The Story of the ‘Cuse: Waiting in the Wind and Rain with Phish

Phish returned to their drummer’s hometown of Syracuse, New York for the first time in three years on Tuesday, July 21 at Lakeview Amphitheater. Phish lore tells that a one-off midweek show holds great promise for a special time. While that wouldn’t be the case on this night, there was still plenty of meat on the bone to sate the Central New York heads.

The pre-show talk and anticipation centered on the weather more than anything else. Threats of heavy rain and lightning, and perhaps even worse, were the feature of every forecast. Talk was of show cancellation, delayed start, or truncated one-set show. But at showtime, the sun was still shining. The foreboding front was visible in the distance, but maybe it would miss to the north?

Some Phish tours connect to a grander arcing theme, and for Summer 2026 that theme is appropriately, JAMS. Everything jams! Novel for a jamband! On this point though, Syracuse would get to join in on the fun.

The first set was essentially a long string of songs stitched together by improvisations. Songs as mere excuses for the four friends on stage to do what they love, communicating through their instruments. “Bug” provided an early example of an unusual jam placement in the second spot and extending past 13 minutes, easing perfectly into “Seven Below,” which was foreshadowed with a tease in the show opening “Turtles in the Clouds.”

The playing in the first four songs was similarly shifting and meandering at a fairly plodding pace. The songs served as lyrical and thematic stopping points on a longer journey. Interesting nuggets popped up here and there.

Then they dropped into the Mike Gordon-penned “Mull,” another unusual place to find the highlight-level jam that came. The swamp-rock tune found the four musicians syncing up for a jam that moved forward instead of meandering, advancing on each new idea until it reached a satisfying peak.

The ensuing “Sigma Oasis” grabbed onto some of that inspiration and the band gelled around Page McConnell’s thick Hammond B3 swirls. As they worked that jam, the distant darkness finally began to take hold.

From inside the pavilion, one stiff wind blew through drawing everyone’s attention to what was happening just outside. The skies immediately opened up, a drenching rain dumping from overhead. On perfect cue, the band landed a nice dismount into “Ghost.” The following moments were vastly different depending on the vantage point but even from deep within the shell, the rain was coming in sideways, getting everyone at least a little wet. As the song slid into the jam portion, lightning struck over the lake to huge cheers. This thing was going to get cut short, right?! The band played on. And the storm got more intense, on stage and off. The mostly mellow evening ratcheted up in intensity, the band playing with urgency and a defiant energy. Behind Gordon’s flying bass lines and Trey Anastasio‘s scritchy shrieks and sustained wails they reached manic-level. Strobing white lights became their own on-stage electrical storm. The rain lasted perfectly the length of that “Ghost” and then let up considerably the set break started. Was it the band playing the weather or the weather playing the band?

The second set got started with some promise, riding the energy leftover from that strong finish. Anastasio hit on a theme from Mungo Jerry’s “In the Summertime” that kicked “Sand” into gear. Gordon’s rumbling low end and some jazz-fusion runs from Anastasio surfaced under ominous purple and red sheets of light.

Continuing the non-stop nature of the first half, they dropped into fan-favorite “Everything’s Right,” eliciting smiles, singalongs and twirling hand motions throughout the crowd. Interesting segments of syncopated piano and guitar, and some solid fill work from Jon Fishman moved the song along nicely until it all dissolved into aimlessness. The brilliant post-rock instrumental “What’s the Use?” kicked in just in time to save the day. Well played and gorgeously executed.

The set kept pushing forward promisingly with “Light,” which eventually latched onto some interesting moments behind Gordon’s bouncy bassline and quasi-Calypso beat from Fishman. When they once again fell into a nether region, they were once again saved by a solid instrumental with “2001.”

During the following “Blaze On,” Anastasio would play the part of Captain Buzzkill announcing that there would be no encore because the storm was unfortunately not passing through. He promised they would play as long as they were allowed, but it truly killed any energy that had amassed. The air was out. The rest of “Blaze On,” and the remaining triplet of “Prince Caspian,” “More,” and “Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.” left the show with a sour tasting end.

The rain-soaked denizens of the lawn may not have felt compensated for their resolve to stick it out in less than ideal conditions. But we’ll always have that “Ghost,” right?!

Phish – Lakeview Amphitheater, Syracuse – Tuesday, July 21, 2026

Set 1: Turtle in the Clouds > Bug > Seven Below > Ocelot > Mull, Sigma Oasis > Ghost

Set 2: Sand > Everything’s Right > What’s the Use? > Light > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Blaze On > Prince Caspian > More > Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S