Phish: Kohl Center 2026
Thoughts on my 100th Phish show
It took me over 30 years, but I finally made it to triple digits. A major milestone to be sure; however for perspective, one of my three seatmates at the Kohl Center Wednesday night was attending her 150th Phish show, and another had stopped keeping track but is easily over 200. There’d been a degree of anxiety leading up to these shows, as when any Phish milestone approaches; especially since the pandemic, you worry you’re going to get sick, or worse, that one of the band members (all now in their 60s) will, or that there will be a tragic vehicle crash of some sort, or a catastrophic weather event. This has been sort of a lingering, back-burner anxiety ever since some point after getting to 90 shows—so close, yet so many things could happen in between tours to halt the trek to 100; the band could break up again any time for all we know!
So it was a genuine relief when the lights went down and the band came onstage. I always try to turn my brain off but decades of memories were flooding over me. October 1995, my very first show, three miles up the road at what was then the Dane County Coliseum; were those really the same four guys? I stared at the stage and for a minute it really seemed like it.
They’re not the same, though, any more than I’m the same person I was then. Do they even remember that the inspiration for the “naked dude” lyric in “Carini” occurred in this very room in 1998, a show I didn’t even go to because Phish wasn’t a huge priority for me yet? It surely never crossed their minds that Wednesday was the 26th anniversary of their fifth appearance at Alpine Valley, by which point I had become officially obsessed with Phish and was already staring down the first hiatus with dread. That show has been almost universally mocked for somehow getting into the first round of full-show ‘Live Phish’ official releases; in the grand scheme of Phish shows it’s not very noteworthy, but the experience of it, I assure you, was pure magic.
That’ll be how my hundredth show probably goes down in history too, although it only goes to show how much higher the bar is for Phish in 2026 than it was in 2000. You just didn’t have first sets that contained two nearly-20-minute jams in 2000, whereas nowadays it’s not that unusual. Even doing it with the opener! A stunning “Sigma Oasis” to start the night. And the “Cities” jam featured some very different percussive approaches than I can ever recall hearing; as we Phishheads are fond of saying, it was one of the best versions ever.
In fact it was such a stellar first set, there was reason to be concerned about the second; it had too much to live up to. Unlike the tour opener Tuesday night, when a fine, fairly unadventurous first set yielded an extra jammy, beautifully flowing second. But even that first set opened with a sweet “Chalk Dust Torture”>”Ghost” combo that had the place in an uproar, and it also had the first “Avenu Malkenu” Phish have done in over four years, likely in tribute to Mike’s father who passed away recently. It’s getting to the point where half the songs you hear at Phish shows can be interpreted as tributes to the fallen, and the mutual therapy session is a worthy aspect to lean into. As it happens, I’m in mourning myself; the man who taught me how to hug passed away over the weekend, one of the most respectable humans I’ve ever known. One of his sons made it to night two with me. You can bet it was a healing experience.
Most people will say night one was all about the “Fuego”, or all about the “Life Saving Gun”>”Sand” sequence, but it was also about how they did NOT play “Roll Like A Cantaloupe” even though I know they totally wanted to. Trey just forgot the words, right? He arrived at the crucial moment and just gave up and slipped into “Antelope” mode? Well I forgive him, but I’ll rescind the forgiveness if he duly plays “Cantaloupe” at some point later in the tour when I’m not there. After that slight disappointment, though, what a terrific second set that was. All-around fantastic tour opener, even lacking the juicy heavy-hitters we might be hoping for in a second set. They’re saving those for Deer Creek…right?
Alas, for my hundredth show, I wasn’t pining for a “Kill Devil Falls” second-set opener, but that’s what we got. While they didn’t play “Carini” in honor of the naked dude, they did play “Prince Caspian”, the song that inspired the streaker to appear onstage in ’98, and the way it eventually worked its way into “Twist” was buttery. From this point onward, though, it was a painfully unimaginative string of setlist choices with some minimal jamming strewn in; that’s the ‘objective’ take, or the jaded one. A Phish show getting reduced to something dangerously similar to a regular great rock concert.
However, it’s been pointed out that “Possum” opened Phish’s show here in ’98, their last visit to Madison at all until this week. So we can attach a little extra meaning-sauce to that if we want. Ditto for “Harry Hood”, perhaps, which closed night two’s second set as well as ‘98’s. In between was “Monsters”, Trey’s recent favorite “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” surrogate; that got a massive crowd response. I still think it’s one of his most effective post-breakup ballads. They certainly weren’t shying away from their new-ISH material, but even two shows in, I can’t help thinking: no new songs? They debuted a couple in Mexico, making four total new Phish songs since 2023, only one of which seems to have legs. Too soon, I know, but did we really need another “Ruby Waves” or “No Men In No Man’s Land” when you could be playing GOOD songs, or dusting off rarities, or trying something new?
These aren’t things to dwell on during a show, though. I did occasionally dwell on the fact that Phish and I have spent 300+ hours together over the past 30 years, and I had my eyes open more than usual at a Phish show because I couldn’t help staring at these four guys onstage. I’ve done this from every possible angle at some point; there are no humans I’ve spent more time staring at. And there they still were, doing this same shit, channeling all the heartbreak and frustration and joy of all our days into something magical and new. It’s such an insane privilege to be able to be a part of this. Many tears were shed.
That’s why “Waste” is hard to sing. It’s a good thing it’s not me up on the stage ‘cause I’d never get through it! I reckon most people think of the song as a love letter to fans, but for me it always feels like a plea to all the people I wish were there dancing with me. Because believe me, I know, there are more important things to do than go to a Phish show. I know what plenty of people think about all this time and money spent. I know it’s a big ask. Your dogs will be lonely. You’re out there saving the world. What if the band sucks that night? What if you don’t get enough sleep? What if people FIND OUT? What if you just don’t like it? Even worse—what if you DO? There’s every chance in the world that every dime and every minute you spend, away from your family, taking off work, traveling, the show itself—will be wasted.
I still wish you were there.