Phish is a band on fire. Through the first two nights of their run at Madison Square Garden, the group has continually raised the bar with top notch jamming and great song selection. The feel goodery of #MSGHoodGuy certainly exemplified that feeling on 12/29, leaving fans excited for the two nights ahead. Somehow, after two great shows, the band managed to push things to the next level, ultimately playing one of their best shows of the year.

For the third night running, Phish opened their show with an a cappella selection. This time, it was “Carolina,” a traditional folk song played for the first time since 2003! If the opening bust out got things going, then the subsequent “Blaze On” really set the stage for a great night ahead. “Blaze” has quickly ascended the ranks of Phish’s catalog in its year and a half lifespan, and was met with cheering and singing galore through the crowd. This was also the first Big Boat song played in the MSG run, ruling out a potential full album cover on New Year’s Eve.

Watch “Carolina” and “Blaze On” below, courtesy of LivePhish.

“The Moma Dance” came out next, treating the crowd to some pure Phish funk. Jon Fishman led the song with his tight drumming and lead vocals, keeping the fans dancing gleefully. This version felt as though it had a slightly slower tempo than the average “Moma,” but that only served to infuse more of a funk groove to the tune. They kept up that groove with “Gumbo”, continuing the dance party with the classic song. Page McConnell was the clear MVP of “Gumbo” song, closing out the song with a killer solo on the clavs. Just pure funk. Almost immediately, the band broke into a cover of Talking Heads’ “Cities,” continuing a funk-fueled run of songs in the first set. They led “Cities” into an ambient mellow jam, before ending it smoothly.

For a change of pace, the band played “The Old Home Place” next, stretching their bluegrass legs on the standard tune. Played for the second time this year but only the fourth time in 3.0, this was a fun rendition that kept fans smiling. Those grins turned into an all-out celebration when Trey Anastasio rocked the opening notes of “Bathtub Gin.” For a first set “Gin,” this was some top notch jamming, with some melodic interplay between Page and Trey that peaked into the final riff. Page then took the lead for the next song, his fun Big Boat original, “Things People Do”. The playful tune was a joyous interlude, before the band burst out into “My Friend My Friend.” The band navigated the tight composition with ease, but substituted the “Myfe” ending for the powerful opening bars of “Wilson.” The first Gamehendge song of the MSG run was met with incredible cheers throughout The Garden.

They followed “Wilson” with a fun take on “Sugar Shack,” leaving time for one more song to close the set. Unexpectedly, that song was an awesome “You Enjoy Myself,” basking MSG with their trampoline-laden opus after withholding it throughout fall tour. The crowd’s response to the first lyric, “Boy!”, was deafening; a true celebration. Trey and Mike Gordon‘s choreographed trampoline moves also inspired cheers from the various sections that they faced, playing a fun call-and-response type game within the circular venue. It’s also worth mentioning just how on point Chris Kuroda‘s lighting was during this whole show, and specifically in “YEM”. His use of the new overhead crowd lights adds a layer of excitement, as colors pinged throughout the entire venue during the vocal jam. Yet another reason they call it #YEMSG.

It was one Phish staple to another, as the band that had just played “YEM” returned to the stage with the bluesy opening riff of “Tweezer.” The crowd immediately indulged the groove, as Phish curated an excellent jam session that started with some thick guitar tones before moving into a melodic ambient segment. After a bass bomb from Mike, they moved into a rock and roll shuffle jam before segueing remarkably into a cover of The Who‘s instrumental piece, “Sparks.” Phish hadn’t played “Sparks” since their all-S performance at Dick’s in 2011, a gap of 201 shows. It was another joyous surprise from Phish in an MSG run that has been heavy on bust outs, and they nailed the Tommy track in style.

Watch “Tweezer” below, courtesy of LivePhish.

The set was far from over, and Trey immediately hit the opening riff of “Ghost” to get the crowd cheering once more. The band worked tightly through the “Ghost” jam, getting into a cohesive funky jive and never relenting on it. They would ultimately emerge after 15 minutes or so with the opening chords of “Light,” one of the biggest improvisational highlights of the night. The jam of “Light” always starts in a bright and melodic place, but Phish gradually veered it into a deeper pocket groove. Trey brought in some Plinko guitar playing and Page accompanied on his clav, as Mike and Fish worked a hearty rhythm for the fans getting down at MSG. Once they got into a steady rhythm, another 15 minutes or so into the jam, Trey started singing the lyrics of “Party Time.” It’s unclear whether it was planned or spontaneous, much like the “Martian Monster”/”Tweezer Reprise” and “Twenty Years Later”/”Kung” mashups of the first two nights, but the energy was downright electric. After almost a full hour of non-stop music, Phish ended “Party Time” and gave themselves a moment to breathe.

That moment continued through an emotional performance of “Wading in the Velvet Sea,” as the soothing Page McConnell song ultimately served as the single slow-down moment of the entire performance. They picked back up with “Rocky Top,” the second bluegrass song of the night sung by Mike. It was an exciting end to a great set of fluid Phish performing.

After a cheer-filled momentary pause, the band returned for their encore and broke out into Velvet Underground’s “Rock and Roll.” The high energy cover was well received, triumphantly helping to close out a great show. The final number was, of course, “Tweezer Reprise,” stepping into the freezer one last time. As a reference to the two mashups from earlier in the run, Phish teased snippets of both “Martian Monster” and “Kung” within “Tweezer Reprise,” showing off their playful side that never fails to entertain.

Phish will return to Madison Square Garden tonight, December 31st, for one final performance of their four-night New Year’s run. You can see the Phish.net setlist from last night’s show, below.

Setlist: Phish | Madison Square Garden | New York, NY | 12/30/16

Set 1: Carolina, Blaze On, The Moma Dance > Gumbo > Cities, The Old Home Place, Bathtub Gin, Things People Do, My Friend, My Friend[1], Wilson, Sugar Shack, You Enjoy Myself

Set 2: Tweezer > Sparks > Ghost > Light -> Party Time Jam, Wading in the Velvet Sea > Rocky Top

Encore: Rock and Roll, Tweezer Reprise

[1] No “Myfe” ending.

This show was webcast via Live Phish. Carolina was last played on March 1, 2003 (378 shows). My Friend did not contain the “Myfe” ending. Sparks was last played on September 2, 2011 (201 shows). Tweezer Reprise contained Martian Monster and Kung quotes.

[Cover photo by Andrew Scott Blackstein]