life Saving Gun
Set II: Sample in a Jar > A Wave of Hope, Waiting All Night, Axilla (Part II) -> Piper > Lonely Trip, Backwards Down the Number Line, Loving Cup
Encore: Bug, The Mango Song > Run Like an Antelope
