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** "Harpua" and the pairing of "Colonel Forbin's Ascent" and "Fly Famous Mockingbird" are three of Phish's most beloved songs, with many fans hoping they get the chance to hear them at any given concert. One of the reasons for this is "Harpua" and "Mockingbird" both feature long narrated stories by Trey that he changed every time they played them. However, they've all become rarer in later years. "Forbin" and "Mockingbird" stopped being regular features in Phish concerts after 1996, with just 11 more performances in the 25 years following. "Harpua" also largely dropped out of the band's repertoire by the late 90s, with just eight more performances after 2000.

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** "Harpua" and the pairing of "Colonel Forbin's Ascent" and "Fly Famous Mockingbird" are three of Phish's most beloved songs, with many fans hoping they get the chance to hear them at any given concert. One of the reasons for this is "Harpua" and "Mockingbird" both feature long narrated stories by Trey that he changed every time they played them. However, they've all become rarer in later years. "Forbin" and "Mockingbird" stopped being regular features in Phish concerts after 1996, with just 11 12 more performances in the 25 years following. "Harpua" also largely dropped out of the band's repertoire by the late 90s, with just eight nine more performances after 2000.2000. All three of these songs made an appearance at their 2023 New Year's Eve show.
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Names The Same is not a trope anymore


* NamesTheSame:
** While Phish toured North America extensively, former {{Music/Marillion}} singer ''Fish'' toured Europe extensively. Made yet more confusing by the fact that both artists appeal to the ProgressiveRock fandom, although their styles are quite different. Additionally, the nickname of Phish drummer Jon Fishman is "Fish", and he's almost exclusively referred to as "Fish" by his bandmates and their fans.
** Phish have two songs called "Timber" in their repertoire. The first and best known is also known as "Timber Ho!" or "Timber (Jerry the Mule)" and is a cover of a song written in the 1930s by blues singers Josh White and Sam Gary. Phish probably learned about this song from a 1957 cover by folk singer Odetta, and they've played it many times since they first debuted it in 1987. The second "Timber" is a song from Phish's 2014 ''Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House'' Halloween performance, but was only played twice more after that show.
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Fluffhead

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** "Fluffhead" disappeared from their concert repertoire for the entirety of the 2.0 era of 2002 to 2004. Fans chanted for the song at the IT Festival in 2003, but Trey responded back with "Mike says no", which became an infamous meme in the Phish community even after Gordon [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Music/comments/1ywzs4/comment/cfohzva/ confirmed]] he never said that and it was Trey who actually didn't want to play the song. Either way, "Fluffhead" made its triumphant return as the very first song Phish played at their reunion show in 2009 and it's been played regularly ever since.
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"Glide II" no longer "above-mentioned" since these examples were moved from The Bus Came Back


** "Spock's Brain" had a big debut in 1995, debuting at a benefit concert that also included the first performances of now-standards "Free" and "Theme from the Bottom" (as well as the above mentioned "Glide II"). Phish played it four more times over the next month before shelving it. It only briefly returned in 2000, 2003, and 2019.

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** "Spock's Brain" had a big debut in 1995, debuting at a benefit concert that also included the first performances of now-standards "Free" and "Theme from the Bottom" (as well as the above mentioned "Glide II").Bottom". Phish played it four more times over the next month before shelving it. It only briefly returned in 2000, 2003, and 2019.
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slight fix/rmv repetition. Phishnet said it was the whole first verse not the line


** "Destiny Unbound" was regularly played in 1990 and 1991 and then disappeared from their concerts. Reportedly, the reason for its disappearance is that one of the members thought it sounded too much like something the Grateful Dead would play, and they were intentionally avoiding musical comparisons to them. In the years following and as Phish grew more popular, "Destiny" became fans' most sought after rarity and diehards regularly begged the band to play it. Trey once said they'd only play it if the audience sang the entire first line in unison at them, which was indeed attempted on 11/22/97 (Trey didn't recognize what they were yelling, and said it sounded like a "Cannibalistic death chant".) Finally, "Destiny" returned on 2/28/03 and the audience ''lost their minds'' - their reaction to finally hearing this ultimate rarity is audible on the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3J5AXMIh20 official recording]] of that show where they scream for the entire first verse and chorus. "Destiny" didn't appear again until 2009, after which it [[TheBusCameBack permanently returned]] to the set list rotation and it is usually played about once a year; Not as often as other songs, but still prominent for a song that wasn't played at all for 12 years.

