Photo by RJ Bee
Last night, Dec. 29, Phish continued their beloved annual New Year’s Eve run at the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York City. The evening was a perfect example of Phish locking into the feeling of being right at home in the arena; they wasted no time making a memorable night with a first set equipped with a pristine “Fluffhead,” the debut of “Hey Stranger” and a second set that was unarguably an absolutely party.
The opening “Fluffhead” immediately separated the second evening from the first, which was tamer, as it stretched into darker territory and stretched over 20 minutes. The abstract no-holds-barred performance continued as Phish played “Your Pet Cat” equipped with roaring samples of feline vocalizations from Page McConnell’s synth. The ocean of fans were then able to join in on vocals during the 17-minute “Bathtub Gin,” which followed and ebbed and flowed, ultimately ending in a high-energy climax. Next, the ensemble nodded to one another in agreement and played their debut of “Hey Stranger” from Trey Anastasio’s 2022 solo record Mercy. From there, they jammed from “Tube” into “Slave to the Traffic Light,” the latter making its stand in the first frame for only the fifth time in a decade. The song seemed fitting to close the set, but they followed it up with “Blaze On,” which added an additional 10 minutes of heat to the mix.
With a gold standard first set squared away, Phish again wasted no time to keep the quality consistent by opening with “David Bowie.” The placement marked the first time Phish has started a set with the track since 2010 and the first time they used it to open a second set since 1998. After the unexpected start, and a smooth “Everything’s Right” Phish went big with “You Enjoy Myself.” The Madison Square Garden run namesake, which made its debut at the venue 10,226 shows ago, felt like it could go in many directions but eventually smoothly transitioned into the tender Anastasio penned “Lonely Trip” electing fans to look around at one another and towards the band with appreciation that their vessels did indeed meet. From there they played “Get Back on the Train” and closed the set with “Character Zero” – though the energy smoothed out following “Lonely Trip” the band left the crowd feeling like the encore could be something special – and it was.
They started the final two songs of the evening with “Guyute” and the complex guitar throughout gave good reason they’ve only played it only 11 times prior to last night in the past 10 years. The arrangements in the track made for many moments for the energy and awe to return to thousands in the room and once they moved into a rocking “Possum” it was clear the show was one for the books. As the song came to a conclusion Anastasio said a loving bantering farewell four times, saying “Don’t do anything we wouldn’t do,” before shouting, “How come you get all the fun, and we do all the work? Tell us where the party is, we’re coming,” with a huge satisfied smile.
Phish will return to Madison Square Garden for night three of their New Year’s run tonight. If you’re unable to make it in person livestream the shows here.
Enjoy the opening tracks from both sets below.
“Fluffhead”
“David Bowie”
Phish
Madison Square Garden
Dec. 29, 2022
Set I: Fluffhead[1] -> Your Pet Cat > Bathtub Gin > Hey Stranger[2], Tube > Slave to the Traffic Light, Blaze On
Set II: David Bowie, Everything’s Right > You Enjoy Myself > Ruby Waves > Lonely Trip, Back on the Train > Character Zero
Enc.: Guyute, Possum
[1] Unfinished.
[2] Phish debut.
Fluffhead was unfinished. Trey teased Dave’s Energy Guide in Bathtub Gin. This show featured the Phish debut of Hey Stranger. Trey teased Heartbreaker in Ruby Waves.
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