the Sphere<\/a> (over two years and 48 shows). Eagles and Backstreet Boys only performed around two dozen songs each, over their respective 50-plus show runs; the same is expected for No Doubt, who arrive at the Sphere this week.<\/p>\n\n\tIt\u2019s not the first time Phish walked the \u201cno repeats\u201d tightrope without a net. In 2017, they performed 13 consecutive no-repeat shows at Madison Square Garden (and then completed an entire no-repeat fall tour in 2019). Word of those shows seemingly challenged and encouraged other bands with rabid fanbases to offer up more setlist variety, such as Metallica, who are planning \u201cno-repeat weekends\u201d when it\u2019s their turn at Sphere later this year \u2014 the band\u2019s song pool will reset every third show.<\/p>\n
\n\tWhile Phish\u2019s feat at the Sphere is wildly impressive on multiple levels, it wasn\u2019t even the biggest talking point among dedicated fans, who have become accustomed to the band\u2019s deep and ever-growing catalog by attending multiple shows in a row. Their favorite tunes, as is often the case, still elude them, but they keep chasing for another chance.<\/p>\n
\n\tWhat those followers got at the Sphere, however, was a fully realized vision. During the band\u2019s maiden voyage in 2024, the Las Vegas venue still had a new-car smell. The band programmed four nights of video, using the building\u2019s technology to present a philosophical, plotless narrative puzzle that attentive and engaged fans had to piece together themselves. After the final encore, attendees were left debating what they had experienced: four nights in which the band cycled through the four states of matter \u2014solid, liquid, gas, and plasma \u2014 lyrically, visually, and thematically, with a couple of detours along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n \t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\n\tTirelessly curious pioneers, creators, and curators, Phish put the building\u2019s visual capabilities to use for their artful, delightfully absurd storytelling, with the help of their creative content partner, the Moment Factory. But during that initial run, some felt the effort fell short \u2014 like the band was beholden to the building as they tried to work with the technology. This time, they made the technology work with them: They used the Sphere as an instrument, making the building bend to the music. They created tapestries of sound, entangling the visual content and the immersive sound into their web in real time.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRene Huemer<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\tPhish\u2019s front-of-house sound engineer, Garry Brown, employed Sphere\u2019s insane spatial audio capabilities to make it sound as if the music was literally bouncing around the room, with different instruments shooting out of different areas at different times for a truly immersive experience.<\/p>\n
\n\tThis led to chicken vs. egg moments when it was tough to determine who or what was in the driver\u2019s seat: Was Phish live-scoring a visual feast, or were we watching a movie that was being generated in the moment by the music? There were times when those lines became so blurry that everything just started blending as one; and, of course, that\u2019s when it worked the best.<\/p>\n
\n\tBrown had been experimenting with the venue\u2019s astounding 167,000 speakers to create spatial effects, with the band and its team incrementally and noticeably more confident with it at every show. By the final shows during the third weekend, Phish jams such as \u201cRuby Waves,\u201d \u201cPlasma,\u201d and \u201cMy Friend, My Friend\u201d were significantly enhanced by the immersive, spatial mix. A couple more shows at Sphere and fans will start making GB6 stickers, shorthand for Brown\u2019s significant impact on the music \u2014 to the point where he feels like the sixth member of the band. Lighting designer Chris Kuroda, or CK5, has already been designated the fifth member.<\/p>\n\n\n \t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\n\tIndeed, Kuroda\u2019s light show has become so integral to the Phish experience that it was disorienting to see the band on a stripped-down stage \u2014 as mandated by the venue, it serves as a reminder to audiences that the show is up above. And Phish yielded to that directive the first time. But on the 2026 run, they were determined to do it their way. Each night, the visual content (which played like larger-than-life videos, from hot dog rocket rides to a wild trip to the dentist) was turned over to Kuroda for entire segments, who operated a cartoonish virtual light rig loosely modeled after his arena-sized Phish blueprint that allowed him to jam along. That assurance \u2014 that the lights remain spectacular and in time to the music \u2014 allowed the band to stretch and also feel at home.<\/p>\n
\n\tNot surprisingly, these moments, when it looked like a \u201cPhish show\u201d again, produced many of the musical highlights from the run. There were a couple of firsts \u2014 for the band and the venue: Phish debuted \u201cBrief Time,\u201d an acoustic ballad from side-project Ghost of the Forest, during the first weekend. And the official tracklist for 4\/23\/26 notes the debut of \u201cDark Puddle,\u201d a 20-minute sojourn out of the song \u201cFuego\u201d that most people assumed was just an extended part of the \u201cFuego\u201d jam. (A spokesperson for the band told Rolling Stone<\/em>, \u201cThere is no light that can be shed on \u2018Dark Puddle.\u2019 That\u2019s why it\u2019s Dark.\u201d) The run also featured the first vacuum cleaner solo ever performed inside Sphere, courtesy of drummer Jon Fishman, and the building\u2019s first \u201ckeytar\u201d solo as well, ably handled by keyboardist Page McConnell.<\/p>\n\n\tWith the shows now in the rearview, fans have already moved on to ranking the jams, with spirited analysis and discussions detailed faithfully on Phish.net\u2019s \u201cjam chart.\u201d It\u2019s all serious business for a fanbase and a band that, famously, refuses to take itself too seriously.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJuliana Bernstein\/Taylor Wallace\/Alive Coverage<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\tPhish has managed to avoid most nostalgia traps over the years while still including a lot of winks and self-referential jokes, but during their final encore on the final night, the band that blasts arena rock tropes with trampoline routines, and plays their best shows while cracking each other up, turned the goodbye into a heartfelt moment when they projected crowd images from over the years onto the walls. The images, breaking apart into what looked like atoms and reforming, were a touching tribute to the Phish community as fans, some of whom have been following the band for decades, looked up to see their younger selves smiling back.<\/p>\n\n\n \t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\n\tWhen U2 opened Sphere with a conceptual show that featured a largely static setlist and content, the band\u2019s guitarist, The Edge, said in interviews that every night felt like a battle between the band and the building. \u201cAnd most nights,\u201d he said, \u201cthe building wins.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tNo doubt, in the battle for attention, Sphere\u2019s 160,000-square-foot LED screen is a worthy opponent. But, in the end, Phish won all nine of their battles. That\u2019s a big victory for the band, sure. It also feels like a victory for rock music. All of which is to say that the Sphere is a pretty incredible spaceship. But the humans are still the stars of the show.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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