On a bitter cold Thursday night in the “World’s Most Famous Arena,” questions arose regarding Phish’s triumphant return. What would they cover? Would they finally snap the 13-0 no-repeats streak that started at the Baker’s Dozen? Is this still “Lawnboy”?
Madison Square Garden came alive as the foursome from Vermont took their places and launched into a familiar “AC/DC Bag” opener. Fans from the 2016 New Year’s run reminisced about the all acapella openers that graced the stage, but if there is one thing that keeps bringing fans back, it is the element of surprise associated with every single show. While the “Bag” didn’t produce any edible arrangements, the “Wolfman’s Brother” that followed served as the tasty treat of the first set as well as the longest track. Trey Anastasio introduced the hungry crowd to his new guitar rig and Mike Gordon floated along during this slow-building “Wolfman’s.” “Roggae” was gently placed in the third hole and mellowed out the crowd before Page McConnell led an extra-spacey “Tube” to get the Garden moving again.
Watch pro-shot video of the first set opener below, courtesy of the band.
“Bouncin’ Around the Room” kept the “Best of the 90’s” vibe rolling through the first set and set up a nice “Back On The Train.” Anticipation from the Baker’s Dozen run left dedicated fans craving the expansiveness of the legendary event where almost every jam was notable and every show was worthy of a re-listen. Thursday night’s “BOTT” didn’t touch the euphoric lift-off that was provided in July, but it certainly gave Trey some added wiggle-room to play with the updated rig. “Your Pet Cat” from the infamous Chilling Thrilling Vegas Halloween received some extra love with a fake-out ending to the delight of funk lovers. The disloyal pet-themed groove was followed by “Waking Up Dead,” a Gordon-penned original that needs to spend more time in the weight room. These two newish songs launched us back into the 90’s with a set-ending “Theme From the Bottom.” Trey shined once again with a gorgeous tone that brought the capacity crowd to a boil from the bottom of the floor to the top of the rafters.
The band picked up right where it left off with a “Wilson” second-set opener. The iconic opening riff always welcomes loyal fans and newcomers to chant the name of the hated “King of Prussia” but rarely takes a jam outside the walls of the arena. Thursday night didn’t see much extended jamming until the 40+ minute “No Men In No Man’s Land>Twist.” MSG has seen its share of instant-classic NMINMLs from the NYE prank in 2015 to the mellower Baker’s Dozen piece, but this particular version will go down as the best of 2017. Hovering between Type 1 and Type 2 jamming, Jon Fishman held his ground on the kit and didn’t allow his bandmates to travel too far into the unknown. While Page tinkered away on the synthesizer and gave the interstellar spark to the Big Boat tune, Mike attacked with bass bombs that literally left the ground shaking.
Watch pro-shot video of the second set opener below, courtesy of the band.
Underground in the NYC subway system, there is a frequent announcement, “If you see something say something.” Up above in Manhattan’s largest venue, the crowd created a new message, “If you hear something, feel something.” A thunderous applause concluded the “NMINML” and set up a smooth and steady “Twist.” Die-hards reminisced about the soaring Baker’s Dozen synth provided by Page and he delivered once again during this delicate December version. Trey began forging a new path with help from Page towards the middle of the jam but once again doesn’t veer too far off the beaten path. While the band certainly doesn’t sound rusty, the first night of a 4-show run will generally leave room for growth and Thursday proves that theory.
The third jam of the second set came in the form of “Everything’s Right” where we saw Trey visibly giddy to give the new tune the extended love it deserves. Since its debut in Chicago this past July, there hasn’t been a boring version yet. While the opening groove comes off plain and simple, just hold tight, the funky jam gives all four members time in the spotlight and promising a bigger and brighter future for this ditty. The fans soon forgot that “Twist” was axed without warning and they sunk their teeth into the meat of “Everything’s Right.” The spaceship was about to blast off during the inviting “Also Sprach Zarathustra” which melted into the Garden favorite, “Harry Hood” set closer. The one-two punch of “The Wedge” and “Slave to the Traffic Light” in the encore suggested that Phish was ready to break free of the donut-themed covers we came to know during the good old summertime.
Over 21-years ago we saw the culmination of Phish’s iconic tour-closer in Vegas ’96. The first-set YEM vocal jam contained the entire band chanting “Donuts, I love Donuts” repeatedly for an eerily extended period. Later in the show during one of the most extravagant versions of “Harpua” in history, Trey tells the audience that they need to put all their money on #17. The band is currently making history by performing 17 shows at the Garden this year and #14 did not disappoint. While there are many unanswered questions in the Phish universe and we still don’t know if Trey can see into the future, it is safe to say that everything is in its right place. 25% of the 2017 New Year’s Run is complete and each song played on Thursday was also played during the Baker’s Dozen run suggesting that the band is ready to repeat again. There are sure to be more surprises during the next three sold-out nights and if you are lucky enough to hold a ticket stub in your hand, you may find some of the answers you’re looking for.
Check out the full gallery below, courtesy of photographer Andrew Blackstein.
Setlist: Phish | Madison Square Garden | New York City, NY | 12/28/17
I: AC/DC Bag, Wolfman’s Brother, Roggae, Tube > Bouncing Around the Room, Back on the Train, Your Pet Cat, Waking Up Dead > Theme From the Bottom
II: Wilson > No Men In No Man’s Land > Twist > Everything’s Right > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Harry Hood
E: The Wedge, Slave to the Traffic Light