It’s a bold move to cover an entire classic album on stage. It’s an even bolder move to choose said album by a fan voting system, opening yourself up to any style. But if you’re Phish, the modern kings of the jam-band movement, this kind of challenge—pushing yourself to the edge of a musical cliff—is part of what makes live music so special.
It’s also led to a uniquely creative Halloween tradition. On October 31, 1994, the Vermont-born quartet donned the first of their so-called “musical costumes,” playing the entirety of The Beatles’ self-titled 1968 double-LP, commonly described as The White Album. It became an on-off tradition over the next two-plus decades, covering a full record between two other sets of original material—and their choices have only grown quirkier and more surprising over time.
Even if you’re not a Phish fan (“phan”), and even if you’re repulsed by the idea of live jamming, you have to respect their ambition. Here are five of the band’s most memorable performances in this vein—check them out, and maybe you’ll walk away converted.
5. David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (Las Vegas, 2016)
The dudes really went all out to recreate David Bowie’s 1972 glam-rock staple, Ziggy Stardust—according to Phish.net, they recruited a string sextet and, for a handful of cuts, the backing-vocal trio of Jennifer Hartswick, Celisse Henderson, and Jo Lampert. The results were truly cinematic, adding a Pink Floyd-like regality to centerpieces like “Moonage Daydream.” Interestingly, though, some of the most stirring moments were totally stripped down—on the title track, keyboardist Page McConnell steps out from his rig to the front of the stage, belting the hooks as guitarist Trey Anastasio beams from behind his axe.
4. The Velvet Underground – Loaded (Las Vegas, 1998)
On paper, Phish covering The Velvet Underground makes a lot less sense than The Beatles or David Bowie. But these jam veterans were seemingly up for anything, and they manage to sound completely at home tackling this proto-punk band’s tightest and most streamlined album—everything from the sickly-sweet ’60s-pop stylings of “Who Loves the Sun” through the gently snarled sway of “Sweet Jane.” The latter cut is the obvious peak, colorfully climaxing into the clouds with Anastasio’s divine, psychedelic guitar solo.
3. The Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House (Las Vegas, 2014)
This selection is much weirder and more ambitious than a typical full-album cover—in 2014, Phish presented an entire set of new instrumental music played alongside the intoned narration and hokey sound effects from the 1964 Disneyland novelty LP Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House. Granted, if you’re averse to groovy jams in the vein of The Allman Brothers Band or The Grateful Dead, you probably won’t take much from Phish’s originals here, from the delicious Southern-funk of “The Very Long Fuse” to the psychedelic blues of “The Dogs.” But the visual presentation—the band members dressed up like regal zombies against a spooky haunted-house backdrop—only accentuates the campy fun.
2. The Beatles – “The White Album” (Glen Falls, New York; 1994)
Hilariously, Phish started their first “musical costume” show with a fake-out, playing back the heartbeat kick drum and sound effects of Pink Floyd’s “Speak to Me” before launching into The Beatles’ “Back in the U.S.S.R.” Throughout the set, they largely remain faithful to the Fab Four arrangements, adding only subtle tweaks and flourishes to songs that need little embellishment. “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” is amped up with more of a ska edge, and they build “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” into a miniature epic, with Anastasio expanding the solo as he ascends to the upper reaches of his guitar neck. They make every vibe feel natural, from the heavy surge of “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey” to the stately music-hall balladry of “Martha My Dear.”
1. Talking Heads – Remain in Light (Atlanta, 1996)
If any album was built to be deconstructed and rebuilt onstage, it’s Talking Heads’ 1980 masterpiece, Remain in Light—its multi-layered, raw-nerve grooves often slip into a kind of art-rock trance. Phish were perfectly suited to tackle these tunes, particularly with Anastasio adding his wonky stomp to some of Adrian Belew’s wilder and more aggressive guitar solos. His overdriven explosion on “Crosseyed and Painless” is particularly riveting, rainbows of sustained notes offering a nice counter to the sassy horn section. The song reaches a euphoric, strobe-worthy jam, and this moment of excess feels well-earned.
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