[We would like to thank @cohron1 for providing this recap. -Ed.]

Nearly seven weeks after tearing SPAC to the ground with the “Tweezer Reprise” show, Phish returned to the stage at the Bourbon & Beyond festival in Louisville, KY. It was Phish’s first time playing the fest, though Trey played it with TAB back in 2019.

The fest itself features a wide array of eclectic acts, ranging from 90s staples like Gin Blossoms and Spin Doctors to new/old country powerhouse Sturgill “Johnny Blue Skies” Simpson. After a Mike sit-in with Guster earlier in the day, Khruangbin played the Oak Stage on Friday evening, essentially serving as Phish’s opener.

Multiple people noted how the laid back grooves from the trio was the perfect way to set the table for Phish. Phish doesn’t need an opening act, but should they ever find themselves looking for one, they could do worse than Khruangbin.

The sun was mercifully setting as the band walked onto the Barrel Stage. “46 Days” was an appropriate choice for the opener as it had been 47 days since their last show. “47 days and the coal came home,” indeed. Nothing gets past Trey.

There was a lot of speculation about what the band would play and how they would play it. Would it be another “fest set?” Would they continue to go deep with jams as has been their proclivity in the recent years? I couldn’t begin to guess.

The only thing I did know was that “The Moma Dance” was going to be played in the 2-hole, and that’s exactly what happened. The band was sticking with some faithful classics to get back in the swing of playing together again. “Free” came next and continued the old-school feel.

“Wolfman’s Brother” followed and the band took their first opportunity for some improvisation. Mike’s bass was thumping early in the jam, before giving way to a laid-back groove that finishes with a fury.

Trey gave a brief, “Thanks for having us,” before jumping into “Timber (Jerry the Mule)”. Trey was in attack mode and led the fiery, extended version. “Evolve” came next and it was the first song that had its debut after Phish’s return in 2009.

The second cover of the night came in “A Day in the Life”. It was a fun, if straightforward version of the tune by The Beatles that everyone in the crowd knew. The band wasted no time getting right into “Possum” afterwards. Of course they were going to play their most Southern rock sounding song at their first show in Kentucky in almost thirty years.

Trey informed the crowd, “We’re going to take a very, very, very short break,” before walking off. For the first time ever, he could have dropped his famous, “We’ll be back in fifteen minutes,” and it would have been true. There was barely time to walk around the sprawling festival grounds and get back before the band was walking back onstage.

The familiar notes of “Sand” opened the second set. It had a nice jam and the band returned to the song proper to finish things off, or so I thought, before dropping a bit of an outro jam. “Chalk Dust Torture” was up next.

There was a massive video screen between the Oak and Barrel stages at the festival. There was a solo shot of Trey as he played the opening riff of “CDT” and his smile was as wide as the final furlong at Churchill Downs. His joy is infectious.

The setlist overlords may not agree with my take, but Phish played “Mountain Jam” during the “Chalk Dust” jam. If they weren’t playing the famous Allman Brothers Band jam, then it’s the greatest ajamakinto I’ve ever heard. The twenty two minute “CDT” is unquestionably the star jam of the show. Highlight seekers should get to this jam ASAP.

As the “CDT” jam waned, Trey hit the opening notes to “Light”. It’s tough to determine where “Light” ends and “Ya Mar” begins. The segue seemed minutes long in the moment. It was the first time “Ya Mar” had been played in the second set since Coventry.

The peaks of “2001” brought the energy back after what I will call not the fastest “Ya Mar” ever played. “Carini” followed and the entire festival went nuts. The band could have phoned the festival performance in and it would have just been chalked up to them playing in front of a crowd that isn’t filled with their devotees. Instead, Page was going bananas on his synth late in the second set.

I wondered if “Carini” might be the set closer, but it was only the antepenultimate song in Set 2. Trey got to scratchily croon one time as “Everything’s Right” followed. The standard version of “ER” gave way to the actual set closer, “Harry Hood”. The band has been crushing “Hood” this year and this version is no exception.

There were questions about whether the band would play an encore given their curfew, but they were answered in quick succession as the band reappeared onstage as quickly as they’d walked off. Loud, rocking versions of “Character Zero” and “First Tube” made sure that the entire crowd went home happy and buzzing, with ears ringing.

This wasn’t the best Phish show of 2025, nor was it the worst Phish show of 2025. Both sets had great flow and each featured strong play and jamming. If that’s what constitutes “festival Phish,” then I’ll be there every time it’s played five miles from my house.

Shows in Birmingham, Alpharetta and Hampton await. After a strong showing on the first night of the mini-tour, there’s no telling what Phish has in store over the next week, so stay tuned.

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