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** "Destiny Unbound" was regularly played in 1990 and 1991 and then disappeared from their concerts. Reportedly, the reason for its disappearance is that one of the members thought it sounded too much like something the Grateful Dead would play, and they were intentionally avoiding musical comparisons to them. In the years following and as Phish grew more popular, "Destiny" became fans' most sought after rarity and diehards regularly begged the band to play it. Trey once said they'd only play it if the audience sang the entire first line verse in unison at them, which was indeed attempted on 11/22/97 (Trey didn't recognize what they were yelling, and said it sounded like a "Cannibalistic death chant".) Finally, "Destiny" returned on 2/28/03 and the audience ''lost their minds'' - their reaction to finally hearing this ultimate rarity is audible on the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3J5AXMIh20 official recording]] of that show where they scream their heads off for the entire first verse and chorus. "Destiny" didn't appear again until 2009, after which it [[TheBusCameBack permanently returned]] to the set list rotation and it is usually played about once a year; Not as often as other songs, but still prominent for a song that wasn't played at all for 12 years.

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  • Destiny


** One of the most infamous songs in Phish's repertoire is "Jennifer Dances", which they played three times in December 1999 before it vanished, reportedly because word got back to the band that their fans overwhelmingly disliked the song. The song became a meme among the fanbase as the band's worst song and it's made a couple odd re-appearances since 1999. Trey audibly, but jokingly, called out for the rest of the band to play "Jennifer Dances" before launching into "Tweezer" on 12/30/10, he picked up out of the audience an ironic sign asking the band to play it during a June 2011 concert (they didn't, but he joked he'd been waiting to see a "Jennifer Dances" sign in the crowd), and finally Fishman sang a couple lines from the song during his "Hold Your Head Up" segment at a 2014 concert

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** One of the most infamous songs in Phish's repertoire is "Jennifer Dances", which they played three times in December 1999 before it vanished, reportedly because word got back to the band that their fans overwhelmingly disliked the song. The song became a meme among the fanbase as the band's worst song and it's made a couple odd re-appearances since 1999. Trey audibly, but jokingly, called out for the rest of the band to play "Jennifer Dances" before launching into "Tweezer" on 12/30/10, he picked up out of the audience an ironic sign asking the band to play it during a June 2011 concert (they didn't, but he joked he'd been waiting to see a "Jennifer Dances" sign in the crowd), and finally Fishman sang a couple lines from the song during his "Hold Your Head Up" segment at a 2014 concertconcert.
** "Destiny Unbound" was regularly played in 1990 and 1991 and then disappeared from their concerts. Reportedly, the reason for its disappearance is that one of the members thought it sounded too much like something the Grateful Dead would play, and they were intentionally avoiding musical comparisons to them. In the years following and as Phish grew more popular, "Destiny" became fans' most sought after rarity and diehards regularly begged the band to play it. Trey once said they'd only play it if the audience sang the entire first line in unison at them, which was indeed attempted on 11/22/97 (Trey didn't recognize what they were yelling, and said it sounded like a "Cannibalistic death chant".) Finally, "Destiny" returned on 2/28/03 and the audience ''lost their minds'' - their reaction to finally hearing this ultimate rarity is audible on the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3J5AXMIh20 official recording]] of that show where they scream for the entire first verse and chorus. "Destiny" didn't appear again until 2009, after which it [[TheBusCameBack permanently returned]] to the set list rotation and it is usually played about once a year; Not as often as other songs, but still prominent for a song that wasn't played at all for 12 years.
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them since it's two


