Photo by Rene Huemer

Last night, Phish launched their annual New Year’s Eve run at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, marking their 69th show at the World’s Most Famous Arena and the first proper YEMSG in three years – following the COVID-19 Pandemic and their iconic rescheduled 2022 shows that coincided with Earth Day. The evening saw many fan favorites and a jam-packed second set which proved to be a smooth start to the marathon stint.

Phish–comprised of Trey Anastasio, Page McConnell, Jon Fishman and Mike Gordon–opened the first of their final shows of 2022 with “Buried Alive” before moving into the 1994 favorite “Wolfman’s Brother,” then “Maze.” They continued with a pairing of “Sigma Oasis” and “NICU.” Next came “Steam” and “Tela,” then the first set’s penultimate song, “Stash,” before they closed with “Open and Melt.”

For the second set, Phish played a non-stop jam of songs that have taken them through the year, starting with “Free.” Without pause, they flowed into “A Wave Hope,” which featured a preview tease of “Twist,” before moving to “It’s Ice,” which Phish performed only previously in 2022: at Jones Beach in Wantagh, N.Y. They then warmed the crowd up with “Leaves,” which melded into “Simple” and then “Plasma.” The set came to its crux as they returned to “Twist” and closed with the ever-uniting “Harry Hood.”

After much applause and joy from fans, many of whom had great difficulty traveling to the venue due to inclement weather and retroactive travel delays, Phish returned to encore with an extended jam of “Esther” > “46 Days.”

Phish will return to Madison Garden to continue their annual and iconic New Year’s Run tonight.

If you’re unable to attend Phish in person, watch the shows here.

Phish
Madison Square Garden – New York City
Dec. 28, 2022

Set I: Buried Alive, Wolfman’s Brother, Maze, Sigma Oasis > NICU, Steam, Tela, Stash, Split Open and Melt

Set II: Free > A Wave of Hope -> It’s Ice > Leaves > Simple -> Plasma -> Twist > Harry Hood

Enc.: Esther > 46 Days

Trey teased A Wave of Hope in Twist.