13 of Phish’s Best Musical Moments at MSG
There’s a reason they call Madison Square Garden the “world’s most famous arena.” Located in the heart of New York City, it has hosted countless concerts, boxing matches, and even circuses. It’s the home of the New York Knicks, the New York Rangers, and, for the next week or so, the Phish from Vermont. As Trey told Rolling Stone, “There is definitely an energy, definitely a sound at the Garden.” And he’s totally right. Where else does the floor actually sway to the music? Since 1994, the band has filled the halls of Madison Square Garden with unbelievable jams and strange spectacles while they amaze phans from New York and beyond. Looking through old MSG setlists there are too many breathtaking musical moments to count (honestly, we could have filled this whole list with the 1997 New Year’s run alone.) So, taking a comprehensive, big picture approach, here are just a few of Phish’s memorable, musical MSG moments, including one selection from this year’s Baker’s Dozen…
12/31/95 “Mike’s Groove”
This 1995 stretch of “Mike’s Groove” (a.k.a. the arc of “Mike’s Song” to “Weekapaug Groove”) is undeniably historic. From the euphoric opening guitar riff of “Mike’s Song,” the band is off to the races, with the jam really heating up around the 13-minute mark. Then, Phish sinks into the spacey Gamehendge Time Factory gag, which culminates with our own Baby New Year being lowered from the rafters to the celebratory notes of “Auld Lang Syne.” Finally, the band rings in 1996 with a triumphant, blissful “Weekapaug Groove.” In the pantheon of Phish’s New Year’s runs, 1995 is among the best, and this high-energy, 40 minute stretch of joyous jamming proves it.
10/22/96 “All Along The Watchtower” with Buddy Miles & Merl Saunders
The same show as the legendary “Freakapaug” jam, 10/22/96 was completely stacked, culminating with an “All Along The Watchtower” jam featuring Buddy Miles on drums/lead vocals, Merl Saunders on keys and a fleet of circus dancers running amok. This ‘96 gig marked Phish’s second performance of “All Along The Watchtower” ever, and the star power of having Miles and Saunders on stage created a magical atmosphere. A night like that is only possible in New York City.
12/30/97 “Pentagram Harpua”
Picking your favorite “Harpua” can be tough. Trey’s bizarre stories and the random interwoven covers are always delightful, but if we’re discussing MSG versions specifically, the “Pentagram Harpua” could be number one. Inspired by Lost In Space, this 27-minute “Harpua” features a bespectacled Tom Marshall singing “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” and a general silliness that permeates the performance, allowing the band and the crowd to laugh and grin throughout.
12/31/97 “Theme From New York, New York”
Closing (arguably) Phish’s best New Year’s run ever, the band encored 12/31/97 with their take on the city’s unofficial anthem the “Theme From New York, New York.” Leading on the grand piano, Page did his best Frank Sinatra as 20,000 New Yorkers sang along to every word and cheered whenever they could. And just in case the energy dipped, the band capped off the night with a face-melting “Tweezer Reprise.” To end a historic run with a tribute to their host city was a classy move by Phish, and it further proved how much they savor every moment they spend in the world’s most famous arena.
12/29/98 “Also Sprach Zarathustra”
Phish always takes command when it comes to “2001” jams, and this 1998 version is one for the record books. Over 17 minutes long, it burns slow with heavy improvisation in the beginning and “Crosseyed and Painless” teases throughout. Overall, this performance and the “Limb By Limb” that precedes it are airtight jams that can take you to another world. Enjoy.
12/31/98 Party Like It’s “1999”
Kicking off New Year’s 1998 with this Prince debut was classic Phish, and it set off a night of high energy fun including additional “1999” teases in “Runaway Jim.” Madison Square Garden erupted in cheers from the minute Page played the first few chords of this Prince hit, and halfway through Mike and Trey get their groove on with choreographed dance moves. To cap it off, a troupe of dancers, including an astronaut, a unicorn and a man in a business suit, take the stage to slowly lower Mike and Trey to the ground without either musician missing a note. This moment came full circle on 7/26/17 at the Baker’s Dozen when Phish played “1999” for just the second time ever.