** "Harpua" and the pairing of "Colonel Forbin's Ascent" and "Fly Famous Mockingbird" are three of Phish's most beloved songs, with many fans hoping they get the chance to hear them at any given concert. One of the reasons for this is "Harpua" and "Mockingbird" both feature long narrated stories by Trey that he changed every time they played it. However, they've all become rarer in later years. "Forbin" and "Mockingbird" stopped being regular features in Phish concerts after 1996, with just 11 more performances in the 25 years following. "Harpua" also largely dropped out of the band's repertoire by the late 90s, with just eight more performances after 2000.

to:

** "Harpua" and the pairing of "Colonel Forbin's Ascent" and "Fly Famous Mockingbird" are three of Phish's most beloved songs, with many fans hoping they get the chance to hear them at any given concert. One of the reasons for this is "Harpua" and "Mockingbird" both feature long narrated stories by Trey that he changed every time they played it.them. However, they've all become rarer in later years. "Forbin" and "Mockingbird" stopped being regular features in Phish concerts after 1996, with just 11 more performances in the 25 years following. "Harpua" also largely dropped out of the band's repertoire by the late 90s, with just eight more performances after 2000.
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Jennifer Dances fixup, in part because this might be the one I bring over to the main Rarely Performed Song page


** One of the most infamous songs in Phish's repertoire is "Jennifer Dances", which they played three times in December 1999 before it vanished, reportedly because word got back to the band that their fans overwhelmingly disliked the song. The song became a meme among the fanbase as the band's worst song and it's made a couple odd re-appearances since 1999: Trey teased its riff in a couple jams in 2010, he picked up out of the audience an ironic sign asking the band to play it during a 2011 concert (they didn't, but he joked he'd been waiting to see a "Jennifer Dances" sign for years), and finally Fishman sang a couple lines from the song during his "Hold Your Head Up" segment at a 2014 concert

to:

** One of the most infamous songs in Phish's repertoire is "Jennifer Dances", which they played three times in December 1999 before it vanished, reportedly because word got back to the band that their fans overwhelmingly disliked the song. The song became a meme among the fanbase as the band's worst song and it's made a couple odd re-appearances since 1999: 1999. Trey teased its riff in a couple jams in 2010, audibly, but jokingly, called out for the rest of the band to play "Jennifer Dances" before launching into "Tweezer" on 12/30/10, he picked up out of the audience an ironic sign asking the band to play it during a June 2011 concert (they didn't, but he joked he'd been waiting to see a "Jennifer Dances" sign for years), in the crowd), and finally Fishman sang a couple lines from the song during his "Hold Your Head Up" segment at a 2014 concert

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in hindsight, bust-outs are The Bus Came Back and I'll add it back there. But I'll mention it briefly


* RarelyPerformedSong:
** In concert, Phish may perform a song they hadn't played in years, which fans refer to as a "bust-out." The most famous of these was at 2/28/03, when they played "Destiny Unbound", a Mike Gordon-penned song that became something of a legend among fans because the band hadn't played it since November 1991. The song has appeared sporadically since the 2009 reunion, usually being performed about once a year. Another famous bust-out came on 12/29/2018, when the band played "Glide II", which had only been played once before, in 1995.
** There are several Phish songs that dropped out of their repertoire entirely after appearing on a studio album. The instrumental "Eliza" was only played 22 times and never again after 1992, with just six performances coming after its appearance on February 1992's ''A Picture of Nectar''

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* RarelyPerformedSong:
** In concert, Phish may perform a song they hadn't played in years, which fans refer to as a "bust-out." The most
RarelyPerformedSong: Apart from the band's famous "Bust-outs" of these was at 2/28/03, when they played "Destiny Unbound", a Mike Gordon-penned song that became something of a legend among fans because the band hadn't played it since November 1991. The song has appeared sporadically since the 2009 reunion, usually being performed about once a year. Another famous bust-out came on 12/29/2018, when the band played "Glide II", which had only been played once before, in 1995.
** There
rare songs, there are several Phish songs that dropped out of their repertoire entirely after appearing on a studio album. over the years and have never (or only very rarely) come back.
**
The instrumental "Eliza" was only played 22 times and never again after 1992, with just six performances coming after its appearance on February 1992's ''A Picture of Nectar''
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ooh Jennifer Dances

