Phish‘s annual New Year’s Eve run is quickly approaching! While people figure out their tickets, plan their travel, book their hotels, and generally prepare for the madness that is New Year’s Eve in New York City, it’s important to remember that, outside of the four nights at Madison Square Garden, there are a ton of awesome shows planned as pre and post parties throughout the city. There’s something for everyone, from funk to jazz to straight up jams, so we hope to make your decisions easier by presenting this comprehensive guide of best pre-show and post-show parties for this year’s Phish New Year’s Eve run!
**CEG & Phishafterparties.com are giving away a pair of tickets for the Phish New Year’s Eve show and tickets to the Phish After-Party series too! Enter to win here**
Wednesday, December 28th
Particle – American Beauty – 11:55pm
Particle is one of the most reliable late-night bands in the biz. They always bring a high-energy dance party, with keyboard wizard Steve Molitz leading the charge. Expect electronic beats, quality jams, and fun covers when Particle takes the stage with their brand of “Space Porn Funk” at American Beauty, which is located just one block from Madison Square Garden. The band will be coming off a long, three-month tour with Kung Fu earlier in the month, so expect Particle to be a well-oiled machine when they get to New York City for this year’s annual New Year’s run late-night. [Buy tickets here]
Aqueous & Mungion – DROM – 11:30pm
This duo of up-and-coming jam bands is sure to rock any rock fans to their core. Both bands are tight as hell and know how to deliver the goods in the live setting. Mungion will take the stage first, and their progressive compositions and energetic jams are sure to bring the thunder. Buffalo, NY’s high-energy Aqueous will close things out with a showcase of their exciting dual-guitar attack and ambitious improvisation. This will be an awesome way to kick off the New Year’s run, with two of the best up-and-coming bands in the scene putting on a clinic at DROM. [Buy tickets here]
Thankful For Amy (Winehouse) – The Cutting Room – 11:55pm
If all-star tribute shows are your game, look no further than “Thankful For Amy” at The Cutting Room. The show is headlined by former American Idol contestant and all-around badass Elise Testone, who has really made a name for herself in the Northeast in 2016. With tributes to Michael Jackson and Led Zeppelin also in her repertoire, Testone’s tribute to Amy Winehouse is perhaps her best-known act, with Winehouse’s soulful catalog providing the perfect showcase for Testone’s powerful vocals. She’ll be joined by an excellent cast of musicians for this gig, with Jay Jennings from Snarky Puppy, Natalie Cressman from the Trey Anastasio Band, Jay Rodriguez of Groove Collective, Antoine Katz of Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles, and Adam Fallen from Rhythm & Stealth on the bill, with Trey Cooper and Kyle McCarter rounding things out. [Buy tickets here]
Hayley Jane and The Primates Do Bowie – BB King’s Blues Club – 11:55pm
2016 was such a sad year for the music world. We lost Prince, Sharon Jones, Leon Russel, Bernie Worrell, Phife Dog and Maurice White (among many others) in what can only be described as a tragic year. Perhaps the biggest loss of 2016 was David Bowie. The beloved rock ‘n’ roll icon spent years cultivating one of the best and most consistent catalogs in music, constantly delivering top-shelf material that continued to blow our minds with his final album, Blackstar, released just two days before his untimely death. On Wednesday, December 28th, Hayley Jane and The Primates will bring a raucous tribute to the “Thin White Duke” to the cozy confines of BB King’s Blues Club, giving fans one more opportunity to celebrate the life and music of the great David Bowie before bringing the awful year that was 2016 to a close on a high note. [Buy tickets here]
Madaila – Arlene’s Grocery – 11:55pm
Psych-pop upstarts Madaila will bring their synth-heavy vibes to the famed Arlene’s Grocery for an intimate post-Phish late night that is sure to satisfy fans with a more pop-centric lean. The band’s groove-oriented material is a welcome change of pace to the scene, drawing inspiration from Prince and Frank Ocean, and psychedelic rock. The band’s tight compositions, funky melodies, and impressive harmonies set them up for an exciting live show, and they are sure to surprise you with their skillful and thoughtful improvisation. [Buy tickets here]
