[This content is courtesy of Ben Greenfield, user @GuyForgetOPT and @MrBenGreenfield on IG and @guyforget.bengreenfield.com on BlueSky.. -Ed.]

The state of Phish, in a word, is phenomenal. That’s the overwhelming consensus of 325 Phish fans, who responded to an online survey from January 22-25, 2026. [Links to the survey were placed on Bluesky, phish.net forums, Phantasy Tour, and reddit.com/r/phish, and the survey was conducted on Google Forms. This survey was not scientific: that is to say, interviewees did not comprise a representative sample of all Phish fans.]

A full 96% of respondents rated the state of Phish as 6 out of 10 or higher, with over 3 in 4 (76%) rating it 8 out of 10 or higher. And this is not some issue of n00b bias–there is broad consensus, between those who’ve been seeing the band for decades and those who are newer to the scene, that we’ve got it good.

In an open-ended follow-up question, fans pointed to two main reasons why they believe things are so good: 1) the band’s health, happiness, and continued creativity, more than 40 years in, and 2) the fuckin’ jaaaaams, man.

Will Rubinstein of Massachusetts put it simply: “After 43 years, they genuinely love playing with each other and are still creating musical gifts.” Drew Hitz of Virginia added, “The four of them have a burning desire to make art together and are still taking artistic risks, which after four decades is incredible.” Robert Ker of Maine attributed the band’s musical health to specific creative decisions: “They've pumped the brakes on adding 20 new songs a year and are letting the current crop breathe a little, which has led to better jamming and setlist exploration.”

Despite the overwhelming positivity, fans do have some gripes about certain aspects of modern Phish. A few fans complained that the touring schedule neglects some parts of the country; others, about chompers, rail riders, and the like. But by far the most common complaint was the prices. One fan wished for “"No more fucking Platinums,” and continued, “the band needs to make a better effort to reduce scalping as well."

Highlights of 2025

Ask 325 Phish fans for their favorite show of the year, and you might expect 325 different answers–even when the band only played 48 shows last year. But 2025 was a rare year in which there was broad consensus about which show was the band’s best: the July 27 show in Saratoga Springs, NY, in which the band wove versions of “Tweezer Reprise” throughout the show, was chosen as the top show by 47% of respondents–more than half of those who had heard enough to state an opinion. The next highest vote-getter was the band’s New Year’s Eve show, in a distant 2nd with 7%.

The Jam of the Year competition was far more competitive. I only included one jam from 7/27 (“Roses Are Free” -> “Tweezer Reprise”) in the list of options, perhaps controversially), and that one was essentially tied with the “What’s Going Through Your Mind” from June 24. The 12/31 “Tweezer” and several others were close behind.

The final 2025-in-review question asked fans who their MVP was. Trey and Fish were the victors here, each being selected by just over 1 in 3 respondents.

Actually Listening to Big Cypress: Something People Do, Or Nah?

I want to thank Elisa Allechant of SiriusXM’s Phish Radio, who some call “the Big Cypress of DJs,” for the next question, in which we attempted to ascertain what percentage of Big Cypress attendees have actually listened back to the legendary midnight-to-sunrise set. In total, 29% of respondents were actually at Big Cypress. And those attendees were almost twice as likely to have listened to recordings of the set than those who weren’t there.

Still, though, 17% of Cypress attendees haven’t listened back to the whole thing–a surprisingly high percentage! Maybe even more surprising: nearly half (47%) of fans who weren’t in attendance have not heard the whole thing. Get on it, people!

Looking Ahead: Desired Bustouts, Venues, and More

Given a choice between a festival, a return to the Gorge, a return to Dick’s, a return to Europe, and a non-New York setting for New Year’s Eve, fans showed a slight preference for a festival. But the geographic differences in fans’ responses speak to some frustration that fans outside the northeast have with the band’s tour routing in recent years.

In fact, a festival is the most popular choice only among northeastern fans. In those who live in western states, more than 6 in 10 would prefer either a return to Dick’s or The Gorge. In the midwest, fans’ top choice is a new location for New Year’s Eve shows.

While many want Phish to try out a new locale for New Year’s Eve, many more fans believe it’s the best place to see a show. In fact, not only is it by far the most popular venue overall, it’s even tops among fans from the south and the west. Among those in the midwest, Deer Creek squeaked out a win despite my poor decision not to include it on the list–enough midwestern fans wrote it in that it even beat out my own hometown venue, the Hollywood Bowl. Serves me right.