12/4/09 “First Tube”
As we all know, 2009 is considered the beginning of 3.0 Phish. After they returned from a five-year hiatus, the band had the task of re-establishing themselves, and “First Tube” became a proving ground wherein Phish dished out smoking set enders to ecstatic crowds. On 12/4/09, it was no different. Closing out set 1, this version is highlighted by MSG’s palpable energy. Impressively, the audience’s earsplitting cheers sync up perfectly with the peaks and valleys of the song itself, creating moments of pure bliss. The audience and the band become one big ball of energy and as “First Tube” reaches its climax the crowd truly loses it. This jam declares that Phish is back and better than ever.
12/31/10 “The Holy Ghost”
What can I say that hasn’t already been said about this jam a.k.a. “The Holy Ghost”? It’s beautiful. It’s inspiring. It’s…Dare I say, perfect? Stunningly cohesive, it puts every single member of the band on top of their game and it delivers again and again. At first, Page takes the lead in the composed section, then in the main jam Mike gets possession, before handing it off to Trey for the touchdown. Listen and behold “The Holy Ghost” in all its glory.
12/31/10: The International “Meatstick” Gag
New York City has always been a hub of cultural diversity; a single, unified city made up of hundreds of distinct national identities. For their annual 2010 New Year’s gag, Phish reflected the essence of New York’s diversity by performing “Meatstick” with multi-cultural singers and dancers, all reflecting one culture or another. In addition to the song’s usual Japanese, this 2010 “Meatstick” featured lyrics in Spanish, German, Swedish and more. Top it all off, after a quick departure from the stage, the band reappeared atop their famous hotdog, and soared over Madison Square Garden, making it one of Phish’s best New Year’s gags ever.
12/28/12 “Wolfman’s Brother”
This playful “Wolfman’s Brother” was a highlight of Phish’s 2012 New Year’s run, especially the mid-jam segue into “The Little Drummer Boy.” Unpredictability is part of Phish’s M.O. and a traditional Christmas song is definitely unusual choice for the band. What makes this jam so unique is how the crowd at MSG immediately picks up on Trey’s “Little Drummer Boy” instrumentation and replies with several resounding “Ra pum pum pum”s. We’d also like to give an honorable mention to Mike’s cool, crunchy bass effect during the first portion of this jam. Nice one, Gordo.
12/31/13: JEMP Truck Set
Like most New Year’s Eve shows, 12/31/2013 was filled to the brim with memorable moments. However, what made this show particularly great that it coincided with the 30th anniversary of Phish’s inception. The antics began at the end of the first set, when a cake modeled after Phish’s Colorado ‘88 was wheeled out, cut and served to fans in the first few rows of Madison Square Garden. Then, between sets one and two, Phish played a video that showed Fishman renovating the band’s famed JEMP truck, and driving it from the snowy mountains of Vermont down to Phish’s second home of New York City. This led into the now-famous JEMP set, where the band played atop the vehicle in the middle of Madison Square Garden, using hockey sticks as mic stands as they did in their college years.
12/31/2015 Hourglass Jam
In the tradition of their annual New Year’s gag, Phish’s 2015 hourglass jam was a wonder to behold. It was visually and sonically stunning, not to mention ambitious. Popping up a small stage in the back of MSG’s floor, Phish gave fans a surprise front row seat to a “No Man in No Man’s Land,” that turned into an exploratory, ambient jam as the band was increasingly obscured by a huge hourglass and trippy visual effects. Then, after the countdown to midnight the band reappeared on the main stage to play “Auld Lang Syne” into an exuberant “Blaze On.” With the hourglass jam, the band pulled off a bold idea without a hitch and even did a little disappearing act to boot. It was a once-in-a-lifetime moment for those in attendance and it set a precedent for Phish’s increasingly theatrical and encompassing New Year’s Eve performances. Bravo!
7/25/2017 “Lawn Boy” becomes “Lawn Man”
From the moment it was announced in January 2017, The Baker’s Dozen was on the fast track to excellence. Since it began, Phish has already served up a bunch of memorable moments, but the “Jam Filled” night of 12/25/17 was on a whole other level. With a five-song first set, this show was dominated by a 30-minute “Lawn Boy” that was so jammed out and mature it has since been christened “Lawn Man.” It surprised MSG with peaks and valleys galore as well as a 2-minute reprise to end the show. All we can say is “Wow.”
