Phish are playing Fallon tonight, and ahead of that appearance — on the occasion of a new album and his upcoming 60th birthday — guitarist and frontman Trey Anastasio sat down for an interview with Rolling Stone. During the chat, Anastasio discussed the devotion of Phish’s fanbase and the way they’ve been able to maintain a sustainable level of cult stardom without truly crossing over, Grateful Dead-style. In the course of those thoughts, he brought up a comparison leveled by Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien. Here’s how Anastasio retold their conversation:

Ed O’Brien from Radiohead came to one of our shows, and gave me one of the greatest compliments in between sets. He watched the show from the audience, and then he came backstage and he said, “I spent a lot of the night facing backwards. I was watching the last row of the arena, in the way back, all the way at the top. Every single person in the room was completely involved in the concert. Usually there’s a crew up front that’s really into the band, and then there’s a crew kind of in the back that … it’s hip to come see the band.”

He was saying, “Sometimes at Radiohead shows I look back, and I think a lot of people are here because it’s cool to go see Radiohead, but they don’t necessarily know all the material, and they’re talking. And your fans are completely involved with, and informed about every detail, all the way to the back row.” And I thought that was a really astute comment, being at his first Phish concert. That’s what you get by taking your time.

He’s right — it’s way cooler to go see Radiohead! O’Brien previously told Billboard about being a Phish Head back in 2020:

I’m really influenced by Phish. I think they are just so fucking brilliant and they’re not on the radar here in Britain. I’ve just got so much respect for where they go musically. It’s like a jazz band; they are willing to take risks for a moment of musical transcendence. That’s what I’m after—I want to tap into that. I don’t think anybody opens up for Phish anymore, but if they were to do a festival, I’d love to be on their bill.

And around that time O’Brien shouted out Phish at his first-ever solo show:

Phish’s new LP Evolve is out tomorrow. Here’s the band singing Aerosmith with Jimmy Fallon in advance of The Tonight Show broadcast.