Phish Play First Birmingham, Ala. Shows Since 1994

Phish, photo by Dave Vann

The wait is finally over. Three long weeks after Phish finished off their incredible summer tour with a three-night grand finale at SPAC, the legendary jamband has returned to the road for one last late-season leg, packing eight Southeast stops into a nine-day sprint. The Vermont quartet’s tour encore began on Friday with a highly anticipated set at Louisville, Ky.’s Bourbon & Beyond Festival, which, despite strong odds, went far beyond typical festival fare with an impressive mix of hits and curveballs, like a 22-minute “Chalk Dust Torture” and bassist Mike Gordon’s sit-in with Guster. That smoky, sweet, full-bodied palate cleanser primed the band and its fans for two nights at Birmingham, Ala.’s newly opened Coca-Cola Amphitheater on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 13 and 14.

Phish stepped into the spotlight on Saturday night for their first shows in The Magic City since 1994 with the even locomotion of “Back on the Train.” That opener’s forecast of a slow and steady start to the evening was swiftly derailed with the band’s arrival at “Cities,” as the heavy stomp of the four-decade Talking Heads treatment reached past 16 minutes with glistening heights that seemed to reflect the ongoing urban renewal just outside the new venue’s footprint. That theme recurred in setlist selections throughout the evening, as did the band’s wild appetite for expansive jams.

“Cities” merged into “Sample in a Jar,” and a relatively standard “Theme from the Bottom” brought the band into the well-traveled bluegrass cover of The Dillards’ “The Old Home Place,” which invited interpretation alongside the demolition of Phish’s former Birmingham venue, the Oak Mountain Amphitheater. A frenetic combo of “Bathtub Gin” and “Runaway Jim” let the group explore novel rhythms within the jangling shuffle and unfettered romp of the source tracks for a combined 39 minutes before coming to a screeching halt at the set break. 

Saturday’s second set commenced with a radiant 21-minute take on “Sigma Oasis,” merged deftly into a non-stop sequence of “Down with Disease,” “Life Saving Gun” and the Farmhouse Be-sade “Mountains in the Mist.” This chimerical centerpiece was the evening’s definite highlight, navigating several peaks and valleys as it wove from deep, dark sonic territory to full-on bliss jams over the course of 70 minutes. Phish finally took a beat before lighting into a high-spirited and concise “Blaze On,” which preceded a funking 13-minute finale of “Ghost.” To entice the audience members returning for Sunday’s show, Phish offered a pithy and powerful encore of The Rolling Stones’ “Shine a Light” and alter-ego Kasvot Växt’s space-age rocker “Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.”

Night 2 commenced with an adventurous, deep and precise “Punch You in the Eye,” followed by a combined 24-minute mix of “Mike’s Song” and “Ocelot.” Where Phish’s debut at Coca-Cola Amphitheater stayed true to the song-focused set one and improvisation-heavy set two formula, the band’s follow-up was more even-handed, scattering just as many memorable renditions in their first frame as their second. After the intro, those included an electrifying 12-minute race through “Kill Devil Falls” and–after a rare cover of Norman Blake’s rootsy “Ginseng Sullivan” and the segued pairing of “Halley’s Comet” and “Weekapaug Groove” that closed a “Mike’s Groove” segment–a jazzy, pointilistic 15-minute “Stash.”

Phish wrapped up their first frame with a concise “Cavern,” then returned after the set break with an inspiring, resolute and fleet-footed “A Wave of Hope.” The quartet’s introduction commenced a fully merged second set, which deftly and seamlessly combined standout versions of “What’s Going Through Your Mind,” “Mercury,” TV On The Radio’s “Golden Age,” “What’s The Use?” and their first cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Good Times, Bad Times” in 2025. The enchanting, hypnotic and brilliant mix concluded on an off-kitler, fan-service-forward high note with a three-track encore, featuring a megaphone-powered “Fee,” “Twist” and a last-blast of “More.”

Phish will return to the stage tomorrow, Sept. 16, with the first of two nights at Alpharetta, Ga.’s Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, preceding a three-night return to Hampton, Va.’s Hampton Coliseum, which will conclude their currently slated 2025 tour dates. Find tickets and more information at phish.com.

Read on for the full setlists from Saturday and Sunday.

Phish

Coca Cola Amphitheater – Birmingham, Ala.

9/13/25

Set I: Back on the Train, Cities > Sample in a Jar, Theme From the Bottom, The Old Home Place, Bathtub Gin, Runaway Jim

Set II: Sigma Oasis > Down with Disease > Life Saving Gun > Pillow Jets > Mountains in the Mist, Blaze On, Ghost

Encore: Shine a Light > Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.

Phish

Coca Cola Amphitheater – Birmingham, Ala.

9/14/25

Set I: Punch You in the Eye, Mike’s Song > Ocelot, Kill Devil Falls, Ginseng Sullivan, Halley’s Comet > Weekapaug Groove, Stash, Cavern

Set II: A Wave of Hope > What’s Going Through Your Mind > Mercury > Golden Age > What’s the Use? > Good Times Bad Times

Encore: Fee > Twist, More

Phish Play First Birmingham, Ala. Shows Since 1994