The band took the stage while pre-show music similar to a Free jam played, which continued until they began the song and waterfalls of colored light suddenly cascaded from the top of the dome. During Moma, a moving, 360-degree live shot of the crowd and band was displayed, with psychedelic colors and effects. During Mercy, the dome displayed an overhead view of a sparkling ocean, with small birds in pastel colors flying over the water. During Gin, the entire dome became an overhead view of a large wave pool, filled with hundreds of people on food-shaped inflatables drifting and spinning. During the Gin jam, the images of the bathers became blurred and abstract, forming a neon kaleidoscope effect. During Theme, the entire dome became an underwater seascape, with kelp forest, fish, human swimmers, and light from the surface shining down from the top. Theme also contained a DEG tease from Trey. At the start of ASIHTOS, jellyfish puppets were raised on each side of the stage, while the dome remained dark. Once the jam began, the light on the dome came up to reveal another underwater seascape, whose plants and fish became luminous as the rest of the light dimmed again. During Caspian, this seascape changed to a view from within the columns and arches of a sunken monument. As YEM began, the entire dome became the view from inside of a car as it entered a "Tunnel of Luv" car wash, with the stage appearing to sit on top of the middle of the dashboard. The car progressed through the wash as YEM continued, with Trey's solo during the wax and wheel scrub, and the bass and drums as the car was dried and exited the wash. Suddenly the car view was gone, and it appeared that the dome was clear, with a puppy licking it from the outside, in slow-motion, for the duration of the vocal jam. During Velvet Sea, the dome appeared to be covered in flowing red velvet, with photographs of the band throughout the years appearing and disappearing among the fabric. By the end of the song, the entire dome was covered in photos. Trey teased The Secret of Life (The Dead Milkmen) in Hood. This show was connected to the other three with each night's setlist tied into a state of matter. This performance's matter type was liquid.
Teases
Dave's Energy Guide tease in Theme From the Bottom, The Secret of Life tease in Harry Hood
Debut Years (Average: 2000)

This show was part of the "2024 Sphere"

Show Reviews

, attached to 2024-04-19

Review by PhillyPhilly

PhillyPhilly Such a wonderful cohesive show musically, but to have that music with the water visuals that were executed so well - GTFO, this was an unreal experience tonight. Axilla jam, and then Gin > Theme > Melt, such great improv in S1. WOH jam peaked for days, WTU was gorgeous. Caspian jamming in the underwater temple. And then YEM carwash absolutely slayed, probably my vote for best visual accompaniment of the run thus far, or most fun anyway. Dog licking vocal jam was fucking hilarious. Hood encore soared.

Sphere Phish is next level.
, attached to 2024-04-19

Review by DiamondE

DiamondE Admittedly the morning after I’m still reeling from this show and need to rewatch and relisten. Relisten specifically without the aid of visuals. Because in the moment some of the jams seemed absolutely stellar.

Sound
I was ten feet from the rail in front of Mike. The sound was crystal clear and almost too loud, but as close to perfect as I’ve heard in any venue.

The 360 swirling effect was fun. A cool gimmick that I noticed most in SOAM and the YEM vocal jam.

Visuals
Gorgeous, fun, overwhelming at time. The What’s the Use particles with 200 foot band members was breathtaking.

Loved the underwater effects, but I preferred the more abstract visuals.

Being so close to the stage and screen, my neck hurts this morning. Worth it.

Music
I was shocked by some of the playing. Axilla II, Gin, Theme, SOAM all had me looking around at my friends with a “did that just happen” expression.

The band played so well, listening to each other, being patient, and still experimenting even with a predetermined setlist. I feel so lucky. I think they do as well.

For some reason I didn’t expect the music to be stellar. I don’t know, I thought if ever they could take it easy and not push themselves, it would be these shows. Well, they didn’t take it easy. Amazing music.

Conclusion
This might have been the weirdest Phish show I’ve seen. Good weird. Very good weird. Big Cypress, Moby Dick, MSGamehendge were all monumental (for me) but not this crazy strange.

I’m so glad I made this happen.

Now, I’m still not sure the Sphere is the right place for Phish. LED screens just don’t fit my idea of the band and specifically the visuals weren’t very responsive to the music, not in the way we’ve come to expect from CK lights. Add to that the Vegas vibe and the ticket prices, I’m not sure this run should happen again.

But if it does, you can bet I’ll be there again. Because, you know, it f**king ripped. So I got that going for me, which is nice.
, attached to 2024-04-19

Review by spreaditround

spreaditround PHISH, FRIDAY 04/19/2024
SPHERE
Las Vegas, NV

SET 1:

Free: Cool how they coordinated the pre-show music of a Free jam and then they use that as a launching pad to open with Free. The pace of this one is a good bit faster than most. Like it. Nice peak. Great start to the show! Broadway Trey on full display. Feeeeeee – eeeeeeeeeeel – lllllllll!!!!!!

The Moma Dance: Standard.

