Show Review - Phish 7/13/25 North Charleston, SC
In The Freezer
Phish closed out the weekend in Charleston with a monstrous third night, coupling a solid first set with one of the best segments of music this summer so far in the second, including a “Tweezer” just shy of 30 minutes long.
The show kicked off with a throwback pairing of “Runaway Jim” and “Foam,” a classic opening duo that used to be commonplace in the mid-1990s. The band deftly navigated the complex composition of the latter, much to the delight of the crowd as keyboardist Page McConnell and guitarist Trey Anastasio took nice solos.
“Wolfman’s Brother” broke the seal on open-ended improvisation and dove headlong into some greasy funk, bassist Mike Gordon’s punchy work funking underneath drummer Jon Fishman’s peppy pocket.
Anastasio and McConnell linked up on a funky riff as the laid-back groove continued, the guitarist mellowing out nicely and taking his time with some patient melodies, Fish varying the beat nicely for some cool changes to the groove.
Gordon and Anastasio hit on a nice descending pattern for a bit before Fish opened things right up by pivoting into ride cymbal from hi-hat. The relaxed and unhurried nature of the jam continued, though it was now less straight-ahead funk as the band began to drive toward a peak. Anastasio confidently let loose melody after melody as the intensity increased, the band showing an impressive amount of patience and restraint.
Trilling right up to a massive peak, Anastasio dominated the final couple of minutes of “Wolfman’s” with some absolutely incredible rapid-fire licks, sustaining that energy for a while with McConnell matching him on piano before taking things home.
The first “Thread” since last summer was tapped next and saw Anastasio and McConnell face each other for a duel of weird sounds, the former riding his Whammy pedal for some wild pitch-bent sounds while the latter went crazy on Moog One synthesizer.
At the end of the jam, Anastasio grinned into the mic and remarked that he hoped the audience enjoyed that segment of music as much as the band did – “don’t knock it until you’ve tried it” – before starting up a solid “Stash.”
A quick “555” gave Gordon a chance on the mic before the band tore through “Walk Away,” appearing for the first time since July 23, 2023 and setting up the set-closing “Drift While You’re Sleeping” nicely.
With the crowd and band both primed for the final set of the weekend, Phish came out and delivered one of the best sets of the summer so far.
Beginning with “Set Your Soul Free,” Anastasio confidently led the band into a snappy groove, he and McConnell linking up on some melodies early on. Continuing the high-energy pace, the guitarist continued to let loose rapid-fire runs before settling down and beginning to shift into Type II territory with a mellow pivot.
McConnell took to Wurlitzer electric piano as the band modulated into a major key, a warm full-band groove developing with some excellent base textures from Gordon. Anastasio picked out a blissful melody after setting some subtle swirling loops, alternating between lead and rhythm to continue building the upbeat space.
Some gentle Moog One was infused into the jam as the band backed away from the easy peak route, McConnell using the bright pad as a counterpoint to Anastasio’s insistent melodic playing. Taking a moodier turn from there, Anastasio switched to choppy rhythm work with some delay, cultivating a deeper layer of texture while McConnell took over more of a lead role on synth. Gordon and Fish really locked in here, continuing the driving beat in perfect harmony and pocket while Anastasio prodded through with some synth-filter riffs.
Modulating back into a brighter major key, the quartet began to drive toward a peak with Anastasio firmly at the helm once again. Smoothly coming forward from there, the band worked as one to create and build the gorgeous smile-inducing jam, bringing peak after peak over the crowd as the energy built higher and higher.
A somewhat jarring return to the song right at the apex brought an end to the standout “SYSF,” but the band was primed for action by then and jumped right into a nearly 30-minute “Tweezer.”
Settling back into a nice groove, Fish toyed with the propulsive beat and threw in a few half-time breaks almost immediately, Anastasio searching for inspiration with some rhythmic licks.
Riding his wah pedal, Anastasio went into some cowfunk as McConnell hit the Rhodes, contrasting the choppy and driving funk with a soft bed of electric piano. The latter vibe won out as the guitar drifted into the upper register, sparring with Gordon as the band toyed with a modulation.
Heavy rhythm section work saw Phish switch into a minor key, Gordon really leading the way with some thunderous notes, leading to a cool few seconds where he, Anastasio, and Fish got into some heavier notes – though that was not to last as the drummer slowed things right down as the band drifted back into a major key.
McConnell added in some subtle (at first) Yamaha CS60 and then Prophet Rev2, building a new laid-back motif with Anastasio soaring forth, Fish slowing the tempo even more to create a cool, molasses-thick space where the anthemic guitar leads really had the room to go crazy.
One of my favourite types of jamming that Phish can do is the synth-driven bliss, and this initial peak around the 13-minute mark of last night’s “Tweezer” is a spectacular example of this – Anastasio’s use of an “All Things Reconsidered” tease right at the apex was just a cherry on top.
