Phish, photo by Dave Vann
On Saturday, June 28, Phish stepped into the spotlight in Austin, Texas, to conclude their two-night engagement at the Moody Center. In the course of the foundational jamband’s first appearances within city limits since 2010, the Live Music Capital of the World certainly earned its nickname as the quartet tore through Texas-size treatments of longtime fan favorites. Following Friday’s sprawling versions of “Fuego” and “Golden Age,” the group continued their streak of titanic jams by spending a half-hour of blissed-out exploration in “Ruby Waves.”
Phish commenced the sixth show in their Summer Tour with the always electrifying 36-year cut “Punch You in the Eye,” delivered with a woozy, reeling spirit that snapped into crystal clear focus as it spilled over into a blissed-out “Free” for a combined total of 20 minutes. The remainder of the first frame consisted exclusively of one-off songs, giving the outfit a chance to experiment with many different styles without the pressure of bridging disparate impulses. Highlights from the seven-track sprint included a hot and heavy electric blues on Clifton Chenier’s “My Soul,” the hectic, shuffling ascent of “Reba,” moody, slinking funk on the Evolve highlight “Hey Stranger,” and a breezy ska lilt through “Guelah Papyrus” before the shadowy arena-grade finale of Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream.”
Phish returned for their second set with a high-spirited blast through “Chalk Dust Torture,” then cut the tempo for a shift into the more laid-back but equally rocking “Twist.” Nineteen minutes into the set, the band channelled all the eclectic approaches of the evening so far into a shape-shifting rendition of “Ruby Waves,” blooming to a variably kaleidoscopic, gritty, stomping and ultimately rapturous daydream from the song’s heartwarming core before peacefully exhaling to descend to ground level. After passing the 30-minute mark, the band merged into “Monsters,” then wound to the show’s conclusion with “Limb by Limb,” “Split Open and Melt,” “Rock and Roll” and an encore of “Waste” and “Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.”
Phish will return this week with a three-show Independence Day series at Boulder, Colo.’s Folsom Field from July 3-5, which will replace their traditional Labor Day weekend run at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo. The Summer Tour will continue through late July with standout stagings like two nights at Queens, N.Y.’s beloved Forest Hills Stadium on July 22 and 23 and a series-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.
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Phish
Moody Center – Austin, Texas
6/28/25
Set I: Punch You in the Eye > Free, My Soul, 555, Reba, Hey Stranger, Plasma, Guelah Papyrus, Moonage Daydream
Set II: Chalk Dust Torture > Twist > Ruby Waves > Monsters, Limb By Limb, Split Open and Melt, Rock and Roll
Encore: Waste, Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.
Notes:
Trey teased Tweezer in Punch You in the Eye. Reba did not have the whistling ending. Chalk Dust Torture and Ruby Waves were unfinished. Page teased The Very Long Fuse in Ruby Waves.
Setlist via phish.net.
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