[We would like to thank Ian Zigel (user @ripenesswasall) for recapping last night’s show. -Ed.]

When it was rumored and then announced that Phish would be playing in Austin, Texas this year, I made a mental note to self that I’d be hitting this run no matter what. I’ve been wanting to check out Austin for quite some time, I have a great crew of fellow music lovers who live out here (shoutout 4501 Depew!), and the energy of summer Phish shows in the south is unparalleled. As fate would have it I found myself at the Moody Center on this swelteringly hot Friday, brimming with anticipation for my first run of shows in 2025. The west-coast spring run was unbelievable, and the FOMO was deep as the first four nights of Summer 2025 tour all proved to be outstanding, with each seemingly better than the previous.

A few hours of cooking in the hot sun was a questionable decision, but it allowed us to secure some excellent space on the dancefloor for a large crew including several Phish virgins, about seven rows back from Trey and Page.

Many calls were made about the would-be opener, but none that I heard correctly predicted the first “Crowd Control” since Blossom 2022. This short but rocking semi-rarity gave everyone enough time and space to lock-in before the band dropped into “Mike’s Song” in the two spot. A patient, exploratory Mike’s quickly veered off into blissey territory and gave the band some room to stretch and experiment before returning to the song proper. Instead of going for a ballad, Talking Heads “Cities” was an awesome choice to keep the energy bouncing and exploratory, with a tasty extended jam on the backend.

Five consecutive indoor summer gigs made “Divided Sky” feel all the more appropriate. But in all seriousness, it was great, as always. During the pause I screamed “Take your time!” at Trey and got him to crack up right as he was about to unpause. Fun fact about me - I chased this song for 50 shows. Yes you read that correctly. I’m convinced that Trey intentionally made me chase it for that long, and also that he knew there were several first timers in attendance tonight, and seized the opportunity to troll me once more. And I’m into it.

An epic conclusion to “Divided Sky” was followed by a songy string of nicely paired, diverse tunes. A blistering rendition of “The Well” with some thunderous showmanship from Fishman in particular during the intense second half inspired high-spirited revelry from the crowd. Phish is reaching deep into their bag of tricks this tour, and that trend continued tonight with the first “Daniel Saw the Stone” since The Baker’s Dozen (!!!). The Moody center was instantly converted into a Mega Church, and Page’s rousing organ work propelled us all to dance like church ladies, stomping and clapping and stomping and clapping and raising our hands high. The quick but rousing cover paired nicely with a more relaxed “Taste.” And, always a nice breather, “Dirt” felt like an appropriate nod to a friend of many in our community, lot artist Scotty, who we unexpectedly lost earlier this week.

Finally, “Weekapaug Groove” made an appearance to close out the first set. Like other Paugs this year, it was slowed down considerably---I kind of think they are fucking with us and they’re going to do this all year only to play a really fast "Weekepaug" for the New Years gag, but maybe that’s just me. Needless to say, some fun and effects driven interplay made this version memorable and enjoyable in its own way, and a great way to tie the bow around a very fun, high-energy first set.

Set break is still weird. Having barely refilled my nalgene and used the bathroom, as I began to head back to our spot way in the front of the floor the lights had already gone down. I managed to get there right as “No Men in No Man’s Land” kicked off the second set. The jam was rousing, exploratory, and full of ideas and big energy. I was surprised to see it did not even hit the 15-minute mark on paper, only because they seemed to navigate seamlessly through several sections.

That scorching Texas sun must have been on the band’s radar too, as the first “Fuego” of this tour yielded another amazing jam (“Fuego” has been Killing IT lately). This one was delightfully patient, and I was quite impressed with the effortlessness the band seemed to exude as they navigated through each section, imbuing it with tasty grooves and colorful sounds. Mike did a lot of the heavy lifting in this regard, taking care to give each section some extra neon yellow mustard. All in all this exploratory and must-listen “Fuego” stretched well past the twenty minute mark, with Trey reviving the theme several key changes later, and then dipping it into assonant sludge as the rest of the band descended keys and Page vamped on a synth that can best be described as “puddling.” Not too long ago, that might have been the crown-jewel of the second set. But not on Summer Tour 2025.

And then, releasing all that tension, Trey steered the ship into major key bliss, and Fishman picked up the tempo and the fearless four guided us up pleasure mountain. The venue was once again transformed into a full-on mega church, worshippers at the altar of Icculus dancing with the holy spirit and speaking in tongues. The floor was churning, and by the end of this jam the current would take me from being parallel with Page all the way over to Mike. The energy exchange between the band and the crowd was magnificent, with both feeding on each other in a frenzy that snowballed into a remarkable explosion. Kudos to everyone involved, great teamwork. All in all, another must-listen, I believe this was the longest “Golden Age” ever, and it definitely gives 10/28/16’s previous record holder a run for its money.

Some rare and always welcome stage banter followed, as Trey took the opportunity to celebrate the band’s return to his birth state Texas. As my friend Pepe pointed out, you know it’s a great show when Trey talks to the crowd. [Unless it's because he flubbed YEM's composed opening and they had to restart it. -Ed.]

After a moment’s rest, the band fires-up another vintage classic, “The Squirming Coil.” Notably the second devil/satan referencing lyric of the night. The band stays on stage in the dark for Page’s solo, which is accompanied by a few too many loud drunken whistles for my liking, but such is Texas Mega Church Phish. Not ready to call it quits just yet, a short but spicey “Sand” follows, revving-up the crowd one last time before a rocking “Character Zero” singalong puts an exclamation mark on the whole thing.

The encore serves a classic pairing of “A Life Beyond a Dream” with a gorgeous guitar solo, and a “First Tube” in which Trey got so excited he forgot how to play it for a half second. The lights go up and everyone has that look on their face that says “holy smokes I’ll tell ya what,” as we slowly shuffle off the dancefloor and into the night.

When all is said and done, Phish’s grand return to Texas was a total barn burner as the kids say. Highly sought out bust outs and rarities, and two back-to-back must listen mega jams are just about all a Phish kid can ask for. I humbly report to you dear reader that the heat goes on as Phish treks westward, and this band seems to be on a mission to spread liquid hot magma all over the USA this summer.

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