It was one of Michigan’s concert events of the year: The legendary jam band played two straight nights in Grand Rapids with a boost from Billy Strings. Revisit the “dream” pairing as part of our year-end countdown.
Jam-Happy Giants: Phish with Billy Strings on stage Wednesday night. (Photo/Local Spins)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Merry Christmas! To celebrate, here’s No. 7 in our countdown of Local Spins’ top stories of 2024: Coverage of Phish’s two-night stand in August at Grand Rapids’ Van Andel Arena with special guest Billy StringsScroll down for photos and video from Night 1 and set lists from both shows.
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Considering his own, unparalleled jamming prowess, it’s really no surprise that Michigan’s own bluegrass guitar powerhouse Billy Strings would jump at the chance to trade licks on stage with the jam-band royalty that is Phish.
So amid a jubilant, sold-out crowd of colorfully bedecked Phishheads who already were revved up by the legendary band’s first of two straight nights at Grand Rapids’ Van Andel Arena, the Ionia County native further jacked up the energy level by making a surprise guest appearance during the early August concert.
Strapping on an electric guitar, Billy Strings made his appearance near the end of the band’s second set for renditions of “The Moma Dance,” “Possum” and “Everything’s Right,” and returned with the band during its encore of “Nellie Kane,” “Beauty of My Dreams” and “Carini.”
BillyPhish: The guitarist on stage with Phish on Wednesday. (Local Spins Photo)
Enhanced by impressive lighting and lasers (celebrating lighting designer Chris Kuroda’s 1,800th show), Phish kicked off the evening with “Strawberry Letter 23,” “Sigma Oasis” and a cover of Frank Zappa’s “Peaches en Regalia,” electrifying uber-devoted fans described by one attendee as “super-thick into it. Everyone’s conversation is like they know each other and know what song is about to play.”
Desmond Jones guitarist and longtime Phish fan Isaac Berkowitz — who joined his bandmates for an after-show at The Pyramid Scheme — noted that Phish induced the crowd to sing from the get-go, “followed by an epic mix of old tunes and new. From ‘Sigma Oasis’ to a soaring ‘Bathtub Gin,’ the first set was something for the books.”
Of course, with rumors swirling early that Billy Strings might make an appearance, anticipation was high for the second set, which included another one of the evening’s highlights, “Ruby Waves,” before the acclaimed guitarist took the stage.
“If you thought that (first) set couldn’t be topped, local legend Billy Strings himself showed up get to the hometown crowd dancing even harder,” Berkowitz said.
AN 11TH-HOUR INVITE FOR ‘A BILLY GOAT HIPPIE DREAM SHOW’
It was the third time this year that fans have gotten a “surprise” dose of Billy Strings on a Grand Rapids stage. He joined hardcore metal pals Flesh and Blood Robot for a full capacity March show at The Pyramid Scheme, and later jammed away with Greensky Bluegrass at a sold-out Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in June.
Calling himself a Phish “phan” on Facebook, Billy Strings revealed that he merely asked Phish frontman Trey Anastasio for tickets to the show a couple of days prior to their Grand Rapids tour stop — and Anastasio insisted the guitarist join them on stage to “blow it up.”
“Sitting in with Phish for the last two nights was nothing short of a surreal experience, like something out of one of my wildest dreams,” he wrote after Wednesday’s second show and guest appearance. “I was just trying to come see the show and I had no idea I’d be in it for the next two nights. … It was magic.”
He called the band “airtight after playing together for all these years. They’re so good. They don’t need me up there wanking all over the joint but they asked me to, so of course, I’m gonna go try. The crowd’s energy was one pulsating organism, speaking us into existence. Defining and deciding the notes we all play as one collective heartbeat. … It was like walking on stage to jam with old friends. They were all so welcoming and nice. The nerves instantly melted and we just let the music carry us off into the evening. It all settled into place and we had an absolute blast.”
One fan termed it “a Billy goat hippie dream show.”
In a Groove: Anastasio and Phish on Tuesday. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
A devotee at LivePhish.com put it this way: “That was one hell of a finely played show from start to finish. Great set list, flow, interplay and then Billy Strings to smash it home.”
With two days of Phish in Grand Rapids — with the band playing its first Van Andel Arena concerts in more than two dozen years — downtown watering holes, merchants and hotels have been awash with what one concertgoer called throngs of Phish-loving “hippies bringing an excellent vibe to all the businesses in Grand Rapids.”
Indeed, many fans crowded Founders Brewing Co.’s taproom nearby for a pre-party on Tuesday featuring Ann Arbor’s Pajamas (photo gallery below), and followed the Phish show with late-night after-parties at The Intersection and The Pyramid Scheme.
The Phish fun continued on Wednesday, with an after-show that featured Desmond Jones at The Pyramid Scheme..
(Check out a special Local Spins Phish playlist.)
PHOTO GALLERY: Phish at Van Andel Arena
Photos by Derek Ketchum
VIDEO: Phish and Billy Strings at Van Andel Arena
SET LIST: Phish at Van Andel Arena wsg Billy Strings (Night 1 – Tuesday)
Setlist.fm
SET LIST: Phish at Van Andel Arena wsg Billy Strings (Night 2 – Wednesday)
Setlist.fm
PHOTO GALLERY: Pajamas at Founders Brewing (Phish Pre-Show)
Photos by Derek Ketchum
