Phish: Tiny Desk Concert

Maia Stern | July 17, 2024
Trey Anastasio is no stranger to the Tiny Desk, having performed a solo set in 2015. Bassist Mike Gordon and drummer Jon Fishman also performed for our Tiny Desk (home) concert series in 2020 with guitarist Leo Kottke. And now, finally, we get a full Phish Tiny Desk concert.

The set began with “Sigma Oasis,” which included a little musical reference to the All Things Considered theme song. The band continued with “Evolve,” a track from its 16th studio album released last week. Before the band’s final song, Anastasio and Gordon warmed up their fingers on tiny trampolines, which likely had the uninitiated scratching their heads. But for fans of this band, it was a clear signal of what was coming next: “You Enjoy Myself,” a song that dates back to the band’s beginnings and can safely be called a Phish classic. In live performances, the jam segment features choreographed bouncing, and the band brought that spectacle right into our office.

After, the band ended its set and swerved out slowly through the crowd, singing while giving out high fives. But the audience's applause didn’t stop, so Phish came back out and played two bonus tracks: “Sample in a Jar” and “Chalk Dust Torture.” “When we started the band, we used to practice in a room exactly this size… it was probably smaller,” Anastasio shared. What a gift to get to watch Phish perform in a similarly sized room 41 years later.

SET LIST
“Sigma Oasis”
“Evolve”
“You Enjoy Myself”
“Sample in a Jar”
“Chalk Dust Torture”

MUSICIANS
Trey Anastasio: guitar, lead vocals
Mike Gordon: bass, vocals
Jon Fishman: drums, vocals
Page McConnell: keys, vocals

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer/Director: Maia Stern
Audio Technical Director: Neil Tevault
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Mitra I. Arthur
Audio Engineer: Valentina Rodríguez Sánchez
Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
Photographer: Elizabeth Gillis
Tiny Desk Copy Editor: Hazel Cills
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins

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