Show Review - Phish 7/4/25 Boulder, CO
That's How You Second Set
Phish celebrated the Fourth of July last night with their second of three shows at Boulder’s Folsom Field, building on the solid Thursday show and delivering an absolutely flawless second set in song selection, flow, and execution.
There were significantly more people in the football stadium last night than on the 3rd, even filling a large portion of the previously-empty 200 level and giving a big roar of encouragement as the band took the stage TWO MINUTES BEFORE TICKET TIME (seriously, has Phish ever done this?) with the tour’s first “Bathtub Gin.”
Guitarist Trey Anastasio confidently led the rest of the band through the fiery Type I version, leaning heavily into some rotary effect tones along the build to the screaming peak, drummer Jon Fishman already demonstrating a noticeably peppier energy than the previous night as Phish set the tone for the show.
There are a few certainties in life – death, taxes, and “The Moma Dance” in the two-slot. The funky number always serves to liven up the early part of a show, and it did just that last night as the band worked through the jam nimbly, keyboardist Page McConnell and Anastasio throwing some melodies back and forth as we were treated to another fantastic Type I peak.
The third bluegrass tune of the weekend came next with “Beauty of My Dreams” ahead of a soaring “Theme From the Bottom,” the absolutely gorgeous weather perfectly suiting the airy guitar-led jam.
The band ably navigated the compositional pieces of “Rift” before finally opening up some jamming in the swampy funk of “Oblivion.” Fish dug in on the groove as the jam began atop some bouncy Wurlitzer work from McConnell.
Anastasio dropped in some sharp chords as the band stuck to the funk, he and McConnell eventually locking in on a staccato pattern that initiated a full-band modulation to a new key, though they stayed minor. Fish and bassist Mike Gordon deepened the pocket even further as the flowing groove got more and more danceable, some Moog One synth textures taking over the background and giving a nice floaty juxtaposition to the hard-charging jam.
Modulating once again, Anastasio and Gordon dove into some synth effects while McConnell unleashed shimmering waves of Moog. Gordon then pushed forcefully to the foreground with a deep-impact sound as Anastasio continued to match him with some gritty wah-infused soloing. As the improv continued, the band ended up in a very “Sand”-like space, even throwing in a few slick teases of the song as the rock-steady drumbeat continued to push things forward.
The momentum continued to pick up with McConnell elevating the funk on some floaty synth pads before the band dropped back into “Oblivion” to conclude things just short of 15 minutes in, marking the first-set centrepiece.
“Timber” saw some gooey improv take place atop a thick bed of McConnell’s Fender Rhodes, the bright tones combining with Fish’s tribal beat as Anastasio confidently led the band through another strong peak in the relatively short version.
The first “Guyute” since last summer saw another relatively clean take on a complex song before a hot 1-2 punch of “Back on the Train” and “Most Events Aren’t Planned” brought the 90-minute first set to a strong close.
Returning after a short setbreak, the band began the nonstop second set with a molasses-paced “Simple,” Anastasio beginning the jam with some laid-back sustain and soloing. Fish began to pick up the pace as things dropped into a driving minor key, McConnell’s piano stylings giving things an uplifting feel as Anastasio initiated some loops.
A thick bed of Moog synth was introduced from there as the band continued the gritty funk zone from the first set’s “Oblivion,” this time taking a more relaxed approach to the motif thanks to the swirling synth and dreamy Wurli chords from McConnell. Fish loosened things up with a switch to ride cymbal as Anastasio unhurriedly weaved together some melodies, the jam existing somewhere between a major and minor key.
Breaking out of the hypnotic motif, Fish began to pick up the pace into a more driving mode for a brief spell before McConnell went into some even crazier synth playing, a thick carpet washing out over the stadium as Anastasio brought the band smoothly into the beginning of “What’s Going Through Your Mind.”
Picking up right where “Simple” left off, though at a notably faster tempo, McConnell moved immediately to his trusty Moog/Wurli combination as the jam began. Anastasio’s heavily delayed play swirled as the rhythm section kept things pushing forward, the guitarist letting loose some choppy fretboard scratches before linking up with McConnell for some shared melodies.
The Moog One continued to be the MVP of the set as the “Mind” jam threatened to deconstruct into nothing, Fish twice reviving the propulsive groove from the murk as the beautifully silky textures continued to swirl. Briefly modulating into a dreamy major key, the band eventually returned to a gritty minor zone as Fish patiently built a new motif accentuated by more rising waves of synth before the rapidly-decaying jam resolved itself into the opening of “Tweezer,” causing mass pandemonium in the stadium as 40,000-odd people lost their collective minds.
Some late-1.0 style tones kicked off the jam with McConnell on his Yamaha CS60, a hypnotic groove swirled in synth in very much a Japan 2000 style before Gordon modernized things with some crazy synth effects while McConnell moved to his sharper Prophet Rev2 synth.
The busy jam featured all three melodic instruments doing their own thing while staying anchored to Fish’s beat as Gordon introduced a major modulation, though it didn’t stick right away. The deep synth bass took over as Anastasio began to go into a lead mode with some Whammy bends. Fish then pulled back the tempo and almost hinted at a space-out again before simplifying the grounding groove.
McConnell hit into some bright Rhodes while continuing to elevate the synth with his other hand, Anastasio coming in hot with a blast of sustain that inspired Fish to increase the tempo and intensity of the jam. Committing to a major key from there, Anastasio began to weave together gorgeous melodies and phrases, McConnell laying down some subtle B3 organ chords before making the switch to piano.
Absolute euphoria was reached over the next few minutes as arms were thrown in the air in joy, Phish delivering an incredibly energetic and powerful rock peak drenched in Anastasio fretboard fireworks. Hitting the final apex, the band took a little bit of time to set up some more spacey sounds and textures before McConnell intro’d the set’s cool-down: a PERFECT “No Quarter.”
Nailing the Zeppelin cover as they are wont to do, the band next lit into a late-set “Down with Disease” continuing the bangers-only attitude of the set and kicking the energy back up to 11. Anastasio continued his blazing hot runs through the initial Type I portion of the jam, breaking free into open waters by hammering some rhythm work.
McConnell fluttered around Anastasio’s delayed chords as the jam mellowed out a little, the keyboardist switching to Wurlitzer and beginning to craft an upbeat motif. Instead, the band opted for a minor pivot with synth and ring modulator guitar entering the fray for some dissonant and weird play. Anastasio used his Whammy to bend some of his ring mod riffs for an even wilder effect before he and Gordon cultivated a dark and brooding mode atop Fish’s beat.
From there, the band very smoothly smashed through the evil space and broke right back out into the sunshine, Anastasio building yet another frenzied peak before the band smoothly hit the conclusion of “Down with Disease” at what could have been the end of the set at a very solid 70 minutes.
The band was having a ball and didn’t want to stop, so they pretty much had two options – a series of a few jukeboxy songs like the latter part of the second set on Thursday, or tear the stadium a new one with a colossal, concise “Ghost” set closer.
I think you can guess which one happened – and it was a phenomenal way to close out the set.
The energy continued through the blazing hot encore of “Character Zero” and “Tweezer Reprise,” Phish once again demonstrating their ability to hold a huge venue full of people’s full attention through a rock song as everyone jubilantly sang along to “Zero” before ending the show on a high note with the best three minutes in live music.
We return to Folsom Field for one more night tonight before the band heads back east, and it’s clear that they are locked in and ready to rage – perhaps tonight will deliver the mind-bending Summer 2025 improv that we’ve largely been missing this weekend.
Watch the Boulder finale via LivePhish.com.
