[We would like to thank Ian Zigel (@ripenesswasall) aka @memehendge on Instagram for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]

Hockey Arena shows in the fall are a quintessential part of the Phish experience, particularly in the northeast where the band cut its teeth 4 decades ago and where the core of the fanbase resides. It’s no secret that Phish delivers the goods musically on fall tour; summer tours tend to be experimental and playful as the band searches for a new sound, slowly building up potential energy, which is actualized in the fall with shows that can be a bit more intense, ballsy, and spooky.

Everything about these autumnal happenings - huddling together on a chilly but sprawling shakedown street, sipping on hot chocolate or apple cider, visible traces of our spirit family’s presence in every imaginable corner of an unsuspecting little town, catching up with your tour friends from around the country, and gasp-inducing sets of music – make up the ineffable but unmistakable vibe of fall tour.

On October 27th 2024, we find ourselves returning to the storied “MVP Arena” in Albany, NY for the third and final night of a charity benefit run for The Divided Sky Foundation. Of course, this run also became a celebration of the life and legacy of Phil Lesh when the heavy news of his passing broke on Friday morning.

Night one’s poignant “Box of Rain” opener and bass-forward, dead-esque vibe was a cathartic and perfect eulogy. Saturday was very much a raging “Saturday special” for a full house that got delightfully evil and deranged throughout the second set.

For a new fan, a fall hockey arena run is a rite of passage, a phish-mitzvah if you will, and I felt that Friday and Saturday night’s shows would both be excellent first shows to introduce a newcomer to this expensive hobby. Dare I say I felt a bit nostalgic this weekend, reminiscing on my first run of fall shows in Providence, RI and Uniondale, NY 5 years ago, a weekend that changed my life for better or worse. My “Dick in a Blender” moment was the glorious, multi-pronged “Harry Hood” unleashed at the Dunkin Donuts Center on 11/30/19. Alas I am still waiting for the band to send me an autographed vitamix, but I’m sure it’s on their to do list *cough cough.*

Tonight’s epic finale admittedly feels a little less newb-friendly and more like “phish for phish fans.” The setlist is loaded with songs that were not played frequently (or at all) in 2024, and both sets are graced with stunning moments of improvisation. The saying “Never miss a Sunday Show” originated from The Grateful Dead scene, and Phish appropriately delivered a memorable, musically rich, and singular finale to a delightful and emotional one-stop fall stand.

I enter the venue a quarter past 7, giving myself time to catch up with a few friends from the road, before heading to section 206 where I sat last night. It’s a good a great view of the band and the light show, and the sound is perfect. A standard but unexpected “Heavy Things,” kicks things off, paired with the newest song to join the Phish canon, “What’s Going Through Your Mind,” to get the ball rolling. Internal battles and introspection will be a subtle theme throughout the evening.

Up next, we’re treated to another Undermind bustout, the delightfully bouncy “Access Me.” Earlier that morning while hiking and getting some foliage sighting in, I lamented how I wished some of the deep cuts like “Nothing” deserve more love. One of my friends astutely observed that songs of the 2.0 era may remind Trey of a darker chapter of his life, and therefore may be difficult for him to enjoy on a more frequent basis. And in that vein, these songs from Trey’s darkest days of battling addiction felt appropriate for a run centered around giving back and addiction recovery rooted in joy.

“My Friend, My Friend” shows up in the four-spot once again and unfolds into an extended jam consistent with recent versions before concluding with one more chorus. Although not as lengthy as some of the Odyssean Myfes of this summer, this version is tight and energetic, nonetheless. The quirky bluegrass flavored “My Sweet One,” which also features a passage where the tempo is sliced in half, makes its grand return next. Everyone in my section sings along with their best yeehaw energy. I was surprised to learn it has not been played in over two years!

“Limb By Limb,” specifically this version, was one of the first Phish songs I listened to without much prior knowledge of the band that grabbed me, and it never fails to put a huge smile on my face when I see it live. Another song I would describe as quintessentially Phishy for its elegance, playfulness, and the unparalleled limb independence and virtuosity of Jon Fishman, this version was short and sweet. At this point I turn to my friend John and remark “now this is a Sunday show first set,” to which he enthusiastically agrees.

“Mountains in The Mist” plays its role as a reliable first set breather. CK5 slowly cascades beautiful blue and purple beams over the crowd. Ready to blast off, Trey revs up the unmistakable opening riff of one of the catchiest songs ever written about addiction, “Kill Devil Falls,” possibly landing on a few wrong notes, but playing them with the right attitude. The KDF Renaissance that kicked off last summer in Syracuse, and continued this year in Mohegan, Bethel and Dick’s, cemented this song’s status as a proper type 2 jam vehicle, a trend that I hope will continue in tours to come.

The Albany KDF jam is one of the strongest yet, effortlessly oscillating like a pinball between darker and deranged patches reminiscent of Saturday night’s noise jams, and blissful zones accentuated by inhaling and exhaling synths, before seamlessly dropping back into the chorus for a beautifully executed, nearly 20-minute version. A must listen KDF! Another 2.0 gem not played as frequently, “Walls of The Cave” bookends set 1 with gusto.

At setbreak I reconnect with my friend Riley whom I met on tour a few summers ago via mutual college friends, who offers me a wide-open spot in section 119, parallel with the first few rows of the pit and just above eye level with the band. I gladly accept, ready to silence my inner monologue and lock in with the band for one more excellent set of music - and excellent it is.

