Article Contributed by Gratefulweb
Published on 2026-11-02
Pink Talking Fish took Halloween to another level on Saturday, October 31, 2026, at Higher Ground in South Burlington, Vermont, debuting an anything-goes concert concept called “PTF WTF?!” — Pink Talking Fish Plays Whatever the F-ck They Want!
Known for their inventive combinations of Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, and Phish, the band opened the evening with a first set of familiar musical mashups before throwing out the rulebook for an adventurous second set filled with unexpected covers, new arrangements, musical antics, and special guest Dave Grippo of Phish's legendary Giant Country Horns.
The first set brought together the band's signature influences, with Phish's “My Friend, My Friend” surrounding Pink Floyd's “Careful With That Axe, Eugene,” while “Money” moved into Talking Heads' “Cities.” The band also worked Phish's “David Bowie” around Pink Floyd's “Pigs (Three Different Ones).”
But the real Halloween surprise arrived with the second set, appropriately titled “WTF?!”
Opening with Montell Jordan's “This Is How We Do It,” the band launched into Joe Jackson's “Steppin' Out,” which became a recurring musical connector throughout the performance.
From there, Pink Talking Fish explored a wide range of favorites, including music by Paul McCartney, MGMT, Billy Joel, Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, David Bowie, Warren Zevon, and more.
The evening also featured several new mashups, including Hall & Oates' “You Make My Dreams Come True” combined with the theme from DuckTales.
Another particularly memorable moment paired AC/DC's “Thunderstruck” with “It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll),” with drummer Zack Burwick replacing the familiar “Thunderstruck” refrain with “What the fuck.”
Grippo joined the band on saxophone for Pink Floyd's “Money,” Billy Joel's “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant,” and The Beatles' “I Am The Walrus.”
The second set eventually returned to Phish territory with a mashup of “Carini” and Black Sabbath's “War Pigs,” complete with a “Cherub Rock” tease, before the band closed the night with an encore of Prince's “Purple Rain.”
For a band that has built its reputation on finding surprising connections between three very different musical catalogs, PTF WTF?! offered an opportunity to push those boundaries even further.
Watch highlights from Pink Talking Fish's PTF WTF?! Halloween set:
PINK TALKING FISH – HALLOWEEN 2026 SETLIST
October 31, 2026
Higher Ground – South Burlington, Vermont
SET ONE
Halloween Theme * >
Sabotage >
Psycho Killer
My Friend My Friend >
Careful With That Axe, Eugene >
My Friend My Friend
Money ** >
Cities
David Bowie >
Pigs (3 Different Ones) >
David Bowie
SET TWO: WTF?!
This Is How We Do It >
Steppin' Out
Time To Pretend
Band On The Run
Lawyers Guns And Money
Magic Dance
Thunderstruck/Long Way To The Top Mashup
Scenes From An Italian Restaurant **
I Am The Walrus ** >
Steppin' Out Interlude
1979
You Make My Dreams Come True/DuckTales Mashup
I Am Steve >
Steppin' Out Interlude
Lola
Better Man
Carini/War Pigs Mashup ***
ENCORE
Purple Rain
* With intro by Cal Kehoe
** With Dave Grippo on saxophone
*** With “Cherub Rock” tease
For more information about Pink Talking Fish and upcoming performances, visit PinkTalkingFish.com.
