ALBANY, N.Y. — Vermont-bred jam band Phish hit all the right notes last weekend — paying homage to one of their biggest influences, delighting fans with improvisational takes on songs old and new, and raising funds for people recovering from substance use disorders.

Phish returned to MVP Arena for the first time since 2018, playing a special three-night run benefitting the Divided Sky Foundation, the Trey Anastasio-founded organization that provides “educational and introspective programming to foster a sober and productive foundation for individuals affected by addiction” via its Divided Sky Residential Recovery Retreat in Ludlow, Vt.

As fans made their way to the state’s capital on Friday, it was expected that the weekend’s beneficiary would be at the emotional center of the band's performance — given Anastasio's own struggles with addiction, which derailed Phish for several years, and his recovery journey over the last 18 years.

Then, fans got word that Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh had died at age 84. Most in attendance seemed certain that the band — guitarist and lead vocalist Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman and keyboardist Page McConnell — would pay their respects to Lesh, an icon who helped blaze the trail they have followed for decades and with whom all of them have collaborated in various formations.

Sure enough, Phish kicked off their Friday show with a debut cover of the Lesh/Robert Hunter classic “Box of Rain.” Gordon, a devoted Deadhead in his youth, also wore one of the Dead co-founder’s trademark red, white and blue wristbands throughout the show. The night’s setlist was dotted with songs that could be seen as both tributes to Lesh’s passing and/or Divided Sky’s recovery efforts, beginning with the reflective “Dirt,” the spiritual release of “Free,” and the familiar bounce of “Wolfman’s Brother” (a favorite of Phil’s in the Phish songbook).

Friday's second set included an explosive “Blaze On” that celebrated the elusive joy of mortality (“You got one life, blaze on”) before sliding into a 19-minute, improvisational-heavy “Piper” and the fan favorite “Tweezer.”

After celebrating Lesh's spirit on Friday, the band touched on Divided Sky-appropriate lyrical themes of recovery and renewal on Saturday with songs such as “Sigma Oasis,” “Back on the Train,” “Bouncin’ Around The Room,” and the set-closing “More,” which hit the Foundation’s message on the nose: “There must be something more than this.”

Saturday's second set was highlighted by jam-centric songs “Ruby Waves” and “Fuego” along with the positive affirmations of the TV on the Radio cover “Golden Age.” “Lonely Trip,” Anastasio’s pandemic-era message to those struggling with isolation, encouraged lost souls to keep searching, while a joyful “Harry Hood” rounded out set two on a note of positivity and gratitude.

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On Sunday, the band pushed boundaries and explored the unknown, including one of the newest songs in its catalog, “What’s Going Through Your Mind,” and a rare take on the Gordon-penned deep cut “Access Me.” “My Friend, My Friend” continued that trend with a spooky jam and explosive finish, before the set hit its high point with the reliable rocker “Kill Devil Falls.” The set also included a tease-filled "Chalk Dust Torture" and the triumphant peak of "Most Events Aren't Planned," a holdover from McConnell's side project Vida Blue.

The extended encore went "old school" with the guitar extravaganza of “Gotta Jiboo” and the uplifting spirit of “Waste” and “Bug,” before sending the fans out happy with a closing “Character Zero.”

Ironically — or maybe in keeping with the band's contrarian spirit — Phish did not play "Divided Sky," the song that lends its name to the recovery program, in any of the three concerts.

This has been an eventful year-and-a-half for Phish, whose members met and started the band as students at the University of Vermont in 1983. Last year, Phish performed two benefit concerts at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center that generated $3.5 million in relief funds to support victims recovering from the July 2023 floods that devastated parts of Vermont and upstate New York.

In April of this year, the quartet performed four sold-out shows at the Sphere in Las Vegas, the new $2.3 billion immersive arena that offered a game-changing canvas for the band's signature light shows and "never the same song twice" concert format.

In July, the band delivered its 16th studio album, "Evolve," and followed with the successful continuation of its festival format, a four-day series of concerts called "Mondegreen," in Dover, Delaware.

Next up for Phish is the band’s return to New York City's Madison Square Garden for its traditional New Year’s run Dec. 28 to 31.