Phish's Halloween 1995: Rehearsing Exile on Main St. and the Crowd's Response

The most interesting thing about Phish covering the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main St. for their 1995 Halloween “musical costume” is how little time they actually spent learning it. They held only a few full rehearsals in the weeks before the show, often running through the double album in hotel rooms during their fall tour. Trey Anastasio later admitted they were still figuring out some of the arrangements backstage right before they hit the stage.

Preparation meant each member had to absorb 18 songs — many of them loose, layered, and soaked in whiskey. They transcribed horn lines, piano parts, and backing vocals that weren’t always obvious on the original. Mike Gordon had to learn Keith Richards’ open-G tuning for several tracks, while Page McConnell recreated Nicky Hopkins’ piano flourishes. The result was faithful but not note-for-note: they kept the grit but added a slight Phish looseness, especially on the slower numbers.

The audience at the Rosemont Horizon was initially stunned — they didn’t know the album was coming until the “Exile” sign dropped. But once the band kicked into “Rocks Off,” the crowd roared. Reviews from that