Phish came to Ohio State University’s Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio on July 9 as their summer tour continued. Just off a 3-day weekend in Boulder, Colorado, the Ohio date was a mid-week one off.

They started things off with one of their favorite openers in “AC/DC Bag.” The rest of the first set featured a lot songs that might not necessarily be top of mind as far as songs that people chase, but several of them are rarely played. It was certainly a very unique set. “Roggae” is an underrated gem, though its placement as the second song of the night worked against the set a little bit. Things picked up with the trio of “Vultures,” “Martian Monster,” and a jammed out “Mull.”

They closed the first set with probably the jam of the night, “Life Saving Gun.” Once they got into it the improv, it turned into a rare Mike Gordon-led jam. This led to a breakdown of sorts and the band found themselves in a minimal funk jam. Reminiscent of the “Plinko” style jams that were popular a few years ago, the band started with a simple idea and kept building upon it.

Page and Trey exchanged punctuated licks. Mike Gordon held the beat down while Fishman was constantly driving the jam forward, adding forward motion and urgency as it eventually sped up to a well earned peak. These funk jams tend to be on the tighter side, so it was a welcome change for them to give one some time to breathe and evolve.

Set Two was very solid Phish. There were a few longer jams, and though there was some really good stuff in there, it seemed like they spent a lot of the jams searching for something that they never quite found. “A Wave of New Hope” had a lot of happy, loose, and airy Phish improv in it, it was a jam that I think will be rewarded with repeated listens later on. After an extended “Piper,” they played “Lonely Trip” as a breather. “Backwards Down the Number Line” was next before ending the set with a cover of the The Rolling Stones’ “Loving Cup.”

The encore started with a solid “Bug.” Some people who were getting up to leave, sat back down when “The Mango Song” was queued up next. Those same people then found the energy to rock out one more time as the band finished the night off with a fiery “Run Like An Antelope.”

Setlist via Phish.net

Phish – Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio – July 9, 2025

Set 1: AC/DC Bag, Roggae, Vultures, Martian Monster, Mull, Strawberry Letter 23 > Undermind, Petrichor, Life Saving Gun

Set 2: Sample in a Jar > A Wave of Hope, Waiting All Night, Axilla (Part II) -> Piper >Lonely Trip, Backwards Down the Number Line, Loving Cup

Encore: Bug, The Mango Song > Run Like an Antelope