Dropping down from there, Fish switched the beat back into some choppy funk for a brief spell, before staccato hits from all the band members drove things forward into a more propulsive mode, getting close to a “Tweezer” re-entry. Anastasio eschewed this, however, and went for a nice textural role, looping some droning sounds as Fish pushed the tempo and intensity.
McConnell’s punchy Wurli work began to stand out as the jam got faster, Gordon hitting below that with more intensity as Anastasio continued his gritty rhythm work. Fish continued to up the speed of the jam, throwing in some aggressive fills as Anastasio matched the energy with some darker-toned wah riffs.
Calling back to Saturday’s “Destiny Unbound,” Anastasio got close to more “I’m A Man” teasing as Phish thundered forth, dropping back the intensity after a short while in favour of more exploration. Things got scuzzy with the introduction of Gordon’s deep synth effect, Anastasio continuing his aggressive soloing as McConnell brought in some bright Moog.
Guitar and keys stumbled upon a new melody within a few seconds of each other and the rhythm section followed suit, exploding upwards into a sudden major mode, continuing to build upon the pent-up energy of the preceding several minutes.
Anastasio looped some chirping sounds in this mode as the band soared, but backed off the full peak once again in favour of Fish’s switch to a more tom-centric motif. McConnell continued some great Moog work as Anastasio began to ramp things back up with some insistent rhythm chords. Flipping on a dime back into lead work, it was finally time for a huge peak as McConnell made his own move to piano, flying right alongside Anastasio’s blissful, fast-paced shredding.
This was another one of the many moments throughout the weekend where the arena erupted with energy as the band hit a fantastic peak, Fish once again toying with the time signature for a brief spell while the rest of the band continued to push forth unabated.
Smashing through the peak, some of Anastasio’s finest work of the weekend led smoothly into a drop back into “Tweezer,” Fish quickly varying the beat into more of a “Boogie On Reggae Woman” vibe as guitar and keys quickly played off of the “Tweezer” riff for some cacophonous work.
McConnell hit the clav as things settled into yet another vein of driving funk, some slightly dissonant industrial tones entering the fray as Fish refused to let a drop of momentum leave the jam. Gordon introduced some of his swirling synth tones into the space to deepen the textures before Anastasio came down from loop world and executed an absolutely seamless segue into “Ghost.”
Some leftover swirling textures continued through the beginning of the song proper, making the segue feel even more seamless. Fish began the jam by pivoting the beat into something much closer to “Sand” than “Ghost,” Gordon peppering in a few riffs with his cat effect (yes, those meows are him).
Anastasio and McConnell engaged in some slick interplay as the energy drove further, Fish very intentionally hitting a faster pace than normal within “Ghost” to inspire more frenetic and big play.
Dropping away from that space briefly, the band toyed with a modulation before skipping it and building within a fiery Type 1.5 zone. This was all Fish and Anastasio here as the band drove forward with renewed vigor, smashing through a clean and blazing-hot peak, the guitar phrasing without a single missed note or moment of hesitation.
Concluding “Ghost” with massive cheers from the crowd, the set’s jam-heavy vibe continued with “Golden Age.” More nimble soloing from Anastasio in the brief Type I portion of the jam saw the guitarist lead into some percussive outside-the-box territory with a cool variation on the song’s main riff.
McConnell took to bouncy Wurli once more as Fish matched the irregular cadence, swerving from the main beat into some tom fills as the rest of the band continued forward. Anastasio’s rhythm work let McConnell lead on his bright electric piano work, the band smoothly moving from there into something closer to the end of “Tweezer” – some industrial-ish tones coming in thanks to McConnell on Moog.
Anastasio continued his insistent play along with the rest of the band, each of the four members playing lots of notes in a frenzied manner.
Shifting into a more upbeat mode, Gordon suggested a cool, blissful progression that Anastasio quickly began to capitalize on, though it fizzled before it could truly take shape.
Executing a nice modulation from there, the intensity began to ramp up to another incredible peak, McConnell really crushing the piano builds alongside Anastasio’s opening of the hose. The guitarist flipped on his rotary effect as the band soared through the final bliss apex, adding cool depth to his play as pure, unbridled joy brought the jam to its conclusion.
“A Life Beyond The Dream” was well-earned by Anastasio at this point as he flexed his incredible guitar chops through the anthemic solo and then a gorgeous, patient “Slave to the Traffic Light” set closer.
Returning for the encore, we got a duo of silly songs with a choreographed dance alongside them with “Meatstick” and “Turtle in the Clouds” before we were sent off with a raging “Tweezer Reprise,” putting the cap on a fantastic weekend of Phish.
Tour continues tomorrow and Wednesday with two nights at Philadelphia’s Mann Center, the summer’s most difficult tickets to get – which hopefully means the band will continue their streak of excellence and throw down before heading back inside in Chicago this weekend. Watch the shows via LivePhish.com.