Axilla (Part II) Wow, really good stuff. Fairly mellow and introspective until we hit the 12 minute mark give or take. From there things get decidedly more upbeat. Three minutes later, Trey is trilling like mad. Nice peak. Would recommend!

mercy: Standard.

Bathtub Gin: Page goes off on the baby grand in the composed section throwing Trey off. Trey gets a good laugh out of it “Thank you!” This version is played at a break neck pace with plenty of velocity. Fun, quirky ending (Trey sounds like a late 80’s Jerry).

Theme From the Bottom: This one in the early going is inclined to go major mode, but they tamp down that urge thankfully. So glad they did because what happens next is excellent Phish. Nice hard edge to it with a very clean Trey solo. Really enjoyed listening to this one! Would recommend. >

Split Open and Melt: Bleep, bloop, blop. Had to be there’d.

SET 2:

A Wave of Hope: Love, love this jam through about the 14 minute mark. The last 4 minutes or so is your canned MSG bliss jam that we have heard seemingly 100’s of times since 2017. Too bad they opted for that crutch.

What's the Use? Standard. >

Ruby Waves: Soliciting woos, oof.

Lonely Trip: Standard.

A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing: Good, compact jam, nicely done! ->

Prince Caspian: Standard.

You Enjoy Myself: Trey struggles in the intro. Page bringing the funk! Would have loved to get down to that. Treys tone coming out of that was yikes, very abrasive. He fixed it soon enough though. Trey went to end this one and everyone kept going, lol. Awesome! Nicely raged YEM jam! Would recommend this version, man – can’t remember the last 3.0 version I felt this good about. It is quite short though.

ENCORE:

Wading in the Velvet Sea: Reworked intro to work with the visuals? I would assume so. It’s nice though. Nice to hear Page and Trey riffing off one another, that was cool.

Harry Hood: Nice interplay in the intro between Mike and Trey. During the jam, Trey and Page play off one another magnificently. Trey really picks his way through this jam effortlessly, beautiful! Big, ol beautiful peak. Damn! Easy all timer and highly, highly recommended. Cannot believe they can play at this level at this age. Incredible. We truly are lucky!

Summary: Review is purely based on the music, not on the visuals. That Hood is just peak Phish man, just blown away sitting here listening to it. Three other solid highlights. The flow in this show really works for me to. This might be strong but 4.3/5 seems right. I am probably over rating it but the way this show ended (YEM, Wading, Hood) very much captivated me. I now have reverse FOMO for this show, ugh. Phish RULES.

Replay Value: Axilla (Part II), Theme From the Bottom, You Enjoy Myself, Harry Hood

The band took the stage while pre-show music similar to a Free jam played, which continued until they began the song and waterfalls of colored light suddenly cascaded from the top of the dome. During Moma, a moving, 360-degree live shot of the crowd and band was displayed, with psychedelic colors and effects. During mercy, the dome displayed an overhead view of a sparkling ocean, with small birds in pastel colors flying over the water. During Gin, the entire dome became an overhead view of a large wave pool, filled with hundreds of people on food-shaped inflatables drifting and spinning. During the Gin jam, the images of the bathers became blurred and abstract, forming a neon kaleidoscope effect. During Theme, the entire dome became an underwater seascape, with kelp forest, fish, human swimmers, and light from the surface shining down from the top. Theme also contained a DEG tease from Trey. At the start of ASIHTOS, eight jellyfish puppets were raised on each side of the stage, while the dome remained dark. Once the jam began, the light on the dome came up to reveal another underwater seascape, whose plants and fish became luminous as the rest of the light dimmed again. During Caspian, this seascape changed to a view from within the columns and arches of a sunken monument. As YEM began, the entire dome became the view from inside of a car as it entered a "Tunnel of Luv" car wash, with the stage appearing to sit on top of the middle of the dashboard. The car progressed through the wash as YEM continued, with Trey's solo during the wax and wheel scrub, and the bass and drums as the car was dried and exited the wash. Suddenly the car view was gone, and it appeared that the dome was clear, with a puppy licking it from the outside, in slow-motion, for the duration of the vocal jam. During Velvet Sea, the dome appeared to be covered in flowing red velvet, with photographs of the band throughout the years appearing and disappearing among the fabric. By the end of the song, the entire dome was covered in photos. Trey teased The Secret of Life (The Dead Milkmen) in Hood. This show was connected to the other three with each night's setlist tied into a state of matter. This performance's matter type was liquid.
TEASES
Dave's Energy Guide tease in Theme From the Bottom, The Secret of Life tease in Harry Hood
, attached to 2024-04-19

Review by phishphan1984

phishphan1984 1 week later and still trying to process what we experienced on night 2 (supplemented by re-listening post-show).

I could only hear the drumbeat of the walk-in music so could not have foreseen the Free opener, but those first notes hit and the colours started streaming down the screen like paint splashing down the sky, and I knew we were in for something good. Fiery type I jam with funky overtones throughout.

