Photo by Rene Huemer

Last night, Phish returned to Kentucky for the first since 1996 to headline the annual Bourbon & Behind music festival. The four-day event, which takes place on the grounds of the Kentucky Expo Center, also marked Phish’s Louisville stop since 1994.

The surprises really kicked into gear a few hours before Phish’s stated set time when Mike Gordon made an unannounced appearance with Guster. The bassist emerged partway through the Boston-bred group’s spit for a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams,” which has been in rotation in Guster’s repertoire since around the pandemic. Gordon played bass with Guster on the tune and also stepped up to the mic to sing lead on a verse; Iron & Wine founder Sam Beam also sang with Guster and Gordon on the TikTok-approved cover, which Guster’s Ryan Miller called the “least jammy song Mike has ever played.”

The collaboration between members of Phish and Guster was a rare crossover between two groups who nurtured passionate, grassroots fanbases in New England in the ‘90s through fan-engagement, taping and years of hard touring, though with markedly different sounds. There have been a few collaborations recently, however. After sharing a few bills with Miller at benefits around Vermont, where they both currently live, Gordon joined Guster in Essex, Vt. in 2022 and both musicians shared the stage with Taper’s Choice during Relix’s 50th anniversary celebration at New York’s Brooklyn Bowl earlier this year. Page McConnell, who watched yesterday’s sit ins from the side of the stage, also appeared on Guster’s major label debut, Lost & Gone Forever, which was produced by then-recent Phish producer Steve Lillywhite in 1999. Beam also crossed paths with Guster last year at a Carnegie Hall tribute to Crosby, Stills & Nash.

Friday’s Bourbon & Beyond offerings nodded to a mix of other genres and styles as well. On the side-by-side main stages, 10,000 Maniacs played some of their biggest hits as well as their signature spin on the Bruce Springsteen/Patti Smith favorite “Because the Night.” Robert Cray joked about playing the blues so early in the afternoon and Trampled by Turtles offered their modern take on traditional string music. Joe Bonamassa played Phish’s stage right before them, burning through some blues while backed by a tight band that includes Double Trouble keyboardist Reese Wynans, who was also an early Allman Brothers contributor and member of The Brothers. Elsewhere on site, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong covered Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir,” Gavin DeGraw pumped up the crowd with his string of hits and bluegrass phenom Wyatt Ellis won over new fans in a tent that doubles as a boutique whiskey tasting area.

Khruangbin played the evening’s pen-ultimate main-performance-space slot, keeping a crowd estimated to be north of 40,000 engaged with their often instrumental music with their virtuoso playing and colorful stage design. Both bassist Laura Lee and guitarist Mark Speer made use of the extended walkway between the two main side-by-side stages by wondering over and playing to fans already setting up their spaces for Phish. As their current run draws to a close, the group also added some graffiti imagery to their building backdrop, which gave the set design some ‘80s New York grit.

The trio’s set ended moments before Phish emerged on the stage to their left and launched into the Round Room rocker “46 Days.” Like most of their headlining appearances at multi-band events they are not producing themselves, Phish focused on some of their better know material last night, turning around tight versions of “The Moma Dance” and “Free” after their opener, yet the Vermont Quartet still took things out and offered some surprises. They first dug deep on the classic “Wolfman’s Brother” and then offered an unexpected take on their variation of Josh White and Sam Gary’s “Timber (Jerry the Mule”). From there, they showcased their 2024 single “Evolve” and a well-received cover of The Beatles’ “A Day in the Life,” a longtime favorite that they brought back last year for the first time since 2019. The rocker “Possum” closed out the first set.

Following a short break, Phish launched the second portion of their show with a deep, groove-driven “Sand” that segued into an unfinished “Chalk Dust Torture” and equally exploratory “Light,” before the evening’s improvisational highlight climaxed with the reggae tones of “Ya Mar.” They paused briefly and then closed the second set with another segue, this time from the light-show enhanced “2001” into the more recent crowd sing-along “Everything’s Right” and enduring gem “Harry Hood.”

When Phish left the stage they only had a few minutes until the stated end of their set time. However, they returned for the rocker “Character Zero” and the instrumental workout “First Tube.”

Phish will head to Birmingham, Ala. for the second performance of their late-summer tour tonight. Bourbon & Beyond will continue with sets from Jack White, Sturgill Simpson, Jack White and Ringo Starr, among others.