Phish’s Four-Night Sphere Run Takes Predictably Different Visual Approach From U2
April 22, 2024 by Dave Haynes
On Sunday night, the American rock band Phish finished the last of a four-night weekend run at Sphere in Las Vegas – the second touring act to put on performances that use the giant 16K curved screen as a backdrop.
The freeform music of Phish is wildly different from Ireland’s U2, and that was reflected in the approach to the shows.
U2, which played a series of shows over many weeks at the $2.3 billion venue this winter, had a setlist that didn’t very markedly from show to show, and a set of giant visuals keyed to each song.
Phish has a lot of similarities to the Grateful Dead in terms of fan base and style, and is well known for doing sets that are never the same night to night, and that held, as well, for the visuals running on the big screen.
“All of our visuals can be executed, modified, and manipulated in real time,” the band’s creative director explained in an interview with CNN. “They will follow the band’s musical performance, rather than being locked in, allowing Phish to play as freely as they would at any other show.”
Montreal’s Moment Factory was engaged to guide content and the credits suggest numerous smaller creative shops were sub-contracted. This Instagram post provides a pile of credits and details …
Photos from show:
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