Phish Unleash Record-Breaking 40-Minute “Sand” in Philadelphia
Phish, photo by Dean Budnick
Last night, July 15, Phish arrived in Philadelphia for the first of two nights at The Mann. At the local favorite outdoor amphitheatre that they’ve frequented since 1992, the legendary Vermont quartet greeted a packed house of phanatics with another outstanding addition to their enthralling 2025 Summer Tour, pouring out two sets packed with brotherly love. While the band kept on its recent tear of consistent rarities and way-out jams, the first Mann stand exceeded high expectations with a titanic, record-breaking take on “Sand.”
Phish took he stage on Tuesday night with an extra-punchy “Punch You in the Eye,” stretched out to nearly 12 minutes with some immediately sharp and precise improvisation. With no need to warm up, the band merged into the radiant held tones of “Everything’s Right,” which fully capitalized on its launchpad potential as the group snuck outside of its generally uplifting feeling with some deep, liquid funk diversions for 16 minutes.
To course-correct the jam balance that tipped heavily towards set one’s head-end, Phish pivoted to a concise “Camel Walk,” staged for the first time since July 2023, and a segued sprint through the Billy Breathes pairing of “Theme from the Bottom” and “Prince Caspian” that slipped into the Page McConnell-led “It’s Ice.” The hot and heavy straight-ahead rocker “About to Run” allowed the group to concentrate its energy as Trey Anastasio set a brooding pace, then let loose into a wild, shape-shifting closer of “David Bowie,” which saw the group bridging the gap between their baroque and blues-rock influences.
After a brief intermission, Phish once again showed up ready to shred. While many of their most adventurous second set jams of this tour have unfurled following a practice opener, the group wasted no time before setting up the shuffling intro groove of “Sand.” Over a rubbery rumble of a bassline from Mike Gordon and Jon Fishman’s slowly intensifying hi-hat splashes, the quartet subtly added more color and complexity, proceeding with a reserved, confident tone that lured the crowd into a sharp focus on their slightest changes.
With The Mann in rapt attention, the band rode their close communication into a bright and angular peak, a deep, sparse and resonant pit, and back again. As they neared the half-hour mark, Phish could no longer hold back their inspiration and erupted into a frenetic outburst of intersecting ideas, losing themselves and the root song in a glorious haze. After they snapped back into composure and wound back to the song, the band crossed the 40-minute mark for their longest treatment of the Farmhouse favorite yet.
Though “Sand” dominated more than half of the second set, Phish had more surprises in store with a menacing 19-minute “My Friend, My Friend,” which contained the “Myfe” ending for the first time on the tour. In its aftermath, Anastasio remarked, “We heard some of you thought we forgot the ‘Myfe.’ We did not.” The quartet took a supremely funky breather with a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Boogie On Reggae Woman,” then lit into “Blaze On” and another intense, shreddy and hectic highlight with the red hot show closer of “Carini.” As a final thank you to the crowd and assurance that they had more energy in store for night two, Phish closed on a four-track, 23-minute extended encore of “Shade,” “I Didn’t Know,” “Wilson” and “Possum.”
Phish will return to The Mann tonight, July 16, then continue on the road through the end of the month with standout stagings like two nights at Queens, N.Y.’s beloved Forest Hills Stadium on July 22 and 23 and tour-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 Tuesday’s full setlist.
Phish
TD Pavilion at The Mann – Philadelphia
7/15/25
Set I: Punch You in the Eye > Everything’s Right, Camel Walk, Theme From the Bottom > Prince Caspian > It’s Ice, About to Run, David Bowie
Set II: Sand, My Friend, My Friend, Boogie On Reggae Woman, Blaze On > Carini
Encore: Shade, I Didn’t Know[1], Wilson > Possum
Notes:
[1] With alternate lyrics.
Trey teased the Theme from S.W.A.T. in Punch You in the Eye and Prince Caspian during David Bowie. Following the My Friend, My Friend jam, which featured the band singing “Myfe” at both the beginning and end, Trey commented “we heard some of you thought we forgot the ‘Myfe.’ We did not.” Trey then quoted My, Friend, My Friend at the end of Carini. During I Didn’t Know, Trey introduced Fish as “he’s dressed in green, he’s the baddest vacuum player you’ve ever seen, a permanent resident of Fish town, Mr. Moses Heaps, Mr. Moses DeWitt, and Mr. Moses Vincent.” Trey subsequently sang alternate lyrics about being “that far gone.” Wilson was introduced as being “about an area that you know very well if you live up here” with “the homeland” later mentioned in the song.
Setlist via phish.net