That was one of the best first sets I've heard live:
- They chose to go long on Axilla again during set 1 for me in Vegas, and used the same formula, with a gradual buildup to a wonderful crescendo (the only thing missing was the shock value of taking this classic to the limits).
- mercy was beautiful with a great visual backing.
- And then a killer 45 mins of Gin, Theme, SOAM that incorporated stellar music and amazing visuals.
- Gin was an excellent jam, high energy with a visual that started out as a gag but then turned into mesmerizing spinning objects. A lovely 2-3 min wind-down at the end.
- Theme was a beautiful, type II masterpiece, on one of the most stunning backdrops. Nearing 9 mins in, they hit a groove that reminded me of the Beatles' "I Feel Fine." Perpetual motion. Lovely smooth transition back to the end of the song.
- SOAM used the entire Sphere and the entire band. How they pulled themselves out of the disorienting cacophony to complete this one, I still do not know. At one point, I was pretty sure we were in Stranger Things and I was in fact in the Upside Down world.

Then the ultimate liquid set:
- WOH was whoah. Loved the psychedelic interlude about 9 mins in, before the jam hits its next phase.
- One of my regrets is that I didn't make better use of those haptic seats during WTU?, which was patient, spacey, and bass-tastic. Fishman with a great percussion rinse.
- Ruby Waves was tight and free flowing, and Trey shines amongst the
- ASIHTOS great jam into a blissful Prince Caspian
- YEM was just a delightful ending, and as many have previously commented, had a truly Phish-tastic visual accompaniment. The vocal jam was hilarious. My only qualm was that the jam & bass and drums sections were great and should have each been extended a bit

Of course, when Waves would have been the natural encore for this water-themed extravaganza, they close with a touching Wading in the Velvet Seat and left us all feeling good about Hood.

Thank you to the band for continuing to thrill in 2024, and for showing everyone how to do the ultimate laser light show :)

Jam-worthy: Free, Axilla, Theme, SOAM, WOH, Ruby Waves, ASIHTOS
Special mention: Gin, WTU?, YEM (vocal jam), Hood
, attached to 2024-04-19

Review by lofus99

lofus99 PHish in the sPHere with PsycHedelics! Has a nice ring to it! I am glad to see that the general review consensus is that this was the magic show. 2nd set Sunday was also pretty strong I thought, but I happened to take some shrooms (Jedi Mind F*#k... peaked nicely) Friday and so was not sure how much bias that created. But I can confirm that this show was DRIPPING with psychedelic mastery! I think the only 1st set of the run that was swirling....which started at Axilla (15 minutes long!) and never stopped. That Melt with the freaking screen work!!! Just insanely psychedelic! And I was just web casting. Being there must have been a total blow away if you were tripping! Not sure how many of you have noticed, but I have been researching it and over the last few years, more often than not, the Friday show is the one to trip to. If you like your psychedelics like I do, then Phish on a Friday has a good chance of being special. It has been recently revealed to me that the Grateful Dead used to always dose on Saturdays. That was the band tripping night all through the 60s and early 70s and if you were backstage Kesey would usually get you somehow! Butch Trucks has some great stories on that. Also read the story about Robert Hunter writing the lyrics for Black Peter after Kesey had some very strong doses one Saturday! Sometimes I wonder if Friday is the Phish tripping night. I am exactly the same age as Trey (born in 64, both dragons! turning 60 this year!) and I also play improvised music with some buddies and I can confirm that it is often extra magical when we trip together on shrooms. I know that if I were the guys in Phish, I would have nights were we all take some shrooms. Just sayin. It's really fun and sometimes the vulcan mind lock is amplified for the better! This Friday show seemed like a night they might have dosed. But what I want to add, is the fact that these screens they did at the sPHere were incredible, truly incredible, when one was tripping on psychedelics!! I only did Friday, as you can only take them once over a run and still get the effects....and the 2nd set was endless brain orgasms. Just unbelievable!! So psychedelic it was crazy!! The music and the screens!! I still get feelings of bliss just thinking about it....and that was just webcasting it!! I don't smoke, but all I could think of afterwards was that I really needed a cigarette!! I will say it again, endless brain orgasms!! From Melt onwards. Thank You Phish team for making the webcast so amazing!! Really captured it. The other reviewers hit the right spots with their comments so read them for details. Just want to point out that the Ruby Waves and the Song>Caspian were just dripping with psychedelia and really hit the spot for my tripping brain.
, attached to 2024-04-19

Review by Shadowfox0

Shadowfox0 This night was clearly water but it is N1 and 3 that have me stumped. It is either flat earth vs mountains and valleys or Land in general vs the atmosphere and if so tomorrow will definitely be Outer Space or Animals again or all Gods creatures with humans included this time all songs about People but then MFMF should be on that show so I honestly can’t say exactly what N1 or 3 are because how is Tweezer about land maybe we drive on the FLAT roads but we drive in mountains too so I need Trey to tell us N1 and 3 because the Easter eggs did not give away the theme to me?
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