Phish Push “Bathtub Gin” and “Chalk Dust Torture” Past 20 Minutes at SPAC Opener, Tease Black Sabbath’s “N.I.B.” During Night Two Follow-up
Photo: Stevo Rood
On Friday, July 25, Phish began a three-night concert stint on the Broadview Stage at SPAC in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The Vermont foursome’s return to this location represented their first since 2023, which effectively cast a thick sense of fervor that would last through Saturday’s follow-up and take shape as band-reciprocated brawn, christening the crowd with extended jams during both sets —a catharsis of instrumental pondering that topped the 20-minute mark.
After closing out their Forest Hills debut in Queens, N.Y., on Wednesday, performing five songs that topped 15 minutes, Phish’s sense of extemportemorization widened and remained so during their SPAC follow-ups. The one-two punch of the rocker “First Tube” ignited the set’s start, ahead of “Bathtub Gin.” The jam vehicle emerged with a sense of vivacity, an uptempo journey that lapsed into psychedelia terrain around the 10-minute mark, and at the hands of Anastasio. During the latter half of what would become a 20-minute treatment, the band ventured into darker territory, adopting a moody blues groove.
From the explanation mark that punctuated the conclusion of “Gin,” Phish went with a smooth progression of songs, which produced a well-conceived flow of material, taking shape as a typical set-one pace-setter, “Devotion to a Dream,” followed by “The Well,” funk-infused “Birds of a Feather,” Shuggie Otis’ “Strawberry Letter 23,” “Lawn Boy,” The Dillards’ “The Old Home Place,” before finding respite on “Hey Stranger.” For the final song of their first set, Phish performed the contemplative “Walls of the Cave,” which seemed to evoke memories of their own locational tenure, having first played at SPAC while opening for Carlos Santana in 1992 and clocking in more than 20 times since.
The second half of Friday’s performance began with “Set Your Soul Free,” an interplay between bandmates allowed the instrumental repartee to slip past 15 minutes and seamlessly transition into “Chalk Dust Torture,” which took shape as a brooding exploration that called back to presentations past, particularly reference to 30 years prior, and their 1995 summer tour. What developed over time was a soundscape drenched in experience, branching into an industrial-felt noise jam, before flexing temperamental blues, and resolving into “Beneath a Sea of Stars Part 1.”
The nonstop presentation method resulted in a tight turn into “Piper” and set two closer, “Everything’s Alright.” Keeping with pairings, Phish warped The Rolling Stones’ “Loving Cup” into “Run Like an Antelope,” to cap night one on the Broadview Stage at SPAC in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Maintaining a similar sense of exploration, Phish resumed their improvisational vigor on Saturday, July 26, favoring segued treatments that allowed them to seamlessly transition from one song to the next while also capitalizing on opportune moments to pivot and tease the crowd. This method added more meaning to the night, which initially began during the concert’s third piece, “Mike’s Song,” fueled by repeated teases of Black Sabbath’s “N.I.B.”
The timing of their ode to Ozzy Osbourne, who passed away on Tuesday, July 22, at the age of 76, was somewhat delayed, considering the three concerts that followed after the Prince of Darkness’ death, two nights at Forest Hills Stadium, and night one in Saratoga Springs. Nonetheless, the homage was heartfelt and well-placed, considering its typical positioning amid “Mike’s Song.” The Sabbath flex was born out of a guitar and bass riff exchange between Anastasio and Gordon.
During set one’s final number, “No Men In No Man’s Land,” the band observed lighting designer and a sage part of the Phish concert experience, Chris Kuroda’s birthday, with a pickup of “Happy Birthday.” The onset of Saturday’s latter half commenced on “Oblivion,” which saw McConnell apply notes of The Beatles’ original, “She Said She Said.” The group maintained their nonstop method of merging material, with an unfinished and spooky “Down with Disease” that reached 24 minutes before segueing into “Light,” followed by “Life Saving Gun,” both of which hit the 13-minute mark.
Phish’s ability to flawlessly exchange ideas using their instruments was heightened during “Fluffhead,” which came after a six-minute rendition of “Waste.” For the concert’s encore, the band went with a tight “Golgi Apparatus” followed by The Velvet Underground’s “Rock & Roll.” Following their Friday and Saturday stands at Broadview Stage at SPAC in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Phish will return tonight, Sunday, July 27, to finish off their three-part run. Tickets remain on sale.
Scroll down for setlists and content shared via Phish’s Instagram.
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Phish
Broadview Stage at SPAC – Saratoga Springs, NY
July 25, 2025
Set I: First Tube, Bathtub Gin, Devotion To a Dream, The Well, Birds of a Feather, Strawberry Letter 23, Lawn Boy, The Old Home Place, Hey Stranger, Walls of the Cave
Set II: Set Your Soul Free > Chalk Dust Torture -> Beneath a Sea of Stars Part 1 -> Piper > Everything’s Right
Enc.: Loving Cup > Run Like an Antelope
Notes via phish.net:
Following Lawn Boy, Trey introduced Page as “The Chairman of the Mound.”
Phish
Broadview Stage at SPAC – Saratoga Springs, NY
July 26, 2025
Set I: Martian Monster > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Mike’s Song > Wading in the Velvet Sea > Weekapaug Groove, Sand, Evolve, My Friend, My Friend > No Men In No Man’s Land
Set II: Oblivion > Down with Disease > Light > Life Saving Gun -> Waste > Fluffhead
Enc.: Golgi Apparatus, Rock and Roll
Notes via phish.net:
N.I.B. (Black Sabbath) was teased repeatedly by Mike and Trey in Mike’s Song. Happy Birthday was teased during No Men In No Men’s Land for Chris Kuroda. Oblivion contained She Said She Said teases from Page. Down with Disease was unfinished.
