After resuming its summer tour on Friday with a rare festival appearance at Bourbon & Beyond, Phish returned to its regularly scheduled programming with the band’s first show within the city limits of Birmingham, AL in over 30 years.
The last time Phish played in Birmingham proper was on May 2nd, 1994. That show turned into a bit of circus with surprise sit-ins from Oteil Burbridge, who joined in on bass and hopped on the trampoline during “Mike’s Song”, and Stacy Starkweather, who played standup bass while the band switched instruments, with Trey Anastasio hopping on drums as Jon Fishman played Page McConnell‘s organ. Since then, Phish has performed down the road a few times, most recently in 2021 at the recently demolished Oak Mountain Amphitheater in Pelham, AL.
Saturday’s show at the newly opened Coca-Cola Amphitheater may have lacked the onstage antics of Phish’s last Birmingham performance, but it gave the band a chance to get back on track, kicking off the final leg of what has been an outstanding 2025 summer tour. Fitting that theme, Phish opened the night with “Back on the Train”, which started the first set off strong with a solid upbeat Southern-fried country jam…