[Travel Advice] Phish at the Sphere
Advice for staying at Venetian for 3-day show of Phish at the Sphere
Random Observation/Comment #930: My brain is broken. I think I need a few weeks to recover.
//What a wild ride of a show. Obsessed with the flying hotdog through space
This Phish show blew my mind and has likely ruined all future entertainment because it’s the singularity of the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I’m actually not sure what to do with myself anymore. Do I quit my job and develop a gambling addiction so I can watch sphere shows for the next few months? I don’t even think the creators of the Sphere knew this level of graphics and creativity was possible.
We bought the 3-day pass show with the stay at the Palazzo in Las Vegas from Apr 16-18 shows.
//Amazing team from an unforgettable show
I’m mostly writing this review to remember the awesomeness of this trip. We had some really fun low stress days and great eats.
Things Phish Does Well
//Our room had a great view and the eyeball freaked us out
The rooms we got at the Palazzo were sweet and a brisk 20 minutes walk to the venue with a little foot traffic
The visuals really went above and beyond with no repeated concepts. It’s 100% full scale Sphere with what we called “Winamp” responsive visuals.
They didn’t just play their music to a background of pre-planned Sphere video. It was responsive to the groove and synchronized seamlessly. They even brought in the full scale light show, but 100x more trippy.
Friendly wookies. Loved having random conversations on lines and even at the airport. The topic of Phish is a bonding experience.
//Phish Sphere gift bag!
You get an awesome giftbag which includes a blanket and baggage tag
Things to Know
//Great collection of Pliny the Elder
//We did great.
It’s Vegas so it’s going to be expensive (like $16 beers stadium expensive just drinking at the casino). If you want to save a bit of money, you can go to Whole Foods and stuff your suitcase with Plinys.
//Nom nom nom on the huge Italian sandwiches
Try a sandwich at All’Antico Vinaio (it’s in the Via Via food court). We went here 3 times and the Paradiso really hit the spot. It didn’t hurt that we were talking about eating mortadella sandwiches while watching Stanley Tucci in Italy while on the plane ride.
Everything in Vegas is much farther than you think. Walking between casinos is a journey.
Bring cash if you’re into the gambling thing
Our Itinerary
Thurs
Flew in by 9AM, so we went to grab a brunch at the Broken Yolk Cafe. The food was typical diner afair, but I think they’re most famous for their pancakes. Definitely did not like their huevos rancheros.
Walked to Whole Foods across the street and found all the Pliny and snacks.
Since we were too early for check-in, we just had some expensive beer and learned about horse gambling
//Great view from our hotel room
Once we got into the room, we enjoyed some Pliny and just chilled out.
//Wandering Venetian was pretty fun.
One of the Dads in the neighborhood flew by to hang out for the night, so we looked on Stubhub and found a last minute $40 ticket (obstructed view). I guess we just got lucky?
Apr 16 Day 1 Phish Show at Sphere
//The elevator door journey was really cool. This one was definitely planned with the song.
//The wall of posters that turned into the Interstellar multidimensional space was so cool
//That spider really bothered me. It crawled around, but the webs became a beautiful piece
//Dog licking the screen was so trippy. There was also a part with the Tesla going through a car wash that was very upbeat.
//Hot dogs in space with lots of random foods. Definitely a crowd pleaser.
Fri
//Old ladies pushing carts with big family tables. Authentic goodness.
Dim sum breakfast at Asian BBQ. As someone who grew up eating dim sum, this place was excellent. I wish I had this level of familiarity in Denver, but I’d probably get fat eating delicious tripe and chicken feet.
//We needed some non-pliny and seltzer, but we also bought more Pliny
Whole foods run for more beer - Was this necessary? No. Did we do it anyway? Yes.
//What a nice pool
Drink beer by the pool in our waterbottles.
Apr 17 Day 2 Phish Show at Sphere
//Portapottys everywhere
//Turntable with so many random dancing dudes and then some great ghostly effects
//Single photo from the barn turned into all these cool geometric shapes and rotations. also went to space.
//There were some trippy colors and 8-bit gaming themes
//Second set started with the light rig, which went even crazier than the first time
//The floating whale around the spooky forest was dope. Loved the planet and black hole looking thing
Sat
//The Huevos con Chorizo y Papa as a burrito with the fresh habanero sauce was so good
Breakfast at Mi Barrio - This was one of the top 5 burritos I’ve had in my life. I just loved the beans and flavor from the chorizo. Highly recommended.
//Get the “Duck you and the haze you rode in on”
Able Baker Brewing - I don’t think all the beers are good, but the one I had was excellent and it was a great starting point to the Brewery row day drinking we had planned.
//Walking around the market to see some graffiti
//Damn you super fast shuffleboard!
Bad beat brewing with shuffle board - Came for the beer and stayed for the shuffleboard. We honestly had a great time trying to get used to this slippery-ass board.
//The portraits of dogs are hilarious
Stray Pirate Tropical Cocktails & Effects - We stumbled in here because someone opened the door when we walked by and it looked cool. This is the way decisions are made.
//It was indeed a pretty yurt and the food was pretty good too
Viking Mike’s Alpine Yurt Bar - Why not have a nice cocktail in a yurt? Also, I’ve never been in a yurt before and this felt like the right time.
Apr 18 Day 3 Phish Show at Sphere
This was not only the best show out of the 3 days, but it was also the best Phish show I’ve ever seen and possibly the best piece of entertainment I’ve ever watched in my life. I am forever going to chase this high now.
//The light show started off strong
//I loved this artwork. So cool seeing the rock opera alive.
//I really liked sitting in that nest with the other birds
//It felt like some fractal view with a huge splash of color
//These colors were so cool. I definitely felt like my brain was melting through this part
//the blackhole of color was really wild
//giant robots walking the hills
//Classic light show lazers
//the dentist part was a bit upsetting (especially when the wrecking ball knocked out the teeth)
//oh man so much was happening
//Flying through the honeycomb was super dope
//I can’t believe it kept on going, but all good things come to an end
Sun
//The mole and cookies ‘n cream tini were so good
Breakfast at Mi Barrio - I usually like going to multiple restaurants for variety, but I’m glad we went back to try more things on the menu. This place was too good to pass up.
Early morning beers before my flight. This was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime type of trip.
I am still processing through the 30+ minutes of 15-second clips I’ve taken over the past few days. Find me on Instagram if you’d like to see them.
~See Lemons Love Phish at the Sphere