Abigail Rosen Holmes, director and co-creative director for this weekend’s Phish Sphere run, offers insight into the band’s creative process and what to expect when Phish takes the stage this weekend in a new interview with Pollstar.
According to Rosen Holmes, who has previously worked with Talking Heads, Roger Waters, Peter Gabriel, Miley Cyrus, and Janet Jackson, preparation for the Sphere shows began in July and initial programming and testing started “as far back as January.” Asked how the band’s use of Sphere’s groundbreaking visuals will compare to U2‘s Sphere residency, she played her cards close to the vest, saying, “Understanding your story runs ahead of the show, I’ll respectfully say, I can’t wait for everyone to find out!” She did, however, explain that she will be executing the video live in real-time during the show and, like the band itself, is “aiming to bring something new to each night’s performance.”
“All our show decisions were shaped by focusing on the primary aspect of the show – Phish’s musical performance,” she said. “One of the directions this lead to is that all our visuals can be executed, modified and manipulated in real time. They follow the music, rather than being locked in, allowing Phish to play as freely as they would at any other show. Additionally, we have been very careful to consider the varied viewing experiences within the Sphere. We want the show to be amazing no matter where you are seated.”
Rosen Holmes also spoke about Phish lighting director Chris Kuroda’s role in the production, saying, “[His] lighting is an integral part of the show at Sphere, where lighting and video will mesh together to build the visual experience. His amazing touring rig didn’t work within the Sphere, in its place he has a custom system for these performances to take advantage of this room and stage.”
As for what to expect from the band’s performance, Rosen Holmes thinks everyone may be taking the quote of 80 songs too literally but said “audiences can expect a full Phish show. : )”
Read the full Pollstar interview with Abigail Rosen Holmes about Phish’s upcoming Sphere shows here. Read more comments from Trey Anastasio and Page McConnell about the Sphere shows here.
Phish will offer a pay-per-view livestream for each of the band’s four sold-out Sphere shows (April 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st). Of note, the Phish Sphere livestreams will serve as the first-ever full-show livestreams from Sphere. While U2 did mount a brief broadcast from Sphere during the 2024 Grammy Award ceremony, none of the band’s 40 performances were streamed in full. Order your single-day Phish Sphere webcast or discounted four-night bundle here to take part in the first-ever Sphere livestream experience.
In the lead-up to Phish’s Sphere debut, fans can dig into soundboard recordings of each of the band’s live shows dating back to 2003 via the band’s LivePhish+ subscription streaming service. For more information or to subscribe to LivePhish+, head here.
[Editor’s Note: Live For Live Music is a LivePhish affiliate. Ordering your Phish Sphere webcast or LivePhish+ subscription via the links on this page helps support our coverage of Phish and the world of live music as a whole. Thank you for reading!]
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