Thursday, December 29th
Kung Fu – The Cutting Room – 11:55pm
Kung Fu are the masters of progressive funk. Their thunderous live performance is a familiar mashup of jazz fusion and improvisational bliss, with their tight compositions buoyed by an adventurous ability to jam. Guitarist Tim Palmieri delivers a masterclass on a nightly basis, continuously showing off the top-notch skills that have set him apart from the pack for years now. The band’s musical ability is huge, their jams are top notch, and they perform a number of fun and awesome covers. What more could you ask for from a Phish late night show? [Buy tickets here]
Dead Sessions – American Beauty – 4:00pm & 11:55pm
Vermont’s longtime cover band Dead Sessions will be bringing their unique brand of the Grateful Dead catalog to American Beauty both before and after Phish takes the stage. Dead Sessions will perform a pre-show party at 4pm and will return for a fun late night performance at 11:55pm. Ever since Dead Sessions’s formation in 1998, the band has featured a who’s who of guest musicians, with their rotating lineup allowing for members of Trey Anastasio Band, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Assembly of Dust, RAQ, Gordon Stone and more to perform with the band, including Phish archivist Kevin Shapiro on drums. This has been a reliable sellout each year in larger rooms like BB King’s and Highline Ballroom, so get your tickets now! [Buy tickets for the early show here, and the late show here]
lespecial and Chromatropic – DROM – 11:55pm
lespecial has quietly made a name for themselves as one of the best young bands in the Northeast. After cutting their teeth in the Boston music scene, they’ve brought their “Aggressive death-funk dance” music on the road with awesome success, impressing audiences up and down the east coast with their flowing, electronic grooves. They’ll be joined by jazzy jamtronica act Chromatropic, who’ll add a pulsating energy to the mix. If you go to this show, make sure to bring your dancing shoes, as the energy and good vibes will be turned up to maximum from the moment Chromotropic hits the stage. [Buy tickets here]
Galactic – PlayStation Theater – 11:30pm
Galactic will be hitting Times Square’s PlayStation Theater for a huge late-night show that’s sure to keep every funk fan dancing until sunrise. Stanton Moore and co. always know how to throw a party, and on this evening they’ll be joined by TAUK, who will be opening the show before heading up north to link up with Lettuce for two NYE-run shows. John Medeski will be the evening’s special guest, adding to the shows eclectic lineup. Times Square is a zoo this time of year, but close your eyes and make a bee-line for the PlayStation Theater, and you shall be rewarded with a night of down and dirty New Orleans funk music. [Buy tickets here]
Friday, December 30th
Holly Bowling – The Cutting Room – 4:00pm
Holly Bowling has been on an absolute tear recently. She turned in a masterful performance at Brooklyn Comes Alive, she released a new album of Grateful Dead material to go along with her Phish covers, she got to perform with both Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, and she was recently featured in this month’s “10 New Artists You Need To Know” segment in Rolling Stone magazine. Luckily for New York-area Phish fans, Bowling has been tapped to perform a pre-Phish show at The Cutting Room. Bowling will hit venue on December 30th, and she’ll be sure to deliver her mesmerizing brand of Phish and Dead covers for a memorable musical journey. [Buy tickets here]
PhanArt Presents: Formula 5 – American Beauty – FREE Show – 3:00pm
When on a major Phish run, phans have come to count on PhanArt as their go-to for all things phan-made. While it is incredible to organize so many artists in one place, the shows often take place in conference rooms in hotels or event centers, giving them a trade show vibe as opposed to a community hang (the most recent event at Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas is an outlier). Well, this year in New York City, PhanArt is taking thins up a notch, bringing a standard art show to the Hotel Penn, as well as a special showcase at American Beauty that will feature two sets of music from up-and-coming funk jam band Formula 5. This show will be the ultimate pre-Phish hang, with tons of incredible art to see and/or purchase, several bars, free pizza with your drinks, and a quick one-block walk to MSG come show time. [more info here]
