Phish at Sphere, Las Vegas

Moment Factory worked with Phish to stage an unprecedented string of mind-warping experimental shows over four nights at Sphere, Las Vegas.

In April 2024, Moment Factory teamed up with jam legends Phish to deliver a groundbreaking four-night residency at Sphere in Las Vegas. The multimedia studio collaborated closely with Show Director Abigail Rosen Holmes to envision and execute set design, video design, and visual production; they also worked with Chris Kuroda on the lighting design.

The creative team crafted four distinct shows, each with its own approach to the visuals. After lengthy talks with Holmes and the band’s lead singer, Trey Anastasio, the team looked to states of matter—solid, liquid, gas, and plasma—as their guiding source of inspiration, focusing on a different state for each show.

As Phish are renowned for their boundless improvisation, the team put flexibility first when designing the visual systems for the show. After choosing Notch for its real-time adaptability in demanding show environments, they designed visuals that could expand and evolve with each extended jam portion.

Though the team initially planned a 70/30 split between pre-rendered video and real-time visuals, they pivoted during rehearsals to a near 50/50 split, making this one of the most ambitious real-time concert experiences ever.

With these visuals surrounding all sides of the 270-degree immersive environment and even driving the lighting fixtures for portions of the night, spectators had a four-dimensional view of a band already known for shattering the limits of live events. It stands as a landmark achievement in rock history, showcasing a record-breaking series of entirely distinct shows that thoroughly mix real-time rendering techniques with traditional video.

Photo: Alive Coverage

“Notch’s capacity to create adaptive real-time visuals played an indispensable role in delivering all-new ideas to this 16K mega-canvas night after night.”

Manuel Galarneau, Multimedia Director, Moment Factory

Additional press coverage:
Rolling Stone, CNN, Billboard, The Verge, The Boston Globe.

Credits
Client: Phish
Creative Direction: Jean-Baptiste Hardoin & Abigail Holmes
Show Director: Abigail Holmes 
Lighting Designer: Chris Kuroda
Producer: Daniel Jean
Screen Producer: Justin Restaino 
Line Producer: Marie-Pier Hamelin 

Production Manager: James Richardson
Production Company, Production Design & Set Design: Moment Factory
Content Director: Manuel Galarneau
Notch Designers: Brett Bolton, Gustavo Perez Rangel & Andrew Marchbank
Lead CG Supervisor: Zane Kozak
Photography: RichFury/Sphere Entertainment & Alive Coverage