Photo via @phishfromtheroad on Instagram, taken by Rene Huemer

On Dec. 30, 1994, Phish performed their first ever show at Madison Square Garden, during which they played a stand-out version of “Tweezer.” 25 years later, on Dec. 30, 2019, Phish played their 63rd show at the World’s Most Famous Arena, and in poetic fashion, they delivered a monumental version of “Tweezer” that lasted nearly 36 minutes.

The night began innocuously enough with a standard opening trio of “Wilson” (which also opened Dec. 30, 1994), “The Final Hurrah” and “46 Days.” The “46 Days” jam section including some thrilling tension-and-release soloing by guitarist Trey Anastasio. Next came the most significant bustout of the night: “The Ballad of Curtis Loew,” last played on Oct. 16, 2016 (121 show gap). Next, the band delivered the first improvisational highlight of the night in the form of a sprawling, patient “Blaze On.” After cooling down with “Corinna,” the band dropped in to “Mike’s Song,” followed by “Contact” and “Weekapaug Groove.” This marked the third Dec. 30 show in a row to feature a first-set Mike’s Groove. “About to Run” featured some more shredding by Anastasio before the band closed the set with “More.” (Interestingly, this was also the third Dec. 30 show to feature “More” as the first set closer.)

After a brief discussion with his bandmates, Anastasio launched into “Tweezer” to begin the second set. The band delivered a powerful type-one section of the song, lasting around 8 minutes, before they began to explore type-two territory. The remaining 20-plus minutes, though, were not mere exploration; during this “Tweezer,” Phish’s mastery of improvisational rock was on full display. They weaved effortlessly between sections, with each band member taking the lead at different times. They modulated to the key of E, moved back and forth between major and minor modes and, in real time, composed stunning musical themes with ease.

“Tweezer” finally concluded in cheeky Phish fashion with a short on “Let’s Go Blue,” perhaps as a nod to the sporting events that also take place inside MSG. Next, Anastasio began telling a story about the band’s first time playing at The Garden, which quickly devolved into a tongue-in-cheek, likely apocryphal story about the guitarist being hit in the head with a pan and screaming. During the story, drummer Jon Fishman and keyboardist Page McConnell provided goofy sound effects.

Anastasio then strummed the opening notes of “Ruby Waves,” which, perhaps not coincidentally, was the last song that Phish jammed for over 30 minutes (Jul. 14, 2019 in Alpine Valley). This version, while of course much shorter, featured some more superb type-two playing before the band opted for a slinky rendition of “Steam.” As “Steam” wrapped up, Anastasio urgently led the band back into “Tweezer,” sending the MSG crowd into a frenzy. After jamming briefly in the “Tweezer” theme, Fishman expertly adjusted the groove to match that of “Ruby Waves,” and the rest of the band modified their playing on a dime, following the drummer back to the conclusion of the song. “Slave to the Traffic Light” closed the outstanding set, followed by a short but sweet “Rock and Roll” encore. “Tweezer Reprise,” of course the typical partner of “Tweezer,” was not played; perhaps it will appear at tonight’s New Year’s Eve show.

December 30th has long been an important date in the Phish calendar. On that date, they have (among other things) debuted at MSG (1994), performed one of their finest shows of perhaps their finest tour (1997), played a more-than-adequate precursor to their marathon millennium set (1999) and, since reuniting in 2009, delivered some of the best shows of the 3.0 era (2016, 2017, 2018 and now 2019). On the 25th anniversary of their first appearance at Madison Square Garden, the band again added to the December 30th’s storied history with a show for the ages.

Phish
Dec. 30, 2019
Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y.
Set I: Wilson, The Final Hurrah, 46 Days, The Ballad of Curtis Loew, Blaze On, Corinna, Mike’s Song > Contact > Weekapaug Groove, About to Run, More

Set II: Tweezer, Pan Story*, Ruby Waves > Steam > Tweezer > Ruby Waves > Slave to the Traffic Light

Enc: Rock and Roll

*Anastasio told a surreal story centering around being hit in the head with a pan. Fishman and McConnell provided various sound effects during the story.