“Everything’s Right” kicks off set 2 and quickly oozes into a cool, delicate jam dripping with psychedelia. CK5 washes the band in purple and scans green light beams over the crowd, alternating delightful 2-color combos while the jam patiently meanders. Particularly in this second set, it feels like the band is weaving a story together – we begin with a bird’s eye view, with a sense of order and harmony to the grand scheme of things, regardless of how chaotic these times feel. Believe it if you need it.

“Chalk Dust Torture” emerges a bit abruptly, as we set our sights on Jezmund the family berzerker. “Can’t I live while I’m young?” our hero asks, before the band delves into the longest marathon of improvisation of the night. This CDT clocks in at just over 23 minutes, so I guess you could say it’s relatively “short” compared to the Mexico and Dick’s mega renditions this year, but depth and richness of the musical conversation that ensues is, simply put, why we fall tour.

If I were prosecuting this band for the crime of being “dialed the fuck in,” I would submit as evidence how quickly Trey weaves in a “Stash” tease and how instantly Fishman joins him before they effortlessly resume where they left off, and then probably rest my case. But if the jury needed any more convincing, the remainder of this jam would likely suffice.

Meanwhile, Mike gives a clinic in “holding down the foundation and finding the freedom to be melodic,” as he articulated in his beautiful eulogy for Phil Lesh. All four musicians are visibly listening to each other intently and intensely, their free-flowing exchange of harmonic and rhythmic ideas seems effortless to the naked eye. It’s an absolute treat to watch this unfold positioned so close to the stage.

Somewhere in these 23 minutes we find ourselves spinning and churning to something akin to a Sci-Fi Soldier cover of “Sweet Emotion,” while Trey and Page color in the lines with playful effects, eventually uncovering some sonic terrain that feels like it could transition into “Most Events Aren’t Planned” at any moment. But, after 40 minutes of exquisite jamming between these first two songs, the band deserves a quick break. They smoothly land the UFO, met with raucous applause.

“Mercury,” only played one other time this year at Alpine Valley, rounds out an improv-heavy trifecta. “Days that are met with onliness / aid and abet this loneliness,” the song’s protagonist observes, evoking the introspection theme and contrasting the CDT narrator’s youthful hedonism with feelings of isolation. I was in attendance for that show at Alpine as well and admittedly held onto a grudge over the jam blue balls Trey gave me when it was just about to get good and he rip chorded into “Taste,” (and I love “Taste”) but all is forgiven tonight with a patient, funky, snarly jam on the back end of this Mercury. Hey, everything is right. If you couldn’t tell, I am a huge advocate for letting “Mercury” jam. By time time it concludes with another chorus, nearly an hour has already passed.

“Wading in the Velvet Sea,” another tune only summoned once prior in 2024, earns the ballad spot. I wasn’t quite able to ride a bike without training wheels while Coventry was taking place, but the devastating scene of Page crying while he tries to sing Velvet Sea at the mud soaked last Phish show ever always comes to mind when I hear this song. Many of us perpetually online nerds predicted a “Twenty Years Later” > "Velvet Sea" (and/or “Glide”) at Mondegreen this summer, a tongue and cheek victory lap to recognize how Phish has more than redeemed themselves since then. But that would’ve just been too obvious. Tonight, we reflect both on the darker, lower points of this band’s multi-act trajectory, while also celebrating just how on fire, cohesive, creative, and exuberantly joyous they are today.

After a quick dip in the ocean of memory, our narrators once again invite us to zoom out and remember that “Most Events Aren’t Planned.” And yet, somehow, in what we can perceive as the known universe’s billions of years of existence, we found ourselves lucky enough to be alive and conscious on planet earth in the most civilized and technologically advanced era of humankind, able to plan and attend events such as these.

This always welcomed Vida Blue rager lights up the crowd for a fiery conclusion to a flawless second set. I would also like to point out that this second set follows a similar formula – 3 awesome jams, one gorgeous ballad, then one sick Page song – as another personal favorite second set I’ve attended, 12/30/2022. It’s one of my favorite shows to put on and revisit, and I think I’ll be revisiting this one quite often as well.

With a slightly shorter second set than those of the previous two evenings, there appears to be time for a little more. The whimsical Farmhouse cut “Gotta Jibboo,” as much as I enjoy it, has me scratching my head as the first selection for the encore. The “keep on drinking too,” lyric doesn’t feel particularly on the nose for the Divided Sky Foundation benefit run. But, as I’m typing this out, I’ve just realized that another beloved and dearly departed bassist from the nearby Saratoga Springs area co-wrote this track, and it may just be a nod to Tony. I won’t read into it any further.

“Waste” makes its first appearance in a while as well, and Trey’s solo soars. It’s nice to see Jovi’s signature fist pump is here to stay for “Bug.” With just a little more time, “Character Zero,” is the perfect sing along to send us on our ways and hold us over for 2 months. There was a small part of me hoping for a “Divided Sky” encore, a song that Phish has never played in Albany thus far. But a four-song sing along was the right call to embellish the weekend.

I attended all three nights of this run, and already had been pretty satisfied and impressed with nights one and two, but in my opinion, Sunday was the strongest. It simply had everything – cool song selections and bustouts, great flow and storytelling, big and versatile jams, high energy, and seemingly the most respectful and attentive crowd of the three nights. We may not have gotten a multi-stop fall tour this year, but Phish rose to the occasion of this 3 night October stand in upstate New York, and they met the moment of Phil Lesh’s passing onto the next realm perfectly. His spirit lives on in his innovations on the bass and in the countless artists he inspired, and his philosophy of freedom in creative expression was embodied and celebrated all weekend.

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