Phish rounded out their 2018 with a stellar four-night New Year’s run at Madison Square Garden. On Monday, December 31st, the band orchestrated yet another memorable New Year’s Eve performance to cap off 2018 and mark their 60th show at the fan-favorite venue. MSG, often referred to be fans as a “spaceship” when Phish plays in it, was transformed into “space” minutes before the clock struck midnight.

Related: 3 Heartwarming Soundcheck Stories From Phish’s NYE Run That Will Make You Love Them Even More

The set opened with a theme-appropriate “Mercury”, complete with ten acrobat performers who were all lifted up into the air while wrapped in elongated silver streamers, and surrounded by gravity-defying smoke machines. The group of suspended aerial performers, in “unbreakable nets,” danced and swayed while Trey Anastasio drew inspiration from their incredible talent. The arena was greeted by a NASA-sounding announcer that counted down from “T-minus 30 seconds,” prior to wishing everyone a “Happy New Year.”

For the 12th time at Madison Square Garden, Phish flipped to a new calendar year with the traditional “Auld Lang Syne”, as a deluge of silver balloons and enormous shiny streamers—like the ones attached to the acrobats—fell from the ceiling. The four-piece then charged forward with Kasvot Växt favorite “Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.”, with Anastasio and Mike Gordon rocking their white instruments that were first unveiled along with the Kasvot songs at Phish’s MGM Grand Arena Halloween run. With headset wireless microphones on their heads, Anastasio and Gordon were shot up into the air suspended by cables, literally dangling in midair.
Official band photographer Rene Heumer took this unique opportunity to attach a GoPro to Mike Gordon’s bass headstock. Gordon has shared some photos from the mini camera, as well as a video of the team suiting up before going on stage. But now, you can see the video from Mike’s bass (with isolated strings) while flying through the MSG sky. What a fun perspective!

 

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First lift off at @thegarden. @GoPro at the end of bass headstock. Audio is from that too (sorry).

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Right before we went on stage for set three. @gopro attached on the bass headstock.

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Rene put a @gopro at the end of my bass last night. Here are some pix.

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As if the silver-soaked chaos off stage wasn’t enough, dozens of dancers with various pool floats jumped on stage to join in on the shenanigans. This was rock and roll at an entirely new level, and the four members of the world’s most theatrical rock band will always remember where they were on December 31st, 2018. Watch it all go down in pro-shot video below:

Phish – “Mercury” > “Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S”

[Video: Phish]

Setlist: Phish | Madison Square Garden | New York, NY | 12/31/2018

Set One: The Moma Dance, Stray Dog, 555, Sand, Lawn Boy, Steam > Chalk Dust Torture > What’s the Use? > Play by Play, Waste, Ass Handed, Run Like an Antelope

Set Two: Down with Disease > Farmhouse > Seven Below > Twist > Harry Hood > Passing Through, Harry Hood

Set Three: Mercury > Auld Lang Syne, Say it to Me S.A.N.T.O.S., Simple, Saw It Again > Limb By Limb > Rock and Roll > Suzy Greenberg

Encore: The Lizards, Character Zero