Phish Release ‘Live Bait Vol. 22,’ Earn Honorary Degree from Saint Michael’s College Before Spring Tour
Photo credit: Danny Clinch
Tomorrow, April 18, after months of mounting anticipation, Phish will finally set off their West Coast Spring Tour. Before beginning the eight-show sprint with the first of two performances at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena, the band returned to a long-running custom of fan service by releasing Live Bait Vol. 22 to LivePhish. The album is available as a free download to subscribers and newcomers alike.
This year’s archival collection compiles a total of 14 previously unreleased takes on setlist staples from the band’s four-decade vault. In keeping with the series’ tradition, the tracks are pulled from before the dawn of LivePhish, and some spotlight shows in the cities they’ll visit on the next tour without overlapping with any previous live releases. As always, the range is curated by Phish archivist Kevin Shapiro, and all but two were recorded by the band’s longtime engineer Paul Languedoc.
The earliest and shortest selection in this batch is an eight-minute play of “The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony” > “AC/DC Bag,” recorded at New York’s Ukrainian National Home on Dec. 15, 1989. The newest is “Down With Disease” from a show at Austin, Texas’ South Park Meadows on Sept. 24. 1999, and the longest is a 26-minute medley of “Mike’s Song” > “I Am Hydrogen” > “Weekapaug Groove” > “The Mango Song” from an April 24, 1992 engagement at Portland, Ore.’s Roseland Theater.
On top of this release and a heap of meaningful tributes in 2025 so far, including candidacy for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and a massive profile in The New Yorker this week, Phish have earned another distinction today as Burlington, Vt.’s Saint Michael’s College selected the quartet for an honorary degree, to be awarded at the college’s 118th Commencement on May 11. In the announcement, the school praised the “iconic Vermont-based band known for their musical innovation and wide-reaching philanthropy,” acknowledging that “Through The WaterWheel Foundation and other initiatives, the band has championed causes such as disaster relief, environmental sustainability, and addiction recovery—making a lasting impact across the country.”
Listen to Live Bait Vol. 22 at livephish.com, and read on for the album’s full tracklist. For tickets and more information on Phish’s Spring Tour, visit phish.com.
Live Bait Vol. 22 – Phish:
1. Stash (4/5/93 HUB Ballroom, University of Washington – Seattle, WA) 14:02
2. Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove > The Mango Song (4/24/92 Roseland Theater – Portland, OR) 26:39
3. Harry Hood (10/15/98 The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA) 16:56
4. Reba (12/1/96 Pauley Pavilion, UCLA – Los Angeles, CA) 15:47
5. You Enjoy Myself (11/24/91 Webster Hall, Dartmouth College – Hanover, NH) 21:00
6. Bathtub Gin (11/24/95 Civic Arena – Pittsburgh, PA) 13:03
7. Down With Disease (9/24/99 South Park Meadows – Austin, TX) 16:09
8. Magilla > Foam (11/3/90 Boulder Theater – Boulder, CO) 14:04
9. Roggae (7/31/98 Polaris Amphitheater – Columbus, OH) 8:34
10. Rhombus Narration > Divided Sky (11/10/91 Music Farm – Charleston, SC) 14:29
11. Run Like An Antelope (7/18/92 Mann Music Center – Philadelphia, PA) 9:37
12. Gumbo (8/8/97 New World Music Theatre – Tinley Park, IL) 15:36
13. The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > AC/DC Bag (12/15/89 Ukrainian National Home – New York, NY) 8:07
14. Waves (6/20/04 Saratoga Performing Arts Center – Saratoga Springs, NY) 16:14