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** One of the most infamous songs in Phish's repertoire is "Jennifer Dances", which they played three times in December 1999 before it vanished, reportedly because word got back to the band that their fans overwhelmingly disliked the song. The song became a meme among the fanbase as the band's worst song and it's made a couple odd re-appearances since 1999: Trey teased its riff in a couple jams in 2010, he picked up out of the audience an ironic sign asking the band to play it during a 2011 concert (they didn't, but he joked he'd been waiting to see a "Jennifer Dances" sign for years), and finally Fishman sang a couple lines from the song during his "Hold Your Head Up" segment at a 2014 concert
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


** "Harpua" and the pairing of "Colonel Forbin's Ascent" and "Fly Famous Mockingbird" are three of Phish's most storied songs, with many fans hoping they get the chance to hear them at any given concert. One of the reasons for this was "Harpua" and "Mockingbird" both feature long narrated stories by Trey that he changed every time they played it. However, they've all become rarer in later years. "Forbin" and "Mockingbird" stopped being regular features in Phish concerts after 1996, with just 11 more performances in the 25 years following. "Harpua" also largely dropped out of the band's repertoire by the late 90s, with just eight more performances after 2000.

to:

** "Harpua" and the pairing of "Colonel Forbin's Ascent" and "Fly Famous Mockingbird" are three of Phish's most storied beloved songs, with many fans hoping they get the chance to hear them at any given concert. One of the reasons for this was is "Harpua" and "Mockingbird" both feature long narrated stories by Trey that he changed every time they played it. However, they've all become rarer in later years. "Forbin" and "Mockingbird" stopped being regular features in Phish concerts after 1996, with just 11 more performances in the 25 years following. "Harpua" also largely dropped out of the band's repertoire by the late 90s, with just eight more performances after 2000.
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None


** "Spock's Brain" had a big debut in 1995, debuted in the set list of a benefit concert that also included the first performances of now-standards "Free" and "Theme from the Bottom" (as well as the above mentioned "Glide II"). Phish played it four more times over the next month before shelving it. It only briefly returned in 2000, 2003, and 2019.

to:

** "Spock's Brain" had a big debut in 1995, debuted in the set list of debuting at a benefit concert that also included the first performances of now-standards "Free" and "Theme from the Bottom" (as well as the above mentioned "Glide II"). Phish played it four more times over the next month before shelving it. It only briefly returned in 2000, 2003, and 2019.

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None


* RarelyPlayedSong:
** Sometimes, the band may perform a song they hadn't played in years, which fans refer to as a "bust-out." The most famous of these was at 2/28/03, when they played "Destiny Unbound", a Mike Gordon-penned song that became something of a legend among fans because the band hadn't played it since November 1991. The song has appeared sporadically since the 2009 reunion, usually being performed about once a year. Another famous bust-out came on 12/29/2018, when the band played "Glide II", which had only been played once before, in 1995.

to:

* RarelyPlayedSong:
RarelyPerformedSong:
** Sometimes, the band In concert, Phish may perform a song they hadn't played in years, which fans refer to as a "bust-out." The most famous of these was at 2/28/03, when they played "Destiny Unbound", a Mike Gordon-penned song that became something of a legend among fans because the band hadn't played it since November 1991. The song has appeared sporadically since the 2009 reunion, usually being performed about once a year. Another famous bust-out came on 12/29/2018, when the band played "Glide II", which had only been played once before, in 1995.


