Article Contributed by Philip Andrews
Published on 2026-10-08
Trey Anastasio | Phish | October 7th, 2026 - photos by Philip Andrews
The last time Phish played Richmond was June 30, 1994, at the Classic Amphitheater. When the band walked onstage at Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront on Tuesday night, that gap stood at 32 years, three months, and six days. That is 11,786 days, if you’re counting, and a lot of people in this town were.
Both nights sold out, and the anticipation hanging over the riverfront was the kind you could feel before a single note was played.
Trey summed up the wait better than anyone could: “We used to play here a lot, and then all of a sudden we didn’t, which sucked.”
The crowd roared, and from that moment on it felt less like a comeback and more like old friends picking up right where they left off.
Night One
I have seen Phish plenty of times, and I have never seen them smile this much. The four of them were laughing onstage all night, trading looks like they were in on a joke the rest of us were lucky enough to overhear.
That looseness showed up early in “Divided Sky.” During the famous pause, Trey stood there grinning, stretching the moment out and playing with the silence and the crowd the way only he can. It was a treat from start to finish.
Set one closed with a rocking “46 Days” that sent everyone into setbreak buzzing.
Set two is where night one became something special.
The band opened with “Life Saving Gun” and launched it into deep space, stretching it to around 40 minutes, the longest version of the song yet. It never felt aimless. Every turn led somewhere new, and Chris Kuroda painted every corner of that jam. CK5’s light rig is pure magic, and on a night like this it felt like a fifth member of the band.
From there they slid into “Light,” and Page steered it into a smoky, late-night NYC jazz club.
Then, straight out of that, came “Possum.”
True Richmonders know the possum is our unofficial mascot, and whether the band planned it or not, the crowd took it personally in the best way. Page’s solo in “Possum” was a reminder of why he is the true Chairman of the Boards.
Night Two
Wednesday came out swinging with a rippin’ “Gumbo.” Page got funky in “Tube,” and Trey looked like a kid on Christmas morning, the way he always does when he gets behind his mini drum kit.
“Timber” kicked the first set into high gear.
The second night had a completely different personality. Set one was quicker than Tuesday’s, and the vibe was darker and grungier, with heavier jams that had the whole place leaning in.
That shorter first set paid off, because it gave the band room to stretch out in set two.
And stretch out they did.
“Golden Age” went to another planet, drifting further and further out until it felt like the band had left the venue entirely and taken all of us with them.
After a heavy jam like that, “Meatstick” was exactly the kind of fun the room needed, a chance to come back down to earth and just dance.
They closed set two with a powerful “Loving Cup” that sent everyone home with their hands in the air.
The Phamily Reunion
Between the two nights, I’m fairly sure the Phish crowd moved the needle on the local Richter scale. Nobody stood still for long, and the energy coming off the crowd fed right back into the band.
Watching them across two nights, I kept coming back to one thought: there isn’t a band alive today that is more in sync with each other than Phish.
More than four decades in, they still listen to each other like it’s the first time, and they still find new places to go together. That kind of chemistry can’t be faked, and it can’t be rushed.
This run was also a fitting end to the second season at Allianz Amphitheater. A riverfront venue this young landing a band with this much history felt like Richmond’s music scene getting a stamp of approval, and both nights showed that the city is ready for the biggest acts in the world.
More than anything, though, these two nights were a reminder of what a Phish show really is.
Every show is a phamily reunion, whether you do the whole tour or just catch one night in your hometown. If you’re a Phan of Phish, you’re phamily.
After 32 years, Richmond finally got its seat back at the table.
Let’s not wait so long next time.
