After a solid opening night at Madison Square Garden, Phish continued their run by ringing in the new year with three spirited sets at the New York venue.

The quartet wasted no time picking back up from where they left off the night before, jumping right into “The Moma Dance” which gave way to “Possum” followed by a chunky “Wolfman’s Brother.” “I Didn’t Know” started with Jon Fishman, introduced by Trey Anastasio as “The Man Mulcahy,” turning frontman with his trusty vacuum and ended with an audience sing-along during the last verse. Fishman then invited the audience to join him in singing “Happy Birthday” to his daughter Ella.

The first sent continued with the Chilling, Thrilling Sounds cut “Martian Monster” followed by a clean and vibrant “Reba” that included a whistling section before it’s end. To close, Phish revved up the energy with a “Walls of the Cave” that brought the band into the first break with momentum.

Set number two came out displaying similar energy with “The Wedge” and a crowd-assisted “Wilson,” which gave way to “A Song I heard the Ocean Sing.” The set started to chug uphill with the reggae gait of “Yarmouth Road” then caught fire with an extended jam spawning from “Kill Devil Falls.” All bets were off when a short Piper led into a set-closing “Twist” that provided one of the highlights of the night with a deep, funky groove that brought the band into the final intermission.

As usual, Phish had a surprise in store for the final set, and this year’s performance saw the band performing at the bottom of an hourglass tent on the opposite side of the venue, with psychedelic visuals on the top portion and a spectacular light show going on around it. The band started off with the recent “No Men In No Man’s Land,” an appropriate title for their location on the MSG floor, stretching the song out to over 20 minutes as the four members faced each other in the hourglass and played toward the new year.

As midnight drew near, smoke filled the band’s small playing space and one by one the members exited the hourglass, but the music kept playing even as they abandoned their instruments. As the countdown finished and the balloons rained down, the quartet, back on the main stage, struck up the traditional “Auld Lang Syne” which quickly morphed into “Blaze On,” starting the year with some real zest.

The third set also included a playful “Carini” and a rollercoaster “David Bowie” that built up from nothing and hit a satisfying peak. The set ended by continuing the time theme with “Silent in the Morning” and a bouncy “Backwards Down the Number Line.” The band then returned to the stage for a short but sweet encore of “Tube” into “Cavern.”

Consult the full setlist below. Phish will continue their four-night Madison Square Garden run tonight.

Phish
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

Set I: The Moma Dance > Possum, Wolfman’s Brother, Birds of a Feather, I Didn’t Know, Happy Birthday to You, Martian Monster, Reba, Walls of the Cave

Set II: The Wedge, Wilson > A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing, Yarmouth Road, Kill Devil Falls > Piper > Twist

Set III: No Men In No Man’s Land, Auld Lang Syne > Blaze On > Carini > David Bowie, The Horse > Silent in the Morning > Backwards Down the Number Line

Enc: Tube > Cavern

Source: Phish.net