Phish Covers The Grateful Dead's "Box Of Rain" For Phil Lesh In Albany [Photos/Videos]

On Friday night, Phish began a three-night run at Albany, New York’s MVP Arena benefitting the Trey Anastasio-co-founded Divided Sky Foundation and its Divided Sky Residential Recovery Program in Ludlow, Vermont.

As fans made their way up foliage-lined highways to the state’s capital, the weekend’s beneficiary promised to be Friday’s emotional center. From Trey’s own struggles with addiction, which derailed Phish for a time, to his recovery journey, which set his life and his band’s career on a fruitful new track, to The Beacon Jams, which seeded the foundation with more than $1 million raised by fans, an element of reflection was baked into the weekend from the start.

Then, the world got word that Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh had died at age 84, and the day changed.

Heartbreak hung in the air as fans filled MVP Arena. Whether directly or indirectly, anyone attending a Phish show has been affected by Lesh and the Grateful Dead. The thought that the band’s beloved low-end innovator was no longer with us was heavy to bear. But a different emotion prevailed as showtime approached: gratitude—for the Grateful Dead, for the ways in which that band shaped so many of our lives, for the fact that an off-tour Phish happened to be playing tonight for the first time in nearly two months, giving fans the ideal setting to hug and cry and reminisce and work through the news together.

We were crushed. But more than anything, we were grateful. There will be plenty to say this weekend about Divided Sky, recovery arcs, sources of hope, and the like, but those reflections will keep until tomorrow. Friday night was for Phil.

Most in attendance seemed certain that Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon, Jon Fishman, and Page McConnell would pay their respects to Phil Lesh—an artist with whom all of them have collaborated in various formations, an icon who helped blaze the trail they have followed for decades. The Grateful Dead are so integral to the Phish DNA that Phish actively avoided the association for many years, even as the general public continued to label them as torch-bearers.

It didn’t take long for it to happen. They took the stage to start the show, exchanged some knowing glances, and counted into the Phish debut of “Box of Rain”, the introspective, Lesh/Hunter-penned American Beauty favorite widely considered to be the seminal Phil song in the Grateful Dead canon.

Phish – “Box of Rain” (Grateful Dead) [Pro-Shot] – 10/25/24

While the “Box of Rain” lasted just a few short minutes, its impact seemed to reverberate through the first set, whether through the gripping bass grooves of “The Moma Dance”, the spiritual release of “Free” and “Dirt”, the familiar bounce of “Wolfman’s Brother” (a favorite of Phil’s in the Phish songbook), the subtle traces of “China Cat Sunflower” in Trey’s “Theme from the Bottom” riffing, the communion of souls as “Steam”, or the earth-shattering bass rumbles on the fantastic “Sand” that brought the show to its intermission.

Was there an explicit Phil/Grateful Dead connection in every note they played? No, of course not. But you could draw thematic connections between this set and the memory of Phil Lesh at almost every level and you wouldn’t necessarily be wrong. The man’s impact was vast.

Phish sounded duly inspired throughout the second set. An explosive “Blaze On” celebrated the joy in mortal impermanence (“You got one life, blaze on”) before sliding into a beautiful “Piper” that played on a “Carol of the Bells” motif en route to nearly 19 minutes of mid-tour-form improvisation. “Light” was a moving moment of delicate vulnerability. The synth-washed “Tweezer” that rose from the shadows it cast was a celebration. The “Wedge” that bobbed in from there seemed to wave to Phil as he hit the highway to the great divide.

“The Howling”, with its built-in invitation to howl at the moon (and its subtle “Shakedown Street” nod from Mike), was the cathartic release we didn’t realize we needed. “Monsters”, the standout Evolve slow-burn, packed a particularly powerful emotional punch. Love-your-friends anthem “Backwards Down The Number Line” couldn’t help but evoke bittersweet memories. A snarling “Carini” drove it all home in thrilling fashion.

Even the encore’s “Sleeping Monkey”—a silly song that may or may not be a dick joke but still manages to exact some fare-thee-well sentimentality—seemingly became an homage to Phil’s memory: After Page McConnell appeared to shed a few tears during the song’s intro, Anastasio grabbed a towel off the top of a speaker and offered it to his friend to dry his eyes. Page waved it off, but acknowledged the unexpectedly complex emotions of the moment. “I’m happy,” he assured the crowd.

Trey wiped his own eyes next, then passed the towel to Fish, who did the same (with some exaggerated sobs for levity). “Keep it together, man,” Trey said with a smile.

While they could have called it there and brought in the looming “Tweezer Reprise” to round out the night, Trey, Mike, Page, and Fish snuck in a one last séance with Phil’s spectral spirit on “Ghost” before the big finale.

Phish – “Sleeping Monkey” > “Ghost” -> “Tweezer Reprise – 10/25/24

Such a long, long time to be gone and a short time to be there. We’re just happy we got to share a bit of that time. Rest easy, Phil. We’ll miss you.

Below, view a gallery of photos from the Friday evening show via Andrew Blackstein and read remembrances of Phil Lesh posted to social media by Trey Anastasio and Mike Gordon.

Phish returns to Albany’s MVP Arena on Saturday night to continue the three-night Divided Sky Foundation benefit. Fans can order their Phish Albany webcasts through the band’s LivePhish streaming service to tune in from home. View the various webcast options including single-night streams, discounted three-night passes, and merchandise bundles here.