Phish Nod to 33-Year History at The Mann on Final Night in Philadelphia
Photo: Peter Wallace
Last night, Wednesday, July 16, Phish returned to the TD Pavilion at The Mann in Philadelphia for their second and final appearance at this location on their ongoing Summer Tour. During the band’s latest City of Brotherly Love performance, they honored their extensive regional history by shifting the lyrics to the Joy release “Twenty Years Later” to reflect their tenure at The Mann Center with the Trey Anastasio sung lyrical adjustment “thirty-three years later,” which referenced the time that has spanned their initial July 18, 1992 concert debut at the aforementioned concert location and their most recent return.
Set one found an opening on “The Dogs,” which served as an unexpected launchpad for the evening’s first batch of songs. Anastasio, Mike Gordon, Page McConnell, and Jon Fishman’s inceptive push of music resulted in a well-baked “Evolve,” the title track off their 16th studio album, before summoning “Fluffhead” into the mix. “Gumbo” received special treatment from the guitarist, who teased “Macarena.”
The band highlighted their interplay and mutual musical understanding during “Pebbles and Marbles,” the first “Ginseng Sullivan” to arrive during this calendar year, capped by an ensuing run through of “Guelah Papyrus,” “Julius,” and the high-energy frame finisher, “Split Open and Melt.”
After positioning “The Curtain With” in set one during their June 22, 2025, appearance at SNHU Arena in Manchester, N.H., the group pushed the song to the second set, placing the track in slot one. The latter half of Phish’s time at The Mann yielded instrumental investigations, deep dives into spacey territory built off beloved compositions. “A Wave of Hope” seemed to carry the very best of the group’s energy, ahead of a contemplative “Mercy.”
The band’s “Simple” and “Ether Edge” sequence represented a peak delivery that flowed into “Maze,” without pause. The most personal moment of the night was wrapped up in “Twenty Years Later,” which featured a lyrical shift to represent the band’s geographical history and a more than three-decade relationship with the venue embodied by Anastasio’s adaptation of the timeline: “Thirty-three years later.”
Before closing out their time in Philadelphia, Phish warped the time marker into a frame ending “Run Like an Antelope.” The night’s encore was an expressive display of each member’s skill set. “You Enjoy Myself” included a tease of the Theme from Speed Racer produced by McConnell, as well as “ Manteca” and “Jean Pierre” interpolations a la Anastasio. And, during Gordon’s solo, Anastasio quoted the Fine Young Cannibals’ 1989 number, “She Drives Me Crazy,” about the bassist’s prowess, adding “he drives me crazy.”
After closing out their time at The Mann, Phish will continue their summer tour with their ensuing arrival at Chicago’s United Center, where they are scheduled to perform three consecutive nights, July 18-20.
Following their Summer Tour, the band will participate in a seven-stop fall series from September 13 to 21. Find tickets and more information here.
Scroll down for Wednesday night’s setlist.
Phish
TD Pavilion at The Mann – Philadelphia
July 16, 2025
Set I: The Dogs, Evolve, Fluffhead, Gumbo, Pebbles and Marbles, Roggae, Ginseng Sullivan, Guelah Papyrus, Julius, Split Open and Melt
Set II: The Curtain With, A Wave of Hope -> Mercy > Simple > Ether Edge -> Maze, Twenty Years Later[1] > Run Like an Antelope
Enc.: You Enjoy Myself
Notes:
[1] Lyrics changed to “thirty-three years later.”
Trey teased Manteca in Gumbo. Simple contained extensive Macarena teases. Trey changed the lyrics of Twenty Years Later to “thirty-three years later” in reference to the band’s first show at The Mann Center on July 18, 1992. You Enjoy Myself contained teases of the Theme from Speed Racer from Page and Manteca and Jean Pierre teases from Trey. During Mike’s bass solo in You Enjoy Myself, Trey quoted She Drives Me Crazy (Fine Young Cannibals), changing the lyrics to “he drives me crazy.”
Setlist and notes via phish.net.
