Photo by Rene Huemer

Last night, Phish’s long-awaited Madison Square Garden run finally began. The show marked the first of four consecutive nights of music, set to make up for the band’s New Year’s Eve run, which was postponed due to a spike in COVID-19 cases triggered by the Omicron variant. The night, which marked the band’s 65th performance at MSG, saw a “Carini” opener, a lengthy “Down With Disease,” and an encore of” Gumbo” in honor of the 50th anniversary of the late Dr. John’s Dr. John’s Gumbo.

The last time Phish performed at “World’s Greatest Arena” was on Dec. 31, 2019, but they were situated comfortably, as MSG has hosted them more times than any other venue. They kicked the show off promptly at 8:00 p.m. with a “Carini” opener. After nearly 20-minutes, they moved into “Possum,” followed by “The Moma Dance,” which featured teaeses of “Bug” before slowing it down and allowing fans to rest for a moment with “Leaves” and “Strange Design.” “Strange Design” was last heard live on Dec. 7, 2019 – 50-shows since it’s been heard live. During the song, all four members – Trey Anastasio, Jon Fishman, Mike Gordon and Page McConnell – traded off handling lead vocals.

Next came an improvisational highlight of the first set through “Strash.” The band fooled around with tempo, tension and progression throughout the song. To close the first set, they made a nod to the high holiday of 4/20 with “Blaze On.”

After a lengthy set break, Phish opened their second set with “Sigma Oasis,” whose lyrics have taken on new meaning in the age of COVID. The track flowed into “Down With Disease,” which clocked in at over 20-minutes. The track saw Anastasio showcasing his familiarity with and influence from the supernatural stylings of Santana to the blues rock-and-rolling of Eric Clapton. Next came Phish’s third-ever take on the Sci-Fi Soldier debuted “The Howling,” which went into “Twist” and “Mountains in the Mist.” After a brief pause, they moved into a euphoric “Reba” jam which was followed by set closer “Drift While You’re Sleeping.”

For the encore, Phish returned to the stage and opened with “Gumbo” – a nod to the 50th anniversary of Dr. John’s Gumbo which was released on April 20, 1972. They paired the song with “Slave to the Traffic Light,” encouraging fans to return the next evening.

Phish are set to play at Madison Square Garden again tonight.

Phish
Madison Square Garden – New York, N.Y.
April 20, 2022

Set I: Carini > Possum, The Moma Dance > Leaves, Strange Design, Stash, Blaze On

Set II: Sigma Oasis > Down with Disease > The Howling > Twist > Mountains in the Mist, Reba, Drift While You’re Sleeping

Enc.: Gumbo, Slave to the Traffic Light