Phish performs at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on April 18, 2025. Photos: Leah Flores.

SEATTLE — Phish wasted little time getting into gear on its spring tour, kicking off the first night of an eight-show trek with a high-octane performance at Climate Pledge Arena on Friday.

The second set, in particular, will likely be remembered fondly by Phans for years to come.

The Vermont quartet – featuring Trey Anastasio on guitar and lead vocals, Mike Gordon on bass, Jon Fishman on drums and Page McConnell on keys – rocked through 15 songs over the course of two sets and a little more than three and a half hours.

The jams grew more robust and intense as the night went on, leading one to believe that audience members better be ready to strap themselves in and enjoy some wild rides as these 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees play a second night in Seattle on Saturday and then close out its Pacific Northwest stay with a much-anticipated gig at the Moda Center in Portland on Sunday – aka 4/20—before moving south to California for gigs in San Francisco and Hollywood.

The group opened the festivities with a 10-plus-minute take on “Sand” – one of three selections on the setlist from 2000 studio album Farmhouse, and then cranked up the intensity a notch for rowdy crowd-pleaser “Kill Devil Falls” from 2009’s Joy.

It was all pretty enjoyable, if not utterly remarkable, as the group seemed to bypass all the usual Night 1 uncertainties that can plague a tour opener, especially for a band that relies so heavily on musical improvisation.

There were some really magical moments in the first set; most notably the jam from “Theme From the Bottom” into an utterly explosive “Back on the Train,” but not enough to really distinguish it in the annals of Phishtory.

Phish performs at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on April 18, 2025.

Then came the second set, and everything changed.

Following a 30-minute break, the four jam band titans returned to the stage, picked up their instruments and began playing the heck out of “Blaze On,” a tune that some Phans predicted Phish would save until it reached Portland Trail Blazers territory on Sunday.

That number eventually transitioned into a cover of TV on the Radio’s “Golden Age,” which would then morph into Phish’s take on Trey Anastasio Band tune “What’s Going Through Your Mind.”

The playing on those numbers was absolutely relentless – both figuratively and literally – with Anastasio living up to his legend as one of greatest guitarists of all time and the rest of the band members taking turns pushing the envelop at seemingly every other turn.

This was fifth-gear Phish jamming, with new ideas and musical changes happening at a breakneck level. And the fact that everything worked is a true testament to the more than 40 years that these men have spent honing their musical connections to each other.

As “What’s Going Through Your Mind” drew to a close, Phish had been playing more than 50 minutes – at such an incredibly high level – without ever stopping once to take a break. It was like one long song, albeit one that had three different titles.

Phish performs at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on April 18, 2025.

The four musicians then took about a 30-second break before launching right into another 20-plus-minute exploration of “I Always Wanted It This Way” and “Ghost,” which served to bring the five-song, 75-minute second set to a close.

Yet, Phish wasn’t done. The group then returned for the encore with a restrained version of “Bug,” which slowly set the pins just so Anastasio, Fishman, McConnell and Gordon could then knock them down with a blistering show-closer of “Possum.” Just about the only thing missing were newer songs from 2024’s Evolve.

What a way to get this West Coast party started. You’ve been warned Portland, San Francisco and Hollywood. Come prepared and ready to rock out to some high-level Phish on this tour.

Setlist for Seattle Night 1

1. “Sand”
2. “Kill Devil Falls”
3. “Theme From the Bottom”
4. “Back on the Train”
5. “If I Could”
6. “Tube”
7. “Mull”
8. “Wolfman’s Brother”

Set 2:
9. “Blaze On”
10. “Golden Age”
11. “What’s Going Through Your Mind”
12. “I Always Wanted It This Way”
13. “Ghost”

Encore:
14. “Bug”
15. “Possum”

Follow photographer Leah Flores at Instagram.com/LeahFloresArt.