Added DiffLines:

** "Harpua" and the pairing of "Colonel Forbin's Ascent" and "Fly Famous Mockingbird" are three of Phish's most storied songs, with many fans hoping they get the chance to hear them at any given concert. One of the reasons for this was "Harpua" and "Mockingbird" both feature long narrated stories by Trey that he changed every time they played it. However, they've all become rarer in later years. "Forbin" and "Mockingbird" stopped being regular features in Phish concerts after 1996, with just 11 more performances in the 25 years following. "Harpua" also largely dropped out of the band's repertoire by the late 90s, with just eight more performances after 2000.
** The 13 Baker's Dozen shows in 2017 featured many of these rare songs, including performances of "Forbin's", "Mockingbird", and "Harpua" all in the same concert.
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  • Rarely Played Song

Added DiffLines:

* RarelyPlayedSong:
** Sometimes, the band may perform a song they hadn't played in years, which fans refer to as a "bust-out." The most famous of these was at 2/28/03, when they played "Destiny Unbound", a Mike Gordon-penned song that became something of a legend among fans because the band hadn't played it since November 1991. The song has appeared sporadically since the 2009 reunion, usually being performed about once a year. Another famous bust-out came on 12/29/2018, when the band played "Glide II", which had only been played once before, in 1995.
** There are several Phish songs that dropped out of their repertoire entirely after appearing on a studio album. The instrumental "Eliza" was only played 22 times and never again after 1992, with just six performances coming after its appearance on February 1992's ''A Picture of Nectar''
** "Fikus" from ''The Story of the Ghost'' was only played five times, all in 1998, with only its final appearance in November 1998 coming after the album's October release.
** "The Connection", the lead single from 2004's ''Undermind'', didn't get its live debut until the band reunited in 2009 and has only been played four more times since.
** "Spock's Brain" had a big debut in 1995, debuted in the set list of a benefit concert that also included the first performances of now-standards "Free" and "Theme from the Bottom" (as well as the above mentioned "Glide II"). Phish played it four more times over the next month before shelving it. It only briefly returned in 2000, 2003, and 2019.
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None


** In 2009, the band released a list of ''dozens'' of albums they were considering covering in their entirety for Halloween that year at Festival 8. All the albums were listed on their website, and were eliminated one by one by having an "axe" put through their cover. Eventually, only one, ''Exile on Main Street'' by Music/TheRollingStones, was left and was covered that Halloween. Fans wonder what the band could have done with some of [[https://glidemagazine.com/143000/phish-festival-8-house-of-albums-revealed/ the more out-there choices]], like ''Oracular Spectacular'' by Music/{{MGMT}} (one of the very last albums to be eliminated and a favorite of Trey's).

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** In 2009, the band released a list of ''dozens'' of albums they were considering covering in their entirety for Halloween that year at Festival 8. All the albums were listed on their website, and were eliminated one by one by having an "axe" put through their cover. Eventually, only one, ''Exile on Main Street'' by Music/TheRollingStones, Music/{{The Rolling Stones|Band}}, was left and was covered that Halloween. Fans wonder what the band could have done with some of [[https://glidemagazine.com/143000/phish-festival-8-house-of-albums-revealed/ the more out-there choices]], like ''Oracular Spectacular'' by Music/{{MGMT}} (one of the very last albums to be eliminated and a favorite of Trey's).

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None


* BlackSheepHit: "Heavy Things". It's poppier than most of their other songs and has an atypical-for-the-band standard song structure. The song was their biggest hit ever on the adult alternative chart and was even a minor hit on adult Top 40 radio. Although the band has been playing the song for nearly 20 years now (including being a regular fixture at Trey's solo concerts), it's never really lended itself to being expanded upon live the way that their other big radio hit, "Down with Disease", has.

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* BlackSheepHit: BlackSheepHit:
**
"Heavy Things". It's poppier than most of their other songs and has an atypical-for-the-band standard song structure. The song was their biggest hit ever on the adult alternative chart and was even a minor hit on adult Top 40 radio. Although the band has been playing the song for nearly 20 years now (including being a regular fixture at Trey's solo concerts), it's never really lended itself to being expanded upon live the way that their other big radio hit, "Down with Disease", has.



