Phish’s final run of the year kicked off last night as the band once again descended on Madison Square Garden in New York City for their four-night New Year’s run that began with a successful night overall, as the quartet showcased a patient side that led to extended improv and well-played standards. 

The opening found the group in the patriotic spirit, opening with an acapella version of “The Star Spangled Banner,” the first since their November 1 show in Las Vegas, NV in 2014. With the instruments emerging, Phish rolled through a well-crafted set that included compact, precise versions of tunes like “Stealing Time from the Faulty Play,” the first Velvet Underground’s “Lonesome Cowboy Bill” since July 1, 2012 (Trey Anastasio introduced Jon Fishman as one of his favorite singers ever before the tune), a bouncy “Free” and the Mike Gordon-led “Train Song.” 

Anastasio took the lead on “Prince Caspian” and “Roggae,” each of which showed off a distinctive side of the guitarist. The soaring “Caspian” and patient “Roggae” gave way to another Gordon-led tune, “Funky Bitch” before Page McConnell took the band through “Halfway to the Moon.” 

The second bustout of the night came in “Corrina,” not played since August 8, 2012 before Anastasio once again paced the quartet on a brooding “Stash” before the rock-tinged “Cavern” set closer. 

Set two saw the quartet really stretch out in a patient, funky way starting out with one of their biggest funk vehicles, “Wolfman’s Brother.” From there, the band dove deep into TV On the Radio’s “Golden Age” to the tune of 20-minutes, exploring numerous landscapes before ascending to a euphoric, major-key section led by Anastasio and McConnell that eventually expertly found its way into “Simple.”

“Simple” kept the energy going and “Chalk Dust Torture” capitalized on that, sending the arena into its usual hysterics. One of the most creative sections of the night came in a spur-the-moment foray into “Tweezer Reprise” during “Martian Monster,” with Anastasio altering the lyrics to “Your trip is short.” The set closed with Anastasio leading the proceedings on “Wingsuit” and a Gordon-led “Possum” with a big arena rock ending. The band returned for one more dose of rock and roll with Zeppelin’s “Good Times Bad Times.” 

Phish returns to Madison Square Garden tonight. 

Here’s a look at the setlist: 

Phish
Madison Square Garden New York, NY

Set I: The Star Spangled Banner, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan, Lonesome Cowboy Bill > Free, Train Song, Prince Caspian, Roggae, Funky Bitch, Halfway to the Moon, Corinna, Stash, Cavern

Set II: Wolfman’s Brother, Golden Age > Simple > Chalk Dust Torture, Martian Monster > Tweezer Reprise > Martian Monster, Wingsuit > Possum

Enc: Good Times Bad Times

Source: Phish.net