Fans react after Phish snubbed by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame despite winning fan vote by huge lead

29 April, 2025

Fans of Phish have taken to social media to react to the band being snubbed by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Yesterday (April 28), the Rock Hall announced the inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class of 2025. While the likes of  The White Stripes, Cyndi Lauper, OutKast, Soundgarden and more are being honoured later this year, fans were shocked to discover that Phish will not be inducted this year.

Phish’s snub is all the more surprising, as the band led the Rock Hall’s fan vote by a huge lead, scoring a whopping 330,000 votes compared to runner-up Bad Company, who scored 281,000 votes. However, Bad Company were yesterday named as one of the several acts to be inducted this November.

Phish's Trey Anastasio performs live
Phish’s Trey Anastasio. Credit: Keith Griner/Getty Images

While Phish won the fan poll by a wide margin, all fan votes collectively only account for one single ballot, with a total of 1,200 ballots making up the Rock Hall’s selection committee. The remain ballots are made up of artists and industry professionals.

Following the inductees being announced yesterday, fans took to social media to air their grievances – check out a few reactions below.

One fan wrote: “Phish is the only fan vote winner not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. An all-time snub. Few bands have been as successful and culturally relevant for so long… it’ll happen one day, we are everywhere.”

Another wrote: “The audacity of @rockhall denying @phish their rightful spot in the hall of fame, while their famous hot dog is on display in the LOBBY is beyond comprehension”.

Also commenting on Phish’s iconic hot dog float being on display at the Rock Hall building, another fan wrote: “The rock & roll hall of fame should be required to give the hot dog back if they aren’t going to actually induct phish in”.

Another hit out at the music industry: “A reminder that we don’t need to seek validation from an industry that never understood phish or took them seriously in the first place. WE know they are the greatest band in the world, that’s all that matters. Its a club and they ain’t in it.”

Others have called the rock hall’s decision “bullshit”, an “absolute joke” and “mockery of the entire institution”, and “piss poor judgement”. See more reactions below.

Among the other high-profile acts who made the longlist but ultimately did not make the cut for induction in 2025 are Oasis, Mariah Carey, Phish, Billy Idol, The Black Crowes and Joy Division/New Order. It marks the second time that Oasis and Joy Division/New Order have been snubbed from induction.

Similarly, Oasis fans took to social media to comment on the Britpop icons’ snub: “Typical, innit? Outkast’s good, but Oasis practically invented Britpop—missed a trick there.” Some also suggested that the band wouldn’t care about their omission anyway, with one writing: “I think Noel is far more concerned about Man United to be honest.” Check out more reactions below.

Despite being snubbed for the second time, it doesn’t appear as though Oasis will really mind, as frontman Liam Gallagher reacted to the news of Oasis’ nomination this year saying: “RNR hall of fame is for WANKERS,” in a post on X/Twitter. One fan replied to his tweet and asked: “What are you gonna do if you win?,” with the ‘Wonderwall’ hitmaker saying: “Obv go and say it’s the best thing EVER”.

Noel and Liam Gallagher in 1995. CREDIT: Dave Hogan/Getty Images

It echoes comments he made after being nominated for the first time in 2024: “Fuck the Rock n Roll hall of fame its full of BUMBACLARTS,” he wrote on X, going on to tell a fan who was planning on voting to not “waste your time”, adding that “as much as it’s appreciated it’s all a load of bollox”.

As for Phish, they just wrapped up a tour of the US on April 27 with a trio of shows at the Hollywood Bowl. A vocal supporter of the band has been US game show host Drew Carey, who last year compared Phish’s Las Vegas Sphere to U2’s history-making residency at the venue: “It blew my mind how great it was… three songs into Thursday night with Phish at the Sphere, I honestly was kinda mad. I wanted to call U2 and get my money back. It made them look like a bar band.”

Carey’s comparison of U2 and Phish at the Sphere comes after he previously proclaimed last month that he would “stick his dick in a blender” after seeing Phish. After being introduced to the band at the Sphere, Phish took the liberty of sending him a blender and signed it too.

The post Fans react after Phish snubbed by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame despite winning fan vote by huge lead appeared first on NME.