The B List: 10 Venues Phish Should Play
Over the past 25+ years there has been at least one Phish concert at many of the country’s best venues, but not at all of them. Now that the band is back and in fine form we’ve come up with a list of ten places we’d love to see them perform. We stuck with venues holding at least 7,000 people and even threw in a couple from Europe for good measure.
Here’s our list of ten places Phish should play that they haven’t…
10. Verizon Wireless Arena – Manchester, NH
Within striking distance of both Boston and Burlington, playing a show at this cool new-ish venue would be a terrific treat for the long-forgotten Phish fans from New Hampshire.
READ ON for the rest of Scotty’s list of venues Phish should play…
9. Slane Castle – Ireland
Located in Ireland’s County Meath, this legendary site of The Battle of the Boyne holds concerts every August on the sprawling grounds. While Phish couldn’t come close to filling the 100,000 person capacity now, perhaps one day they will be able to or they can team up their buddy Bruce Springsteen.
8. Central Park – New York, NY
Hey, if the Dave Matthews Band can get permission from the City of New York to throw a concert in Central Park, Coran Capshaw should hook it up for his other clients.
7. Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre – Alpharetta, GA
We’ve only heard amazing things about the Atlanta-area’s newest outdoor venue. It’s GOT to be better than Lakewood although I’m sure Atlanta Phish fans would take a show anywhere in the area they can get it at this point.
6. Wrigley Field – Chicago, IL
If you’re going to play stadiums, you might as well play this classic ballpark.
5. Koka Booth Amphitheater – Cary, NC
Built in 2001, this intimate venue has won raves from concert attendees for both the sound and the beauty of the amphitheater.
4. Bethel Woods – Bethel, NY
This state-of-the-art venue opened in 2006 on the site of the Woodstock Festival. I caught the GRAB/Phil show back in 2006 and can attest to the beauty of the site. Bethel Woods is the rare venue with a lawn you can actually see and hear the show from.
3. The Eden Project – St. Blazey, UK
While Phish getting a gig at The Eden Project isn’t very likely, you can’t find a more dramatic setting for a rock concert than this series of gardens and domes outside of Cornwall in the United Kingdom.
2. Pritzker Pavillion in Millenium Park – Chicago, IL
Designed by Frank Gehry, this venue in Chicago’s Millennium Park features a revolutionary design and a state-of-the-art sound system. What more can you ask for?
1. Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, CA
Another architectural marvel, LA’s Hollywood Bowl was carved into the mountain on which it sits and has hosted a number of legendary concerts in its day. There have been rumors dating back to 1996 that Phish would play here but it hasn’t happened yet.
Thanks to Team HLA for the help on this piece.
Scott Bernstein
Scott Bernstein co-founded Hidden Track in October 2006 and was managing editor until taking over as EiC in January 2008. Scotty also writes for Relix Magazine and curates YEMblog.com.
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If Phish wants to play ATL during the winter *AHEM*, they could play the Cobb Energy Center. I saw RTF there. Great sound, exceptionally polite staff, and not a bad view in the house.
A Wrigley Field show would be my worst nightmare, and therefore seems likely. Chicago scene brings out the drunken assholes, and that is their Mecca. Pritzker would be awesome, but logistically, I can’t see Phish playing there.
It’ll never happen, but the Ravinia Festival in suburban Chicago (Highwood to be precise) would be a marvelous Phish experience (and a strange ticket situation). A small pavilion is surrounded by an enormous “lawn”, though you can’t see the stage from the lawn (I know, unless you’ve been there, it is hard to explain how this is cool). A dancer’s paradise it would be.
American airlines center in Dallas Texas would really be the icing on the cake
Air Canada Center in Toronto, Ontario
Great venue, holds tons of premier concerts, phish hasn’t played an arena in Toronto ever!
Canada needs this
PHISH AT THE MISH!!!!!
snow king. jackson hole wy.
Wolf trap has been done and wont ever happen again because of its location in a neighborhood
Rock ‘n Bowl, NOLA
verizon wireless in alpharetta sucks
Bethel Woods is a beautiful venue.. would love Phish to play there
I live 5 minutes from Koka Booth in Cary. That would be a rare treat.
ALASKA!!!! Kincaid Park in Anchorage. They have music there every summer. Phish has never played ALASKA!!! I have always sworn I would make any show they play in Alaska. I used to live there and now I don’t but I would return in an instant if PHISH plays anywhere in ALASKA.
Verizon Wireless in Alpharetta is an absolutely horrible place to see a show! But you are right, we will take anything we can get nowadays. We used to be much-loved by Phish (Roxy ’92, Fox ’95, Halloween 96; 4th of July) but we can’t even get them to look at a map of the state lately.
Great call on Cary, NC though.
Bethel Woods would be perfect, great sound and sight lines.
But Central Park would be the best. They deserve a summer show there, plus it’s a 20 minute subway ride from my apt.!
LAKE PLACID OLYMPIC CENTER. THEY PLAYE THERE IN 95 AND 96 THEN GOT BANNED FOR DRUGS BEING FOUND ON THE SHCHOL GROUNDS. THEY LOVE IT HERE BRING EM BACK. AFTER THEIR FIRST HIATIS THEY MET IN LP AND GOT BACK TOGETHER PLACID NEEDS HLP WITH THEIR ECONOMY. I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET THEM BACK FOR YEARS BUT PLAIC IS RUN BY THE ELITE. PLEASE COME BAC TO LP PLEASE WE LOVE YOU
LAKE PLACID OLYMPIC CENTER. PLAYED THERE ALREADY TWICE BUT GOT BANED HELP ME GET THEM BACK TO THE ADIRONDACKS. THEY WERE ALSO BANNED FROM SPAC AND SEMI RE ROCKS WE NEED EM BACK ITS THE COOLEST LIL TOWN PLEASE COME BACK I HAVE TRIED FOR A DECADE
LAKE PLACID LAKE PLACID LAKE PLACID LAKE PLACID. IF I GET A PETITION WILL YOU HELP ME PHANS. MY FIRSTS SHOW WAS THERE IN 95 AND IF YOU HEAR THE TAPES THEY ARE AMAZING TYPICAL PHISH SHIT LAKPE PLACID. DONT LET THE ELITE STOP US. THEY NEED OUR MONEY PLEASE LETS GET EM BACK TO WERE THEY GOT BACK TOGETHER AFTER THE FIRST HIATIS. I SAW ALL4 OF THEM AT A BAR THEN IN ROLLING STONE THEY MENTIONED HOW THEY WENT THERE AND MIKE PAYED. READ THE ARTICLE WITH THEM OON THE COVER
KYLE YOU ARE RIGHT GET THEM BACK TO PLACID I SAW THE JONNY BE GOOD IN 96 AND IT ROCKED MY WORLD. i LIVE IN SYRACUSE NOW BUT BRING THEM BACK I KNW THIS ISNT THE FORUM BUT LAKE PLACID
watkins glen, ny
[...] Capacity: 15,000 Synopsis: Built on the site of the legendary Woodstock Music & Arts Festival in 2006, Bethel Woods is a gorgeous venue with an expansive, comfortable lawn. Only one road leads in and we figure venue staff will have their hands full, so be prepared for delays getting in. We’re glad to see Phish cross off another venue from our 2009 B List – 10 Venues Phish Should Play. [...]
[...] NY. This marks Phish’s first appearance at the shed, which was featured on our 2009 list of previously Phish-less venues where we’d like to see the band play. Not only are Phish fans pumped up for the quartet’s first trip to the town that hosted the [...]