* CutSong: In the summer of 1990, the band booked studio time at Wendell Studios in Boston and recorded studio versions of several of their most beloved concert staples, including "Harry Hood", "Suzy Greenberg", "Runaway Jim", "Possum", "Mike's Song", "I am Hydrogen", and "Weekapaug Groove". However, the band decided not to release any of the material they recorded: ''Lawn Boy'' was already completed and was released a few months later, and the band decided to start fresh when they began recording ''A Picture of Nectar'' in the summer of 1991. To date, the only two songs from the Wendell sessions that eventually wound up on an album were "Tweezer" (re-recorded for ''Nectar'') and "Rift" (which was recorded at Wendell in its original slower version; The better known faster version, which the band has been playing since 1992, was re-recorded as the title track of ''Rift'')

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* CutSong: CutSong:
**
In the summer of 1990, the band booked studio time at Wendell Studios in Boston and recorded studio versions of several of their most beloved concert staples, including "Harry Hood", "Suzy Greenberg", "Runaway Jim", "Possum", "Mike's Song", "I am Hydrogen", and "Weekapaug Groove". However, the band decided not to release any of the material they recorded: ''Lawn Boy'' was already completed and was released a few months later, and the band decided to start fresh when they began recording ''A Picture of Nectar'' in the summer of 1991. To date, the only two songs from the Wendell sessions that eventually wound up on an album were "Tweezer" (re-recorded for ''Nectar'') and "Rift" (which was recorded at Wendell in its original slower version; The better known faster version, which the band has been playing since 1992, was re-recorded as the title track of ''Rift'')



* ThePeteBest: Guitarist Jeff Holdsworth, a co-founder of the band, left it in 1986 following a religious conversion and well before they established their live reputation. Two songs he wrote for the band, "Camel Walk" and "Possum", are still played by them to this day. Since Holdsworth left the band, vocals on "Possum" have been taken over by Gordon.

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* ThePeteBest: ThePeteBest:
**
Guitarist Jeff Holdsworth, a co-founder of the band, left it in 1986 following a religious conversion and well before they established their live reputation. Two songs he wrote for the band, "Camel Walk" and "Possum", are still played by them to this day. Since Holdsworth left the band, vocals on "Possum" have been taken over by Gordon.



* ThrowItIn: As with the Grateful Dead before them, a mix of this and {{Improv}} is the guiding force behind most of their shows. At first, Trey would sometimes plan setlists in advance, which helped create popular segues like "The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony" -> "Suzy Greenberg", or "Runaway Jim" -> "Foam". In the early 90s, the band switched to working from a loose setlist of songs they might play at each show, but eventually abandoned even that. At every concert, they can play almost anything, with the usual exception being whatever songs they played the previous show.

to:

* ThrowItIn: ThrowItIn:
**
As with the Grateful Dead before them, a mix of this and {{Improv}} is the guiding force behind most of their shows. At first, Trey would sometimes plan setlists in advance, which helped create popular segues like "The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony" -> "Suzy Greenberg", or "Runaway Jim" -> "Foam". In the early 90s, the band switched to working from a loose setlist of songs they might play at each show, but eventually abandoned even that. At every concert, they can play almost anything, with the usual exception being whatever songs they played the previous show.



* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Curveball, the band's planned 2018 festival, [[https://variety.com/2018/music/news/phish-curveball-festival-canceled-flooding-fans-onsite-1202908110/ was cancelled 24 hours]] before it was set to start due to flooding in the Finger Lakes area of upstate New York where it was to take place. A combination of flash floods, unsafe road conditions and concerns about the quality of the drinking water played part in the state's decision.

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* WhatCouldHaveBeen: WhatCouldHaveBeen:
**
Curveball, the band's planned 2018 festival, [[https://variety.com/2018/music/news/phish-curveball-festival-canceled-flooding-fans-onsite-1202908110/ was cancelled 24 hours]] before it was set to start due to flooding in the Finger Lakes area of upstate New York where it was to take place. A combination of flash floods, unsafe road conditions and concerns about the quality of the drinking water played part in the state's decision.

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