RICHMOND, Va. — Fresh off a summer tour during which they celebrated songs from the 1990s, rock band Phish just announced they will return to Richmond for the first time since 1994.
Phish will perform at Allianz Amphitheater on Oct. 6 and Oct. 7, ending a more than 11,780-day layoff from performing in the capital of Virginia.
Phish fans saw the construction of a new riverfront amphitheater, owned by Phish's management company, as a harbinger for the band's imminent return.
Adding to the speculation was when Phish's frontman was spotted walking around town in between his Trey Anastasio Band shows in Charlottesville and Wilmington, North Carolina, at venues also owned by Red Light Management, in 2021.
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Phish has played more than 1,230 shows and nearly 40 times in Virginia since the band last performed in the Richmond-area, at the Classic Amphitheater near Richmond Raceway on June 30, 1994.
Phish Food
One neat connection that exists between Phish and Richmond is that the band's touring chef Jim Hamilton calls Richmond home.
Hamilton runs the Sous Casa frozen burrito delivery business when he's not on the road with Phish.
"Fans can experience my food with Sous Casa," he said. "Local delivery is available Tuesdays and Fridays. [My food] can also be found in Ellwood Thompson's, Lombardy Market, Union Market, Strawberry Street Market, Stella's Grocery - Downtown, and Outpost Richmond."
Hamilton estimates he's prepared up to 1,000 meals for band members and guests since he started with Phish in 2017.
You can listen to Hamilton's life story here on the Eat It, Virginia podcast.
Hamilton has the unique perspective of not only knowing the band's favorite foods, but he also has a deep understanding of the Richmond restaurant scene.
So, we asked Hamilton two very important questions ahead of Phish's return to Richmond:
1) Where in Richmond would he take the band if given a night off
2) Where should Phish fans visiting Richmond for the first time eat and drink?
To help add some context, Richmond food writer and Eat It, Virginia co-host Robey Martin offered up some liner notes to go with Hamilton's choices.
Additionally, this writer paired the choices with a Phish song he hopes will help fans can relate to the restaurant.
Phish Chef Jim Hamilton's Picks for the Band
L'Opossum
626 China Street
Richmond, Va. 23220
Richmond food critic Robey Martin's description: Opulent decor with luscious food and superb service
Scott Wise's translation for Phish fans: Ruby Waves (07-14-19 and 12-29-24 versions IYKYK)
Edo's Squid
411 North Harrison Street
Richmond, Va. 23220
Robey: Big heart, small space crave-able Italian with zero pretense
Scott: The Sloth
Kuba Kuba
1601 Park Avenue
Richmond, Va. 23220
Robey: Easy on the wallet Cuban-ish food with panache
Scott: Ya Mar
Lehja
Short Pump Town Center
11800 West Broad Street
Short Pump, Va. 23233
Robey: Award-winning Indian paired with and epic and award-winning wine list
Scott: The final bliss section of Harry Hood
Phish Chef Jim Hamilton's Picks for Phish Fans
Mekong Restaurant and The Answer Brewpub
6008 West Broad Street
Henrico County, Va. 23230
Robey: Big beer energy and home-style Vietnamese
Scott: Harpua (a wide variety of styles)
Kuba Kuba
1601 Park Avenue
Richmond, Va. 23220
See above
Triple Crossing Beer - Fulton
5203 Hatcher Street
Richmond, Va. 23231
Robey: Thoughtful brewery serving a range of beer styles and beer friendly snacks (Jim loves the pizza)
Scott: Crosseyed and Painless (just a play on words, but I love Triple Crossing and I'm confident you will too)
Peter Chang
2816 West Broad Street
Richmond, Va. 23230
Robey: Szechuan-centric Chinese
Scott: Fuego
Bingo Beer Co
2900 West Broad Street
Richmond, Va. 23230
Robey: Local brewery + night spot + games
Scott: Party Time
Establishments Run by Phish Fans
Since Phish fans are a supportive bunch, here's a list of establishments owned by/run by/featuring Phish fans you can visit. If you're a fan and we missed you, send me a note here.
Toast
3038 N. Arthur Ashe Boulevard
Richmond, Va. 23230
Owner Chris Staples
First shows: July 15, 1992 at Trax in Charlottesville and July 16, 1992 at The Flood Zone in Richmond.
"Some kids in my high school played in this band that often opened up for other bands at the Flood Zone so I was able to sneak in with them," Staples recalled. "There weren’t very many people at either of those first two shows but everyone that was there knew every lyric and every lick of every song. It was really cool to witness that as I never really experienced anything like that before."
Black Heath Meadery
1313 Altamont Avenue
Richmond, Va. 23230
Owner Bill Cavender
First show: October 8, 1990 at The Bayou in Washington, DC
Blue Bee Cider
4811 Bethlehem Road Ste A
Richmond, Va. 23230
Owners Taylor Benson and Kenzie Smith
First show: October 19, 2013 Hampton Coliseum
"This was how Mackenzie and I celebrated my 21st birthday. The way that the fans took us in that night and celebrated with us had us hooked to the music and the scene," Taylor said. "We were fortunate enough to get into the Madison Square Garden New Year’s Eve show on December 31, 2015. So it’s really a toss up between those two shows as our top Phish experience."
Ripple Ray's
3123 West Cary Street
Richmond, Va. 23221
Owner Katie Jarvis
Note: Richmond's new Grateful Dead themed bar
adrift
572 Rappahannock Drive
White Stone, Va. 22578
Owner Devin Rose
Note: Devin has seen more Trey, Mike and the Duo shows than Phish shows. He might the only fan a live with that stat :-)
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