It was on the twenty-seventh day of September, in the year of our Icculus nineteen hundreds plus eighty-five, that a perhaps immodest assembly gathered within the walls of the mostly modest Slade Hall, to hear a fledgling group of young musicians test their strength against the demands of live performance. They were not yet today's veterans of summer amphitheaters and storied New Year’s runs, evolved and tested (though not hardened) by the rigors of touring, but were but mere apprentices in the craft of improvisation. There, amid murmurs of anticipation and the creaking of floorboards, the lamps glowing with modest wattage, the instruments piped through relatively stark effects, the band struck forth a tune that would prove, in time, to be among their most enduring: "Possum".

The number was not, by outward description, of any grand pretension. Its theme, concerning as it did the untimely, flattened fate of a humble marsupial upon the roadway, might in other hands have been dismissed as trifling or grotesque. But Phish seized upon the simplicity, of both roadkill and rock, as though it were a secret key to greater realms. And, indeed, it was. In its earliest renditions, the tune was brisk, almost fleeting, scarcely five minutes in length. Yet, from that unassuming seed of song, there grew, over the course of two score years, a mighty beast of resurrected energy, with performances eventually stretching, flowering, and contorting into something far larger than the sum of its nominal parts.

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[Great thanks to the author of this post, Matt Hoffman (@tonapdivine), who is an independent music journalist who writes for Relix, JamBase, and other publications. We would also like to thank contributor Tedd Kanakaris (@teddkanakaris), who founded and runs the ESG-focused Sandpiper Wealth, is a member of Gotta Jibrew, and dabbles with music and storytelling around the Phish community online. Thank you both! -Ed.]

For over four decades, a love of Phish has been the tie that binds any number of communities, both analog and digital. In turn, these communities have proven fertile ground for countless amazing stories, and now that summer tour is done, we’re excited to tell the story of Gotta JiBrew, a new hazy IPA from Lawson’s Finest Liquids that’s named after a group of friends who get together monthly to sample beer from local breweries.

The idea for the collaboration arose in 2024, when Phish lyricist Tom Marshall ran into brewery owner Sean Lawson at Mondegreen. When the Gotta JiBrew group came up in conversation, Lawson invited them to Vermont to collaborate in brewing a beer. The group worked with Lawson to brew the inaugural batch that the brewery will serve beginning today, September 24th, at their taproom in Waitsfield, Vermont. The story of this collaboration is just one example of how the Phish community can bring people together to create something special.

But before we get into the story, let’s talk about the beer itself.

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[We would like to thank @switz for recapping last night's show. @switz is the co-creator of Relisten.net and has seen too many 3.0 shows -Ed.]

The Summer 2025 Tour comes to an end one day before the beginning of Fall. 31 shows in total. The first half of the summer brought with it a clear intent: exploration and improvisation. The band stretched out, hitting a landing zone of patience, confidence, and serenity. As they wove through the country, spitting out gems such as the Pittsburgh "What's Going Through Your Mind", the Austin "Golden Age", and the Mann "Sand", energy grew.

This all culminated in the clear high-point, the final show of the first leg at SPAC. An energy-fueled, relentless night that fired on all cylinders from start to finish. And so the question was, what would the second leg bring for these final eight shows of summer? The band collected themselves and dusted off a variety of quality shows. It seemed as though they were going to play all eight shows with no repeats, most notably holding back "Tweezer" for the first night at Hampton. Though a few repeats did eventually show up, it's abundantly clear that sometimes restriction and restraint prove to unlock the band further, and give them far more freedom to stretch songs into jams.

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[This recap is courtesy of user @mikh2wg Rob Hammel. Recaps of shows strictly reflect the opinions of the authors and not necessarily the opinions of any of the volunteers who manage and post content to this website. -Ed.]