Galactic – PlayStation Theater – 11:30pm
Galactic will return to the PlayStation Theater for night two of their Phish late-night run. They’ll be joined by Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds for this show, so don’t miss out! [Buy tickets here]
Marcus King Band – The Cutting Room – 11:55pm
Marcus King Band are a force to be reckoned with. After releasing an album produced by venerable icon Warren Haynes, King and his cohorts just announced a tour with Eric Krasno Band, as he continues his ascension through the blues guitar ranks. King’s show at The Cutting Room should be a classic, with his reinvention of the blues genre bringing his music to audiences young and old. King is an old soul, and it shows in his songwriting and overall approach to music. Simply put, the kid is on the rise, and he’ll bring his raw musical talents to New York City for a truly memorable performance on December 30th. [Buy tickets here]
Pink Talking Fish: Animals – Gramercy Theater – 11:55pm
PTF have blown up over the past two years, turning into one of the best and most in-demand tribute acts on the live circuit. The band delivers top notch covers of Phish, The Talking Heads, and Pink Floyd, fitting all three band’s unique styles together and turning them into a huge dance party. This late night show will find PTF focusing on Pink Floyd‘s classic album Animals, which will be performed in its entirety on the evening. Fear not, as Phish and Talking Heads classics will be peppered throughout! [Buy tickets here]
Spafford and The Magic Beans – American Beauty – 11:55pm
Looking for two white-hot rising stars of the jam scene? Look no further than Spafford and The Magic Beans. The Beans have been making a name for themselves for the past few years, breaking out of their home base on the Front Range of Colorado and hitting festivals and clubs nationwide. They have an infectious, good-vibes energy that will keep you dancing until the wee hours. Similarly, Spafford is an improvisational force to be reckoned with. Hailing from Arizona, the unbelievably tight quartet has never played on the east coast, so New Yorkers are in for a rare treat. Their patient jams and balls-to-the-wall energy make for a special combination, and they have simply been blowing audiences away at each tour stop this fall. [Buy tickets here]
Saturday, December 31st
Holly Bowling – The Cutting Room – 4:00pm
Holly Bowling will return to The Cutting Room at 4:00pm on New Year’s Eve for another special Phish pre-show! [Buy tickets here]
Stella Blue’s Band – American Beauty – 4:00pm
The Stella Blue’s Band will be taking their talents from Garcia’s and bringing it to American Beauty for an awesome pre-Phish tribute to the Grateful Dead. The band has been on the rise ever since their formation in 2009, evolving into one of the best touring tributes to the Dead on today’s live circuit. [Buy tickets here]
The James Brown Dance Party – Gramercy Theatre – 1:30am
The Funkiest All-Star Tribute In Show Business will feature the 15-year reunion of The Giant Country Horns! This edition of the exciting, ever-changing project from the Chase Brothers of Jazz is PHSH will be blessed by the presence of funky drummer Clyde Stubblefield, who famously performed with James Brown starting in 1965, playing drums on such hits as “Sex Machine” and “I Got The Feelin’.” The band also features the incredible Elise Testone on vocals, plus members of Charles Bradley, Tedeschi Trucks, Lauryn Hill & more, making it a special evening for fans of James Brown and Phish alike. [Buy tickets here]
Snarky Puppy – Irving Plaza – 1:30am
Thank you, Snarky Puppy! You didn’t have to make your New Year’s Eve show a Phish late night…You could’ve been anywhere in the world, but you’ll be here in New York City, at the famous Irving Plaza. Snarky Puppy will deliver a lights-out late-night set of jazz fusion and world music, timed perfectly for phans at MSG to make the short trip from MSG to Union Square. Snarky Puppy needs no introduction, as they are one of the most impressive bands on the live circuit, continuing to defy expectations at every turn with their unique and pure approach to live music. [Buy tickets here]
The Magic Beans & Spafford – American Beauty – 1:30am
The rising starlets will play their second night at American Beauty,with Spafford taking the opening slot and The Magic Beans closing after Phish finishes up their traditional New Year’s show at MSG. [Buy tickets here]
More info and all ticket links can be found at www.phishafterparties.com.