The next question asked about a few jams and flourishes that the band might bring back. Slow-Build Pipers and extended jams out of David Bowie were the two most-desired; while many fans want to see the second Mike’s Song jam and Secret Language return, those aren’t quite as popular.

When it comes to desired song bustouts, the winner is “Brother.” Asked to choose from a list (with the option of a write-in), the only other two to get at least 10% were “Black-Eyed Katy” and “Glide.” A note of sincere appreciation to the 4% of respondents who wished for “Jennifer Dances.”

Despite Billy Strings sitting in twice with Phish less than a year and a half ago, he is fans’ top choice for a future sit-in. Fellow recent guest Derek Trucks came in 2nd. And multiple fans voted for everyone from Taylor Swift to Frank Zappa to themselves, all of which are probably equally likely.

(A separate question asked who fans would most like to see sit on Fish; the results are not deserving of much ink, but the most common answers included “me,” Taylor Swift, Mike, Trey, and “your mom.” In summary, the answers were just as mature as the question.)

What Else Fans Listen To

Is it true that Phish fans only listen to Phish? Not exactly! While it is true that Phish is among the top three most-listened-to artists among 83% of respondents, folks also listen to a very wide range of other music. The four most common are Phish-adjacent: Grateful Dead (in 46% of respondents’ top 3); King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (11%), Billy Strings (10%) and Goose (7%). But Radiohead and The Beatles came in next, and hundreds of other acts were named once or twice–too few for each to make the chart, but together, comprising a large percentage of fans’ listening. These included artists ranging from Olivia Rodrigo to Yo-Yo Ma to Vampire Weekend, and everything in between.

And while it’s quite clear from those numbers that Phish fans do not exclusively listen to jambands, most of them do listen to some jambands. So I wanted to know: who do fans think is the best jammy artist out there besides Phish? The top choice is arguably not a jamband: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, who were chosen by 10%. Goose was close behind at 9%. Billy Strings was next, followed by a number of jammy favorites, and some non-jamband improv-heavy acts, like the incredible SML.

Rounding out this section was a purely-for-funsies question about who people would choose, Geese or Goose. To my surprise, Geese squeaked (honked?) out a victory here. As we’ve seen above, there’s a lot of Goose love among Phish fans, but there’s also a lot of people who aren’t 100% sold on them. Geese is most popular with those in their 30s, while Goose gets a surprising amount of love from the older heads, who favored them by a 64-18 margin.

Sources for Info & Commentary

Phish.net continues to be the dominant location for Phish news and commentary, with 80% of respondents saying they use the site frequently–twice as much as any other source. A caveat applies to this question: links to the survey were posted on the phish.net forum, Bluesky, Reddit, and Phantasy Tour, meaning regular users of those sites were more likely to respond than fans who aren’t on those sites. That said, phish.net’s towering presence suggests that it is indeed used by more fans than other sites.

Of the more commercial outlets listed, Jambase and Phish Radio tied, with 35% of respondents saying they regularly checked in with each. And Wook+ and HFPod appeal to roughly equal numbers of podcast-consuming fans, with 12-13% tuning in to each.

Kids and Pets

The final questions had to do with kids and pets. The pets question once again came care of Elisa Allechant. Piper and Wilson appear to be the two most common Phish pet names, with the former getting 10 mentions and the latter 9. Reba, Poster Nutbag, Leo, and Harry each got 4, while a handful got 2. Shoutout to one anonymous fan who has pets named Harry and Sally–an impressive feat, honoring your favorite band and your favorite romcom in one shot.

Name Count
Piper 10
Wilson 9
Reba 4
Poster Nutbag 4
Leo 4
Harry 4
Ernie 2
Sally 2
Tweezer 2
Bowie 2
Guyute 2
Fluffhead 2
Stash 2

The survey did not ask about kids who were named after Phish songs, but it did ask parents about their kids’ feelings about Phish. Just over 1 in 3 respondents said that at least one of their kids has seen Phish; of the rest, 13% love the band but haven’t seen them. The plurality are just “okay” with Phish, while 10% say their kids dislike the band.

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