LAS VEGAS — Phish pretty much always takes a break halfway through its marathon two-set shows, allowing fans to rest their feet a bit, grab some water and chat it up with both old and new friends.

It’s always a good opportunity to get a read on the crowd and see what these experienced “phans” — many of whom have seen dozens upon dozens of Phish gigs — are feeling about their heroes’ performances on that particular evening.

During the set break on Thursday night (April 16), listeners seemed to be in downright awe of what they had just witnessed during the first half of opening night of Phish’s nine-concert residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas.

And for very good reason.

Phish and the Sphere proved to once again be a very potent pairing, with the Vermont quartet’s wildly varied and entertaining mix of improvisational/jam music meeting its match with the massive visuals shown on the incredibly vivid and clear 16K resolution wraparound LED screen that dominates the interior of this 366-foot-fall building.

The world’s greatest jam band — which consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman and keyboardist Page McConnell — took the stage almost exactly at the advertised start time of 8 p.m. (a real rarity in the rock ‘n’ roll world) and immediately hit the sold-out crowd with a solid take on “Evolve” that eventually gave way to a “Wolfman’s Brother” with definite teeth.

As the band played on, the visuals absolutely towered over the four musicians on the stage, first taking us on a ride west through the U.S., passing such monuments as the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, before finally arriving in Vegas. The graphics played with our equilibrium, tilting and turning our views in ways that could buckle knees, as we were led into a topsy-turvy landscape that recalled the work of M.C. Escher.

An elevator opened and closed, showing mammoth Venus flytraps snapping for food, a cat’s eye that was a big as house and then, finally, Anastasio soloing away. The latter drew, by far, the strongest response from the crowd — underscoring that all these crazy graphics are fun, but they are still not the main reason why fans are buying tickets.

One of the visual highlights from the first set came during “Rift,” as a seemingly countless number of vintage Phish concert posters — an assortment that every collector in the building would surely love to own — pulsed from the tall screen, before launching outward into a maze of colors. The group brought the 90-minute first set to a close with a scorching “Split Open and Melt.”

After about a 25-minute break, which allowed both the band and the fans a chance to catch their collective breath, Phish opened up the nightcap with a jaunty take on the “Sigma Oasis” number “Everything’s Right” and then thundered right into the “Hoist” favorite “Down With Disease.”

This segment was one of the most satisfying of the entire show, as Phish pushed things into a whole other gear — especially in terms of Anastasio’s great guitar work — as the visuals mimicked and built upon the group’s regular light show, which may well already be the finest in all of the live music industry. Chris Kuroda, Phish’s longtime genius lighting director, was mixing and controlling these virtual concert lights — in real time — and the result was nothing short of spectacular.

The four Phish men actually got some screen time during “Gotta Jibbo,” which was a nice change of pace to the massive spider (during “Twenty Years Later”), gum-chewing claymation creatures (“Slip Open and Melt”) and other oddities drawing our attention. Anastasio, Gordon, Fishman and McConnell were transported, via Sphere screen magic, into an old drive-in-movie-theater-style performance space (complete with cars showing up and parking to watch the show).

“You Enjoy Myself” brought with it a lengthy car wash scene on the screen, synchronized trampoline work from Anastasio and Gordon, and the return of the mammoth licking dog from Phish’s 2024 Sphere shows. Phish brought the second of two 90-minute sets to a close with a towering “Also Sprach Zarathustra,” while hotdogs in many forms — including a hot dog spaceship propelled through the stars (and chicken nuggets) by ketchup and mustard — vied for our attention.

The group then returned for a generous encore, with commenced with a joyous, hilarious and surprisingly tuneful version of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” sung barbershop a cappella style.

Still, Phish definitely saved the best for last and delivered a turbocharged version of the longtime fan favorite “Harry Hood” to close the encore while (virtual) fireworks erupted on the screen.

It was a sensational way for Phish to get this Sphere party started. It should be fascinating to see what the band has in store for phans over the rest of the residency, which runs Thursdays-Saturdays through May 2. For more information, visit Phish.com.

Phish Sphere Night 1 Setlist:

1. “Evolve”

2. “Wolfman’s Brother”

3. “Foam”

4. “Theme From the Bottom”

5. “Rift”

6. “Scents and Subtle Sounds”

7. “Steam”

8. “Split Open and Melt”

Set 2:

9. “Everything’s Right”

10. “Down With Disease”

11. “Twenty Years Later”

12. “Gotta Jibboo”

13. “Lifeboy”

14. “You Enjoy Myself”

15. “Also Sprach Zarathustra”

Encore:

16. “Space Oddity”

17. “Harry Hood”

©2026 MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit at mercurynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.