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Phish on NYD at MSG

There are a lot of dates on the Phish fans’ calendar that have become sacred over the years, a reason to celebrate, a simple arrangement of numbers that raises the burden of expectation for the band even higher than usual. I’m thinking of obvious ones like 12/31 and 10 /31 or historically significant ones like 12/29. Suffice to say that if you walk into an arena in any given year to see Phish on one of those dates you’re expecting greatness because, more often than not, that is what they have delivered. In tandem with these significant dates come particular venues in Phish history. If you happen to pay a visit to Red Rocks, Alpine Valley or the Hampton Coliseum for a show you’ll be in the mindframe that something special is going to happen. Madison Square Garden is no different; we all know the history of the venue and the dates of significance.

So the feeling of walking into the world’s most famous arena on New Year’s Day to see Phish on the heels of two straight nights of webcast viewing for me was a little surreal, almost akin to watching the Super Bowl on TV one night and then going to see a regular season game at the same venue on the very next day. Playing a show on New Year’s Day, at Madison Square Garden of all places, raised a lot of questions for an admittedly overly analytical Phish fan. Would it be anti-climatic playing right after NYE? Could the crowd’s energy level possibly be as high? Would the group construct one of those had to be there/kitchen sink set lists or play it straight? Could it live up to the formidable legacy of what is, in essence, my home venue? One thing any football fan knows though is that oftentimes a regular season game can be more entertaining and significant than the championship, and it was this analogy that ultimately proved applicable. I’ll let someone who witnessed both nights in person decide on the worthiness of NYE vs. NYD but what I can tell you is there is no reason to fret anymore if they decide to make this an annual addition to the calendar, as Phish delivered once again.

Placed into the context of 2009-2010 Phish, this show had everything you could ask for: a thoughtful setlist that flowed well with a couple of surprise inclusions and jams that eked towards unbridled improvisation without ever fully crossing over but still managing to captivate.

Large chunks of the setlist probably wrote itself after perusing the selections from the first four holiday tour shows. It’s a shame you can’t gamble on those selections because anyone who follows the band could have called “Tube,” “Reba,” ”Runaway Jim,” or “Simple” with reasonable certainty and made some safe cash. That is not to say that all the selections were perfunctory, as those willing to take a risk could have hit big on “Crosseyed and Painless,” “Round Room” and “Walls of the Cave,” which were all long shots.

The night’s first surprise inclusion, “Round Room,” emanated after much onstage discussion in the middle of the first set. It was the first version since 2003 and it was well rehearsed and very welcome, as I’ve always been a fan of its quirky lyrics and lilting groove. As for “Walls of the Cave,” I’m guilty of probably never listening to this one outside of the one time I saw them perform it in 2003 and maybe one full sampling of the studio version. I can’t say I was thrilled when they started it up but by the time the first set closed I was a convert, it positively dripped with passion and was an excellent way to close out the first set.

While many of the 2009-2010 “Reba’s” have not felt inspired to me, the version they dropped was a monster, the highlight of the first set along with an excellent “Divided Sky” and the two surprise Round Room tracks. Check out the trilling, bird call runs that Anastasio pulls off in the build up to the shredding peak of this utterly transcendent take on the old classic. If all that is not enough to convince you of the worthiness of this first set than check out “Walk Away,” the James Gang cover, for more evidence of the re-emergence of Trey Anastasio’s guitar pyrotechnics.