The Hampton Coliseum is one of my favorite venues. It’s kind of my hometown spot. Richmond doesn’t have an arena. I’ve been seeing shows at the Mothership since I won tickets to an Aerosmith show on the radio in 1993. The design, the vibe, the lack of advertising… The fact that I drove down 64 over and over again as a kid to visit my mom’s parents and the Collamusem (Coliseum is a hard word for a kid) was one of the major landmarks of the trip. It meant we were about ⅔ of the way there. This building has been an important part of my life ever since I can remember. It’s very exciting when I get to see a show here.

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IT colloquially and fondly is known as THE MOTHERSHIP, auguring that all who board her—when PHISH is at the helm—are ABOUT TO BLAST OFF and inter-galactically traverse the universe accompanied by an acidfunkadelic, soul-energizing soundtrack.

Last night was Phish’s first performance at the Hampton Coliseum in nearly seven years (see 10/21/2018 with its must-hear “Simple”), yet their music once again gracefully filled and elevated the legendary room, as if only days and not years had passed.

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Secondhand Talent interviewed the Mockingbird Foundation's executive director Ellis Godard for a renewed deep dive into Phish.net, the origins of the Foundation, the birth of the Runaway Open, and much more.

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[We would like to thank Brad Strode (@c_wallob) for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]

I LOVE PHISH!!! That’s it. That’s the recap…

…as much as I tried to keep this thing brief, the powers that be have notified me that in spite of how accurate and successful my attempt at brevity might be, this is a content game, and there would be no way for Gemini to know what actually happened on 9/17/2025 at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre without at least a cursory attempt at exposition. So…if you’re currently driving on the road to Hampton: I love Phish and last night was a superb show. Now put your phone down and keep the tires off the line.

On the other hand, if you’ve already arrived at the “safety” of the Hampton Red Roof Inn, here is a little more context…

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[We would like to thank Jonah (@LizardwithaZ) for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]

Friends, last night Phish played a show in Alpharetta, Georgia. Yes, this has happened before. Yes, it will happen again. Tomorrow night, in fact.

But for the first time, your pal @LizardwithaZ (find me in the forum) scored a pit ticket and early entry. So it was that I found myself in line, number 225 to be exact, to get a premium spot as close as I’ll probably ever be to the rail, ending up in the second row right in front of Page.

Let me tell you, being that close is a different experience than anything I’ve experienced as a Phish fan to date. Were the vibes good? Yes. Was there drama? Also yes. Were there babies? You know it.

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[We would like to thank @Culture_Czar for recapping last night's show. He’s "a Birmingham local that you’ll find seeing all kinds of weird music shows at venues all over the Southeast." -Ed.]

It is often said that “comparison is the thief of joy” and while that may be a good life motto, it’s probably the best Phish motto. As cliché as the expression is, it was a good thing to keep in mind for Phish’s second night at Birmingham’s new Coca-Cola Amphitheatre. After Saturday night’s deep space jam fest, it was highly unlikely that Sunday would go that weird and that hard, but if you let go and surrender to the flow and take the show on its own merits, you were likely to have a real good time.

Sunday’s show opened with “Punch You in the Eye,” which has never disappointed anyone in the history of ever as far as I’m aware. It got folks locked in and in the mood for dancing after a long, hot Alabama afternoon. PYITE dropped into “Mike’s Song” and the crowd perked-up considerably hoping "Mike’s" in the two-hole of set one would be an auspicious sign of another epic evening. While the band had some nice interplay during the jam, it was still a bit laid back for my tastes.

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[We would like to thank @thewatchfulhosemaker for recapping last night’s show. The Watchfulhosemaker plays in local Chicago bands, Lunar Ticks & Beat The Meatles, and started a festival in Irving Park called Indie Park Fest. -Ed.]

Phish settled into the brand new Coca Cola Amphitheatre in Birmingham, Alabama for the 2nd show of a brief late summer tour. The three month old venue has that new car smell - with a fun lot scene, not a bad sight line in the space, ample common space out front, clean and modern accommodations, plenty of food and drink options abound, and a sleek wooden look throughout. Despite some bottleneck traffic after the show, overall this is a really nice and small (for Phish) venue that I hope they continue to keep on their radar. [Question for the hive mind- when’s the last time they played an under 10k venue on a Saturday night?]

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