Phish fans are famously dedicated. What happens when they enter the Sphere?

Adele, Mariah Carey and Garth Brooks tower over the Las Vegas Strip, peering out from billboards advertising their various casino residencies. But the 20,000 fans marching toward the glowing Sphere last week were there for a band that many Strip visitors have no idea exists.

Over the past 40 years, legions of dedicated Phish fans have followed the Vermont jam band no matter where it goes. This time, it happened to be Las Vegas, for four nights at the $2.3 billion immersive arena. No two Phish shows are the same, and while the band had played Vegas 26 times before, the Sphere offered a game-changing canvas for its signature light shows.

The fans came in sequined, glittery dresses and tie-dye alike, in button-down shirts and overalls printed with the band’s red doughnut logo. Once inside, they were greeted with a LED screen the size of a football field.

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Over 68 songs over the four nights, co-creative director Abigail Rosen Holmes would use that expanse to drive fans across bold visual worlds inspired by the four states of matter: solid, liquid, gas and plasma. As Phish jammed, the Sphere’s screens became an art show, taking the audience through flowing streams of color and simple dots of light, around an enchanted lake and a field of psychedelic trees, and through a car wash (yes, a car wash).

Abigail Rosen Holmes, show director and co-creative director for the band Phish's upcoming show at the Sphere, works in the control booth during rehearsals on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Abigail Rosen Holmes, show director and co-creative director for the band Phish’s upcoming show at the Sphere, works in the control booth during rehearsals on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

“It gives me hope,” said Sean Marmora, 31, who traveled from New Jersey. “It’s inspiring that they’re pushing boundaries and doing things that they have never done before.”