Phish continued its hot streak with a scorching Saturday show at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), the penultimate night before a mid-tour break. Say what you will about Sunday shows, but this night two rendezvous proved that when the band is on, Saturdays are not to be missed either.
The pre-recorded sample at the beginning of first set opener “Martian Monster” announced, rather accurately, “Your spaceship is about to blast off,” as Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon, Jon Fishman, and Page McConnell launched into a particularly funky take on the interplanetary jam from Halloween 2014‘s Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House set. They kept the space odyssey going with “Also Sprach Zarathustra”—a.k.a. “2001”—confirming that they were fully ready to get far out.
A towering “Mike’s Song” anchored the set with a space-funk jam that climbed with the force of a rocket booster. Trey and Mike both teased Black Sabbath’s “N.I.B.”, marking the band’s first overt tribute to Ozzy Osbourne following the recent passing of the Prince of Darkness.
After building up tension with that three-song liftoff, Phish calmed things down with a gentle but resonant “Wading in the Velvet Sea”, providing a moment of reflection and tonal contrast amidst the first set fireworks. That calm didn’t last long, however, as Fishman’s funky drum groove soon signaled the start of “Weekapaug Groove”, emerging like a ray of sunshine peeking through parting clouds after a summer storm. Compact and effervescent, the jam was classic Phish—bubbly, buoyant, and refreshingly light after three darker, heavier tunes and one mellow ballad.
The band settled into a mid-tempo pocket on “Sand”, locking into a psychedelic funk that was less intense than “Mike’s Song” but equally dialed in. Another spotless group improvisation, it highlighted the quartet’s near-telepathic cohesion and gave fans a chance to dance without burning holes in their soles.
A brief respite arrived with “Evolve”, but evil Phish soon returned with a menacing “My Friend, My Friend”.
Capping off what was arguably one of the strongest first sets of the tour, “No Men In No Men’s Land” included teases of “Happy Birthday” in honor of the band’s fifth member, lighting designer Chris Kuroda (a.k.a. CK5), who was celebrating his 60th lap around the sun, and a fiery jam taboot.
With a searing first frame under its belt, Phish returned to the stage after set break and kicked off the second consecutive seamless second set with an 18-minute “Oblivion”. Unlike the first set’s explosive launch, this time the band waded patiently into the improvisational deep end, testing the waters before pushing off into, well, oblivion, and then reeling it back in.
The night’s longest jam followed with “Down with Disease”, which saw the band navigate several spontaneous key changes with fluid precision before ultimately abandoning the groove entirely as Fishman swapped his sticks for mallets, guiding the jam into a purely textural, ambient space on his marimba lumina.
“Disease” remained unfinished as “Light” emerged from the depths. Always a buoyant jam vehicle, the song’s emotional weight was amplified by Trey, Page, and Mike all howling in harmony as they held out the final notes before a slick transition into “Life Saving Gun”. The trippy track first featured on Trey and Page’s 2023 duo album January quickly veered into experimental territory, with Page pushing the tempo with frenetic piano stab—like a cocaine-fueled Elton John—as the band locked into a few improvised grooves before smoothly shifting key and segueing into a heartfelt “Waste”.
Not yet ready to call it a night, Phish closed the set with a triumphant “Fluffhead” and a returned for a tight, celebratory encore featuring “Golgi Apparatus” and a cover of The Velvet Underground‘s “Rock and Roll”.
Phish – Set Two [Pro-Shot] – 7/26/25
Unnecessary as it may be to designate any show as the best of the tour—music is not a competition, after all—night two at SPAC was definitely a contender. The culmination of an exemplary summer run, it was 4.0 Phish at its finest. Will they manage to top it tonight? Unlikely, but there’s only one way to find out—and you know what they say about Sunday shows.
Find tickets for tonight’s SPAC finale here, or stream the show—and every Phish show dating back to 2003—via LivePhish here.
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Phish – “Weekapaug Groove” – 7/26/25
[Video: intothevacuum]
Phish – “My Friend, My Friend” – 7/26/25
[Video: grad Gd]
Phish – “Down With Disease” – 7/26/25
[Video: Gregory M]
Phish – “Light” – 7/26/25
[Video: intothevacuum]
Phish – “Life Saving Gun” – 7/26/25
[Video: EddyBucks7]
Phish – “Waste” – 7/26/25
[Video: intothevacuum]
Phish – “Fluffhead” – 7/26/25
[Video: grad Gd]
Phish – “Golgi Apparatus” – 7/26/25
[Video: intothevacuum]
Setlist [via Phish.net]: Phish | Broadview Stage at SPAC | Saratoga Springs, NY | 7/25/25
Set 1: 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 2: Oblivion > Down with Disease > Light > Life Saving Gun -> Waste > Fluffhead
Encore: Golgi Apparatus, Rock and Roll
Notes: 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.