Phish: Tiny Desk Concert

Maia Stern | July 17, 2024
Trey Anastasio is no stranger to the Tiny Desk, having performed a solo set in 2015. Bassist Mike Gordon and drummer Jon Fishman also performed for our Tiny Desk (home) concert series in 2020 with guitarist Leo Kottke. And now, finally, we get a full Phish Tiny Desk concert.

The set began with “Sigma Oasis,” which included a little musical reference to the All Things Considered theme song. The band continued with “Evolve,” a track from its 16th studio album released last week. Before the band’s final song, Anastasio and Gordon warmed up their fingers on tiny trampolines, which likely had the uninitiated scratching their heads. But for fans of this band, it was a clear signal of what was coming next: “You Enjoy Myself,” a song that dates back to the band’s beginnings and can safely be called a Phish classic. In live performances, the jam segment features choreographed bouncing, and the band brought that spectacle right into our office.

After, the band ended its set and swerved out slowly through the crowd, singing while giving out high fives. But the audience's applause didn’t stop, so Phish came back out and played two bonus tracks: “Sample in a Jar” and “Chalk Dust Torture.” “When we started the band, we used to practice in a room exactly this size… it was probably smaller,” Anastasio shared. What a gift to get to watch Phish perform in a similarly sized room 41 years later.

SET LIST
“Sigma Oasis”
“Evolve”
“You Enjoy Myself”
“Sample in a Jar”
“Chalk Dust Torture”

MUSICIANS
Trey Anastasio: guitar, lead vocals
Mike Gordon: bass, vocals
Jon Fishman: drums, vocals
Page McConnell: keys, vocals

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer/Director: Maia Stern
Audio Technical Director: Neil Tevault
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Mitra I. Arthur
Audio Engineer: Valentina Rodríguez Sánchez
Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
Photographer: Elizabeth Gillis
Tiny Desk Copy Editor: Hazel Cills
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins

#phish #tinydesk #nprmusic

[themichaelwarren]

Sigma Oasis 0:00
Evolve 5:24
You Enjoy Myself 12:12
Sample in a Jar 24:18
Chalkdust Torture 28:52

[ianmcmillen]

Phish is the only band that would play two sets at a tiny desk concert

[adamtate]

The amount of people who's first time hearing Phish is this and are loving it is incredibly heart-warming and vindicating 😂

[kevinpelham]

fishman has to be the most slept on drummer of all time. listening to him play on this stripped down kit is something else. MVP

[bammerbiff]

Is it legal to have that many funky talented uncles in a confined space like that?

[iimuHgousT]

I've always been aware of Phish but I never really listened to their stuff. This is just so delightful and feels so good.

[TeamGlasshole]

CK5 went real minimalist with that light rig. He's always one step ahead - insane!!

[johnnnlee]

Had an English teacher in HS 10 years ago who loved to talk about Phish concerts and always found an excuse to show us a live performance here and there on YouTube. He always tried to make one of the NYE concerts @ MSG.

Hope you enjoy this one Mr. O’Brien!

[Zhingwaak]

These dudes just radiate joy and share it freely with others. Truly a gift.

[TheRasheedWallace]

Never in my life did I think I'd get to see Phish jumping on trampolines while playing Tiny Desk!!! This is absolutely incredible! How can you not love these guys!!!

[andreasilvarobbins]

The amount of joy this band has given me in the last 28 years has been a major part of my life. It got me through good times and bad. Can’t wait for tour to start on Friday ❤ thank you phish.

[samhugh]

I can’t rightly place it but it looks like there’s a light of life in Trey’s eyes. Glad he’s entering his 60’s with a rejuvenation in his spirit.

[rslr]

Chris Kuroda is probably sitting out in the van sobbing that they didn't let him at least flicker the office lights a few times.

[kyleciarrocchi]

YOU ENJOY MYSELF. HAD NO BUSINESS BEING THIS GOOD. Stripped down phish, you discover just how tight and groovy they are.

[vernonsmart]

I never listened to Phish before, but I'm really enjoying this. And the jumping around was a lot of fun to watch!

[ryansreaction]

Really enjoyed waking up to this, never heard Phish before

[plentycool]

So this is phish. Makes me want to go walk around in my garden and drink some tea. See ya!

[berke]

Phish is the perfect example of the late 80s and early 90s arts school kids that still keep the energy going. They're like a living, breathing, Berkeley Brethead painting.

[patrickbrady]

Phish has brought me tremendous amounts of joy in my 33years on this Earth. I first saw them in 2009, as a senior in HS. To date I've seen them over 120x and cannot wait until the next show I attend!

[oliviamoon]

This has to be one of the best tiny desks…the pure audience engagement and happiness they show really ties it together. The trampoline joke was great…and Trey looks so happy to be there